Kunwu, Hall of All Heavens.

Layer upon layer of crescent-shaped steps continued upward, with massive towering pillars on both sides reaching toward a starry dome. Standing in the great hall and looking up, one could only see stars filling the eyes, as if standing beneath the night sky.

Yet at this moment, it was merely dawn breaking, with dew covering the mountains.

Wu Duan, third disciple under True Person Hengxu, stood before the first step, gripping a white bone long white sword in his hand. Looking up, he saw a Zhou Tian Star Chart disc standing thirty zhang high on the final circular platform.

A figure had been standing before the star disc for quite some time.

“Cough, cough, cough.”

Frowning, Wu Duan’s face was pale and bloodless as he began coughing.

He recalled the battle at Nine-Head River’s heart over half a month ago, feeling only bitter defeat.

In the end, he had merely made wedding clothes for others…

Calming his mind, Wu Duan barely managed to appear normal with great effort.

He ascended step by step.

The higher he climbed, the smaller his figure appeared.

In the silent great hall, only his solitary shadow moved.

True Person Hengxu didn’t turn around, his gaze fixed on the operating Zhou Tian Star Chart.

Even he, standing before this disc, felt as small as dust.

Countless points of circular light followed primordial trajectories that had existed since ancient times, streaking across the star disc. From this star disc, one could seemingly observe the universe’s evolution over millions of years and glimpse the near future.

True Person Hengxu’s gaze was equally ethereal.

“Disciple pays respects to Master. I wonder why Master summoned me?”

Finally reaching the top, Wu Duan stopped, glanced at True Person Hengxu’s back, and bowed in salute.

Without turning around, True Person Hengxu could detect Wu Duan’s slightly chaotic breathing just from his voice: “Your meridians are weak throughout, spiritual energy stagnates at the heart and lungs, and three traces of sword energy remain in your right arm. You’ve recently fought someone and been injured. How could you be so careless?”

True Person Hengxu always perceived all matters, great and small, on Kunwu Mountain, as if no detail could escape his eyes.

Wu Duan remained silent for a long moment, lowering his head and bowing: “Disciple is ashamed.”

“Was it him?”

After brief contemplation, True Person Hengxu asked directly.

As for this “him”…

To Wu Duan’s ears, it carried profound meaning.

“Disciple’s skills are insufficient—unable to defeat even someone of a lower cultivation realm. This is the disciple’s incompetence. Please, Master, punish me.”

“Punishment?”

True Person Hengxu laughed once, finally shifting his gaze from the star disc.

The moment he turned around, the thirty-zhang-high star disc suddenly transformed into countless mercury-like substances, flowing frantically like hundreds of rivers returning to the sea, rushing toward True Person Hengxu’s back!

“Boom!”

The air seemed to carry a trembling roar.

Yet in reality, there was no sound at all.

The mercury-like liquid instantly disappeared into True Person Hengxu’s back, and the massive star disc vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.

True Person Hengxu stepped down one step from the platform.

“It’s merely competition between fellow disciples. If I punished every losing disciple, what meaning would Kunwu have? Your competitive spirit is no fault; challenging him is also no fault. Your error lies in being too weak while overestimating your abilities.”

The beginning was soft as jade, but the latter words were sharp as a steel blade!

Yet True Person Hengxu maintained his indifferent, transcendent expression, barely glancing at Wu Duan.

Wu Duan felt as if someone had slapped him across the face, utterly humiliated.

True Person Hengxu seemed completely unaware of this humiliation, or perhaps…

Simply didn’t care.

Walking downward, he continued: “Today I observed stellar phenomena. In Shijiu Zhou, mayflies are born and die within a day—an extraordinary occurrence. I fear some supreme demon or evil will emerge. The matter concerns the Western Sea. Depart immediately to investigate the Western Sea situation and report regularly.”

“Western Sea?”

Wu Duan was slightly surprised, and hearing about the supreme demons emerging, he frowned immediately.

At the critical moment, as a Kunwu disciple, he didn’t hesitate, cupping his hands and saluting cleanly: “Disciple accepts the command!”

True Person Hengxu nodded slightly.

