At the very moment the Secret Realm's light gate completely shattered—
"Buzzing—!!"
At the entrance of the Secret Realm, countless figures surged out frantically like a flood breaking a dam!
It was exactly those Disciples from various sects who had been trapped in the Secret Realm!
Most of them had tattered clothes and were covered in blood, their faces showing the ecstasy of survival and lingering fear.
"We're out! We're out!"
"Saved! I'm still alive!"
"Look! It's the outside! It's really the outside!"
"Junior Martial Uncle! Senior Sister!"
Exclamations, cries, and calls for fellow Disciples instantly rang out in unison.
Charging at the very front were the Jade Pool Immortal Palace Disciples, led by Liu Ruyan, Gu Luoli, and Ye Ling'er.
Their numbers were the most complete; although everyone was injured and looked exhausted, their formation remained intact and their discipline strict.
As soon as they rushed out of the passage, their gazes simultaneously turned toward the figure in the sky with silver hair Like Snow.
"Master!"
"Master!"
Liu Ruyan, Gu Luoli, and Ye Ling'er spoke almost at the same time, their voices filled with uncontrollable excitement and relief.
Gu Han's gaze fell upon them, and upon seeing the bloodstains on them, a trace of imperceptible coldness flickered in her eyes.
She nodded slightly, her voice calm yet clearly reaching the ears of every Yaochi Disciple:
"It's good that you're back."
Just four short words, yet they caused the taut heartstrings of all the Jade Pool Immortal Palace Disciples to completely relax; many people's eyes instantly turned red.
With the Palace Master here, they wouldn't even fear the sky falling!
Disciples from other forces also found their respective Elders one after another, tearfully recounting their encounters in the Secret Realm.
Mu Bai of Azure Cloud Holy Land was supported by Su Waner, his face pale as he recounted the horror of the stone statues coming to life and the Venerable's remnant Soul awakening in the hall.
Ling Chen of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect had a hideous wound on his chest; he fainted as soon as he exited the Secret Realm.
Lingxu Holy Land, Heavenly Origin Sacred Land, Miaoyin Pavilion... almost every surviving Disciple's face bore the lingering fear of the ordeal.
News about the "awakening of Venerable Tian Qiong's remnant Soul," the "stone statue massacre," and the "early closing of the Secret Realm" spread rapidly among the Elders of various factions, causing waves of low exclamations.
However, amidst this post-disaster chaos and relief—
"Who is it—!!!"
A roar filled with endless rage and resentment.
Boomed from deep within the Secret Realm passage that had already shattered but had not yet completely dissipated!
The pressure contained in this roar caused the low-level Disciples who had just escaped to turn pale instantly, and many collapsed on the spot!
Even the Elders of the Void Return Stage, Body Integration Stage, and Great Ascension Stage from various sects felt their hearts shake violently, looking at the remains of the passage in horror!
Inside the broken passage, grayish-white mist surged frantically.
A blurry figure was slowly walking out!
The person was precisely that elegant middle-aged man from the high platform in the hall earlier.
But now, there was not a hint of calm on that face, replaced instead by extreme rage and ferocity!
A pair of slightly hollow eyes were now locked firmly onto the silver-haired figure in the sky—Gu Han!
"Ruined... my... plans..."
The hoarse, intermittent voice, sounding as if it were forced together from countless broken consciousnesses, was laced with a towering hatred.
"You... must... die...!"
It had originally intended to devour the Secret Realm's Origin and absorb external attacks to stabilize itself, taking things slowly.
But it never expected that someone could actually shatter the entrance to the Secret Realm, cutting off its source of "nourishment"!
Hatred surged, causing this already chaotic and mad remnant Soul to completely lose control!
"Die for this Venerable!!!!"
The next moment, he raised his hand and clenched it fiercely toward Gu Han's direction!
"Rumbling—!"
The space within a thousand feet around Gu Han suddenly solidified and collapsed!
Countless grayish-white mists were born from the Void Realm, transforming into billions of fine and sharp "Threads of Dao Principles."
