In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
Spring was near, and the weather grew increasingly warmer. However, while the season changed, dark undercurrents stirred in Cliff City.
All the sects were still in a period of adjustment, doing their best to adapt to life without the Sun Light Sect, racking their brains over the redistribution of resources and filling the vacuum left by its downfall.
On this day, the sky was overcast, as if rain or snow would fall at any moment.
Shi Song sat in his study, eyes closed as he meditated, his hand resting on his severed shoulder.
He was already over 270 years old, and the 300-year lifespan limit for a Core Refinement cultivator was approaching fast. With his physical body severely wounded and vitality rapidly fading, the hope of advancing further was slim. Still, having finally dealt with his mortal enemy of several decades before reaching the end of his life gave him a sense of peace beneath the sorrow.
Only by looking back could one truly understand things. Back then, in Cliff City, Jin Huan had been a blazing sun at its peak, overshadowing everyone with his unmatched might. But now that sun had fallen from the sky. Though Shi Song had hoped to rise in his place, he soon realized he lacked something essential and had no choice but to share power with the Immortal Sword Sect, the Mysterious Moon Sect, and the Pure Water Altar. Oddly enough, he felt no regret or disappointment, only calm acceptance.
Cliff City could no longer be dominated by a single sect. The Thousand Spirit Gate’s return to the city was already a settled matter, and their efforts to secure their stake in the city’s interests had gone smoothly. But to truly stabilize their position, they still had to work hard. At this stage, maintaining a good relationship with Immortal Yu was undoubtedly the most important and effective strategy.
‘It’s time to send someone south to bring Ah Jiu back. That girl always got along well with Yu Ci…’
Thinking of that clever, mischievous little girl, Shi Song smiled and reached for the tea on the table. He took a small sip, just as a familiar aura entered from the outer courtyard—it was Hu Dan, the true pillar of the Thousand Spirit Gate.
‘Hmm, it’s time to pass on the position of sect master. Junior Brother Hu is clearly the best candidate,’ Shi Song thought.
Although they were from the same sect and shared the same master, there was a significant age gap between them. After their master passed away, Shi Song had even taken on the role of teaching Hu Dan in his place. Their relationship was more like father and son than senior and junior. Shi Song trusted him even more than his own sons. But Hu Dan had always been ambitious, yearning to explore the wider world in search of breakthroughs. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the Thousand Spirit Gate couldn’t do without him. Now that their greatest enemy, Jin Huan, was gone, it was time to bind him to the sect with responsibility.
Just as these thoughts passed through his mind, Hu Dan stepped through the door and greeted him, “Senior Brother.”
Seeing his solemn expression, Shi Song raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “What is it?”
“Someone from the Heart Prohibition Temple has arrived.”
“Heart Prohibition Temple?”
Shi Song was momentarily confused, his mind not yet catching up. Hu Dan lowered his voice and added, “Daoist Bao De from the Heart Prohibition Temple was sent to assist Immortal Xie in managing Cliff City’s defenses. As for Immortal Yu… he’s leaving. Immediately.”
With a sharp crack, the tea in Shi Song’s cup instantly evaporated, and the cup itself shattered into pieces.
*****
A thick atmosphere of unease permeated Cliff City.
The source of this unease came from a decision made by the Rifting Earth Sect: Yu Ci, the Immortal who had played a central role in the destruction of the Sun Light Sect, was no longer tasked with assisting Immortal Xie Yan in guarding Cliff City. He had been summoned back by the sect, and his replacement, Daoist Bao De, officially took over after reading the sect’s decree.
What was going on? Was another shift in power underway?
There was never a shortage of sharp-eyed individuals, especially after a major upheaval—their numbers had only increased.
“They say it was the Mysterious Moon Sect that tattled. Weren’t things about to explode a few days ago?”
“Probably poor control. Since the chaos at Sky Rift Valley, no night has seen more deaths than that one.”
“Ha, must’ve poked the hornet’s nest. Honestly, who does he think he is, trying to tug at Sunset Valley’s tiger whiskers?”
Rumors spread through the city like wildfire. But no matter what was said, the facts remained: Yu Ci, the most talked-about figure in Cliff City, had suddenly been removed and replaced by someone of equal rank. Even more importantly, the only true authority in the city, Immortal Xie Yan, had remained silent on the matter.
Many people grew nervous. Most of them had participated in the destruction of the Sun Light Sect. Originally, they believed that Yu Ci represented the will of the Rifting Earth Sect, so they had steeled themselves to go all in. But now, what were they supposed to think?
If even the sect’s own disciple was being recalled and punished, what would happen to the ones who actually did the killing?
Yu Ci, oh Yu Ci, you’ve really dragged us down with you!
The people of Cliff City were filled with a chaotic mix of shock, anger, resentment, and fear.
But the man at the center of it all—Yu Ci—was unaware of any of this.
He lay inside a carriage, eyes closed as he rested on a cushioned couch.
A Dragon Fish floated silently outside the carriage. Neither of them made a sound. Had the coachman not already been familiar with this Immortal’s temperament, he might’ve thought the passenger inside had died.
This was the fifth day since he’d left Cliff City.
The rumbling carriage sped through the wilderness. Four majestic Cloud-Treading Beasts galloped over mountains and across plains with ease.
This was the Chasing Sun Carriage, once Jin Huan’s personal ride. Back when Jin Huan, Jin Chuan, and Kuang Yanqi traveled to the Heart Prohibition Temple, they had taken this very vehicle. After the fall of the Sun Light Sect, the carriage came into the possession of the Thousand Spirit Gate. This time, Shi Song had brought it out specifically to send Yu Ci back to the monastery—both as a show of respect and a silent gesture of hope.