Wu Duan stepped back several paces before turning to slowly walk out of the great hall.

Outside the hall lay the high Cloud Sea Plaza, similar to Yashan’s Lingzhao Peak but more ethereally immortal, suspended three hundred feet above Kunwu Mountain’s absolute peak—a place where one could pluck stars by hand at night.

Wu Duan emerged and stopped, looking back at the entire Kunwu Hall of All Heavens, seeing misty clouds gradually closing in, hiding it from mortal reach.

Kunwu…

Kunwu…

Inexplicably, bitterness filled his heart.

Wu Duan’s mind suddenly flashed with Xie Buchen’s every word from that day, his grip on the white bone sword tightening abruptly.

He gritted his teeth and, in that instant, transformed into a sharp red light, leaping from high altitude and heading straight for the Western Sea.

Western Sea, Great Dream Reef.

In the passage, Jian Chou stood holding her axe, expression stern and cold.

No one had expected such a great upheaval here—Tao Zhang suddenly disappeared while Qu Zhengfeng seemed to anticipate it, escaping inside, leaving several of them facing threats from flying boulders.

Fortunately, all present were cultivators. Though initially caught off guard, once they reacted, these boulders posed no real problem.

The final boulder rushed forward with golden light.

Jian Chou remained expressionless, directly swinging her axe outward, creating an afterimage!

Sky-Cleaving Axe!

The first afterimage remained beside Jian Chou; looking down the sequence, the second afterimage appeared three feet in front of her; the third axe shadow struck directly at the massive boulder!

Boom!

Instantly, debris scattered everywhere!

That axe shadow vanished in the collision with the boulder.

Everyone looked back—the axe remained in Jian Chou’s hand, never having left, except for—

That time-saving Wei Xiang.

Besides the still-rolling debris, the area before the passage finally returned to calm, and the turbulent currents created by the flying boulders also settled.

The sea, like before, enveloped everyone within it.

The seawater’s flow direction wasn’t fixed, as if breathing.

Jian Chou stood holding her axe, blade pointing downward.

The myriad ghost patterns, reflected by the seawater’s ripples, appeared like the true Unending Hell.

She looked toward the two tightly closed stone doors, involuntarily frowning.

Wei Xiang maintained an amazed expression throughout, gazing at Jian Chou.

Seeing the crisis temporarily resolved, she carefully examined the giant axe Jian Chou held, wondering where such a massive axe could have come from. It appeared rust-stained and particularly terrifying.

The approachable Senior Jian Chou, once wielding the giant axe, seemed to become much colder and harder, her eyes carrying an unapproachable indifference.

“So… so Senior Jian Chou uses an axe…”

Wei Xiang stammered, moving closer step by step.

Nearby, Jiang He carefully observed Jian Chou’s expression, and finding no signs of explosion, patted his chest in relief.

Jian Chou glanced back at her, not particularly wanting to engage, and said nothing.

This glance made Wei Xiang’s heart race with fear, immediately stopping her approach toward Jian Chou and standing pitifully in place.

Using an axe!

So handsome!

And such a big axe!

So mighty!

The dao companion of her dreams should be exactly such an axe-wielding hero!

With muscles rippling throughout the body, arms that could move mountains when raised, the giant axe moving with mountain-shifting, ridge-removing power, footsteps that shook earth and mountains when landing…

Perfect!

Though Jian Chou lacked the rippling muscles, the other qualities perfectly matched her mate selection criteria!

Especially that sideways glance Jian Chou had just given her…

Freezing her heart until it began trembling…

This was exactly the domineering feeling she wanted!

Wei Xiang bit her lip, though her heart was already turbulent; she dared not approach Jian Chou, obediently moving to Mo Yuanxing’s side, only watching Jian Chou with that glowing, hair-raising gaze.

Jian Chou felt her scalp grow cold, as if someone was constantly blowing cool air behind her.

Jiang He transmitted: “Senior Sister, I think you’re going to have trouble.”

As if I need you to tell me that?

One look at those eyes told Jian Chou her troubles were massive!

So this Wei Xiang didn’t discriminate between men and women, devouring all equally?

