Shortly after Bai Shen departed, the empty hall was left in utter silence and nothingness.
In the blink of an eye, the void before the lotus dais suddenly rippled with layers of distortion.
This sudden, violent fluctuation was like surging, turbulent tides, rolling outward in all directions throughout the hall.
Under the influence of this formidable power, the ethereal space began to twist wildly, folding in on itself, as if kneaded and squeezed by an invisible giant hand.
Then, a tall, slender figure stepped unhurriedly out from the tear in space.
The newcomer appeared to be an elderly man around seventy or eighty, his face covered in countless fine wrinkles.
Yet these did nothing to diminish his sturdy physique and his spirited, vigorous bearing.
Within the old man’s eyes seemed to hide glittering stars, with brilliant white light occasionally flashing through them, exuding a sharpness and depth that commanded respect.
He wore a simple, unadorned, loose-fitting robe, its white hem swaying gently with his steps.
His long silver-white hair fell freely, like moonlight cascading down from the night sky.
At his chin, a patchy frost-white short beard reflected the same silvery luster, adding a touch of mystery and weathered wisdom to the bright hall.
Bai Yan!
This extraordinary-looking elder was none other than the man Bai Shen feared—the first Supreme Elder of the Pure World White Lotus Sect, a Half-Step Cave Void True Lord.
After appearing, Bai Yan turned around to face the lotus dais, his expression filled with piety and reverence. He then spoke slowly.
“Holy Maiden, it seems the seal set upon this realm is about to disappear.”
“Almost two thousand years now.”
“In six months, when the Spirit Ruins open once more, that will be the moment our Pure Ultimate Holy Sect obtains that thing.”
“By then, Holy Maiden, you will gain that one’s favor, become her ultimate successor, and take control of the Pure Ultimate Holy Sect!”
No sooner had Bai Yan finished speaking than the faceless woman’s statue atop the lotus dais began to undergo eerie changes, as if infused with a mysterious power.
First, a faint, nearly translucent white luminescence spread across the statue’s surface, like cool moonlight pouring down—soft and serene.
Then, these pure white rays of light, as if drawn by some invisible force, poured ceaselessly from the statue’s surface, finally coalescing slowly before Bai Yan.
The flawless white light flickered and intertwined in midair, forming a woman’s face.
This woman’s spectral visage was breathtakingly beautiful, cold as frost, her features seemingly carved by divine hands, without a single flaw.
Her eyes were clear and deep, with faint shadows of two white lotus flowers quietly revolving within their depths, giving off an illusion of emptiness and ethereality.
As Bai Yan gazed upon the suddenly formed woman’s phantom, a trace of barely perceptible pride surfaced on his weathered face.
He had endured in this realm for nearly two thousand years, all for the Holy Maiden before him.
The Pure World White Lotus Sect was merely a disposable tool he had created on a whim.
Its purpose was to erode the sealing power of the Great Xia imperial court in this realm.
“Uncle Yan, for now, you should not leave this place.”
“That woman is becoming more and more unpredictable. She seems to have already learned the true power of that thing.”
“My Ultimate Lotus Sacred Domain can only hold out for a while longer—it won’t last much longer.”
The woman’s phantom spoke calmly, yet her words struck Bai Yan like heavy hammers.
Bai Yan was stunned, his pupils contracting sharply. Clearly, this news was far beyond his expectations.
He knew that where he currently stood was a realm created by the Holy Maiden using the Ultimate Lotus Pearl, a spatial treasure, hidden within the void.
“Holy Maiden, how is that possible? Wasn’t Xia Mingyue that wretched woman supposed to have been backlashed by the power of that incomplete Earth Venerable Realm?”
“Even if she has that thing, there’s no way she could have recovered her original strength in such a short time, right?”
Bai Yan’s brows knitted tightly together, forming a deep furrow between them.
“The power of the Mysterious Cauldron involves the strength of the Heavenly Origin realm. How could you or I possibly guess at the true power it possesses?”
At the mention of “Heavenly Origin realm,” the confusion on Bai Yan’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a look of understanding.
The martial realms of this Great Xia imperial realm were almost identical to those of their own world.
They simply lacked a few levels.
Skin Refining, Flesh Refining, Bone Refining, Marrow Refining, Blood Refining.
Internal Qi, Outer Gang, Divine Mansion (Divine Mansion, Primordial Spirit).
Cave Void True Lord (Cave Void, Cave Heaven).
