Azure Spirit Secret Realm

Azure Cloud Sect.

Sect Plaza.

Spanning a thousand mu, it was paved with massive slabs of Azure Inkstone.

Thirty-six Azure Cloud Banners stood planted around its edges, snapping and fluttering fiercely in the wind.

At this moment, the plaza was already packed with people.

Several thousand Inner Disciples stood in ranks according to their cultivation, gathering in twos and threes to whisper among themselves, their faces carrying equal measures of confusion and gravity.

"What exactly happened? Why would the Old Ancestor summon us personally?"

"I heard the Old Ancestor has been in seclusion for thirty years. For him to emerge so suddenly this time, something major must be about to happen."

"Could some calamity have occurred? A few days ago, I heard junior brothers from the outer sect say that things around the Hundred Broken Mountains seemed rather unsettled..."

Bai Ye stood toward the back of the crowd, alone amid a group of Vein Condensation Realm disciples.

He could feel the tension radiating from the disciples around him. After all, anything capable of stirring a Nascent Soul Realm Old Ancestor into such a mobilization could hardly be a trivial matter.

Half an incense stick later, a faint ripple of Spiritual Energy spread from the edge of the plaza.

All the disciples fell silent at once and turned in unison toward the center of the plaza.

An elderly man in a black Daoist robe appeared out of thin air in midair. Nine enormous azure dragons were embroidered along the hem of his robe, and his presence was deep and still as an abyss.

He was none other than Li Qingyun, the current Sect Master of Azure Cloud Sect and a Peak Profound Comprehension Realm expert!

No sooner had he steadied himself than dozens of figures flashed into view around him in succession. They were Azure Cloud Sect's elders—Elder Zhou and Bai Ye's uncle, Bai Mingyuan, among them. Each stood like an abyssal dragon or towering mountain, their gazes sweeping across the plaza with unquestionable majesty.

In an instant, dozens of auras from Primordial Core Realm and even Profound Comprehension Realm cultivators descended upon the plaza like invisible mountains.

Thud—

Several weaker disciples in the early Vein Condensation Realm immediately went pale. Their legs buckled, and they collapsed to their knees, cold sweat instantly beading across their foreheads.

Even the Late Meridian Condensing disciples trembled faintly, their expressions solemn as they circulated their Spiritual Energy to resist.

Blending into the crowd, Bai Ye deliberately made his Spiritual Energy fluctuations seem a little sluggish. His brows were tightly furrowed, and he wore the perfect look of someone being crushed breathless by the pressure, flawlessly replicating the state a Vein Condensation Realm disciple ought to be in.

In truth, when that pressure fell upon him, it was like a breeze brushing his face. It did not even stir the edge of his robes.

"Silence!"

Li Qingyun's voice rang like a great bell, empowered by Spiritual Energy as it instantly swept through every corner of the plaza and suppressed every whisper.

The plaza became silent enough to hear a pin drop, leaving only the wind and everyone's restrained breathing.

Just then, a figure appeared beside Li Qingyun without the slightest warning.

He was a youth who looked no more than sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a snow-white robe, his ink-black hair cascading like a waterfall and hanging casually over his shoulders.

His features were so handsome they bordered on the uncanny, yet his eyes were as deep as a starry sky, as though they contained the passage of countless ages.

Though he wore the appearance of a youth, he gave off the weighty air of one who had weathered all the vicissitudes of the world.

His aura flickered in and out of perception, making every elder present instinctively hold their breath.

Li Qingyun and the elders hurriedly took a step back in unison and bowed deeply to the youth, their voices respectful to the point of humility. "Greetings, Old Ancestor!"

"Welcome the Old Ancestor out of seclusion!"

The disciples in the plaza were initially stunned, but quickly came to their senses. They all followed suit and bowed, their voices thunderous. "This disciple greets the Old Ancestor! Welcome the Old Ancestor out of seclusion!"

