Summoning the Gods: Start by creating the Eternal Night.

Seven days later, at the Fallen Immortal Mountain Range.

The once deserted mountain outskirts are now teeming with people, a dense crowd of cultivators gathered here, shoulder to shoulder, yet clearly separated.

No one dared to set foot on the open space closest to the entrance of the secret realm, as if there was an invisible boundary there that clearly divided the strong and the weak forces.

At the entrance to the secret realm, a faint light curtain floats in the air, radiating ancient and powerful energy fluctuations; this is the barrier of the secret realm.

The light screen shimmered with a faint seven-colored glow, beautiful yet deadly, causing the surrounding cultivators to hesitate to approach.

At the front of the crowd, several figures were hidden in the shadows; they were the members of the Nine Nether Demon Sect who had arrived ahead of time.

Black Wind Guardian, unable to contain his excitement, looked at Red Mandarin Duck and Ming River beside him, his eyes gleaming with excitement:

"Elder Chi Yuan and Elder Ming He, we are the first to arrive among the top forces."

"Why don't we try to get in before the other top powers arrive, and seize the initiative?"

Minghe glanced at him, then looked down at the entrance of the secret realm, his expression grave: "What's the rush? The secret realm isn't fully open yet, and the energy of this barrier is strange. Let's probe its strength first."

Before he finished speaking, his eyes turned cold, and with a casual grab, he pulled up a rogue cultivator who was peeking out from not far away.

The rogue cultivator cried out in alarm, but before he could even struggle, Minghe threw him towards the barrier like trash.

"ah--!"

The piercing screams abruptly stopped.

The moment the rogue cultivator touched the barrier's light screen, he was instantly torn apart and melted away by the invisible energy, like ice and snow meeting fire, leaving not a trace and completely vanishing into nothingness.

"hiss--"

Hei Feng gasped, cold sweat beading on his forehead; his earlier impulsiveness vanished instantly.

"Wow...that's terrifying energy! Thank goodness I didn't act recklessly!"

Protector Chi Meng clicked his tongue, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes:

"This barrier energy is even more domineering than I imagined; it seems it's indeed not time to activate it yet."

Elder Chiyuan nodded and said in a deep voice, "The barrier's energy hasn't dissipated yet. Forcibly breaking in would only be suicide. Just wait patiently for it to dissipate on its own."

The surrounding cultivators witnessed this scene and were so frightened that they retreated, keeping their distance from the Nine Nether Demon Sect members, and began to whisper among themselves.

"That's ruthless! To test the barrier, they're actually using people as cannon fodder!"

"Hurry, hurry, get away from these monsters, or we might become their 'test subjects' someday!"

"It's safer to stay far away. These powerful forces don't even consider us independent cultivators as human beings!"

Amidst the commotion, a whooshing sound came from afar, and a group of men in black flew in, their imposing aura striking directly opposite the Nine Nether Demon Sect. It was the Xuanming Sect's team.

The vice leader of the Xuanming Sect swept his gaze over the members of the Nine Nether Demon Sect, a mocking smile playing on his lips:

"Oh, aren't these the people from the Nine Nether Demon Sect?"

"They're still so ruthless. They're even worse than our Xuanming Sect."

Minghe coldly returned the gaze: "Tit for tat. Your Xuanming Sect certainly has a keen sense of smell; you arrived quite quickly."

The Vice Master of Xuanming chuckled.

"Ha! Your methods of concealing your identities are far too clumsy."

"I could smell the demonic aura emanating from you from a mile away, so what are you pretending for?"

"Get lost! Mind your own business!" Minghe roared, his demonic energy surging around him.

A hint of apprehension flashed in the eyes of the Vice Sect Leader Xuanming. He knew that Minghe was also a late-stage Celestial Realm expert, and if they really made a move, he might not come out on top.

He waved his hand, "Forget it, I'm too lazy to argue with you."

Having said that, he ignored the Nine Nether Demon Sect members and led his men to retreat to the side, his eyes fixed on the secret realm barrier.

Subsequently, both sides' experts at the Celestial Realm level quietly concealed themselves in the void, completely hiding their auras.

Unable to enter the secret realm, they could only wait here until it opened, at which point their own Nirvana Realm experts would lead the way in.

Not long after, two figures walked over awkwardly; they were none other than Qingguo and Qingcheng.

The two were still dressed in flashy clothes, with confident smiles on their faces, and occasionally winking at the cultivators around them.

Upon seeing this, the surrounding cultivators instinctively avoided eye contact, and some even turned their heads away.

It's not that the two are particularly stunning, but rather that their appearances are so "unique" that it's hard to look directly at them.

She was utterly unconcerned about the beauty that could topple kingdoms and cities; instead, she became even more smug.

Qingcheng nudged Qingguo's arm: "Sister, look! So many handsome guys! They're all stunned by our charm and don't even dare to look at us."

With a smug look, she raised her chin and said, "Of course! How could these ordinary people possibly understand the charm of us sisters?"

The two chatted and laughed as they walked straight to the edge of the open space, found a relatively secluded corner to stand in, and curiously examined the spatial rift.

Subsequently, streaks of light pierced the sky as teams from top powers such as the Great Qian Dynasty, Qingyun Sect, Xuanqing Taoism, Wanfo Temple, and Xingchen Pavilion arrived one after another, occupying the open space in front of the entrance to the secret realm.

The eldest prince, Qianfeng, and the third prince, Qianming, accompanied by four retainers, were dressed in python robes and exuded a calm and composed aura. Their gazes swept across the entire area before finally settling on the barrier of the secret realm, their expressions solemn.

Yun He, the deputy sect leader of Qingyun Sect, led the team. His Taoist robes fluttered, and he stood with the second and fifth elders, restraining the disciples behind him and preventing them from having too much contact with other forces.

Master Wufa of Wanfo Temple clasped his hands together, followed by dozens of monks, and chanted a Buddhist prayer.

"Amitabha Buddha, it seems this humble monk is late. I have kept you all waiting."

"Ha, you bald monk, you sure know how to pat yourself on the back."

A mocking voice rang out; it was Black Wind Protector of the Nine Nether Demon Sect.

"Does your Wanfo Temple have that much shame? Is it worth making us wait for you?"

Wanfo Temple prides itself on being the leader of the righteous path, while Jiuyou Demon Sect is the pinnacle of the demonic path. Both are located in Cangzhou, and the saying goes that good and evil cannot coexist, so their grudges have been brewing for a long time.

Now that Black Wind has failed to conceal his identity, he simply stops hiding it and directly mocks them.

Master Wufa's expression darkened slightly, a flash of anger crossing his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it. He clasped his hands together and said calmly:

"Amitabha! You are mistaken, benefactor. I was merely speaking casually and had no other intention. The secret realm is about to open; why argue here?"

He didn't want to clash with the Nine Nether Demon Sect before the secret realm opened, thus wasting his strength. So he ignored Black Wind and turned to close his eyes to rest.

Seeing this, other forces also remained silent.

Although everyone has their own grudges, they all understand that the most important thing right now is to open the secret realm, and there is no need to waste resources at this moment.

For a time, although various forces had gathered in front of the entrance to the secret realm, it was unusually quiet, with only the whistling of the wind blowing through the mountains and the hum of the barrier's energy flow.

All eyes were focused on the slowly rotating light screen.

As time passed, the energy fluctuations on the light screen gradually weakened, and the light became dimmer and dimmer. Clearly, the moment for the secret realm to open was approaching.

The tension in the air grew stronger, and every monk was filled with anticipation and trepidation.