Slaughtering All Sides

In the starry space at the top of the God Transformation Tower, Bai Ye sat cross-legged on the White Jade Platform.

Within his Sea of Consciousness, the Nine-Colored Nascent Soul hovered at the center, each color representing a different insight into the laws. The Star Spiritual Energy flowing around it slowly nourished this newly condensed Dao Fruit.

He had been in seclusion here for many days. The spiritual energy within his body grew increasingly dense, his control over the Nascent Soul Realm becoming more and more refined. He could even briefly predict changes in the surrounding world by borrowing the Power of Heaven and Earth.

Just then, his Sea of Consciousness trembled faintly.

A subtle yet clear spatial fluctuation came from deep within the secret realm.

Bai Ye's eyes snapped open. A flash of chaotic light flickered in his pupils as his Spiritual Sense instantly expanded, enveloping the entire Azure Spirit Secret Realm.

He could clearly sense the spatial barriers at the edge of the secret realm rapidly thinning. The spiritual energy in the air grew chaotic, and the originally stable laws of heaven and earth showed signs of collapsing.

"The Azure Spirit Secret Realm is ending early?" Bai Ye's heart stirred.

Normally, the secret realm's opening cycle should last a year. Now, less than half that time had passed—clearly something abnormal was happening.

Without overthinking, he rose, slipped his storage ring back onto his finger, took one last look at the starry space, and turned toward the tower's entrance.

Passing through layer after layer of spatial barriers, Bai Ye's figure finally appeared on the plain outside the God Transformation Tower.

Boom—!

The moment he landed, nearly a thousand cultivators on the plain fixed their gazes on him in unison!

Those eyes held curiosity, awe, greed, and barely concealed scrutiny.

After all, this was the first person in tens of thousands of years to reach the top of the God Transformation Tower. Who wouldn't want to see what kind of being had obtained the Divine Realm Inheritance?

"That's him? He looks so young?" A gray-robed rogue cultivator craned his neck, his tone full of disbelief. "His vitality is as vigorous as a newly matured cultivator—doesn't seem like a disguise..."

"Youth is what makes it terrifying! The God Transformation Tower tests combat power and potential, not cultivation age. To clear it at such a young age—his future would be heaven-defying!" Another disciple from a minor sect clicked his tongue, envy plain in his eyes.

"But the younger he is, the weaker his background might be, right?" A lowered voice came from the crowd. The speaker was a burly man with a fierce face, his gaze drifting toward a few Profound Comprehension Realm cultivators with dense auras not far away. "Look at those—Elder Wang of the Blood Fiend Sect, Protector Li of the Ten Thousand Monster Valley. They're all eyeing him. If this kid doesn't have a Profound Comprehension Realm elder backing him, he's in for a fall!"

Murmurs rose and fell like waves, crashing toward Bai Ye.

He frowned almost imperceptibly.

Being stared at by so many people—especially the few veiled, malicious gazes among them—made him deeply uncomfortable.

Sure enough, before long, four Profound Comprehension Realm cultivators stepped out from the crowd.

Leading them was an old man in a blood-red robe, his face sinister. He was Elder Wang of the Blood Fiend Sect, at the Profound Comprehension Seventh Layer.

Beside him were Protector Li of the Ten Thousand Monster Valley, Stockade Chief Zhang of the Black Dragon Stockade, and a rogue cultivator powerhouse known as Elder Zhao.

Without exception, all were experts of the Profound Comprehension Realm.

The four strode quickly up to Bai Ye, plastering hypocritical smiles on their faces while their eyes roved over him, as if appraising a treasure.

"Young friend, truly remarkable for your age!" Elder Wang spoke first, his voice booming yet laced with forced familiarity. "The first to reach the top of the God Transformation Tower in tens of thousands of years—this talent alone makes you the foremost among Azure State's younger generation!"

"Which faction does young friend belong to?" Protector Li followed up, his tone casual but probing. "I've roamed Azure State for years and know most of the geniuses from the major powers, yet I've never seen someone like you."

"Indeed, indeed," Stockade Chief Zhang rubbed his hands together, greed nearly spilling from his eyes. "For one so young to achieve so much, you must have a master guiding you, right? If you don't mind, why not tell me about it? Perhaps I can be of help."

The surrounding cultivators fell silent, straining to listen.

They all wanted to know the background of this mysterious genius.

If his background was ordinary, someone might take the risk to seize the inheritance from the God Transformation Tower.

Bai Ye stood still, his expression flat. His gaze swept over the four hypocritical faces, and a cold laugh echoed in his heart.

He naturally caught their probing and sensed the malice hidden in their words. But he didn't openly rebuff them. Instead, he replied calmly, "No sect, no faction. Just a rogue cultivator."

The moment these words left his mouth, a low gasp rippled across the plain.

"A rogue cultivator?! Really?"

"Then that means... no backing?"

"It's over, it's over. This kid's in danger!"

The greed in Elder Wang and the other three intensified. They exchanged glances, reading killing intent in each other's eyes.

A rogue cultivator with no background, yet he had obtained the Divine Realm Inheritance—this was a fat piece of meat delivered right to their mouths!

Just then, the entire Azure Spirit Secret Realm suddenly shook violently!

Rumble—!

A massive rift tore open in the spatial barrier at the edge of the plain. Soft white light flickered within the rift—the exit of the secret realm!

The spatial seal was completely lifted. The cultivators could now leave at any time.

"Now!"

Elder Wang barked the order. The four simultaneously unleashed their Profound Comprehension Realm pressure, bearing down on Bai Ye like four mountains!

Elder Wang directly summoned a Profound Grade High blood-colored longsword, its blade wreathed in thick bloodlust, and swung it down at Bai Ye's head!

