The Wind-Thunder Eagles swept over an endless ocean of forest, slicing forward through the sky.
Lin Ye sat cross-legged on the eagle's back, eyes closed, his consciousness sinking into the Shura Blood Sea.
He flicked Hong Ying's earrings into the crimson waters.
A wave surged up, swallowing them whole.
The jade surface began to melt, bit by bit, until at last a thread of blood-evil aura leaked out.
The earrings were like amber droplets—within them, something had been sealed… a single drop of essence blood.
The instant that blood merged into the Shura Blood Sea, the ocean roared.
Blood waves rose like mountains. The entire sea churned violently.
Lin Ye had expected a direct surge of mystic energy—another leap in cultivation.
But instead, the Blood Sea began to spin.
Faster… faster…
Until it formed a vortex.
"What…?"
Lin Ye stared, stunned.
This Shura Blood Sea was boundless, ever-changing—like a real world unto itself.
He could never predict what it would reveal next.
And then—
From the depths of the vortex, an object emerged.
A dark crimson cauldron.
"A pill cauldron!"
As a ninth-grade alchemist in his past life, Lin Ye's sensitivity to pill cauldrons was unmatched.
Not long ago, he had seized a cauldron called the Heavenfall Flame-Suppressing Cauldron from Murong Xuanyang. The name sounded terrifying, but in truth, it was merely considered top-tier in places like Thunder River City.
In Lin Ye's hands?
It was nothing.
A true cauldron could elevate an alchemist's abilities by an unimaginable margin.
And Lin Ye was already nearing the Star River Realm—he urgently needed something worthy.
But the Blood Sea was closing.
The vortex began collapsing.
Without hesitation, Lin Ye's spiritual avatar dove straight down and wrapped both arms around the cauldron.
He tried to lift it—
—and instantly realized it was far heavier than he'd imagined.
Hundreds of times heavier.
Nearly one hundred thousand jin.
"Up!"
The weight only confirmed his suspicion: this was an extraordinary treasure.
Lin Ye pushed his spirit force to its limits.
At the final moment—just before the Blood Sea sealed shut—he dragged the cauldron out and onto Blood Peak.
"Haa…"
His real body exhaled sharply.
It had been genuinely dangerous.
If his spiritual avatar had been swallowed by the Blood Sea, it would either be refined into nothing… or trapped forever in that world.
He stared at the dark crimson cauldron before him.
As his spirit sense entered it—
he heard it.
Deep, endless voices.
Howling from the abyss. Screaming in despair. Wailing. Calling.
A chorus of agony that never ceased.
"What kind of cauldron is this…?"
And then—
information surged directly into Lin Ye's mind.
The Red Lotus Tribulation Cauldron.
A cauldron born from countless calamities of heaven and earth.
Inside it was sealed the Red Lotus Karma Flame—a terrifying flame that could be refined and claimed once the owner was strong enough.
Even with Lin Ye's knowledge… he could not determine its exact grade.
He only knew one thing—
It was beyond anything he had ever possessed.
Beyond comparison.
"This cauldron was born from 'calamities of heaven and earth'… What even is such a thing?"
Lin Ye was shaken.
Even in his previous life, he had never encountered such concepts.
For the first time, he truly understood:
The greatest value of the Sacred Realm scroll and its Shura Blood Sea was not merely the power it provided.
It was the widening of one's horizon.
"Perspective defines one's limits… and my perspective has been too narrow."
But he steadied himself.
"A wider horizon doesn't mean reckless ambition. Everything will wait until I reach the Sacred Realm."
Once, he believed the Sacred Realm was the peak.
Now he understood—
even the Sacred Realm might only be the beginning.
Lin Ye circulated his cultivation art and drew the cauldron into his Sea of Qi.
The Red Lotus Tribulation Cauldron hovered above it, ancient and ominous.
"So the depths of the Blood Sea still hide many treasures…"
He had thought it was only a source of blood-evil mystic energy.
But the mysteries buried inside ran far deeper.
Lin Ye briefly wondered what kind of origin Hong Ying's earrings had—to provoke such a reward from the Blood Sea itself.
For now, he classified the Red Lotus Tribulation Cauldron as a Sacred-grade artifact.
In his past life, the best cauldron he owned was a tenth-grade cauldron.
Anything beyond tenth grade was Sacred-grade.
As for his Cold-Iron Sword… it was likely around fifth-grade weapon rank—still quite usable.
