Changyun County, the back hall of the Mei Courtyard.
Steam drifted in the air.
Mei Shuangfeng sat quietly in a tub of warm water, the hot water rising past her chest and shrouding her cold, beautiful face in a hazy mist.
Mei Shuangfeng's snowy shoulders were exposed. Her skin was originally like smooth jade, but several hideous old scars running across it ruined that flawless beauty.
At this moment, a pale hand slowly caressed her forearm, its fingertips stopping on the deepest scar, gently rubbing it.
A lazy female voice rang in her ear, warm breath brushing against her neck:
“Shuangjun...”
“It is rare for us to have a moment alone together. Must you still cultivate?”
Mei Shuangfeng slowly opened her eyes and looked down.
In her arms, Ji Shuying leaned against her chest. Her black hair spread across the water like a waterfall, and her face was flushed crimson from the rising steam.
Splash...
Mei Shuangfeng lifted a pale hand from the water, gently wrapping her arm around Ji Shuying's shoulder, and said softly,
“Time waits for no one.”
“In the past, when I had no technique to cultivate and my martial path was stalled, that was one thing.”
“But now that I have obtained this 『Golden Eagle Soaring Technique』 and reached the Huajin Rank... with both new and old hatred weighing on me, how could I dare to slack off?”
Mei Shuangfeng was originally from the Meishan lineage of the Biwu Sect in Guangwu Prefecture.
Decades ago, the old Marquis of Zhenhai, Dong Daosheng, led the Qi forces on an expedition to Shengjiang Prefecture.
The Meishan lineage abandoned the Yue State and defected to the Qi State, turning their weapons against their former allies!
They became one of the main culprits behind the Yue State's Shengjiang Prefecture being turned into the Qi State's Guangwu Prefecture!
Because of this, over the years, the Biwu Sect had suffered relentless retaliation, both open and covert, from the demonic path of the Yue State.
Mei Shuangfeng's youngest son, Jiang Luoyun, had perished in an ambush by the Yinsha Sect.
Meanwhile, Ji Shuying's biological brother, Ji Wen, had died due to the conspiracy of the Nine Anhuai Fiends.
Having a common enemy, they shared this burden of old and new hatred.
Ji Shuying's beautiful eyes shone with deep emotion.
In the next breath, her red lips parted slightly as she leaned toward Mei Shuangfeng's earlobe...
Suddenly,
Boom!
A world-shaking roar exploded in midair, causing the ground of the entire martial arts hall to tremble.
The roof tiles rattled, and the water in the tub sloshed violently, splashing over the rim.
Panicked cries from the disciples in the outer courtyard immediately rang out, rising one after another.
“Heavens! What is that??”
“Look at the sky! It's in the direction of Cloudwater Lake!”
“The sky... a sea has appeared in the sky! There are even immortal pavilions inside!”
“The Lake God has manifested! It must be the Lake God's grotto-heaven appearing in the world!”
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Mei Shuangfeng and Ji Shuying threw on loose robes, their figures flashing as they leaped onto the high wall of the inner courtyard.
The cold wind blew past, plastering their wet hair against their cheeks, but neither of them noticed.
With shock and doubt written all over their faces, they stared at the massive arc of light stretching across the night sky!
The arc of light spanned half the sky. Within it lay a vast expanse of green waves, as if an entire ocean had been transported into the night sky out of thin air.
The edges of the light gateway continuously breathed out multicolored rays of light. With every pulse, the surrounding clouds surged like boiling water.
“This is...”
Ji Shuying's eyes flickered as she rapidly searched through the depths of her memories.
After just a moment, her pupils suddenly constricted, and an expression of disbelief filled her beautiful eyes. She blurted out,
“It is a Grotto-Heaven or Blessed Land!”
“A Grotto-Heaven or Blessed Land?”
Mei Shuangfeng was startled at first, but then she came to a realization and murmured softly,
“The great void splits, the treasure land appears, a corner of the floating world hangs in the sky... It truly is the legendary Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land!”
At this thought, Mei Shuangfeng's heart suddenly raced.
Such a treasure land appearing out of thin air would surely contain countless benefits.
If she could enter and explore, merely searching a few ancient grottos would probably be enough for her to cultivate her Three Huajin Barriers to great perfection.
Breaking through to the Gangjin Rank would no longer be a distant dream!
But the problem was... danger and opportunity always coexisted.
