37: Chapter 37 A Gathering of Heroes

Cloud Mist Valley, located on the edge of the southeastern hinterland of the Tianhai Secret Realm, is a secluded valley surrounded by mountains on three sides and shrouded in mist all year round.

There is a high-quality spiritual spring in the valley with abundant Spiritual Qi, and due to the terrain and the cover of the clouds and mist, it is relatively hidden, making it an excellent place for a Cultivator to enter seclusion for healing and meditation.

Feng Yushu had entered the Secret Realm with a Senior from his Family in his early years and had an impression of this place, so he chose it as a temporary foothold.

The group of ten people found a naturally formed, spacious, and dry cave deep within Cloud Mist Valley.

Feng Yushu personally led two clan Elders to set up several layers of defensive, concealment, and warning Formations at the cave entrance, and properly arranged the Formation Plates and Formation Flags they brought to raise the defense of the entire valley to the extreme, which was sufficient to withstand a short-term strong attack from a Mid-stage Golden Core Cultivator and provide early warning.

After settling everything, Lin Wan entered the deepest part of the cave, set up his own isolation Restriction, and began his seclusion.

This seclusion was no small matter.

He needed time to digest, absorb, and stabilize the massive amount of insights into the space Law brought by the "Void Dao Seed," as well as the residual Origin power of the void crystal essence.

He needed to thoroughly consolidate and strengthen his newly born Meridians and Physical Body, which had fused the Five Elements Returning to Ruins and the power of the Void Realm, and re-open and construct a complete Great Cycle.

He also needed to re-nourish and refine the five elements sword core, which was on the verge of shattering and had just stabilized, using a brand-new power system to restore it and even surpass its previous state.

More importantly, he wanted to use this seclusion to attempt a Breakthrough to the Mid-stage Golden Core!

Although he had not stayed at the Early Stage Golden Core for long, his experiences could be called legendary.

Life-and-death battles in the Secret Realm, tempering in the void vortex, an Epiphany from the guixu sword, the branding of the Void Dao Seed... every time, it was the ultimate tempering and improvement of his Dao Heart, cultivation, and understanding of the Law.

The depth of his Foundation and the profundity of his insights had long since far exceeded those of an ordinary Early Stage Golden Core Cultivator.

If it hadn't been for his severe injuries and damaged Foundation previously, he would have attempted the Breakthrough long ago.

Now, his injuries were initially stabilized, his body had been reshaped by the power of the Void Realm, and he had obtained the Heaven-Defying Opportunity of the Void Dao Seed; it was the best time to accumulate and break through in one go!

Sitting cross-legged on the Spiritual Vein node in the cave, Lin Wan closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into his Dantian.

Inside the Dantian, the scene was vastly different from before.

The five elements sword core was still floating in the center, but its color was no longer pure Chaos dark gold; instead, it had an extra layer of a faint, constantly shifting silver-gray halo, as if it were draped in a garment of the Void Realm.

The cracks on the surface of the sword core, nourished by the gentle Origin power emitted by the Void Dao Seed, had healed by seventy or eighty percent; although it was still not as smooth and brilliant as in its prime, the Five Elements spiritual light at its core was more condensed and pure, with a faint trace of the Dao rhythm of the Returning to Ruins silence and the inclusion of all things circulating.

Around the sword core, the originally broken and shriveled Meridians had been replaced by brand-new, silver-gray, strange vessels containing subtle spatial ripples.

These vessels were tougher and wider, and their capacity and efficiency for carrying and circulating spiritual power (especially the Five Elements spiritual power fused with the power of the Void Realm) far exceeded the past.

At this moment, like a long-dried riverbed, they were greedily swallowing the surrounding rich Spiritual Qi, as well as the pure spatial Origin power spontaneously emitted by the "Void Dao Seed" between his eyebrows, converting it into a brand-new, strange Dan Qi that was gray and hazy with silver radiance, slowly injecting it into the five elements sword core, and also nourishing his entire body.

