A huge thanks to Katy for the Ko-fis. Enjoy the bonus chapters!

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Soon, Qin Zhou gathered considerable information about the secret realm from the inn.

At least the eight hundred spirit stones per night proved worth the expense.

Regarding the secret realm, most cultivators agreed on two things: first, it truly held unheard-of treasures; second, it came with the equally certain danger of soul annihilation.

Every thousand years within the secret realm, there were always survivors who hadn’t been greedy enough. Despite their warnings, every thousand years, cultivators still flocked to Boundary City, fearing they might miss out on a share of the spoils.

Those arriving at Boundary City generally fell into three categories: disciples from the righteous sects, demon cultivators from the Demon Sect, and lone cultivators hoping to profit from the chaos.

The independent cultivators were the earliest arrivals at the Boundary City. Only when the secret realm was about to open would the major sects and the demonic cultivators of the Demon Sect mobilize.

The righteous path could not tolerate demonic cultivators, and demonic cultivators disdained the righteous factions. The two sides were like water and fire, clashing the moment they met.

It was not only for the treasures within the secret realm but also for the struggle over territory.

Whichever side suffers less casualties finds the future territorial struggle significantly easier.

Though the spiritual energy in the upper realm is abundant, its concentration varies across regions. Powerful sects often secure territories with denser spiritual energy as their strongholds. Smaller sects, lacking strength and disciples, have limited choices.

Constant friction between the righteous and demonic factions over territory persists.

The quest for treasures within the secret realm merely provides an opportunity for conflict.

Over millennia, these recurring secret realms have gradually evolved into grand stages for clashes between the righteous and demonic factions.

“I hear the righteous faction has united eighteen major sects this year, aiming to crush the demonic sect within the secret realm.”

“The demonic sect isn’t so easy to crush… Their sect leader is immensely powerful. If they could truly be crushed, it would’ve happened long ago. Now the demonic sect rules over its own territory, occupying nearly a third of the land. Who dares challenge them?”

“As the leader of the righteous faction, the Cangyun Sword Sect is truly doing nothing. Allowing the Demon Sect to develop like this, sooner or later, the cultivation world will be ruined.”

“Truth is, there’s no such thing as righteous or demonic cultivation. Whether it’s seizing territory or this secret realm, it’s all about advancing one’s cultivation.”

“That’s not entirely accurate. The Sword Sect has the Cangyun Sword Immortal, while the Demon Sect has its Supreme Patriarch. Both are patriarchs of their era. If they were to clash, the cultivation world would truly be finished.”

“Who exactly is Cangyun Sword Immortal? Could the Supreme Patriarch of the Demon Sect possibly defeat him?”

Qin Zhou sat in a corner of the inn’s lobby, listening to the idle chatter. Suddenly, several names mentioned by the crowd sounded familiar to him. He seemed to recall hearing some secrets about them from Wen Jue—

Cangyun Sword Immortal of the Cangyun Sword Sect had an affair with the Supreme Patriarch of the Demon Sect in their youth.

They even bore a son.

Qin Zhou thought to himself, This is indeed a secret. If this were to leak out, it might plunge the cultivation world into chaos.

“The Supreme Patriarch of the Demon Sect might not be a match for the Cangyun Sword Immortal, but he has that demonic senior brother!”

“The demon ranked first on the Heaven-Piercing List—is that just for show?”

The words “Heaven-Piercing List” made Qin Zhou perk up.

He knew exactly what the Heaven-Piercing Rankings were—the game’s character cultivation power rankings. And this ranking system certainly didn’t refer to the standings of his tiny mountain village alone.

As one of the rare ‘cross-server’ features in an otherwise almost single-player game, the Heaven-Piercing Rankings were a competition open to village chiefs from countless small mountain villages.

The opening cycle of the Heaven-Piercing Arena was based on real-world time.

Villagers from each village entered a place called the Heaven-Piercing Arena as contestants to battle each other. Stars competed, and the ultimate victor claimed the top spot on the Heaven-Piercing List.

When Qin Zhou was still playing the game, the Lu family of the Small Village of the Multiverse didn’t just dominate the top hundred spots on the Heaven-Piercing List—nearly all of the top ten were his villagers. Lu Yi was the reigning champion.

