Within the starry expanse atop the God Transformation Tower, Bai Ye sat cross-legged on the White Jade Platform.
Inside his Sea of Consciousness, the Nine-Colored Nascent Soul floated at the center. Each color represented an understanding of a different law. The Star Spiritual Energy circling the Nascent Soul was slowly nourishing this newly condensed Dao Fruit.
He had been cultivating here in seclusion for many days. The Spiritual Energy within his body had grown increasingly dense, and his control over the Nascent Soul Realm had become more and more proficient. He could even borrow the power of the heavens and earth to briefly foresee the changes in the world around him!
At that moment, his Sea of Consciousness suddenly trembled slightly.
A faint yet distinct spatial fluctuation came from deep within the Secret Realm.
Bai Ye abruptly opened his eyes. A flash of chaotic-colored light passed through his pupils, and his Spiritual Sense instantly spread out, enveloping the entire Azure Spirit Secret Realm.
He could clearly sense that the spatial barrier at the edge of the Secret Realm was rapidly thinning. The Spiritual Energy in the air had also become disordered, while the originally stable Heavenly Law showed faint signs of collapsing.
The Azure Spirit Secret Realm is ending ahead of schedule? Bai Ye's heart stirred.
Under normal circumstances, the Secret Realm should remain open for a year. Less than half a year had passed, so something abnormal had clearly occurred.
He did not think much of it. He rose, slipped his Storage Ring back onto his finger, took one last look at this starry expanse, and turned toward the tower gate.
After passing through layer upon layer of spatial barriers, Bai Ye's figure finally appeared on the plain outside the God Transformation Tower.
Boom—!
Almost the instant he landed, the gazes of nearly a thousand cultivators on the plain focused on him in unison!
Those gazes held curiosity, awe, greed, and undisguised scrutiny.
After all, he was the first person in tens of thousands of years to reach the top of the God Transformation Tower. Who would not want to see what kind of extraordinary figure had obtained the Divine Realm Inheritance?
"Is that him? He looks so young?" A Rogue Cultivator in gray robes craned his neck to look, his voice full of disbelief. "His blood and vital energy seem as vigorous as those of a cultivator who just came of age. He doesn't look disguised..."
"Being young is what makes him terrifying! The God Transformation Tower tests combat strength and potential, not cultivation age. If he can clear it at such a young age, won't he defy the heavens in the future?" another disciple from a minor sect exclaimed, his eyes filled with envy.
"But the younger he is, the weaker his background is likely to be, right?" A lowered voice rang out from the crowd. The speaker was a burly man with a face full of coarse flesh. His gaze drifted toward several nearby cultivators of the Profound Comprehension Realm, whose auras were dense and vigorous. "Look at those people—the Blood Fiend Sect's Elder Wang and the Ten Thousand Monster Valley's Protector Li. Which of them isn't watching him? If this kid doesn't have a senior of the Profound Comprehension Realm protecting him, I'm afraid he'll be doomed!"
The discussions rose and fell like waves surging toward Bai Ye.
His brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Being watched by so many people, especially with several obscure, malicious gazes among them, made him deeply uncomfortable.
Sure enough, not long afterward, four cultivators of the Profound Comprehension Realm were the first to step out from the crowd.
The leader was an old man in a blood-colored robe with a sinister face. He was none other than Elder Wang of the Blood Fiend Sect, a cultivator at the Profound Comprehension Seventh Layer.
At his side were Protector Li of the Ten Thousand Monster Valley, Stockade Chief Zhang of the Black Dragon Stockade, and Elder Zhao, a powerful figure among the Rogue Cultivators.
Without exception, all four were experts of the Profound Comprehension Realm.
The four hurried to Bai Ye's front, false smiles plastered across their faces, while their eyes swept over him repeatedly as if assessing a "treasure."
"Young friend, you truly are young and promising!" Elder Wang spoke first. His voice was booming, but it carried a deliberate hint of familiarity. "The first person in tens of thousands of years to reach the top of the God Transformation Tower. With talent like this, you must be the foremost among Azure State's younger generation!"