The guixu sword hovered quietly to the side of the sword core; the sword body was gray-white and still broken, but the deepest cracks on its surface had become blurred under the nourishment of the void crystal essence and the power of the Dao Seed, and there seemed to be signs of healing.

The intent of the Returning to Ruins silence emitted by the sword body was also more compatible with the power within Lin Wan's body, faintly resonating.

"Let us begin."

Lin Wan's mind was set; he no longer hesitated and exerted his full strength to operate the Breakthrough method of the Golden Core chapter of the Great Five Elements True Scripture, while simultaneously incorporating the Profound Truth of the Sword Intent chapter of the Five Elements Guixu Sword Scripture into it.

He was going to walk a unique Golden Core Dao that had never been seen before, fusing the Five Elements Returning to Ruins with the Origin of the Void Realm!

"Boom—!"

The newly born, gray-hazy Dan Qi with silver radiance inside his body, like a sea of oil that had been ignited, instantly boiled and went berserk!

It flowed wildly along the brand-new silver-gray vessels, getting faster and faster, and finally, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, it all surged into the Dantian, fiercely impacting, compressing, and tempering that five elements sword core!

At the same time, the "Void Dao Seed" between his eyebrows seemed to sense Lin Wan's will to break through, shuddering slightly, and released a more rich and pure spatial Origin power, which fused into the boiling Dan Qi, making the nature of the Dan Qi become more profound and elusive, possessing both the magnificence of the Five Elements generation and Restriction cycle, and the profundity of the Void Realm's inclusion and silence.

Under the impact and tempering of such violent and high-level power, the sword core trembled violently, the silver-gray halo on its surface circulated crazily, and the last trace of a crack was completely healed under the infusion of the massive power!

The volume of the sword core began to shrink slowly, but its color became deeper and more restrained, gradually shifting from the previous Chaos dark gold with silver-gray to a "Chaos gray" that was purer and closer to the Origin Dao.

The quality and total amount of the Dan Qi were also crazily improving, compressing, and transforming!

A massive Spiritual Pressure, far exceeding that of an Early Stage Golden Core, slowly rose from Lin Wan's body, permeating the entire cave, and even penetrating the Restriction, causing the clouds and mist in the valley to churn faintly.

Feng Yushu and the others guarding outside the cave felt this Spiritual Pressure and were all shocked, yet filled with anticipation.

"Elder Lin... is about to break through!" one of the clan Elders muttered, his eyes full of shock.

How long has it been? It has been only half a month since Lin Wan was severely injured and dying; not only has his injury stabilized, but he is actually about to start a Breakthrough? What kind of terrifying recovery ability and Foundation is this?

Feng Yushu also looked excited and clenched his fists.

The stronger Lin Wan was, the greater the Feng Family's gains in this Secret Realm and their reliance in the future would be.

Inside the cave, the Breakthrough had reached a critical point.

The five elements sword core had been compressed and condensed to the extreme; only the last step remained, which was to draw in the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi (here, it was the Secret Realm's Spiritual Qi and spatial energy) to complete the final qualitative change and thoroughly stabilize the Mid-stage Golden Core Realm.

However, at this moment, a sudden change occurred!

Perhaps the Spiritual Qi and spatial fluctuations triggered by Lin Wan's Breakthrough were too violent, touching upon some deep-seated Restrictions of the Secret Realm; or perhaps the aura of the "Void Dao Seed" had attracted some existences from the unknown; or perhaps the whispers of the black-robed figure from before had already activated some kind of arrangement—

"Hum—!"

The entire Cloud Mist Valley, no, the sky over the entire southeastern region of the Tianhai Secret Realm, suddenly darkened without warning!

It was not dark clouds blocking the sun, but a deeper, more oppressive "darkness" that seemed capable of swallowing even light; like ink, it spread rapidly from the depths of the extremely high and distant void, covering an area of thousands of miles!

In the darkness, countless fine spatial cracks, presenting ominous colors such as dark red, ghostly blue, and pale white, spread, twisted, and burst wantonly on the "dark curtain" like spider webs!

