I transmigrated to a chaotic world and became the sole player.

More and more disciples gathered at the White Jade Plaza. Lu Zhao finished his meditation and calmly observed the crowd that was being teleported in. The inner disciples and outer disciples were clearly separated into two areas, rarely interacting with each other, and their eyes held a faint sense of estrangement and scrutiny.

The inner disciples generally possessed powerful auras, with the lowest being at the sixth level of Qi Refining, many reaching the seventh or eighth level, and even a few at the peak of the ninth level. Their demeanor was composed and dignified, clearly indicating that they were all elites within the inner sect. Their clothing was uniform, some ornate and others simple and unadorned, and their magical artifacts shimmered with spiritual light. Their expressions during conversations were also more relaxed and confident.

The outer disciples were a more mixed group. Most were at the fourth to sixth level of Qi Refining, with Lu Zhao, at the late fifth level, considered above average. Their clothing varied, and their auras differed in strength; many bore the scars and fatigue of traversing the Illusionary Heart Path. Among them were familiar faces like Liu Feng, Shi Yong, and Hou San (who had all successfully passed through and arrived at the plaza, gathering around Lu Zhao), as well as many lone wolves silently huddled in corners.

Lu Zhao saw Wang Tie and Huang Ling'er. Wang Tie looked somewhat disheveled, his clothes torn, but his spirits were still high. Upon seeing Lu Zhao, he grinned and walked over. Huang Ling'er remained aloof, merely nodding slightly to Lu Zhao before standing quietly to the side. Her cultivation had actually broken through to the fifth level of Qi Refining, and her aura was pure, clearly indicating that she had also encountered some fortuitous events recently.

"Junior Brother Lu, you're really something! That wind bridge made my heart jump, but you walked it like it was flat ground!" Wang Tie exclaimed in amazement.

"It was just luck. Senior Brother Wang made it through too, didn't he?" Lu Zhao said with a smile.

"Don't even mention it, I almost fell down. Luckily, I'm tough and withstood several wind blades," Wang Tie said, still shaken.

Liu Feng, Shi Yong, and Hou San also gathered around, and the group chatted in hushed tones, sharing their experiences and feelings from their journey through the Illusory Heart Path. Liu Feng was composed, Shi Yong was solid, and Hou San was quick-witted; each had their own methods for passing the tests. However, when the final Wind Bridge and Shadowless Wind Wall were mentioned, their expressions turned serious, clearly indicating that they had endured considerable hardship.

"Those who made it this far are no pushovers. The competition in the secret realm will likely be even fiercer," Liu Feng said in a low voice.

"Moreover, we must not only be wary of the dangers of the secret realm itself, but also be careful of... certain people." Shi Yong said in a deep voice, his gaze sweeping over the inner disciples' area and then over a few cold-looking guys with unfriendly eyes among the outer disciples.

Lu Zhao nodded silently. He had long noticed several gazes, like venomous snakes, sweeping over him from time to time. Some were from the inner sect, others from the outer sect. One of them belonged to a young man from the inner sect, dressed in brocade robes, with an arrogant face and an eighth-level Qi Refining cultivation. His gaze was filled with undisguised hostility and greed. Lu Zhao recognized this man; he was one of Zhao Wuji's henchmen during the sect competition, and his surname seemed to be Li. Although Zhao Wuji was dead, his followers might not have been completely eliminated, so it was normal for this man to harbor resentment towards Lu Zhao.

Another gaze came from a pale-faced, thin, and vacant-eyed young man in black among the outer disciples, seemingly indifferent to everything. This man's cultivation was only at the peak of the fifth level of Qi Refining, but he felt far more dangerous to Lu Zhao than the young man in brocade robes at the eighth level of Qi Refining! His eyes were like still water, devoid of any emotion, but when they occasionally swept over Lu Zhao, Lu Zhao felt a faint, yet strangely familiar, tremor in his heart—somewhat similar to that of the "Shadow Assassin"! It was killing intent, and a chilling killing intent honed through countless trials and tribulations, ingrained in his very bones!

"People from Blood Kill Tower? Or some other assassin organization? Have they infiltrated as well?" Lu Zhao's heart skipped a beat, and he secretly listed this person as an extremely dangerous target.

Beyond the obvious hostility, there were even more inquisitive, curious, and evaluative gazes. Lu Zhao's reputation had spread far and wide, and with rumors of a "summoning" from the Supreme Elder, he naturally became the focus of everyone's attention. Many wanted to see just how capable this outer disciple, who had repeatedly created "miracles," really was.

