Starting at the Nascent Soul stage, a rogue cultivator is incredibly poor.

The dark, floating island hangs silently high in the sky, millions of miles away from the mortal world.

In the center of the island, a majestic palace stands silently, cast entirely from some kind of dark metal, gleaming with a cold luster.

A gray shadow broke through the clouds below and floated lightly to the edge of the island.

The newcomer was dressed in a wide gray robe with a hood covering his face. His steps seemed unhurried, but in just a few steps he passed through the scattered, ancient-style pavilions and terraces on the island and arrived at the tightly closed gate of the main hall.

The door slid open silently.

The man in the gray robe stepped in.

The hall was extremely spacious, without pillars or decorations, except for a huge, slowly rotating star array engraved on the floor, emitting a faint light.

In the center of the hall, a person sits cross-legged, dressed in a simple golden robe, with his eyes closed and his aura as deep as the abyss, as if he were one with the entire hall and even the floating island below.

Only when the gray-robed man reached the edge of the array did the golden-robed elder slowly open one eye, his gaze calm and unwavering as he looked at the newcomer.

"Old Ghost Qing,"

He spoke, his voice not loud, but carrying a faint detachment of someone accustomed to a position of power and a hint of impatience at being disturbed.

"Why are you coming to my 'Hall of Asking Heaven' for no reason?"

The gray-robed monk raised his hand, lifted his hood, and revealed an old face with deep wrinkles but sharp, hawk-like eyes.

He snorted and brushed away non-existent dust from his sleeves.

"You should ask Heaven, stop playing dumb with this old man and talking in riddles."

Old Ghost Qing spoke in a curt tone, without the slightest politeness, and directly took something out of his wide gray sleeve.

It was a palm-sized token, neither gold nor jade, entirely black, and at this moment it was emanating wisps of viscous, unsettling dark demonic energy.

He thrust the token forward, and even though it was several feet away, the demonic energy fluctuations were already clearly perceptible.

"The ancient demons have resurfaced, and their influence extends far beyond a single region. Their aura grows increasingly active, corrupting puppets and wreaking havoc in the Northern Plains. This is just the beginning."

Old Ghost Qing stared at Ying Wentian, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"The world will soon descend into true chaos. The 'plan' we've been working on for years can't wait any longer; it must be brought forward!"

He paused, and seeing that the other person's expression remained unchanged, he continued:

"The idea of ​​retreating from the world and living in seclusion to preserve one's own virtue should be put away."

The human race on the Tianque Continent is now fragmented, with various factions vying for power, dynasties embroiled in internal strife, and sects locked in infighting—like a heap of loose sand! Faced with the impending calamity of the ancient demons, their current state offers only certain death!

Old Ghost Qing took half a step forward, his aged eyes gleaming with a menacing light.

"Humanity, it's time to unite!"

There must be a voice, a will, and all forces must be united for there to be a glimmer of hope!

I have secretly contacted my two old friends from the demon race in the South China Sea, and we have reached a preliminary consensus.

This great calamity is not a matter for one race or one region. The human and demon races must join forces to have the strength to contend with those ancient scourges!

He then changed the subject, his tone carrying a hint of reminder and accusation:

"Ying Wentian, don't forget how tragic the great war at the end of ancient times was! Countless brilliant Nascent Soul ancestors perished in bloodshed, countless lineages were severed, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was polluted and crippled!"

The lessons of the past are still fresh in our minds!

Now, the pawn you casually placed back then, Xuanxian City, has become so strained with the South Sea Demon Clan that they are almost at loggerheads. This is quite inappropriate.

Old Ghost Qing stared directly at the old man in the golden robe.

"Stop letting them 'act' any longer. It's time for you to step in and clean up the mess."

Let Xuanxian City and the demon race put aside their differences for the time being, join forces, and first swallow up the Wanxian Dynasty, which is plagued by internal strife and is beyond saving, with thunderous force!

The ancient demons have already tacitly approved of this matter.

