I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

The beam of light pierced the sky, its destination unknown.

That is the entrance to the realm of ice and fire.

At this moment, the area around the Ice and Fire Platform was already crowded with people.

A quick glance revealed at least three thousand people.

The innermost circle consists of the teams from the three major sects.

About fifty people from the Heavenly Sword Sect arrived, led by a cold-faced young man dressed in a golden robe, carrying a giant sword on his back, his aura sharp as a blade—a peak Void Refinement cultivator.

Standing behind him were Ye Wuhen and several other disciples at the Void Refinement stage.

The Xuantian Sect's group was slightly smaller, consisting of about thirty people. Leading them was an elderly man with white hair, whose aura was unfathomable—a Dao Integration stage cultivator.

Behind him were Ling Shuanghua, Lei Dong, Ling Shuangyin, and others.

The Wanfa Sect's group also consisted of over thirty people, led by a middle-aged beautiful woman who was also at the Dao Integration stage.

Outside the inner circle were the teams of the Thirteen Upper Sects and other smaller forces.

Further out, there were countless independent cultivators, densely packed together, numbering as many as two thousand.

The Netherworld Cult did not stand in the open.

However, with a sweep of his divine sense, Qin Yuan sensed at least five chilling auras of cultivators at the Void Refinement stage, hidden among the group of rogue cultivators.

Mu Sangzi was among them.

He stood behind an old man in black robes, his gaze sinister, occasionally sweeping towards the direction of the Xuantian Sect.

Qin Yuan stood at the edge of the group of independent cultivators, dressed in an ordinary blue robe, his aura suppressed to the early stage of the Void Refinement realm, attracting no attention whatsoever.

But his gaze remained fixed on Mu Sangzi.

"Gentlemen!"

An aged voice rang out, silencing all the noise.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw the white-haired Taoist elder slowly step forward and stand in the center of the Ice and Fire Platform.

"I am Ling Daoyuan, an elder of the Xuantian Sect. Today, the Ice and Fire Dual Realm opens, and I will be jointly presiding over the event with two fellow Daoists from the Tianjian Sect and the Wanfa Sect."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

"The rules remain the same: within the secret realm, life and death are left to fate. But there is one rule—you must not kill the disciples of the three major sects. Otherwise, you will bear the consequences after you emerge."

Upon hearing this, a murmur of discontent arose from the group of independent cultivators.

But no one dared to openly oppose it.

This has always been the rule of the three major sects.

"Since there are no objections, then—"

Just as Ling Daoyuan was about to announce the start, a voice suddenly interrupted him.

"Wait a minute."

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young man in a blue robe slowly walking out from the group of rogue cultivators.

It was Qin Yuan.

Ling Daoyuan frowned slightly.

Who are you?

Qin Yuan clasped his hands in a salute.

"Qin Yuan, a disciple of the Taiyi Immortal Sect, greets Elder Ling."

Taiyi Immortal Sect?

Many people present looked surprised.

The Taiyi Immortal Sect is a top sect in Qingzhou, and although it has some reputation in Nanzhou, it is far inferior to the three major sects. How dare a mere Daoist from Qingzhou step forward in this kind of situation?

A hint of surprise flashed in Ling Daoyuan's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Young friend from the Taiyi Sect, what brings you here?"

Qin Yuan said, "I have a question for you."

His gaze passed over Ling Daoyuan and landed on Mu Sangzi in the crowd.

"Elder Mu of the Green Wood Sect is now a guest elder of the Netherworld Sect. May I ask Elder Ling, are the people of the Netherworld Sect also considered disciples of the 'Three Great Sects'?"

These words caused an uproar in the room!

An elder of the Green Wood Sect defected to the Netherworld Sect?

Countless gazes instantly focused on Mu Sangzi.

Mu Sangzi's expression changed drastically.

"You're spouting nonsense!"

He shouted sharply, his aura surging, and the pressure of the late-stage Void Refinement Realm cultivator rushed towards Qin Yuan!

Qin Yuan remained completely still.

He looked at Mu Sangzi indifferently.

"Whether I'm slandering you or not, you know in your heart."

He took out a jade slip from his bosom and tossed it to Ling Daoyuan.

