Translator: Fate Translation Checker: Silavin The black mists were as heavy as lead, as traces of them wafted out from the depths of Ancient Arcane Ruins before swamping the entire area. At the same time, numerous undead soldiers stormed out of their graves with all sorts of heavenly swords before charging at the invaders. It was a horrifying sight that left even the Earth Sword Immortals in fear. Witnessing the process of the undead being turned into dust and revert to their former state, the Earth Sword Immortals figured that given their power, they wouldn’t be able to annihilate the undead, and all they could do now was to pave a way when their undead enemies were recovering. Rip, rip… Radiant, shocking Sword Qis intertwined, as if Heavenly Swords were forming in the sky before thrusting through the skies and slashing the depths of the space. Vaguely, one could see an ambiguous figure zooming across, as well as a splash of blood. Within, there was a grey-furred creature of unknown origins covered in strange miasma. Meanwhile, those leading the way felt terrified as well, clutching their weapons as they warily advanced. Not only did they have to evade the terrorising mists coming at them, but they also had to defend themselves against the vile beasts lurking in the shadows, in addition to the attacking army of undead. “It seems the disturbance should come from the deepest parts of this area…” The Abundance Sword Immortal held an emerald long sword with vibrant lights and whirling around it. A Supreme Dao aura was then cast forward, dissipating the dense black mists. Given that he was the Sect Master of the Shu Sect, he possessed formidable strength that was notches above that of other cultivators. Therefore, he took the initiative to lead the way while fending off the dangers coming their way. Closely, the Snow Sword Immortal followed behind him with the crystalline Ice and Snow Dao Sword in her pale hands. Around her body, an Ice and Snow Domain was surging, and it was greatly effective against the black mists. Whoosh! As the spiralling shadows of swords devastated the sky and land, the other Earth Sword Immortals, too, used their various abilities, intending to live through the disaster. From behind them, a number of True Daoists from the Upper Realm slowly caught up. Resembling a vast flourishing sea, grand, menacing auras surged around their bodies, suppressing everything in their vicinity. Facing such an unfamiliar situation, even they had to remain extremely cautious, not daring to act rashly, which was why they let the Earth Sword Immortals take the lead. While the Earth Sword Immortals were captured to scout ahead, at the outermost layer of Ancient Arcane Ruins, Gu Changge withdrew his gaze of the depths and whispered instructions to Ah Da, after which Ah Da entered the void and vanished without leaving a trace. [What is he planning to do?] Not far away, Yu Feiya, the Eldest Great Yu Princess, who was observing Gu Changge’s actions, revealed a subtly morose expression. She felt that Gu Changge was removed from the event, yet he still had everything controlled in his grasp, and such an irony bewildered her. She was reluctant to believe that Gu Changge would come to this world without a reason and would participate in its merriness without getting himself involved in any event. As such, she believes that he must bear some sort of dark secret. “Young Master Changge, have you perhaps encountered Tuo Ba Xiao Yao when you journeyed to this world?” After pondering for a bit, Yu Feiya furrowed her delicate brows. Emitting a waft of aroma, she approached Gu Changge on gentle steps and subconsciously asked. “Tuo Ba Xiao Yao?” Gu Changge slightly tensed his brows as he turned to her before chuckling. “Sure, I’ve seen him, but he’s dead now.” “What?” Immense shock surged on Yu Feiya’s face. She did not expect Gu Changge to be so upfront about it. Instead, she thought that he would feign cluelessness and claim that he had never met him. Nonetheless, Gu Changge’s honest disclosure of Tuo Ba Xiao Yao’s death truly caught her off guard as that was totally out of her expectation. “Then, Young Master Changge, do you know where he died?” Yu Feiya felt bitterness on her lips as she eagerly asked. Hearing that, Gu Changge shook his head with a faint grin. “He died in Boundless Immortal Valley, a forbidden land of Profound Sword World.” “Boundless Immortal Valley?” Yu Feiya was taken aback for a moment. Naturally, she had heard of the forbidden land. In the Profound Sword World, Boundless Immortal Valley was a land of no return. As it was engulfed in fog all year, even Earth Sword Immortals who stepped into the land ended up dead. [Tuo Ba Xiao Yao really died there?] “Do you perhaps know how he died, Young Master Changge?” Yu Feiya’s face suddenly grew sorrowful as she remembered her past with Tuo Ba Xiao Yao. Without much change in his expression, Gu Changge casually chuckled. “Of course, I do. I’m the one who killed him after all. Why, do you intend on avenging him?” “What?” Upon Gu Changge’s breezy statement, Yu Feiya was stunned for a while, unable to recover from it. And as she heard Gu Changge clearly, her body uncontrollably shivered. Widening her eyes in disbelief, she took a few steps backwards as she wondered whether she misheard him. “Young Master Changge, you’re not lying to me, are you?” Her voice carried slight tremor and fear. Such an emotion was rarely seen on Yu Feiya, who had always been graceful and composed, as she always retained her bland, serene look no matter what happened. Retaining a straight face, Gu Changge shot a strange glance at her. “Do I have the need to lie over such a trivial matter?” “O—Of course not…” Yu Feiya’s face was rather blanch as she