Su Yuqing, Ruler of the Three Realms!

Qian Renxue stood behind Hongfu, holding her breath.

Following everyone's gaze, she looked up at the sky.

The sea of clouds overhead was being forcibly torn apart to either side by an indescribably terrifying force.

Then, a streak of azure sword light slowly emerged from the rift.

It was not an ordinary flying sword.

It was a colossal sword a thousand zhang long, towering into the heavens and blotting out the sun!

A group of cultivators clad in azure Daoist robes stood atop the giant sword.

At their head was a woman wearing a silver mask.

She merely stood quietly at the tip of the sword, releasing no pressure whatsoever.

Yet the tens of thousands of Yellow Maple Valley disciples present, including Linghu Patriarch, a Nascent Soul cultivator, all felt their legs go weak, seized by an urge to prostrate themselves in worship.

"Azure Origin Sword Sect... envoy!"

Linghu Patriarch's hoarse voice rang across the plaza.

He took a deep breath, bent his stooped back, and deeply cupped his hands toward the giant sword in the sky.

"I, Linghu of Yellow Maple Valley, along with the entire sect, welcome the envoy's honored arrival!"

Tens of thousands of disciples bent at the waist in unison, their thunderous cries deafening.

High in the sky.

The silver-masked woman slightly lowered her head, looking down upon the ant-like crowd below.

Her cold voice instantly spread throughout the entire mountain range.

"By decree of this sect's Supreme Grand Elder."

"An anomaly has descended from the heavens; the order of the human realm is about to change."

"Three years from now, the Blood-Colored Forbidden Land will open ahead of schedule."

"At that time, the Azure Origin Sword Sect will personally select three trial disciples within the forbidden land and exceptionally admit them into the sect!"

The moment those words were spoken, the White Jade Plaza of Yellow Maple Valley fell silent for a brief moment.

Then, an uproar of frenzied excitement erupted, seeming to overturn the heavens.

Enter the Azure Origin Sword Sect!

Even as an outer disciple, one would soar to the heavens in a single step, like a carp leaping over the dragon gate, and earn the reverence of the entire Southern Heaven Cultivation World.

An unprecedented gleam burst from Hongfu's eyes.

She abruptly turned around, her burning gaze fixed on Qian Renxue behind her.

And the people of Douluo Continent outside the light screen immediately realized it as well.

Earlier, at the Falling Cloud Sect where Hu Liena was, Elder Song Yu had also mentioned that ancient secret realm called the Blood-Colored Forbidden Land.

The atmosphere across Douluo Continent outside the light screen was completely ignited at that moment.

Within the Papal Hall, Bibi Dong's breathing grew heavy.

She glanced at Qian Renxue within the light screen, then recalled Hu Liena, who had previously joined the Falling Cloud Sect.

Both of them were going to the Blood-Colored Forbidden Land.

It was an ancient secret realm with a horrifyingly low survival rate.

On Douluo Continent, they had both been geniuses in whom Spirit Hall took great pride.

But in that cruel cultivation world, in order to fight over those mere three spots, they would very likely draw blades against each other within the secret realm.

"Is this heavenly curtain trying to watch them kill each other...?"

Bibi Dong clenched her fists, veins bulging across the backs of her hands.

Qian Daoliu, the Grand Worshipper, stood to one side in silence for a long while.

Looking at the giant sword in the sky, he sighed.

"This is the rule of the cultivation world."

"On the path of the Great Dao, one step back means a bottomless abyss."

Yellow Maple Valley, White Jade Plaza.

The silver-masked woman had finished proclaiming the decree.

She paid no heed to the cultivators below, who had fallen into a frenzy.

She merely lightly waved her sleeve.

The thousand-zhang azure giant sword beneath her feet let out a tremendous roar.

Dazzling azure light erupted from the blade.

In the blink of an eye, the giant sword tore through the clouds and vanished beyond the nine heavens.

The immense pressure hanging over everyone's heads also completely dissipated with the giant sword's departure.

Huff!

A chorus of gasps rang out across the plaza.

Many low-cultivation disciples collapsed straight to the ground, gulping down air.

Elder Hongfu turned and looked at Qian Renxue behind her.

"Xue'er."

Hongfu's voice trembled with barely contained excitement.

"This is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity for you."

Qian Renxue nodded.

She could feel the weight behind her master's words.

"Master, just how powerful is that Azure Origin Sword Sect?"

Hongfu drew a deep breath and led Qian Renxue away from the noisy plaza.

The two turned into a streak of red light and returned to the viewing platform of the cave dwelling.

Hongfu poured two cups of hot tea.

She handed one to Qian Renxue, her gaze resting on the distant mountain ranges.

"Our Yue Kingdom's Seven Great Sects can indeed be considered overlords within a radius of ten thousand li."

"But if we look across the entire Southern Heaven Region, our Yellow Maple Valley can only be considered a somewhat above-average force."

"And before the Azure Origin Sword Sect, we do not even qualify as vassals."

Qian Renxue listened quietly.

Hongfu sighed, her gaze growing distant.

"The Azure Origin Sword Sect does not involve itself in the conflicts of mortal nations, nor does it often move about in the Mortal Realm."

