Three months. That was the deadline Lin Wudi gave the Sacred Land of Absolute Beginning.
Three months toily after he beheaded their enforcer and forced their saintess to become his sword maid, the entire Azure Province held its breath.
No one dared to provoke the black-robed youth who could kill a Soul Transformation expert with a single slash.
The eight great sects returned home like whipped dogs. The Sacred Land of Absolute Beginning issued a public statement: "The matter of Nangong Qing is an internal affair. The Sacred Land will not pursue it for the time being."
Everyone knew what that meant.
They were afraid.
But Lin Wudi did not idle.
He sat cross-legged in the Lin Clan's forbidden ground for ninety days straight, consolidating his foundation.
The Chaos Sword Body had just awakened. The incomplete Swallowing Heaven Cauldron spun slowly in his dantian, devouring the spiritual energy of heaven and earth like a bottomless pit.
Every breath he took swallowed spiritual energy equivalent to what a Golden Core cultivator needed for a month of cultivation.
On the ninetieth day, he opened his eyes.
Peak of Nascent Soul.
From peak Foundation Establishment to peak Nascent Soul in three months.
If word got out, the entire cultivation world would go insane.
But Lin Wudi only frowned.
"Still too slow."
The cauldron in his dantan was only repaired by 0.3%. He needed more opportunities, more heavenly materials, more ancient forbidden lands.
And the closest one was about to open.
The Black Moon Secret Realm.
Once every three hundred years, the largest ancient ruin in the Azure Province would open for thirty days.
Legends said it was the battlefield where the Swallowing Heaven Demon Emperor fought nine Immortal Emperors a hundred thousand years ago. Countless inheritances, spirit medicines, demon cores, and even fragments of immortal artifacts were buried inside.
Every opening was a bloodbath for the young generation.
This time was no exception.
The top geniuses from all nine provinces had gathered.
On the plain outside the Black Moon Secret Realm.
Hundreds of thousands of cultivators formed camps according to their sects.
At the very front stood the people of the Sacred Land of Absolute Beginning.
Saintess Xue Wuxia, dressed in white, veil covering her face, stood quietly beside a black-robed youth.
Lin Wudi.
Behind them, a dozen elders of the Sacred Land acted as servants, not daring to breathe loudly.
The other sects watched this scene with complicated expressions.
Three months ago, this youth was still the trash of Azure Cloud City.
Now he was the uncrowned king of the Azure Province.
The entrance to the secret realm was a giant black moon hanging in the sky, slowly rotating.
When the black moon turned blood-red, the secret realm would officially open.
At this moment, a dragon's roar shook the heavens.
A nine-headed flood dragon chariot tore through the void.
On the chariot stood a young man in golden robes, dragon horns on his head, eyes like torches.
Prince of the Grand Xia Royal Family — Xia Longteng.
Early-stage Spirit Severing Realm at the age of twenty-three, possessor of the True Dragon bloodline, ranked 19th on the Heavenly Pride List of the Azure Province.
He landed and walked straight toward Lin Wudi.
"Lin Wudi, I heard you killed a Soul Transformation old monster with one sword. Today, this prince wants to test if the rumors are true!"
He threw a gauntlet without any courtesy.
The crowd immediately stirred.
The prince of the royal family was going to fight Lin Wudi before entering the secret realm!
Xue Wuxia's veil fluttered slightly. She transmitted her voice: "His True Dragon bloodline has awakened to 30%. Even ordinary Spirit Severing cultivators are no match for him. Be careful."
Lin Wudi smiled.
"I've been wanting to test how strong a dragon is."
He stepped forward.
Xia Longteng laughed loudly and transformed.
Golden dragon scales covered his body, nine dragon heads phantom appeared behind him, and dragon might swept the entire plain.
"Dragon Subduing Nine Styles — First Style: Dragon Claw Tears the Sky!"
A hundred-zhang golden dragon claw fell from the sky.
Lin Wudi did not even draw his sword.
He raised one hand.
The Swallowing Heaven Cauldron in his dantian spun.
A terrifying devouring force burst out.
The golden dragon claw was instantly absorbed by an invisible vortex, disappearing without a trace.
Xia Longteng's expression changed drastically.
"What kind of demonic art is this?!"
Lin Wudi spoke calmly.
"My turn."
He finally moved.
One step forward.
The space around him folded like paper.
In the next instant, he appeared directly in front of Xia Longteng.
A simple punch.
No sword qi, no divine ability.
Just a pure physical punch.
Bang!!!
Xia Longteng's nine dragon head phantoms exploded on the spot.