"May I ask which faction you come from, young friend?" Protector Li followed up. His tone seemed casual, but it carried probing intent. "This old man has traveled throughout Azure State for many years and knows at least some of the geniuses from every major faction, yet I have never seen anyone like you."
"Yes, yes." Stockade Chief Zhang rubbed his hands, the greed in his eyes nearly spilling out. "You're so young, yet you've achieved so much. There must be some expert guiding you from behind the scenes, right? If you don't mind, why not tell this old man about it? Perhaps I can still be of some help."
The surrounding cultivators also fell silent one after another, straining their ears to listen.
They all wanted to know what kind of background this mysterious genius had.
If his background was ordinary, someone might truly take the risk and seize the inheritance within the God Transformation Tower.
Bai Ye stood where he was, his expression calm. His gaze swept across the four false faces, and he sneered inwardly.
He naturally heard the probing in their words and sensed the malice hidden within them. Yet he did not immediately turn hostile. He merely replied indifferently, "I have no sect or faction. I'm just a Rogue Cultivator."
The moment these words left his mouth, a low wave of astonishment swept across the plain.
"A Rogue Cultivator?! He's really a Rogue Cultivator?"
"Then doesn't that mean... he has no background?"
"It's over, it's over. This kid is probably in danger!"
The greed in the eyes of Elder Wang and the other three intensified. They exchanged a glance, and all saw killing intent in the other's eyes.
A Rogue Cultivator with no background had obtained the Divine Realm Inheritance. This was simply tender meat delivered straight to their mouths!
At that moment, the entire Azure Spirit Secret Realm suddenly began to shake violently!
Rumble—!
The spatial barrier at the edge of the plain burst open with a tremendous gap. Soft white light flickered within it—the exit of the Secret Realm!
The spatial seal was completely lifted, and the cultivators could now leave at any time.
"Attack!"
Elder Wang shouted in a low voice. The four simultaneously unleashed the pressure of the Profound Comprehension Realm, pressing toward Bai Ye like four great mountains!
Elder Wang even directly summoned a Blood-Colored Long Blade of Profound Grade High. Dense bloodlust coiled around the blade as he cleaved it down toward Bai Ye's head!
"You refused a toast only to drink a forfeit! Since you're a Rogue Cultivator, this inheritance should belong to us!"
Protector Li gave a feral grin. Forming hand seals with both hands, he condensed the phantom of a black demonic claw and sent it toward Bai Ye's Storage Ring.
The surrounding cultivators cried out in alarm. Some closed their eyes, unable to bear watching.
Under the combined assault of four cultivators of the Profound Comprehension Realm, even someone at Peak Primordial Core would have no path to survival!
But at that moment, Bai Ye moved.
Boom—!
A terrifying pressure far beyond the Profound Comprehension Realm suddenly erupted from his body!
This pressure was like a vast sea surging in a storm. It instantly swept across ten miles in every direction, enveloping every cultivator on the plain. Their legs went weak, and they fell to their knees one after another, even breathing with difficulty!
The weaker cultivators of the Vein Condensation Realm were directly crushed until they vomited blood, their faces as pale as paper.
Even the cultivators of the Profound Comprehension Realm trembled all over, treading on thin ice. They did not even have the courage to raise their heads!
"This... this is the pressure of the Nascent Soul Realm?!"
The Blood-Colored Long Blade fell from Elder Wang's hand with a clang. His face was filled with terror, his pupils contracting sharply as he looked at Bai Ye as if he were looking at a god of death. "You... you're actually in the Nascent Soul Realm?!"
"Impossible! The Azure Spirit Secret Realm clearly restricts cultivators under sixty from entering. How could a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator possibly come in?!" Protector Li shrieked, his voice trembling.
"Misunderstanding! This is all a misunderstanding!" Stockade Chief Zhang dropped to his knees with a thud and repeatedly kowtowed. "Senior, spare my life! This junior failed to recognize Mount Tai. Please let us go, Senior!"
Killing intent flashed through Bai Ye's eyes. He could not be bothered to waste words with them.
He raised his hand and waved. Four pale golden Spiritual Energy palm seals condensed, carrying the law power of the Nascent Soul Realm, and instantly struck toward the four men!
