Two weeks had passed since the Heaven Seal Gate Secret Realm opened.
Outside the entrance, the atmosphere remained tense.
The massive spatial vortex suspended high above Dragon Yuan Mountain continued rotating slowly, releasing waves of ancient spiritual fluctuations.
Representatives from every major force in the surrounding provinces had gathered. Countless smaller clans and independent cultivators also waited anxiously.
According to previous experience, the secret realm would completely close within the next few days.
Most elders simply waited patiently for their juniors to emerge with their harvests.
No one expected what would happen next.
---
Suddenly—
Rip!
Space itself split apart.
A streak of silver light shot out from the spatial vortex with astonishing speed.
Several Purple Palace experts reacted simultaneously.
"What was that?"
The Lin Family elder closest to the entrance extended his hand.
The silver light landed directly in his palm.
It was...
A jade tube wrapped inside a broken talisman.
The elder's pupils narrowed.
"A Boundary Breaking Talisman..."
Someone inside the secret realm had actually used such a precious treasure merely to send something outside.
Without hesitation, he opened the jade tube.
Inside...
Was a letter.
As his eyes rapidly swept across its contents...
His expression changed dramatically.
The calm elder instantly stood upright.
"What?!"
His aura erupted uncontrollably.
The surrounding Purple Palace experts immediately looked toward him.
"What happened?"
The Lin elder did not answer immediately.
Instead, he crushed a communication talisman.
"The message must immediately reach Dragon Yuan Mountain!"
His voice carried unmistakable urgency.
Only after the talisman disappeared into the sky did he turn toward the surrounding experts.
His expression had become incomparably grave.
"A Rank Four Startling Lightning Flood Dragon..."
"...is breaking free inside the secret realm."
Silence.
Then...
The entire mountain exploded into chaos.
---
"Impossible!"
"How could a Rank Four beast exist inside the secret realm?"
"Where did the information come from?"
"Who sent this message?"
Questions erupted from every direction.
The Lin elder held up the Boundary Breaking Talisman.
"It came directly from someone inside."
"The information cannot be ignored."
No one dared dismiss those words.
If the warning proved false...
At worst, they had wasted some effort.
But if it proved true...
Every junior inside would die.
Within moments...
Communication talismans shot toward every direction like meteors.
Major sects.
Ancient families.
Independent experts.
All immediately received the same warning.
A Rank Four Flood Dragon had escaped.
The first priority...
Rescue the younger generation.
---
Dozens of Purple Palace experts quickly gathered before the secret realm entrance.
Working together, they formed countless hand seals.
Spiritual energy surged into the spatial vortex.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The unstable entrance trembled violently.
Gradually...
A temporary passage large enough for several people appeared.
"Quick!"
"We'll hold it open!"
Several elders immediately rushed inside.
However...
The instant the passage stabilized—
A pair of enormous golden eyes appeared within the darkness.
The Purple Palace cultivators froze.
The next second...
A deafening dragon roar echoed from within.
ROOOOOAR!!
The roar alone caused countless Foundation Establishment cultivators waiting outside to cough blood.
Then—
The sky changed.
Dark clouds gathered from every direction.
Wind screamed.
Lightning danced wildly across the heavens.
The space surrounding the secret realm seemed to distort under an overwhelming pressure.
From within the newly opened passage...
An enormous green-scaled Flood Dragon burst into the sky.
Its body stretched for hundreds of meters.
Ancient chains still hung from parts of its body, dragging behind it like broken mountains.
Although clearly weakened...
The aura it emitted still surpassed every Purple Palace cultivator present.
One elder's face immediately turned pale.
"It's actually..."
"...a Startling Lightning Flood Dragon!"
Before anyone could react—
The dragon opened its mouth.
Lightning and wind condensed together.
Above the heavens...
An enormous green ox phantom suddenly manifested.
The ancient beast galloped across the sky, pulling the very firmament behind it as though plowing heaven itself.
The surrounding winds transformed into violent hurricanes.
Thunder roared continuously.
The terrifying phenomenon descended toward the gathered cultivators.
"Defend!"
Several Purple Palace experts simultaneously activated defensive treasures.
Golden shields.
Formation banners.
Protective talismans.
Everything appeared at once.
