Boom! Crash!
The sky was overcast with dark clouds, blotting out the sun. Rolling thunder mingled with flashes of lightning and peals of thunder.
A fierce wind howled, and torrential rain poured down.
The spiritual energy in the surrounding region fluctuated—sometimes dense, sometimes sparse, sometimes coalescing, sometimes scattering.
This was a Spirit Change.
It seemed Nature was undergoing another Spirit Change.
A Spirit Change was a natural phenomenon. After each one, many precious resources would be born, and even some ancient Cave Dwellings would appear in the world.
But wasn't the frequency of Spirit Changes in this surrounding region a bit too high?
Just a few days ago, a Spirit Change had occurred in this area.
How could there be another one now?
No one knew the reason.
Strange things happened every year, but this year there were especially many.
This was the feeling shared by everyone in the surrounding regions of Qingyang, Liujin, and others.
Not to mention two consecutive natural Spirit Changes, and not to mention the sudden appearance of seven mysterious ancient Cave Dwellings.
But that Young Master Chiyan of Yunxia Sect, Gu Qingfeng, who had suddenly emerged, was something that couldn't help but make people feel strange.
To this day, no one knew his identity or background. They only knew he was the newly appointed Heir Apparent Disciple of Yunxia Sect, with an incredibly powerful physique. Though slender, his strength was immense, and his spiritual power was as vast as the sea—though turbid, it was equally violent.
During the battle at Crimson-Letter Manor.
He alone annihilated Lingdu Sect.
Hundreds of Elders from Bingxuan Sect were injured, maimed, or killed.
The Murong family of the Nine-Hua Alliance was almost wiped out.
He took action at Crimson-Letter Manor, yet not only was he unharmed, but Old Sen even knelt before him.
All of this was deeply bizarre.
Even more bizarre was that, overnight, Yunxia Sect had vanished, reduced to a pile of Ruins.
No one knew what had happened.
Some said Yunxia Sect might have been exterminated.
It was said that on the morning Yunxia Sect was destroyed, someone saw Young Master Qianhe of the Nine-Hua Alliance appearing at Yunxia Mountain with his men.
Some said it might have been Young Master Qianhe's doing.
As for who Young Master Qianhe was, no one in the surrounding regions was unaware of his fame, and all believed he had the capability to erase Yunxia Sect.
That morning.
Dark clouds still gathered in the sky, thunder still rumbled, lightning still flashed, and rain still poured down.
Amidst a stretch of Ruins, a man with a face like carved jade stood quietly, his expression solemn, his eyes filled with confusion as he gazed at these Ruins. This place had once been the site of Yunxia Sect, but now it was gone—vanished completely, without even a trace left behind. Even the spirit vein beneath Yunxia Mountain had been emptied.
Beside the man stood an old man in gray robes.
The two were none other than Wei Qing and Old Hui.
"Young Master, could it be that Yunxia Sect was truly..." Old Hui stared in astonishment at Yunxia Sect, now reduced to a pile of Ruins, his heart filled with shock and doubt.
After a long while, Wei Qing shook his head, indicating he did not know.
Indeed.
He had no idea what had happened to Yunxia Sect, nor could he tell whether Yunxia Sect had been exterminated or if there was some other reason...
Just as he was pondering, a sudden anomaly occurred.
In the distance, a cold, white radiance bloomed, shooting straight up into the clouds of the sky.
"What is that?
Could it be another Cave Dwelling appearing?"
Old Hui was puzzled.
Wei Qing only needed a glance to know this was not the radiance of a Cave Dwelling appearing.
Ancient Cave Dwellings appeared for only one reason: when the dwelling's eye dried up, causing spatial instability, so the radiance they emitted was mostly a spatial radiance.
But this radiance clearly was not; it contained no spatial radiance at all.
Instead, it resembled a very powerful, profound radiance.
This radiance was extremely Yin-cold. Even from such a distance, one could feel a bone-chilling cold aura.
Yin-cold?