She truly had the urge to throw her Ghost Axe and leave directly.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t.

Forcibly suppressing her inner unease, Jian Chou walked two steps forward, placing her hand on the stone door and remaining motionless.

Wei Xiang finally found a chance to speak, quickly saying: “This door can’t be opened by ordinary means. When I discovered the door under this reef, I had already tried without success, so I brought my two senior brothers to investigate together. Unexpectedly, we encountered that treacherous villain!”

Mentioning Tao Zhang, Wei Xiang gnashed her teeth.

Hearing Wei Xiang’s explanation, Jian Chou suddenly realized her earlier judgment had a small error.

It seemed to be a coincidence.

The Wangjiang Tower disciples’ discovery of this place was a coincidence; their arrival three days later, encountering Tao Zhang, was a coincidence; but Tao Zhang’s appearance here was not a coincidence.

Behind this stone door, there should be secrets.

Thinking this, Jian Chou examined it even more carefully.

This stone door was quite simple—Jian Chou only found some strange patterns at the four corners.

The bottom two corners depicted flowing waves, seemingly representing “water,” while the top two corners showed cloud patterns, seemingly representing the sky.

What did this mean?

“Great Dream Reef got its name from ancient times. Legend tells of an ancient divine beast that had a great dream here, never awakening.”

This was Mo Yuanxing’s voice.

Jian Chou looked back to see Mo Yuanxing approaching with a frown, clearly equally puzzled: “However, these are all legends. Without my disciple’s discovery, no one would know such a stone passage existed beneath this reef. But now with the passage sealed and us unable to enter, while only Senior Qu followed inside, what should we do?”

Flashing through her mind was the slight smile that crossed Qu Zhengfeng’s face when he said, “You open the door, we’ll step back.”

Though feeling something was amiss, Jian Chou trusted Qu Zhengfeng.

A Nascent Soul Peak versus someone barely at Core Formation, when Tao Zhang was complacent and thought his plan had succeeded, probably wouldn’t cause major problems.

Jian Chou wanted to try using the “Heaven-Overturning Dao Seal” she’d obtained from the Qingfeng Nunnery’s hidden realm, but with so many people present, it wasn’t convenient to use.

As she pondered, another transmission came.

Still from Little Fatty Jiang He.

“Second Senior Brother has handled many such situations. Senior Sister, I think this Mo fellow from Wangjiang Tower doesn’t seem like a good person. Since Second Senior Brother didn’t consult with us first, he must have his confidence and plans. Why don’t we wait for him outside?”

Jian Chou frowned, recalling Mo Yuanxing’s behavior along the way, and finally smiled.

Without looking at Jiang He, she turned back: “Though Brother Qu entered alone, his strength is at Nascent Soul Peak. Since this place is strange and we cannot enter, why not first return to the reef and seek people to learn about this place’s situation? As they say, know yourself and your enemy, and you’ll never be defeated. What does Elder Mo think?”

Mo Yuanxing hadn’t expected Jian Chou to say such things.

He was stunned, looking unwillingly at the stone door: “I still have two disciples inside, their fate unknown. How can I be at ease? Just leaving like this—I disagree!”

Having said this, his eyes turned cold, and in that instant, he rose on his sword!

Mo Yuanxing’s sword was three fingers wide and three feet one inch long, completely translucent white like frost-forged.

As he raised his sword, a battle disc expanded beneath his feet.

Jian Chou saw it was over two zhang in diameter.

A spiritual light flowed from Mo Yuanxing’s brow, and a complex dao seal flashed briefly on the battle disc!

With one sword strike, beginning from this sword, an ice crystal instantly formed from the sword tip!

Ice borrowed water’s momentum, and being in the sea, Jian Chou and others saw ice and snow roll backward from Mo Yuanxing’s sword tip, following the water’s flow direction, rapidly solidifying with tremendous force, crashing toward the two stone doors!

Buzz buzz…

At the four corners of the stone doors, those wave and cloud patterns seemed to come alive, all converging toward the center!

Wave and cloud patterns instantly formed a four-cornered shape!

