The sound of the heart beating grew more intense, and the person rushing towards the Blood Cocoon suddenly let out a cry of pain. His chest exploded violently, splattering blood in all directions, resembling a crimson flower blooming.

At the same time, continuous cries of agony rose around them, and numerous blood flowers blossomed, enveloping the entire space in a thick scent of blood.

Feeling the violent throbbing in their chests, Dao Sansheng and the others felt as though their hearts were nurturing another life, with its own will, beyond their control, and thus they expended a great deal of their soul’s energy to suppress the changes in their bodies.

On the other hand, Lin Fang and his companions entered the secret realm and saw the scenery shift before their eyes, as if they had reappeared at the entrance of the Qionghua Sect.

Unlike the desolation outside, the Qionghua Sect here seemed full of life. At the entrance, a few disciples dressed in the sect’s attire were guarding the gate.

"Who goes there? Announce your names," said the Qionghua Sect disciples, their faces stern.

Lin Fang did not step forward to speak. Senior Sister Zhao glanced at Lin Fang and then came forward, saying, "I am Zhao Yixue from the Qinglian Sword Sect, here to pay my respects!"

"Qinglian Sword Sect? I’ve never heard of this sect before." The gatekeeping disciple was somewhat puzzled but, upon examining the attire of Senior Sister Zhao and Junior Brother Xiang, chose to believe their claim.

"It seems you too are here to observe the apprenticeship ceremony of our sect. However, smaller sects like yours without an invitation can only watch from the plaza; you are not allowed inside the main hall," the gatekeeping disciple instructed.

Only when they walked in did they realize that the entire Qionghua Sect was already abuzz with activity, with countless figures moving between the buildings, and the spacious plaza had gathered many people from various sects.

However, those standing here were from the smaller sects that hadn’t received an invitation, while disciples from the Great Sects had already entered the heart of the Qionghua Sect.

"Truly worthy of the number one sect. Such magnificence, such scale, who knows when our sects will ever reach this level," an elderly man with white whiskers said enviously as he looked around, stroking his beard with a sigh.

"Elder Tian Xuan, stop dreaming. To become a sect like the Qionghua Sect is not something that can be accomplished overnight. We are unlikely to see it in our lifetimes," said another equally aged person beside him with a sigh.

The man known as Elder Tian Xuan nodded, his face showing a trace of melancholy, but he suddenly noticed a stunningly beautiful woman beside him staring at him in astonishment.

"Young lady, do you recognize me? Why do you stare at me like that?"

Zhao Yixue then averted her gaze, slightly embarrassed as she answered, "Please forgive my rudeness, Senior. You bear a striking resemblance to an elder I’ve met before, which is why I stared slightly longer. I beg your pardon for my impoliteness."

"Haha, I never expected such a thing. There are countless faces in the world; it is common for people to look alike. I have an ordinary face, and it’s normal for the young lady to misidentify," said Elder Tian Xuan nonchalantly, stroking his beard and laughing, his conversation imbued with an uninhibited air.

His attitude brought a radiant smile to Zhao Yixue’s usually icy face, and she said very politely, "Thank you for your understanding, Senior. I’m sure you too will see your wishes fulfilled."

"Haha, thank you very much, young lady!" Elder Tian Xuan responded with a hearty laugh.

After the three had left Elder Tian Xuan behind, Junior Brother Xiang hastily asked, "Senior Sister, have you heard of this Elder Tian Xuan before?"

"You haven’t heard of him?" Zhao Yixue asked in surprise.

The junior brother shook his head in confusion; how could he have heard of such an ancient character.

"He is the founding ancestor of the Tianyi Teachings, who has already ascended to the Heavenly realm, a great figure." Zhao Yixue said with a sigh.

"Ah!" The junior brother’s mouth fell open in shock, and he stealthily took another look at Elder Tian Xuan before saying with a wry smile, "He doesn’t look the part."

"Of course not, what you see is his appearance after feather transformation and ascension, his immortal body, which naturally is young in image. This appearance is something only very few within the Tianyi Teachings have seen, and I by chance, happened to see it during my last visit to the Tianyi Teachings."

Lin Fang, still observing his surroundings, also looked at Elder Tian Xuan in amazement upon hearing this. He had once encountered a portrait of the Tianyi Teachings’ ancestor in Gao Lao Village, and it indeed depicted his younger self, but it looked like he had long since become a puppet.

"Could it be that the Qionghua Sect can reverse time, allowing us to return to the past?" Junior Brother Xiang put forward his own confusion, as the scene before them seemed unmistakably like they had returned to the past.

In the meantime, he had tried talking with the people around him and found them to be quite animated, their words also brimming with wisdom, which even more so affirmed his guess.

They had indeed traveled through time.

Junior Brother Xiang and his senior sister exchanged looks, eyes flashing with fear. Such a fearsome sect had been brought down to the mortal world by a mere gesture from the Mysterious Lady of the Nine Heavens, the strength of deities beyond imagination.

However, Lin Fang did not believe their conjecture. This world indeed had beings capable of reversing time, but assuredly they were not people from the Qionghua Sect. If they could do so, they would not have fallen into the mortal world.

He used the power of his soul to observe his surroundings but found nothing amiss. Yet a deep intuition within his soul told him that this place was not real.

"Interesting, I wonder how they managed to do this." Lin Fang murmured to himself, feeling curious about this method. Indeed, one should never underestimate human intelligence.

This method almost passed for real.

He walked among the crowd with interest, engaging enthusiastically in conversation with everyone, and gradually started noticing issues.

These fabricated lives, their memories seemed to be very fragmented, hence as the conversation went on, a lot of their words became inconsistent and contradictory.

Yet the individuals themselves were completely unaware of this, continuing to talk incessantly even as their mistakes accumulated.

When they reached the limit of their programming, they would just freeze like a crashed computer, entering a state of permanent stasis.

However, the situation with the Qionghua Sect disciples was entirely different. Speaking with them felt like they were truly alive, and most importantly, Lin Fang felt a familiar fluctuation on them— the aura of the soul, proving that these people were beings with souls.

Meanwhile, outside the secret realm, in the ruins, aside from a few from the Qinglian Sword Sect still desperately holding on, the others who entered the ruins had already perished in the confrontation.

Perhaps because there was enough blood and souls, the pressure from the heart suddenly lightened.

The Blood Cocoon radiated light, and a drop of golden blood fell from the sky, carrying a regal and holy presence, instantly attracting the attention of the few.

"This is the True Dragon’s essence blood!" Junior Brother Xiao identified the origin of the blood first.