He did not pull the cauldron out for study yet.
This was not the time.
After more than four hundred li of flight, the Wind-Thunder Eagles finally arrived above the mountain gates of the Azure Thunder Sword Sect.
"Sect Master," Leng Ruo said quietly, "the mountain ahead is their home—Azure Thunder Mountain."
Azure Thunder Mountain stood out among the surrounding peaks like a crane among chickens.
With their recent victories, the Azure Thunder Sword Sect's territory and resources had skyrocketed.
Today was a grand celebration.
They had conquered five cities in succession.
Each city's ruling family had chosen submission… after heavy bloodshed.
At the feast, the representatives from those five cities wore bitter expressions.
Peace was expensive.
Each city was forced to tribute fifty million spirit stones every year.
Not one less.
These were not mid-tier cities like Thunder River City—cities protected by major sects, rich with internal development.
They were small cities. Barely surviving.
They had no choice.
The Celebration Banquet
The Sect Master of the Azure Thunder Sword Sect, Shen Jiuliang, raised his cup and smiled.
"Let us drink together, and welcome the five city lords into our Azure Thunder Sword Alliance!"
"Our alliance has only just been founded—yet within three years, we shall become the greatest power in the Fenglei Riverlands!"
"When that day comes… you will be our greatest contributors!"
Shen Jiuliang's voice rang with confidence.
The Azure Thunder Sword Alliance.
So he truly had ambitions—to become king of the region.
The five city lords could only nod and bow.
"Yes… yes… of course…"
But just as they were about to continue the feast—
four Wind-Thunder Eagles thundered toward the mountain from afar.
"Outrageous!"
Someone beside Shen Jiuliang exploded in anger.
To fly so openly above their sect's territory was a slap across the face.
But Shen Jiuliang only laughed.
"It's the Fenglei Mystic Sect."
"Don't panic. It seems they've come to negotiate… or to surrender."
His certainty was unshakable.
His intelligence network had concluded:
Fenglei Mystic Sect had only one real powerhouse—Pei Tianzhu, who had reached the Heavenly Phenomenon Realm.
The rest were merely Earth-Transformation cultivators.
They weren't worth fearing.
"Let them come down," Shen Jiuliang ordered.
A figure shot into the sky, wrapped in a tide of heaven-vein energy.
A Heavenly Phenomenon Realm expert.
The presence alone made the five city lords pale with dread.
A sect that could casually produce such an expert…
no wonder they were forced to submit.
The man stopped before Lin Ye and spoke with arrogance:
"Our Sect Master invites the Fenglei Mystic Sect to enter and discuss."
Leng Ruo and the others exchanged glances.
They knew they were walking into the enemy's home ground.
They could feel it—
dozens upon dozens of powerful auras lurking below, like blades hidden in the dark.
Even they felt a trace of tension.
Yet outwardly, they remained calm.
Lin Ye only said one word:
"Go."
Then he stepped off the eagle and dropped.
The Wind-Thunder Eagles flew away on their own, retreating to a safe distance.
In a real battle, sword aura could easily kill them. Losing even one eagle would be disastrous.
The sect only had eight.
Five figures landed smoothly.
Hong Ying sighed in relief.
So… they had come to attend a feast after all.
But then—
Shen Jiuliang leaned back lazily and smirked.
"Heh. Only you few?"
"Why didn't Pei Tianzhu come personally?"
Lin Ye looked at him.
"You're the one who decides things here?"
Shen Jiuliang's brows creased.
"You little brat—what are you?"
"When did you earn the right to speak here?"
Leng Ruo's eyes sharpened.
Shen Jiuliang was courting death.
Lin Ye only smiled, gentle as spring water.
"I'm here to give you a gift."
"A gift?"
Shen Jiuliang frowned.
Then—
Zhang Jichun stepped forward and slammed a heavy iron box onto the banquet table with a loud bang.
One of Shen Jiuliang's men opened it.
The moment he saw what was inside, his eyes went wide in horror.
"A head…!"
"What head?" Shen Jiuliang stepped closer.
And then his world shattered.
Inside the box was the severed head of his son.
Shen Jun.
"You—!"
Shen Jiuliang's killing intent erupted like an ocean wave.
But before he could explode—
Lin Ye's sword swung first.
There was no reason to wait for him to act.
BOOM!
A sword aura dozens of zhang long slashed down.
Shen Jiuliang was blasted backward—
through the air—
like a broken puppet.