The next moment—
BOOOOOOOOM!!
An earth-shattering explosion erupted.
The mountain range beneath them instantly collapsed.
Several nearby peaks were reduced to rubble.
The combined defensive techniques shattered almost instantly.
Purple Palace cultivators were blasted through the air like broken leaves.
Some died on the spot.
Others coughed blood as their bodies crashed into distant mountains.
Their numerical advantage...
Had meant nothing before a true Rank Four Flood Dragon.
---
The moment Lin Yan and the others stepped through the spatial passage, the familiar aura of the outside world washed over them.
Yet no one felt relieved.
The atmosphere was far too heavy.
Lin Yan immediately noticed the grim expressions on the elders waiting outside.
She stepped forward and clasped her fists.
"Elder..."
"What happened outside?"
The Purple Palace elder of the Lin Family remained silent for several breaths before answering.
His voice was unusually hoarse.
"The battle..."
"...was disastrous."
Everyone's expressions changed.
"What do you mean?"
The elder slowly closed his eyes.
"When we forcefully opened the spatial passage..."
"...the Flood Dragon was waiting."
"It attacked the moment space connected."
He looked toward the distant ruined mountain range.
"Most of those who entered the first wave..."
"...are dead."
Silence descended.
Even Lin Shou, who normally remained calm, felt his heart sink.
Purple Palace cultivators...
Those were the pillars of every major force.
Yet...
Most of them had died within moments.
The elder continued.
"We've already sent word to the Grand Elder."
"Our Golden Core ancestors have also been notified."
"The higher-ups of every surrounding force are mobilizing."
Only then did everyone's tense expressions ease ever so slightly.
As long as the Grand Elders arrived...
There was still hope.
But the fact remained—
The surrounding provinces had suffered a devastating blow.
Many of the Purple Palace experts who had protected their younger generations would never return.
A heavy silence settled over everyone.
---
Only after walking farther from the spatial entrance did they finally witness the true aftermath.
The earth...
Had been devastated.
Mountains that had stood for centuries were now flattened.
Gigantic cracks stretched across the landscape for dozens of kilometers.
The forests surrounding Dragon Yuan Mountain had become seas of scorched earth.
Residual lightning still danced across shattered rocks.
Even more unsettling...
A dense, sinister aura lingered throughout the surroundings.
Dark, oppressive qi drifted through the air like black mist.
Many Foundation Establishment cultivators instinctively shivered upon sensing it.
"What is this..."
"It feels... evil."
One elder frowned.
"It is the Flood Dragon's baleful aura."
"Although it possesses dragon blood..."
"It was imprisoned for countless years."
"The resentment accumulated within its body has transformed into evil qi."
"It will take years before this place completely recovers."
Everyone looked at the ruined landscape in silence.
Only now did they truly understand what a Rank Four existence represented.
---
A young cultivator suddenly asked nervously,
"E-Elder..."
"Where is the Flood Dragon now?"
The Lin elder looked toward the distant horizon.
His expression remained grave.
"It has already left."
"It broke through our encirclement."
"It is heading deeper into the province."
Those words caused everyone's hearts to tighten.
If such a terrifying beast entered populated regions...
The consequences would be unimaginable.
Villages...
Cities...
Entire cultivation clans...
None could withstand its wrath.
Fortunately, another elder immediately added,
"The Golden Core experts are already pursuing it."
"It won't remain free for long."
Although his words were meant as reassurance, very few truly relaxed.
A Rank Four Flood Dragon that had once reached an even higher realm...
No one knew just how many lives would be sacrificed before it was stopped.
---
After confirming that the younger generation had safely escaped, the elders of the various forces quickly gathered together.
There was no time for rest.
No time to celebrate surviving the secret realm.
Each passing moment allowed the Flood Dragon to travel farther.
The Lin Family elder cupped his fists toward the surrounding leaders.
"Our priority has changed."
"We'll escort the disciples back to safety before immediately reinforcing the pursuit."
The elders from the other major powers nodded without objection.
Soon afterward, the united force split apart.
Each faction gathered its surviving disciples.
Under the protection of their respective elders, they departed in different directions, returning toward their own territories while preparing for the storm that had just begun to sweep across the surrounding provinces.