Based on this, we will integrate the forces of the human race on the continent, re-establish order, and unite our strength!

The hall was quiet for a moment, with only the faint hum of the star array on the ground and the eerie sound of wisps of demonic energy emanating from the token.

Ying Wentian opened his eyes completely; they were seemingly calm eyes.

His gaze swept over the demonic token, then returned to Old Ghost Qing's face. He remained silent for a few breaths before slowly nodding.

"What Fellow Daoist Qing said is reasonable."

His voice remained steady, but it carried a hint of seriousness.

"The Northern Plains are in turmoil, and demonic traces are frequently appearing, which is certainly not a good omen. The energy of heaven and earth is darkening, and calamity is gradually arising. We, as Nascent Soul cultivators, can sense the world and can no longer remain uninvolved."

For the sake of humanity, for the sake of all living beings in this world, it's time to take action.

He paused, then said:

"Some time ago, a secret message came from the demon race, mentioning something that might be related to this calamity."

Old Ghost Qing raised an eyebrow:

"Oh?"

"The demon race says they have found a remnant of an ancient teleportation array that is still functioning."

Ying Wentian spoke calmly.

"Based on the residual aura of the array diagram and some clues, it seems that on the other end of the teleportation array... on another distant continent, there are also signs of the resurgence of ancient demons."

Even more noteworthy is that among the "guests" from that side, there was a human and a demon whose names have spread here.

"One person, named 'Qingyou'. One demon, named 'Cangming'."

Ying Wentian looked at Old Ghost Qing.

"That Cangming is a fourth-order great demon, and has already been received and protected by the demon race's higher-ups, so we cannot inquire further. But that 'Qingyou,' according to the demon race's intelligence, should be a Nascent Soul cultivator, and is currently active in our human territory."

A hint of inquiry flashed in his eyes.

"If we can find this person, we might be able to inquire in detail about the situation on the other continent, especially..."

He raised his eyes, his gaze seemingly piercing through the dome of the hall, looking towards the infinitely distant north.

"Confirmed information regarding the upper part of 'Mount Tongtian'?"

Upon hearing this, Qing Laogui's expression also turned serious. Following Ying Wentian's gaze, he seemed to look towards the direction of Beiyuan, his eyes filled with reminiscence and solemnity.

"The Mountain that reaches the heavens... In ancient times, those extraordinary and ambitious beings wanted to use this mountain as a foundation to carry out the act of 'creating the heavens,' attempting to break the shackles of this world and find the path to ascension."

Old Ghost Qing's voice was deep and tinged with the vicissitudes of life.

"Unexpectedly, before the heavens were even opened, they attracted extraterrestrial demons... A great calamity descended, and countless lives were lost."

He shook his head and sighed:

"That battle was too brutal. Countless Nascent Soul cultivators perished, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was depleted and polluted, and the lineage of Dao was severed."

In ancient times, there were those with extraordinary talent who could reach the realm of Void Refinement, but now…”

He glanced at Ying Wentian, then looked at himself.

"We have been stuck at the Nascent Soul stage for many years, and taking another step forward is as difficult as ascending to heaven."

"In the end, the remaining powerful beings had no choice but to pay an unimaginable price to barely seal that terrible 'gap'."

Old Ghost Qing continued.

"At that time, the only remaining master of the Void Refining Realm, the Cave Heaven True Man, used his almost immortal-like abilities to uproot the entire Southern Region Continent, including the upper half of the Tongtian Mountain."

Using an unparalleled array, it was sent into an unknown teleportation channel and disappeared without a trace.

That excavated southern region became the South China Sea as we know it today.

He withdrew his gaze, looked at Ying Wentian, and sighed deeply:

"What a pity, what a shame."

If they had succeeded back then, they might have truly found a path to a higher level of existence...

Perhaps today, you and I wouldn't have to struggle so hard in this world, facing another great calamity with no end in sight.

Silence fell once more in the hall, with only the light of the star array illuminating the solemn and distant faces of the two Nascent Soul cultivators.