Xu Tianran wanted to check his System status, but before he could, a system prompt sounded.

  Ding! The host has met the necessary power level to upgrade the system function [Ultimate Threat Sense] to [Ultimate Threat Sense 2.0].

  [Ultimate Threat Sense 2.0]:

  Allows the host to detect even the slightest killing intent within their spiritual sense range.

  Upgrades threat detection beyond just the host—it can now sense if anyone with karmic ties to the host is fated to die within the next 24 hours.

  Upon seeing this, Xu Tianran was delighted. This is exactly what I needed!

  But before he could fully savor his excitement, the system chimed again.

  (Ding! Killing intent detected. The system has marked the individual.)

  Xu Tianran frowned. Too much of a coincidence. But after a brief moment of thought, he dismissed his suspicion. The system was doing something useful, even if it was unexpected.

  Without hesitation, he used the Identification function to check the individual the system had marked.

  ---

  Ten million kilometers away from Xu Tianran's cave, in a luxurious courtyard, a core disciple named Gu Yuan, at his cultivation peak, was leisurely sipping tea.

  A beautiful maid knelt beside him, gently washing his feet with warm water. Gu Yuan enjoyed this ritual—he believed that having a beautiful woman serve him made him feel even more handsome.

  Unbeknownst to him, someone was already peering into his secrets through the Identification function.

  ---

  Xu Tianran's gaze locked onto the details revealed by the system.

  Upon reading Gu Yuan's identification and mental status, his expression twisted in shock.

  Not because Gu Yuan was powerful.

  Not because he had some terrifying powerhouse backing him.

  But because of his twisted mindset—and the absurd reason he wanted to kill Xu Tianran.

  Which left him speechless.

  ---

  Name: Gu Yuan

  Cultivation: 7th Golden Immortal Realm

  Sect: Star Sword Sect

  Mental Status:

  Gu Yuan is a psychopath who, before ascending to the Immortal Great Dao World, enjoyed killing people he deemed ugly or average-looking, believing they tainted the beauty of the world.

  After ascending, he found that he could no longer identify targets for his twisted obsession—because once cultivators break through to the Human Immortal Realm, they can morph their appearances to be more attractive, regardless of their original looks.

  With no one "ugly" left to kill, he resorted to an alternative—having a beautiful maid wash his feet, as it gave him a sense of superiority and temporarily eased his psychotic urges.

  However, deep inside, he always felt something was missing.

  Until he found a newly joined, average-looking inner disciple.

  For years, he observed, waiting to see if that person had any backing. Yet, after so long, the disciple never once stepped out of his dwelling. No connections, no protection—completely alone.

  Gu Yuan's patience had finally paid off.

  Tonight, he would reclaim the missing piece of himself.

  Hehehehehehehe…

  Just the thought sent shivers of excitement through him.

  Tonight, his happiness would reach beyond the heavens.

  ---

  Upon seeing this, Xu Tianran's first reaction was fury.

  He had deliberately morphed himself into an average appearance to avoid unnecessary trouble. If he revealed his true face or made himself too handsome, he knew it would attract unwanted attention, jealousy, and nuisances—something he had no interest in dealing with.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  And yet, this fucking guy wanted to kill him just because he looked ugly?

  Who's ugly? You? Your whole damn family? Your ancestors? Your entire bloodline? All ugly!

  After cursing Gu Yuan countless times in his heart, Xu Tianran gradually regained his composure.

  The next moment, his eyes flashed with a cold glint.

  With a single thought, two clones appeared beside him.

  One of them was an exact replica of Gu Yuan—so identical that even Gu Yuan's own mother wouldn't be able to tell them apart. If anything, she might mistake the clone for the real one and call the original a fake.

  The second clone, shrouded in Heavenly Concealment, silently moved toward the Soul Tablet Hall. With both the system's concealment function and Xu Tianran's own power level, even if a sect ancestor were sitting right outside the hall, they wouldn't notice a thing.

  In an instant, the clone replaced Gu Yuan's soul tablet with a newly crafted one, erasing the original tablet from existence.

  At the same time, the Gu Yuan clone teleported straight into the courtyard, seamlessly taking the original's place on the chair.

  Meanwhile, the real Gu Yuan vanished—no sound, no ripple, no trace left behind.

  Even the maid, still washing the feet of what she believed to be Gu Yuan, noticed nothing amiss. She simply continued her work, unaware that the person before her was no longer the same.

  As for the real Gu Yuan? He had disappeared before he could fulfill his twisted desires—only to find himself meeting his maker instead.

  For now, Xu Tianran's clone, disguised as Gu Yuan, remained in place, awaiting further orders.

  Meanwhile, Xu Tianran felt a deep sense of satisfaction. He almost wanted to call himself a professional cleaner—one who erased filth with absolute perfection.

