Grandpa, times have changed.

It's just me!
Anyone else would probably have been caught and eliminated by that scruffy bird long ago.

Chi Jiuyu thought to himself with a touch of smugness.

Her thinking wasn't wrong; the higher the cultivation level, the smaller the gap between cultivators.

The difference between transforming into a spirit and returning to emptiness is like heaven and earth.

Even among the contestants of this Immortal Sect Grand Competition, only a small number were able to cross an entire major realm and escape from a 'near-saint' comparable to the Void Returning Realm.

"We still need to be careful."

After muttering something, Chi Jiuyu turned her gaze from the distance to her palm.

A strange, translucent ribbon of light, like a ribbon, with tiny specks of light flowing inside, floated quietly on her delicate, fair palm.

Like silk, the faint light that flows from both ends drifts a distance before gradually disappearing into the air.

Stared for a while.

Her five fingers suddenly began to close slightly and clench, and the strange light in her hand also extended, lengthened, and took shape.

It transformed into a sword.

A semi-transparent sword, shimmering with a faint light, as if it were a piece of starlight that had been cut down and transformed into a sword.

Sword of Stars!
But the next second, the faint light inside the sword began to vibrate, and then it kept colliding, as if trying to break free from the sword's restraints.

puff~
With an extremely faint sound, the sword finally succumbed and disintegrated.

Countless tiny lights scattered, like blooming fireworks, or like a meteor shower streaking across the night sky.

"It's still far from perfect..."

Chi Jiuyu didn't seem surprised. He just shook his hand and muttered something under his breath.

Sword of Stars.

It was a sword technique she had been working on for some time.

Isn't this the same Master Xingzu who recently attained immortality?
She gained some insights after seeing the strange starry sky above Mu Wujie.

So she wondered if she could use that insight as a foundation, combined with her own swordsmanship, to perfect a new sword technique.

Maybe I can even take this opportunity to become acquainted with Master Xingzu/Grandmaster...

Cough!

Actually, to be honest, she had even studied the "Stardust Realm Annihilation True Sword Chapter".

Of course, it's only something that I've 'studied'.

She mainly focused her energy on the two supreme sword manuals she was studying, using the "Stardust Realm Annihilation True Sword Chapter" purely for reference.

In any case, the trial of a true method posed no difficulty for her.

I never expected that after so long, a True Law-level sword manual that I used for reference back then would be used again.

As expected of the Nine Fishermen Ancestor, she is indeed a peerless genius with unparalleled fortune!

Hey!

Then, Chi Jiuyu turned around and continued walking towards the top of the mountain, while pondering her next steps.

She's already eliminated three people, but her cheat code still hasn't been unlocked.

Clearly, the unlocking conditions have nothing to do with the number of points.

Perhaps we'll have to wait until a specific time.
Moreover, in theory, there should be a shrinking mechanism this time, otherwise, with so many planes, wouldn't those bastards from the Supreme Dao Sect have to hide forever?
emm...

In short, we still need to proceed with caution.

Soon, Chi Jiuyu arrived at the top of the mountain and stood on a protruding rock.

Sensing the faint spark of inspiration, she gazed into the distance.

Although walking through the woods can feel a bit eerie, the weather is actually quite nice today.

Looking out, there wasn't a single cloud in the sky, and the mountains stretched endlessly. Not far below, some dilapidated buildings could be seen.

Actually, people used to live here, but after a man-eating monster appeared, the villagers moved away.

That's right.

It's the one she just killed.

"Zhengxu Dao Palace..." Chi Jiuyu seemed to be deep in thought.

According to existing information, most of the spiritual energy of the Azure Sky Plane has been extracted, and high-quality spiritual objects, spiritual veins, and cultivation techniques and supernatural abilities are strictly controlled by a force called the Righteous Void Dao Palace.

Moreover, all the cultivators with higher cultivation levels joined the Zhengxu Dao Palace, and all of them disappeared completely shortly after joining.

Apart from that, there are only a few small forces in the entire Azure Sky Plane where even Foundation Establishment cultivators are rare.

"Looks like we'll have to keep a low profile and investigate slowly."

When the scruffy bird spotted her, it also said something—

'Scraps from the Zhengxu Dao Palace'

emm...

In short, the situation is quite complicated, and she has to outsmart her!
……

……

Nighttime, inner sect of the Sword Sect.

Xu Xing stood in front of the Sword Master's Hall, bathed in moonlight, seemingly waiting for something.

Soon, a red shadow appeared, and a stunningly beautiful woman in a red dress appeared behind him.