"This is a letter I seized from a cultivator of the Netherworld Sect. It clearly states that Mu Sangzi offered the Qingmu Sect's cultivation manuals and pill formulas as a pledge of loyalty in exchange for the position of guest elder of the Netherworld Sect. Elder Ling, if you do not believe me, you can verify it in public."

Ling Daoyuan took the jade slip and probed it with his divine sense.

A moment later, his face darkened.

"Mu Sangzi." He looked at Mu Sangzi, his voice icy, "Do you plead guilty?"

Mu Sangzi's face turned deathly pale.

He never expected that Qin Yuan would have such evidence!

That letter was written by him personally and entrusted to someone to deliver to the Southern Branch of the Netherworld Sect. That person should be very reliable, so how did it fall into Qin Yuan's hands?

What he didn't know was that the letter had originally been in Li Wanhun's possession. After Li Wanhun's death, Qin Yuan confiscated his storage ring, and the letter naturally ended up in Qin Yuan's hands.

"Elder Ling, this...this is a frame-up!" Mu Sangzi gritted his teeth. "How could a junior from the Taiyi Sect obtain a secret letter from the Netherworld Sect? This is clearly a forgery!"

Qin Yuan said calmly, "Forgery? Elder Ling can have those present who are skilled in handwriting verify it. How could an outsider possibly imitate the cultivation techniques and scriptures of the Azure Wood Sect?"

Ling Daoyuan remained silent.

The middle-aged woman from the Wanfa Sect stepped forward, took the jade slip, glanced at it, and nodded, saying, "The handwriting is vigorous and powerful, indeed not like a forgery. Moreover, the cultivation techniques mentioned in the letter are indeed the secret techniques of the Qingmu Sect."

The cold-faced young man from the Heavenly Sword Sect glanced at it and said indifferently, "Interesting. An elder of the Azure Wood Sect has defected to the Netherworld Sect. If this gets back to Qingzhou, where will the Azure Wood Sect put its face?"

Mu Sangzi trembled all over.

He knew he was finished.

Whether the letter is genuine or not, after today, his reputation in Nanzhou will be completely ruined. The Qingmu Sect will certainly not tolerate an elder who has sided with the evil path.

He stared fiercely at Qin Yuan, his eyes filled with resentment and venom.

"You little beast, you just wait!"

He gritted his teeth, turned around, and ran away!

"Trying to run away?"

Qin Yuan was prepared.

He raised his hand and pointed, a pale golden finger strike that arrived first, aiming straight for Mu Sangzi's back!

Mu Sangzi shouted sharply and summoned a blue wooden shield behind him.

"boom!"

The wooden shield shattered, but the force of the finger strikes, still strong, hit his back!

Mu Sangzi groaned and spat out blood, but his body used the impact to escape even more frantically!

Just then, a dark figure suddenly sprang up from the group of rogue cultivators and struck Qin Yuan with a palm!

The Netherworld Cult has made its move!

Qin Yuan's eyes turned cold, and he was about to retaliate when suddenly—

A streak of icy blue sword light slashed through the sky, precisely striking the dark figure!

The shadowy figure screamed and flew backward, a deep, bone-revealing sword wound appearing on its chest!

Ling Shuanghua, dressed in flowing white robes, landed beside Qin Yuan, her long sword gleaming with a chilling aura.

"People from the Netherworld Cult dare to run rampant in Skyfall City?"

Her voice was cold, yet carried an undeniable authority.

The dark figure struggled to its feet, its face deathly pale. It glared at Ling Shuanghua with hatred before turning and fleeing.

Meanwhile, Mu Sangzi's figure had already disappeared into the distant mountains.

Qin Yuan did not pursue.

It's not that we can't catch up, but rather—

He looked at Ling Shuanghua, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Thank you.

Ling Shuanghua sheathed her longsword and said calmly, "Just doing it on the spur of the moment."

She turned and walked towards the Xuantian Sect's group.

After taking a few steps, she suddenly stopped.

"You held back with that finger strike just now. Was it intentional?"

Qin Yuan did not answer.

Ling Shuanghua remained silent for a moment.

"You're letting him go because you want to kill him yourself?"

Qin Yuan still did not answer.

Ling Shuanghua asked no more questions and continued walking forward.

Her figure disappeared into the crowd.