Time passed in the waiting. When the number of disciples gathered in the square reached ninety-eight (fifty from the inner sect and forty-eight from the outer sect), the grand voice rang out once more:

"The time has come. Those who are not here are eliminated."

As soon as the words were spoken, a dazzling, seven-colored pillar of light shot into the sky from the center of the square without warning! The pillar was about ten feet in diameter, with flowing light and shadow inside, and faint phantom images of mountains, rivers, rare birds and beasts floating and sinking. An ancient, vast, and vibrant spatial fluctuation emanated from the pillar of light.

"The entrance to the Cloud Sea Secret Realm is now open! Enter in order using your Secret Realm Token! The Secret Realm will remain open for one month. After one month, regardless of your location, you will be repelled by the power of the Secret Realm and teleported back to this plaza. Within the Secret Realm, life and death are your own responsibility, and opportunities are yours to seize. Now, enter!"

The one in charge of presiding was still that cold-faced elder in black. As soon as he finished speaking, the few inner disciples who were at the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining were the first to transform into streaks of light and plunge into the seven-colored pillar of light without hesitation, their figures disappearing instantly.

Immediately afterward, the other inner disciples also rushed in, vying for a spot. The outer disciples hesitated slightly, but soon, some of the bolder ones gritted their teeth and charged in.

"Junior Brother Lu, we..." Liu Feng looked at Lu Zhao.

"Go in!" Lu Zhao nodded to Liu Feng and the others without hesitation. With a swift movement, he transformed into a streak of green and followed closely behind the first batch of inner disciples, rushing into the seven-colored pillar of light.

Upon entering the pillar of light, I felt a dizzying sensation, as if my body was being stretched and compressed infinitely, surrounded by bizarre and chaotic spatial currents. Fortunately, the secret realm token in my hand (issued during registration) emitted a soft halo, protecting my body and offsetting most of the spatial tearing force.

This process lasted for about ten breaths, and then the seven-colored light in front of us suddenly disappeared as soon as our feet touched the ground.

Lu Zhao found himself standing on a soft, seemingly formed "ground" of white clouds. All around him stretched an endless, surging sea of ​​white clouds. Within this sea of ​​clouds, towering peaks rose abruptly, waterfalls cascaded and streams flowed (formed from spiritual clouds), and the ethereal silhouettes of jade palaces appeared and disappeared. Various strange and wondrous birds and beasts soared and frolicked among the clouds. Sunlight filtered through the thin clouds, refracting into a rainbow of colors, transforming the entire world into a fairyland.

The spiritual energy here is so dense it's almost liquid. With each breath, a torrent of spiritual energy surges into the body, invigorating the spirit and leaving one feeling completely refreshed. It's several times denser than even the best cave dwellings within the sect!

"This is the Cloud Sea Secret Realm? It truly lives up to its reputation!" Lu Zhao exclaimed inwardly. He tried circulating his cultivation technique and discovered that his cultivation speed was several times faster than outside! If he could seclude himself here for a month, it would be equivalent to several years of arduous cultivation outside!

But he immediately calmed down. Such a treasure land must also be accompanied by great danger. He immediately released his [Refining Spirit Technique] perception and at the same time activated the [Returning to the Void Concealing Breath Technique] to minimize his own aura.

Within his perception range, no other disciples were detected, suggesting the teleportation was random. The surrounding sea of ​​clouds made navigation difficult. He took out his positioning compass, finding it still affected by interference, but much better than in the Illusionary Heart Path, allowing him to barely discern general directions.

"First, find a relatively safe place and observe the environment. At the same time... try to sense the guidance of the Nine Netherworld Token fragment, or... the unusual movement of the Demon Lord's mark," Lu Zhao pondered. The Supreme Elder had mentioned that there might be clues to the Nine Netherworld Dao inheritance in the secret realm, and it might even be related to the Soul Devouring Demon Lord. He had to be careful.

He chose a "Cloud Peak" direction with relatively stable spiritual energy and a wide field of vision, and used the [Flowing Cloud Step] to carefully move forward on the soft but resilient "Cloud Ground". This place seemed like a fairyland, but according to his [Refining Spirit Technique], deep within the sea of ​​clouds, there were many powerful life fluctuations and dangerous energy turbulence. Some cloud clusters seemed harmless, but in fact contained violent lightning-attribute spiritual energy; some cloud beasts seemed docile, but their aura was comparable to that of late-stage Qi Refining demon beasts.

