When I woke up, the entire cultivation world was talking about my master.

He Jingxuan gasped, his scalp tingling with coolness at this simple and direct answer. "Your godfather is still your godfather. Breaking through barriers and paving the way, let's get to work!"

Unexpectedly, Chu Xianlan suddenly said, "It cannot be broken."

Several pairs of puzzled eyes turned towards them.

Forcibly breaking through the secret realm is essentially using force to create a crack in the Myriad Swords Immortal Realm. With Yi Chen's cultivation at the Nascent Soul stage, he could indeed accomplish this.

"Breaking through the secret realm will allow us to leave, but at the same time, the red mist that shrouds the entire realm will spread and leak into the outside world. At that time..."

The meaning couldn't be clearer.

The Myriad Swords Immortal Realm is like a protective shield, trapping all the pollution within. Once the shield breaks, the consequences are unimaginable.

During the Tianyuan Gathering, the imperial city is already filled with a considerable number of cultivators from all walks of life. If all humans and demons become tainted with malevolence, it will only make the situation worse.

That would be a disaster for the entire Cloud Sky City, and even the Southern Cang Continent.

"Yes, our Heavenly Sword Sect disciples are outside too. My father and the others are just sitting there in the square, looking completely lost." He Jingxuan realized this only then, his expression slightly embarrassed. "Brother Chu, you've thought this through very well."

Chu Xianlan was actually somewhat surprised.

I never expected that my master would choose the path of breaking through the secret realm.

However, his way of thinking is exactly the same as Yi Chen's. He must have considered the points that his master had weighed many times.

As expected, Yi Chen replied, "That's right, the red mist must not leak out."

He added, "But with the water mirror shattered, the outside world has realized that the secret realm has changed. The various sects will not sit idly by and should be discussing how to break in and rescue us."

He Jingxuan raised an eyebrow. "Then why don't we wait to be rescued?"

Bai Xiaotu murmured softly, "But my people don't know anything about malevolent energy... If they come in, they'll all become like Zong Lan, losing their minds..."

After all, those inside know the truth. Those outside know nothing.

"Furthermore," Yi Chen said calmly, "seven days from now, whether you like it or not, the exit of the secret realm will open by itself."

"That would be even worse! At that time, all sorts of ferocious beasts and other things would rush out at once!" He Jingxuan's expression changed. That kind of situation would be truly hopeless.

"The exit I created can be sealed off with magic in time," Yi Chen said simply.

"Will we be affected if we enter the red mist?" Bai Xiaotu asked in a low voice. "If that's the case, we'll have to get out of the cave first, right?"

Yi Chen had also considered this aspect.

The crimson mist is not invincible; it can be blocked by spiritual energy barriers, as evidenced by the space they are currently in. Therefore, it seems that Zong Lan was accidentally tainted by malevolent energy while completely unprepared, which is why she became like that.

But he was too lazy to explain too much to Bai Xiaotu, and simply said, "There's no need to worry about this."

A calm voice seems to have a natural calming and reassuring effect, making it easy to handle any tricky situation.

Because his godfather had arranged everything so clearly, He Jingxuan was no longer flustered. He slapped his thigh loudly, exclaiming, "Godfather's move is absolutely domineering!"

It's so awesome to be carried by a pro!

Having said that, the group had all made up their minds.

The thought even popped into my head involuntarily: with a powerful figure like Immortal Lord Jixue in the cultivation world, there's nothing to worry about.

Chu Xianlan nodded, her eyes lighting up involuntarily. "Master, I understand. You think we should first find a way to leave the secret realm, inform the outside world of its true state, and then wait for the various sects to discuss and devise a countermeasure before we can prepare to quell this calamity—is that right?"

Alas, he's still too inexperienced; he's not as thoughtful as his master.

Yi Chen glanced at him, paused slightly, but did not speak.

In fact, Chu Xianlan's view of Yi Chen has always been somewhat flawed, but he was unaware of it.

Yi Chen is not a saint, nor is he as completely concerned about the common people and as he thinks he is, putting morality first in everything.

He had ulterior motives.