The rewards from the Heaven-Piercing Arena were generous. Many of the top-tier items and treasures in Qin Zhou’s inventory came from chests awarded by the Heaven-Piercing Leaderboard. Hearing the term ‘Heaven-Piercing Leaderboard’ here suddenly stirred up many memories for him.“Senior, what is the Heaven-Piercing Leaderboard?” Shen Yun asked him quietly.

Qin Zhou glanced at him. “You’re not from the upper realm?”

“Is this something upper realm people must know?” Shen Yun scratched his nose. “Maybe I’ve been stuck in the mountains playing with spirit beasts too long? My knowledge is limited.”

“Not knowing isn’t strange at all,” a wandering cultivator suddenly chimed in with a laugh. “The ‘Heaven-Piercing List’ is just a figure of speech. It’s a title passed down thousands of years ago, belonging solely to that great demonic tyrant. As for what the Heaven-Piercing List actually is, if you really ask around, few truly know. We only have a vague understanding ourselves.”

“Oh, I see. Thank you for enlightening me, Senior.” Shen Yun smiled politely.

Qin Zhou remained silent.

He’d only played the game for eight years, and his saved progress likely only spanned a thousand years or so. After he finished high school and tried to log back in, the game had already shut down due to poor management.

He didn’t know how time flowed within the game after he left. But even just thinking about it, Qin Zhou felt ten thousand years was an incredibly long time.

After all, even Lu Yi had transformed from a disciple of the Cangyun Sword Sect into a wandering cultivator.

The rotation of the top spot on the Heaven-Piercing List seemed hardly acceptable.

Qin Zhou tried to convince himself of this. Just then, he heard a wandering cultivator near the entrance shout—“The Secret Realm has opened!!”

The group, previously chatting idly, immediately swarmed toward the entrance. Shen Yun and Qin Zhou naturally rose and walked to the doorway as well. 

Several kilometers east of the Boundary City, a boiling golden light shot skyward. Vast spiritual energy rapidly radiated outward from this pillar of light.

“Finally, it’s here. I’ll be heading out first, everyone.” Seeing this, many immediately mounted their clouds or swords and departed ahead.

“It’s here! It’s finally here!”

In an instant, every lone cultivator in the inn vanished without a trace. 

As the crowd scattered, only Shen Yun and Qin Zhou remained, still processing the situation. The landlady calmly poured herself a cup of tea. “They’re quite eager to court death.”

Shen Yun frowned in surprise. “Court death? Isn’t it first-come, first-served for the treasures?”The landlady paused, rolling her eyes in exasperation. “You youngster! Do you think that secret realm is your family’s warehouse? That whoever gets in first gets to pick and choose?”

Shen Yun scratched his head. “I…”

Right. Everyone said treasures and dangers coexist in the secret realm.

“You’re just a Golden Core kid—stay out of that mess.” The landlady’s eyes darkened. “I’ve run this inn in the Boundary City for ages, and counting my ancestors… over thousands of years, I’ve never seen anyone walk out of that secret realm alive with a true treasure.”

“Not a single one?” Shen Yun gasped.

“Naturally, some have obtained treasures. There are rare gems among them. But as for those legendary artifacts… The greedy die before they can claim them, and the cautious dare not touch them.” The landlady shook her head. “Countless have perished.”

“I’m leaving. Farewell.” Qin Zhou said, turning to leave the inn.

Only then did Shen Yun realize those three words were Qin Zhou’s farewell.

”Senior…” Shen Yun glanced around, hesitated for a second, and when he looked up again after chasing out, Qin Zhou had vanished. 

The senior was gone. 

In Shen Yun’s heart, he had already regarded Qin Zhou as a senior who suppressed his cultivation.

“Little Sparrow, it seems the senior really does consider me a burden. He doesn’t even want to take me along.” Shen Yun ruffled the little wind sparrow’s head. “I should have shown off my skills in front of him earlier.”

Though he was only at the Golden Core stage, he did possess some genuine strength.“Ah, well, parting is but a prelude to reunion. Let’s head to the secret realm too—go see for ourselves. Maybe we can repay the senior for letting us stay.”

“Cheep cheep.”

“Let’s go.”…By the time Qin Zhou reached the clearing where the secret realm’s golden light emanated, it was already teeming with people. Some flew in the sky, others stood on the ground. 

It felt exactly like waiting at the entrance of a dungeon in an old game, anticipating the teleportation gate to open. But now, what met the eye was reality. 

