The members of the Profound Mystery Sect smiled as they watched the many Soul Refiners emerge from the valley’s rainbow light.

For nearly a month, these masters from the Profound Mystery Sect had been hiding here, waiting for the Soul Refiners of the Thirteen Nations Alliance to emerge. With the Floating Light Secret Realm now closing, it was finally their time to act.

"Huh? Why aren’t Luan Hong and the others here?"

One of them, a burly man, frowned as he scanned the crowd emerging from the portal.

"You’re right. Luan Hong, Ye Fanxing, and Bai Qi are missing. But Zhou Liang seems to be fine."

"Could Luan Hong and the other two have died in there?"

"What’s going on?"

The members of the Profound Mystery Sect all frowned.

They had only discovered the Floating Light Secret Realm because Luan Hong and his group had sent word.

Over a year ago, an outer court steward from the Profound Mystery Sect named Lv Hao had clashed with an elder’s grandson over a nest of Corpse-eating Insects. He accidentally injured the grandson and was subsequently expelled from the sect.

The former steward, however, held a grudge. He lay in ambush and attacked the elder’s grandson during a training excursion, leaving him severely injured and half-paralyzed. The boy nearly died on the spot. Upon learning the news, the elder was enraged and posted a mission in the sect’s Mission Hall: bring Lv Hao to justice and return him to the sect for execution.

As Core Disciples, Luan Hong and his three companions immediately accepted the mission. They tracked Lv Hao all the way to the Thirteen Nations Alliance, where they unexpectedly discovered the Floating Light Secret Realm.

After they reported this discovery to the sect, the mission to capture Lv Hao became secondary. The sect ordered them to remain undercover in the Thirteen Nations Alliance and gather intelligence on the Floating Light Secret Realm to determine its true nature.

After more than half a year of investigation, based on the information and clues they gathered, Luan Hong and his group came to believe the Floating Light Secret Realm was extraordinary—definitely not some common, small-scale secret realm.

Therefore, their mission was to accompany the Soul Refiners of the Thirteen Nations Alliance into the Floating Light Secret Realm and learn its true secrets.

Furthermore, on the eve of the Floating Light Secret Realm’s opening, the Profound Mystery Sect was to dispatch an elder and several powerful masters to support Luan Hong’s group. Elder Gale and the three experts with him were that very reinforcement team.

What they hadn’t expected, however, was that now that the event was over, Luan Hong and the other two were missing from the crowd. Only Zhou Liang was present.

A situation like this usually pointed to only one possibility: Luan Hong and the others had perished inside the Floating Light Secret Realm.

"Let’s go!"

The leading elder gave a low command, and the group from the Profound Mystery Sect immediately shot toward the valley.

As Ye Xuan and his group slowly materialized within the seven-colored rainbow light in the valley, the iridescence abruptly vanished, and the world returned to normal.

The Floating Light Secret Realm was closed.

Everyone who saw this knew that this cycle of the Floating Light Secret Realm had officially ended. It would not open again for another ten years, and anyone who hadn’t emerged had perished inside.

At this moment, the Martial Artists from the various kingdoms were anxiously searching for the Soul Refiners from their own nations, their hearts pounding with tension.

Chu Yunfei’s gaze was also sweeping through the crowd. When he saw Ye Xuan and the others, a look of joy spread across his face, and he hurried forward. "Master Dongfang Yanyu, are you all alright?"

He took a careful look. Of the dozens of people from the Liuyun Kingdom who had entered the Floating Light Secret Realm, well over half had returned. Most importantly, the key figures—Dongfang Yanyu, Kuchen, He Zhen, and Ye Xuan—were all accounted for, which left him overjoyed.

"Huh? Your auras..."

Suddenly, as he reached them, Chu Yunfei let out a sound of surprise and sized up Dongfang Yanyu and his companions. He could clearly sense that their auras had undergone a radical change compared to before they entered the Floating Light Secret Realm. Master Dongfang Yanyu’s aura, in particular, now seemed so profound that even he found it unfathomable.

"Master Dongfang Yanyu, you broke through to the Tier Five Third Layer! And Kuchen, you and the others... you’re all Tier Five Martial Sects now!"

Chu Yunfei exclaimed in shock. As a Martial Sect at the Tier Five Third Layer himself, he had immediately noticed that everyone’s strength had taken an astonishing leap forward compared to a month ago.

’This is strange,’ he thought. The Floating Light Secret Realm was a sacred ground for Soul Refiners. In previous years, those who entered would experience a significant boost in their Soul Power and could find all sorts of treasures, but it was rare for their Martial Dao strength to see such an obvious breakthrough.

But this time, Dongfang Yanyu and his companions had all made extremely obvious progress—and it wasn’t just a minor improvement. The leap was so significant it left him utterly shocked.

Chu Yunfei wasn’t the only one who was surprised; the powerful masters from the other kingdoms who had remained outside also began to murmur amongst themselves.

