Outside the dimensional gate, the skies above the hidden realm were filled with hundreds of flying ships and all kinds of spirit beasts soaring through the air. The atmosphere was saturated with the presence of high-level cultivators. The pressure that blanketed the heavens was anything but ordinary. All of them belonged to factions allied with the Wu Clan.
Before the silence could drag on any longer, Wu Wen's voice rang out.
"All of you... enter the hidden realm."
There was no room for dispute in his tone. Although a few showed hesitation and dissent, in the end, none dared to defy Wu Wen's command. They feared ending up like those from the Holy Land of the Immortal River and other forces who had gone before those who were given no warning from the Wu Clan at all.
In the end, they had no choice. The power supporting the Wu Clan was simply too overwhelming. With no alternative, they stepped through the portal against their will.
The moment their bodies were swallowed by the light of the dimensional gate, they were scattered across entirely different locations.
Some appeared in dense forests filled with rare medicinal herbs. Others found themselves in tranquil bamboo groves that felt like the realms of celestial beings. Some were suspended above crystal-clear rivers, where even dipping their injured bodies into the water instantly began to heal their wounds. And there were many more mysterious places beyond that.
As for Wu Wen, he was sent to a vast meadow that seemed completely harmless. Everything appeared so calm it was unnerving.
Suddenly, he leapt into the sky without warning.
Boom!
The ground exploded with a thunderous roar. A massive worm, the size of a large flying ship, burst from beneath the earth, its gaping maw lunging to swallow Wu Wen whole. With swift reflexes, he dodged and instantly condensed earth elemental energy, summoning a giant spike that pierced through the hellish worm's body. The creature convulsed once before falling still in an instant.
But before he could even catch his breath, Wu Wen's eyes widened as a blade sliced cleanly through his body. His left arm was severed in a blink, and a spray of red blood burst into the air.
"What a troublesome little brat…" Wu Wen gritted his teeth, leapt back, and summoned dozens of clay golems to shield himself while preparing to counterattack.
The clay golems soared skyward, bursting through the clouds as they charged at the hidden attacker. But the moment they moved…
Slash!
Their bodies were cleaved into pieces as if soft dough had been sliced by a razor.
Wu Wen clenched his jaw tightly, a strained smile forming on his lips. "I thought we'd meet again in the Upper World… kid."
He looked up at the sky and saw the figure of a young man in white robes standing there with a cold smile. He recognized him immediately. He was one of the people Wu Wen most desired to kill in his entire life.
Lei Chen let out a soft laugh before speaking with a grave tone.
"Let me send you down to wait for your wife and son in the netherworld first. No need to thank me. It's not necessary."
Wu Wen smiled back, blood still pouring from his wound.
"Such a venomous tongue."
In that instant, a colossal earthen spear erupted from the ground and shot toward Lei Chen. But with a single swing of his sword, Lei Chen split the massive spear into countless fragments.
...
...
At the same time, in various parts of the Hidden Tomb
Boom!!
A thunderous explosion echoed throughout the secret realm. Violent surges of spiritual energy collided and shook the surrounding terrain. And it wasn't just this place the sounds of battle reverberated from every direction within the tomb.
Fighting erupted everywhere, whether for inheritance, to steal treasures, to slay enemies, to survive attacks from spirit beasts, or even to unleash vengeance harbored for years.
The roars of spirit beasts and the screams of cultivators thundered through the tomb. The air thickened with the stench of blood, and lifeless bodies both human and beast piled into hills of corpses. No one paused. No one retreated.
At the very heart of the secret realm, Mu Nansi stood silently before a green glowing portal. Her eyes were calm yet razor-sharp, like a drawn blade.
Behind her was Zhou Luocheng, staring at her with a blank expression. Opposite her stood three top cultivators of the Upper World: Sui Zimeng, Bai Xian, and Jin Su.
The five stood within striking distance. A single movement could ignite battle at any moment.
Then it happened
Splash!!
A massive wave of water burst forth from Mu Nansi's palm, surging toward the other four with a torrent of force. The overwhelming pressure forced each of them to pull back slightly, opening a gap just wide enough.
Mu Nansi wasted no time. She dashed into the green portal without looking back. But just before her foot touched down inside the tomb's inner sanctum
Fwoosh!
