The Secret Realm Closes

The seven cultivators still lingering in the secret realm grew increasingly anxious. Less than two quarters of an hour remained before the exit would seal shut.

If they remained trapped, given their strength, they would have little hope of surviving the thirty-year wait until the realm opened again.

Just as despair began to set in, they saw the Bronze Corpse on the summit fly into a rage, turning to pursue something in the distance.

The seven were overjoyed. Abandoning all caution, they cast their flight techniques and surged toward the exit floating in the mid-air of the mountain peak.

To their relief, they passed through the aperture without incident.

Song Wen waited until he was certain no one remained in the vicinity before flying to the summit.

At his command, the two Black-armored Gu at the ninth level of Qi Refining that had lured the Bronze Corpse away veered toward the exit.

The Bronze Corpse followed in close, lethal pursuit.

A flicker of cold light flashed.

It struck the exposed bone on the Bronze Corpse's chest.

The hard, brass-colored skeletal frame chipped under the powerful force of the Cold Moon Blade, though the bone itself did not shatter. However, the impact forced the Bronze Corpse to stagger, its speed dropping sharply.

Furious, the creature drove its feet into the earth and charged again.

Another flash of cold light struck, this time at the creature's ankle.

The Cold Moon Blade sliced through the rotting flesh, and the sheer force of the blow caused the Bronze Corpse to lose its footing and tumble.

Moving at such high speed, the sudden loss of balance sent the creature rolling like a heavy gourd, crushing countless trees in its path.

Retrieving his Black-armored Gu and the Cold Moon Blade, Song Wen watched the Bronze Corpse struggle to its feet with a thunderous roar. He turned his back on it and stepped into the exit.

A flash of white light rippled through the pitch-black aperture, and Song Wen vanished without a trace.

The Bronze Corpse reached the entrance, its eyes fixed on the darkness for a long moment. It seemed to sense that passing through the void would be a grave danger.

Ultimately, it turned away and lumbered toward Falling Eagle Chasm.

......

After a brief sensation of weightlessness, Song Wen felt solid ground beneath his feet once more.

He looked up to see the seven who had emerged before him. High above, four figures stood in the void.

Three were the Golden Core cultivators he had seen earlier: Xiu Jun, Xiang Qi, and Fairy Illusionary Feather.

The fourth was a lean, elderly man whom Song Wen had never encountered.

This was Wu Ren, who had rushed to the Withered Blood Secret Realm upon sensing the death of Wu Sui.

Wu Ren's Divine Sense swept across the eight survivors with ruthless disregard.

Song Wen felt the overwhelming pressure slam into him, as if he were being stripped bare, his every secret laid open to scrutiny. Not a single hidden thing could withstand such a gaze; his physical body, his internal organs, all were rendered transparent.

An immense suffocating pressure followed, pinning the eight cultivators to the spot.

Song Wen was the most anxious of all. He harbored too many secrets: the Storage Ring hidden within his heart, the various Gu insects embedded throughout his body, his concealed cultivation level, and the vast, righteous energy of his Everlasting Longevity Art. Any one of these revelations would mean his end.

Although Song Wen had tested his own Divine Sense and found it incapable of detecting the items within his heart, this man was a Golden Core master.

The strength of a Golden Core cultivator's Divine Sense was vastly superior to the newly condensed sense Song Wen possessed.

He had no certainty of survival.

This was his first time standing face-to-face with a Golden Core cultivator.

Fortunately, after sweeping over the eight survivors repeatedly, Wu Ren found nothing amiss. He turned his gaze toward the three flying ships in the air, his expression marred by disappointment.

The cultivators who had emerged earlier-those with higher cultivation bases and greater strength-were the prime suspects for killing his grandson.

These eight, with cultivation levels no higher than the seventh level of Qi Refining, would not have been a match for Wu Sui even if they had banded together.

Xiu Jun, the Golden Core ancestor of the Profound Yin Cult, watched Wu Ren's fruitless search and asked coldly, "Wu Ren, you have probed every disciple who emerged. What exactly are you seeking?"

Wu Ren's face was dark. After a long silence, he replied, "My grandson, Wu Sui, was murdered in the realm. I had left a trace of my Divine Thought upon him; I felt the moment it vanished.

"Usually, that trace of thought would have attached itself to the killer, but for some reason, it dissipated without a trace. I cannot identify the culprit.

"The only way to find who killed him is to inspect the Storage Bags and corpse-raising bags of these disciples. Whoever possesses his Magical Artifacts or corpse puppets is undoubtedly the murderer."

Upon hearing that Wu Ren's grandson was dead, the three Golden Core masters showed faint, mocking smiles. Even Xiang Qi, a fellow member of the Corpse Demon Sect, did not conceal his amusement.

It seemed that watching a fellow Golden Core cultivator suffer a defeat was quite entertaining.

However, when Wu Ren demanded to inspect the bags of every surviving disciple, their expressions soured.

Fairy Illusionary Feather of the Crimson Blood Sect was the first to refuse.

"Wu Ren, if your grandson was killed, it is only because his strength was insufficient. You will not be checking the bags of my Crimson Blood Sect disciples. That is out of the question.

"The secret realm is filled with peril. It might not have been a cultivator who killed him, but a Demon Beast.

"Do not forget that a pseudo-Tier 2 Bronze Corpse was born within the realm. Wu Sui's death may well be its doing."

Wu Ren snorted coldly.

"Hmph! I left Wu Sui with many hidden moves. A mere pseudo-Tier 2 Bronze Corpse, mindless and beast-like, could not have killed him. Even if he could not win, he would have had no trouble escaping."

Xiu Jun interjected, "Wu Ren, your grandson is not the only one who died. My Profound Yin Cult lost Ghost Patrol as well. Must I also inspect every disciple's bag to avenge him?

"In every secret realm exploration, fewer than one in ten survives. This is the way of things. Since they chose to enter, they must accept the possibility of death. Life and death are matters of ability. If one fears death, one should not enter the realm."

Xiu Jun's tone was harsh, granting no face to the Golden Core master.

Xiang Qi, from the same Corpse Demon Sect as Wu Ren, chimed in, "Wu Ren, your demand to search every disciple truly oversteps the boundaries of our customs."

Facing opposition from his own sect, Wu Ren's face turned livid.

The atmosphere grew stifling, heavy with the tension of a gathering storm.

At that moment, the entrance to the secret realm in the mountain col suddenly sealed.

The exploration of the Withered Blood Secret Realm had concluded. No more cultivators would emerge alive.

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