296: Leaving the Secret Realm

Spirit Plant Peak, Peak Master's quiet room.

Luo Baiya sat cross-legged, appearing to be closing his eyes and regulating his breath, but his tightly furrowed brows and slightly twitching eyelids exposed his extreme inner turmoil.

A water mirror floated before him, and within it was the terrifying and shocking sight of the Void Refining tribulation cloud above Luoxia Peak!

"Leng Yuekui... to think she actually reached this step..."

Luo Baiya's heart was in turmoil, filled with wariness and a trace of... fear.

As a fellow Peak Master, he knew the terror of Leng Yuekui deeply.

Once this woman successfully achieved a Breakthrough to the Void Refining stage, with her decisive and ruthless nature and already formidable strength, her influence within the Sect would rise dramatically! This would be a huge threat to his plans!

What made him sit on pins and needles even more was the exposure of Luo Tianying!

Although no evidence currently pointed to him, and he himself cultivated the Yin Yang Sect's orthodox supreme technique, the "Evergreen Wood Technique of Eternal Spring," the Sect's detection Magic Treasure could not discover his identity as a secret agent of the Demon Sect. But Sect Head White Cloud Master's profound gaze, and that prohibition of "You may not leave Spirit Plant Peak until there is a result," were like a sharp sword hanging above his head!

"Damn Yao Delong! If not for him... how could Tianying have been exposed!"

A trace of resentment flashed in Luo Baiya's eyes. The one currently in the peak was indeed just a Clone nurtured by a secret method after he reached the Soul Transformation stage, with an aura identical to his true body.

His true body had long since quietly left the Yin Yang Sect, lurking in a safer place, remotely controlling the Demon Sect's layout in the Hegemonic Summer Dynasty.

"Leng Yuekui... I hope this Void Refining Lightning Tribulation can strike you into ashes!"

Luo Baiya stared at the increasingly terrifying purple lightning in the water mirror, viciously cursing in his heart.

At the same time, he was also rapidly thinking about how to respond once Leng Yuekui succeeded, how to continue hiding, and even... how to eliminate this huge hidden danger!

Rumble—!!!

The tribulation cloud, having brewed to the extreme, finally emitted its first roar that shook the heavens and earth!

A deep purple tribulation lightning, as thick as a water vat and entwined with the Laws of annihilation, tore through the thick clouds like the spear of a Heavenly God's rage, and with the terrifying might to annihilate all things, it struck fiercely toward that cold and solitary figure on the peak of Luoxia Peak!

The Void Refining Lightning Tribulation had begun!

Meanwhile, in the Secret Realm tens of thousands of miles away.

Immortal Master Sword Heart's vast, galaxy-like Nascent Soul Stage Sword Dao insights finally settled and fused within Yao Delong's Sea of Consciousness.

Although he could not use the System to forcibly accelerate the absorption, he carried several Sword Arts that had already reached the Perfection stage. By drawing inferences from these, this insight was like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, being rapidly understood, digested, and turned into a part of his own Sword Dao Foundation.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the Legacy stone platform, Yao Delong slowly opened his eyes.

In an instant, two sword beams, condensed as if they were tangible, flashed from his eyes and disappeared, as if they could pierce through the Void Realm!

The formless Sword Intent around his body no longer boiled but became like a bottomless cold pool, containing a terrifying sharpness capable of tearing everything apart beneath its calm surface.

With a slight shift of his mind, the crimson-gold "Nirvana Soul Domain" ripples around his body swayed silently. Although the range did not expand, the Nirvana and incineration true intent contained within it became more restrained and profound, as if it possessed life, and its resonance with the Laws of space became increasingly clear.

"Flawless Sword Heart..." Yao Delong felt his own changes, understanding clearly in his heart.

Although his Spiritual Power Affinity was still pitifully low, this thorough understanding and control over the essence of the Sword Dao allowed his combat power to undergo a qualitative leap!

At this moment, even without using Nascent Soul power, the Heart Sword and Soul Domain catalyzed by this "Flawless Sword Heart" state were enough to make an ordinary Mid Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator regret their actions!

