This was a desolate expanse of ruins.
At the very center of the ruins stood a well. From within the well bloomed a sacred radiance—the Light of Heavenly Destiny. This Light of Heavenly Destiny appeared different from others. While other such lights were sacred and pure, this one, though sacred, was anything but pure. Instead, it was turbid, murky as primordial chaos.
Beside the mouth of the well stood a woman.
A woman who seemed utterly ordinary, with no discernible cultivation aura about her. Yet, this ordinary woman stood there quietly, her presence undetectable to anyone. Her eyes were incredibly clear, so clear they seemed devoid of any distracting thoughts, as if they could peer into the essence of all things in the world.
She stood there, gazing intently at the Light of Heavenly Destiny, her brow tightly furrowed as if lost in deep contemplation.
Not far away stood a group of people.
Fifty or sixty in total. They were none other than the Canyang clansmen who guarded the Life Vein. Wolan was among them.
That ordinary woman was precisely the Xuanyuan Wan she had been waiting for.
Although Wolan was a Canyang clansman tasked with guarding the Life Vein,
she did not know what Life Vein she was guarding. Even this so-called Life Vein secret realm was her first time entering it.
She had imagined the Life Vein secret realm before, but she never could have guessed it would be a stretch of ruins, and what appeared to be the ruins of some palace at that. Though long dilapidated, several stone pillars still stood there, upon which one could vaguely make out some mysterious totems.
This expanse of ruins was strange. It was hard to describe the feeling, but it just felt very odd. So odd that Wolan, standing within the ruins, dared not even move, feeling an inexplicable reverence for this place in her heart.
Especially that well.
Although she had never seen the Life Vein she guarded, Wolan was certain that this well was the very Life Vein she had always protected.
She could feel it.
And the feeling was intensely strong.
Apart from reverence, Wolan also couldn't understand why a Light of Heavenly Destiny would appear from the Life Vein she guarded. She didn't know what this signified either, only that it filled her with fear.
And she was not alone.
All fifty-some members of the Canyang guardian clan felt a sense of fear, including Wolan's grandfather, Canyang Hengshan, the clan leader of the Canyang clan.
As the clan leader, Canyang Hengshan might know a bit more than Wolan, but he only knew that the Life Vein they guarded was related to the Daoless Age. Beyond that, he knew nothing. Even so, it was enough to make him afraid, for he knew that the appearance of Heavenly Destiny from a Life Vein signified something truly terrifying.
Remembering how Xuanyuan Wan had earlier asked all other cultivators on Canyang Mountain to leave, Canyang Hengshan asked, "Lady Xuanyuan, you...
did you already know Heavenly Destiny would appear from the Life Vein?"
"I merely had a feeling,"
Xuanyuan Wan replied faintly, her gaze still fixed on the Light of Heavenly Destiny. "I was not entirely certain."
"Then...
what about the Lady?"
Canyang Hengshan asked with concern. "The Lady is still inside. Could she be affected?"
"Unclear."
Xuanyuan Wan shook her head slightly. Then, as if remembering something, she said, "Canyang should have taught you the 'Myriad Emptiness Heart Mantra,' correct?"
Canyang Hengshan nodded.
"Good. From now on, no matter what happens, pay it no mind. Just focus on reciting the Myriad Emptiness Heart Mantra..." Although Canyang Hengshan and the others didn't understand why, they did not hesitate. They sat cross-legged around the well, hands clasped together, and began to recite the mantra.
At that very moment, a figure shot out from above the Light of Heavenly Destiny.
This figure was ethereal and blurred, like smoke yet resembling mist. Its features were indistinct, and no spiritual aura could be detected. The moment it emerged from the Light of Heavenly Destiny, it flashed to a spot within the ruins, staring first at the mouth of the well, then at Xuanyuan Wan.
Immediately after, whoosh!
Another figure rushed out from within the Light of Heavenly Destiny.
This figure was also ethereal and blurred, also like smoke and mist, also with indistinct features, and also devoid of any detectable spiritual aura.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In less than a few breaths' time, seven or eight ethereal, blurred figures had shot out from within the Light of Heavenly Destiny.
However.
It was not over.
Not long after, another five or six ethereal, blurred figures flashed into appearance.
Whoosh!
Yet another figure rushed out from within the Light of Heavenly Destiny.
This time, the figure that appeared was neither ethereal nor blurred. It was an Elder, an Elder with a sinister, probing air.
Upon appearing, the Elder also flashed to the side first. He glanced at the dozen or so Ethereal Blurred Figures, his sinister, hawk-like eyes flickering with an unusual light. Then he looked toward the well from which the Light of Heavenly Destiny bloomed, his expression shifting slightly. When his gaze fell upon Xuanyuan Wan standing by the well, his eyes turned suspicious, growing more and more doubtful the longer he looked.
Right at that moment.
Another figure darted out from within the Light of Heavenly Destiny.
This figure was also neither ethereal nor blurred.
It was a Monk.
A portly, bald Monk draped in kasaya robes. The Monk held an alms bowl in one hand and was munching on some delicacy with the other. After appearing, he first chanted, "Amitabha."
"Monk Bu’er!"
The sinister Elder who had appeared earlier stared at the bald Monk and called out his name.
Monk Bu’er took another bite of his treat and chuckled. "So Senior Guangyin is here too."
"It's not just this old man who's here."
The sinister Elder named Guangyin swept his gaze over the dozen or so Ethereal Blurred Figures in the distance and smiled. "Those who should have come are here, and those who shouldn't have come are here as well."
Monk Bu’er's eyes swept around. When he too looked at the dozen or so Ethereal Blurred Figures, his expression changed slightly. He chanted another "Amitabha" and said, "This humble monk pays his respects to all you great beings."
None of the dozen or so Ethereal Blurred Figures across from him paid him any heed, as if they hadn't heard him at all. Their gazes remained fixed on Xuanyuan Wan by the well.
Monk Bu’er also followed their gaze. Like the others, when his eyes landed on Xuanyuan Wan, his brow couldn't help but furrow deeply, and the longer he looked, the deeper his frown became, the more intense his inner suspicion grew.
Suddenly!
Another change occurred within the Light of Heavenly Destiny. A group of seven or eight people rushed out from within.
They were seven or eight Elders, led by an exceptionally handsome youth whose gender was ambiguous. Dressed in black, the youth looked around with an expression of great surprise. "How lively! So many have already arrived..." Before he could finish, an Elder behind him forcibly stopped him. The Elder glanced at Monk Bu’er, then at Guangyin. When his gaze fell upon the dozen or so Ethereal Blurred Figures, he could no longer contain himself, the muscles at the corner of his mouth twitching twice.
As they looked on, Monk Bu’er, Guangyin, and the others across from them were also sizing up this group of seven or eight, seemingly puzzled by their identities.
However.
Not long after, the Light of Heavenly Destiny changed once more.
Two people rushed out from within the Light of Heavenly Destiny: one a composed young man in blue robes, the other a cold, sharp, and fierce youth in white.