Pfft!
Pfft!
Pfft!
There was no suspense. The four cultivators of the Profound Comprehension Realm did not even have a chance to resist before the palm seals smashed them into blood mist. Their souls did not escape either!
Immediately afterward, Bai Ye swept out with his Spiritual Sense, locking onto several familiar auras within the crowd.
They were cultivators from the Blood Spirit Sect and the Black Mountain Sect!
The grudges formed earlier at the Sword Intent Valley and beside the Yellow Springs Spirit Fruit Tree could all be settled today!
His figure blurred, and he darted through the crowd like a ghost. Each time he raised his hand, a cultivator from the Blood Spirit Sect or the Black Mountain Sect died.
Screams rang out one after another, yet no one dared to stop him, and no one could stop him!
Before a powerhouse of the Nascent Soul Realm, they were inferior even to ants!
In the span of a few breaths, more than a dozen cultivators from the Blood Spirit Sect and the Black Mountain Sect had all been executed!
The plain fell utterly silent. Every cultivator lay prone on the ground, trembling all over, not daring even to breathe loudly.
They looked at that blue-gray figure, and only fear remained in their hearts.
Who could have imagined that this seemingly young "Rogue Cultivator" was actually a mighty figure of the Nascent Soul Realm?
And most likely, a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator who had broken through within the Secret Realm!
Zhuge Qing lay prone on the ground, cold sweat covering his forehead. His heart was shaken to the extreme. "A Nascent Soul Realm cultivator this young... With talent like that, I'm afraid a second one cannot be found in the entire Wild Domain! That unease I felt earlier truly wasn't an illusion!"
Miao Miao was even more frightened, her face deathly pale as she clutched Zhuge Qing's sleeve tightly. She did not even have the courage to raise her head and take a look.
She had wanted to recruit him earlier. Thinking back on it now, it had been nothing but wishful thinking!
After Bai Ye finished dealing with his enemies, he slowly withdrew his pressure.
Only then did the cultivators on the plain dare to draw deep breaths. They still did not dare to stand, merely sneaking glances upward to watch Bai Ye's movements.
They saw Bai Ye take a pale golden token from his Storage Ring.
This was the core token of the God Transformation Tower that he had discovered while sorting through the inheritance earlier.
Complex Star Runes were engraved on the token. It was the tower-controlling token left behind by the Profound Sword Master.
He held the token in his palm and slowly infused it with Spiritual Energy. The token instantly erupted with dazzling golden light, resonating with the God Transformation Tower in the distance!
Buzz—!
The God Transformation Tower, which stood more than nine hundred zhang tall, actually began to slowly shrink!
The Star Runes on the tower lit up, their radiance growing brighter and brighter, while the tower itself grew smaller and smaller. It shrank from a hundred zhang tall to a zhang in height, then to the size of a palm, finally transforming into a delicate little tower of pale gold that slowly flew into Bai Ye's palm.
"That... is that the God Transformation Tower?! He can actually take it away?!"
"A Saint Tier Spiritual Treasure! The God Transformation Tower is definitely a Saint Tier Spiritual Treasure!"
"My heavens! Forget the Divine Realm Inheritance—he even took away a Saint Tier Spiritual Treasure! His luck is far too good!"
The cultivators could no longer hold back. Waves of astonished cries rang out, their eyes filled with envy and awe.
At that moment, the white light at the Secret Realm's exit grew increasingly dense, while the spatial fluctuations grew stronger and stronger. Clearly, the Secret Realm was about to close completely.
Bai Ye tightened his grip around the delicate little tower in his palm and did not linger.
His figure blurred, transforming into a pale golden streak of light that flew straight toward the Secret Realm's exit.
"Respectfully seeing Senior off!"
Someone shouted first. In the next moment, all the cultivators shouted in unison and bowed respectfully toward Bai Ye's departing figure, their voices shaking the heavens.
Bai Ye's figure vanished into the white light of the exit, leaving behind only a group of utterly shaken cultivators and blood covering the ground.
The Azure Spirit Secret Realm expedition had come to an end.
Before you continue