The Third Princess of the Great Zhou—what a distinguished status!
Qin Xueyi thought to herself. Among the people present, few could match the Third Princess in rank. Perhaps only the Crown Prince, her direct rival, could compare.
While Li Xun's status wasn't low, it still paled in comparison to that of the Third Princess.
Yet, what was truly astonishing was that the Third Princess had just taken the initiative to greet him.
Qin Xueyi glanced at the back of the Third Princess, then shifted her gaze to Li Xun, who was descending from the sky. Her eyes were filled with unresolvable curiosity.
Her intuition told her there was some hidden connection between the two.
But what kind of connection? She couldn't discern it.
Currently, she was merely a rogue cultivator—not the formidable powerhouse of her previous life, where she had almost ascended to the rank of Immortal King. Without her own forces, she naturally had no reliable sources of information.
She had spent this period staying at the Third Princess's estate. The Princess certainly had no obligation to inform her of every event taking place in Zhen Tian City.
"I thought I'd made considerable progress, but his advancement seems even more astonishing," Qin Xueyi murmured.
Her beautiful eyes scrutinized Li Xun closely. With her level of perception, she could only tell that he had broken through to the Profound Elixir Realm. However, she couldn't determine the exact level within it.
Her gaze shifted past Li Xun and casually scanned the disciples of the Profound Sun Sect following behind him. But when her eyes landed on one particular young man, her pupils narrowed slightly.
"Has history shifted again?"
Behind Li Xun, Ye Han followed step by step like a humble attendant. On the surface, there seemed nothing extraordinary about him.
But Qin Xueyi knew better. Ye Han's future achievements would not be insignificant—at the very least, no less than her own.
In her previous life, when she attempted to ascend to Immortal King status, Ye Han's cultivation was nearly on par with hers. He also possessed the potential for Immortal Kinghood. Whether he ultimately succeeded, Qin Xueyi couldn't be sure, as she had failed to overcome the Immortal King Tribulation and was reborn.
Now, seeing Ye Han again left her momentarily stunned.
If her memory served her right, Ye Han at this point should have already defected from the Profound Sun Sect and become a rogue cultivator. He shouldn't even have participated in this Phoenix Origin Secret Realm.
Ye Han's first significant moment in history wasn't supposed to occur until several months later, during another event. By that time, he would have already reached the peak of the Spirit Meridian Realm.
In one battle, Ye Han had defeated three Profound Elixir Realm experts working together. That feat had made his name famous across tens of thousands of miles, leaving the Profound Sun Sect filled with regret.
Yet now...
Ye Han hadn't left the Profound Sun Sect. Instead, he was following behind Li Xun like an obedient subordinate.
This baffled Qin Xueyi for a long while.
What on earth had happened?
Why had the timeline of her previous life been thrown into such chaos in this one?
<+>
Li Xun strode forward to the deepest part of the valley and stood among the ranks of the other sects. Just as he settled into his place, he felt something. His gaze shifted to the side.
At the edge of his vision was a figure shrouded entirely in divine radiance, standing behind the Third Princess.
This figure was enigmatic. The divine glow enveloping them obscured their appearance, while the luminous barrier around them blocked any attempts to probe with spiritual senses.
"What's this person's deal? Were they observing me just now?"
Li Xun frowned.
Cultivators' instincts were exceptionally keen, and after Li Xun achieved minor completion in the Great Yan Divine Technique, his spiritual sense had multiplied several times over, sharpening his intuition to an extreme degree.
He had distinctly sensed someone observing him, but when he turned to look, all he saw was this mysterious figure bathed in divine light.
The light seemed to originate from a treasure—possibly even a spiritual treasure.
Li Xun couldn't fathom why this person had taken notice of him.
Could it be that they had mistaken him for an enemy?
This was to be expected. Once inside the Phoenix Origin Secret Realm, everyone—except one's fellow disciples—was essentially an enemy. Given Li Xun's recent high profile, it was only natural for others to see him as a threat.
After all, the moment he appeared, he could already sense several hostile gazes directed at him, including those from Ning Cheng, Zheng Chuan, and others. Adding one more enemy to the mix hardly mattered to him.
He cast a deep look at the mysterious figure before withdrawing his gaze, choosing not to dwell on it further.
<+>
"Did he notice me?"
Qin Xueyi's heart skipped a beat, like a startled rabbit. The depth in Li Xun's gaze just now made her feel as if she had been completely exposed.
Fortunately, she had a low-grade spiritual treasure that shielded her from his spiritual senses. Without it, she doubted she could have kept herself hidden.
"His strength has indeed advanced greatly, but there's something I must warn him about: the Third Princess will never ascend to become the Great Zhou Emperor. Aligning with her now risks being targeted by the Crown Prince in the future."
Qin Xueyi made up her mind. Once inside the Phoenix Origin Secret Realm, she would find an opportunity to speak to Li Xun privately.
From her perspective, the Third Princess's earlier greeting to Li Xun was enough to confirm that he had chosen to side with her. In Qin Xueyi's eyes, this was not a wise decision.
Boom!
At that moment, a jade chariot appeared in the sky, radiating an imposing aura. Seated within it was a tall, commanding figure.
With a simple gesture, the figure raised a palm and pressed it down. Instantly, countless beams of light erupted like a heavenly river cascading from the celestial skies.
The light struck the cliff face in the valley. Despite the overwhelming power of the attack—enough to level hundreds of miles—there was no catastrophic collapse.
Instead, the cliff face slowly split open, revealing a pitch-black void, as if the spatial barrier had been torn apart. Fierce winds howled from within, sharp enough to shred anyone who dared step inside.
"The Phoenix Origin Secret Realm is now open. You may proceed," a calm voice echoed from within the jade chariot.
The figure inside was well-known: the Northern King of the Great Zhou Empire.
At his words, groups began to move. One by one, sect members led their junior brothers and sisters swiftly into the fissure.
Once the first group entered, the others quickly followed, unwilling to be left behind. The valley, once teeming with figures, was soon significantly less crowded.
"You may enter now as well. Do not forget our agreement."
The Crown Prince stood atop a massive boulder, his hands clasped behind his back, exuding an aura of authority. He glanced at the three figures behind him and issued a final warning:
"Do not use excessive strength. Otherwise, even if you make it out of the Secret Realm, you won't leave the Great Zhou's territory alive!"
His words, though cryptic, carried a clear warning: the trio should not recklessly attack disciples from other sects simply because of their superior cultivation levels.
"Understood."
One of the figures in green robes replied indifferently before leading the other two into the Phoenix Origin Secret Realm.
"Hmm?"
Seeing the individuals accompanying the Crown Prince, Li Xun's pupils contracted slightly.
Although the Great Zhou royal family had claimed there were only 300 slots for the Secret Realm, it was clear this limit was merely nominal. Both the Crown Prince and the Third Princess had discreetly arranged for additional followers to enter.
"So, in the face of power, rules are nothing more than scraps of paper?"
Li Xun turned to look at his fellow disciples and said gently, "Let's head in as well."
Once the last person stepped into the Phoenix Origin Secret Realm, the fissure in the cliff face abruptly vanished.
The sect elders present were unsurprised. They knew the Phoenix Origin Secret Realm would remain open for a month. After that, the Northern King of the Great Zhou would reopen the spatial passage to retrieve the disciples.
<+>
If you want to see more of this story and don't mind paying $5 each month to read the latest post, please go to my
The current chapter in Patreon:
Link to the current chapter: