Chapter 2068 : Path of the Great Turbidity

Fortunately, with the aid of Elder Bumie now, such Half-Saints could no longer obstruct their path.

They fought their way out of the encirclement through sheer force, traversing vast stretches of primordial chaos until they finally came to a halt beyond the Trinity Primal Domain.

Returning to the most powerful region of the 3-Pole Primordial Domain, Eldrin bowed respectfully to the Undying Elder and expressed his gratitude, "For this journey, I am deeply indebted to your assistance, Elder."

"There's no need for such formality."

Elder Bujie remained utterly composed, offering no further words. He merely gave a light pat to his shoulder before rising and departing from the 3 Extremes Primordial Realm.

Watching the receding figure of the Undying Elder, Eldrin (Person Name) bit back his words and could only release a soft sigh in the end.

This time, the Unending Elder escorted him back, yet only went as far as the Third Primordial Domain before stopping—clearly, he had no desire to approach the Daoist of Turbid Extremes.

As 1 who aspired to become the Chaos Heavenly Emperor yet remained stagnant at the Quasi-Sage realm for many years, he could not guarantee he would resist coveting the Primordial Chaos Qi when facing the Ancestral Kirin.

To not go see, to not make contact—perhaps that was the best choice.

"Alas."

Eldrin (Person Name) let out a faint sigh, yet had no choice but to suppress the thought.

Without another thought, he stepped into the Primordial Immortal Realm and arrived within the Qilin Ancient Domain.

Meeting Elder Taizhuo, Eldrin handed him a Primordial Unity Elixir and said, "With this treasure in your possession, Fellow Daoist, your chances of success should increase by a few more notches."

"Hmm."

Elder Taizhuo received the Primordial Chaos Elixir, his face alight with ecstasy as he spoke, "My deepest gratitude for your aid, Fellow Daoist. With this treasure in hand, my hopes have grown ever so slightly brighter."

Having obtained the Primordial Chaos Elixir, Daoist Taizhuo immediately entered seclusion to consolidate his cultivation, making final preparations to break through to the Chaos Heavenly Emperor realm.

Eldrin did not linger any longer. He entered the Celestial Court and began a profound period of secluded cultivation.

After accumulating power through 2 100 kalpas and fortified by the Chaos Divine Nectar, Eldrin’s cultivation progress finally began to advance by leaps and bounds.

After approximately a dozen or so cosmic kalpas, Eldrin's cultivation of the Great Dao was the first to break through to the eighth level of the Primordial Chaos Emperor.

Another 5 kalpas passed, and his soul cultivation had advanced yet again, reaching the eighth level of the Primordial Chaos Soul.

Of course, Eldrin's spiritual foundation and Dao foundation were no less formidable than his physical foundation.

Even after breaking through to the eighth level of the Primordial Chaos Emperor, the combat power from his 2 foundations had merely reached the threshold of the Great Emperor realm, offering no substantial enhancement to Eldrin's overall battle prowess.

Yet, my Sacrificial Dao advanced further, and over these years, it gave birth to a sixth True Spirit Form, with the seventh already within close reach.

In the 7 domains of the Southern Abyss today, the Path of Self-Offering has begun to spread widely, and its refinement progresses at an ever-accelerating pace.

Eldrin estimated that within the next 3 100 kalpas, the number of Great Luo Golden Immortals in the Path of Self-Sacrifice would surpass 3,000. By then, the Path of Self-Sacrifice would possess 9 True Spirit Divine Forms.

After the Sacrificial Daoism transformed into the 7 true spirit forms, roughly 20-some kalpas later, Eldrin’s (Person Name) Chaos Indestructible Body had finally accumulated enough.

Through the long years of cultivation, he had expended over 6,000 drops of Chaos Divine Liquid, combined with the remains of the Quasi-Sage Vermilion Bird, finally reaching the eighth-level pinnacle of the Primordial Chaos Emperor.

"My physical cultivation should be ready to break through."

Eldrin murmured inwardly before sinking into deep contemplation.

