I'm determined to become an immortal!

Chiba Mountain, Hayashiba Peak.

The night was as dark as ink, and the cold moon hung high in the sky.

In a secluded hall atop the mountain, candlelight flickered, casting shadows throughout the room.

Lin Wanrou knelt on the cold bluestone ground with her hair disheveled. Her once stunningly beautiful face was now as pale as paper, with tear stains still wet at the corners of her eyes. Her shoulders trembled slightly, but she dared not utter a sound.

She leaned forward, her high, peach-like buttocks swaying gently with the slight tremor of her body, making her stand out conspicuously in the quiet hall.

At the head of the hall, an elderly man with slightly graying temples but a vigorous spirit sat upright in a grand chair.

This person is none other than Lin Tianhai, the powerful elder of the Lin family behind Lin Wanrou.

The candlelight only illuminated the lower half of Lin Tianhai's face; his hawk-like eyes remained hidden in the shadows, making it impossible to see them clearly.

"Ebi Rongzhen!"

Lin Wanrou's voice trembled with tears as she urgently defended herself:

"There is absolutely no way that Wu Feng could be a spy for the Demonic Sect. Someone must be behind this!"

When Wanrou transferred Wu Feng to her side, she repeatedly verified his background and found absolutely no evidence of anything amiss...

That's enough.

Lin Tianhai's voice was calm and even, yet it was like a blunt knife, easily severing all of Lin Wanrou's explanations.

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on Lin Wanrou, his tone remaining calm:

"You are a smart man, you should know that I summoned you here today not to listen to this nonsense."

Lin Wanrou trembled all over, pressing her forehead tightly against the cold ground, not daring to utter another sound.

She knew better than anyone that Lin Yuanxiao had firmly grasped the reins of the Xiajiang branch's destruction.

Although Lin Yuanxiao was only the deputy director of a branch, he was a direct descendant of the main branch, and his influence in the clan was far greater than that of her, who came from a collateral branch.

The other party is now making a big fuss about the Xiajiang branch, trying to accuse her of "misjudging people, employing evil people, and neglecting her duties".

Once these charges are proven, she won't be able to turn her life around; she might even be thrown into the Nine Cold Cave in the back mountains of the clan's territory to spend the rest of her life.

Then we'll wait for the next scene...

Lin Wanrou shuddered whenever she thought about it.

"Speak."

Lin Tianhai's voice rang out again, unhurried yet carrying a heavy, oppressive pressure, as if a storm was brewing.

"Why would you risk offending the Tianxuan Sect by ordering Ye Shao Chen to assassinate the patriarch of that small family?"

Lin Wanrou was startled, as if a sharp needle had pierced the deepest secret in her heart, and she froze.

She subconsciously looked up and met Lin Tianhai's eyes, which finally emerged from the shadows.

Those were eyes as still as a deep well, devoid of any emotion, as if they were looking at a dispensable object.

"Don't try to fob me off with those high-sounding excuses."

Lin Tianhai added casually.

"Otherwise, you should know what the consequences will be."

Lin Wanrou's lips moved slightly, but she couldn't utter a single word; her heart was filled with resentment.

She only learned that secret by chance, and she regarded it as a great opportunity to achieve the Core Formation stage or even go further in the future.

How could I tell someone...?

"My patience is limited."

Lin Tianhai's voice pierced her eardrums like ice.

"This is your last chance."

He paused, his tone still calm, but it sent a chill down Lin Wanrou's spine:

"You know what happens when I abandon you; you've seen it."

Upon hearing this, Lin Wanrou seemed to realize something and trembled violently.

It was a rainy night three years ago, in the same hall, when a Foundation Establishment deacon abandoned by Lin Tianhai had his spiritual root extracted and his cultivation crippled in public. He was dragged out of Lin Ye Peak like a dead dog and never heard from again.

She clenched her teeth so hard that her lips almost bled.

After a moment, as if she had used all her strength, she said, word by word:

"Reporting back to Elder Hai, there is a suspected secret realm of the Heavenly River Sect within the territory of the Silver Sand River!"

"The Heavenly River Sect?!"

Lin Tianhai's voice suddenly rose a few decibels.

He leaned forward slightly, and his sinister face finally emerged fully from the shadows where the candlelight couldn't reach.

