Back in time to when Lin Muxue had just set out, although she didn’t particularly want to attend that distant “conference,” she couldn’t neglect her responsibilities as the Sword Sect’s leader.
On normal days, the various peaks of the sect governed themselves, so Lin Muxue didn’t have many matters to handle.
Most issues requiring her presence were dealt with by sending out an external avatar.
Even when her true body had to appear, she would leave an avatar behind at the Tianjian Main Peak, which allowed her to stay by Su Qianqian and Su Lingling’s side at all times.
But the place she was heading to now was too far away, and her avatar’s range was limited. She could only let her two disciples stay by themselves for a while.
Lin Muxue believed there wouldn’t be any issues.
She had already layered multiple secret techniques on Su Qianqian to conceal her aura, so even if she left, those other women wouldn’t be able to detect her.
According to the invitation, this trip would take up about a month of their time within the boundary.
Factoring in travel time, Qianqian and Lingling would just finish a few secluded cultivation sessions.
It was very safe to stay inside the Sword Sect, so Lin Muxue decided to make a quick round trip.
After bidding farewell to her two disciples, Lin Muxue used the Earth-shrinking Divine Ability, covering thousands of miles in a single step, heading straight for her destination—the Tianyuan Boundary!
As Lin Muxue traveled, the scenery before her eyes shifted rapidly.
In an instant, it was lush green plains; next, boundless snow-capped mountains; then, barren deserts and rocky wastelands…
Gradually, not only did the scenery change swiftly, but Lin Muxue also felt the flow of time around her quicken.
However, she only paused slightly to sense it before continuing on her way. In this world, the flow of time wasn’t uniform—this was common knowledge.
The closer one got to the boundary, the faster time flowed. The Accelerated Cultivation Secret Realm in the Sword Sect was established based on this very principle.
As Lin Muxue advanced, the time flow finally stabilized at about four times the normal speed.
After ten days had passed in this accelerated flow, Lin Muxue noticed that the space around her was becoming increasingly unstable.
Occasionally, she could even sense lurking spatial faults. These faults were fatal for cultivators below the Yuan Ying stage, but to Lin Muxue, they didn’t even slow her pace!
Traveling beneath the Sun and Moon, Lin Muxue looked up at the moon—so familiar yet so strange.
She formed a hand seal, gathering spiritual energy at her fingertips. Reaching lightly into the void, the space twisted like molten glass, emitting a fine “crack” as fissures followed her finger’s path.
At last, a spatial rift edged with tiny floating fragments appeared!
Once the rift stabilized, Lin Muxue soared into it. There was no expected darkness; her vision and senses returned in an instant. Before her eyes appeared a sight that would shock even Lin Muxue herself—the “Abyss”!
As far as the eye could see, a gray and misty chasm stretched between heaven and earth. Its ends vanished into chaos at the edge of perception, as if it had existed since the world’s creation.
It had no borders, no up or down. The walls of the chasm shimmered with a dim, ink-blue radiance, every ripple distorting the surrounding scene.
From deep within, indistinct murmurs seemed to echo forth!
At the same time, the Sun and Moon hung together at the horizon, but they appeared far more ethereal than normal—almost like spectral afterimages at the edge of the sky…
Yet in such a terrifying place, there also stood a city and walls so grand one wouldn’t know whether to marvel or to despair!
She didn’t have to wait long before a man and a woman, both exuding a solemn and murderous aura, approached from the distance.
When they arrived, Lin Muxue presented her already-prepared Disciple Token. After verifying it, the two shed their murderous demeanor and saluted Lin Muxue with a martial gesture.
“Sword Sect esteemed guest, please follow us!”
Following them past layer after layer of restrictions, Lin Muxue finally entered the city.
There were quite a few people inside, all armored and seemingly ready for battle at any time, with most possessing at least the Golden Core cultivation level.
Everyone here carried a token indicating their identity. As Lin Muxue walked, she saw many Sword Sect Disciples and Elders, as well as people from the Demon Sect and Demon Clan.
But this wasn’t strange—Sword Sect had always been a major defender of this place. Any force of sufficient scale, regardless of affiliation, had to send personnel to guard here.
The security of this place was tied to the fate of the entire world.
Soon, Lin Muxue was led into a heavily guarded fortress, where many people had already gathered. Among them, she saw someone not exactly familiar, but deeply memorable…
A dainty, lively girl was twirling her hair, idly killing time. When she saw Lin Muxue enter, she gave her… a provocative smile.
