From the roaring gateway of warped space, waves of cultivators streamed out and regrouped into their respective factions.
"Senior brother… is this truly the legendary Five Elements Realm?"
The speaker—an elderly daoist in a purple-gold robe patterned with the Eight Trigrams—looked around the barren landscape with open disbelief. This was Fu Shou, one of the Six Great Real Persons of the Taiyi Sect… and one of the men Fang Han had once captured in a single sweep, losing all reputation in the process. Yet now, he seemed to have crawled out of his humiliation, his cultivation even showing signs of renewed growth.
Beside him stood a proud, straight-backed cultivator radiating authority—a true power among Taiyi's younger generation. His voice was cool and certain:
"Correct. This is the Five Elements Realm—an ancient trial world crafted by the Buddhist sects of antiquity. Legends say the Five-Element Divine Root is sealed here. Its overflowing elemental essence manifests into countless elemental beasts. Worse still, this place imprisons innumerable heavenly demons. Those elemental beasts exist partially to suppress that demonic tide…"
He raised a hand toward the distant horizon.
"Normally, the entrance to this realm lies within the Wild God Temples of the Xuanhuang World—temples cursed by ancient forces. Most who enter never return unless blessed with tremendous fortune. That's why our elders united their power, borrowed strength from an immortal artifact, and forcibly tore open this direct gateway. From now on, the Five Elements Realm is the Taiyi Sect's private training ground."
Fu Shou frowned. "Then… why invite disciples of the Dan-Ding Sword Sect, Tongtian Sword Sect, and the Sun-Moon Sword Sect? Why not keep this treasure to ourselves?"
"Because the first expedition team faces unknown horrors," the proud cultivator replied. "We need bodies to soak up some of the danger. And letting the sword sects share a little 'opportunity' buys goodwill for the upcoming Immortal Gathering. Three years from now, the Taiyi Sect intends to crush all other immortal sects and claim leadership of the Alliance."
This speaker was none other than Zhou Chuyi—ranked above Zhao Xuanyi and Song Weiyi, a terrifying genius even among Taiyi's elite.
Fu Shou and the others exchanged uneasy glances. Zhou Chuyi's gaze hardened.
"Fu Shou. Changchun. Lumeng. Kun Yuan. Dafang. Kanli."
His voice dropped to a cold growl.
"You six lost to Fang Han of the Feathering Gate—captured alive and humiliated. The Sect Master nearly stripped you of your cultivation and turned you into beasts. I pleaded for mercy on your behalf. This time, you will make up for your disgrace. Cultivate inside the Five Elements Realm. Break through. Reach Unity Realm—or even Golden Core—within three years. Otherwise, punishment remains."
"We understand!"
A chilling light flashed in the six men's eyes. "We will repay our humiliation and crush Fang Han at the Immortal Gathering!"
Zhou Chuyi snorted. "Feathering Gate has been noisy lately—Meng Shaobai, Fang Han, Fang Qingxue… an irritating trio. Thankfully Hua Tiandu has chosen to align with our Taiyi Sect. Otherwise, they might actually overshadow us."
Zhao Xuanyi arrived, coldness leaking between his clenched teeth.
"Fang Han has climbed too far, too fast. A year ago he was a nobody. Now rumors say he even defeated Wan Luo! If only my Dark Sun Wind Disaster had killed him that day…"
Song Weiyi landed beside him, bringing with him five other disciples—each one arrogant, domineering, their presence sharp enough to cut the air.
More and more figures descended. Each time a disciple with the surname "Yi" arrived—Yang Yi, Wu Yi, Zheng Yi, Shou Yi—the crowd stirred. These were Taiyi's small giants, each one a force by themselves.
The different factions grouped naturally.
The largest by far was Taiyi Sect—three to four hundred cultivators strong.
The three sword sects combined barely mustered a few dozen each.
Compared to Taiyi's towering numbers, even the entire Feathering Gate's true disciples looked like a village militia.
But the sword sects were not fools. Their elders immediately issued orders:
"Do not scatter. Advance in formation. No infighting over treasures. Stay sharp."
Just as the final cultivator stepped through the spatial gate, its glow faded—signaling that all teams had gathered.
Then the world changed.
At the far horizon, monstrous waves of demonic qi surged—an army of demonic kings riding a rolling tide of black clouds.
"Demons! Stand ready!"
Sword cultivators instantly activated their formations, blades rising like a forest of steel. Some of them smirked quietly, eyeing the Taiyi Sect who still hadn't moved—expecting to watch them suffer losses.
But in the next instant—
Zhou Chuyi, Zhao Xuanyi, Song Weiyi, and nine other small giants burst into laughter.
Twelve golden cores soared into the air, linking together into a single formation. The heavens shook.
A wailing chorus erupted across the sky—ghosts weeping, gods lamenting, space itself cracking open as dark blood seeped between the fissures.
"Doomsday Cataclysm! The Taiyi Sect's forbidden divine art!"
Sword sect elders shouted in shock.
"That secret art is said to mimic the end of the world itself—tearing open the heavens, collapsing space, returning all things to chaos! Only Longevity-Realm cultivators are said to wield it… yet twelve Golden Cores are summoning it together?!"
The sky shattered.
A hundred miles away, countless demonic kings barely had time to raise their defenses before they exploded into blood mist—pulled into the roaring disaster cloud as nourishment for the twelve golden cores.
The Taiyi disciples laughed wildly as their cores grew brighter, richer—greedily sucking in demonic essence.
"Hahaha! Look at this! Armies of demonic kings delivered right to us. Our golden cores will feast today!"
"If only we could find a demon king who has condensed a Demon Golden Core… that would be a supreme tonic!"
"Forward! Push deeper!"
While the Taiyi forces butchered demons and advanced triumphantly—
Fang Han had already entered the deepest heart of the Five Elements Realm.
There, he encountered another divine beast—one on the same terrifying level as the White Tiger…