The opening of the Blood Prison Mystic Realm.
It takes several Water Overflow Realm experts working together to make it happen.
Dean Ru of the Confucian Faction shot into the sky.
Together with the other Water Overflow Realm powerhouses, they unleashed their strength, and in that instant, the whole world was stained with blood-red light!
Ahead, that seemingly endless crack in space revealed a vast expanse of blood-colored land!
And at the end of that bloody earth, faintly, something like massive prisons seemed to press down from above!
Within each of those colossal prisons sat a skeleton.
From countless skeletons, terrifying auras erupted—just from a partially opened realm, and everyone could already feel the oppressive power!
Floating in the sky, Dean Ru explained, "Only those at Purple Mansion Realm or below may enter the secret realm. If your cultivation surpasses Purple Mansion, the pressure within the realm will attack you."
"Next, you may enter. However, one month from now you must come out, or the secret realm will close, and you'll be trapped inside."
"And if you do get shut in, you'll have to wait another year before it opens again. Of course, I doubt you'd survive that long."
"Alright, you can go in now."
Instantly, countless disciples rushed inside.
The Sixth Prince of the Tianyuan Dynasty, Tian Ming, shot Ye Qiubai a meaningful look and said, "Good luck, Netherworld King…"
People from the Sunset Dynasty also gave Ye Qiubai a deep look before entering.
Chou Libei of the Chou Family led his people in as well, but before entering, he shot Ye Qiubai a look brimming with undisguised killing intent!
Hong Ying, standing beside Ye Qiubai, couldn't help but laugh, "Senior Brother, looks like you've made quite a few enemies."
Ye Qiubai just shrugged helplessly. "What can I do? I never go looking for trouble, they're the ones who keep coming at me."
Hong Ying nodded. "If nobody's jealous of you, you're mediocre. But if they start something, just cut them down. Simple as that."
This junior sister really is ruthless and decisive.
Ye Qiubai agreed, smiling and nodding. "Alright, let's go in too. At least we should bring back some opportunities to give Master something to brag about."
Hearing this—
Hong Ying thought of their Master's 'dead pig unafraid of boiling water' attitude and couldn't help twitching her lips, sighing, "Our Master probably doesn't care about these things."
Ye Qiubai couldn't help but be amused either.
"True enough."
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Lu Chang'sheng was relaxing on a lounge chair, sunbathing.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, gaze turning toward the east.
That was the direction of the Blood Prison Mystic Realm.
"Hmm? Why do I have a sense of dread?"
But this feeling—wasn't about himself.
It was about someone close to him!
Lu Chang'sheng might not realize it, but with his current strength, he could often sense crises in advance.
Inside the Blood Prison Mystic Realm, Ye Qiubai and Hong Ying were both in there now.
Those two—were the only disciples connected to him here.
Could they be in danger?
Lu Chang'sheng wasn't some cold, heartless man.
They were, after all, his disciples.
And they could cook…
With that in mind, Lu Chang'sheng vanished from where he lay.
Within the mystic realm—
Hong Ying asked Ye Qiubai, "You really don't need my help? Your opponent's strength might be a big problem for you."
Ye Qiubai shook his head. "No worries, Junior Sister. Don't you have your own things to do? Go. Besides, I want to handle this myself."
Seeing that hint of determination in Ye Qiubai's eyes, Hong Ying didn't try to persuade him further.
She tossed him a jade pendant engraved with a phoenix spread its wings.
Ye Qiubai caught it, and heard Hong Ying say, "If you're in danger, crush the jade pendant. A defensive array will deploy, strong enough to block even a blow from those Four Regions Ranking monsters."
Ye Qiubai froze.
The Ranking Of The Four Regions? That's like the dean of Hidden Dao Academy, or the ruler of the Sunset Dynasty unleashing their full strength in a single blow!
Ye Qiubai didn't refuse this time. He nodded slightly.
Seeing that, Hong Ying called, "Take care, Senior Brother," and then flew into the distance.
Ye Qiubai took a deep breath.
He looked around.
Wasteland, everywhere.
The earth beneath his feet was soaked crimson.
It was as if seas of blood had drenched it completely.
The stench of blood was overpowering, so strong that Ye Qiubai's nose stung.
This place was clearly more than just a prison.
It was a battlefield as well!
Ye Qiubai wandered aimlessly across the blood-colored land.
Suddenly, he felt dark sword qi surge from his body out of nowhere!
Ye Qiubai paused in surprise.
This was the unique sword qi of the Nine Heavenly Demon Sword technique!
The black sword qi stretched out, pointing in a certain direction.
It was almost beckoning Ye Qiubai to follow it!
Could it be that something inside was calling him, linked to the Nine Heavenly Demon Sword?
Thinking of this, Ye Qiubai started walking in the direction the sword qi pointed.
The calling of the black sword qi inside him grew stronger and stronger.
Meanwhile, the bloody color of the earth began to fade.
In its place came darkness.
The ground transitioned, shade by shade, into a pitch-black landscape.
Gradually—
Up ahead loomed a giant black cage, right in Ye Qiubai's path.
This cage seemed to connect with the heavens themselves, impossibly colossal.
Each iron pillar, jet black, shot skyward like an immortal pillar holding up the sky.
At the same time, layer upon layer of golden chains wound around those pillars.
After all these years, the golden chains had not faded—instead, they radiated a terrifying power of sealing force!
Just what kind of monstrous powerhouse would need to be imprisoned here, behind such defenses?
Whoever was imprisoned—their strength must have been unimaginable!
The end of the black sword qi pointed right into the heart of that cage.
Following the sword qi, Ye Qiubai saw a skeleton sitting cross-legged in the very center.
Black energy coiled around those bones.
The energy felt just like sword qi.
It looked weak, but Ye Qiubai could sense—
This black aura was extremely dangerous!
And yet, some part of it seemed strangely familiar and welcoming to Ye Qiubai!
At this point, Ye Qiubai was certain—
This skeleton was definitely connected to the Nine Heavenly Demon Sword.
Ye Qiubai moved closer.
Suddenly, the black energy around the skeleton erupted violently—
Enveloping the skeleton entirely!
Ye Qiubai's eyes narrowed in alarm.
When the black energy faded, the skeleton was gone.
In its place was a man in white robes, long black hair drifting in the wind—a handsome man who seemed to have stepped out from the world's chaos.
One contrast—the sword in the man's hand was entirely black!
The man spoke.
"You? You've cultivated the Nine Heavenly Demon Sword technique?"
Ye Qiubai paused, then cupped his fists. "Junior here has indeed cultivated the Nine Heavenly Demon Sword."
The man nodded. "Then I suppose you count as one of my inheritors. But I do not pass on my legacy to those of fickle heart. You'll have to pass a trial."
"If you fail…well, then you'll stay here forever."
With that, the man lightly pointed forward.
Instantly—Ye Qiubai's world shifted completely.
The cage wound in golden chains vanished.
The man was gone, nowhere to be seen.
The scenery changed!
Before Ye Qiubai, crowds and crowds of people appeared out of nowhere.
These people had no faces, and each wielded a battered old sword.
Like a black thundercloud, they surged toward Ye Qiubai!
"There's only one test: slay every last one of them."