The Aloof Girl Opens the Door of Her Heart Only to Him

Without a doubt, Ren Yongnian was not asking for her name—that was already known—but probing far deeper: her identity. Clearly, Luo Piaoxue would not obediently answer his question. She gave a light, mocking laugh and said,
“You guess.”
At her words, the clearing fell silent. Ren Yongnian would not play along and guess. Yet the silence did not last long, for Luo Piaoxue acted. This time she said nothing, instead pointing her bloodstained halberd at a cultivator. He was neither Ren Yongnian nor Zui Xin—a nondescript cultivator standing among the group. Yet no matter why, he had been chosen. At her gesture, the cultivator vanished without a trace—along with Luo Piaoxue. Before Ren Yongnian could speak, the others clamored, quickly deducing the rough nature of Luo Piaoxue’s ability and even analyzing her power level. She possessed some skill, perhaps a spell or a treasured artifact, that could forcibly transport a person into another space. Once inside, escape would be nearly impossible—and the only option would be to fight the space’s owner, Luo Piaoxue. Failure meant death. Realizing this, the cultivators again stirred with alarm. None wished to be pulled into an unknown space where they would hold no advantage, especially since Luo Piaoxue’s strength remained unknown. They could only infer her power from the fate of the vanished cultivator—but he had been a genuine Golden Core cultivation master, otherwise he would not have dared mock her so. Upon this realization, many cast pleading looks toward Ren Yongnian, hoping he would offer guidance in their favor. Ren Yongnian did not disappoint. He spoke the words they longed to hear.

“I propose we leave this place. Perhaps once beyond here, Luo Piaoxue’s power cannot reach us.”
Without question, his suggestion won the majority’s approval. They all began to flee toward the Blue Moon at a life-saving pace. One cultivator soared ahead faster than the rest, but not far before he collided with an invisible barrier with a resounding clang. Seeing him clutch his bruised head, the others halted and looked to Ren Yongnian for further direction. He offered only one command.
“Smash it!”
At his command, over a dozen fierce attacks struck the transparent wall, scattering shockwaves. Snow dust unsettled by the echoes drifted down, revealing a series of great pits before them. Encouraged, the swiftest cultivator formed a light orb and hurled it—but the orb struck the barrier and shattered against it without breaking through. Ren Yongnian was about to order another assault when a new rift opened in front of them, mirroring the earlier one. Another blood-soaked corpse fell through. And once more, Luo Piaoxue appeared above them. This time she spoke no idle words. She pointed at one person—another cultivator was drawn away into her unknown space. As each person disappeared, the commotion grew. In mere minutes, their ten-person party had lost three members. If they could not find a solution, they risked dying here. Watching the uproar, Ren Yongnian sighed and then spoke to quell it.
“We keep attacking. This barrier cannot be infinite in strength.”
Buoyed by his words, the cultivators renewed their assault. A kaleidoscope of spells and sword qi battered the transparent wall, wearing down its endurance. Time passed. Meanwhile, Luo Piaoxue repeated her cycle of abduction and killing until five of their number had fallen. At last, the wall began to crack with crisp fractures. Hearing the sound, everyone brightened. Without waiting for Ren Yongnian to speak further, they dashed forward—and indeed, no barrier blocked them. Five cultivators ran clear of the site. They did not linger, but fled like smoke toward the Blue Moon. Moments later, at the site where the space had confined them, a young girl appeared—none other than Luo Piaoxue. She looked upon the shattered barrier and the fleeing cultivators and murmured to herself,
“Kill the weak, leave the strong. Yes, that’s it.”
Having spoken, she vanished once more. At the same time, a group of cultivators found themselves standing before a blue-haired girl wielding a long halberd.
…
Outside the secret realm, Luo Tiangan, Lei Ping, and the Xuanyin Sect’s Sect Leader met together. The battle between Luo Tiangan and Lei Ping had long since ended in a draw, leaving their relationship unchanged. What brought them together now was the projection the Xuanyin Sect Leader had summoned, using Zhang Mu’s transceiver. The projection showed the cultivators inside: though not exactly united in friendship, they nevertheless cooperated rather than betraying each other at every turn. That alone was normal. But paired with another set of images from the now-closed realm entrance, it became unsettling. Dozens of scenes showed those same three sects’ disciples murdering each other without reason, blood-soaked battles at first sight. From both sets of footage, the three leaders realized one thing: this secret realm was deeply problematic. It sought to inflame the three sects into mutual slaughter. Recall when Luo Tiangan first arrived at Coldwind Mountain and met the other two leaders? Seven days ago, they had agreed on the lineup for intercepting travelers—that very plan. At the time, they also agreed that their disciples should not harm each other initially, but could act freely in the final phase. Whether the leaders relayed that order could be seen from the realm’s footage—none of the disciples had obeyed; they all attacked on sight. Hence Luo Tiangan and Lei Ping fought. After their draw, the Xuanyin Sect Leader arrived with the projection. Once Luo Tiangan and Lei Ping viewed it, the Xuanyin Sect Leader spoke candidly.
“I do not know what you have done, but I swear by the Dao—I ensured my Xuanyin disciples honored our agreement.”
A Dao-sworn oath such as that, once broken, would doom a cultivator’s path forever. Under such solemn vow, Luo Tiangan and Lei Ping believed him. They then understood: this secret realm intended to sow discord, driving the three sects to kill each other. With this clarity, they set aside grievances and united against the threat. Though competitors, their contest presupposed ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ no external menace. United, they resolved to break through the realm’s limits. If this realm sought to trap them, they would storm it, uproot its secrets, and expose the hidden hand pulling the strings!