A terrifying will, chaotic, evil, violent, and filled with the aura of destruction and death, accompanied by the teeth-gritting sound of space tearing, descended with a boom from the depths of that dark curtain!

"Crackle—!"

The earth trembled, and rocks cracked and collapsed.

Countless Yao Beasts inhabiting the Secret Realm let out terrified and desperate roars, fleeing in all directions, yet having nowhere to escape.

Some weak Yao Beasts were even directly crushed into meat paste by that terrifying will and spatial fluctuation, their Divine Soul completely destroyed.

"What is this?!" "A natural disaster?! Or... has a terrifying existence descended?!" Feng Yushu and the others guarding outside the cave turned pale, looking up at the doomsday-like dark curtain, their hearts filled with boundless fear.

Such Heaven and Earth phenomena were completely beyond their cognition and understanding.

Deep in the cave, Lin Wan, who was at the most critical moment of his Breakthrough, was also interrupted by this sudden, drastic change.

That terrifying will and chaotic spatial fluctuation were crazily impacting his consciousness and the critical nodes that were transforming.

The boiling Dan Qi in his body instantly became chaotic, the sword core that had just condensed trembled violently, its light flashing chaotically, and there were actually signs of it shattering again!

Moreover, a cold, evil, and strange power that seemed to want to assimilate him tried to invade his body, Divine Soul, and even... the "Void Dao Seed" between his eyebrows, following the chaotic spatial fluctuations!

"Not good!" Lin Wan was greatly alarmed.

If he interrupted the Breakthrough at this moment, not only would his previous efforts be wasted, but the Dan Qi would backlash, and the sword core would be in danger of shattering completely!

It was even more likely that the strange power would take advantage of the situation, and the consequences would be unimaginable!

At the critical moment, a fierce look flashed in his eyes, and he held nothing back!

"guixu sword! Void Dao Seed! Help me!"

Roaring in his heart, he no longer suppressed, but instead actively sank his entire consciousness into the "Void Dao Seed" between his eyebrows, and crazily urged the guixu sword!

"Hum—!"

The Void Dao Seed suddenly erupted with unprecedented, brilliant silver light!

A more vast, more pure, supreme power that seemed to represent the Origin of spatial order erupted with a boom, instantly dispersing and annihilating the strange, chaotic power that had invaded his body!

At the same time, the light of the Dao Seed penetrated his body, forming a thin yet indestructible silver light cocoon around him, completely isolating the terrifying will and chaotic fluctuations!

The guixu sword let out a long cry filled with anger and Battle Intent, the gray-white sword body glowing brightly, and a pure, silent Sword Intent that severed everything and returned it to nothingness soared into the sky, merging into the silver light cocoon, making it more stable, and even faintly showing a trend of reverse erosion and assimilation of the surrounding chaotic spatial fluctuations!

With the protection of the Void Dao Seed and the guixu sword, Lin Wan's pressure was greatly reduced.

He seized this split-second Opportunity, forced himself to focus, and desperately guided the massive Dan Qi within his body that was about to lose control, fiercely rushing towards that last Bottleneck!

"Break—!"

The silent shout exploded in his Divine Soul.

"Crack..."

It was as if something had shattered.

Immediately after, the five elements sword core shuddered with a boom, its volume shrinking by another circle, and its color completely settled into a deep, restrained "Chaos gray" that seemed capable of swallowing all things.

The quality and total amount of the Dan Qi instantly skyrocketed several times over!

It was more condensed, more magnificent, and the Five Elements Returning to Ruins intent and the Origin power of the Void Realm contained within it were perfectly fused into one.

A stable and vast Spiritual Pressure, far exceeding the previous one, slowly spread from Lin Wan's body.

Mid-stage Golden Core, achieved!

However, at this moment, Lin Wan had no time to rejoice.

He suddenly opened his eyes, his silver-gray pupils penetrating the stone wall of the cave, looking towards the doomsday-like dark curtain outside, his eyes filled with solemnity.