At this stage, Eldrin could break through to the Emperor Realm at any moment, yet he found himself hesitating.

For once his physical body broke through to the Great Emperor realm, the disparity between his Chaos Indestructible Body and his other foundations would become too vast, making the challenge of achieving a breakthrough to the ultimate limit exponentially more difficult.

After all, his Path of Refining Self Through Others demanded an exceptionally high degree of equilibrium in his foundational roots. Should he achieve a breakthrough, it would likely prove exceedingly difficult to maintain.

"Better to first advance the Guixu Seal, then attempt to break through the physical limits."

Eldrin murmured inwardly, then retrieved the Return to the Abyss Seal and began merging various divine materials into it.

Refining the Chaos Marvel was an immensely arduous task. Even with Eldrin's current level of cultivation, it would require an exceedingly prolonged period to completely assimilate this Chaos Marvel.

Fortunately, the Chaos Mud within the Return to Void Seal could encompass all things, offering immense assistance in refining Chaos Treasures. It would only take several kalpas to refine a single Chaos Treasure.

After spending dozens of kalpas in this manner, Eldrin finally succeeded in refining all 12 divine materials.

It is done.

Seeing the divine material successfully refined, greatly enhancing the texture of the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss, Eldrin did not hesitate in the slightest.

He retrieved the Primordial Qi of Beginning and infused it entirely into the Abyssal Return Seal. After integrating 30-6 strands in succession, the Abyssal Return Seal finally reached its limit.

1 100 and 8 Great Dao divine chains.

Eldrin murmured inwardly, immediately sensing the Abyssal Return Seal beginning to tremble violently. Within it, the divine chains of the Great Dao continuously converged and evolved, striving to coalesce into 12 divine forms of the Great Dao.

"I cannot undergo my breakthrough here."

At the critical moment, Eldrin did not hesitate in the slightest. Resolutely, he utilized the nameless space within the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss and emerged in the heart of the Great Barren Ancient Realm.

Without the slightest hesitation, he then channeled his energy into the Abyssal Return Seal to complete its final transformation.

Boom—

In an instant, the vast primordial chaos was torn asunder. Within the endless eternal void, the Eternal True Spirit quivered faintly, shedding countless true spirit imprints.

This time, the descending soul mark was unprecedentedly vast, roaring forth like an immense ocean.

Eldrin channeled his full power into the Abyssal Seal, driving it to absorb until it reached its absolute limit. Only then did he realize that a full 90 percent had already merged into the Abyssal Seal.

Only a small portion remained, flowing into Eldrin’s body—yet it was still an astonishing amount.

Primordial Supreme Treasure — the Abyssal Seal of Returning Ruin!

Gazing at the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss before him, a faint smile graced Eldrin's lips as a wave of quiet satisfaction washed over him.

But in the blink of an eye, a flicker of astonishment surfaced in his eyes.

"Wrong. The current Abyssal Seal is a Primordial Chaos Supreme Treasure."

Eldrin (Person Name) murmured softly, his face lighting up with astonishment and delight.

The Void Return Seal, which possessed the divine forms of 12 great Daos, was no ordinary Innate Supreme Treasure. It was a Transcendent Innate Supreme Treasure that surpassed even the highest tier of innate treasures.

In the boundless primordial chaos, the Innate Treasures were known as Chaos Spirit Treasure embryos, yet they remained a vast distance away from becoming true Chaos Spirit Treasures.

A true Chaos Spiritual Treasure is born from the resonance between the Great Dao of Chaos and the Primordial Chaos Qi, possessing incomparably supreme and formidable power.

Even an ordinary Primordial Treasure, when fused with Primordial Chaos Qi, possesses only a 10 percent chance of ultimately advancing to a Chaos Spiritual Treasure.

However, if 1 were to gather 9 innate treasures with harmonizing attributes, fuse them into 1, and assist their transformation with Primordial Chaos Qi, then it would be guaranteed to ascend into a Chaos Spiritual Treasure.