If she perished inside, there would be no one left to avenge Luoyun.
Thinking of this, the heat in Mei Shuangfeng's eyes gradually cooled.
Meeting Ji Shuying's concerned gaze, she took a deep breath and was about to speak.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
In the inner courtyard, the sound of hurried footsteps approached from afar.
“Master!”
Luo Feng walked over quickly. Before he could even catch his breath, he cupped his hands and said urgently,
“An outer disciple from the Star-Plucking Sect just came to deliver a letter, saying it is a handwritten letter from Senior Brother Shen!”
“A letter from Han'er?!”
Mei Shuangfeng took the letter, tore it open, pulled out the paper, and her beautiful eyes swept over it rapidly.
The letter had been sent by Shen Xiuhan through someone when he departed from the Star-Plucking Sect two and a half days ago.
Due to the tight schedule, there were only a few words. The handwriting was messy but forceful enough to pierce the paper:
“The Blessed Land is extremely dangerous. Under no circumstances should you come. —Shen.”
Phew...
After reading the letter, Mei Shuangfeng let out a long sigh of relief, the last trace of regret in her heart dissipating.
She handed the letter to Ji Shuying beside her.
When she turned around, her face had returned to its usual coldness and decisiveness.
“Luo Feng!”
“Your disciple is here!”
“From today onward, the martial arts hall will close its doors to visitors. Dismiss the local disciples immediately and tell them not to go out unless absolutely necessary. For those from out of town, have them all temporarily stay at the East City martial arts hall. The hall will cover all their expenses.”
Luo Feng was slightly startled, but he quickly realized the severity of the situation. With a solemn look, he cupped his hands and said,
“Your disciple obeys!”
With that, he turned and strode toward the outer courtyard.
“Wait!”
Luo Feng paused, only to hear the cold voice behind him add:
“Go and have Shi Hao make a trip to Apricot Blossom Lane. Bring your Senior Brother Shen's mother and sister to the martial arts hall to stay temporarily.”
“...Understood!”
...
Dongyi Island.
Spiritual light cascaded down like a waterfall, lighting up the originally dense night as bright as day.
Staring at the massive, arched gateway of light, Lei Xiao's face was instantly flooded with ecstasy.
Swoosh!
His figure shot into midair, his voice like rolling thunder as it crushed across the entire beach. He shouted,
“The Blessed Land has opened! All disciples, prepare yourselves!”
On both shores, dozens of figures soared into the air almost simultaneously.
True Gang Qi of various colors sparkled brilliantly like stars, suspended in midair as they quietly waited for the Blessed Land's gateway of light to slowly descend.
Below, the Huajin and Anjin disciples gathered one after another.
Amidst the crowd of shifting shadows, no one made a sound. Everyone stared intently at the gateway that had split the sky open.
Shen Xiuhan stood on the beach, his gaze like lightning as it rapidly swept over the airborne figures on the opposite shore.
Relying solely on their attire, he could roughly identify the origin of each faction.
'The Raging Sea Sect! They have three Gangjin Rank experts backing them, with a dense crowd of forty to fifty disciples behind them, all clad in deep purple martial robes, exuding a fierce aura.'
'The Longxiang Army! Four Gangjin Rank experts are lined up in a row, their armor cold and imposing. Behind them are at least seventy to eighty people in a massive formation. It seems they are all elites of the army!'
'And that group of strangers doesn't look like locals. They seem to be from another prefecture... Hmm, two Gangjin Rank experts, and they've brought quite a few disciples, at least twenty of them!'
Shen Xiuhan's gaze continued to drift, suddenly pausing!
To the west, a masked bald head sat cross-legged in the air. No matter how he looked at him, the man seemed incredibly familiar.
Shen Xiuhan narrowed his eyes to take a closer look, and then his fists clenched tight.
'That bald donkey Shouchong!'
Shen Xiuhan grit his teeth, barely holding back a curse:
'This bald donkey is sending people in too? Fine, fine, fine! Just wait until I emerge from the Blessed Land, and I will settle this old score with you!'
Just as Shen Xiuhan was gnashing his teeth, a sudden change occurred!
To the north, a sinister wind suddenly whipped up across the calm water, and a bone-chilling aura swept out like a tidal wave.
The lake's surface churned violently.
Splash!
A giant bone vessel emerged silently from beneath the water!
Rate on N.U.
