Beneath the Main Peak of the Piaomiao Sect.
Wu Yan (Yan) arrived at the Earth Fire Chamber once again.
A foul odor still permeated the air.
Wu Yan (Yan) chose a room specifically designated for artifact refining, then sat cross-legged on a piece of basalt rock with a pitted surface.
She took out a cauldron missing a corner from her storage bag and poured in the Gengjin metal Powder she had bought for fifty low-grade Spirit Stones.
Several streaks of black ash stained her cheeks, and sweat slid down her pale jawline, dripping onto the scorching ground and turning into white smoke with a hiss.
However, her expression was as cold as thousand-year-old ice, as if the rolling heat waves—sufficient to suffocate anyone in this enclosed space—simply did not exist.
Before long, a dark, murky liquid mixed with black spots and unknown particles tumbled violently inside the suspended cauldron with the missing corner.
“I really can’t stand this…”
In mid-air, a strikingly prominent red shadow floated shapelessly above the scorching magma, completely out of place in this gray, cramped space.
Long black hair fell down, almost brushing the tip of Wu Yan (Yan)’s nose.
A set of blood-red clothes moved without wind amidst the heat waves. With bare feet stepping on the void, those soul-hooking red eyes stared at the bubbling, broken cauldron with a look of utter disgust.
“I’m saying, this sword followed me to kill quite a few Demonic Cultivators and followed you through many secret realms regardless of the cost. How did it end up in this state?”
Wu Yan (Inner) floated in front of Wu Yan (Yan) and extended a long, jade-like finger, intending to poke Wu Yan (Yan)’s expressionless face, but it passed straight through.
She didn’t care. Withdrawing her hand, she lazily flipped over in mid-air, looking at Wu Yan (Yan) while hanging upside down. Her tone was full of frustration at her perceived lack of progress:
“Little Wu Yan (Yan), you actually want to smear this stuff on your sword. This is abuse! If this sword had a sword spirit, it would probably get up in the middle of the night and hang itself from your bedpost!”
Wu Yan (Yan) did not respond.
She placed Severing Delusion horizontally in front of her and surged the spiritual power within her body. A faint white light flickered at her fingertips as she guided the Gengjin metal liquid from the cauldron toward Severing Delusion.
“Ugly, too ugly…”
Watching that glob of molten metal slowly seep into the cracks of the sword’s body, Wu Yan (Inner) covered her eyes in despair and rolled frantically on the ground. “Stop! If this sword is fixed like this, people will laugh their heads off if you take it out! I, the dignified… When did I ever suffer such an indignity in my day!”
Wu Yan (Yan) did not respond, she only pursed her lips tightly. Her already cold face appeared even more tense now.
Her gaze was focused yet hollow, as if she were completing a precise engineering process.
She did not understand advanced artifact refining techniques. She could only use the clumsiest method: using spiritual power to forcibly squeeze the molten metal into the cracks, then using high heat to iron it smooth.
This method of repair was incredibly crude and destined to destroy the balance of the sword’s body and block the conduction of Spirit Chi.
But Wu Yan (Yan) didn’t care.
To survive in this world where the weak are prey to the strong, and to protect those she—or rather, Wu Yan (Inner)—owed, she had to have a sword in her hand.
She suddenly pressed her finger downward.
“Hiss—”
The molten metal solidified, letting out a sharp, light sound.
Wu Yan (Yan) withdrew the spiritual fire and reached out to grasp the hilt.
The sword body, which was originally as bright as autumn water, now had a dark brown scar on it, looking like a sudden, jarring scar on the face of a beauty.
Even Wu Yan (Yan), who always prioritized utility, had to admit at this moment that it was indeed a bit ugly.
“It’s over.”
Wu Yan (Inner) lay on the ground in a spread-eagle position, staring blankly upward. “It’s completely over. I have only one request now. If you’re going to use this sword to kill someone, please make sure to do it quickly. Don’t let the deceased see what this sword looks like. I can’t afford to lose face like this.”
Wu Yan (Yan) lowered her eyes and gently rubbed her finger over the scar on the sword.
It was rough, even slightly sharp against her hand.
However, that cold metallic sensation gave her an incredible sense of stability.
If it can be used, it is a good sword.
Wu Yan (Yan) inserted the sword into its scabbard. Upon entering, it made a sound of dry friction that made Wu Yan (Inner) cringe again.
Wu Yan (Yan) tidied her slightly messy Daoist robe and pushed open the heavy stone door.
Outside the door, the corridor was noisy. However, the moment that stone door opened and Wu Yan (Yan)’s figure appeared.
The air seemed to freeze instantly.
The voices of the Inner Disciples, who were still laughing and talking loudly, came to an abrupt halt.
Countless gazes focused on her. When they saw that cold, pale, expressionless face and the dazzling token at her waist, everyone’s eyes changed.
It was a complex look mixed with awe, fear, and alienation.
“Eldest… Eldest Senior Sister.” The disciple closest to her subconsciously took half a step back and bowed stutteringly.
Wu Yan (Yan) looked straight ahead and walked through the crowd with steady steps.
She knew these disciples were very afraid of her, so she hadn’t planned on staying here long.
Just as Wu Yan (Yan) was about to walk out of the Earth Fire Chamber’s gate and return to the daylight.
“Dong—”
A heavy, desolate bell toll seemed to penetrate the thick layers of earth and ignore the constraints of space, exploding directly in the depths of everyone’s soul.
Then came a second toll, and a third.
“Dong— Dong—!”
Three tolls of the Gathering Immortal Bell. The lingering sound was melodious and resounded through the clouds.