"I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long, fellow Daoist?"

Xu Xing turned his head and saw that she was wearing a very simple dress today, similar in style to what his senior sister usually wore, only the color was different.

Her long hair was simply tied up with a red hair tie, and she wore no makeup, yet she still possessed a captivating charm.

"soon."

Xu Xing glanced at it once and then looked away, turning his gaze towards the direction of Qingxu.

"let's go."

The word 'walk' here naturally refers to Qingxu.

When Xu Xing returned from the Starry Sky Frontline Battlefield and mentioned that he was going to Qingxu, Meizu said that she wanted to go with him and even mocked Bie Xuening and Yuanjun.

They said one of them was useless and the other's cultivation level was too low.

In the end, he was beaten up by the two of them together.

But perhaps Meizu's words had an effect, because when she suggested going along in the group, no one said anything.

"Uh-huh."

Meizu nodded, glancing at the Sword Venerable Hall before leaving.

She was not wrong.

Sword Master only knows how to kill people, so going with him wouldn't be of any help. Yuanjun and Lingzu are alright, but their cultivation levels are relatively low.

In conclusion, no matter how you look at it, it's best for you to go yourself.

The next second, the two figures disappeared from in front of the Sword Ancestor's Hall.

……

……

Qingxu.

Because so many changes have occurred here, the seven major immortal sects jointly sealed off this place five years ago, prohibiting any outside cultivators from exploring Qingxu.

This has sparked some public opinion, with many adventurers or practitioners who make a living from adventure expressing their dissatisfaction.

Various conspiracy theories are circulating.

Some say that the Qingxu Ruins nurtured a celestial artifact, while others say that the Qingxu Ruins discovered the cave dwelling of a high-level cultivator, and that the offspring of a high-level cultivator from one of the seven great immortal sects wanted to monopolize the resources of the Qingxu Ruins, hence the blockade order, and so on...

In short, all sorts of outrageous rumors have surfaced.

Of course, most of these rumors were spread by cultivators who frequently ventured into Qingxu, or by other related interest groups.

For example, some of the bewitching cultivators in the Hehuan Sect who are just trying to ride the wave of popularity.

However, after being warned, these behind-the-scenes manipulators all behaved themselves.

As time went by, this matter was gradually overshadowed by new trending topics.

Two figures appeared without warning above Qingxu, which was perpetually shrouded in gray-black mist.

It was already night.

Even if you stand on the edge of the cliff and look up, the two figures are like stars in the night sky, just insignificant dots.

after awhile.

"It looks... the same as before?"

A faint sound dissipated in the evening breeze. Meizu gazed at the surging gray-black sea of ​​mist beneath her feet, her eyes gleaming with an inexplicable light.

There's nothing wrong with that.

No matter how she looked at it, everything here was exactly the same as she remembered, with nothing unusual about it.

"Yes, it's the same as before."

Xu Xing didn't notice anything unusual either.

"Senior sister saw Gu emerge from the very center of Qingxu. Let's get a closer look."

"Ah."

The two figures disappeared again, reappearing in the sky above the very center of Qingxu.

If you look down from a high place, you can see that the recessed part of the entire Qingxu is a perfectly regular hexagon. With the center point as the core, the entire Qingxu is divided into six areas of the same size. You can also see that the total amount of fog flowing in each area is exactly the same.

The two slowly descended, their figures flickering as they went, like distorted projections.

About a minute later, the two figures disappeared into the surging gray-black mist.

The very center of Qingxu, the core area.

Before it was closed off and open to the public, very few people ventured here.

Xu Xing and his team had checked the area several times during their previous investigations, but they had not found anything unusual.

Thick, gray-black fog surged, and perhaps due to its unique location, each wisp of fog flowed in a different direction.

"It's really weird."

Meizu muttered to herself, her slender, white index finger, as thin as a scallion root, lightly touching the mist in front of her.

Silently, yet a ripple spread outwards.

The already hazy Qingxu became even more blurred in the very center, with overlapping images appearing as if, but the figures of the two people remained clear.

After a while, Meizu lowered his hand.

"Could it be that the Sword Master has misread it?"

"will not."

Although my senior sister is a bit reckless, she's not so foolish as to misjudge something like this.

"Thinking about it, that makes sense. Although Sword Master is a bit reckless, he shouldn't be so foolish as to make a mistake like this," said Enchantress Ancestor.

Xu Xing: "..."

What she said was exactly what I was thinking?
"Then it must be a problem with Qingxu itself."

