Within My Sect, All Realms Unite

Slowly, the sword stopped resisting and instead aligned with Tian Jian Zun’s intent, merging with it in a way that felt natural yet overwhelming at the same time. The boundary between the blade and his will blurred completely, and in the next instant, it vanished with terrifying speed, entering directly through his forehead.

As this happened, the heavens above trembled faintly, as if something had changed in a way that should not have been allowed, yet no direct response followed. Lin Xiaotian had already sealed the entire space completely, cutting off every trace of what had occurred from leaking even the slightest bit outward.

Tian Jian Zun slowly closed his eyes, his aura shifting as the presence within him stabilized, no longer clashing but settling into something far deeper. The mark on his forehead began to change, its previous purple shade fading slowly as a steel-grey color took its place, carrying a silent and absolute presence.

He opened his eyes again after a moment, his gaze steadier than before as he bowed slightly without hesitation. "I thank you for your trust and this gift, Sect Master," he said calmly, his tone sincere. "I will use it for the sect."

Lin Xiaotian looked at him and simply replied, his tone even and without unnecessary words. "You deserve it, as an elder of the Celestial Origin Supreme Sect."

"Supreme sect indeed," Tian Jian Zun said lightly, a faint smile appearing on his face. "A small Golden Core like me is quite fortunate to receive such an opportunity."

He said it without the slightest hint of shame, as if the words held no contradiction at all, before turning and slowly walking out of the room without looking back.

Lin Xiaotian’s jaw tightened slightly as he watched him leave, his expression remaining calm but his thoughts no longer as relaxed. A Golden Core, you say... a Golden Core who just semi-refined a half-immortal artifact in mere moments.

He took a slow breath, forcing his thoughts to settle as the tension in his mind eased gradually. Enjoy it while you can... I will make full use of you, Second Elder.

After a moment, he turned and walked back into his chambers, sitting down quietly as his aura stabilized once again. He could still feel the sword faintly through the connection, though it had already grown weaker as it settled completely into Tian Jian Zun.

The day you betray the sect... it will not end well for you.

He let the thought pass instead of holding onto it, clearing his mind as he took out a pill and placed it into his mouth. The moment it dissolved, his aura began to circulate again as he entered cultivation, pushing everything else aside.

At the same time someone else was also waiting for the 100 sect’s tournament but with far more hunger.

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Deep within a lightless cavern, a handsome man lay sprawled across the freezing stone, his body torn open with wounds that refused to close, as if even his flesh resisted recovery. Around him, shriveled corpses were scattered in uneven piles, their hollowed forms drained completely of blood, essence, and the faintest trace of life.

The air pressed heavily against the lungs, thick with the stench of rot and metallic blood, yet beneath it lingered something far more unsettling, something that seemed almost alive in its quiet presence.

His chest rose slowly with effort as irritation surfaced across his face, his fingers twitching faintly against the stone as if suppressing an urge to tear something apart.

Fk it... That emperor and his guards, and that old Yan ancestor, all of them choosing the precise moment when my body stood at its limit.

His gaze darkened as the tribulation replayed within his mind, lightning tearing through the heavens in relentless succession, each strike heavier than the last, pushing his body toward transformation. Yet right at the peak, when his essence was on the verge of completing its change, their interference shattered the rhythm, forcing instability into what should have been perfection.

Right at the peak... when everything was about to settle, those bastards stepped in and ruined it.

His jaw tightened slightly as the memory continued, his focus splitting under the pressure of heaven’s wrath while that greedy old dog dared to make his move, attempting to devour him amidst the chaos. Instead of fading, the anger settled deeper, cold and suffocating, embedding itself into every passing breath.

Forcing me to split my focus... and that greedy old dog tried to devour me back in the middle of it.

The man slowly reached out and grabbed one of the fresher corpses lying nearby, his movements calm despite the torn state of his body, as if such injuries were nothing more than a temporary inconvenience. The moment his fingers tightened, thin needle-like tendrils erupted from his palms, writhing like starving parasites before piercing deeply into the corpse.

The body shriveled almost instantly, collapsing inward as every trace of vitality was devoured without resistance, leaving behind nothing but a fragile husk that could barely retain its shape. At the same time, the wounds across his body began to knit together, torn flesh reconnecting slowly as his aura stabilized with each passing moment.

Emperor Zhao... I will show you the consequences of interfering in what was never yours to touch.

A faint curve formed on his lips as another thought surfaced, darker and far more deliberate than the last, carrying a sense of inevitability rather than mere anger. His gaze carried a silent hostility that seemed to distort the air itself as a faint killing intent surfaced without restraint.

That old dog’s leftover soul has already been devoured by me, and soon the same fate will descend upon you and everything you stand upon.

He tossed the dried corpse aside without care, his attention shifting inward as fragments of recent news surfaced within his mind, slowly aligning into something that resembled opportunity rather than coincidence. The cavern fell quiet once more, yet the atmosphere had already begun to change.

A Hundred Sects Tournament, set to begin in only a few months, gathering countless so-called geniuses in a single place.

The curve of his lips deepened into something far more sinister, his eyes gleaming faintly within the darkness as anticipation replaced the remnants of irritation lingering within him. His fingers flexed slightly, as if already grasping what had yet to unfold.

How generous... preparing such a grand stage and gathering their finest talents together as if offering them willingly.

His breathing steadied completely, the last traces of weakness fading as his presence stabilized, no longer appearing as a wounded man but something far more composed and dangerous. The silence of the cavern now felt heavier, as if reacting to the shift in his state.

Once I devour those geniuses and refine everything they carry, the final step into the Divine Transformation realm will no longer remain out of reach.

A low chuckle escaped his lips, echoing faintly across the cavern walls as his expression settled into something calm yet deeply unsettling, as if everything ahead had already been decided. Nothing in his gaze suggested uncertainty, only quiet inevitability.

This time... not a single one of them will escape my grasp.