Under the guidance of the major sects, the cultivators of Lingyun Continent had not fallen into chaos. No one abandoned their homeland. United in spirit, they stood together to repel the invaders. This had become the shared belief of all cultivators.
While the Daoist sects and the beast clans were scrambling to respond, the demon cultivators of the demonic path had gone unusually quiet, focusing instead on raising their cultivation. The cultivators who returned from the battlefield brought with them vivid accounts of what had happened.
Everyone understood one thing: the insect race would not be defeated by just one battle. In the end, victory would depend on whose fist struck harder.
Chengli Secret Realm
Cao Chenfeng had already cultivated his sword qi to perfection. He had been deliberately suppressing his breakthrough, all for this moment — to enter the Chengli Secret Realm.
That mysterious Mo Yue from the Heavenly Demon Palace had been haunting his thoughts. There was something familiar about them, yet every time he tried to grasp the fleeting impression, it slipped away before he could catch it.
To get closer to the secret realm, Cao Chenfeng accepted a delivery errand from his sect, tasked with transporting a batch of newly forged spirit swords to a city near the realm's entrance.
It just so happened that the daughter of the City Lord of Tiannan was in the middle of choosing a Dao companion.
Coincidentally — or perhaps unfortunately — she encountered Cao Chenfeng outside the Sword Pavilion and fell for him at first sight. Her eyes clung to him like vines to a tree, unwilling to let go.
Cao Chenfeng frowned deeply. Was he cursed with romantic misfortune? He quickly shot a look to the Sword Pavilion attendant, a silent plea to help him out.
The attendant understood immediately. He discreetly hinted to the City Lord's daughter's attendant that he had exclusive information on the gentleman she was interested in, managing to delay them for the moment.
Cao Chenfeng took the chance to flee Tiannan City at top speed, making his way toward the sprawling canyon just outside — Yuntian Yise Grand Canyon.
Meanwhile, the lady's attendant stood with hands on hips, glaring at the Sword Pavilion staff.
"Didn't you say you had information about that Daoist? Out with it!"
Lü Bi didn't hesitate. He rubbed his fingers together, making it clear the information wasn't free.
With a sigh, the attendant tossed over a low-grade spirit stone. Lü Bi snatched it up and stored it without complaint.
"That man is a cultivator from the Heavenly Sword Sect."
"We could've guessed that ourselves. Tell us something we don't know."
"Don't rush, Daoyou. He's from the outer sect, name's Cao Chenfeng. Peak Nascent Soul stage, looking for a breakthrough opportunity."
"And?"
"And your lady isn't the only one with eyes on him."
"What? Who else dares fight for him?"
Lü Bi didn't even blink. Clearly used to such arrogance, he replied calmly, striking straight at the heart.
"Mo Yue Zhūnzhǔ from the Heavenly Demon Palace."
That shut the other man up instantly. The name Mo Yue had only recently risen to fame, and though the Honored Lord had since gone missing, their reputation was already daunting.
Just as the attendant opened his mouth to reply, Lü Bi cut him off.
"Missing doesn't mean dead. Better let your lady think this through carefully. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Unable to respond, the attendant rushed off to report to his mistress.
If Cao Chenfeng ever found out that one blossoming peach flower had scared off another... who knows what expression he'd make.
Cao Chenfeng, now in Yuntian Yise Canyon, began by hunting a few fourth-rank spirit beasts, tempering his sword. Just as he prepared to go deeper, a loud rumble echoed from the canyon floor.
An enormous gate of orange-colored glass rose from the depths, brilliant light streaming into the sky, visible from thousands of miles away.
In an instant, cultivators from all directions began converging on the location.
Du Yanran was among them. Gritting her teeth, she picked up her pace. The Chengli Secret Realm wasn't supposed to open for another ten years — why had it activated early?
She had left behind Fan Ji'an in secret for this exact opportunity, but now that the realm had opened ahead of schedule, she had to act fast.
What made things worse was the uneasy feeling that she was being followed. She'd changed direction multiple times, yet couldn't seem to shake her pursuers.