They wove into a death net that destroyed everything, enveloping and cutting toward Gu Han!
Wherever it passed, space silently annihilated, leaving behind streaks of pitch-black cracks!
The terrifying power caused the Soul of all the Cultivators below to freeze!
"Palace Master, be careful!"
Li Hanyi's expression changed slightly.
Liu Ruyan, Gu Luoli, and the others cried out in alarm, their hearts instantly leaping into their throats!
However, facing this terrifying strike that would make even an ordinary Immortal Ascension Realm expert treat it with gravity.
Gu Han's expression remained calm, without a single ripple.
She didn't even look at the approaching death net.
She just slowly raised her left hand.
Palm facing up, that small dark-golden bell—the Donghuang Bell—floated quietly above it.
"Clang..."
A chime, as if ringing directly in the depths of everyone's Soul, quietly rippled out.
Gu Han gently pushed the Donghuang Bell forward.
The moment the Donghuang Bell left her hand, it suddenly enlarged!
In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a dark-golden giant bell a hundred feet high, seemingly capable of suppressing all things, hanging above Gu Han's head!
On the body of the bell, patterns of the sun, moon, stars, earth, fire, water, wind, and the mountains and rivers of the state suddenly lit up!
An ancient, vast, Supreme and noble Supreme dao rhyme, as if it could stabilize the heavens and earth and suppress everything, boomed out!
"Break."
Gu Han's red lips parted slightly as she softly uttered a single word.
"Dong—!!!"
The Donghuang Bell boomed!
Substantial golden sound waves, centered on the Donghuang Bell, swept out in all directions in a circular pattern!
Wherever the sound waves passed—
The approaching grayish-white mist net melted and disintegrated instantly, Like Snow meeting a blazing sun!
It couldn't even put up a hint of resistance!
"What?!"
An incredulous sound came from Venerable Tian Qiong's mouth.
Its strike of rage was actually... easily dispersed by that bell?
That bell... just what rank of Magic Treasure is it?!
Could it be a quasi-immortal artifact?!
There were only two quasi-immortal artifacts in the entire Canglan Continent, and he had seen both, but he had never seen one in such a form... Before he could recover from his shock—
Gu Han's second command had already fallen.
"Suppress."
As her voice fell, the mouth of the Donghuang Bell pointed downward, aiming at that figure.
"Buzz—!"
The Donghuang Bell suddenly shook, and the patterns of the sun, moon, stars, earth, fire, water, and wind flowing on its body instantly shone with great brilliance!
A force even more overbearing than before, like the star river of the Nine Heavens pouring down, came crashing down!
"No—!!!"
Venerable Tian Qiong let out a shrill roar!
Under the suppression of the Donghuang Bell, its remnant Soul was forcibly stripped, disintegrated, and annihilated!
"I am... Tian Qiong... immortal..."
Intermittent, unwilling words, like the wailing of a dying beast, echoed around.
It tried to burn its last bit of Soul Power for a final struggle.
However, before the Donghuang Bell, this quasi-immortal artifact, its remnant Soul—which had already been broken and chaotic for sixty thousand years—appeared so small and powerless.
The bell rang again!
"Dong—!"
Like the final gavel of the Great Dao's judgment!
Venerable Tian Qiong's remnant Soul's last trace of struggle came to an abrupt end.
Only a trace of dao rhyme remaining in the air proved everything that had just happened.
The entire Tianqiong Plain was deathly silent.
Only the dark-golden body of the Donghuang Bell still floated in the air, emitting a vast aura that suppressed all things.
Below, whether it was the Elders of various sects or the Disciples who had survived the disaster, all looked up!
Gazing at the giant bell in the sky and the peerless figure with silver hair Like Snow beneath it.
Shock was no longer enough to describe their current feelings.
The Immortal Ascension Realm remnant Soul of Venerable Tian Qiong was just easily suppressed and dispersed like that?
Is this the strength of the Master of the Yaochi Immortal Palace?
And that bell, just what rank of Magic Treasure is it?
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