After traveling for about half an hour, Lu Zhao suddenly stopped, his sharp gaze fixed on a swirling mass of thick clouds to his left. He sensed two undisguised, malevolent auras rapidly approaching him! Moreover, one of these auras gave him a familiar, unsettling feeling—it was the same black-clad youth with the empty gaze from the plaza earlier!

"They came fast." Lu Zhao's eyes turned cold. He stopped in his tracks, choosing not to run. The other party was clearly coming for him and seemed to have some kind of tracking method. Running away might not shake them off. It was better to confront them head-on and see what they were up to. Besides, the terrain here was relatively open, suitable for fighting.

He quietly grasped several talismans, and the Azure Edge Sword slid into his hand. His spiritual energy flowed slowly within him, and the Black Tortoise Shield was ready to be activated at any moment.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Two figures broke through the clouds and appeared ten feet in front of Lu Zhao. It was the pale-faced young man in black, and a short, stout man with a fierce face, wielding a ghost-headed broadsword, who was at the sixth level of Qi Refining. As soon as they appeared, they subtly blocked Lu Zhao's retreat, one on the left and one on the right.

"Lu Zhao?" the young man in black asked, his voice hoarse and dry, like two pieces of iron rubbing together, devoid of any emotion.

"What advice do you two have for me?" Lu Zhao asked calmly.

"Someone has offered to take your life," the young man in black said calmly, as if it were a trivial matter. "You can suffer less if you end it yourself. We only want your storage bag and your head."

"Are they remnants of Zhao Wuji's faction? Or... the Blood Slaughter Tower?" Lu Zhao asked.

A barely perceptible flicker crossed the young man's eyes. He didn't answer, but slowly drew a short, jet-black scabbard from behind his back. The blade was curved like a crescent moon and exuded a chilling aura of death. "Dead men don't need to know too much."

The short, stout, burly man grinned maliciously, his ghost-headed broadsword gleaming with blood, emanating a savage aura: "Kid, know what's good for you! I might still give you a quick death!"

"Just the two of you?" Lu Zhao's lips curled into a cold smile. The two opponents were a black-clad youth at the peak of the fifth level of Qi Refining, but the threat he posed was far greater than others of the same level; the short, stout man was at the sixth level of Qi Refining, but his aura was unstable, clearly indicating a weak foundation. If it were before, he might have had to put in some effort, but now...

"If you won't say it, then never say it." Before Lu Zhao finished speaking, he suddenly moved! He didn't choose to defend or fight, but instead took the initiative to attack!

With the [Flowing Cloud Step] activated to its limit, his figure transformed into a blurry wisp of green smoke, rushing straight towards the seemingly more threatening black-clad youth! At the same time, he raised his left hand, and the three "talisman swords" he had prepared beforehand—gold, water, and wood—arrived in a triangular formation and shot towards the black-clad youth!

"You're courting death!" The stagnant calm in the black-clad youth's eyes finally shattered, a chilling killing intent flashing across them. Instead of retreating, he advanced, his jet-black dagger tracing a strange arc, silent yet carrying a soul-chilling coldness, slashing towards Lu Zhao's throat! The speed was astonishing, the angle cunning and ruthless—truly the style of a professional assassin!

However, Lu Zhao's [Refining Spirit Technique] had already anticipated his movements! At the instant the short sword was about to strike, Lu Zhao's body twisted strangely, as if defying inertia, narrowly avoiding the blade. At the same time, his right hand wielded the [Azure Edge Sword] with a pale golden sheen, aiming straight for the black-clad youth's wrist!

"clang!"

The young man in black changed his move with lightning speed, his short sword whirling as he parried the longsword. But just then, the three "talisman swords" that Lu Zhao had shot out arrived!

The [Sharp Golden Light Talisman] transformed into a golden ray, piercing straight into his heart! The [Gentle Water and Frosty Ice Talisman] transformed into a cold mist, enveloping his entire body! The [Life-Giving Vine Talisman] transformed into vines, wrapping around his legs!

The young man in black snorted coldly, his black robe fluttering without wind. A sudden burst of cold, viscous black energy erupted, simultaneously blocking the golden light, the cold mist, and the vines! Although it didn't completely block them, it bought him a moment's time. He retreated rapidly, trying to escape the range of the rune array.