Qin Zhou could scarcely spot any cultivators of comparable cultivation level. Looking up, he saw only those whose cultivation he couldn’t gauge solely by their spiritual energy—all at least late Gold Core or Nascent Soul stage. Most present were lone cultivators, with almost no organized groups. Occasionally, acquaintances would form small teams of two or three. Lone cultivators, free from obligations, had arrived earliest. But arriving early was futile. From the intelligence he’d gathered these past two days, the sects from the upper realm were numerous. Though lone cultivators made up the majority, they were scattered like loose sand. The treasures emerging from the secret realm would be contested by the powerful from the great sects or demonic sects.

“The demonic sect has arrived! The Cangyun Sword Sect is here too!”Two voices reached Qin Zhou’s ears almost simultaneously. 

He lifted his gaze. 

Both factions descended in formation from the east and west, resembling celestial armies. At the Cangyun Sword Sect’s front, their sect master stood with hands clasped behind his back. Behind him, disciples in uniform robes—white as floating clouds, tinged with ink-black—stood in orderly ranks, swords slung behind their backs, expressions solemn and grave. An overwhelming sense of pressure emanated from them. The Demon Sect’s presence was no less formidable.

Surrounded by Nascent Soul cultivators, the Demon Sect’s leader sat upon a beast-drawn carriage, encircled by his followers. One could almost hear the mocking sneers of the demonic cultivators directed at the righteous sects.

The Sword Sect Patriarch stood at the very front, while the Demon Sect Patriarch was surrounded in the center. This positioning seemed to embody the stark contrast between the righteous path and the demonic sect.

The Sword Sect was the undisputed leader of the righteous path. With a single sword drawn, all sects bowed in submission.

The Demon Sect, however, revered strength above all else. Its Patriarch had held that position for thousands of years.

“The secret realm hasn’t even opened yet, and the Demon Sect Patriarch has personally arrived!”

“Isn’t the Cangyun Sword Sect here too?”

A light chuckle suddenly echoed from the beast-drawn carriage on the Demon Sect’s side.

“The Cangyun Sword Sect arrived so swiftly as well. But how peculiar—why are you here alone? Did the righteous alliance forget to send you an invitation this year?”

Cangyun Sword Sect disciples: “…”

Clearly, this silence held a deeper meaning.

Historically, as the foremost sect of the righteous path, the Cangyun Sword Sect naturally served as the undisputed spokesperson for the alliance.

This time, however, something felt different.

The Cangyun Sword Sect had arrived without the other righteous sects.

“The Righteous Path Alliance—any who hold righteousness in their hearts is a member.” The Cangyun Sword Sect Patriarch’s voice was steady, seemingly unaffected by Lu Xiao’s provocation.

Though his expression remained composed, the Sword Sect Patriarch’s composure was already wavering.

Powerful figures surrounded Lu Xiao, yet he still hadn’t seen Junior Brother Jiang Huan.

It had been quite some time since he’d received any word from Junior Brother Jiang Huan. Something terrible must have happened. But now it seemed…

“Well said,” Lu Xiao clapped his hands. “I wholeheartedly agree with the Sword Sect Master’s words.”

Seeing this, the demon cultivators followed suit and clapped as well.

After all, whatever the Sect Master said went.

“Lu Xiao! Are you mocking us?!” Some Sword Sect disciples lost their composure.

Lu Xiao:?

He was merely agreeing!

Where was the mockery?

“No need to waste words on him.” The Sword Sect Master’s face had darkened.

If Lu Xiao had truly killed Junior Brother Jiang Huan, he would have given his all today to take Lu Xiao’s life and avenge his junior brother.

“The Sect Master truly understands the greater good,” Lu Xiao remarked sincerely.

Qin Zhou listened from a distance.

Only one thing struck him as odd.

The Demon Sect leader… surnamed Lu?

Lu Xiao. Qin Zhou silently repeated the name, suddenly recalling that secret—

Cangyun Sword Sect’s Cangyun Sword Immortal had, in his youth, been involved with the Demon Sect’s Supreme Patriarch.

They had a son.

Hmm, also surnamed Lu.

Moments later, Qin Zhou heard someone beside him remark—

“Look, the Righteous Alliance has arrived, too.”

He lifted his head. A vast, imposing group flew in from the distance, all landing within this open space.

Their attire varied, yet each possessed an extraordinary aura.