Azure Nether Collapses, a Battle for Foundation Establishment

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

The Azure Nether Secret Realm no longer retained a trace of its former splendor.

The distant horizon had vanished into black nothingness. Spatial turbulence gnawed at this broken fragment like invisible giant teeth.

As the habitable space rapidly collapsed, examinees scattered throughout the secret realm had no choice but to converge on their only hope of survival—Ridge Vein Mountain at its core.

More than a thousand cultivators had gathered near the ruins of the Pill Kiln on Ridge Vein Mountain.

They were the elite who had survived half a month of bloody elimination and escaped the spatial storm by the skin of their teeth.

Yet relief at surviving had not united them. Instead, it had filled the cramped area with tension ready to explode.

"We claimed this broken wall first. Get lost!"

"Bullshit! The secret realm's about to collapse. Whoever has the biggest fists calls the shots!"

Curses and the clash of magical implements rang out without end. Some fought bitterly over pits where the Earth Vein's energy was slightly more stable. Others joined forces and set up defensive lines around the ruins, hoping to huddle together for warmth in these final moments.

Yet at the center of this noisy, chaotic gathering lay a strangely empty stretch of ground.

It was the entrance to the Underground Palace.

Not a soul stood within a hundred yards. Several bodies lay sprawled across the dark-gold stone slabs at the entrance, their blood dried black.

All of them had reached Qi Refining Perfection. One still clutched a magical implement whose glow had dimmed. Clearly, they had been cut down in an instant while trying to force their way into the Underground Palace.

From the entrance, an aura as heavy as lead and mercury pulsed through