Earth Venerable Realm Lord, Heavenly Origin Dao Immortal!
“Uncle Yan, for now, keep an eye on Bone for me. I have a feeling things aren’t so simple.”
“The forces on the Black Bird Guard’s side seem to have undergone many changes as well.”
“That Bone, huh?”
Bai Yan fell into thought at the words.
Given what had happened to Bone, it was true that an enemy unknown to them had appeared on the Black Bird Guard’s side.
Oh well!
If any existence truly emerged that threatened their sect, he would simply separate a strand of his primordial spirit power and deal with them on the spot.
“When the Spirit Ruins appear, that shall be the time I personally set foot in the Great Xia imperial court.”
In the empty, silent hall, only these resounding words echoed among the white jade pillars.
Every syllable carried an undeniable authority and resolve.
As the final note faded, the woman’s phantom seemed scattered by an invisible breeze, leaving no trace behind.
After the Holy Maiden departed, Bai Yan’s expression returned to normal, save for a barely noticeable crease between his brows that betrayed the gravity within.
“I never expected that wretched Xia Mingyue had been deliberately playing weak.”
“That Mysterious Bird Cauldron is something you have no right to covet. It will be our Holy Maiden’s enlightenment treasure!”
“And those outside forces are utterly shortsighted, thinking our Pure Ultimate Holy Sect schemes for the Spirit Ruins.”
“Little do they know, the Mysterious Bird Cauldron in Xia Mingyue’s hands is the most important thing in this realm.”
The Spirit Ruins Bai Yan spoke of were a residual, incomplete realm left behind when an Earth Venerable Realm Lord had perished in an accident.
Within that Earth Venerable Realm lay all the treasures the Realm Lord had possessed in life.
Those so-called heavenly materials and earthly treasures, along with various rare artifacts, all originated from that Earth Venerable Realm.
Of course, with benefits came drawbacks.
That incomplete Earth Venerable Realm, no longer under its master’s control, had seen its inherent Heavenly Law Force undergo many changes.
Those undying, transcendent aberrations were nothing more than foul things spawned by the influence of the Earth Venerable’s Heavenly Law Force.
There was only one way to completely eliminate those abominations.
Refine that Earth Venerable Realm entirely, or simply destroy it.
Well…
As for the latter method—destroying an Earth Venerable’s realm.
In Bai Yan’s memory, no one in the Great Xia imperial court had ever managed to do so.
Because only the power of an Earth Venerable Realm Lord could destroy that of another Earth Venerable Realm Lord.
Even the founding ancestor of the Great Xia imperial dynasty had only reached the Cave Heaven realm back then.
Since even the Great Xia founding ancestor couldn’t destroy this Earth Venerable Realm, how could those who came after possibly do so?
“Hehehe!”
“Not just the Mysterious Bird Cauldron—our Pure Ultimate Holy Sect will also claim a share of that Earth Venerable Realm Lord’s domain!”
Standing in the empty hall, Bai Yan’s aura turned dark and sinister.
He narrowed his eyes, their depths gleaming with undisguised greed, his voice low but filled with ruthless determination.
The central region of the Great Xia imperial court was also known as Central Province.
Within Central Province lay only five prefectures, arranged in a encircling formation, tightly guarding the very heart—the Great Xia Heavenly Capital!
These five prefectures were: Dutian Prefecture, Gongtian Prefecture, Weitian Prefecture, Hutian Prefecture, and Qintian Prefecture.
Though these five prefectures were administratively the same as Baidao Prefecture, their sheer size far exceeded any prefecture outside Central Province.
Each of these five prefectures occupied an area comparable to half a province.
Fengming County, Qintian Prefecture.
Deep into the third watch of the night, utter silence reigned. Fengming County was wrapped in the dead stillness of darkness.
In every corner of the streets and alleys, only the footsteps and calls of the night watchmen could be heard.
“The air is dry, beware of fire—”
This clear, resonant voice, drawn out in a long tail, drifted lazily through every lane.
Up close, three watchmen could be seen, each carrying a small lantern.
The dim, yellowish flames in their hands flickered in the night, seeming rather insignificant against the eerie, pitch-dark surroundings.
Though the night was thick as ink, with gloom and dread spreading unchecked, making it impossible to see one’s own hand, these three watchmen walked with steady, powerful strides.
The clear clashing of their gongs and clappers echoed through the streets.