  At the same time, a pillar of light tore through the chaotic void between Immortal Worlds—the Secret Realm had opened.

  Meanwhile, just as Xu Tianran was about to check his system status, his sect token suddenly vibrated. A message appeared:

  A secret realm has opened—an event that occurs only once in a million years.

  This realm contains treasures and herbs so rare that even Primordial Immortal Realm cultivators would covet them.

  Disciples wishing to participate must board the void ship within the hour. However, only those at or below the Peak Dao Immortal Realm will be allowed entry.

  As the announcement ended, a massive void ship materialized above the sect, its presence stirring waves of excitement. This ship, capable of traversing the chaotic void, would directly teleport participants near the secret realm.

  Xu Tianran smirked. Perfect timing.

  Without hesitation, he decided to make use of his clone, already disguised as Gu Yuan, to enter the secret realm.

  Moments later, his clone boarded the void ship, blending seamlessly among the eager disciples. Soon after, over a thousand void ships, carrying more than 100,000 cultivators, soared into the sky, vanishing into the chaotic void.

  Upon reaching the secret realm, countless void ships filled the void, each belonging to different sects from various Immortal Dao Worlds. The sheer number was impossible to count at a glance.

  What made this secret realm truly special was its unique Time Origin Dao foundation—one year inside the realm equaled just one hour outside. Because of this, all participants would be ejected after a single hour in the outside world.

  However, the danger was immense. The mortality rate was notoriously high—not only did cultivators have to fend off terrifying beasts within the realm, but they also had to be wary of their fellow participants. After all, in a place overflowing with treasures, the greatest threat often came from other humans.

  As soon as Xu Tianran's clone entered the secret realm along with the other disciples, everyone was randomly teleported across the vast expanse.

  The scenery shifted—towering ancient trees filled the sky, their dense canopies blocking out the sun. A vast, primeval forest stretched endlessly in all directions, teeming with unknown dangers.

  Without hesitation, Xu Tianran activated his Brainstorming Function, calculating the most optimal way to reap the greatest benefits from this opportunity.

  A system prompt immediately appeared:

  1. Erase the beasts to collect Devour Points.

  2. Extract the core of the secret realm before being ejected.

  Upon seeing the options, Xu Tianran's eyes gleamed with greed.

  His clone immediately merged underground, activating all its auxiliary techniques to move undetected. Thanks to his Eternal Clone Nexus function, he could control 1,500 clones, each possessing his full combat power.

  Without delay, he produced 1,498 additional clones, combining them with the Gu Yuan clone, bringing the total to 1,499 clones.

  The clones dispersed underground, using their spiritual senses to mark targets while swiftly annihilating anything in their way. One clone would lock onto a target, and the others would strike in perfect synchronization, ensuring complete erasure without a trace.

  Day after day, the silent massacre continued.

  Within a month, an eerie silence fell over most of the secret realm.

  Meanwhile, in the outside world, Xu Tianran formed one final clone. Without hesitation, he sent it to destroy Gu Yuan's soul tablet in the Soul Tablet Hall, ensuring that Gu Yuan's death appeared entirely natural within the secret realm.

  With this, any lingering traces connecting Xu Tianran to Gu Yuan were erased.

  While 50 minutes passed outside the secret realm, 10 months had already gone by inside.

  Fear spread among the cultivators.

  For the first nine months, they had only encountered one or two beasts. Then, in the final month, not a single beast appeared. It was as if some terrifying ghost had devoured them all.

  The only deaths were due to greedy cultivators turning on each other.

  Time flowed like drifting clouds, and in the blink of an eye, another two months passed.

  With only ten seconds remaining before ejection, 1,500 clones of Xu Tianran had already gathered around the core of the secret realm.

  Each passing second felt like an eternity.

  Then, in the final second before ejection, all 1,500 clones struck simultaneously, severing the core's connection to the secret realm.

  At that moment, all other disciples were forcibly ejected—while the secret realm itself vanished, never to appear again because the core was missing.

  Within Xu Tianran's system storage space, the core had already been absorbed into Devour Points, along with the countless beasts he had slain.

  A system notification appeared:

  Total Devour Points gained: 3,000 Trillion.

  Remaining Devour Points: 11,680 Trillion.

  Xu Tianran exhaled slowly, his lips curling into a satisfied smirk.

  Such insane wealth—just this alone could push his foundation to unimaginable heights.

  Leaning back, he lifted his teacup, taking a slow sip as he basked in his newfound fortune.

  ---

  Back outside, the ejected cultivators were confused.

  None of them had felt anything strange. No shockwaves, no collapses—nothing.

  However, what truly stunned them was the survival rate.

  Normally, the mortality rate in a secret realm was absurdly high. Yet this time, only 1% of cultivators had died—while the rest returned safely, treasures in hand.

  It was completely unheard of.