Eldrin's Seal of the Returning Abyss manifested 12 divine forms of the Great Dao. Not only did it guarantee absolute certainty of evolving into a chaos spiritual artifact, but it also held the potential to advance even further.

"It seems that when the Violet Firmament Immortal Sage acquired the 9 Dragons Treasure, his intention was to refine it into a Chaos Spiritual Artifact?"

Eldrin murmured inwardly, a faint, bitter smile surfacing in his heart as he realized that Violet Firmament Immortal Sage had likely seized no small advantage.

Generally speaking, while Primordial Chaos Qi is precious, Primordial Chaos Treasures are far more rare.

After all, most of those in urgent need of Primordial Chaos Qi were experts at the Quasi-Sage Realm, and it was exceedingly difficult for Quasi-Sages to produce treasures that could capture the interest of the Chaos Celestial Emperor.

Yet even an ordinary Chaos Heavenly Emperor requires only a modest amount of Primordial Chaos Qi.

Yet for high-level Chaos Celestial Emperors above the Unity Realm, what they truly crave are objects of Primordial Chaos, and the Primordial Chaos Genesis Qi is no longer their most urgent necessity.

In contrast, a Chaos Spiritual Treasure could tangibly enhance a Chaos Heavenly Emperor’s combat prowess, which was why its value typically doubled that of Primordial Chaos Qi.

"A slight loss, perhaps. But since I possess the Primordial Chaos Supreme Treasure, the 9 Dragons Artifact is of no use to me anymore."

Eldrin (Person Name) murmured softly, then attempted to channel energy into the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure). A flicker of delight instantly illuminated his features.

After its advancement, the power of the Returning Abyss Seal had once again undergone a tremendous enhancement, now reaching 12 times the might of an Innate Supreme Treasure.

Such a supremely powerful Primordial Treasure, if measured purely by might, could rival many Chaos Spiritual Treasures—and might even surpass them by a margin.

Its sole flaw was its failure to ascend to a Chaos Spiritual Artifact, lacking the empowerment of the Great Dao of Chaos inherent to such treasures.

Yet even so, the Abyssal Seal could already be considered a Fleshly Body Sanctification among Chaos Spiritual Treasures, possessing the qualification to challenge other Chaos Spiritual Treasures.

"Excellent. With this treasure in hand, my power has once again surged tremendously."

Eldrin murmured softly, then stepped alone into the Chaotic Abyssal Sea. Wielding the Chaos Heavenly Halberd, he executed a series of movements—each manifestation of power transcending what should have been the absolute limit.

Most crucially, as his Natal Supreme Treasure, the Primordial Chaos Spiritual Treasure could achieve perfect synergy with the very foundation of his cultivation, unleashing power far surpassing that of Innate Supreme Treasures.

"Though I dare not claim to rival the Chaos Heavenly Emperor just yet, I stand but 1 step away from challenging the very heavens themselves."

"All that remains is to break through to the Great Emperor realm, fortify my physical shortcomings, and cultivate the 9 Divine Spirit Patterns."

Having assessed his own strength, Eldrin felt thoroughly satisfied as he began sensing the true spirit imprint within his body.

This time, after the Void-Subduing Seal completed its ascension, the number of True Spirit Marks he obtained was immense—so vast that even with 90 percent absorbed by the seal, the remainder was sufficient to elevate 2 True Spirit Divine Patterns.

At this moment, gazing upon the majestic divine patterns of True Spirit within him, Eldrin found himself hesitating.

These 2 true spirit imprints—by integrating just 1 into his physical form, he could enable his Chaos Indestructible Body to once again break through its limits and cultivate the 9 great True Spirit Divine Patterns.

However, after careful consideration, Eldrin ultimately abandoned this option.

The primary reason for not taking this approach was that Eldrin's physical body was not far from achieving another breakthrough. He would likely break through within 1 100 kalpas.

In such a situation, there was no need to squander the True Spirit Imprint.

Secondly, Eldrin intended to leave behind his True Spirit Imprint as preparation for pursuing the Path of Divine Consciousness Ascension in the future.