Wu Yan (Yan) stopped her footsteps and looked up at the sliver of sky light coming down from the end of the corridor. Around her, the disciples who were still whispering just a moment ago turned deathly pale. The terror in their eyes was a hundred times more intense than when they had seen Wu Yan (Yan) just now.
“The Gathering Immortal Bell? Three times?”
“This is… the General Sect Summoning Order!”
“What happened? Unless the sect is facing a catastrophe of total annihilation, or some world-shaking event has occurred, the Gathering Immortal Bell would never be struck three times!”
“Quick! Get to the Main Peak, fast!”
Cries of shock rose one after another. In just an instant, Wu Yan (Yan) was the only person left in the Earth Fire Chamber.
***
The main hall of the Piaomiao Sect was shrouded in mist and brightly lit.
Hundreds of giant white jade pillars supported the dome. The ground was paved with basalt stone polished to a mirror-like finish, reflecting the glow of thousands of ever-burning lamps above.
By the time Wu Yan (Yan) arrived, the hall was already bustling with people.
At the very top of the hall, a majestic jade throne hung high.
There was no physical figure there, only a layer of hazy pale golden light screen. Behind the light screen, a graceful yet majestic figure could be vaguely seen.
That was the Sect Master.
“Pretending to be mysterious.” Wu Yan (Inner) lay lazily on her side. “Setting up a light screen to hide… is she too ugly to be seen? Or is she afraid people will see she’s made of paper?”
Beside the Sect Master, Xia Lingshuang stood with her hands behind her back, her white clothes as pure as snow and her hair like ink.
She exuded a faint chill, cold and ethereal like frost and snow, appearing unattainable. Her presence itself was a form of deterrence, making the disciples below afraid to speak loudly.
Wu Yan (Yan) could also see Yu Qingyao standing at the very front of the crowd. She was dressed in a pale green flowing cloud skirt. Although it didn’t look particularly prominent, Wu Yan (Yan) remembered that this was a defensive spiritual artifact with extremely high power that Xia Lingshuang had gifted to Yu Qingyao.
Although Yu Qingyao appeared no different from usual on the surface, Wu Yan (Yan) could clearly see her knuckles turning white from clenching too hard.
Was she nervous?
“Disciples.”
A cold, ethereal female voice with a strange piercing quality drifted out from behind the light screen.
“I have summoned you all tonight for only one matter.”
The Sect Master’s voice was neither rushed nor slow. “Behind Kurong Peak, in the Cangwu Secret Realm that has been sealed for a millennium, violent spatial fluctuations have appeared. According to my deductions, the secret realm will open on its own in three days.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall fell into an uproar.
And standing at the front, when Yu Qingyao heard these words, her body jolted violently, and she nearly lost her footing.
Her guess had come true! History had really changed.
Wu Yan (Yan) looked at Yu Qingyao’s reaction, lost in thought.
“The opening of the secret realm this time is not merely a matter for our Piaomiao Sect.”
The Sect Master’s voice became solemn, carrying a hint of killing intent:
“Given the abnormal fluctuations of the secret realm, and to prepare for the future Great Catastrophe, I have issued the ‘Ascension Order’ to the cultivation world. This time, the Cangwu Secret Realm will be open to all righteous sects under heaven.”
The righteous path of the world… what did that imply?
“At that time, the five great sects of the current age will gather here.”
“Taiqing Sect, Tianyan Sect, Ten Thousand Beast Mountain, Queyue Palace, and…”
“Lingxiao Sect.”
The Lingxiao Sect. Recognized as the number one sect in Zhongzhou and the leader of the righteous path.
Its strength was so formidable and its foundation so deep that it could look down upon all living beings.
The crowd instantly erupted.
“Heavens! The Lingxiao Sect is coming too?!”
“I heard that the Saintess of this generation in the Lingxiao Sect has peerless talent and possesses divine blood. She has already been designated as the sole candidate for the next leader of the Righteous Alliance.”
“Is a legendary figure like that coming too? Do we even have a chance?”
In a corner, Wu Yan (Yan)’s fingers subconsciously rubbed the Soul-Nourishing Jade.
Her gaze remained calm, but at this moment, her heart skipped a beat.
Lingxiao Sect… In the shattered and even somewhat blurred depths of Wu Yan (Inner)’s memory, there seemed to be the existence of such a sect. When Wu Yan (Yan) tried to look at the Saintess in Wu Yan (Inner)’s memory, her head began to ache slightly.
“Lingxiao Sect?”
Wu Yan (Inner) was currently floating directly above the crowd, her originally playful and teasing expression narrowing slightly. Her seductive red eyes narrowed, revealing a dangerous and cold light, like a shark that had caught the scent of blood.
The meeting ended.
With the departure of the Sect Master, the disciples also began to leave in twos and threes, carrying their shock and anxiety as they discussed the impending storm.
Wu Yan (Yan) turned around silently, following the flow of people outside.
The surrounding disciples still subconsciously avoided her, as if there were an invisible barrier around her, isolating her from this noisy world.
Just as she stepped over the threshold of the main hall and into the night air.
A cold gaze, like a physical substance, pierced through the crowd and landed on her back.
Wu Yan (Yan)’s footsteps paused slightly, then she returned to normal and continued forward. She didn’t need to look back to know that it was Xia Lingshuang.
—
In this life, many things seemed to have changed.
Whether it was that child Qingyao or other matters, including the early opening of the Cangwu Secret Realm, things had already become somewhat difficult for her to control.
But the biggest variable was still Wu Yan (Inner).
Xia Lingshuang found that she could no longer see through Wu Yan (Inner) at all.
In this life, what exactly was she planning?
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