"But if they were to issue a single decree, whether it was Yue Kingdom's Seven Great Sects or those top demonic sects of Great Jin with legacies stretching back tens of thousands of years, all would have to obey obediently. No one would dare utter a word of defiance."

Qian Renxue sucked in a sharp breath.

"They're that overbearing?"

"Does no one dare resist them?"

Hongfu gave a bitter laugh.

"Resist? With what?"

"In our Mortal Realm, great cultivators at the late Nascent Soul stage are already supreme figures who can go wherever they please."

"As for Deity Transformation seniors, they are like divine dragons that reveal their heads but never their tails. One may not appear even once in several hundred years."

"But in that Azure Origin Sword Sect, the Deity Transformation elders openly stationed there alone number as many as both hands!"

As many as both hands!

The moment those words were spoken—

Inside Spirit Hall, Qian Daoliu crushed the teacup in his hand.

Tea spilled all over the floor, yet he did not notice at all.

A single Deity Transformation cultivator could live for several thousand years and overturn rivers and seas.

What did ten Deity Transformation cultivators even mean?

And that was only what they showed openly?

On the screen, Hongfu's next words left everyone too stunned to speak.

"That is only part of the reason."

"The Azure Origin Sword Sect holds such a transcendent status because it is not a force native to our Mortal Realm at all."

Qian Renxue's eyes widened.

"Not a force of the Mortal Realm?"

Hongfu nodded, a pilgrim-like fervor gleaming in her eyes.

"That's right."

"Our Mortal Realm is merely a tiny branch established by the Azure Origin Sword Sect among countless lower-realm planes."

"Their main sect is established in the lofty Spirit Realm."

"There are even rumors that in the immortal realm, which remains untouched through countless calamities, their sect possesses a supreme lineage that spans heaven and earth!"

Immortal Realm! Spirit Realm!

Those two words echoed through the sky above Douluo Continent along with the light screen.

Like two heavy hammers, they slammed viciously into the hearts of every soul master.

They had always believed that the Deity Transformation stage was the end of the immortal path.

Who could have imagined it?

Beyond the Deity Transformation stage lay the Spirit Realm.

And beyond the Spirit Realm, there was even the legendary Immortal Realm!

Yet this colossal entity, capable of crushing every sect in the entire Human Realm, was merely a subordinate branch casually left behind by a giant of the Immortal Realm!

Qian Renxue stood on the viewing platform, unable to recover for a long while.

The shock she had suffered today was simply too great.

Only after a long time did she pull her gaze back from the horizon and turn to Hongfu beside her.

"Master, what is the name of the supreme being who founded a sect that spans all three realms?"

Hongfu's expression changed sharply upon hearing this.

She quickly raised a finger to her lips in a silencing gesture.

Her eyes were filled with profound reverence.

"Watch your words."

"The name of an existence like that, one akin to a taboo, has long since been engraved into the laws of the Heavenly Dao."

"We Human Realm cultivators have no right to know it, much less dare to speculate carelessly."

"We only know that the majesty of the Azure Origin Sword Sect must not be challenged."

The instant Hongfu's words fell.

The sky above Yellow Maple Valley suddenly warped strangely.

The image in the heavens flickered faintly.

Lines of golden text radiating boundless pressure appeared directly in the minds of everyone on the Douluo Continent.

These were not words spoken by Hongfu, but a world-background prompt delivered by the heavens.

[Azure Origin Sword Sect, a supreme sect spanning the three realms of immortals, spirits, and humans.]

[Rules over three thousand minor worlds and holds the power of life and death over countless star domains.]

[Current Supreme Sect Master: Su Yuqing.]

Su Yuqing!

The moment this name appeared, the entire Douluo Continent seemed to lose all sound in an instant.

There was no ornate embellishment.

Those three words alone carried a terrifying weight capable of suppressing eternity and looking down upon all living beings.

Within the Papal Hall.

Bibi Dong slumped onto her throne, her face pale.

"Ruling over three thousand minor worlds..."

"Spanning the three realms of immortals, spirits, and humans..."

"Just what kind of existence is this sect master named Su Yuqing?"

At Shrek Academy.

Tang San looked at the golden words in the sky and felt that the Tang Sect, which he had once been so proud of in his previous life, did not even amount to a speck of dust before that name.

That absolute sense of being crushed by a higher order filled the Title Douluo, who usually stood high above all others, with profound despair and insignificance.

In the scene.

Hongfu did not know that the heavens had already revealed the true name of that supreme sect master to another world.

She turned toward Qian Renxue, her tone becoming incomparably solemn.

"The Blood-Colored Forbidden Land three years from now was originally just a trial for the seven major sects of our Yue Kingdom to compete for spirit herbs."

"Though it is dangerous inside, as long as one is careful, nearly half can always make it out alive."

"But things are different now."

"The Azure Origin Sword Sect has thrown out three slots."

"That means it will not just be the seven major sects of our Yue Kingdom."

"The top sects from several neighboring countries, and even geniuses from some secluded cultivation families, will all come swarming in."

"In order to fight for those three slots, they will certainly stop at nothing within the forbidden land."

