Meanwhile, inside the main hall of the Peak Master.
The atmosphere was tense.
Lin Xuan's expression also turned somewhat somber, and he sighed softly.
His current strength has been almost fully restored.
In ordinary times, suppressing the Great Saint would be a piece of cake.
Even if he goes all out and pays a slight price, the Middle-Stage Great Saint is still no match for him.
Even so, there are times when he falls short of his limits.
for example...
To decide the fate of others.
That's something he couldn't do either.
Not far from him, Cao Chun, who had been in seclusion for a long time and unwilling to face others, finally appeared.
She was dressed in bright red, extremely flamboyant, with long, winding black hair like a black waterfall, held up only by a single golden hairpin, a single strand of hair hanging down, trembling slightly with the tremor of her body.
"... Is there really no other way?"
Her voice was very hoarse.
This proud, even arrogant, young woman, at this moment, finally bowed her head.
Her eyes were red-rimmed, her fists clenched, and she forced back the tears that were about to well up in her eyes, looking exceptionally stubborn.
"There must be other ways, right?"
Cao Chun bit her lip tightly, took a deep breath, and raised her chin, trying to maintain her original posture. As if she suddenly thought of something, she stood up abruptly.
"I'll beg that guy. I'll do anything, as long as he can give me healing pills..."
"Alright."
Before she could finish speaking, a slightly aged voice interrupted her.
" Chun'er, that's enough... cough cough."
Two coughs seemed to flip a switch, causing Cao Chun's tears, which she had been holding back, to burst forth.
She angrily wiped her eyes and glared at the person who shouldn't be there.
"That's not enough!?"
"That's enough! Why did you fail to break through!"
She stood alone in the center of the hall, her aura fierce, her voice growing increasingly shrill.
"If you had successfully broken through, would I have needed to resort to these methods?"
"It's your fault! It's all your fault! I hate you!"
"I've already lost my mother, are you going to take my father away too, Peak Master Cao?"
Her jaw was trembling, perhaps from fear, perhaps from anger, but in the end, she gave everyone present a deep look, turned and left without hesitation.
"I'll figure something out. Just leave me alone."
" Chun'er..."
Watching Cao Chun's retreating figure, Cao Zhengyang was slightly stunned. Guilt and helplessness flickered in his eyes, but in the end, they turned into deep sadness.
He sighed and waved.
" Ziping, go and see her."
"Don't let Chun'er do anything foolish."
Upon hearing this, a man beside him stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and turned to chase after Cao Chun as they left.
This is also one of Cao Zhengyang's disciples.
Inside the hall, the atmosphere cooled once again as the two walked out.
Only Lin Xuan, Cao Zhengyang, He Qinglang, and Bikong remained.
Cao Zhengyang wanted to say something, but when he opened his mouth, all that came out was a soft sigh filled with utter helplessness.
An overwhelming sense of frustration surfaced in his expression.
breakthrough...
As Cao Chun said.
He did fail.
This time, he had tried his best, but it still wasn't enough.
Ultimately, it fell just short.
A single line, like an insurmountable chasm.
It was a chasm he could hardly cross.
After this failure, his foundation was damaged, and it's likely that he will have almost no chance of ever reaching the level of Great Saint again in his lifetime.
His fate was to stop at the Half-Step Great Saint; it was his already fixed future...
Ximu Peak was already in a difficult situation before this.
If news of his failed breakthrough gets out now, things will likely become even more difficult for him in the future.
It's possible that it might be merged into another peak.
After all, without the Great Saint, there is no voice.
How could Cao Zhengyang accept that a tradition spanning thousands of years was about to end in his hands?
His entire energy and spirit were almost completely drained by this failed breakthrough.
Lin Xuan lowered his eyes, feeling quite uneasy.
Failure to break through is the most unbearable and terrifying experience in a cultivator's life.
Now, Cao Zhengyang's meridians are damaged, and his lifespan is running out; he may only have a thousand years left to live.
It might not even be a thousand years.
millennium.
So many.
But for cultivators, a thousand years is such a short time.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
Lin Xuan felt a little heavy-hearted. He had just opened his mouth to say a few words of concern when he saw Cao Zhengyang wave his hand and force a smile on his face.
He said in a hoarse voice, "Alright, don't worry about me."
I know my own situation.
"The reason I've summoned you here is not for this matter, but because the Heaven-Gazing Secret Realm is about to begin."
"This journey to the secret realm is not only about the Cinnabar Cloud Sword Sect, but also about the entire Heaven-Gazing Domain..."
As Cao Zhengyang began to speak, the once silent hall was filled only with his voice.
Lin Xuan finally understood what was happening after the incense had burned down to its half-burnt state.
This was something he didn't know before.
Many years ago, the Heaven-Gazing Domain was not like it is now, divided into seven prefectures and four sects.
It is a whole.
All sects are subordinate to the Heaven-Gazing Sacred Sect.
Even this realm is named after the sect that established it.
At that time, the one who commanded the entire Heaven-Gazing Domain was the sect leader of the Heaven-Gazing Sacred Sect, who was both the sect leader and the domain lord of Heaven-Gazing Domain.
That was a Saint King.
In the entire Heaven-Gazing Domain, no one was his match.
How majestic and imposing was the Heaven-Gazing Sacred Sect!
It is quite powerful not only within the Heaven-Gazing Domain, but also outside the domain.
Unfortunately...
Everything was destroyed in a sudden and drastic change.
No one knows what exactly happened.
All that is known is that one day, the Domain Lord returned from beyond the domain, heavily injured. He lingered in the Heaven-Gazing Domain for less than a year and a half before perishing...
To this day, the mystery of those dramatic changes remains unsolved.
It was from that time that the Heaven-Gazing Sacred Sect began to disintegrate, leading to the situation we see today.
As time passed, the Heaven-Gazing Sacred Sect completely disintegrated, and the Heaven-Gazing Domain underwent constant changes. The original site of the Heaven-Gazing Sacred Sect was separated by spatial turbulence during the upheaval, transforming into a secret realm that could only be entered with a token.
The remains of the Holy Saint King still reside within the secret realm, their power inexhaustible. Even as mere corpses, they exude a pressure that ordinary people cannot withstand. No one knows why the original Heaven-Gazing Sacred Sect was transformed into a secret realm, but everyone knows that every thousand years, when the Zigui Stone, one can enter the Heaven-Gazing Sacred Sect and stay for three months. After three months, the power of the Saint King's remains erupts, sweeping across the entire realm, and one must leave quickly, or face great calamity.
This once-in-a-millennium secret realm instance is one that no one wants to miss.
You should know that in that secret realm, there are not only various Secret Technique that the Heaven-Gazing Sacred Sect has lost over the years, but also the Saint King that has not been taken away!
and...
Most importantly, the Saint King is not limited to that of the Domain Lord.
Back then, he was at the Peak Saint King realm!
How could the Heaven-Gazing Sacred Sect not have any other Saint King besides him?
At its peak, the Heaven-Gazing Sacred Sect had more than one Holy Saint King!
The ancient secret realm has opened, and this time, no one will miss it!