With a gentle gesture, the Demon Ancestor conjured two shimmering purple fruits with silver patterns on their skin, enveloped in auspicious clouds and spiritual mist.

The rich fruity aroma is refreshing and delightful.

Even just smelling it, the life essence contained in the fruit's fragrance is enough to extend the lifespan of a cultivator at or below the Nascent Soul stage by three years.

She handed one of them to Xu Xing.

"Why don't we just be straightforward and raze Qingxu to the ground?"

"Raze it to the ground and clear the ruins?" Xu Xing paused in surprise.

After thinking for a long time, his brows relaxed from being tightly furrowed.

"It does seem feasible..."

Undeniably, Meizu's proposal does have some feasibility.

Whatever his plans are.

The unusual behavior from ancient times shows that the root of the problem lies in Qingxu!
Why not just flatten the Qingxu ruins and the problem would be solved?

The reason why Qingxu was kept in the past was because Qingxu was the place where 'Tai' fell, and it was not an ordinary place to deal with.

Secondly, the spiritual plants and minerals, and even exotic beasts and strange creatures that grow within are quite precious.

Moreover, Qingxu itself is also a good training ground.

But now, Qingxu is clearly not as simple as they thought. Rather than leaving this threat alive, it would be better to raze it to the ground.

Thoughts are spinning.

"Check it a few more times. If we still don't find anything unusual, we'll go back and discuss it," Xu Xing said.

While leveling and clearing the ruins is one way to solve the problem, it is not without its challenges.

But how exactly to do it, when to do it, and to what extent...

These things need to be discussed properly.

“Mm.” Meizu nodded. “Then I will watch from the side. Brother Dao, you can try a few more times.”

As he spoke, he took a bite of the fruit in his hand.

"..."

The next instant, a red light flashed in Xu Xing's palm.

A long sword, entirely crimson with divine light flowing along its blade, appeared in his hand.

Raise your sword, facing the very center of the entire Qingxu!
A gentle prick!
Chi~
With a soft sound, the tip of the sword pierced directly into the space in front of it, as if it had pierced into another dimension.

A depression appeared at the very center of the surging sea of ​​fog.

The next second, an overwhelming burst of red light erupted, originating from the core of Qingxu and rapidly spreading in all directions, permeating every wisp of mist.

Within every inch of red light, countless shadows and images flickered.

……

……

The ever-expanding realm of the past.

Ancient Tai Xuan Tian.

Inside the Temple of Time, located at the center of heaven and earth.

On the dark throne, the blurry figure who had been keeping his eyes closed suddenly opened them and looked up.

sky.

The sky above the ancient Tai Xuan Heaven had been dyed crimson at some unknown time.

It seemed that some tyrannical force was sweeping everything away, invading the realm of the past with an unstoppable force.

fog.

Grayish-black fog.

From that intruding power, He saw a sea of ​​fog churning with gray-black mist.

'Has it started...?'

His crystal-clear, seven-colored eyes showed little emotion, remaining completely calm.

From the moment He was discovered by the Sword Master, He knew that the Sword Ancestor and the others would definitely go to Qingxu to investigate again.

But He was not worried.

He had previously entered a 'place of non-existence' and encountered 'beings that had utterly perished'.

Whether it's the Sword Ancestor or the Profound One, as long as they haven't transcended the Tai Xuan Realm, they will never be able to reach that place.

Gu gently stroked the seven-colored spheres at both ends of the throne armrest. The red light had already stained a small part of the spheres, but he still tilted his head back, gazing at the sky that had been dyed crimson.

It would be best to be straightforward.

Given the temperament of those human immortals, they would rather kill the innocent than let the guilty go free.

Perhaps they'll solve the problem by destroying the Qingxu...

So much the better!
I am the only enlightened being in the past and present who witnessed His 'fall', yet also witnessed His 'non-existence'.

Therefore, I can never completely erase Him, even though He has 'completely fallen'.

But the true immortals of the human race are different.

They witnessed his 'fall,' and Qingxu was his only means of clinging to life.

Once Qingxu is destroyed, His state between 'existence' and 'non-existence' will be broken, and at that time no existence will be able to interfere with the Cang Clan's path to enlightenment from within.

Xuan will never again...

"The power of the Sword Ancestor has invaded the past."

A calm voice rang in His ears without warning.

A figure, no bigger than an ordinary person, with an indistinct face and only a pair of purple eyes visible, appeared out of thin air.

"They have already started an investigation."

Purple eyes looked at Him, as calm as the voice, yet they sent a chill down His spine.

"Why did you emerge from the very core of Qingxu?" (End of Chapter)