According to Eldrin's (Person Name) plan, the moment he cultivated the seventh True Spirit acupoint, he would immediately fuse these 2 True Spirit imprints.

Only in this way could he soar directly to break through to the realm of Soul Dao Heavenly Emperor before the Unity Supremes of the Chi Yang Primordial Domain could react.

With this thought in mind, Eldrin sealed away these 2 true spirit imprints, then returned to the 7 Domains of the Southern Abyss through the Nameless Space.

"The time is about right."

After returning to the 7 Domains of the Southern Abyss, Eldrin calculated with his fingers and realized that the day when Daoist Tai Zhu would prove his Dao was not far off.

He ended his seclusion and immediately left the meditation chamber, arriving at the Qilin Ancient Domain.

Within the cave abode of Daoist Taizhuo, Eldrin once again laid eyes upon Daoist Taizhuo.

The 2 sat facing each other, and Eldrin inquired, "How are the preparations going, fellow Daoist?"

"Barring any mishaps, a breakthrough is imminent in the coming days."

Elder Taizhuo spoke, his brow furrowed with gravity. "I've heard that some are preparing to obstruct the Dao."

"No matter, they are but a pack of vile specters and fiends. We shall naturally handle them for you."

Eldrin (Person Name) spoke slowly, a faint smile gracing his lips. "Not long ago, the Black Abyss Emperor has advanced yet another step."

Upon hearing this, Daoist Taizhuo's face immediately lit up with delight.

As companions who had ventured together through the Chaotic Secret Realm, they understood perfectly how monumental Black Abyss Emperor's breakthrough truly was.

You must understand, the Black Abyss Emperor has obtained the Chaos Origin Pearl. Once he cultivates the Chaos Divine Patterns through it, his power will undoubtedly undergo a qualitative transformation.

Now that the Black Abyss Emperor has completed his breakthrough, even if 1 dare not claim he can rival a true Emperor, he is likely not far from reaching that realm.

If 1 were to say, a body cultivator who has mastered the forms of the 9 great divine spirits possesses combat prowess comparable to a Wuji quasi-saint wielding the forms of the 12 supreme daos.

The 1 who achieved physical sanctity by merging the 9 great divine forms, possessing combat prowess to challenge the Heavenly Emperor, rivaling the 30-6 supreme divine forms of the Wuji Sub-Sage.

In that case, the current Black Abyss Emperor must at the very least be comparable to a Primordial Sub-Sage who commands 20-4 Divine Forms of the Great Dao.

Within the vast expanse of primordial chaos, those who have unified the 9 Divine Forms are exceedingly rare in this world, while an Infinite Demi-Saint is nearly impossible to find across the ages.

With the Chaos Heavenly Emperor unable to set foot in the 7 Domains of the Southern Abyss, the Black Abyss Emperor's power could truly be described as unrivaled among all Half-Saints.

At this thought, Daoist Taizhuo could not help but sighing, "He has successfully cultivated the Chaos God Rune, which suggests his future potential is truly limitless. He might even have a chance to directly advance to the Second Realm of Chaos."

Eldrin also nodded with a faint smile. Those who had cultivated the ultimate divine patterns, if they were to further achieve the ultimate divine form or even the Chaos Divine Form, would undoubtedly see their future potential greatly amplified.

With such a foundation, the potential of Emperor Black Abyss in the days to come should by no means be underestimated.

With this thought in mind, Eldrin spoke, "Since Senior Black Abyss has agreed to assist, Fellow Daoist need only focus on your breakthrough."

"Then I thank you."

Elder Taizhuo smiled faintly, a breath of relief escaping him unconsciously.

Soon after, the Daoist Priest of Turbid Beginnings entered seclusion to accumulate spiritual power, making final preparations to break through to the Chaos Heavenly Emperor realm.

Meanwhile, over a 100 Chaos Emperor experts from the 100 Races of the Immortal Realm, along with the majority of the core forces from the Human Race's Celestial Court, had gathered within the Ancient Qilin Domain to safeguard Patriarch Tai Zhuo during his cultivation.

