In no time, a month had flown by. At the entrance of the Scarlet Secret Realm, countless Sword Sect disciples eagerly awaited the event.
High above, Mo Litian, Ma Xuedong, and several other elders hovered, forming intricate seals with their hands.
"Unseal!"
All the seals transformed into a beam of white light, shooting into the sky. In an instant, a giant portal of light appeared in the sky.
"The Scarlet Secret Realm is now open. Once inside, life and death will be left to fate," Mo Litian's commanding voice echoed in everyone's mind.
Yet, no one backed down. Relying solely on Sword Sect's resources wasn't nearly enough for serious cultivation. The Scarlet Secret Realm offered boundless opportunities, and rare spiritual plants thousands of years old were often found within.
Over the years, many who lacked the resolve to enter found themselves left in the dust as those braver than they returned as inner or even elite disciples, leaving them unable to catch up.
"Proceed!" Mo Litian commanded, and at once, the Sword Sect disciples surged forward like a tide, entering the portal.
"Junior Brother Ling, as soon as we're inside, I'll come find you," Fang Jia promised.
"No need," Ling Yun replied with a light smile.
As for Jiu Mingming, for some reason, she was absent from the event.
With that, Fang Jia stepped forward and soared into the portal. Floating in mid-air revealed her true strength—she was in the Cave Heaven realm, no wonder she had been so confident.
Once most people had entered, Ling Yun leisurely took out his spirit carpet and crossed into the Scarlet Secret Realm. After a dizzying sensation, he opened his eyes to find himself standing on a grassy field.
"So, this is the Scarlet Secret Realm?" Ling Yun looked up to see a blood-red sky. There was no sun, only a black sphere hanging ominously above.
Suddenly, Ling Yun leapt back just in time to avoid a massive creature—a scorpion-headed, dog-bodied beast that burst out of the ground where he had just been.
"Venomous Needle, go!"
Whoosh!
Before the creature could react, it was drained into an empty shell.
"Pathetic! A mere second-level Foundation Establishment scorpion hound dares to ambush me?" Ling Yun scoffed, though his amusement faded when he saw the dense horde of scorpion hounds converging in the distance.
Among them, five massive scorpion hounds emitted an intimidating aura.
"Divine Soul realm!"
Ling Yun bolted, running with all his might. After a while, he finally lost them.
"Thank goodness these beasts are slow; they're only good for ambushes," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.
Clang, clang, clang…
The sounds of battle and cries of pain echoed nearby. Ling Yun suppressed his aura and crept closer to investigate.
"Yu Mengtian, you vile traitor, attacking and killing your own sect members!" a bloodied woman shouted, her voice trembling as she fought against a woman in a blue robe.
"Cheng Cuilan, spare me the childish righteousness. Take it to the underworld with you," Yu Mengtian sneered as she intensified her attack, eventually piercing Cheng Cuilan's heart with her sword.
Kicking Cheng's corpse aside, Yu laughed. "I've always hated you. Competing with me for the Ying Fruit? What a joke."
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of your husband and son, haha!" Yu Mengtian approached a delicate blue flower. "With this, I can refine a Foundation Establishment pill."
Whoosh!
A dark flash shot toward Yu Mengtian, who quickly dodged.
"Who's there?"
"Yu Mengtian, killing your own sect members—today, I'll bring justice to you," Ling Yun declared, assessing that she was at the ninth level of Foundation Establishment and making his move without hesitation.
"Nine Dragons Flame Art!"
A crimson dragon surged toward her.
"Great Compassion Sword!" Yu's sword split into nine, attacking from all directions.
Roar!
The fire dragon devoured her sword, slamming into her body.
"Aaaah!"
Engulfed in flames, Yu Mengtian didn't last long before falling silent.
"Soul Devourer Art and Blood Refining Technique" Ling Yun carefully activated his techniques, absorbing the residual soul and blood essence.
"Ahh, refreshing." He let out an oddly euphoric sigh, feeling almost like a demonic cultivator.
"This isn't my fault; it's all because of the system's evil techniques," he justified with a grin.
Ling Yun took the Ying Fruit and stored it in his system space, preferring not to leave valuable items in his storage ring. After tidying up the scene, he moved on.
Not long after, he encountered three female Cave Heaven cultivators.
"Oh my, what a handsome man!" exclaimed a short-statured cultivator.
"Junior Sister, don't be rude," chided the woman leading the trio. "This is Senior Brother Ling Yun of the Spirit Grass Peak."
Ling Yun nodded politely. "No harm done. And you are?"
The lead cultivator cupped her hands in greeting. "I am Li Yu, and these are my sisters, Li Lei and Li Hua. Forgive my younger sister's straightforward nature."
"Not at all. May I ask where you three are headed?" Ling Yun asked politely, noting Li Yu's courteous demeanor.
"We've heard there's a Star River Pool nearby, said to contain treasures."
"Ah, so this isn't your first time here?" Ling Yun caught onto their implication.
"How astute, Ling Yun," she replied with a sudden shift in tone. The three moved to encircle him, their intentions clear.
In their eyes, the belongings of a direct disciple would be the most prized treasure of all.
"I've been waiting for this," Ling Yun muttered. "Divine Mountain Unyielding Body!"
The women struck Ling Yun's body, only to feel as if they had hit solid iron, their hands and feet recoiling in pain.
"Impossible!"
"Earth Flame Explosion!"
Boom!
Three towering pillars of flame erupted, engulfing several creatures nearby. When the smoke cleared, Li Yu's two sisters lay charred, while Li Lei, the weakest at the first level of Cave Heaven, was already dead on the ground.
Taking advantage of their weakened state, Ling Yun advanced, his fist hurtling toward Li Hua. She barely managed to dodge, but another strike from Li Yu glanced off his waist, failing to even break his skin.
Ling Yun smirked. After months of refining his body, he estimated only someone at the sixth level of Cave Heaven could seriously harm him—and Li Yu was at the fifth.
With a swift kick, he sent her flying. Just then, Li Hua summoned thousands of sword lights, intending to strike.
"Try this! Sun Devouring Sword!"
Ling Yun drew the Golden Crow Sword, releasing an intense, scorching aura. The icy sword lights dissolved instantly upon contact.
"Die!"
He closed in on Li Hua, decapitating her in a single stroke. Li Yu, lying on the ground frothing at the mouth, was next to meet the same fate.
"Turns out hitting vital points works wonders," Ling Yun mused. He'd never realized before how effective such attacks could be in real combat.
After absorbing their souls and blood essence, Ling Yun pressed on.
Over the next few days, he found nothing of particular value. The most mature spirit plants he encountered were a few decades old, far too insignificant to bother collecting.
"Hmm? What's that?" Ling Yun spotted a massive serpent a few meters away, a mysterious bracelet around its neck.