The one who had arrived was Ye Xuan.
After hurrying as fast as he could, he had finally made it in time.
"You, you are..."
But as the Demonic cultivator felt the power of lightning spreading madly through his body, his face was filled with unwillingness.
He had not sensed the slightest disturbance, yet a mere branch had pierced straight through his body!?
"You're not worthy of knowing my name!"
Ye Xuan stepped forward and clenched his palm in the air. The branch wrapped in Lightning Sword Intent suddenly exploded.
The Demonic cultivator's entire body exploded along with it. Blood splashed down like rain, spattering everyone.
Only then did Liu Yunxi and the others come back to their senses.
Looking at the bloodstains on their bodies and Ye Xuan standing before them, they had even forgotten what had just happened.
"Xuan Ye, you, you're still alive?"
Nangong Fei's eyes lit up.
"Of course I'm not dead yet."
Ye Xuan smiled, then found the antidote powder in the Demonic cultivator's storage ring and scattered it into the air.
A moment later, all four of them recovered their strength.
"Your surname is Xuan?"
"Could you be a member of the Xuan Clan, a great clan of the Central Region?"
At this moment, Liu Yunxi's eyes sparkled as she suddenly asked.
He was only in the Early Spirit Sea Stage, yet possessed the power to instantly kill a peak Spirit Sea Realm Demonic cultivator. He was definitely no Rogue Cultivator!
She had studied the great clans of all five regions of the dynasty. The Central Region had the Xuan Clan, the foremost of the five great clans, second only to the Imperial Clan!
For a moment, Nangong Fei and the others all looked toward Ye Xuan.
She truly had never thought of the Xuan Clan.
"I seem to have heard that a genius of the Xuan Clan entered Cloud Palace Academy not long ago. Could that person be you?" Nangong Fei thought for a moment before asking.
After all, for a top-tier clan like the Xuan Clan, its monstrous geniuses usually cultivated within the clan or at the Imperial Academy. They would never venture outside to travel.
"Xuan Palace Academy!" Upon hearing this, the light in Liu Yunxi's eyes grew even brighter.
The Xuan Clan!?
Ye Xuan frowned. He had never heard of any Xuan Clan.
Xuan Ye was merely a name he had casually chosen.
"There's no way he's a member of the Xuan Clan!"
At this moment, Ling Tian gave a cold snort.
"A descendant of the Xuan Clan—does he need to be so secretive?"
He was the only member of a great clan in the group. Although the Ling Family was one of the five great clans, it was far inferior to the Xuan Clan.
"Whether I am or not, what does it have to do with you?"
Ye Xuan directly fixed him with a pair of cold eyes. Lightning seemed to flicker beneath the pupils hidden behind his mask. Then he abruptly reached out and seized Ling Tian by the throat.
"You, what are you doing!?"
Ling Tian's face flushed with blood. He struggled desperately, only to discover that he could not break free at all.
"What am I doing!?"
"You wanted to collude with a Demonic cultivator. Do you think you deserve to remain in the group!?"
Ye Xuan sneered. He had heard every word Ling Tian had said earlier.
He did not mind killing this man directly within the secret realm.
"Xuan Ye, let him go..."
At this moment, Nangong Fei pleaded for him.
Although she hated what Ling Tian had done earlier, he was still a member of the Ling Family. If he died in the secret realm, she would have no way to explain it.
"Get lost!"
Only then did Ye Xuan release his hand.
"Heh heh, fine, I'll leave!"
"But without me, don't even think about fighting for the opportunities!"
Ling Tian gave a cold snort, then turned and left.
He was also afraid that Ye Xuan would kill him.
"Brother Xuan Ye, you're amazing!"
Only after Ling Tian disappeared from the island did Liu Yunxi speak with a look of worship.
With such battle prowess at the Early Spirit Sea Realm, and no fear of Ling Tian, he was clearly a noble scion of the Xuan Clan!
For some reason, Ye Xuan suddenly surfaced in her mind.
Back then, Ye Xuan had also been at the Spirit Sea Realm, with equally fierce battle prowess and an overbearing personality.