Even existences at the Sub-Sage Realm had 3 supreme powerhouses guarding their path—the Void’s End Dao Ancestor, the Ancient Spirit Sovereign, and even the Black Abyss Emperor.

It could be said that at this moment, the Qilin Ancient Domain had become the focal point of the Primal Immortal Realm, and even the entire 3 Extremes Primal Domain.

Countless powerful figures cast glances his way—some curious, some concerned, some friendly, and others veiled with murderous intent.

Thus time flowed on, until after an unknowable span had passed, the vast Kirin Ancient Realm trembled violently, and then the entire Primordial Immortal Domain began to shake unceasingly.

An endless torrent of immortal qi and the essence of heaven and earth surged forth, all converging into the Qilin Ancient Domain.

"The breakthrough has begun."

Eldrin's thoughts flickered, a trace of solemnity coloring his expression.

Meanwhile, the vast void began to tremble with continuous vibrations.

3 overwhelming auras surged forth—the 3 great Heavenly Emperors of the demon race, clearly unwilling to witness their sworn enemy set foot into the realm of Chaos Heavenly Emperor.

"Fellow Daoists, why such haste?"

Meanwhile, from the depths of the immortal realm, radiant clouds filled the sky as the 3 great divine monarchs and immortal saints—Taiyuan Immortal Saint, Taichu Divine Emperor, and Ziwei Divine Emperor—stepped forward to intercept the 3 Heavenly Emperors of the demon race.

Just as the 6 Chaos Heavenly Emperors were on the verge of unleashing a cataclysmic battle, the Heavenly Will of the Primordial Immortal Realm generated boundless repulsive force, expelling all 6 Chaos Heavenly Emperors from its domain.

Clearly, the Heavenly Dao of the Primordial Immortal Realm was unwilling to let the battle among the 6 disrupt the Transcendent Dusk Daoist’s breakthrough.

"Heaven's Dao Protection, is this the destiny of the Celestial Fate Emperor?"

Eldrin murmured inwardly, having grasped the essence of the matter.

The Primal Domain was capable of self-generating the Great Dao, and the Chaos God Emperor of Heavenly Destiny within it was originally born from the Great Dao of the Primal Immortal Domain.

In the eyes of the Heavenly Dao of the Primal Immortal Domain, the 9 Heavenly Mandate Divine Sovereigns were its own legitimate children—how could it ever willingly allow them to slaughter 1 another?

Most crucially, when Daoist Taizhuo broke through to the Chaos Realm, he transformed his innate Great Dao into the Chaos Great Dao—an act that inherently complemented the foundational principles of the Primordial Domain's Great Dao.

As more Chaos Heavenly Emperors who wield the Great Dao of Chaos emerge, the origin and rank of the Primordial Immortal Domain will grow increasingly powerful, ultimately holding the potential to evolve into the second realm of chaos.

Even if 1 fails to advance, the more Primal Domains the Chaos Heavenly Emperor possesses, the more powerful their foundational essence and authority over the Heavenly Dao will become.

The Solar Celestial Emperor and his allies sought to thwart Grandmaster Taizhuo's ascension to the Dao—a move that fundamentally obstructed the Primordial Realm's own transcendence. Thus, they inevitably earned the realm's profound disdain.

Were it not for the Chaos Dao governed by the 3 Great Heavenly Emperors, which also greatly reinforced the Primordial Domain, an ordinary person would likely have long been struck down by the boundless karmic retribution unleashed by the Primordial Domain.

To get back on track, shortly after the 6 Great Emperors were driven out of the Primal Domain, numerous powerful figures began to emerge between heaven and earth.

Among these powerful figures, Eldrin spotted quite a few familiar faces.

Among them were 3 Demi-Sages: the Vermilion Bird Demi-Sage, the Kunpeng Demi-Sage, and the Azure Crow Demi-Sage, along with 4 other Demi-Sages: the Primal Dragon Quasi-Emperor, the Myriad Stars Ancestor, the Azure Crane Demi-Sage, and the Blazing Soul Sage Lord.