"Since you won't take the toast, you'll have to drink the forfeit! A rogue cultivator like you—this inheritance belongs to us!"

Protector Li grinned savagely, forming hand seals. A black phantom claw condensed, reaching for Bai Ye's storage ring.

The surrounding cultivators cried out in alarm. Some closed their eyes, unable to bear the sight.

Under the siege of four Profound Comprehension Realm cultivators, even a Peak Primordial Core cultivator would have no chance of survival!

But just then, Bai Ye moved.

Boom—!

A terrifying pressure far beyond the Profound Comprehension Realm erupted from him!

This pressure surged like a tidal wave from a vast ocean, instantly sweeping across ten miles in every direction. Every cultivator on the plain was caught in its grip, their legs giving way as they collapsed to their knees, struggling even to breathe!

Those weaker Vein Condensation Realm cultivators were directly crushed until they spat blood, their faces pale as death.

Even the Profound Comprehension Realm cultivators trembled all over, treading as if on thin ice, lacking the courage to lift their heads!

"Th-this, this is the pressure of the Nascent Soul Realm?!"

Elder Wang's blood-colored long blade clattered to the ground. His face was a mask of shock, his pupils contracting sharply as he stared at Bai Ye like he was looking at a god of death. "You, you're actually in the Nascent Soul Realm?!"

"Impossible! The Azure Spirit Secret Realm clearly restricts entry to cultivators under sixty years old—how could a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator get in?!" Protector Li shrieked, his voice trembling.

"A misunderstanding! This is all a misunderstanding!" Stockade Chief Zhang dropped to his knees with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly. "Senior, spare us! This junior failed to recognize a mountain of greatness—please, let us go!"

A flash of killing intent flickered in Bai Ye's eyes. He couldn't be bothered to waste words on them.

He raised a hand and waved. Four pale-golden palm prints of Spiritual Energy condensed, carrying the law force of the Nascent Soul Realm, and slammed toward the four in an instant!

Puchi!

Puchi!

Puchi!

There was no suspense. The four Profound Comprehension Realm cultivators didn't even have a chance to resist before the palm prints crushed them into bloody mist, their souls unable to escape!

Next, Bai Ye swept his Spiritual Sense, locking onto several familiar auras in the crowd.

They were cultivators from the Blood Spirit Sect and the Black Mountain Sect!

The grudges from earlier, by the Sword Intent Valley and the Yellow Springs Spirit Fruit Tree—today was the perfect time to settle them all!

His form flickered, moving through the crowd like a ghost. With every raise of his hand, another cultivator from the Blood Spirit Sect or Black Mountain Sect fell.

Screams rang out one after another, but no one dared to stop him, and no one could!

Before a Nascent Soul Realm powerhouse, they were less than ants!

In just a few breaths, over a dozen cultivators from the Blood Spirit Sect and Black Mountain Sect were all slain!

The plain fell into utter silence. Every cultivator lay prostrate on the ground, trembling, not daring to breathe too loudly.

They stared at that blue-gray figure, their hearts filled with nothing but fear.

Who could have guessed that this seemingly young "wandering cultivator" was actually a Nascent Soul Realm grandmaster?

And one who had likely broken through right here in the secret realm!

Zhuge Qing lay on the ground, cold sweat beading on his forehead, his mind shaken to its core: "A Nascent Soul so young—with talent like this, I doubt there's a second one in the entire Wild Domain! That uneasy feeling I had before—it really wasn't a false alarm!"

Miao Miao was even more terrified, her face pale as she clutched tightly at Zhuge Qing's sleeve, not daring to lift her head for even a glance.

She had wanted to recruit him earlier—thinking back on it now, it was nothing short of a fantasy!

Bai Ye finished off his enemies and slowly withdrew his pressure.

Only then did the cultivators on the plain dare to take deep breaths, though they still didn't dare to rise. They just stole glances, watching 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, which he had discovered while sorting through the inheritance earlier.

The token was engraved with intricate Star Runes—it was the tower-control token left behind by the Profound Sword Master.

He gripped the token in his palm and slowly infused it with Spiritual Energy. The token instantly burst into dazzling golden light, resonating with the God Transformation Tower not far away!

Hum—!

The God Transformation Tower, over nine hundred zhang tall, began to shrink!

The Star Runes on the tower lit up, their radiance growing brighter and brighter, while the tower itself grew smaller and smaller—from a hundred zhang down to a single zhang, then to the size of a palm, and finally into a delicate, palm-sized golden pagoda that floated gently into Bai Ye's hand.

"Th-that's the God Transformation Tower?! He can actually take the God Transformation Tower away?!"

"A Saint Tier Spiritual Treasure! The God Transformation Tower is definitely a Saint Tier Spiritual Treasure!"

"Heavens, not only did he get the Divine Realm Inheritance, but he's also taking a Saint Tier Spiritual Treasure—this luck is just too good?!"

The cultivators could no longer hold back, exclaiming in shock, their eyes filled with envy and awe.

Just then, the white light at the secret realm's exit grew denser, and the spatial fluctuations became more intense. Clearly, the secret realm was about to close completely.

Bai Ye tightened his grip on the delicate pagoda and didn't linger.

His form flickered, turning into a pale-golden streak of light, and flew straight toward the secret realm's exit.

"Farewell, Senior!"

Someone shouted first, and then all the cultivators joined in, bowing respectfully toward Bai Ye's retreating figure, their voices thunderous.

Bai Ye's figure vanished into the white light of the exit, leaving behind only a plain full of stunned cultivators and pools of blood.

The journey through the Azure Spirit Secret Realm had come to an end.