The terrifying attack from Mo Yuanxing’s sword tip coincidentally struck exactly upon this four-cornered formation created by the wave and cloud patterns!

Countless ice and snow, like sharp knives and swords, rang with metallic sounds!

However, when striking the four corners, it was like a mud ox entering the sea, only causing faint ripples before being swallowed without a trace…

However fast the sword-ice-snow came, that’s how fast it disappeared!

This scene made Jian Chou’s pupils contract.

These wave and cloud patterns were so strange!

After swallowing Mo Yuanxing’s attack, the wave and cloud patterns seemed satiated, suddenly bulging outward as if belching.

The surrounding seawater rippled faintly.

Instantly, Jian Chou felt her scalp tingle as extreme danger rose in her heart.

Without hesitation, she swung her axe and shouted sharply!

“Run!”

The four people in the passage weren’t fools—instantly fleeing like their lives depended on it, transforming into four meteor-like rays of light, all rushing out of the passage!

Jian Chou stood on her Ghost Axe, afterimages flashing in the air, but different from others’ flowing light.

The moment she burst from the passage, she looked back—

The four-cornered wave and cloud patterns in the stone door, after their bulging subsided, actually spread back toward the four corners!

Thus, heart-trembling white light shot frantically from the stone door!

All the sword-ice-snow previously swallowed by the stone door was being spat back out!

With tremendous power, ten times greater!

“Damn! Holy shit, scared to death!”

The little fatty, also turning back out of curiosity, seeing this scene, nearly lost his soul, screaming strangely as his red light beneath his feet, already at maximum speed, somehow became even faster!

Whoosh!

A red arrow shot from the deep blue seawater!

Jian Chou naturally heard the little fatty’s curses, momentarily feeling he’d voiced her thoughts.

Behind her, towering white light seemed ready to blind eyes, frantically rushing out!

Jian Chou’s mind moved, brilliant light erupting from her brow’s ancestral aperture as a zhang-wide battle disc suddenly expanded, emitting dazzling radiance in the deep sea!

The patterns on her Ghost Axe immediately twisted, and suddenly Jian Chou seemed surrounded by the sound of ten thousand ghosts wailing!

Once catalyzed and enhanced, the Ghost Axe howled out, actually catching up to the little fatty who’d run ahead in an instant!

Above, layer upon layer of seawater revealed sunlight from the surface.

Jian Chou hesitated no more, charging directly upward!

Splash!

Waves surged!

Jian Chou burst forth on her axe, directly breaking through the vast sea surface!

The little fatty emerged afterward, shouting: “Senior Sister, how can you be so fast! This isn’t what I expected!”

“Bang!”

Another sound behind.

This time, Mo Yuanxing emerged, pulling the still-frightened Wei Xiang.

Jian Chou now stood upon the sea, ghostly shadows surrounding her, appearing terrifyingly frightful!

Her pale face, hidden within those howling ghost shadows, became even colder and condensed.

Looking back, people still stood on the reef.

She directly sent her Liwai Mirror flying over!

“Get away quickly!”

The many Wangjiang Tower disciples on the reef, after initial shock, finally fled upward on their instruments like escaping for their lives.

Beneath the deep blue sea surface, overwhelming white light was already close, about to break through the sea surface!

Several slow-moving Wangjiang Tower disciples felt the reef beneath their feet trembling, with surging cold air seemingly emerging from where they stood, ready to freeze them in place.

Quick as lightning.

A glazed golden light struck from the air with tremendous force!

Caught off guard, several people were struck and sent flying from the reef by this spinning disc of golden light!

Crack crack crack!

Just as everyone was struck flying, a white light had already burst from the sea surface!

The black reef protruding from the sea surface was instantly frozen, becoming snow white!

The attack from within the stone door hadn’t stopped…

Centered on the reef, the freezing range continuously expanded. Jian Chou saw this patch of white like ink dropped into clear water, instantly spreading!

Above the Western Sea, a sheet of ice!

The seawater was frozen piece by piece, expanding a full hundred zhang before gradually slowing and stopping bit by bit…

“Thud thud thud!”

Several consecutive landing sounds!

