Feeling the gap? Stop! We surrender!

Above the Divine Tower Plaza, after a dead silence, came a mountain-collapsing and tsunami-like revelry!

"It's open! It's really open! The shackles have vanished! I can feel it—the passage to the outside world has completely stabilized!"

An Old Cultivator, who had been trapped for over a thousand years, wept tears of joy and howled at the sky, his voice filled with the excitement and release of suppressed endless eras!

"My cultivation... my Bottleneck! It's loosened! Hahaha! Nascent Soul! I can finally charge toward the Nascent Soul Realm!"

Another powerful expert at the Ninth Layer of Golden Core felt the surging, roaring, and restless mana within his body, trembling all over with excitement!

Countless Cultivators, regardless of whether they were enemies or friends before, were now embracing tightly, roaring loudly, and venting the wild joy in their hearts to their heart's content!

Freedom!

This was what they had dreamed of!

Amidst the wave of wild joy, some people calmed down.

They looked with complex gazes toward the three divine towers that remained towering but had now retracted their light, their voices carrying an indescribable sentiment and awe.

"The rumors... are actually true! Reaching the top of the three divine towers really can break the shackles of the Prison Realm!"

"Yeah, who would have thought..."

A person nearby followed up with a bitter smile: "It's just that the conditions are too harsh. One person reaching the top of three divine towers... before today, this was simply a fantasy!"

As soon as these words were spoken, a chorus of agreement immediately sounded around them.

"Exactly! For thousands of years, the only ones who could reach the top of even one tower were Lord King Yuan and Lord King Shi! Even Lord King Lei, with the strongest combat power, failed to reach the top of the comprehensive combat power tower! As for us... even passing halfway is as difficult as reaching the heavens!"

"One person reaching the top of three? Before today, who would dare think it? Who would dare believe it?!"

"But as it happens... something others didn't even dare to imagine, King Qing, he actually did it!"

For a moment, everyone's gaze converged on the divine tower.

Countless emotions filled their hearts.

And in front of the divine tower stood several outstanding figures.

They were King Yuan, King Shi, King Lei, and dozens of other 'King' level experts who were famous in the Prison Realm.

At this moment, the expressions on their faces were more complex than anyone else's.

Shock, astonishment, gratitude, bewilderment... various emotions intertwined, leaving them momentarily lost in thought.

Why had they come?

They had heard of a rising star named 'King Qing' whose combat power was transcendent, becoming a king or even reaching the top in a single tower run, so they had specially rushed over, wanting to make his acquaintance.

In their original assumptions, this King Qing might become the new 'Fourth King' of the Prison Realm.

On equal footing with the Three Kings.

But what was the result?

They hadn't even seen the person yet when the other party directly began running the towers one after another!

They hadn't even said a single word when the other party had already reached the top of one tower after another!

They hadn't even recovered from the shock when the other party... had already run through three towers in a row, piercing through the very sky of the Prison Realm!

What was this?

A dimensionality reduction strike?!

The various kings looked at each other with bitter smiles, but an indescribable sense of gratitude welled up in their hearts.

Regardless, it was this mysterious King Qing who had given them all freedom!

This kindness was as heavy as Mount Tai!

They had to thank him in person!

Just as everyone was waiting expectantly, the space in front of the divine tower suddenly rippled slightly.

In the next instant, a green-clad figure appeared out of thin air, cradling a graceful woman in purple who was in a coma.

It was Ye Qing and Liu Ruyan!

"It's King Qing!"

"King Qing is out!"

On the plaza, there was a momentary silence.

Immediately after, all the Cultivators, including those dozens of unruly kings, unexpectedly and in unison, bowed deeply toward Ye Qing!

"We thank King Qing for breaking the shackles for us and regaining our freedom!"

"Thank you, King Qing!"

The voices of tens of thousands of people gathered into a torrent, saturated with the most sincere gratitude, soaring straight into the clouds.

It shook the entire world, making it hum and vibrate!

The newly appeared Ye Qing was slightly taken aback.

He raised his eyes to scan the scene, and with a movement of his Divine Thought, he instantly sensed the current changes in the Prison Realm and immediately understood the cause and effect.

It turned out that by passing the three towers, he had opened the exit to this world.

With a smile, Ye Qing waved his hand casually at the crowd.

"Everyone, there is no need to be so polite. I also did it to leave this place; I just luckily reached the top."

Luckily?

Hearing these two words, the corners of everyone's mouths on the plaza, especially the Three Kings, twitched slightly.

If this was 'luck,' then what were they, who couldn't even climb a single tower?

However, no one went to argue the point.

Instead, the awe the crowd felt for Ye Qing deepened by another layer.

He was just being modest.

His strength was the real deal!

And next.

An interesting phenomenon occurred.

"Hahaha! Since the exit is open, I'm not in a hurry to leave for the moment!"

"Exactly! Having been suppressed in the Golden Core Realm for so many years, I've had enough! I won't leave until I break through to the Nascent Soul!"

"Makes sense! The Prison Realm has abundant Spiritual Qi; it's a perfect treasure land for us to go into seclusion and break through! Once I achieve Nascent Soul, I'll go out and stir up the world!"