Their faces were illuminated by the faint lantern light, their expressions calm and fearless.
As if the terrifying darkness around them was nothing more than an everyday occurrence.
The next instant, the deathly still air seemed suddenly torn apart by an invisible hand.
A black shadowy afterimage, like a ghost, flashed past behind the three watchmen at incredible speed, stirring a sharp, cold gust.
For a fleeting moment, upon that blurred, illusory black figure, one could vaguely make out a face twisted to the point of hideousness.
Its features were contorted, a ghastly, deathly pale, with eyes wide open and pupils filled with emotions that did not belong to any human being.
Just as this mysterious black shadow was about to reach the backs of the three watchmen—
A cold snort suddenly rang out, low and sharp, laden with immense power, exploding in the silent night.
“Hmph!”
“Malignant-grade aberration—Soul-Stealing Dark Grudge!”
The voice came from the watchman standing in the middle.
The one in the center stood rooted to the ground, his stance as firm as a mountain, not budging an inch.
Yet his clothes fluttered without any wind, swelling rapidly as if filled by an invisible and vastly powerful force.
In an instant, a terrifying surge of vital blood and energy erupted from his body, like an erupting volcano spewing molten lava skyward.
The originally cool, clear night was instantly ignited by this blazing vital force.
The temperature soared sharply, as if it would scorch the bone-chilling darkness to cinders.
Then, a blindingly sharp cold gleam appeared, wreathed in rising, billowing white steam.
With a devastating, overwhelming momentum, it radiated a suffocating, terrifying heat, instantly tearing through the dead, frozen darkness.
Where the cold gleam passed, the air seemed to sizzle under the scorching flame.
The onrushing heat clashed violently with the piercing cold around it.
The scorching blade light, moving at a speed nearly impossible for the eye to track, slashed rapidly through the mysterious black shadow hidden in the dark.
The very next breath, the blurry black figure let out an agonizing, shrill scream.
The sound seemed to come from the deepest underworld, carrying unspeakable pain that drilled straight into one’s eardrums, causing an inexplicable palpitation.
As the shadow screamed, something bizarre followed.
The dark mass writhed and twisted in midair in a horrifying, grotesque manner, like a liquid boiling to its extreme, churning up thick, clearly visible white smoke.
This smoke roiled eerily in the void, then spread outwards in all directions.
Until it dissipated completely into the heavens and earth, as if it had never existed at all.
“Boss, as expected of you! Your vital blood and energy are getting more terrifying by the day—even a Malignant-grade aberration is just one slash for you.”
“Of course! Our team leader is, after all, one of the top Yellow-rank Black Bird Envoys in Qintian Prefecture’s Black Bird Guard.”
The men flanking the leader hurriedly flattered him the moment they saw him dispatch that abomination with a single stroke.
Their boss was a martial artist at the peak of the Blood Refining realm, his vital energy as fierce as a dragon and as powerful as a tiger.
As for themselves, they were merely newcomers to the Blood Refining realm, barely worth mentioning beside their leader.
“Quit the flattery. Keep patrolling!”
“Don’t let your guard down. Lately, these abominations seem to have undergone some abnormal changes.”
“Have you two forgotten about that thing that turned from a human a few days ago?”
The man in the middle paid no heed to his companions’ sycophantic praise. With a furrowed brow, he warned them sternly.
Then he sheathed his blade back into the scabbard at his waist.
Suddenly!
Just as the three men turned and started to walk away—
A pale, hideously twisted face materialized like a phantom.
Its sinister gaze seemed as if it would freeze their very souls. Those blood-red eyes stared fixedly at the three of them.
At that moment, only one thought raced through their minds.
Damn it—it’s one of those things that rose from the dead after turning into a human!
But just at this critical moment, a brilliant purple radiance erupted, shattering the darkness.
Scorching, searing purple flames writhed like dancing spirit serpents, spreading wildly through the pitch-black gloom, instantly dispelling the surrounding stillness and bone-chilling cold.
An extremely young man, clad in a dark black brocade robe, stood right behind the terrifying face.
The newcomer was none other than Lu Xuan!
On his way to the Great Xia Heavenly Capital, Lu Xuan hadn’t chosen to travel day and night without rest. Instead, he had taken his time, leisurely inspecting everything along the way.
Because Lu Xuan still needed to slay these aberrations to accumulate a large number of points.
Though the gains were now negligible to him, even a mosquito’s leg was still meat.