This is an old face covered with fine wrinkles, with high cheekbones, sunken cheeks, a nose that is slightly curved like an eagle's beak, thin lips tightly pressed together, and the corners of the mouth naturally drooping down, as if it has never smiled.

But at this moment, a rare glint of light appeared in those usually calm and collected eyes.

"The Heavenly River Sect was an unparalleled immortal sect that had Nascent Soul cultivators thousands of years ago."

Thousands of years ago,

When the cultivation of Qi was still in its infancy, there was once an ancient and supreme immortal sect centered on Zhenzhou, which dominated four states and was once very famous—the Tianhe Sect!

This sect is said to have existed for tens of thousands of years, and has produced more than one Nascent Soul cultivator.

At its peak, the sect had no fewer than a hundred Golden Core cultivators and more than ten Nascent Soul cultivators.

Unfortunately, even the most powerful ancient cultivation sects are destined to be buried in the torrent of changing times.

With the rise of the Qi-cultivation Divine Channel, the Tianhe Sect quickly became a target of attack. The sect was breached by the combined forces of the founders of the Tai Xuan Zheng Yi Dao and the Tong You Ming Zhen Dao, and its entire sect was slaughtered.

"But after the destruction of the Tianhe Sect, rumors have circulated within both factions that this once supreme immortal sect has not been completely eradicated, and that some remnants have taken away the sect's secret treasures and disappeared without a trace."

I thought it was just a legend...

Lin Tianhai sat up straight and said:

Tell me everything you know, without withholding anything.

Although Lin Tianhai's voice remained steady, Lin Wanrou, who had served under him for many years, keenly sensed the barely suppressed excitement that still overflowed from him.

Lin Wanrou felt a bitter taste in her mouth, but knowing there was no way out, she could only take a deep breath and slowly tell her story.

"After Wanrou took office as the head of the Xiajiang branch, she tried to unite the other Foundation Establishment families who were being bullied by the He family."

Although they did not agree, I suppressed them by relying on Elder Xu's strength and then toured the places where these families spread their teachings.

..."

According to Lin Wanrou, she read through many secrets of the lineage at several other places besides the He family where scriptures were stored and teachings were transmitted.

According to the travelogues of the Zhou family's ancestors, their ancestors once encountered a desolate secret realm in a secluded place more than 2,000 miles south of the Yinsha River, more than 2,000 miles away from Xiajiangfang.

The descriptions of the secret realm in the travelogue seemed somewhat familiar to Lin Wanrou.

After that, she searched through ancient books everywhere and found that abandoned secret realm to take a look herself, and concluded that it was a small secret realm left behind by the Tianhe Sect.

"...The Tianhe Sect was once famous for its array formations. There is a saying that has been circulating in private that the secret realms left behind by the Tianhe Sect are of different sizes, but they are strung together like beads on a string."

Wan Rou was fortunate enough to find a saying in an ancient book: "If you can find all the minor secret realms of the Tianhe Sect, you can unlock the true, remaining major secret realm of the Tianhe Sect and obtain the Tianhe Sect's lost treasures."

Lin Wanrou revealed all her secrets, but was met with a long silence. She felt extremely uneasy and the time seemed to drag on forever.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Tianhai suddenly laughed.

The laughter was so short that Lin Wanrou almost thought she was hallucinating.

"Well done."

Lin Tianhai, for the first time ever, offered a word of praise.

He stood up and looked down at Lin Wanrou, who was kneeling on the ground.

"You will rest in the clan for a few months afterward. After I help you settle the matter with Wu Feng, I will let you return to Yinsha River to rebuild the Xiajiang branch."

"Thank you, Elder Hai, for your mercy!"

Lin Wanrou was overjoyed upon hearing this, and touched her forehead to the ground. Her voice trembled, but it was filled with the ecstatic joy of surviving a disaster.

"Don't rush to thank me. I just want you to atone for your sins."

ten years!

You must find the secret realm of the Heavenly River Sect within ten years at most.

If this succeeds, I will guarantee you a future with a fake elixir.

Otherwise, you can spend the rest of your life in the Nine Cold Cave.

After saying that, Lin Tianhai waved his hand and retreated back into the shadows.