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The next morning.

On Tianzhu Peak.

“Tsk.”

Wang Xuanyi rolled over, frowning, and clicked his tongue again.

He couldn't wrap his head around it all night. How could that old witch do this?

Not only did she threaten him into cooking in the middle of the night, but the two of them had also usurped his nest. They kicked Wang Xuanyi out, forcing him to sleep on the floor on the freezing Tianzhu Peak.

“Senior Brother, lying like this... is very impolite.”

Zhu Huai sat upright. Looking at her senior brother who was lying on her lap, facing her direction, a deep crimson immediately flushed across her entire face.

“Oh, oh, sorry about that. I was just so dazed with anger.”

Wang Xuanyi rolled over once more, wrapping himself tighter in the cotton blanket. He looked just like a caterpillar, with only his head exposed.

Zhu Huai gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and comforted him in a soft voice, “Senior Brother, don't be angry anymore. Senior Sister Wenren was sealed for hundreds of years, so she hasn't shed her mortal needs or achieved complete fasting. It's only normal for her to be hungry.”

“But she's still going too far! That's my house, yet she acts like she has every right to live in it,” Wang Xuanyi grunted through his nose, highly indignant.

Su Qian had such a massive house with everything she could ever want, yet she insisted on coming to Tianzhu Peak to freeload on food and drinks, and on top of that, hijack his lodging.

“This is simply intolerable!”

“Senior Brother...”

“Zhu Huai, you don't need to defend that old witch. Since she dared to pinch my buttocks this time, next time she'll dare to tease me in public, or even strip me naked!”

“Senior...”

“And that old witch's disciple! Crawling into my bed in the middle of the night, she almost scared the soul right out of me. Sooner or later, I'm going to scare her back!”

“Once I'm strong enough to beat that old witch, I'll definitely bully her ruthlessly. I'll show her how harsh society can be, and teach her the true meaning of ‘do not look down on a poor youth’!”

Only after venting all of this did Wang Xuanyi's mood calm down a bit.

“Oh? Who are you going to bully?”

“Is that even a question? Of course it's Su Qian and—”

Wang Xuanyi suddenly realized that Zhu Huai's voice had changed. Even her appearance had morphed into Su Qian's, and her body was emitting that soul-hooking, seductive fragrance.

Su Qian was smiling faintly, looking just like a demon.

Wang Xuanyi instinctively shrank his neck, wriggling his body as he slowly backed away.

The outcome, naturally, went without saying.

A lesson of “love” was inevitable.

Wenren Jing held a wooden stick, squatting on the ground and poking the black-and-blue Wang Xuanyi, deeply sympathizing with his plight.

“Jing'er, your master and your Martial Uncle Mo have some matters to attend to. You shall cultivate on Tianzhu Peak for the time being. You've already tasted your Junior Brother Wang's cooking, so you won't be mistreated.”

“Oh...” Feeling that replying with a single word was a bit impolite, Wenren Jing added, “Goodbye, Master.”

“Goodbye.”

Afterward, only three people remained on Tianzhu Peak.

One was dignified and elegant, one was a natural airhead, and one was black and blue. Soon, Tianzhu Peak would have two more little freeloaders joining them.

...

Heavenly Martial Immortal Sect.

In the main hall, all the prominent elders and Peak Masters gathered to deliberate on the suitable candidates among the elders to enter the Ancient Immortal Realm this time.

As a side note.

The strength of the Heavenly Martial Immortal Sect was somewhat uneven. Among the twelve Peak Masters, the lowest was in the Soul Formation Realm, while the highest was Xiao Hongye, who was at the half-step Tribulation Transcendence Realm.

Sect Master Shen Shi was in the Void Return Realm, while Su Qian, as the Grand Elder, was much more formidable—she was the strongest person below Xiao Hongye, a Dao Integration Realm cultivator.

In the previous era, because the final Dharma Ending Age was extremely terrifying, heaven and earth collapsed, and the Great Dao shattered. All those who became immortals were instead swallowed by heaven and earth to replenish themselves, resulting in not a single person becoming an immortal in the current cultivation world.