The few Wangjiang Tower disciples struck away by Jian Chou’s Liwai Mirror finally crashed onto the ice surface, rolling several times before barely stopping.

Having barely saved their lives, the still-shaken group scrambled up from the ice surface, fleeing desperately on their swords, finally feeling the reality of “I’m still alive.”

The glazed golden light that had struck them earlier, after shrinking, became a round mirror that finally flew back to Jian Chou’s hand.

She caught it and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Countless people immediately looked at her with lingering shock and seeming gratitude.

Without Jian Chou’s critical strike just then, those Wangjiang Tower disciples would now be frozen beneath the ice!

Looking around, everything visible was snow white.

Only the much more distant sea surface retained the ocean’s deep blue.

The power of one strike—terrifying to this extent!

After the stone door swallowed Mo Yuanxing’s sword, it returned this strike with ten or a hundred times the force!

A crimson light came from the south, reaching this ice patch in the blink of an eye.

The battle disc beneath Jian Chou’s feet began slowly disappearing, and the wildly dancing ghost shadows on her Ghost Axe, along with their wailing sounds, gradually diminished, slowly condensing back into the Ghost Axe’s countless patterns like smoke.

When that crimson light stopped before everyone, the various ghost shadows on Jian Chou’s Ghost Axe finally solidified back onto the axe.

In appearance, Jian Chou simply stood on a giant axe with unique cast patterns.

After that lightning-fast scene just now, everyone looked at her with lingering fear. Even standing on this Ghost Axe, somewhat inappropriate for a female cultivator’s status, everyone felt she possessed an indifferent, proud bearing.

Wind stirred her robes’ corners, the dangerous scene still fresh in memory.

Jian Chou’s entire body remained tense, seeing the brilliant light suddenly descend before her. She couldn’t help but look up with icy eyes.

A man in dark blue robes stood on a white bone sword radiating crimson light, hands clasped behind his back, his face carrying an unusual pallor, though his features held some prideful air.

Wu Duan had been investigating the Western Sea when he suddenly sensed disturbances and quickly rushed over.

Unexpectedly, he witnessed such an astonishing scene here.

In today’s Shijiu Zhou, someone still uses such ghostly, sinister magical artifacts…

A female cultivator.

From this person and his white bone sword, Jian Chou sensed an externally revealed terrifying aura—

Somewhat similar to Qu Zhengfeng.

As she frowned, Mo Yuanxing beside her recognized this person at a glance, quickly flying forward to bow: “Wangjiang Tower’s Mo Yuanxing pays respects to Senior Wu Duan of Kunwu!”

“Mo Yuanxing?”

Hearing the voice, Wu Duan finally turned his head.

Only then did he discover several other people here, the most eye-catching being the little fatty also standing at the red light—

He recognized this person.

In that instant, Wu Duan forgot about Mo Yuanxing, only staring at Jiang He with a frown.

Seemingly surprised, seemingly wary.

“Yashan?”

Nearby, Jian Chou, standing on her Ghost Axe, glanced at the respectful Mo Yuanxing, then at Wu Duan standing elegantly on his white bone sword with celestial bearing, suddenly feeling bewildered.

—Kunwu?

Wu Duan’s gaze, which had been focused on Jiang He, finally turned back to fall upon Jian Chou.

He observed Jian Chou for a long time, recalling the scene he’d witnessed from afar.

With Wu Duan’s cultivation, he could naturally see Jian Chou was only at Foundation Establishment middle stage, yet after bursting from the sea surface, she still had energy to strike with her mirror, saving those wastes at the critical moment, showing considerable intelligence and skill.

And also…

This Ghost Axe.

Information unknown to outsiders didn’t mean Kunwu was ignorant.

Previously, he hadn’t seen Jiang He, but now, with all the information aligned, Wu Duan immediately narrowed his eyes.

He flicked his tongue once, released it, looking at Jian Chou with suddenly strange eyes.

“Though reaching Foundation Establishment in only thirteen days, yet possessing a Heavenly Disc, overpowering my Kunwu Junior Brother Xie—if Wu hasn’t guessed wrongly… You must be Yashan’s Sister, Jian Chou?”