The commotion of his Breakthrough, coupled with the eruption of the Void Dao Seed and the guixu sword, must have already attracted the attention of the terrifying existence that created this "dark curtain"!

Moreover, he could feel that deep within the dark curtain, the chaotic and evil will seemed to have locked onto this direction, and something was approaching rapidly!

"This place is no longer safe, we must leave immediately!" Lin Wan made a prompt decision and stood up.

Although his aura had just broken through and was still somewhat unstable, there was a profound and unfathomable charm in the circulation of that Chaos gray Dan Qi.

He waved his hand to put away the guixu sword, took a step, and arrived at the cave entrance.

"Elder Lin! You have broken through?" Feng Yushu was both surprised and happy to see Lin Wan come out, but was immediately overwhelmed by greater fear, pointing outside, "Outside... what on earth is going on?"

"It is a mutation in the Secret Realm, perhaps an evil object has been born. This place has become a place of trouble; pack up immediately and leave with me!" Lin Wan's tone was urgent and unquestionable.

How could the group dare to delay? They hurriedly packed up the Formations and items.

Just as the group was preparing to set off—

"Boom—!!!"

The dark curtain above the valley suddenly split open with a huge gap!

A terrifying giant claw, covered in pitch-black scales and possessing seven fingers, each wrapped in dark red thunder and pale white flames, like a pillar supporting the sky, with an aura of destroying everything, reached out from the crack and fiercely grabbed towards Cloud Mist Valley!

Before the giant claw arrived, the terrifying pressure and chaotic spatial turbulence had already torn the clouds and mist above the valley to shreds; the mountain groaned under the unbearable weight, and countless huge rocks rolled down.

The target was clearly pointing directly at the cave where Lin Wan was! No, it was pointing directly at Lin Wan himself! Or rather, it was the "Void Dao Seed" between his eyebrows!

Nascent Soul level! And definitely not an ordinary Nascent Soul! It was that kind of chaotic, evil, terrifying existence that seemed to contradict the rules of this Secret Realm itself!

"Go!" Lin Wan's pupils shrank, he shouted sharply, and without hesitation, he grabbed the nearest Feng Yushu and another clan Elder, while the Chaos gray Dan Qi in his body surged wildly, the Void Dao Seed between his eyebrows flashed with silver light, and a pure spatial power wrapped around himself and the two people beside him.

"Void—Shift!"

This was a life-saving Divine Ability he had comprehended after initially mastering the Void Dao Seed. It allowed for short-distance travel through the Void Realm, but the consumption was immense, and under the chaotic spatial conditions here, the risk was extremely high. However, at this moment, he could not afford to worry about such things.

"Hum!" The space distorted slightly, and the figures of the three instantly vanished from where they stood.

Almost simultaneously, that terrifying, pitch-black giant claw slammed viciously onto the mountain peak where the cave was located!

"Rumble—!!!" The earth shook and the mountains swayed, a deafening roar shook the heavens!

The entire mountain peak, hundreds of zhang high, along with the cave inside it, collapsed, shattered, and turned into dust under that giant claw, just like a sandcastle! Violent energy and spatial turbulence swept outward, razing everything within a few miles to the ground and forming a massive, bottomless, charred crater!

Dust and smoke filled the air, and broken stones fell like rain.

Although the other seven Feng Family Disciples had been ordered by Lin Wan to scatter and flee before the giant claw descended, they were still struck by the terrifying aftermath. They all spat blood and were sent flying like broken kites, their fates unknown.

Lin Wan, carrying Feng Yushu and that clansman elder, staggered and appeared in a mountain forest a thousand zhang away. As soon as he appeared, Lin Wan let out a muffled groan, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, his face even paler. Forcibly executing a Void Realm shift in a chaotic spatial zone while carrying two people placed a massive burden on him, causing his recently broken through and not yet stabilized Realm to fluctuate faintly.

