Meanwhile, Murong Yuan knew nothing of the ongoing changes in the secret realm. He stood guard outside alone, looking worn and weary. The vicissitudes of life were etched on his life, reflecting his current state of mind.

Suddenly, he let out a heavy sigh. “If the founder were still alive, would the Yuqing Sect have fallen to such a state?”

As soon as the secret realm had closed, he had informed Wu De and Duan Ren about the Yang family’s affairs. However, the two were nearing the end of their lifespans. Other than breaking through and prolonging their lives, nothing else mattered to them. After all, if they themselves were dead, what use would the Northern Domain or the God-Slaying Formation be?

Furthermore, despite the friction between the Qixia Court and the Meng family over the ancient site, Murong Yuan knew neither would ever support him. A touch of sorrow inevitably arose in his heart.

“The seeds of calamity have been sown. Peaceful days will not last much longer.”

Just as he was sighing and lamenting, a voice filled with great dissatisfaction and anger vaguely reached his ears.

“They brought this on themselves! They deserve it! Why waste a thought on these scoundrels? Let them all die! If only they hadn’t screwed around, the God-Slaying Formation would’ve held strong even after ten thousand years! It’s your fault for being soft-hearted! Just why can’t you bear to see living beings suffer? Look at what state you’re in now! How many days do you have left to live?”

Amid the torrent of curses, a one-chi-tall figure—both majestic and imposing—slowly came into view. Its cinnabar-like comb was crimson as blood, while its sharp-blade-like beak gleamed coldly. Two peerlessly sharp golden claws flexed threateningly, as if made of immortal metal. Extraordinarily splendid, multicolored feathers adorned it, shimmering between reality and illusion in the gentle breeze. Profound depth emanated from its eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through everything in the world,

Murong Yuan was dumbfounded. Wait... Isn’t that a chicken?

His eyes bulged, unblinking, as he tried to convince himself he wasn’t seeing things. It is a chicken! And a big rooster at that! A demonic beast? No! Unless they took human form, demonic beasts can’t speak the human tongue!

Despite having encountered countless demonic beasts in his half a lifetime, he had never even heard of a chicken becoming a spirit!

The rooster strutted straight toward the secret realm, spewing curses the entire way. “Just wait! Don’t let me find out which bastard did this or I’ll definitely finish you off!”

Suffice to say, its majestic and heroic bearing shattered as soon as it opened its mouth.

Murong Yuan was taken aback. This chicken’s somewhat lacking in refinement.

The rooster shot Murong Yuan a glance, extremely displeased. “What are you looking at?! You’ve never seen such a majestic and heroic chicken before?”

Murong Yuan gasped, cold sweat breaking out across his back—not from surprise, but from sheer terror! Just the mere sight of it pressed down on him, and even his soul felt on the verge of shattering.

It soon dawned on him. Even though he was at Half-Step Transcendent realm, he hadn’t detected this chicken’s arrival at all. This was absolutely not normal.

This chicken’s strength is absolutely terrifyingly high! At least Transcendent realm! A Transcendent realm chicken?!

He began to doubt whether the world he existed in was even real.

The big rooster was dissatisfied. “Speak up! I’m talking to you! Where are you from? What are you doing here?”

Murong Yuan subconsciously reported his origins.

The big rooster scratched its head with its flexible, arm-like wing, as if pondering something. “Yuqing Sect? It sounds a bit familiar. Seems like we entrusted the God-Slaying Formation to you guys back then...”

In its presence, Murong Yuan could no longer uphold the imposing aura of a family patriarch or supreme elder. He even became somewhat meek.

“May I ask, who...”

The big rooster was taken aback, scratching its head again. “Me? Hmm... What’s my name again? Seems like... Chongming? Right, my name is Chongming!”

A bolt of lightning flashed through Murong Yuan’s mind. The shock this name brought him far surpassed seeing a Transcendent realm chicken.

He swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly. “W-what?! Are you Senior Chongming?”

Much younger than Wu De and the others, Murong Yuan hadn’t experienced the events of a thousand years ago. However, he had long since learned the detailed account from their mouths.

A thousand years ago, a giant descended upon the world, bringing suffering to mortals. Then, from a forbidden zone emerged a mysterious great expert named Chongming, who bestowed the God-Slaying Formation and saved the Northern Domain. That mighty Chongming was actually a chicken?

Chongming stared at him intently. “I don’t like that name. I prefer others to call me Master Rooster!”

Murong Yuan flushed red. Although the being before him was a senior he had long revered, he really couldn’t bring himself to call him that.

Chongming glared at him. “Pretentious! Let me ask you, did you have anything to do with what happened inside this secret realm?”

Murong Yuan was stunned. “Huh? Did something happen inside?”

Chongming shook its head in disappointment. “Forget it! Looking at your foolish appearance, what could you possibly know! I will go take a look myself!”

Murong Yuan forced down his discomfort. “Seni—Master Rooster, what exactly is wrong with this secret realm?”

Chongming shot him a disdainful glance. “Don’t worry about it. With your meager cultivation, just worry about yourself!”

Murong Yuan was speechless. Having lived this long, this was the first time he had been told his cultivation was low, and it was by a chicken.

Chongming no longer paid him any mind. Head held high, it strode to the entrance of the secret realm, before standing there dumbly for a good while.

It suddenly scratched its head, looking somewhat embarrassed. “Hmm... My memory is a bit poor. What was the incantation to open this secret realm again?”

It was at that moment that the image of Chongming as an unfathomably profound expert in Murong Yuan’s heart collapsed completely.

Murong Yuan subconsciously took out that jade talisman. “The incantation? Do you mean this?” 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Chongming glanced at it and lit up. “That’s the one! Alright, I remember now.”

Suddenly, its aura transformed, and a vast, mighty pressure descended upon the area.

Chongming turned to Murong Yuan. “Remember, before I resolve the matter, don’t let anyone in!”

Murong Yuan grew anxious. “What about me?”

“I said anyone. Aren’t you a person?”

Murong Yuan was dumbfounded.

“Bye.”

With that low shot, Chongming transformed into a streak of flowing light, crashing into the secret realm entrance. Space rippled for a moment, and the rooster vanished without a trace.