Realm Within Realm

Cang Yuan trembled as he struggled to push himself up with his arms. He turned to look at Qin Guan.

"Don't think you're all that just because you beat this old man. Let me tell you, the strength of my Spirit Sword Academy far exceeds your imagination!"

"And then?" Qin Guan replied with a faint smile.

"Now, kill yourself before me and beg forgiveness, and there's still time to make things right. Otherwise, you, the Nan Family, and every one of your loved ones will be buried alongside you!"

At Cang Yuan's words, Qin Guan's expression suddenly darkened.

"Do you know what I hate most?"

"I hate it when people threaten me!"

Thud!

As soon as Qin Guan finished speaking, he brought his foot down on Cang Yuan's throat, crushing it.

Everyone present felt their hearts clench at the sight. Qin Guan had actually killed Cang Yuan—the Elder of the Spirit Sword Academy!

Killing an Elder of the Spirit Sword Academy was tantamount to declaring war on the academy. As Cang Yuan had said, the wrath of the Spirit Sword Academy was more than a Fourth Realm Martial Cultivator could withstand!

The young man had left himself no way out. It was over!

"Qin Guan, how dare you kill an Elder of my Spirit Sword Academy!"

The dozen or so Spirit Sword Academy disciples were furious. They glared at Qin Guan. The academy had never suffered such a humiliation in Qingzhou.

Qin Guan paid them no heed and looked at Xiao Yun.

Xiao Yun's old face had gone deathly pale. When Qin Guan looked at him, his scalp went numb. If he'd known Qin Guan was this powerful and cared nothing for the consequences, he never would have provoked him.

He had originally hoped to curry favor with Yang Ao and forge a bond with the Xiao Family. Instead, he'd brought disaster upon them. Now his most promising son had been crippled, and he himself probably wouldn't escape with his life. The Xiao Family was on the brink of ruin.

At this thought, Xiao Yun looked at Qin Guan and pleaded, "Young Hero Qin, this old man was blind—"

Thud!

Before Xiao Yun could finish, Qin Guan suddenly kicked in his dantian, not even giving him a chance to beg for mercy.

"Argh!"

Xiao Yun curled up, groaning in pain. As the Spiritual Power within him dissipated, his already aged face shriveled and wrinkled into a tight knot. After a few feeble spasms, he stopped breathing.

"Father!"

"Old Ancestor!"

Seeing their Old Ancestor killed by Qin Guan, the Xiao Family members cried out in anguish, their eyes blazing with fury.

"Qin Guan, pay with your life!"

An Elder of the Xiao Family charged at Qin Guan like a madman.

Thud!

The Elder had only just taken his stance and raised a hand. Before he could bring it down, Qin Guan's fist punched straight through his chest.

The Xiao Family members who had been about to rush forward immediately stopped in their tracks.

"No one move! Everyone, leave!"

Xiao Yeshan clutched his abdomen and shouted.

At the Family Head's words, the Xiao Family members exchanged glances, then all left. Nan Shunda, Nan Yuantong, and the others who had previously sided with the Xiao Family hurried after them, their tails between their legs.

The Spirit Sword Academy disciples also left, unwillingly. The Secret Realm no longer mattered. What mattered was getting back to the academy and reporting what had happened.

The death of Elder Cang was a grave matter!

After the Xiao Family and the Spirit Sword Academy had left, silence fell over the scene once more. Everyone looked at Qin Guan, their eyes full of fear. This fellow showed no mercy at all when he killed!

"Husband, are you all right?" Nan Rou hurried over to Qin Guan.

Qin Guan flicked the blood from his hand and smiled. "Are you afraid because I killed people?"

Nan Rou shook her head. "If you hadn't killed them, they would have killed you."

"Good." Qin Guan smiled faintly, then turned to Nan Yunqi and the others. "Father-in-law, take them over to that big tree to cultivate."

"Oh, all right!"

Nan Yunqi froze for a moment, then hurriedly led everyone to where the Spirit Sword Academy had been. To be honest, Qin Guan had frightened them too.

Nan Qiao and Yang Hongmei were especially shaken. Thinking of how they had mocked Qin Guan to his face before, constantly dancing on the edge of death, the two felt a chill run through them.

After a while, Nan Yunqi calmed down. His heart was heavy with worry; he had no idea how they should deal with the Spirit Sword Academy's wrath.

After thinking it over, he took a deep breath. Worrying was no use. Qin Guan had already killed them, so all they could do was take things one step at a time.

After this battle, the area grew exceptionally quiet. No family or faction tried to fight over a spot anymore. Everyone obediently sat down and began cultivating.

Night fell, and darkness slowly crept through the mountain forest. The entire Myriad Monster Valley was steeped in an eerie stillness.

At that moment, everyone was frantically absorbing the pure Spiritual Energy released by the great tree.

Every now and then, a cultivator would break through. Cultivating in such an environment felt like a dream; they might never encounter such an opportunity again in their entire lives.

The night passed, and dawn arrived in the blink of an eye.

Buzz! Buzz!

The space around the great tree suddenly began to ripple violently. Distorted waves appeared in the air.

The crowd immediately grew restless. No one continued cultivating. They all stared fixedly at the tree and kept edging toward it.

Just as everyone grew excited, a gigantic portal of light appeared out of thin air beneath the great tree.

In an instant, the crowd erupted into chaos, all of them rushing madly toward the portal.

The Spiritual Energy outside was already so pure and abundant. They couldn't imagine what wonders awaited within the Secret Realm. Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, martial skills, cultivation techniques—would they be scattered everywhere?