Alert! The Dragon Lord has emerged from seclusion!

Yao Guang respectfully bowed to the twelve portraits: "Thank you for the guidance of our ancestors."

"Go," the aged mind said gently. "There are still unresolved karmic debts in this world that you need to settle."

"Remember, the starry sky will always be your support."

The starlight converged once more, forming a passage connecting to the present world.

Eight people stepped inside.

Light and shadow shift and change.

When they were back on solid ground, they had returned to the Star Palace in Kunlun Starfall Valley.

Outside the hall, the sun shone brightly, birds sang, and flowers bloomed, as if they had only been gone for a short while.

But Shen Qingqiu quickly checked the timekeeping artifact he was carrying, and his expression changed slightly: "A hundred years in the Star Spirit Ancestral Land... only one year has passed in the present world."

One year.

Fortunately.

"Contact Xiaoyao Valley first," Lin Chen said.

The communication was quickly established.

The illusory image of Xuanbing Zhenren appeared, and seeing that the eight people were safe and sound, he visibly breathed a sigh of relief: "You're finally back!"

A lot happened this year.

"The East Sea has recovered its vitality, and the Eye of Return to Nothingness has become completely peaceful, but the cultivation world is not at peace."

"Three months ago, a newly opened 'ancient ruin' appeared in the Western Regions, which is suspected to be related to the Tianyan Sect, and various factions are vying for it."

"Furthermore... the remaining forces of the Zhao family in Jiangnan seem to be colluding with some secret organization and are operating in the shadows."

Lin Chen's eyes turned slightly cold: "The Zhao family... still haven't given up?"

"Just a clown jumping around." Master Xuanbing shook his head. "But perhaps you should go and take a look at that ancient ruin."

"Before Senior Ji Yaoguang disappeared, she said that the Tianyan Sect still had its last legacy, which might be located there."

Lin Chen exchanged glances with the others.

"go."

……

At Star Palace Square.

The sky was clear and bright.

After the illusory image of Xuanbing Zhenren dissipated, the eight people stood quietly for a moment, digesting the information of the past year.

"The Western Regions..."

Ye Qingcheng held her sword, raising an eyebrow slightly. "That place is no gentler than the East China Sea. It's a Gobi Desert, full of deadly creatures."

Su Qingxue's icy gaze swept over the crowd: "The ruins are related to the Tianyan Sect, we must go."

"What about the remnants of the Zhao family?" Qin Yurou asked softly, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.

"Could they... be plotting something in the shadows?"

Lin Chen looked at a dull jade talisman in his palm—it was sent by Ling Feng along with the message earlier, and it contained several blurry images.

He infused it with chaotic energy, and the jade talisman lit up, projecting an image into the air.

The footage is shaky, clearly indicating that it was filmed hastily.

The location is on the outskirts of the "Black Sand City" in the Western Regions. Amidst the swirling yellow sand, a pyramid-shaped black building is slowly rising from the sea of ​​sand.

The building's surface is covered with star map runes similar to those of the Tianyan Sect, but with many additional twisted, dark red patterns.

At the edge of the screen, several dark figures flashed by.

Although their faces were not clearly visible, their movements and techniques clearly showed traces of assassins raised by the Zhao family.

"They're quick on their feet." Shen Qingqiu pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting the light of the images. "The ruins have only been exposed for three months, and they've already managed to sneak into the core area to film."

"They might not have infiltrated," Yao Guang suddenly said.

She stepped forward, her starry eyes fixed on the dark red patterns in the image: "These are 'Blood Sacrifice Resonance Runes.' They require a specific bloodline as a guide to safely pass through the outer barrier."

She paused, then looked at Lin Chen: "The Zhao family may possess relics of the Tianyan Sect's bloodline, or... the 'key' that Jiang Wuyai left them back then."

The air froze.

"Jiang Wuyai even foresaw this?" Ye Qingcheng gritted her teeth. "Just how many landmines did that old ghost plant?"