But soon, Liu Yunxi shook that strange thought out of her mind.
How could Ye Xuan possibly be mentioned in the same breath as a noble scion of the Xuan Clan?
Lin Churan looked at Liu Yunxi's obsequious appearance with disdain in her heart and a hint of mockery. "What, is Young Master Xuan Ye actually more powerful than your Holy Son Xiao?"
"What does it have to do with you?"
"Must you show off that you have a mouth?"
A trace of embarrassment immediately flashed across Liu Yunxi's face, and she glared furiously at Lin Churan.
Xiao Chengfeng's talent was indeed not weak, but how could his background compare with the great clans of the dynasty!?
Not to mention that this was the Xuan Clan!
"All right, the important matter comes first!"
Nangong Fei interrupted the two women's quarrel and placed the ancient stone fragment into the altar.
"It'll take several days to break the formation. Protect me!"
After saying this, Nangong Fei was about to sit down and break the formation.
"There's no need for that long. I'll do it!"
At this moment, Ye Xuan suddenly stepped forward.
"Hm!?"
The three women all turned to look at Ye Xuan.
"You're proficient in formations?"
Nangong Fei was stunned for a moment before asking.
"I know a little."
Ye Xuan nodded, then directly raised his hand, formed seals, and sent them into the formation on the altar.
Lin Churan watched intently. She knew how powerful Ye Xuan's alchemy was, but she had not expected him to surprise her in so many other ways.
Just how deeply was this man hiding his abilities!?
"Brother Xuan Ye is a noble scion of the Xuan Clan. What's strange about him being proficient in formations?" Liu Yunxi said, finding it perfectly reasonable.
Ye Xuan had no inclination to explain. He continuously formed seals and broke the formation in less than the time it took to drink half a cup of tea.
A small sword rose from the Spirit Marrow Milk. Its color was still different from ordinary swords.
But when Ye Xuan put away the small sword and turned around, he found that the three women behind him had already been stunned in place.
"What's wrong?"
Ye Xuan frowned.
"A member of the Xuan Clan truly is extraordinary!"
Only after a while did Nangong Fei give him a thumbs-up.
Even Lin Churan had begun to waver.
Could it be that Ye Xuan really was a member of the Xuan Clan!?
Otherwise, where had such astonishing attainments in formations come from?
One had to know that the study of formations was different from alchemy and artifact refinement. It required an extremely profound foundation to cultivate.
The first-rate sects of the four regions had only scant inheritances in formations. Only the academies of the Central Region and those top-tier great clans possessed them.
Liu Yunxi's eyes had already grown hazy.
If Xuan Ye was not from the Xuan Clan, she would eat—
"What is this?"
At this moment, Nangong Fei looked at the small sword in Ye Xuan's hand.
"It's... a key to opening some kind of restriction."
Ye Xuan thought for a moment before answering.
The Imperial Seal on it was useless to mention. In this world, not many people knew of the Imperial Seal.
"A key?"
"Is it the same as this fragment?"
Nangong Fei retrieved the fragment, then glanced at Ye Xuan. "In that case, it can't really be considered a treasure. Take both it and the Spirit Marrow Milk."
"The Spirit Marrow Milk doesn't matter."
Ye Xuan shook his head. He naturally intended to keep the small sword, but he had already obtained two pools of Spirit Marrow Milk.
"A member of the Xuan Clan naturally wouldn't care about that Spirit Marrow Milk." Liu Yunxi took the opportunity to speak. "Let's do as Brother Ye says."
"Fine. You two divide it between yourselves." Nangong Fei nodded. Since Xuan Ye did not care, neither did she.
"Let's go. We'll head straight to the core of the secret realm!"
Then Nangong Fei led everyone away from the island and toward the core region of the Sword Palace.
The core was not far from the altar. One day later, the four of them approached the central region.
It was a ring of mountains. Though not towering, they rose beneath the dark sky and exuded a tremendous sense of oppression.
