Veiled in the swirling crimson haze, a seemingly frail figure slowly made her way toward the secret realm’s exit. It was the demoness, having reverted to her Zhi Xuan appearance.

Having narrowly escaped death, she dared not linger around. She wouldn’t be as fortunate if she met Chongming again. Moreover, a vague sense of foreboding troubled her. She could feel that the secret realm was about to undergo a drastic upheaval.

Suddenly, she relaxed as though sensing something. “Hmm?”

It seemed her decision was the right one. Soon, Murong Yuan landed before her.

He was anxious. “Little girl, you’re from the Qixia Court, right? Why are you alone here? Where are the others? What exactly happened here?”

A look of joy crossed Zhi Xuan’s face. “Senior, you’ve finally come! We had just entered when suddenly—”

She didn’t get to finish. The earth shook and mountains trembled. The ground violently quaked, and space distorted as if it would shatter the next moment. Not far away, a dark, black spatial crack appeared.

Murong Yuan’s face changed at once. “This is a disaster! A major event is happening! The secret realm is about to collapse.”

With his discernment, he could see that the realm was on the brink of collapse. Indeed, more and more spatial fissures soon appeared. Although scattered and still sparse, they were increasing at a terrifyingly rapid rate.

Zhi Xuan turned deathly pale. “Then what do we do?!”

With a grave expression, Murong Yuan swept his large sleeve, lifting her up. “Don’t panic! The exit is very close. I’ll send you out first, then we’ll think of a solution!”

Despite knowing that Zhi Xuan was a Qixia Court disciple, he couldn’t bring himself to abandon her. If someone else had come today, they would have just left her behind.

Murong Yuan’s mood grew heavier. “Time is limited. First, briefly tell me, what exactly happened?”

***

The erosion of the trace of Saint realm power, coupled with the increasingly thick red mist and spreading spatial fissures, made it difficult for Gu Han to hold on.

He suddenly spat out another mouthful of blood, swaying unsteadily. I’ll fight it!

Gritting his teeth, he readied the Blood Spirit Art and Kill Sword to obliterate Chu Kuang’s power. The longer he stayed here, the slimmer his hope of escape.

Just then, a streak of light landed nearby with a loud bang. Chongming tumbled several times before stopping right in front of him. The two instinctively looked at each other, wide-eyed.

Even facing a life-and-death crisis, Gu Han couldn’t help but feel a surge of awe in his heart. This chicken is too fierce!

Chongming felt a bit of face had been lost.

“Kid, what are you looking at! I was just careless earlier, I didn’t even—huh?” Halfway through speaking, it realized something. “Why haven’t you left yet? Do you really want to stay here and die?”

Gu Han didn’t answer, arriving at the same conclusion as Meng Xing. Something is wrong with this chicken’s brain. If I could leave, I would have done so long ago! Why wait until now? Wait, I don’t have time for this.

As his killing intent gradually rose, he took a deep breath and drew his sword. A three-cun sword light appeared from the tip.

Chongming was taken aback. “Huh? This sword is not bad—wait! Kid, you’re actually a sword cultivator?”

Gu Han ignored it. Isn’t that obvious?

As if remembering something, Chongming said, “Ah, I never expected to come across an interesting sword cultivator in such a place. If Little Yun knew... Forget it, forget it! Kid, apologize to me first.”

Gu Han said nothing. Apologize? To a chicken? No way! With death imminent, what’s the point of even apologizing?

Chongming turned to leave. “Forget it. And here I thought I’d save you if you apologized.”

Gu Han couldn’t hold back. “Wait! Can you save me?!”

Chongming sounded somewhat disdainful. ”Of course I can. A mere weak trace from a fledgling Saint Realm cultivator. I can even do it with my eyes closed!”

Without a second thought, Gu Han said with utmost sincerity, “Master Rooster, I’m sorry!”

Chongming was greatly pleased. “Good! Very good! You’re quite sensible, Kid. In that case, let me show you my prowess!”

It leaped up, waved a single wing, and slapped fiercely. A terrifying aura descended, slapping the power that had nearly cost Gu Han his life into oblivion.

With such a huge pressure alleviated from his shoulder, Gu Han let out a heavy sigh of relief.

He sincerely praised, “Master Rooster, that was impressive!”

Chongming said with an air of nonchalance, “Hmph! That’s nothing. Back in the day, I—”

He was interrupted before he could finish. The already precarious space within the secret realm completely shattered. In an instant, a fine black line spread, annihilating everything in its path. A former Yuqing Sect disciple turned monster didn’t even get a chance to make a sound before it was wiped out.

This is bad! Gu Han’s heart sank. He absolutely couldn’t block that black line! Furthermore, given how fast it was spreading, there was no chance of escape.

He began to panic. “Master Rooster, can you block this?”

Chongming waved its left wing, extremely calm. “Stay steady. Don’t panic!”

Gu Han panicked even more. He had said these very words to Meng Xing not long ago...

Chongming glanced at him. “Kid, you should be thankful you’re a sword cultivator. Otherwise, I couldn’t be bothered with your life or death.”

“Huh?”

Gu Han was stunned, but before he could ask, Chongming’s feathers blazed with brilliant light. A five-colored divine radiance flared up, engulfing the two. When the black line swept over them, the divine radiance remained unshaken.

The ground underneath their feet had completely turned into a patch of pitch-black darkness. Even the extremely vivid red mist had dulled somewhat in color.

Gu Han was shocked beyond words. “That’s incredible! Too incredible!”

What is the origin of this chicken? Is it really just a chicken?

As if reading his thoughts, Chongming’s tone was full of disdain. “Kid, don’t be so easily astonished. It’s just a secret realm shattering, nothing big! Here comes the main event.”

The sound of a heartbeat rang out once more, stronger and more domineering. The endless red mist seemed drawn, swirling and flowing as it instantly gathered in the distance.

Chongming simply watched, making no move to stop it, as if he had other plans. A moment later, the endless red mist had vanished almost entirely. Even Chu Kuang’s sphere of light had disappeared.

Chongming gazed straight ahead with a serious look. “It’s coming! Kid, I might not be able to protect you. You better look out for yourself.”

Following its gaze, Gu Han’s heart gave a fierce jolt. Not far away, a blood cocoon over a hundred zhang tall hovered in mid-air. Inside, a faint silhouette of a giant stirred, on the verge of breaking free.