Lin Chen put away the jade talisman: "No matter how many there are, just dig them out one by one."

He turned to Yaoguang: "Are you in a condition suitable for long-distance travel?"

Yao Guang raised his hand, and a soft halo of gray and silver appeared in his palm. Within the halo, stars were born and died, and chaos flowed, stable and restrained.

"My four traits are now in a preliminary balance. Although I can't use them at full power, I can protect myself without any problems." She smiled slightly. "Moreover, I have a familiar 'dislike' for those runes... which might be of some help."

"Then let's prepare to depart." Lin Chen looked around at everyone.

"Qingxue, inspect the supplies; Qingcheng, plan the route; Qingqiu, gather all the intelligence on the Western Regions and the ruins; Yurou, prepare elixirs to cope with the desert environment; Ling'er and Qingyao, sense and warn."

"yes!"

Seven days later.

Black Sand City, on the western frontier.

The city lives up to its name—its walls are built of the local black sandstone, which has been eroded by wind and sand, giving it a rough, sandpaper-like surface.

The buildings in the city were low, the streets were narrow, and the air was filled with a pungent smell of dust mixed with spices.

The eight people disguised themselves as a group of cultivators from the Central Plains who came to search for treasure and checked into the largest inn in the city, "Sand Sea Pavilion".

In a guest room on the third floor, Shen Qingqiu spread out a hand-drawn sheepskin map, which was densely marked with various colored symbols.

"The ruins are located 300 miles northwest of Black Sand City, and the locals call them the 'Black Pyramids'." She pointed to the center of the map.

"It broke through the sand three months ago after the earthquake. It was initially about 100 feet tall, and then it grew on its own every day. Now it is 300 feet tall."

"Growth?" Mu Qingyao asked curiously.

"That's right." Shen Qingqiu pulled up several observation records. "It's not a physical accumulation, but rather more structures 'emerging' from underground."

"The part currently exposed is estimated to be only one-tenth of the whole."

Chu Ling'er hugged the sensory doll tightly and whispered, "I can feel... there are very sad and angry 'voices' there, many of them, layer upon layer."

Yao Guang closed his eyes and sensed for a moment, then the gray-silver vortex mark on his forehead glowed slightly: "It's vengeful spirits. A large number of cultivators' vengeful spirits are imprisoned inside the building, becoming the energy source to drive certain formations."

Su Qingxue's icy eyes flashed coldly: "Blood sacrifice?"

"Not only that." Yao Guang shook his head, "It's the even more vicious 'Soul Refinement'—repeatedly torturing, crushing, and recombining the soul to extract the purest power of resentment."

"This technique... does indeed resemble Jiang Wuyai's style."

Lin Chen tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "What's the situation at the entrance to the ruins?"

"Currently, there are three publicly known entrances, all controlled by the three major powers of the Western Regions." Shen Qingqiu switched the screen, "'Iron Wolf Mercenary Group', 'Golden Sands Chamber of Commerce', and 'Zoroastrianism' each occupy one."

"They charge exorbitant fees to those who enter and require them to sign a life-or-death contract."

"In addition, there are at least two secret passages, controlled by several prominent families from the Central Plains and remnants of the Zhao family."

She looked at Lin Chen: "How do we get in?"

Before Lin Chen could answer, a commotion suddenly arose downstairs.

The sounds of clashing weapons, shouts, and screams mingled together, followed by hurried footsteps on the stairs.

boom!

The door was violently kicked open, and three burly men dressed in Iron Wolf mercenary group uniforms barged in.

The leader was a one-eyed giant with a mid-stage Golden Core cultivation level and a fierce aura.

"People from the Central Plains?" The one-eyed giant scanned the room, his gaze lingering on Su Qingxue and the other women for a moment before revealing a greedy look.

She's quite pretty.

"Come with me, our commander will treat you to 'tea'."