But what shocked Nangong Fei and the others most was not the lofty mountains. It was the vast mass of thunderclouds gradually gathering above them!
After only a few breaths, the tribulation clouds had reached ten thousand zhang in circumference!
Arcs of lightning surged and boiled, like countless thunder serpents twisting and rolling within.
"This, this is a lightning tribulation!?"
Liu Yunxi was stunned, then cried out, "Is someone undergoing tribulation?"
"If I'm not mistaken, Ji Che should be about to advance to the Heavenly Gang Realm!"
Nangong Fei drew in a deep breath, and her expression suddenly became solemn.
Among all the cultivators of the four regions, only Ji Che and Liu Yunxi were closest to the Heavenly Gang Realm.
"Advance to the Heavenly Gang Realm?"
Lin Churan frowned. "In other words, this secret realm only restricts those in the Heavenly Gang Realm from entering. But if someone becomes a Heavenly Gang expert inside, it won't be affected?"
"That's right!" Nangong Fei nodded, then looked at everyone and said solemnly, "Ji Che already possesses a Spirit Physique. Now that he's advancing to the Heavenly Gang Realm, his battle prowess will become extremely powerful!"
"If you want to withdraw now, you can leave immediately!"
"If you continue with me, it will be extremely dangerous!"
At this moment, Lin Churan and Liu Yunxi looked at Ye Xuan in unison.
In the entire group, Ye Xuan was now the strongest.
"Heh, so what if he's in the Heavenly Gang Realm?"
"There's nothing to fear!"
Ye Xuan only gave a cold laugh, his eyes filled with disdain.
He truly had never fought someone with Heavenly Gang Realm battle prowess before!
"Exactly. With Brother Ye here, what can Ji Che do? He isn't even a Holy Son!"
"If I had a Yuan Gang Pill, I could also immediately advance to the Heavenly Gang Realm!" Liu Yunxi said arrogantly.
"In that case, let's go!" Nangong Fei nodded, then continued leading the three of them straight toward the mountain peak.
By the time they reached the mountaintop, the lightning tribulation had already dissipated.
Within the mountains was a basin.
At the center of the basin stood a pitch-black ancient hall.
The ancient hall was mottled and filled with the marks of time.
Yet even so, a terrifying Sword Intent that seemed to come from ancient times remained hidden within.
Even from far away, it caused everyone's expressions to turn solemn.
Could this be the legendary ancient Sword Palace!?
But at this moment, Ye Xuan's brows beneath his mask furrowed slightly.
The ancient hall looked old, but it was still far from being beyond an era. Moreover, in terms of aura, it was even farther from matching a Great Emperor!
"Heh heh, you came quickly enough!"
When Nangong Fei and the others arrived before the ancient hall, Shangguan Hong, the son of the Eastern Region City Lord, gave a cold laugh.
"But Nangong, you're destined to lose this time. Ji Che has already advanced to the Heavenly Gang Realm!"
"Heh, since I dared to come, I was never afraid!" Nangong Fei crossed her arms and sneered.
"This ancient hall also has a restrictive formation. Judging by its appearance, it requires four keys to open!"
At this moment, Ji Che, who stood before the ancient hall, withdrew his palm and turned around to speak calmly.
"Keys!?"
"The one from the altar?"
Nangong Fei raised her brows.
"That's right!" Ji Che nodded. With a lift of his hand, a small sword floated above his palm.
"In that case, let's wait for Ouyang and Chen Duo!"
Shangguan Hong shook his head and said disdainfully, "Those two really are complete wastes. They're actually even slower than Nangong!"
Nangong Fei's expression turned furious, and she was about to step forward when Ye Xuan reached out from behind her and pressed her down.
"No need to wait for them!"
Huh!?
Shangguan Hong and Ji Che were stunned by his words. They all turned to look at Ye Xuan, who was wearing a faceplate.
Ye Xuan stepped forward without hesitation. He raised his large hand, and three small swords of different colors rose into suspension above his palm.
"The keys are all with me!"
For a moment, everyone present underwent a drastic change of expression!
Before you continue