He stood up and bowed solemnly to Bi Yao, who had been guarding him the entire time:

"Senior, this Disciple has thoroughly mastered the insights of Senior Sword Heart. Now that more than a month has passed, Junior Sister and the others must be worried sick. I implore Senior to send me out of the Secret Realm."

Bi Yao looked at Yao Delong, whose temperament had transformed and whose sharpness was restrained yet appeared even more unfathomable, her emerald eyes filled with gratification and satisfaction.

She flipped her small hand, and a warm, ancient jade token engraved with mysterious sword patterns appeared in her palm, which she handed to Yao Delong.

"Take this. When your cultivation reaches the Soul Transformation stage, hold this jade token, and you can sense and enter this place at any time without waiting for the Secret Realm to open."

Bi Yao said crisply, then pouted, with a trace of coquettishness, "Also, my name is Bi Yao! You are not allowed to call me Senior in the future. Am I that old?"

Yao Delong was slightly stunned, looking at the charming and lovely artifact spirit before him who had lived for tens of thousands of years, and scratched his head somewhat awkwardly:

"Uh... alright, thank you, Bi Yao... Senior, for guarding me for so many days." He still couldn't change the way he addressed her for a moment.

"Hmph!" Bi Yao glared at him indignantly, then remembered something and asked:

"By the way, that little mud loach following you, the descendant of the Ancient Heavenly Flood Dragon, she couldn't leave the Secret Realm. Do you want to take her with you?"

"Qiong Shuang!"

Yao Delong immediately thought of the greedy and cute Little White Flood Dragon and nodded quickly, "Naturally, I want to take her. Sorry to trouble you, Bi Yao."

Bi Yao waved her small hand casually.

Hum!

Space fluctuated slightly, and a figure as white as jade, with scales shimmering with a faint light, instantly appeared beside them.

Qiong Shuang, who was dozing comfortably by a cold pool, was suddenly teleported. Frightened, her scales stood on end instantly, and she assumed a defensive posture vigilantly, emitting a threatening low growl: "Roar! Who?!"

However, when she saw the person in front of her, her raised scales softened instantly, and her pair of large, lively eyes were instantly veiled with a layer of mist. With a crying tone, she pounced over:

"Big Brother! Wuwuwu... it really is you! Qiong Shuang missed you so much! We looked for you for so long in the Secret Realm, Clear Snow and the others have all left, and I thought... I thought I would never see you again!"

Her little head rubbed vigorously against Yao Delong's leg, looking aggrieved.

Yao Delong's heart warmed. He squatted down, gently touched her cold, smooth head, and said softly:

"I've let you worry, Qiong Shuang."

He flipped his hand and took out a gorgeous bracelet that was streaming with light and emitting powerful fluctuations—a Low Grade Earth-Grade Weapon defensive Magic Treasure, "Here, this is your reward."

"Wow! So shiny!"

Qiong Shuang's tears were instantly sucked back, and her large eyes were filled only with shining stars. She excitedly clawed at the collar, unable to put it down.

But then she thought of the key question and looked at Yao Delong with concern:

"Big Brother, I... can I really go out? I tried before, there was a force blocking me..."

Yao Delong smiled and pointed at Bi Yao: "Senior Bi Yao has agreed."

Qiong Shuang immediately turned to Bi Yao, putting her two front claws together, her little head nodding like a chicken pecking at rice, and said in the most fawning tone:

"Thank you, Senior Bi Yao! Senior is the best! May Senior enjoy eternal blessings and live as long as the heavens!"

Bi Yao was amused to the point of being unable to laugh or cry by this funny character, and waved her hand impatiently:

"Alright, alright, stop the flattery. Let's go!"

She waved her small hand again, and a soft light instantly enveloped Yao Delong and Qiong Shuang.

"After you reach Soul Transformation, remember to come back!" Bi Yao's voice came from within the light.

"Definitely!" Yao Delong nodded solemnly.

With a flash of light, the figures of the person and the flood dragon instantly disappeared from the Legacy space.