If I stay in the Hehuan Sect, I'll live off the pampered daughters of the Heavenly Pride Sect.

Apocalypse Secret Realm, Southeast Region, Soul-Fallen Swamp.

The air here is so humid you could wring water out of it, and unknown poisonous insects lurk beneath the layer of rotting leaves.

A brightly colored poisonous toad is perched on a dead tree, its cheeks puffed out, waiting for its prey.

Suddenly, a hand covered in mud silently reached out from the mud puddle next to the dead tree.

Snapped.

The movement was swift, precise, and ruthless; it directly strangled the toad that was trying to resist.

"I'm sorry, Brother Toad."

"My mouth's been so bland these past few days, can I borrow your thigh for a bit?"

The mud churned, and a humanoid creature covered in a specially made mud that blocked divine consciousness crawled out.

It was Mo Chengyue, the "missing person" who had disappeared for more than ten days.

His current appearance is worse than that of a beggar.

To prevent divine sense from probing him, he wrapped himself up like a mud figure, revealing only his pair of piercing eyes.

He skillfully pulled out a specially made knife and processed the ingredients in his hands with fluid movements, his actions as professional as if he had just graduated from New Oriental.

"This is the way of survival..."

As Mo Chengyue sprinkled cumin powder on the toad's legs, he cautiously scanned his surroundings for any movement.

"This isn't a cultivation trial; it's clearly a 100-player parachute jump in PUBG, and it's the kind of hellish difficulty where you land without a gun and everyone's a cheater."

Ever since he narrowly escaped death from the nuclear explosion at the center of the "battlefield," Mo Chengyue has completely embraced the "cowardly" tactic.

He used the magical aura simulation properties of the Yin-Yang Virtue Harmony Classic to bury himself underground as a corpse during the day and only dared to come out at night to forage and travel like a rat.

In this perilous and bloodthirsty secret realm, he managed to live as an invisible, inconspicuous person.

"Ouch—it's so hot!"

Mo Chengyue took a bite of the sizzling, oily toad leg and mumbled something indistinctly.

"I wonder if that crazy woman Lin Miaoyin is still looking for me. She probably doesn't have the time, does she? After all, she's a saintess; she should be busy scheming against other men."

Just thinking about Lin Miaoyin's phoenix eyes that seemed to want to devour people, and the indescribable "close contact" in the pit that day, made Mo Chengyue feel a chill down his neck, and the barbecue in his hand no longer tasted good.

He subconsciously touched his chest.

There were ten layers of high-level "Concealing Breath Talismans" and three layers of "Diamond Body Protection Talismans" pasted there, mainly to give people peace of mind.

"In this godforsaken place, as long as I don't act recklessly, no one will be able to find me. Surviving until the very end is the real victory."

however.

Murphy's Law tells us that when an office worker thinks "this is a sure thing," it's usually when their predictions fall flat and the situation changes drastically.

Om-!

An extremely sharp and icy aura, seemingly capable of freezing one's soul, swept in from the southeast without warning.

This aura carried a desolate killing intent.

Very pure and lonely.

It's like a person with severe social anxiety suddenly pulling out a 40-meter-long sword in the middle of a bustling nightclub dance floor.

Then, with a blank expression, he shouted at everyone, "Don't touch me!"

pat.

The half-toad leg that Mo Chengyue was holding fell to the ground, covered in mud.

The hairs on his body stood on end instantly, as if a ferocious ancient beast had licked the top of his head.

"This damn sense of familiarity..."

Mo Chengyue suddenly turned his head, staring intently into the depths of the swamp, his lips twitching uncontrollably.

"The sword intent of annihilation?"

"The Sword Technique for Forever Alone?"

Within the entire Hehuan Sect, there are very few people who can cultivate such a perverse sword intent that prioritizes the sword over their wives.

That junior brother, Wenren Ji, who usually can't even fart for half a day and clings to his sword more like he's his own father.

"No way, officer?"

Mo Chengyue covered his face in anguish, letting out a wail from the depths of his soul.

"He's only been here a few days, and this kid's already causing trouble?"

Judging from the intensity of that sword intent stirring up the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, this was no ordinary fight.

