Meanwhile, at the main hall of the Jade Pool Immortal Palace.
Gu Han sat cross-legged, and the dark golden Donghuang Bell was slowly rotating above her knees, emitting ancient and vast fluctuations.
After several days of refinement and communication, she had already established a faint connection with this quasi-immortal artifact.
Just as she was immersed in the resonance and insights from the Donghuang Bell, deepening her refinement—
"Hum..."
An urgent transmission sounded in her ear without warning!
Gu Han frowned slightly, instantly interrupting her refinement, and her Divine Sense sank into that strand of transmission.
In an instant, what was happening at the Tianqiong Plain emerged in her mind.
"The Secret Realm closed early? The Disciples are all trapped inside?"
Her thoughts stirred, and she communicated directly with the System to ask, "System, what exactly happened in the Rules Secret Realm?"
[Ding! Synchronizing scan of the Rules Secret Realm... Scan complete!]
[Detected a high-level remnant soul aggregate! Energy level assessment: Early Stage of the Immortal Ascension Realm (broken, chaotic state).]
[Target identity: Venerable Tian Qiong (remnant soul).]
[Current behavior: Extracting the Origin of the Secret Realm and absorbing external attack energy, attempting to recover itself.]
"Remnant soul? Venerable Tian Qiong?"
A cold light flashed in Gu Han's eyes.
She did not alert anyone; she raised her hand and gently slashed through the Void Realm in front of her.
"Chi la—!"
A spatial rift appeared out of thin air once again.
Without the slightest hesitation, Gu Han stepped into the rift.
Tianqiong Plain, at the entrance of the Secret Realm.
An atmosphere of despair, like a cold tide, engulfed everyone present.
The light gate had shrunk to less than three zhang and was flickering, as if it would disappear completely at any moment.
The Elders of the various Sects looked ashen; some of the weaker-willed ones even collapsed to the ground, staring at the light gate with empty eyes.
Just then—
"Crack!!"
Above the Tianqiong Plain, a spatial rift, hundreds of zhang long and edged with faint silver light, suddenly appeared!
A figure dressed in moon-white palace attire, with hair Like Snow and unparalleled grace, stepped out slowly from that rift.
The moment Gu Han's figure fully appeared—
A vast, tangible tide of power silently spread out, covering the entire Tianqiong Plain!
There was no deliberate release, no sharp edge.
It was a kind of... absolute suppression in terms of status!
Under this pressure, the flowing clouds in the sky stopped, and the wind ceased.
Below, countless Cultivators were looking up at the sky with various expressions.
Everyone's movements, breathing, and even thoughts experienced a brief stagnation at this moment!
They stared blankly at the figure with hair Like Snow in the sky.
Their minds were blank.
"Who... who is this woman?!"
"What does she want to do by coming to the Tianqiong Plain at this time?"
Just as the scene fell into silence due to Gu Han's arrival—
"Palace Master."
A cold, calm voice, which sounded exceptionally clear at this moment, instantly broke the silence.
Everyone's gaze turned involuntarily toward the source of the sound.
They saw that on the bow of the Cloud Sea Spirit Boat, the Grand Elder of the Jade Pool Immortal Palace, who was stronger than their Sect's Old Ancestor, was currently bowing slightly and saluting respectfully to the silver-haired figure in the sky.
"Palace... Palace Master?"
"She is the... Palace Master of the Jade Pool Immortal Palace?!"
Countless gazes focused on Gu Han again. This time, amidst the shock, there was even more incredulous horror!
What kind of Realm must the Palace Master have to be treated with such respect by her?
Gu Han nodded slightly to Hanyi, and then her gaze fell on the light gate below, which was only a zhang wide.
Her eyes were calm; she did not ask, nor did she probe.
She simply raised her right hand slowly and slapped it gently toward the light gate.
The moment her palm fell!
"Hum—!!!"
The entire space of the Tianqiong Plain let out an unbearable wail!
With Gu Han as the center, the space in front was instantly filled with countless fine, pitch-black spatial cracks like spiderwebs!
These cracks spread crazily, instantly enveloping and wrapping the crumbling Secret Realm light gate completely!
Then, under the horrified gaze of everyone—
That light gate of the Secret Realm, which could devour energy and was indestructible, was, under this light slap of hers, crumbling and annihilating inch by inch!
It turned into countless fine points of light, slowly drifting away, and finally disappeared completely between heaven and earth.
One slap.
Just one slap.
It completely... shattered the entrance to the Secret Realm that had troubled all the experts present and was almost unsolvable!
The entire Tianqiong Plain fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone maintained their upward-looking posture, their eyes wide to the limit, their pupils contracted to pinpoints.
Their faces were filled with extreme shock, bewilderment, and... a sense of dullness as their worldview was completely overturned.
Xuan Yangzi, the Holy Lord of the Lingxu Holy Land, had his lips slightly parted, but could not make a sound.
The Barbarian King of the Heavenly Origin Sacred Land, with his mountain-like, burly body, froze in place, his eyes filled with incredulous horror.
The Flowing Cloud Sword Sect, Heavenly Fire Valley, Miaoyin Pavilion...
All the leading Elders and Core Disciples of the various forces were like stone statues.
Their minds repeatedly echoed with that seemingly simple palm, which actually contained supreme Dao laws and great power.
To be able to destroy the entrance of a Secret Realm left behind by an expert of Immortal Ascension so casually!
This... this is definitely not something an ordinary Undergoing Tribulation expert can do!
To be able to do this so easily...
Only one in Immortal Ascension can!
It has been a very, very long time since a new one in Immortal Ascension was born in the Southern Region!
The last expert in Immortal Ascension, "Star River Sword Venerable," left this world to explore the immortal path two thousand years ago!
Since then, because there was no expert in Immortal Ascension to preside over it, the Southern Region gradually became the "weakest" of the Five Regions.
But now...
This Palace Master of the Jade Pool Immortal Palace is very likely a genuine expert in Immortal Ascension!
And a year ago...
Some quick-witted Cultivators had a flash of inspiration in their minds!
A year ago, that grand phenomenon that covered hundreds of millions of miles over the Southern Region and shook the Five Regions!
That dao rhyme manifestation that was suspected to be someone breaking through to the Immortal Ascension Realm!
And after the phenomenon, the mysterious disappearance and silence of that newly promoted expert in Immortal Ascension...
Countless forces investigated at the time, but found nothing, and it became an unsolved case.
Now...
Could it be... could it be that the expert in Immortal Ascension who mysteriously broke through and disappeared a year ago...
Is this very Palace Master of the Jade Pool Immortal Palace before them?!
This thought, like a wildfire, instantly swept through everyone who had realized this!
Shock! Horror! Realization! Fear! Ecstasy!...
All kinds of emotions, like a spilled spice jar, intertwined and changed on everyone's faces.
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