Stop pretending, the fake heiress is actually a master of metaphysics.

Inside the Lingyun Sect.

The members of the Xuanmen Guild and the so-called "inner disciples" of the Lingyun Sect were locked in a stalemate.

The loudspeaker continuously played the police's usual rhetoric.

For example, laying down one's weapons, or turning back to the right path.

However, most of these people entered the Lingyun Sect at a very young age.

Some of the ideas that the sect instilled in them have become deeply ingrained in their minds.

Even if they are rescued now, they may need a long period of socialization before they can accept the existence of the real world again.

Seeing that the other party showed no remorse, the guild members stopped their pointless attempts at persuasion.

It's unclear which side made the first move.

The two sides quickly clashed.

One side consists of cultivators who have cultivated in the secret realm for decades, possessing a uniquely advantageous environment and elixirs to enhance their cultivation.

On one side is the Xuanmen Guild, which mixes talismans and magical artifacts with modern weapons.

For a moment, it was not easy to distinguish which was superior.

Shen Nian breathed a slight sigh of relief and reached out to press her storage ring.

The next moment, the sky in the secret realm, which had been clear and cloudless, suddenly darkened, turning an ominous blood red.

A blood-red banner of a hundred ghosts, several meters long, appeared above everyone.

In an instant, a shrill and terrifying sound filled everyone's eardrums.

Shen Nian sneered, "More than a thousand years ago, you slaughtered hundreds of people from my sect."

"Among them are the prodigies of sects, innocent children, and elderly people in their twilight years."

"Now, it's time for blood to be paid for in blood."

Countless blood-red figures flew out from the Hundred Ghost Banner, attacking the Lingyun Sect disciples who were blocking their way.

The members of the Xuanmen Guild looked at the Hundred Ghosts Banner in surprise.

They had just dealt with an incident involving a hundred-ghost banner not long ago, so they were well aware of its power.

The power of this Hundred Ghost Banner far surpasses that of the one that Chen had refined earlier.

However, since Master Shen summoned it to help them, there's no need to dwell on its origins now.

They wouldn't be so unable to distinguish right from wrong.

"Damn it, what kind of evil spirit is this!"

One of Ling Yunzhi's disciples was bitten on the shoulder by an evil spirit and cried out in pain.

"Quickly use the Heavenly Thunder Talisman! Strike these evil spirits to death!"

Dozens of talismans flew out, and the Lingyun Sect members moved in unison, subtly creating the impression of surrounding the Xuanmen group.

Thunder gradually rose from the originally blood-red sky.

"Disciples, heed my command! Form a battle formation!!!"

"Kill these evil spirits who seek to harm our sect!!!"

Thunder rumbled loudly.

There were indeed dozens of very thick bolts of lightning heading towards the direction where the Xuanmen group was located.

This is the heavenly lightning of the Lesser Heavenly Dao within the secret realm, and it surpasses even the heavenly lightning outside the secret realm.

"Quickly, everyone, bring out any defensive magical artifacts you have!"

Shen Nian looked at the rolling heavenly lightning and gave a cold laugh: "Just a mere minor Heavenly Dao."

She was a cultivator who had undergone the Golden Core Tribulation at the age of eighteen.

After that, she transformed into a Nascent Soul cultivator, and even though the heavenly lightning did not strike, she still possessed genuine cultivation.

The members of the Xuanmen Guild watched in shock as Shen Nian's figure suddenly rose from the ground, soaring upwards and rushing straight to the front of several bolts of heavenly lightning.

"So there really are people in this world who can fly through the clouds."

"Is Master Shen going to use his own flesh and blood... to withstand the heavenly lightning?"

The lightning bolt had already struck him.

Amidst the excruciating pain that felt like being shattered to pieces, Shen Nian heard a majestic voice.

It asked—

Did you eat something wrong?

Shen Nian gritted her teeth and cleaved the two lightning tribulations in two with a backhand.

She doesn't know she's wrong.

Seeking revenge for one's sect is a matter of course; what's wrong with that?

However, this Lesser Heavenly Dao, sheltering sinners within the secret realm, is unworthy of being called the Dao!

Seemingly seeing that Shen Nian was not convinced, the heavenly lightning struck down even more fiercely.

People on the ground could barely see Shen Nian's figure anymore.

Even the people from Lingyun Sect were stunned.

With their abilities, they could summon at most ten bolts of heavenly lightning.

However, right now, Shen Nian is being struck by dozens of bolts of heavenly lightning.

Is this some kind of lightning rod?

Shen Nian stood amidst the heavenly lightning, her expression indifferent, showing no sign of pain.

This is how Xiao Tiandao attracted the heavenly lightning that had been delayed for two realms.

She gave a cold laugh.

So this is what Heaven was waiting for her to do.

She seemed to know what those people were trying to remind her of on those occasions.

Beware of the ways of Heaven.

What we must be careful of is the way of Heaven in this vast world.

She calmly thought things through while enduring the excruciating pain of being shattered to pieces.

The fact that various sects coveted the divine artifact and besieged the Guili Sect a thousand years ago was ordained by the Heavenly Dao.

Or rather, it tacitly approved it.

Therefore, for thousands of years, those sects have not only escaped any punishment, but have also survived in the secret realm to this day.

Therefore, everyone who tried to give Shen Nian a hint met a tragic and indescribable end.

Why would Heaven do this?

Shen Nian didn't understand.

The Heavenly Dao of a realm, in principle, should not be capable of having any selfishness or emotion.

Because that is the way of Heaven.

That is the rule by which the world operates.

It is neither a person nor a thing, but the ethereal "Tao".

How could He possibly have any so-called bias or selfishness?

This is something that has never been heard of before, in all of history.

Why did Heaven target the Guili Sect?

Shen Nian pondered amidst the endless thunder and lightning, thinking to himself that perhaps the only answer could be attributed to the divine artifact.

That is a truly divine artifact that can defy fate and change everything.

Perhaps Heaven cannot tolerate it; there are other beings besides oneself who can determine or change fate.

Shen Nian had no time to think about it anymore.

At this moment, all she wants is the lives of the hundreds of people in the Guili Sect, to pay with blood, debt, and more blood!

I don't know how much time has passed.

Perhaps it will be a long time, or perhaps it will only be a fleeting moment.

As the terrifying pressure of the heavenly thunder dissipated, Shen Nian brushed the ashes off his sleeves.

The people from Lingyun Sect looked at Shen Nian as if she were a monster.

Seeing her walk into the main hall, they unconsciously parted to make way for her.

Shen Nian glanced at the members of the Xuanmen Guild and said calmly, "These people are yours to handle."

The minor Heavenly Dao within the secret realm was suppressed by her, and the souls within the Hundred Ghost Banner were also present. The Xuanmen Guild should have no problem dealing with this group of sect disciples.

She carried her sword and walked deeper into the sect.

-

Shen Nian followed the runes on Gu Qiwen's body and walked all the way to the secret chamber in the back hall of the sect.

She reached out and touched the stone wall of the secret chamber. The next moment, the originally solid stone wall began to crack and shake.

It seems it will turn into ashes in the next moment.

Shen Nian said coldly, "Are you coming out on your own, or...?"

She singled them out one by one.

The next moment, the door to the secret room opened.

Shen Nian stepped inside.

Inside was a vast, empty hall with a very high dome that blocked out the sun.

On the high thrones sat several elderly men whose faces were obscured.

They looked down at Shen Nian without saying a word.

Gu Qiwen lay on the floor of the main hall, covered in blood, his fate unknown.