That is……

Rumble—!!!

Before Mo Chengyue could finish his rant, the previously hazy sky in the distance suddenly looked as if an ink bottle had been overturned.

Dark clouds gathered, and lightning bolts danced wildly.

A massive vortex of spiritual energy was rapidly gathering, and purple lightning churned in the clouds, emitting a deep, drum-like roar.

The spiritual energy within a hundred miles seemed to be under some fatal temptation, rushing madly towards that direction.

"Strange phenomena in nature..."

"Spiritual energy infusion..."

Mo Chengyue gasped, forcing out two words through gritted teeth.

"Forming... a Core?!"

crazy!

This is absolutely insane!

This is the Apocalypse Secret Realm!

It's a battleground where thousands of Foundation Establishment and Core Formation cultivators fight tooth and nail for a few resources!

The surrounding area was filled with desperate criminals who wanted to kill and rob, as well as menacing monsters.

You actually chose to undergo tribulation and form your core here?

What is this like?

This is like being in the final round amidst a hail of bullets, where everyone is lying prone in the grass like a camper.

You suddenly stand up, take out a violin, and begin to play the "Symphony No. 5" with great passion, complete with your own spotlight effect!

That's not called confidence.

That's called having a death wish!

This is like turning on a light in the toilet—you're asking for trouble!

"Are all the people at Qingquan Peak out of their minds?!"

Mo Chengyue angrily stomped out the fire on the ground, cursing and swearing as he turned around without hesitation, preparing to run away.

"I don't know him."

"I'm just a bystander."

"This kind of high-level game is simply not something a small fry like me, who is only in the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, can get involved in."

Such a grand scene would definitely attract all the "wolves" within a hundred miles.

Whether it's rival mountain disciples who want to take advantage of the chaos and stifle geniuses, or secret realm monsters who want to devour those undergoing tribulation.

Even those emotionless law enforcement puppets would pounce on them like sharks smelling blood.

Going over there at this time is like jumping into a meat grinder.

Anyone with a brain knows how to choose.

Mo Chengyue affixed two speed talismans to himself, and with a swift movement, he prepared to make his escape.

however.

I've only run two steps.

His feet seemed to be rooted to the spot, and he couldn't move them no matter what.

Inexplicably, the image of Wenren Ji's small figure, always with his head down, silently shielding him from the knife, surfaced in his mind.

And those eyes, though they look dull, always light up when they see him and he calls out "Senior Brother Mo".

During the sect competition, he fought to the last breath to win glory for Qingquan Peak, refusing to give up.

If that was Wenren Ji breaking through.

Who is protecting him?

"Oh shit."

"I am a ruthless egoist."

"I am a heartless killer."

"I'm the man who will live to the very end in the world of cultivation..."

While frantically brainwashing himself, Mo Chengyue gritted his teeth and changed direction.

"I'll go take a look."

"If it's a certain death situation, I'll run away immediately."

"Yes, we're just going to see what's going on."

"Also, collect my junior brother's body. After all, we're on the same household register. If his body is left to rot in the wilderness, it'll be hard to explain to our master when we get back."

Mo Chengyue found himself an excuse that, while clumsy, was barely convincing.

Then.

He took a deep breath, pulled out a handful of random talismans from his storage ring, and slapped them all over his body like they were free.

Invisibility talisman, concealment talisman, Vajra talisman, Swiftness talisman...

Only after all the skills were integrated into his body did he transform into a faint gray shadow, skimming along the ground as he sped toward the center of the storm.

It was fifty miles away from where Mo Chengyue was located.

In a secluded valley surrounded by countless enormous skeletons.

The air here had been shattered by the extremely sharp sword energy, and even falling leaves would inexplicably break in two in mid-air.

The ground was littered with broken weapons, as well as more than a dozen fresh monster corpses and puppets that had been dismantled into parts.

In the center of the secluded valley.

A frail-looking boy was sitting cross-legged in mid-air, looking pitiful.

He was wearing a faded gray Taoist robe, and his long bangs covered most of his face, making it impossible to see his expression.

However, he was surrounded by countless jet-black sword energies.