"Now… do you still believe they deserved to die?"
The moment Senior Brother Zhou spoke these words, every hair on Qin Yi's body stood on end.
Though his tone was calm, Qin Yi instinctively understood—this was a death sentence in disguise.
No matter how he answered, he would be wrong.
If he said yes, they deserved to die, then he would contradict himself—for their madness had not come from their own will, but from Zhou's manipulation. How could the innocent be guilty? How could they deserve death?
But if he said no, they were not guilty, then what of the fact that Qin Yi had just slaughtered them all?
That would mean condemning himself, admitting that everything he had just done was wrong.
This was Zhou's trap, laid bare.
Qin Yi had thought Zhou admired him. Instead, this man was more fickle than the wind—his face could change faster than turning a page.
The truth was darker still: Zhou was testing his heart, shaking the very foundation of his Dao.
A weaker cultivator, with even the slightest crack in his resolve, would already have collapsed—their Dao heart broken, their mind consumed by inner demons, their cultivation ruined forever.
But Qin Yi… was different.
He wasn't human.
He was merely a fragment—a clone.
Dao heart? Inner demons? Such things were too distant, too unreal.
What mattered was the here and now.
If someone displeased him, he could simply abandon this body. When his true self grew stronger, another clone could return to take revenge.
With that thought, Qin Yi raised his head boldly, meeting Zhou's unfathomable eyes.
"At that time, if I hadn't killed them, they would have killed me. I too was controlled by that irresistible hunger. I had no choice but to kill."
"In such a case, even if the ones I killed were innocent, it was not my fault. The real culprit is the one who set this trial, the one who toys with us like pawns."
"And when I grow stronger, I'll kill you too, to honor their memory."
Silence.
Qin Yi's face remained calm, as if he did not even feel the crushing pressure gathering from all directions, threatening to grind him into dust.
Beside him, Feng Wuya had gone pale, too terrified to utter a single word. His eyes looked at Qin Yi as if at a dead man.
In his mind, Qin Yi was already doomed. To speak such rebellious words—surely Senior Brother Zhou would not let him live.
Yet Zhou did not speak.
His aura only grew heavier, more terrifying, freezing the very air of the valley.
Just as both Feng Wuya—and even Qin Yi himself—were certain death was coming, Zhou suddenly threw back his head and laughed.
"Hahaha! Good! Good! Good!"
His pressure did not abate, yet he stepped forward and clapped Qin Yi on the shoulder with approval.
"Excellent! A steadfast Dao heart, unmoved by external forces! This is the disciple of my Blood Feast Valley!"
"Remember what you just said! I will be waiting. If you truly become stronger than me one day, then come—seek me out for life and death!"
Qin Yi froze.
He had been ready for his soul to scatter, never imagining Zhou would not only spare him, but even admire him more.
Truly, Blood Feast Valley was a sect of lunatics.
But Zhou seemed genuinely satisfied, even taking the time to explain further:
"Still… catching up to me will not be easy. In addition to the Blood Feast Art, I cultivate a companion technique—The Shura Blood God's Guide. Its difficulty is beyond imagination, but so too is its power. If you wish to catch me, you must master it."
"Ordinary disciples can never touch this art. It only appears as a special sect reward."
"There is only one path for you—" Zhou's voice rose sharply, echoing through the valley.
"Three days from now, when the Six-Yao Mountain secret realm opens, you must seize merit for the sect, and claim the top prize!"
Qin Yi barely reacted before Feng Wuya cried out in shock.
"Senior Brother Zhou! That secret realm—it's…"
He cut himself short, realizing he had nearly revealed too much in front of Qin Yi. He bit his tongue, then muttered under his breath, "But… Senior Brother, you don't have any quota left…"
Zhou only smiled.
"No, I have one."
Turning, he looked at Feng Wuya with narrowed eyes and a pleasant smile.
"As long as you don't go, won't that free up a spot?"
"Junior Brother Feng, I'll have to trouble you this time. Next opportunity, I'll be sure to include you."
He patted Feng Wuya's shoulder twice. Feng's eyes went wide with shock, but he dared not utter a word of refusal.
Though Zhou was smiling, Feng knew—if he so much as said "no," Zhou would crush him on the spot.
His only confusion was why?
Why had Qin Yi been spared?
Why was Zhou showing him such favor—enough to send him to the Six-Yao Mountain secret realm?
Madmen. The Blood Feast Valley was nothing but madmen!
Feng cursed silently, but in the end, he could only squeeze out between clenched teeth:
"As you wish, Senior Brother Zhou."
Finally satisfied, Zhou nodded and turned back to Qin Yi.
"Qin Yi, do you know the true essence of a secret realm?"
Qin Yi blinked, clearly not expecting such a question.
He suddenly recalled the righteous secret realm, and muttered, "The essence of a secret realm… is the Dao path?"
Zhou chuckled.
"Yes—and no. A secret realm is indeed closely tied to the Dao, but to understand its essence, you must first ask: how is a secret realm born?"
"It is said that true paragons can open a small world within their own body. In that world, their Dao becomes the law of heaven and earth. All within can only cultivate that path. The more who cultivate it, the stronger and more stable it becomes, and the mightier its creator grows."
"And when such a paragon dies, that inner world falls into the mortal realm, overlapping with reality, becoming a secret realm. Those who enter it can easily obtain the inheritance of that Dao."
"Yet secret realms are not infinite. Their spiritual energy is finite. And when it is exhausted—tell me, what do you think happens then?"
He didn't wait for an answer.
"It becomes an Age of No Dharma. All arts and techniques lose their power, surviving only in legend. Such secret realms are called No-Dharma Secret Realms."
"And the Six-Yao Mountain secret realm, which opens in three days, is precisely such a realm."