But how could Lu Zhao let him have his way? The moment the rune array was activated, he was already following closely behind! The sword light of the [Azure Edge Sword] surged, and the lightning of [Thunder Flash] danced on the sword. Furthermore, a very faint gray aura quietly attached itself to the tip of the sword—it was the annihilation aura that he had initially tried to induce!

"Thunderclap - Annihilation Slash!"

Lu Zhao shouted and unleashed a sword strike! Sword light, lightning, and gray mist merged into a strange and dangerous sword aura that tore through the air and slashed fiercely at the black-clad youth!

The young man in black's expression finally changed! He sensed the threat of death from that sword strike! That gray aura made him instinctively feel disgust and a trace of...fear! He dared not take it head-on, and his short sword danced rapidly in front of him, turning into a black curtain of blades, while he retreated rapidly.

"boom!"

The sword energy slashed against the blade barrier, erupting in blinding light and a deafening roar! Lightning raged, and a gray aura, like a persistent, insidious infection, corroded the blade barrier! The black-clad youth grunted, the blade barrier shattered, and he was sent flying backward, a trickle of black blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with disbelief. He hadn't expected that Lu Zhao not only possessed bizarre talismans, but also such formidable close-combat swordsmanship, and even this strange power capable of eroding his protective Yin energy!

However, just as Lu Zhao was chasing the young man in black, his old strength exhausted and new strength yet to be generated, a vicious gust of wind swept from behind! It was the short, fat, and burly man! Seeing Lu Zhao locked in fierce combat with the young man in black, he thought he had an opportunity to strike, and brandishing his ghost-head broadsword, which, accompanied by a foul gust of wind, slashed fiercely at Lu Zhao's back! The timing was extremely cunning!

"I was prepared for this!" As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Lu Zhao slid to the side just as the ghost-headed broadsword was about to strike him. The [Flowing Cloud Step] once again demonstrated its wonder. At the same time, a heavy, earthen-yellow shield phantom suddenly appeared behind him—the [Mystic Turtle Shield] was activated!

"clang!!"

The demon-headed broadsword slammed into the shield shadow with a deafening roar! The shield shadow trembled violently, its light dimming, but it ultimately withstood this powerful blow. Using the recoil, Lu Zhao accelerated again, widening the distance between himself and the burly man. At the same time, without turning his head, he swung his left hand backward!

"Whoosh!"

A jet-black, hair-thin streak of light, silent and invisible, mingled with the aftershocks and light of the explosion, shot towards the short, stout man's forehead!

【Mysterious Yin Soul-Slaying Needle】! Its true purpose is to ambush!

The short, stout man slashed the shield with his sword, feeling smug and believing Lu Zhao was beyond saving. He was completely unaware of the deadly black needle! It wasn't until a cold, stinging pain came from between his eyebrows that he turned pale with horror and tried to circulate his spiritual energy to protect himself, but it was too late!

"puff!"

The black needle pierced his brow without any resistance! The Xuan Yin power, which specifically damages the soul, erupted instantly in his sea of ​​consciousness!

"Ah—!" The short, stout man let out a bloodcurdling scream. His demon-headed broadsword clattered to the ground. He clutched his head, black blood gushing from his seven orifices. His eyes dimmed rapidly, his body swayed, and he collapsed to the ground, convulsing a few times before falling silent. He had been killed in a single blow! Even his soul hadn't escaped, annihilated by the Soul-Slaying Needle!

"Fourth Brother!" Not far away, the young man in black, who had just regained his footing and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, finally showed a hint of shock and anger in his eyes when he saw his companion die instantly. He hadn't expected that Lu Zhao was not only incredibly strong, but also had an endless variety of ruthless and decisive methods!

Lu Zhao slowly turned around to look at the young man in black. The Azure Edge Sword in his hand was pointed diagonally at the ground, and a wisp of gray energy slowly dissipated from the tip of the sword. His aura was steady, as if killing a Qi Refining Level 6 cultivator was just a casual act.

"Now, can you tell me? Who sent you?" Lu Zhao's voice was icy.

The young man in black stared intently at Lu Zhao, his eyes filled with a mixture of killing intent, shock, anger, and apprehension. He knew he had likely met his match. This Lu Zhao was far more dangerous and troublesome than his employer had described! Not only did he possess bizarre rune arrays, sharp swordsmanship, and powerful movement techniques, but he also had flying needles that specifically damaged the soul and a gray power that corroded everything... This was simply not the kind of skill a fifth-level Qi Refining cultivator should possess!