Evidently, aside from the 3 Demi-Sages of the Demon Clan, the other 4 Adversaries of the Great Dao had struck to utterly wash away their past humiliations.

"You've come in quite the numbers."

Eldrin (Person Name) maintained a face of serene composure before turning to the Black Abyss Emperor beside him. "I shall trouble Your Majesty to deal with these few individuals."

The Black Abyss Emperor gave a slight nod and spoke calmly, "These worthless fools can be slaughtered like dogs."

As the words fell, Emperor Black Abyss instantly stepped forth, soaring into the heavens with unparalleled divine power to engage in battle.

Watching the Black Abyss Emperor charge forth alone, the Quasi-Emperor of the Desolate Dragon sneered coldly, "With just you alone, how dare you come forward to throw your life away?"

As the words fell, the first to tear through the heavens was the Quasi-Emperor of the Desolate Dragon, unleashing divine power capable of suppressing primordial chaos as he charged to annihilate the Black Abyss Emperor.

Even before the previous battle, the Quasi-Emperor of Desolate Dragons had already grasped the Black Abyss Emperor's strength, realizing he was absolutely no match for him. Thus, they did not remain together.

At this moment, he struck with full force, determined to utterly annihilate the Black Abyss Emperor.

But in that very instant, the Black Abyss Emperor let out a cold sneer. All around him, the Thunder Emperor Battle Armor began to radiate a blazing immortal light.