But he could not afford to regulate his breathing; he looked up. He saw that the pitch-black giant claw, having missed its strike, seemed even more furious. The giant claw retracted into the fissure, and immediately, the dark fissure expanded violently. A massive, hideous head with three blood-colored vertical pupils, covered in twisted tumors and bone spurs, slowly emerged from the fissure. Its cold, mad, and greedy gaze locked tightly onto Lin Wan—or more accurately, onto the silver light at the center of his brow.

"Void... Dao Seed... is mine..." A vague, hoarse, and eerie intent, sounding like countless voices overlapping, echoed directly within Lin Wan's Divine Soul, filled with endless desire and violence.

"It's a Void Demon Spirit! A monster spawned by the chaotic rules of the Secret Realm! It has targeted Elder Lin!" Feng Yushu's face was deathly pale, his voice trembling. He had once seen similar records in ancient books: some ancient Secret Realms, due to various reasons, had damaged rules that would spawn such terrifying demonic monsters whose instincts were Chaos and destruction. They were powerful and extremely difficult to kill.

"You go first, rendezvous with the other clansmen, and find a place to hide. I will lure it away." Lin Wan took a deep breath and pushed Feng Yushu and the clansman elder away. Silver-gray light swirled in his eyes, Chaotic gray Dantian energy surged within his body, and the guixu sword was already in his hand.

He knew that this Void Demon Spirit was coming for him, or rather, for the "Void Dao Seed" at the center of his brow. If he didn't deal with it or lure it away, everyone would die.

"Elder Lin! You can't! You..." Feng Yushu said anxiously.

"Go!" Lin Wan barked, cutting him off. Without further ado, his figure transformed into a gray sword light. Instead of fleeing, he actively charged toward the Void Demon Spirit's head that was emerging from the fissure!

Simultaneously, he poured all his power into the Void Dao Seed at the center of his brow. Silver light erupted, and he unreservedly released the pure, supreme aura of the space Origin, like a beacon in the dark night.

"Roar—!" The Void Demon Spirit was indeed thoroughly enraged (or rather, attracted). Terrifying red light erupted from its three blood-colored vertical pupils, and its hideous head violently emerged completely from the fissure. Following it were its neck and shoulders, covered in thick bone armor and covered in barbs... It was actually going to crawl completely out of that fissure! Its aura, with the manifestation of its body, surged crazily, shockingly reaching the Mid-stage Nascent Soul, or even higher!

The terrifying pressure, like a hundred thousand mountains, bore down on Lin Wan. Lin Wan showed no fear, only cold Battle Intent in his eyes. Having just broken through, his strength greatly increased, and having obtained the Void Dao Seed, he needed a whetstone to test himself and familiarize himself with this brand-new power. This Void Demon Spirit, although terrifying, was chaotic and mindless—it was perfect!

"Five Elements Returning to Ruins, with the Void Realm as support—Sword Domain, open!" Following his low shout, with him as the center, the space within a hundred zhang suddenly became viscous, heavy, and distorted! The phantom images of the Five Elements—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—rotated and were born and destroyed, yet they quickly returned to a chaotic gray. Furthermore, fine silver spatial cracks appeared and disappeared within this gray Domain, cutting through everything. This was exactly his new "Five Elements Returning to Ruins Sword Domain," in which he had initially fused his Return-to-Ruins Sword Intent with the power of the Void Realm!

Although the range was not large, it was extremely unstable, and the consumption was terrifying, but within this Sword Domain, his control over the Five Elements and space had reached a brand-new height. The terrifying Spiritual Pressure crushing down from the Void Demon Spirit, upon entering the range of the Sword Domain, was forcibly weakened and decomposed by thirty percent!

"Ant... you dare... to resist... the Dao Seed... belongs to me!" The Void Demon Spirit let out a chaotic roar, and its massive head swung violently. A terrifying long tongue covered in bone spurs and wreathed in dark red thunder, like a blood-colored lightning bolt tearing the heavens and earth, stabbed viciously toward Lin Wan at a speed that exceeded vision! Wherever the long tongue passed, the space emitted a harsh wail, leaving behind trails of charred marks.