"It will become a true slaughterhouse."

Qian Renxue listened quietly.

She lifted her teacup and took a light sip.

The tea was somewhat bitter, but her eyes were exceptionally bright.

"Master, do you think I can't win?"

Hongfu looked at the blonde girl before her, a trace of approval appearing in her eyes.

"You are a mortal without spiritual roots."

"But the power of light within you is of quite good quality."

"For the next three years, you will cultivate in seclusion within the cave dwelling."

"Your master will devote all available resources to paving your path with the finest pills."

"As long as you reach the Great Perfection of the Qi Refinement stage within three years,"

"and combine it with the several life-saving secret arts I will teach you, even if you encounter the geniuses of those great sects, you will have the means to contend with them."

Qian Renxue nodded.

She rose to her feet and gave Hongfu a disciple's salute.

"This disciple will certainly give it her all."

Time passed like a fleeting white horse.

Time went unnoticed in the cultivation world, and three years passed in the blink of an eye.

Over those three years, everyone on Douluo Continent watched the heavenly screen every day.

They watched Qian Renxue cultivate bitterly within her cave dwelling in Yellow Maple Valley.

It was a brutal form of cultivation that drove herself to her limits.

The soul power within her body was ground apart bit by bit, becoming countless specks of light before finally being reassembled within her meridians.

Every transformation came with heart-rending agony.

Yet Qian Renxue had never uttered a single complaint.

With the pills Hongfu sent her, she completely transformed the foundation of her level-seventy soul power from Douluo Continent into incomparably pure spiritual energy of the cultivation world.

Her aura also underwent a subtle change.

The dazzling golden radiance she had once projected outward became much more restrained.

In its place was a sacred presence that was deeper and more tranquil, yet carried endless majesty.

One morning, a thick fog rose deep within the Great Yue Mountain Range.

Several hundred Qi Refinement disciples dressed in yellow robes gathered in the white jade plaza of Yellow Maple Valley.

Some wore excited expressions, while others looked fearful.

They were all participants registered for this Blood-Colored Forbidden Land trial.

Among the crowd, Qian Renxue had changed into a fitted green outfit suitable for movement.

Her long golden hair was simply tied behind her head with a strip of cloth, making her look neat and capable.

She stood alone in a corner, with no one daring to approach within ten feet of her.

Over the past three years, she had built up quite a fearsome reputation among the outer sect disciples.

Several male disciples who had foolishly tried to test her strength had all had their legs casually broken by her and been hung from trees in the herb garden to endure the cold wind for three days.

"Silence."

Elder Hongfu's voice drifted down from the raised platform.

The noisy plaza instantly fell silent.

"For this journey to the Blood-Colored Forbidden Land, Elder Li Huayuan and I will personally lead the group."

Hongfu swept her cold gaze over the disciples below.

"You all know the rules."

"Once inside, your lives and deaths will be left to fate."

With that, she threw out a massive flying boat artifact.

The flying boat expanded in the wind, transforming into an airborne pavilion over a hundred zhang long.

Several hundred disciples boarded in a steady stream, their footsteps resounding across the deck.

Qian Renxue blended into the crowd and stepped onto the flying boat's deck as well.

Just as she was about to find a corner and sit down cross-legged to meditate, the corner of her eye suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure.

He was an old man in a faded yellow robe, with a few sparse goat hairs hanging from his chin.

It was the elder named Xiang Zhili.

Xiang Zhili carried a battered bamboo basket on his back, his hands clasped behind him as he stepped onto the flying boat at an even pace.

His expression remained as composed as ever, as though the tense young disciples around him had nothing to do with him.

"Oh, isn't this Old Xiang?"

A sharp-featured young disciple spotted him and could not help mocking him.

"At your age, with one foot already in the grave, what are you going to the Blood-Colored Forbidden Land for?"

"It's full of demonic beasts that swallow people bones and all. If you go in with those old bones of yours, you won't even be enough to fill the gaps between their teeth."

Several disciples nearby burst into laughter as well.

To them, a decrepit old man at the bottom of the Qi Refining stage entering the forbidden land was simply courting death.

Xiang Zhili did not get angry when he heard their ridicule.

He paused and turned to glance at the young disciple who had spoken so rudely.

Within those clouded eyes was an indifference that seemed to see through the world's vanities.

"Heaven and earth are but an inn; all things are merely passing guests."

Xiang Zhili's voice was soft, yet it carried an indescribable air of Zen.

"This forbidden land is a cage. Is the Yue Kingdom not a cage as well?"

"You enter to fight for the chance to establish your foundation. This old man enters merely to observe the flourishing and withering of the plants within."

"Life and death are decreed by fate. Why cling to them?"

Having said that, he no longer paid the young disciples any mind.

He walked alone to a corner at the edge of the flying boat, closed his eyes, and quietly let the mountain wind blow over him.

To the young disciples, those words merely sounded like the old man was putting on airs.

"Tch, what are you pretending to be so profound for?"

"You can't even afford a decent magic artifact, yet you're talking about plants flourishing and withering. I'd say you've gone mad from poverty and want to scavenge for scraps in there."

The young disciples curled their lips and stopped paying attention to him.