"Let's go together!"

Before, everyone had been scrambling to leave.

But when the exit actually opened, they were no longer in a hurry.

After all, they had lived here for countless years and were already used to it. The outside world was both their homeland and a strange place to them.

More importantly, their long-suppressed cultivation had finally met the Opportunity for an explosion!

Who wouldn't want to see the scenery above the Golden Core?

Charging for the Nascent Soul here was the perfect time!

Soon, the crowd on the plaza dispersed like a tide, each looking for a place to prepare for their seclusion and Breakthrough.

In the blink of an eye, the only King-level experts remaining on the spot were King Lei, King Shi, and King Yuan.

They didn't leave.

No matter how great the temptation to break through to Nascent Soul, they had to first complete the purpose of this trip.

And that was to truly communicate with this unfathomable King Qing!

"Greetings, King Qing."

The Three Kings stepped forward and cupped their hands toward Ye Qing with solemn expressions.

Ye Qing carefully handed the still-unconscious Liu Ruyan to Lin Xueer and Su Chan, who were waiting nearby, before turning his gaze to the three people in front of him.

"The three of you must be the rumored Three Kings of the Prison Realm. Greetings." Ye Qing nodded.

He could feel that the auras of these three were far more vigorous and condensed than ordinary Ninth Layer of Golden Core Cultivators, their Foundations terrifyingly solid.

They were clearly top-tier figures who had polished themselves in the Golden Core Realm for endless years.

"We don't deserve the honor." King Lei laughed heartily, pointing to himself, "I am Lei Xiaotian, humbly known as King Lei."

He then pointed to the two people beside him.

"This is King Shi, Shi Pojun."

"This is King Yuan, Yuan Daoyi."

After the introductions, the three of them locked their gazes onto Ye Qing, their hearts filled with endless emotion.

So young!

The King Qing before them looked much younger than they had been when they first entered the Prison Realm!

Yet it was such a young man who had achieved something they couldn't do despite exhausting thousands or tens of thousands of years!

Truly... a Prodigy!

King Lei, Lei Xiaotian, had a particularly burning gaze.

He was a bellicose person by nature. Looking at Ye Qing now, thunder light faintly flickered around him, and a majestic Battle Intent rose uncontrollably!

"Your Excellency King Qing."

Lei Xiaotian took a deep breath, looked at Ye Qing with piercing eyes, and said in a deep voice:

"I have always been fond of battle, and I mean nothing else by this. It's just that seeing Your Excellency reach the top of the three towers with such Divine Might, my hands are... truly itching for a fight!"

"I wonder if Your Excellency could grant me some guidance? Let me personally feel the gap between myself and Your Excellency!"

As soon as he said this, Shi Pojun and Yuan Daoyi were also moved.

Indeed!

The person before them was the one who had single-handedly cleared the three towers, the undisputed number one person in the Prison Realm!

To be able to spar with such an existence, even if it was just for a Move or two, the insights gained would definitely be astonishing!

Such an Opportunity was once in a thousand years!

"We ask King Qing for guidance!" Shi Pojun and Yuan Daoyi also bowed simultaneously, their expressions sincere.

Seeing the pure yearning and desire for higher strength in their eyes, Ye Qing pondered for a moment and then nodded.

"Very well."

The Three Kings were overjoyed upon hearing this!

However, Ye Qing's next sentence left them stunned.

"Since it's to feel the gap..." Ye Qing's gaze calmly swept over the three of them as he said indifferently, "The three of you, come at me together."

What?

Come together?

The Three Kings were stunned, looking at each other in disbelief.

If these words were spoken by someone else, they would only think it was the most arrogant joke in the world!

Which of the three of them wasn't a peerless Prodigy who once suppressed an era? Any one of them could cross a major Realm to kill a Nascent Soul!

Joined together, their strength was even more terrifying!

But these words happened to come from the mouth of the King Qing before them.

After a brief moment of astonishment, instead of feeling insulted, a stronger sense of excitement and trembling welled up in their hearts!

That's it!

This is King Qing!

This is the kind of spirit a peerless Prodigy who could single-handedly clear three towers should have!

And.

Facing King Qing alone, they knew they would undoubtedly lose.

But if the three of them joined forces... was it possible to catch a glimpse of a glimmer of victory within that endless gap? Even if it was just... winning by a single Move?

"Good!"

King Lei, Lei Xiaotian, was the first to react. His eyes burned with Battle Intent like fire, and he let out a sky-shaking howl!

"Then please, King Qing... be careful!"

Boom!

Before his voice had even faded, he had already struck!

A thick bolt of purple lightning, like a wild dragon emerging from the sea, carrying an aura of universal destruction, tore through the sky and headed straight for Ye Qing's face!

"Suppress!"

King Shi, Shi Pojun, gave a low shout, his hands forming seals as the air roared!

A heavy mountain formed from pure blood-qi appeared out of thin air, pressing down on Ye Qing's head, sealing off all his space for evasion!

"Light of the Primal Law!"

King Yuan, Yuan Daoyi's eyes were filled with divine light.