"Well come!" A sharp light flashed in Lin Wan's eyes. He did not dodge or avoid it. The guixu sword in his hand traced an arcane trajectory. On the gray sword body, Five Elements brilliance and silver spatial power intertwined, and he slashed out a sword strike to meet that blood-colored long tongue!

"Returning to Ruins—Severing the Void!"

"Shhh—!" There was no earth-shattering collision, only a soft sound like fabric being torn.

That blood-colored long tongue, with its terrifying momentum capable of piercing mountains, the moment it touched the gray sword light, was like a hot knife cutting through butter—it was split in two from the middle! At the cut, there was no blood spraying; there was only the gray Returning to Ruins power and the silver spatial power intertwining and wrapping around it, crazily eroding and annihilating the long tongue's life force and chaotic energy, preventing its regeneration.

"Roar—!!!" The Void Demon Spirit let out a roar of extreme pain and fury; the pain of its severed tongue seemed to have completely ignited its ferocity. Its massive body struggled and crawled another segment out of that fissure. A giant claw covered in thick bone armor and possessing seven fingers slammed down viciously once more! This time, on the giant claw, dark red thunder and pale white flames intertwined, transforming into a torrent of energy capable of destroying the heavens and the earth, intending to crush Lin Wan along with his Sword Domain!

Facing this even more terrifying strike, Lin Wan's expression was extremely grave. He could feel that the power of this strike had faintly exceeded the limit that his Sword Domain could currently withstand. Meeting it head-on would surely result in serious injury. However, a cold arc curled at the corner of his mouth.

"The Void Dao Seed... is not just for this."

With a thought, the silver light at the center of his brow erupted! The vast and pure spatial Origin power within the Void Dao Seed was forcibly channeled by him, not to bolster himself, but to... inject into the earth beneath his feet, injecting into the chaotic space all around!

"With the Dao Seed as the guide, and Chaos as the fuel—Void Realm—Displacement!"

Following his Dao shout, the space within a hundred zhang suddenly underwent an eerie change. The descending giant claw and the heaven-destroying torrent of energy, the moment they touched a certain invisible boundary, seemed to crash into a distorted mirror, causing the attack's trajectory and landing point to deflect and become chaotic in a bizarre way! The giant claw slammed into the open ground ten zhang to Lin Wan's left, blasting a huge crater into the earth, while the energy torrent swept across a distant mountain peak, cutting it in half at the waist.

And Lin Wan's figure, under that eerie spatial displacement, appeared thirty zhang to the right of his original position, completely unharmed. The Void Demon Spirit's sure-kill strike had completely missed!

This was the application of the Law of space after initially mastering the Void Dao Seed! Although it was unfamiliar and the consumption was huge, the effect was astonishing.

"Roar?! Space... control... Dao Seed... must obtain!" The Void Demon Spirit was even more insane, its three vertical pupils dripping with blood-red. Its massive body struggled, crawling another part out of the fissure, and its entire upper body was almost out! Its aura was now infinitely close to the Late Stage Nascent Soul! The terrifying demonic pressure made all living things within hundreds of miles shiver and crawl on the ground.

Lin Wan's face was slightly pale; that "Void Displacement" just now had consumed quite a bit of his Divine Soul and the Dao Seed. He glanced at the growing dark fissure and the Void Demon Spirit that was about to fully crawl out, knowing he could not continue to entangle with it. This Void Demon Spirit's strength far exceeded his expectations, and it seemed to be able to use the chaotic rules of this Secret Realm to continuously become stronger. Once it descended completely, even with the Void Dao Seed, he would definitely not be a match for it.

Moreover, he sensed that in the distant sky, several auras of varying strengths, but all not weak, were being attracted by the heaven-shaking commotion here and were rushing over rapidly. Among them, there seemed to be the auras of major regional forces like the Qingyun Sect, Skyfire Sect, and Vajra Temple, as well as several obscure, cold, and malicious strange auras. He could not stay any longer.