"Blood Killing Tower, accepting orders, no questions asked of employers," the black-clad youth said hoarsely, his body slightly lowered, like a venomous snake poised to strike. "However, you killed my brother, today, you must die!"

Before he finished speaking, his figure exploded, transforming into three identical black afterimages. From three different directions, carrying chilling killing intent and icy blade light, they simultaneously pounced on Lu Zhao! The speed was extremely fast, and the aura and movements of the three afterimages were completely consistent, making it difficult to distinguish the real from the fake!

This is some kind of sophisticated illusionary clone technique! Clearly, this is his trump card!

Faced with this sudden and bizarre attack, Lu Zhao's pupils constricted slightly, but he did not panic. He activated his [Refining Spirit Technique] to its fullest extent, and simultaneously, he raised both hands, scattering the talismans he had prepared beforehand like a shower of petals! The attack wasn't aimed at a single afterimage, but rather covered the entire space within a radius of several feet centered on him!

[Blazing Sun Talisman]! [Gentle Water and Frosty Ice Talisman]! [Sharp Golden Light Talisman]! [Life-Generating Vine Talisman]! [Thick Earth and Stone Talisman]!

The Five Elements Talisman, a blend of attack, control, and defense, instantly transformed the surroundings into a sea of ​​elements! Flames exploded, ice spikes shot out, golden light pierced through, vines grew wildly, and earth spikes sprang up!

"BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!"

The violent explosion and energy turbulence completely engulfed the three black afterimages that rushed towards them! No matter how exquisite the illusion was, it had nowhere to hide under the indiscriminate area attack!

"Left!" A glint flashed in Lu Zhao's eyes. In the instant of the explosion, his [Refining Spirit Technique] had already captured the only one of the three afterimages that showed an extremely faint change in spiritual energy fluctuations as it attacked! He moved like lightning, passing through the aftershocks of the explosion, and his [Azure Edge Sword], carrying an unstoppable momentum, stabbed towards the slightly stagnant afterimage on the left!

"Pfft!"

The sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out! The young man in black groaned, staggering out of the explosion, his left shoulder pierced by the [Azure Edge Sword]! His eyes were filled with horror and resentment; he hadn't expected Lu Zhao's reaction and ability to break the deadlock to be so strong!

He violently shook off his longsword, ignoring his injuries, and his figure transformed into a wisp of black smoke, attempting to flee into the distant sea of ​​clouds! He knew that today's assassination attempt had completely failed, and if he continued to fight, he would surely die!

"Trying to leave? Too late!" How could Lu Zhao let the tiger return to the mountain? With a thought, another [Mysterious Yin Soul-Slaying Needle] that had been lurking to his side and had not been used yet was silently shot at the back of the black-clad youth's head from a tricky angle!

At the same time, he made a hand seal with his left hand, and the [Divine Thought Differentiation Technique] that he had never used before was quietly activated, separating a wisp of divine thought to forcibly interfere with the spiritual power operation of the opponent's escape technique!

The black-clad youth's escape light paused for a moment, though only for an extremely brief instant, but that was enough for the [Mysterious Yin Soul-Slaying Needle]!

"laugh!"

The black needle pierced flesh again! This time, it was the back of the head!

"Uh..." The black-clad youth's body suddenly stiffened, the light in his eyes quickly dimmed, his escape light dissipated, and he fell straight down from mid-air like a puppet with its strings cut, crashing into the clouds and splashing up a cloud of mist, never to return.

Lu Zhao stepped forward and confirmed that both men were completely dead. He quickly searched their bodies and found a metal token engraved with a blood-red skull dagger on the black-clad youth—it was indeed the Blood Killing Tower's assassin token! From the short, stout man, he only found some ordinary spirit stones and pills.

"Blood Killing Tower... It seems that Zhao Wuji's remnants, or someone else, are still not giving up, and have actually hired an assassin organization." Lu Zhao's eyes were icy. He used a fireball spell to incinerate the two corpses, destroying the evidence, and also erased as many traces of the battle as possible.

This place is not safe to stay for long. The battle just now was quite loud and may attract other people or dangerous beings from the secret realm.

He collected his spoils (mainly the Blood Kill Tower token, which might be useful), chose a direction, and quickly left.

Upon first entering the secret realm, they were met with a life-or-death attack. This Cloud Sea Secret Realm is indeed fraught with danger at every turn.

"Blood Killing Tower... No matter who you are, if you want to kill me, be prepared to be killed in return." Lu Zhao sneered inwardly, and his figure quickly disappeared into the vast sea of ​​clouds.