C60 Obtaining the Fire Cloud Secret Realm

The Azure Dragon snapped at the void, and Huo Qianyun vanished in an instant.

The very next moment, he found himself in an abyss of impenetrable darkness.

"Azure Dragon Secret Art: Netherworld!"

Crushing pressure bore down on Huo Qianyun from every direction.

He produced a small bell and channeled his spiritual energy into it.

The bell expanded, enveloping Huo Qianyun beneath it.

Yet the pressure didn't relent inside the bell; it intensified.

In a panic, Huo Qianyun exclaimed, "What in the world is this? Not even the Fire Cloud Bell can resist it!"

"Azure Dragon Secret Art: Stripping!"

Azure's voice echoed through the darkness.

The pressure mounted, and Huo Qianyun was horrified to find he couldn't control his own body, not even to blink.

"Azure Dragon Secret Art: Life's End!"

As Huo Qianyun struggled to wrest back control, his worst fear materialized: his life force was rapidly depleting.

Each second drained away vast swaths of his lifespan.

Powerless, Huo Qianyun watched his body succumb to age.

Those few seconds stretched out like millennia.

Once destined to live a millennium, Huo Qianyun now faced mere days.

He was like a flickering candle in the wind, his body surrounded by the specter of death with only days to spare.

Then, control of his body returned.

But before he could catch his breath, the engulfing darkness was pierced by light.

"Azure Dragon Battle Art: Dragon's Breath!"

Azure unleashed a torrent of searing dragon breath upon the newly freed Huo Qianyun.

Facing the onslaught, Huo Qianyun stood resolute, his heart filled with despair as he summoned his spiritual energy for a final act of self-destruction.

His body began to radiate with unchecked spiritual power.

"Master, he's about to self-destruct," Azure cried out, alarmed.

"Clang!"

At the ready, Qin Buyi swiftly drew the Killing Saber.

"Killing Swordsmanship: Slaughter!"

The Killing Saber, buzzing with high-speed vibrations, thrust toward Huo Qianyun's dantian.

"Chi!"

The razor-sharp tip of the Killing Saber punctured Huo Qianyun's dantian, halting his self-destruction mid-process.

Yanking the Killing Saber from Huo Qianyun's dantian, Qin Buyi swung the weapon at Huo Qianyun's throat.

"Chi!"

The saber's edge sliced through Huo Qianyun's neck, his eyes rapidly fading to lifelessness.

With his final breath, he locked eyes with Qin Buyi, mustering his last ounce of strength to protest, "I cannot accept this!"

Qin Buyi withdrew the Killing Saber, regarding the lifeless Huo Qianyun, "The same tactic won't work on me."

Huo Qianyun's death sent shockwaves through the disciples below in the Fire Cloud Secret Realm.

"The Ancestor, he's... he's actually dead."

"Our Ancestor is unbeatable, how could this happen?"

"I must be hallucinating, yes, that's it, I'm seeing things..."

After claiming Huo Qianyun's small bell, Qin Buyi's divine consciousness swept over the body, finding nothing else of value.

Azure alighted beside Qin Buyi, inquiring, "Master, is self-destruction a common preference among those at the Void Refining Stage?"

Qin Buyi shook his head, signaling his uncertainty.

Lan Linglong approached and elaborated on Azure's observation, "Self-destruction is a cultivator's final gambit, unleashing their most formidable attack in hopes of mutual annihilation with their adversary."

Azure, only partially grasping the concept, nodded and perched on Qin Buyi's shoulder, asking, "Master, what shall we do with these people?"

Qin Buyi telepathically instructed Azure, "Keep watch over them for now. Once I have control over this Secret Realm, we'll decide."

With that, Qin Buyi soared toward the heart of the Fire Cloud Secret Realm.

Reaching the realm's nucleus, Qin Buyi extracted the Secret Realm Core.

Suspended in the air, the Secret Realm Core became the focal point for the ceaseless flow of spiritual energy from all corners of the Fire Cloud Secret Realm.

The spiritual energy within the Fire Cloud Secret Realm was steadily diminishing.

An hour later, it had vanished completely. As the energy dissipated, the realm began to quiver. The vibrations grew increasingly violent and rapid.

Many lower-level disciples were knocked off their feet by the fierce shaking, tumbling to the ground.

The disciples endured a day filled with dread of the unknown within the Fire Cloud Secret Realm.

After a full day, the quaking ceased. The Secret Realm Core, which had siphoned all the spiritual energy, now exhaled a continuous stream of rainbow-hued energy.