Lin Muxue paid her no mind—a “defeated one” was not worth her anger.
Besides Lin Muxue’s aversion to her identity, her mad behavior while pursuing Su Ling was enough for Lin Muxue to dislike her now.
Still, now she was only a defeated one…
Seeing Lin Muxue ignore her, the girl sensibly stopped provoking, though her expression grew even darker.
This dainty girl was none other than Chu Youtong, the Saintess of Hehuan Sect. She made no effort to hide her hostility toward Lin Muxue, her rival in both past and present.
Perhaps, the one she loved most was now in Lin Muxue’s hands…
Though Chu Youtong was wild and never cared for rules, she knew this wasn’t the time for rash moves and could only suppress her resentment…
At this moment, the not-so-large room was filled with most of the world’s top experts.
They waited. After a few more people arrived, the inviter finally made his entrance…
He was an extremely tall man, covered in dangerous-looking wounds, who strode in laughing heartily:
“Ha ha, apologies, apologies! Sorry to have kept you all waiting. I am the current City Lord, Lu Qing. I’m truly grateful that everyone could spare the time to come! There’s something very important that requires all your help!”
Just then, someone cut in with a prior statement: “If it’s a matter of battle, I may not be able to help. The Palace Lord couldn’t attend due to other affairs, so I’m here as the Vice Palace Lord. In terms of combat power, I fall far short of the Palace Lord.”
“Likewise for this old man. The Emperor is busy with state affairs, and I did not bring the Prime Minister’s Seal, so I lack sufficient Faith Power. In battle, I am truly powerless.”
A few others voiced similar concerns—after all, many rulers were entangled in their own matters and could not move freely.
“Hahaha, don’t worry, don’t worry! We probably won’t need to fight!”
“Let’s skip the formalities and get to the point!” The smile disappeared from Lu Qing’s face, replaced by solemn silence.
He extended his hand, and a creature of hideous appearance, exuding ominous energy, appeared before everyone!
This being gave off an aura that did not belong to this world. Even these powerful experts felt an instinctive dread in its presence.
But at the same time, there was a trace of something familiar…
“So this is an Abyssal Creature? And it’s mixed with… the Power of Taiyin?” Lin Muxue was the first to speak.
Due to the recent mysterious connection between Su Qianqian and Taiyin, she had been observing Taiyin closely and instantly recognized its aura.
“That’s right. Normally, monsters crawling out of the Abyss should only carry the nauseating Pollution of the Abyss, and they should be kept outside the City of Broken Abyss…”
“You mean…?”
“The City of Broken Abyss guards the boundary. Supplying it with resources is difficult, so to keep it running, ancient mighty ones once joined forces to create a Supreme Array that can absorb the Power of Taiyin and Power of the Sun for energy. That’s why this is one of the few places where those forces can be directly accessed.”
“For countless generations, under continuous maintenance, there’s never been a problem.”
“And to allow smooth absorption of Taiyin and Sun energies, the various defensive arrays do grant certain exemptions to those powers, but all necessary energy checks are still in place—never a problem before. That was, until recently…”
“While the Supreme Array was operating normally, with the external defenses intact, monsters like this suddenly started manifesting inside the city through the Power of Taiyin in great numbers. The unexpected attack caused heavy casualties, and the energy array was nearly destroyed.”
“We immediately cut off the absorption of the Power of Taiyin, to be restored only after we identify the issue or find a way to stop the entry of Abyssal Creatures.”
“And not just inside the city—beyond the City of Broken Abyss, near the entrance to our world, a few such monsters have appeared too. But since there isn’t as much Power of Taiyin gathering as inside the city, the outbreak wasn’t as severe and was swiftly suppressed. Still, Abyssal beings occasionally ignore the defensive line and reach the city—this is extremely dangerous…”
“Afterward, many experts within the city used the Formation to observe and deduce, and have roughly pinpointed the problem’s core—it likely lies with the true body of Taiyin itself! But their power is limited, and that’s as far as they could see.”
Lu Qing fell silent after speaking. Everyone present understood the gravity of the situation—a chilling possibility was emerging: something was wrong with Taiyin…
If Taiyin, one of the world’s fundamental powers, were to fall to the Abyss, or become corrupted and used by it, the consequences would be catastrophic!
“For now, this phenomenon is still limited to this void. While it hasn’t yet spread into the boundary, I hope to rely on all of you to help uncover the real cause!”
At the same time, an ominous premonition rose in Lin Muxue’s heart. The connection between Su Qianqian and Taiyin had appeared far too coincidentally…
……