Multiple energies tore through the air toward her at once. A crackling silver lightning bolt, razor-sharp flower petals swirling like thousands of blades, a chaotic flow of yin and yang that distorted the very fabric of space, and a surge of divine power radiating a deadly aura.
Mu Nansi slowly raised her head and swept her arm outward. A wall of pure water materialized instantly, swirling around her in a protective barrier from all sides.
But what she didn't anticipate was…
Thuck!
A sharp sound of metal piercing flesh rang out. A pitch-black glaive, shrouded in the aura of death, tore through the wall of water with unsettling ease.
Its blade thrust clean through Mu Nansi's side, and a stream of bright red blood burst into the air.
But the very next moment…
That blood began to flow back into her body, slowly reversing its path. The gaping wound on her side closed up, as if it had never existed.
From within Mu Nansi's shadow, a young woman shot forth, accompanied by a mysterious surge of power resonating through the air. She was Lin Suhe, the Sacred Daughter of the Holy Land of the Immortal River in the Lower World. Her body was bound to the power of blood, and now she unleashed that power in full, amplifying Mu Nansi's strength and healing her wounds.
Mu Nansi turned her gaze toward Jin Su. The water surrounding her morphed into countless blades, each one razor-sharp, and they surged back toward their target in an instant, severing Jin Su's arm.
But Jin Su merely smiled and stepped lightly backward, evading the torrent of blades with graceful ease.
That same smile lingered on her lips as another deafening explosion erupted. The battle between them reignited with ferocity, each party focused solely on killing the other.
...
...
...
...
Deep within a dense forest of the hidden realm, the sound of frantic footsteps echoed with growing urgency.
Over twenty members of the Wu Clan were fleeing in panic, directionless and disoriented. Each face was twisted in absolute terror, eyes wide as if on the verge of madness.
Cries and screams blended together in the chaos.
"Ye Lin! Are you insane?! Have you forgotten that even if you retrieve the souls of your clan members, their lives still depend entirely on the will of the clan patriarch?!"
One man shouted desperately, voice trembling in a mix of pleading and fear only for that voice to vanish the next instant.
Slice!
His head tumbled from his shoulders, a stream of crimson blood arcing through the air. Ye Lin charged forward without pause, continuing his slaughter.
Moments later, Ye Lin stood amidst a field of corpses, his entire body soaked in blood so thoroughly that the color of his robes was no longer visible. His eyes were cold, emotionless, yet deep within that gaze… a silent fire burned.
He had no words for those people. Only the blade in his hand, which slashed through flesh again and again, just as it had the day he was forced to murder his own family under their control.
"Stop right there, you bastard! Even if you kill us, we'll still reincarnate in the Soul Hall! You can't—"
The voice of another young man from the Wu Clan rang out, but it was instantly cut short as a blade tore clean through his throat.
Shkk!
The young man's head tumbled from his shoulders. Ye Lin stood motionless amidst the sea of corpses, his gaze lifting toward the sky with a blank expression. Yet beneath that emptiness burned a silent flame of rage. Then, from within his robes, the voice of an elderly man spoke out.
"My grandson, the members of the Ye Clan are all safe now. The people from the Holy Land of the Immortal River have rescued them from the Wu Clan."
Ye Lin pulled a communication stone from inside his robe and replied, "Understood, Grandfather. Let's meet again in two days."
A faint smile of relief appeared on his lips. He tucked the communication stone back into his spatial ring. Suddenly, a voice called down from the top of a nearby tree.
"How does it feel?"
Ye Lin spun toward the source of the voice. His face remained emotionless, but his eyes trembled slightly. Upon seeing the figure who had spoken, he immediately dropped to his knees, slamming his head into the ground with such force that dust scattered into the air.
Thud!
His voice rang out in the silence.
"Thank you, Elder Han! Thank you for saving my life that day! Thank you… for giving me the chance to kill that bastard with my own hands!"
His voice quivered not from pain, but because something deep within him had finally burst free.
"If I survive after killing Wu Zhao, I swear… I will dedicate the rest of my life to serving you!"
Han Ming, standing atop the branch, smiled faintly. His gaze remained cool, but there was a quiet warmth hidden within.
"Stand up."
He continued in a calm voice, "Come with me. I'll take you to someone you might know."
Before Ye Lin could even ask a question, the ground in front of him split open in a long line.
Shff!