His body flew backward a thousand meters like a cannonball, smashing a mountain into pieces.
The entire plain was dead silent.
One punch.
The 19th ranked genius on the Heavenly Pride List was sent flying.
Lin Wudi did not chase.
He only said one sentence.
"The so-called True Dragon bloodline… is nothing more than this."
Then he turned and walked toward the entrance of the secret realm.
Xue Wuxia silently followed behind him, carrying a wine gourd.
The black moon in the sky finally turned blood-red.
The entrance opened.
Hundreds of thousands of cultivators rushed in like a tide.
Inside the Black Moon Secret Realm.
An endless ancient battlefield.
Broken swords, shattered armor, demon corpses, dragon skeletons…
Lin Wudi walked alone at the front.
Xue Wuxia followed three steps behind.
After walking for half a day, they arrived at the first trial zone — Dragon Burial Valley.
Legend said that a true dragon at the Great Emperor level had fallen here.
The moment they entered the valley, a terrifying dragon might pressed down.
Ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators directly knelt on the ground, vomiting blood.
Lin Wudi felt the Swallowing Heaven Cauldron in his dantian suddenly become excited.
It spun wildly.
A dragon corpse the size of a mountain lay in the center of the valley, only bones remained, but the dragon blood had not completely dried up.
Lin Wudi's eyes lit up.
"Found it."
He walked straight to the dragon corpse.
At this moment, a group of people rushed over from another direction.
The leader was a woman in purple palace dress, appearance devastatingly beautiful, but her aura was filled with demonic qi.
Saintess of the Heavenly Demon Sect — Ji Ziyan.
Ranked 7th on the Heavenly Pride List, possessor of the Nine Yin Demon Body, peak Spirit Severing realm.
She saw Lin Wudi and smiled charmingly.
"Little brother, this emperor-level dragon blood, how about sharing some with big sister?"
Lin Wudi glanced at her.
"Not interested."
Ji Ziyan's smile did not change.
"Then big sister can only snatch it."
She attacked directly.
Nine yin demon phantoms appeared behind her, each one comparable to a Spirit Severing expert.
Lin Wudi sighed.
"Why do women always like to force me to take action?"
He raised his hand.
The Swallowing Heaven Cauldron flew out, enlarging to the size of a mountain.
Boom!
All nine yin demon phantoms were swallowed on the spot.
Ji Ziyan's pretty face finally changed.
"This is… the legendary Swallowing Heaven Cauldron?!"
Lin Wudi did not answer.
The cauldron opened its lid.
A terrifying devouring force swept the entire Dragon Burial Valley.
The emperor-level dragon blood that had been preserved for a hundred thousand years turned into a blood river and poured into the cauldron.
The dragon bones also cracked and were swallowed bit by bit.
Ji Ziyan wanted to escape but found her body frozen in place.
Lin Wudi walked past her and said indifferently.
"From today onward, you are mine."
The cauldron spat out a drop of golden dragon blood and shot it into Ji Ziyan's forehead.
Her demon body and the true dragon blood fused perfectly.
In an instant, her cultivation broke through to the Void Refining realm.
Ji Ziyan's delicate body trembled.
She looked at Lin Wudi with complicated eyes.
"You… what kind of monster are you?"
Lin Wudi smiled.
"The kind you can't escape from for the rest of your life."
The cauldron returned to his dantian.
At this moment, the cauldron's repair progress jumped from 0.3% to 3%.
Lin Wudi's aura began to skyrocket.
Peak Nascent Soul → Void Refining → Fusion → Insight → Tribulation.
In one breath, he broke through four great realms.
Finally stopped at the peak of Tribulation Realm.
And this was only the beginning.
The Black Moon Secret Realm had thirty-three layers.
The deeper you went, the more terrifying the opportunities.
Lin Wudi looked at the two women behind him.
Xue Wuxia, cold as ice.
Ji Ziyan, charming as fire.
He smiled.
"Let's go. There are still thirty-two layers waiting for us."
From this day forth.
The legend of the black-robed sword cultivator who walked through the Black Moon Secret Realm with two saintesses as maids began to spread.
Wherever he went, geniuses knelt.
Wherever he went, inheritances were taken.
Wherever he went, dragon blood was swallowed.
When he walked out of the secret realm thirty days later.
The entire Azure Province knelt on the ground.
Because the youth who entered as a Nascent Soul.
Came out as a half-step Great Emperor.
And in his hand, he held a complete emperor-level dragon soul.
The next stop.
The Sacred Land of Absolute Beginning.
Three months had arrived.
It was time to collect the debt.