Two cultivators from the Hua clan revealed themselves — the new generation of twin lotuses, Hua Xi and Hua Lei.
Both had reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. Hua Xi, her face elegant and cold, glanced toward the fleeing Du Yanran and sneered.
"Hmph. She's marked with our Hua clan's 'Floral Seal'. Even if she flies to the heavens or burrows underground, we'll still find her. Does she really think she can shake us?"
Hua Lei responded with casual calm.
"No need for the seal now. That pillar of light is visible to any cultivator with eyes. We know exactly where she's headed."
He gave Hua Xi a look, gesturing toward the brilliant rays lighting up the sky.
"Little Sister, what do you think Du Yanran is hiding? Our master gave us the secret realm's coordinates, and yet this woman also knew when and where it would appear. Good thing we've been tracking her."
Hua Lei continued moving while calmly sharing more of what he'd learned.
"My Thunder Vine managed to squeeze some words from Hong Hua. Apparently, Du Yanran offended a very powerful female cultivator. That woman had the ability to kill her, but didn't. Instead, she instructed our Hua clan to monitor Du Yanran, make sure she gained nothing, and never had the chance to rise again."
"Ugh, Hong Hua is so stingy. My Purple Butterfly tried asking her, but she said nothing. Seems your Thunder Vine is her favorite."
"That's what you get for making fun of her ruined petals. Did you really think she'd tell you anything after that?"
"Okay, okay, I get it. No more teasing. So this is the entrance to the Chengli Secret Realm? Looks like Du Yanran's planning to go in. Should we?"
Hua Xi sent a message back to their clan while speaking.
"Of course we go in. For the past twenty years, we've snatched plenty of resources from Du Yanran's hands. If we let her walk away with something this time, it'd be a disgrace to our patrons."
"Alright. Let's go!"
And so, Du Yanran followed right behind Cao Chenfeng into the Chengli Secret Realm, unknowingly dragging two tails behind her.
Cao Chenfeng was transported to a swamp.
Before he even landed, a crocodile beast lunged up from the muck, jaws wide open with cold, gleaming teeth, trying to swallow him whole.
Unfazed, Cao Chenfeng summoned his life-bound sword midair. A slash of sword qi cleaved through the beast's skull, lopping off half its head.
The corpse hit the swamp water with a splash. The disturbance stirred the others — crocodile beasts rose from the muck and began feasting on their fallen kin.
Using the momentum from his sword qi, Cao Chenfeng propelled himself deeper into the swamp, toward a cluster of rare flowers known as "Crocodile's Tears."
These flowers were symbiotic with the crocodile beasts. They could neutralize all poisons and were a primary ingredient in detoxification pills.
Naturally, the beasts guarded them closely. To them, the flowers were like salad — good for digestion.
Right where Cao Chenfeng landed stood a fourth-rank crocodile beast. It stared at him with dead, glassy eyes full of hostility.
Meanwhile, Du Yanran was lucky. She landed in a grove of high-grade spirit trees bearing rare fruits. Delighted, she carefully gathered fruit and even transplanted two of each tree into the space inside her jade pendant.
Hua Lei had landed nearby. As soon as he sensed Du Yanran's aura, he moved toward her position.
Hua Xi, however, was sent to the swamp's edge. Sensing the intense sword qi within, he raised his sword and prepared to join the fray.
Thus, the entanglement of four fates within the secret realm began.
Cao Chenfeng, with the Chenfeng Sword in hand, calmly sparred with the fourth-rank crocodile beast, using it to hone his sword intent.
Elsewhere, Hua Lei bumped into Du Yanran as she emerged from the fruit grove. Pretending it was a coincidence, the two naturally teamed up to explore the secret realm together.
It took Cao Chenfeng a full day to grind down the beast. When it finally fell, he harvested its skin, flesh, and core, and gathered the Crocodile's Tears.
At that moment, a voice called out behind him.
"Daoyou, I held off the crocodile beasts outside for you. Don't you think you owe me something in return?"