"Demon, I will play with you until here today. The Dao Seed is here; if you have the ability, come to the Guixu Sea to take it!" Lin Wan let out a long shout, his voice, bolstered by Spiritual Qi, spreading across the four wildernesses. He said this not only for the Void Demon Spirit but also for the various forces that were rushing over. He wanted to muddy the waters and divert the disaster elsewhere.

Before his words had faded, he once again fully activated the Void Dao Seed, while simultaneously injecting the sliver of Dantian energy he had just recovered into the guixu sword without reservation.

"Returning to Ruins—Void Escape!" The gray sword light surged, wrapping around his entire body.

With a flash of sword light, he actually ignored the Void Demon Spirit's terrifying Spiritual Pressure and chaotic spatial blockade, like a fish entering water, instantly submerging into a subtle spatial ripple nearby and vanishing. The next moment, he appeared in the sky above another mountain forest a hundred miles away, flashed again, and disappeared once more. After several consecutive flashes, Lin Wan's figure had already vanished into the vast sky, and his aura quickly hid and moved away.

"Roar—!!! Dao Seed... don't run!!!" The Void Demon Spirit let out a heaven-shaking, furious roar, its massive body struggling crazily, wanting to crawl completely out of the fissure to pursue Lin Wan. But it seemed to be subject to some kind of Restriction, or perhaps due to the instability of the fissure itself, the more it struggled, the more the fissure began to slowly shrink and close, trapping it inside, unable to advance or retreat, and it could only let out unwilling roars.

In the distance, those several escape lights attracted here had also arrived one after another, hovering high in the sky, looking with suspicion and uncertainty at the dark fissure that was slowly shrinking and the terrifying Void Demon Spirit struggling and roaring within it, and then looking toward the direction where Lin Wan had disappeared, their expressions changing as they each wondered what they were thinking.

Among them, on the cloud boat of the Qingyun Sect, Han Lingtian held a heavy sword, standing at the bow, looking toward the direction where Lin Wan had disappeared, his cold face frowning slightly. The aura of the Cultivator who had just escaped, although strange and carrying a strong Void Realm attribute, when he finally executed the sword escape, that fleeting and extremely obscure Sword Intent made him feel a sense of inexplicable familiarity.

"Senior Brother Han, that person just now..." Xu Feng came to his side, asking in a low voice, his eyes also filled with shock and suspicion.

"I don't know. But what this person has done is no small matter. To be able to incite such a demonic monster, and also possess a supreme treasure suspected to be the 'Void Dao Seed'..." Han Lingtian said in a deep voice, "The changes in the Secret Realm, I fear, begin here. Pass the order down: all Disciples are to conceal their tracks and observe the changes quietly. Additionally, immediately transmit the news here back to the Sect using secret techniques."

"Yes!"

The same order was also issued among the teams of the Skyfire Sect, Vajra Temple, Ice Soul Palace, and other forces. Everyone realized that this Tianhai Secret Realm, because of the appearance of the mysterious Cultivator and the Void Demon Spirit just now, had already become treacherous and filled with crisis, but also... hidden with Opportunity.

An undercurrent and storm revolving around the "Void Dao Seed," the changes in the Secret Realm, and that mysterious Cultivator had already quietly arisen within this Tianhai Secret Realm.

And the center of this storm—Lin Wan—was now thousands of miles away, having found a hidden underwater fissure, set up layers of Restrictions, and entered deep regulation and consolidation once again.

He needed time to thoroughly stabilize his Mid-stage Golden Core Realm, digest the insights from the battle with the Void Demon Spirit, and carefully study the "Void Dao Seed" at the center of his brow, as well as... plan the path to the mysterious and dangerous Guixu Sea to search for the Five Elements Hall. Winds and clouds gathered, dragons and snakes rose from the land. His overseas immortal fate, his path of Five Elements Returning to Ruins, in this treacherous Tianhai Secret Realm, had only just begun the main act.