Chapter 1 The Azure Cloud Sect's outer gate examination had just concluded. Lin Xuan clutched the newly acquired identity token, his fingertips trembling slightly. The jade token, cool to the touch, was carved with the characters "Azure Cloud Sect" and glowed with a faint spiritual light. "Next, proceed to the Contribution Hall to receive your beginner cultivation resources," announced the deacon overseeing the examination, his tone indifferent. Lin Xuan took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping across the towering mountain gates before him. The 3 words "Azure Cloud Sect" were imbued with a formidable sword intent, as though they could pierce through the heavens. Countless aspiring cultivators had journeyed tens of thousands of miles for this very moment. At the Contribution Hall, a long queue had already formed. Most were youths around 15 or 16 years old, their faces a mix of anticipation and anxiety. "Name?" the disciple in charge of distribution asked without lifting his head. "Lin Xuan." The disciple retrieved a storage bag from behind the counter. "1 entry-level cultivation manual, 3 Qi Gathering Pills, and 10 low-grade spirit stones. Sign here." Lin Xuan accepted the items, his heart racing. The 10 spirit stones shimmered with a faint glow, their spiritual energy palpable even through the storage bag. "Hey, newbie," a voice suddenly called from beside him. A round-faced youth grinned and approached. "Interested in teaming up for a mission? I heard the Herb Garden is looking for people to gather 100 Herb Grass. The reward is 2 spirit stones per person." Lin Xuan hesitated for a moment. "I need to stabilize my cultivation first." "Suit yourself," the round-faced youth shrugged, not pressing further, and turned to find another partner. Back in his assigned wooden hut, Lin Xuan carefully laid out the cultivation resources. The Qi Gathering Pills emitted a refreshing herbal scent, while the spirit stones glimmered with a soft light. He opened the cultivation manual—"Azure Cloud Art"—and began reading intently. The manual outlined the foundational method for absorbing spiritual energy from heaven and earth, circulating it through the meridians, and refining it into spiritual power. The first layer focused on opening up the meridians. Lin Xuan sat cross-legged, following the manual's instructions to guide the spiritual energy. A warm current gradually gathered around him, seeping into his limbs and bones. The sensation was both strange and exhilarating. 3 days passed in the blink of an eye. Lin Xuan opened his eyes, a faint gleam of spiritual light flashing within them. He had successfully mastered the first layer of the Azure Cloud Art. "Time to take on a mission." He arrived at the Mission Hall, where a massive jade screen displayed various tasks: "Gather Fiery Sun Grass: 30 plants required. Reward: 5 spirit stones." "Guard the North Mountain Spirit Mine: duration 1 month. Reward: 20 spirit stones." "Hunt a first-tier demonic beast, the Scarlet Flame Tiger. Reward: 50 spirit stones." Lin Xuan's eyes settled on a line of text at the bottom of the screen: "Investigate the disappearance of outer gate disciples in the Black Wind Mountain Range. Reward: 1 100 spirit stones." A commotion erupted around him. "That mission again? Didn’t 3 senior disciples already fail and come back empty-handed?" "Rumor has it there’s something strange in the Black Wind Mountain Range. Even inner gate elders went to investigate but found nothing." Lin Xuan frowned, sensing something unusual. Just as he was about to turn away, a system notification suddenly echoed in his mind: [Ding! Detected special mission: Investigate the Disappearance in the Black Wind Mountain Range. Mission reward: Divine Grade technique—Heavenly Star Art.] Lin Xuan’s breath hitched. Divine Grade technique! Even the Azure Cloud Sect’s foundational method was only a middle-grade Yellow Grade technique. "I’ll take this mission," he declared, stepping forward. The hall fell silent for a moment, followed by a burst of laughter. "Another fool seeking death!" "He’s a new outer gate disciple, right? Does he even know how dangerous the Black Wind Mountain Range is?" Lin Xuan ignored the chatter, accepted the mission token, and turned to leave. Outside the sect, he summoned the Green Bamboo Sword (Magic Treasure). The sword, as thin as a bamboo leaf, gleamed with a cold light. With a leap, he stepped onto the sword and soared into the sky. The wind whistled past his ears. Below, the Azure Cloud Sect’s mountains and palaces grew increasingly distant. Lin Xuan took a deep breath, a flicker of determination in his eyes. The Black Wind Mountain Range lay 3 100 miles away. According to the mission details, 7 outer gate disciples had vanished there over the past month. The last 1 to disappear was Zhang Tianhao, who had reached the fifth layer of Qi Refining. After flying for half a day, a dark mountain range appeared on the horizon. From afar, it looked like a massive beast crouching on the earth, its peaks shrouded in a faint black mist. Lin Xuan landed at the edge of the forest, recalling the mission’s warning: "The black fog in the mountains can disrupt spiritual sense. Proceed with caution." He activated his spiritual power, and a faint blue light enveloped his body—the simplest spiritual shield. The forest was eerily quiet, devoid of birdsong or insect chirps. Only the rustle of leaves in the wind broke the silence. Suddenly, a black shadow shot toward him! Lin Xuan reacted swiftly, the Green Bamboo Sword slashing through the air. A crisp sound rang out as the shadow split in 2 and fell to the ground—a black snake, its body covered in strange patterns. "A first-tier demonic beast, the Shadow Serpent," Lin Xuan murmured, his expression grave. The Shadow Serpent was highly toxic and excelled at ambushes. If not for his heightened vigilance, he might have been caught off guard. He continued deeper into the mountains. The further he went, the denser the black fog became, limiting his spiritual sense to a radius of less than 30 meters. Up ahead, a dilapidated temple came into view. The temple’s walls were crumbling, and the plaque above the door was so faded that the characters were illegible. Yet, an unusual spiritual energy emanated from within. Lin Xuan hesitated for a moment before stepping inside. The interior was covered in dust and cobwebs, but the main hall was surprisingly clean, as if someone had been there recently. On the stone wall, a line of small characters caught his attention: "Beware the inner sect." The writing was fresh, as if carved just days ago. Lin Xuan’s heart tightened. Could the disappearances be related to the inner sect? Just as he was lost in thought, a sharp pain shot through his chest. A bloodstain spread across his robe, and a sword tip protruded from his chest. "You..." Lin Xuan turned around with great effort, his vision blurring. A figure in Azure Cloud Sect inner gate attire stood behind him, a cold smile playing on his lips. "Another fool delivered right to my doorstep." Darkness engulfed Lin Xuan’s consciousness.