clenched her pale fists, but as she was afraid of Gu Changge’s strength and influence, she could only remain silent and refrain from speaking any further. Not only her, but even if her father was here with her, he probably wouldn’t dare to do anything against Gu Changge. She merely knew that there was a grudge between Tuo Ba Xiao Yao and Gu Changge, but she never expected Gu Changge to want Tuo Ba Xiao Yao dead. As such, Yu Feiya felt bitter and helpless, thinking that she should have known why Gu Changge would publicly make those claims back in the palace of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty. From the start, he was intent on taking action against Tuo Ba Xiao Yao, and their arrival at Profound Sword World was precisely the rare opportunity he needed. Essentially, Tuo Bao Xiao Yao’s disappearance in this world would not raise any attention, and no one would look into his death. It was as if Gu Changge blatantly implied to her face that she could do nothing against him despite the fact that he was Tuo Ba Xiao Yao’s killer, and her desire for revenge was nothing but a ludicrous fantasy. Such an indifferent attitude—not his usual tender, compassionate self that he displayed—was the true reflection of Gu Changge’s personality. In the meantime, Ah Qing and Princess Xuan Dea, who stood far away, noticed Yu Feiya when she was approaching Gu Changge and had been observing their interaction since then. Initially, they assumed Yu Feiya to be another admirer of Gu Changge, but what surprised them was how her face turned so pale and carried restlessness and fear. [It seems Young Master Gu isn’t so gentle to all women. Then why did he come to save me? Am I perhaps special to him?] In Princess Xuan Dea’s mind, the memory of Gu Changge appearing to defend her surged, leaving a blush on her face as nonsensical thoughts arose in her mind. Although she understood it was wrong of her to care about such a thing when powerful enemies and devastating disasters were right in front of her, she couldn’t help but be drowned in her fantasies. … Days later, the black mists in Ancient Arcane Ruins grew even scarier as they spread even wider, as if a tsunami came to submerge the entire world. Due to the disturbance from the frightening battle in the depths, a terrorising earthquake broke out, causing the ground to crack as mountains crumbled. At certain places, an ancient altar was revealed in its ruined, incomplete states, though on the altar, it was visible that there were etchings and patterns of primordial beings praying to the sky around a bonfire as if they were making an offering. On some of the fractured pictures, a pair of cold, gigantic eyes could be seen floating in the sky, looking down at the praying primordial beings. There were too many of these pictures, and all of them carried gloom and uncanniness without the slightest trace of sacredness. While many of the older cultivators of Profound Sword World were captured by the people of the Upper Realm to investigate and decipher the meanings behind the stone tablets, those who were knowledgeable about altars were captured to attempt to repair the altar. In the eyes of many formidable cultivators of the Upper Realm, the altar harboured space fluctuations that had yet to wane. It was deduced that once upon a time, there was once a space portal in the area that connected several spaces or worlds, and perhaps the undiscovered Mirror Lake was relevant to the altar. “It appears they have found the entrance.” Gu Changge, who had been remaining on the ancient battleship outside the ruins, gazed at the darkness-filled depths of the ruins. He could clearly perceive the scenes in the depths and detect the disturbance within. Thus, from the magnitude of the disturbance, he was able to effortlessly determine how far the scouts had gone. But of course, Ah Da, who was instructed by Gu Changge to keep watch in the dark, played an important role. As Ah Da was born from the depths of the Demon-Burying Abyss, the miasmic, ominous auras couldn’t affect him at all. Therefore, the daunting black mists that were feared by many was nothing to him. “It’s about time.” Gu Changge subtly moved his gaze, casting his vast divine sense and instantaneously surrounded the entire region with it. Boom! At that moment, every cultivator in Ancient Arcane Ruins felt as though there was a strange oppressive aura surging in the sky. It was as if there was an invisible giant palm slowly plunging towards them from a distant latitude. “What is this? Is there another unusual change in the region?” Everyone revealed expressions of shock as they felt suffocated. With that, while they were still stunned, they saw that the sky instantly became pitch black as an ominous grey fog covered the sky, and none could tell what it came from. The grey fog was even more uncanny than the black mists wafting across Ancient Arcane Ruins, harbouring a dense Qi movement that could consume everything in existence. The grey fog was approaching them incredibly quickly and aggressively. Right away, the boundless fog immediately engulfed the entire Ancient Arcane Ruins. Even the ancient battleships that were stopped in the surrounding sky were instantaneously engulfed within, leaving no traces behind. The sight was truly spine-chilling and fear-instilling. In that instant, be it the cultivators of Profound Sword World or the army of formidable cultivators from the Upper Realm, everyone was thoroughly dumbfounded. They could feel their cultivation and soul fading and being syphoned away. The grey fog was the embodiment of miasma, omen, gloom, and chaos. Not only could it cause the people inside to lose their minds, but it would also eat away at their bodies before disintegrating them.