They, too, could see that the changes in the Soul Refiners who had entered the Floating Light Secret Realm this time seemed different from previous cycles.

"By the way, what about Chairman Zuo Yi Alliance from the Dongsheng Kingdom? Why don’t I see him?"

"And Chairman Xuu Xin Hua of the Fire Crow Kingdom doesn’t seem to be here either."

"It looks like the vice-chairmen from both kingdoms are gone as well."

"Could they all have perished inside? How is that possible?"

People soon discovered that among the returning experts from the five major kingdoms, the chairmen of both the Fire Crow Kingdom and the Dongsheng Kingdom were missing. Of the four vice-chairmen, only Jia Zheng from the Dongsheng Kingdom had appeared. The other five high-ranking officials were nowhere to be seen. Everyone was stunned speechless.

Although the Floating Light Secret Realm was fraught with danger, casualties were typically limited to younger disciples and ordinary elders. The chairmen and vice-chairmen of the major kingdoms rarely perished. Yet this time, the leadership of two major kingdoms had been almost completely wiped out inside.

What on earth had happened inside the Floating Light Secret Realm? Why had the chairmen of two major kingdoms failed to return?

"What the hell happened in the Floating Light Secret Realm? Why didn’t Chairman Xuu Xin Hua return?" Jiang Zheng of the Fire Crow Kingdom roared, grabbing a disciple. His yellowed teeth were particularly conspicuous.

A similar scene was playing out in the Dongsheng Kingdom’s area.

The disciples who knew what had happened in the canyon began to explain cautiously.

After emerging, Ye Xuan didn’t join the conversation with Chu Yunfei and the others. His first act was to swiftly scan the Soul Refiners who had been teleported out. His gaze locked onto a young man in a blue robe.

This blue-robed Martial Artist was none other than Zhou Liang, the very person Ye Xuan had been determined to find. He had originally thought Zhou Liang had already left the Floating Light Secret Realm, but seeing him teleport out with everyone else, Ye Xuan instantly understood that he must have been hiding.

’I wonder where he could have hidden,’ Ye Xuan thought. ’Not even all of Jin Lin’s subordinates were able to find him.’

Zhou Liang was also rapidly scanning his surroundings. When he failed to spot Luan Hong and the other two, his expression changed drastically. He then felt Ye Xuan’s gaze on him, and his face instantly turned deathly pale. A black, tube-like object suddenly appeared in his hand, and he yanked it down.

WHOOSH! A black point of Soul Power shot into the sky. It exploded high above with a BANG, scattering countless black threads of Soul Power in every direction like a fine, dark rain.

At the same time, he bolted toward the valley exit without the slightest hesitation.

Zhou Liang’s actions immediately drew everyone’s attention.

’What is that guy doing?’

Many of the Martial Artists who had remained outside were completely baffled.

"Not good!" Zhu Tianlan and his companions thought, their hearts sinking.

He immediately shouted, "Quick, grab him!"

"What’s wrong?" Qi Xian and his group asked, confused about what was happening.

Zhu Tianlan and the others had no time to explain. He urgently asked Qi Xian’s group, "Qi Xian, after we went in, did any mysterious masters appear near this valley?"

Qi Xian and his men were stunned. "Actually, yes. A mysterious master wearing a mask did show up. He even killed two experts from the Fire Crow Kingdom. But how did you know?"

"It’s over."

Zhu Tianlan and the others’ hearts plummeted. Their worst fear had come to pass. The Profound Mystery Sect really did have masters lurking nearby.

The thought had barely formed when several powerful figures appeared in their line of sight. Their speed was incredible; they crossed the distance and arrived in the valley in just a few breaths.

Seeing these newcomers, Zhou Liang, who was being pursued by a group of Martial Artists, cried out in overjoyed relief, "Elder Gale, save me!"

"Hmph. Who dares to touch my disciple?" the leading elder snorted upon seeing the scene. He thrust out a palm, and the few experts chasing Zhou Liang were instantly torn to pieces, exploding into a cloud of blood and gore without even a chance to defend themselves.

Everyone stared in shock, momentarily forgetting how to react.

The men chasing Zhou Liang, while not the most powerful experts present, were still Celestial Martial Artists at the Tier Four Peak. Yet they had been killed in a single blow from the elder. It was an astonishing display of power.

At the same time, the crowd also noticed the people behind the elder. When they saw a burly, middle-aged man among them, the pupils of several experts instantly constricted.

Although the middle-aged man wasn’t wearing a mask, they recognized his build immediately. He was the mysterious person who had recently stormed the valley, killed two masters from the Fire Crow Kingdom, and wounded their number one expert, Jiang Zheng. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

But now, this very man was standing respectfully behind the leading elder, his posture like that of a mere underling. The Martial Artists who had previously witnessed his power turned pale at the implication.

"Who in the world are you?" Qi Xian, the top expert from the Celestial Gold Kingdom, stepped forward and demanded with a frown. His gaze was sharp, but inwardly he was utterly shocked.