However, there was no need to worry. An ancient prophet had foretold before his death that within this epoch, the Great Dao of heaven and earth would recover, the laws would become complete, and there would still be a sliver of opportunity to achieve immortality.

Therefore, in the current Nine Provinces, the highest cultivation realm was the Great Ascension Realm, which was the first realm below a True Immortal.

Having escaped the liquidation of heaven and earth at the end of the previous era, the Great Ascension Realm ancestors of various sects had suffered damage to their cultivation. They could only hide within their sects, sealing their origins to heal themselves, waiting for the opportunity of immortality to appear once more.

Thus, Xiao Hongye's half-step Tribulation Transcendence Realm allowed her to walk unchallenged in the Nine Provinces, and even Dao Integration Realm cultivators were extremely rare.

In the vast Heavenly Martial Immortal Sect, there were only three Dao Integration Realm cultivators. In other small sects, or even large ones, Dao Integration Realm cultivators were pitifully few.

Returning to the main topic.

As the most mysterious, perilous, and opportunity-laden secret realm, the Ancient Immortal Realm might contain a sliver of opportunity to achieve immortality.

Coincidentally, the restriction of the secret realm only allowed Golden Core Realm cultivators to enter.

Therefore, after sending their disciples in, each immortal sect would also select a few Golden Core Realm elders to accompany them.

Firstly, they could protect the safety of the sect's core disciples, and secondly, they could search for their own opportunities.

“If only those in the Nascent Soul Realm were allowed to enter.”

“Indeed. I'm already an old bag of bones, yet I still haven't unlocked the secrets of the Nascent Soul. I suppose my life will end like this anyway, so I might as well take a gamble.”

“Indeed, great opportunities often accompany great dangers.”

Some elders sighed. They were precisely the ones who had missed the Ancient Immortal Realm and lacked talent, only able to strive in their cultivation for the rest of their lives.

“Quiet.”

As the voice fell, silence enveloped the hall.

“You all probably know the reason for calling this elders' meeting,” Sect Master Shen Shi said from his seat, ignoring the slight murmurs below. “The Ancient Immortal Realm is about to open. I have only one thing to tell you all.”

“Protect our sect's disciples.”

The limit of the secret realm was the Golden Core Realm.

Shen Shi, and indeed the other major immortal sects, had no power to stop the determination of Golden Core cultivators who wanted to take a gamble. Instead of trying, it was better to go with the flow and let them make their own choices.

Furthermore, inside the secret realm every time, there would always be Golden Core cultivators who would frequently betray others to secure the most benefits for themselves.

Because of this, various forces would select highly loyal Golden Core cultivators to escort and safeguard the disciples who had not yet grown.

The Heavenly Martial Immortal Sect already had confirmed candidates and had notified them in advance. This meeting was merely to serve as a warning to those who were restless.

Especially regarding Gongyi Lingren and Wenren Jing.

They were the most promising disciples of their era, praised alongside other freaks as part of the “Golden Age,” and each of them was the absolute darling of the sect.

At the same time.

While the Heavenly Martial Immortal Sect's main hall was holding a solemn meeting regarding the Ancient Immortal Realm, other forces were doing the same, even the demon beast race and the demon sect.

They adopted even more intense methods of competition.

Using the most primitive violence and bloodshed, they selected the strongest few to enter the secret realm.

In the Yuhui Immortal Sect, besides the ancient freaks, the geniuses of this era were also nervously preparing the items they would need.

The Tiandi Alliance, Yinyang Valley, Huoyun Mountain...

Throughout the Nine Provinces, forces big and small were busy preparing for the Ancient Immortal Realm. An unprecedented Golden Age had descended so abruptly.

When the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was at its richest, and the laws of the myriad paths were at their most complete.

That was the time for cultivators to defy the heavens.

Of course, Tianzhu Peak was an exception.

Here, there was only a group of pigs—a few extremely lazy pigs who would argue over whether the food should be sour, sweet, spicy, or salty. It was a stark contrast to the frantic outside world.