Simultaneously, Qin Buyi had gained total control over the Fire Cloud Secret Realm, with his Divine Consciousness shrouding the entire domain.

His Divine Consciousness swept over the disciples; the highest among them had reached the Deification Stage, with none at the Void Refining Stage.

With a mere thought, Qin Buyi teleported all the disciples out of the realm. Notably, he claimed none of their possessions. They would need their resources for continued cultivation, and Qin Buyi had no desire to push these moderately skilled disciples to desperation.

Now, only three people and one dragon remained in the secret realm.

The third person was Lang Ye, lying prone on the ground.

Qin Buyi had chosen to leave Lang Ye behind, feeling a peculiar sense of fate between them, as they seemed to encounter each other everywhere.

In his unconscious state, Lang Ye suddenly shivered.

Ding! "Would you like to merge the two Secret Realms within the Small Chiliocosm?"

A panel materialized before Qin Buyi, displaying the Kunlun Secret Realm on the left and the Fire Cloud Secret Realm on the right.

Without merging, Qin Buyi could access both realms at will through the Small Chiliocosm, but managing them separately was inconvenient. After a brief consideration, he decided.

"Merge!"

Ding! "Merging Secret Realms..."

The Fire Cloud Secret Realm shrank from its edges, as if an invisible force was whisking it away.

Qin Buyi extended his Divine Consciousness to cover Azure, Lan Linglong, and the still-grounded Lang Ye. Moments later, the trio and the dragon departed the Fire Cloud Secret Realm, emerging into the world outside.

"Let's head to the Water Moon Secret Realm," Qin Buyi declared.

"Master, allow me to escort you," Azure offered, swimming through the air with his hundreds of feet long dragon body to arrive at Qin Buyi's feet.

Qin Buyi stood atop Azure's head, his gaze shifting between the unconscious Lang Ye and Lan Linglong, who hovered midair. The Dragon Clan was known for their pride, especially the Azure Dragon Clan. No one but Qin Buyi could dare stand on Azure's head without facing immediate and brutal consequences.

Sensing Qin Buyi's hesitation, Azure reassured him, "Master, leave it to me." With that, he extended his massive claws, gently scooping up Lang Ye with the left and Lan Linglong with the right.

Lan Linglong, whose cultivation paled in comparison to Azure's, was caught before she could muster any resistance. Though feeling somewhat stifled, she was also intrigued, never having been this close to a true dragon. Without protesting, her curiosity led her to examine the scales adorning Azure's body.

"Time to depart," Qin Buyi commanded, giving a firm pat to Azure's horn.

"Master, brace yourself, we're off!" Azure exclaimed with a cheerful tone.

Soaring like a rocket, Azure sped towards the Water Moon Secret Realm, his lengthy body stirring up a tempestuous wind in its wake. The sonic booms it generated echoed thunderously around them.

Thanks to his formidable cultivation and the augmentation from the Eight Nine Profound Arts, Qin Buyi felt unbothered atop Azure's head. Lang Ye and Lan Linglong, however, were not so fortunate.

Lan Linglong's cheeks stung as the fierce wind lashed at her, forcing her to envelop herself in a shield of spiritual energy for some relief. The wind clanged against her protective layer, producing a symphony of metallic "ding, dang, dang" sounds. Her spiritual energy was rapidly depleting under the wind's assault, as if she were locked in battle with a peer.

Meanwhile, Lang Ye, previously lost to unconsciousness, was jolted awake by the relentless gales.

Lang Ye, still groggy from his coma, was jolted awake by the ferocious gale battering against his body. At first, he thought he was on solid ground and attempted to stand, only to find nothing but air beneath his feet. Stubbornly, Lang Ye kicked out again, only to be met with more emptiness.

"Eh! Why is there still nothing there?" he exclaimed.

But as Lang Ye opened his mouth to speak, the gale forced its way in.

"Cough, cough!"

He nearly choked on the violent wind, but the coughing fit that followed snapped him fully awake. To his shock, he found himself being whisked through the air, clutched in the grasp of a massive dragon claw. The cold, chaotic wind slapped against his face, leaving him reeling with dizziness.

Lang Ye's cultivation level was already low, and even Lan Linglong had resorted to using spiritual energy to shield herself. How could he possibly withstand this?

The relentless wind battered his body, threatening to tear him apart. Desperate, he concentrated all his spiritual energy in his throat, ensuring he could still speak amidst the tumultuous gale.

With all the strength he could muster, Lang Ye bellowed from thousands of meters in the sky, "Help! Someone is going to die! Put me down!"

"I want to go home—I need to find my mother!"

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