With a flick of his finger, a beam of spiritual light that seemed ordinary but contained a trace of the profound Dao rhythm of returning to the origin shot out.

It silently shot toward Ye Qing's Dantian Qi Sea, intending to dismantle his mana Foundation!

The three of them joined forces, their cooperation reaching the pinnacle of tacit understanding!

Moreover, they were a blend of offense and defense, without a single flaw!

This kind of offensive was enough to make even a Middle Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator find it very troublesome!

However, facing this world-destroying joint strike, Ye Qing's expression did not change in the slightest from beginning to end.

He didn't even Move his feet an inch.

He simply... slowly raised his right hand, his fingers held like a sword, and made a casual swipe forward.

There was no earth-shattering momentum.

There was no dazzling brilliance.

There was only a plain and unadorned green sword-light that flashed and vanished from his fingertips.

In an instant, the world went silent.

The roaring thunder dragon, in the face of the sword-light, was like an ant meeting its natural enemy, letting out a mournful cry as it disintegrated inch by inch!

The heavy blood-qi mountain that suppressed the void was, in the face of the sword-light, as if made of paper, silently sliced open from the middle and turned into a sky full of light spots!

The Light of the Primal Law that pierced through everything, in the face of the sword-light, failed to even stir a single ripple before being completely obliterated!

The Moves the Three Kings were originally so confident in were as fragile as glass under this single sword-light!

And this was not the most terrifying part.

The most terrifying part was that at the moment the sword-light lit up, the Three Kings only felt their Divine Souls tremble violently, and everything before them disappeared.

They seemed to see a sword-dao divine mountain that pierced the heavens and the earth, spanning between the sky and the ground.

Towering, ancient, and immovable!

Before that divine mountain, they felt themselves as small as dust; any thought of resistance seemed so laughable and overestimating of their own strength!

A tremor and fear originating from the depths of their Souls instantly seized their minds!

"Stop!"

"King Qing, stop! Quickly stop! We're not fighting anymore!"

"We... we surrender!!"

Almost simultaneously.

The Three Kings woke up from that terrifying illusion, their faces pale and dripping with cold sweat, as they let out horrified shouts in unison!

Hum.

The sword-light at Ye Qing's fingertips dispersed at the sound.

Peace returned to the world once again.

It was as if everything that had just threatened to destroy the world was merely an illusion.

But the Three Kings were gasping for breath, their hearts pounding wildly, their backs already soaked with cold sweat.

They could clearly feel that just now, they had seemingly taken a walk in front of the gates of hell!

They had no doubt that if Ye Qing were willing, that sword-light just now would have been enough to slay the three of them, along with their Divine Souls, thousands of times over!

Even... even if the three of them were to all break through to the Nascent Soul Realm right now, the result would definitely not change in any way!

This... just what kind of terrifying strength was this?!

And to think they were just now hoping to learn a thing or two from the spar?

What was there even to learn?

How could they learn?

This gap was no longer a chasm, but a heavenly abyss!

It was simply... impossible to learn!

The Three Kings looked at each other, seeing deep shock and bitterness in each other's eyes.

But immediately after, this shock and bitterness turned into an unprecedented determination and yearning!

They had to become stronger!

They had to go into seclusion as soon as possible and break through to the Nascent Soul!

Even if it took their entire lives, they hoped that one day, they could slightly shorten the distance between themselves and this peak before them!

Only then would it be sufficiently encouraging and stimulating!

"Thank you for the guidance, King Qing! We... take our leave!"

The Three Kings bowed deeply to Ye Qing once more, this time with heartfelt awe.

Subsequently, they stayed no longer, turning into three streaks of light and returning to their respective families, preparing to immediately go into seclusion and charge for the Nascent Soul!

Watching their departing figures, Ye Qing smiled slightly.

This gap wasn't going to be that easy to catch up to... Meanwhile.

Outside the Prison Realm, in that area shrouded by the seven-colored divine light.

Layers upon layers of clouds and mist shrouded the entrance to the Prison Realm, making it look mysterious and full of temptation.

At this moment, outside this area, a dense crowd of figures had already gathered.

Within the Secret Realm, almost all the Cultivators attracted by the phenomenon had arrived here.

"Is this... a Small World within the Secret Realm? Such rich Spiritual Qi!"

"Look! Deep in those clouds, I seem to see a fourth-rank Spirit Medicine, 'Purple Sun Grass'!"

"More than that! Over there! That's an entire field of rare precious medicines! Heavens! And that tower... ancient and towering, it's definitely an ancient ruin! There must be a great Opportunity inside!"

Countless burning gazes pierced through the clouds, greedily peeking at the looming scenery inside the Prison Realm.

In their eyes, this suddenly appearing new world was a massive, undeveloped treasure trove!

"Charge! Seize the initiative!"

Someone roared, instantly igniting everyone's greed!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Countless streaks of light could no longer suppress the restlessness in their hearts, and like a swarm of locusts, they madly surged into that expanse of clouds and mist!

And after a while.

Some Cultivators from the Taiyi Sect also arrived outside the Prison Realm.