At this thought.
Wei Qing seemed to realize something and said gravely, "This is the radiance of Bingxuan Sect, to be precise, the radiance of the Ice-Profound Heart."
"The Ice-Profound Heart?"
Old Hui was startled and said worriedly, "Does that mean Leng Yanqiu has already fused the Ice-Profound Heart into her body?"
"Most likely."
After responding, Wei Qing did not hesitate and headed for Bingxuan Sect at top speed.
...
Bingxuan Sect was located in Bing Xuan Territory.
That's right.
This territory was named after the words 'Bing Xuan'.
Bing Xuan Territory was vast, roughly three times the size of Qingyang Territory. Anyone setting foot in Bing Xuan Territory would immediately feel a distinct Yin-cool aura. It was said an Ice-Profound spirit vein coiled beneath Bing Xuan Territory like a flood dragon, causing the entire region to be relatively cold year-round.
Although Bing Xuan Territory was vast, it was sparsely populated. This wasn't because people couldn't endure the region's Yin-cold aura, but because of Bingxuan Sect's domineering nature. Only with Bingxuan Sect's permission could one reside in Bing Xuan Territory. In other words, all the gangs and families in Bing Xuan Territory were branches of Bingxuan Sect.
Even so, many families and gangs still moved to Bing Xuan Territory to actively pledge allegiance to Bingxuan Sect.
This was the case before the Cataclysm.
And even more so after the Cataclysm.
First, the Ice-Profound spiritual energy in Bing Xuan Territory was far superior to ordinary spiritual energy, making cultivation twice as effective. Also, because of the Ice-Profound spirit vein, the mountains in Bing Xuan Territory often gave birth to various ice-attribute cultivation resources.
Second, Bingxuan Sect had deep profound heritage, numerous geniuses, and experts as plentiful as clouds. It was one of the few cultivation sects qualified to challenge the Nine-Hua Alliance.
Although at Crimson-Letter Manor, hundreds of Bingxuan Sect Elders had been beaten by Gu Qingfeng—some killed, some injured, some maimed.
However, everyone knew those people were only the backbone of Bingxuan Sect, not true experts or geniuses.
The real experts of Bingxuan Sect were the several guardian Elders of the 'Han' generation and the Grand Elders of the 'Wu' generation.
Each of them was an expert who had cultivated for one or two thousand years. Their Golden Cores had long since undergone nine revolutions and reached profound levels, their spiritual power vast and immense, each a master of immortal arts.
But that wasn't the important part. The important part was that it was said several Ancestors of Bingxuan Sect were still alive, secretly guarding the sect.
The Ancestors of Bingxuan Sect were disciples who had followed the Ice-Profound Matriarch, Yun Nishang, when the sect was founded.
This was the reason the Nine-Hua Alliance had never dared to move against Bingxuan Sect.
But was that all?
No.
Almost everyone knew that Bingxuan Sect's strength lay firstly in its guardian Grand Elders and several mysterious Ancestors. Beyond that, after the Cataclysm, Bingxuan Sect had produced geniuses in abundance.
The most famous and strongest among them were the Nine Disciples and Eighteen Chief Disciples.
The so-called Nine Disciples were Bingxuan Sect's nine personal disciples.
The so-called Eighteen Chief Disciples were also the Chief Disciples overseeing Bingxuan Sect's hundreds of gangs and families.
After the Cataclysm, the fame of Bingxuan Sect's Nine Disciples and Eighteen Chief Disciples was immense. Relying on their powerful personal strength and Bingxuan Sect's backing, they ran rampant in the surrounding areas, with almost no one daring to provoke them. They had even clashed with the Nine-Hua Alliance several times in the past.
But ten years ago, all of Bingxuan Sect's Nine Disciples and Eighteen Chief Disciples went into seclusion.
The one who made them enter seclusion was Bingxuan Sect's Heir Apparent Disciple, Leng Yanqiu.
A proud daughter of heaven, an aloof and arrogant woman.