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Bai Ye bowed along with them, but quietly raised his gaze.

A Nascent Soul Realm cultivator... truly extraordinary. He is clearly right before my eyes, yet it feels as though countless mountains and rivers lie between us!

An existence like this could probably crush the current me with a single finger!

Once I reach the Nascent Soul Realm too... Bai Ye's heart stirred, and his thoughts drifted uncontrollably afar. By then, I should be able to live a little more freely in this world, right? I wonder whether the system will grant me another new talent then...

"You may rise."

The youthful Old Ancestor spoke. His voice was clear as jade striking jade, yet it carried an authority that could not be defied. "Qingyun, you explain it."

"Yes." Li Qingyun answered respectfully. Turning to face the thousands of disciples in the plaza, he declared in a ringing voice:

"Do you disciples know why the Old Ancestor emerged from seclusion ahead of time?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before he continued. "Several days ago, while the Old Ancestor was in seclusion, a sudden inspiration came to him. He deduced the secrets of heaven during meditation and learned that Azure State's Azure Spirit Secret Realm, after a hundred years, is about to emerge once more!"

"You have been gathered here precisely because of the Azure Spirit Secret Realm!"

Li Qingyun's voice suddenly rose. "This secret realm lies deep within the Hundred Broken Mountains and is an immortal relic passed down from antiquity! Within it are not only thousand-year spirit herbs and ancient cultivation arts, but also opportunities to obtain Dao Artifacts left behind by the ancients! Every time it opens, cultivators from Azure State and even several surrounding states swarm toward it. They would not hesitate to let blood flow like rivers!"

"The Old Ancestor's deduction tells us that the secret realm will officially open three days from now! At that time, every Inner Disciple of Azure Cloud Sect will enter the secret realm with us!"

"This is both an opportunity and a trial! Whether you can seize this chance depends on your own fortunes!"

The moment his words fell, the entire plaza erupted into an uproar!

"The Azure Spirit Secret Realm?! That is the secret realm supposedly left behind by a Divine Realm Expert!"

"I saw records of it in the sect archives. Only cultivators under sixty are permitted to enter, and each opening is separated by at least a century. I never thought I would actually live to witness such a grand event!"

"It is said that when the secret realm last opened, a senior brother from our Azure Cloud Sect obtained a stalk of Nine Revolutions Soul Returning Grass inside and leaped straight from the Primordial Core Realm to the Profound Comprehension Realm!"

"Heavens! That's an utterly heaven-sent opportunity!"

Every disciple wore an excited expression. Some clenched their fists, some breathed heavily, and others could not help whispering among themselves. In an instant, the entire square was drowned in wild joy and excitement.

Bai Ye was also slightly stunned, a trace of surprise flashing through his eyes.

Naturally, he knew of the Azure Spirit Secret Realm.

It was Azure State's oldest secret realm, without equal.

Even throughout the entire Wild Domain, it was renowned far and wide.

Legend had it that the depths of the secret realm concealed the inheritances of ancient cultivators, and there might even be a chance to glimpse the mysteries beyond the Nascent Soul Realm.

The secret realm had last opened one hundred and fifty years ago. At the time, the major sects of Azure State had entered it, and even small-scale wars had broken out.

He had not expected to encounter the Azure Spirit Secret Realm's opening again this time...

Bai Ye's thoughts raced: though the secret realm held many opportunities, it would certainly hold no shortage of dangers as well.

The geniuses of every major sect would gather there, and open and covert struggles would be unavoidable.

Still... this was a good opportunity to acquire cultivation resources.

He touched the Storage Bag at his waist. There were barely any spirit stones left inside.

Perhaps this journey into the secret realm could solve his current shortage of resources.

But with so many people and so many eyes, he would have to be even more careful.

Bai Ye gathered his thoughts and quietly concealed the sharp gleam in his eyes, returning to the seemingly ordinary Inner Disciple he was as he blended into the boiling crowd.

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