Even the coachman could see what this meant.
‘They’re hoping the Immortal comes to no harm, aren’t they?’
The coachman’s mind was filled with wild thoughts.
The immortal had remained silent for most of the journey, appearing to be in a gloomy mood—likely confirming that the rumors circulating in the city weren’t baseless. After they arrive at the Heart Prohibition Temple and make contact with the sect’s insider, he needed to get the confirmed information back as soon as possible.
Just as he was deep in thought, a flicker of dark light flashed past—the Dragon Fish, after playing enough outside the carriage, darted back in through the gap in the curtain.
The coachman glanced at it and thought the little creature seemed to have grown again, and its speed had noticeably increased. What in the world was the immortal feeding it?
Inside the carriage, the Dragon Fish swam around, while at the same time, a far more mystical “Dragon Fish” swam within Yu Ci’s “Void Within the Mind.”
Yu Ci’s mind had remained within the “Void Within the Mind,” which was now much more spacious than before. The small lake in the center still remained, but the surrounding mountains and forests had vanished. Only the Dragon Fish danced wildly above the lake, brimming with seemingly endless energy.
Due to the overwhelming influence of the Dragon Fish, the turbulence within the void had continued nonstop since twenty days ago. It hadn’t ceased once, though over time, the intensity and speed of the turmoil had started to vary—just like now.
The turbulence was slowly calming. Above the central lake, though the Dragon Fish was still dancing furiously, it was now mostly spewing out mist and clouds. These clouds began expanding in all directions. As the disturbance hadn’t fully subsided, wind stirred within the “Void Within the Mind,” lifting the mist into the air. As the mist grew in scale, it became like a blanket of dark clouds stretching for thousands of miles, covering the entire void. The bright moon in the dome above was gradually obscured, until it disappeared completely behind the clouds, casting the inner void into darkness.
Then, a light drizzle began to fall.
The nourishing rain felt incredibly fresh and soothing, as if it were rejuvenating the earth. Rain fell into the lake, and mist rose to meet the sky. The Dragon Fish shifted its movement skyward, weaving in and out of the rainclouds, appearing to possess the divine ability to command the elements.
Yu Ci’s consciousness was actually linked to the Dragon Fish—he only viewed things separately out of habit. He could clearly sense that the Dragon Fish, now rolling through the clouds, was releasing layer upon layer of dense and refined vital energy from its body. This energy transformed into clouds and rain, falling in thin threads.
The phenomena shown within the “Void Within the Mind” were all true reflections of Yu Ci’s body and soul. This indicated that his body was currently secreting nourishing fluids, hydrating his muscles, meridians, and internal organs. Yu Ci guessed that this was the essence brought in by the Dragon Fish spine when it barged into his inner void—and now it was all benefiting him.
For a while now, the inner void had been in this state. At first, under the Dragon Fish’s influence, the scenes within the void spun around it in chaos. After a while, the Dragon Fish would begin summoning clouds and rain to nourish its surroundings. In this ongoing cycle, the essence seized from the outside world gradually blended with Yu Ci’s blood, flesh, and soul, merging together in a process of mutual adaptation.
Thanks to this nourishing essence, Yu Ci clearly felt his body recovering faster—especially his severely damaged soul. A wound that would typically take over a year to heal had, in just twenty days, recovered about seventy to eighty percent. The speed of recovery had astonished everyone.
While observing the state of the inner void, Yu Ci estimated that in about half a month, this adaptation process would likely be complete. He was curious to see what changes would occur then.
The “rain” gradually came to a stop, and the inner void seemed ready to begin its next cycle of spinning turbulence. But suddenly, the darkened sky shifted. One ring after another, patches of mountain and forest appeared out of nowhere, spreading around the central lake in layered patterns. It looked like a masterful ink painting of mountain landscapes—mysterious, magnificent, and vividly lifelike.
Yu Ci’s heart trembled. He hadn’t seen this scene since they left fifty miles beyond Cliff City, had he?
He missed it so much.
His mind popped out of the “Void Within the Mind.”
On the brocade couch, Yu Ci’s eyes suddenly opened. He stared at the blood-stained ceiling of the carriage, pondered for a moment, and then knocked on the carriage wall.
Night had already fallen. The coachman, who had been driving the Chasing Sun Carriage, was starting to nod off. Fortunately, after traveling together for several days, he had realized that although the immortal elder didn’t talk much, he wasn’t a bad person. So he was about to ask if they could set up camp nearby for the night…
Just then, he heard the knock from inside the carriage. Instinctively, he responded:
“Do you have any orders, Great Immortal?”
“You should get off and run back. The faster, the better.”
“Huh?”
Just as the coachman was left baffled, a surge of force burst from the carriage. Caught off guard, he was thrown to the ground. The Chasing Sun Carriage was still moving at high speed—though it had slowed down a bit at night—so the fall left the coachman bloodied and bruised.
He groaned in pain, both frightened and angry. When he looked up, the Chasing Sun Carriage had already rushed ahead, nearly half a mile away. At that moment, a streak of arcing light shot out from the void ahead of the carriage, slicing through the necks of the galloping Cloud-Treading Beasts and piercing through the carriage body. In the dark of night, there was no visible blood—just the sight of all four beasts collapsing at once, dragging the luxurious carriage down in a thunderous crash.
From the shattered wreckage, Yu Ci flew out like a bolt of lightning. But a cold voice followed him like a shadow:
“Despicable runaway s1ave—today, I’ll enforce clan punishment myself!”