If Yi Chen had not entered the secret realm with Chu Xianlan at this moment, but instead learned from the outside world through the water mirror that the other party was in dire straits, he would have chosen to rush in without hesitation, no matter what the situation was.

The reason for choosing to forcefully break through the secret realm now is simply because this is the safest and most secure option for Chu Xianlan.

The more detached a person's mind is, the fewer things they care about.

Of these few crucial matters, protecting the disciple's safety always takes precedence over other trivialities.

It has nothing to do with romance, nor does it require weighing.

-

Outside the secret realm, the various sects were arguing fiercely over the changes that had occurred there.

However, at this crucial moment, the crown prince was nowhere to be found.

Ji Ran has yet to appear, leaving no one to take charge of the situation.

The human race's procrastination in handling the emergency successfully provoked the dissatisfaction of the demon race.

The demon race values ​​bloodlines, and the one trapped in the secret realm is their chosen young master, the successor of the race, and the elite who will support the foundation of the Northern Underworld in the future.

They are all exceptionally talented; which one of them wouldn't be a key right-hand man that the Demon King will rely on in the future?

"Is there no one left in your Southern Cang royal family?!" The lynx tribe was the first to erupt in anger.

The envoy from the Azure Phoenix Clan also gave a disdainful smile.

"Ridiculous. When something goes wrong, they hide and make excuses. I thought humans had some extraordinary sense of responsibility."

The humans were quite annoyed and rolled their eyes inwardly.

Criticize the royal family if you want, but why indiscriminately shoot at all humans!

Weren't you all clamoring to enter the Myriad Swords Immortal Realm? Now you're making a scene here. Why didn't you take care of yourselves back then?

Sect Master He of the Heavenly Sword Sect had a fiery temper. The trouble in the secret realm was already annoying enough, but the demon race kept nagging and arguing, always ready to start a debate.

Before he could even utter a word, a cool, clear female voice rang out beside him:

"What's the use of being in a hurry?"

The Immortal Maiden Shuyu of the Xuan Yang Sect said slowly and deliberately, "Do you all think that your carefully cultivated successors are so vulnerable without the protection of their elders that they can't even last a few hours?"

She smiled faintly and looked at the demon race's seats, "If that's really the case, then we should indeed be in a hurry."

Bao Yue silently gave a thumbs up, acknowledging the devastating effect of her sect leader's sarcasm.

But at the same time, she was also very worried.

Senior Sister...sigh, nothing else matters, just be safe and sound. Please don't push yourself too hard.

Ming Si, having watched the scene unfold for a while, suddenly moved closer to the Ten Thousand Swords Monument, tilted his head at the crowd, and asked, "What do you think will happen if I take this key?"

Upon hearing this, all factions on the high platform fell silent instantly, for no one knew what was about to happen.

The key is the key to unlocking the secret realm. What would happen if you took it halfway through? I don't know, I've never tried it, and no one has ever dared to try it.

Sect Leader He twitched his lips, thinking to himself, "This demon king is just causing trouble."

One of the royal elders immediately said, "This is inappropriate."

"What's wrong with it?"

"What if... what if someone takes the key and causes the secret realm to close completely? Will the people inside never be able to get out again?"

"Speaking of which, the Water Mirror shattered after Xiao Huandu of the Taiyi Sect drew his sword, right? Could it be that he did something that caused the accident in the secret realm..."

Pei Fang'an grabbed Wei Jin, who was about to rush out and beat someone up, and said, "Calm down, Jin!"

Just as the various parties were arguing, suddenly, an overwhelming chill swept in.

A powerful spiritual current ripped out from mid-air, causing the sky above the plaza to twist violently with a series of cracking sounds. Then, icy sword energy raged like a storm, cleaving a crack in the sky.

That was a scene no one could have predicted; a storm swept up from the ground, so fierce that people couldn't open their eyes.

Even with their eyes closed, everyone knew whose sword it was.

An unmoored boat, a celestial being descended from the mortal realm.

------

(TVT Babies, I've been rushing home for Chinese New Year today, so I wrote another chapter a bit hastily. I'll revise it and post it together tomorrow night! Master's identity is about to be revealed!)