This sudden turn of events was completely beyond everyone’s expectations.
On the Kunwu All-Directions Battle Chariot, Chen Tingyan and the others were immediately dumbfounded, unable to react for a moment.
Outside the eighteen levels of hell, chaos erupted!
Because, the moment Jian Chou was swept away by that snow-white storm, everyone watching Jian Chou through their Mystic Rings discovered that their rings had gone completely blank!
They couldn’t see Jian Chou’s condition, much less observe the surrounding situation.
That feeling was like covering Jian Chou’s cauldron ring with a thick cloth, making it impossible to transmit even the slightest information to the outside!
“What’s happening?”
“Are the Mystic Rings malfunctioning?”
“But why is there no one on the Eight Cauldron Screen either?”
“Where the hell is Jian Chou? This is seeing ghosts!”
“What is this cauldron competition trying to do?!”
…
Throughout the seventy-two cities of the Extreme Domain, curses filled the air and chaos reigned.
By this point in the cauldron competition, almost all observers had been attracted by Jian Chou and her group, with nearly eighty percent of cultivators focusing on Jian Chou!
Either they had fixed their Mystic Rings to connect to Jian Chou’s cauldron ring, or they watched through the Eight Cauldron Screen.
So at this moment, a full eighty percent of the Mystic Rings and Eight Cauldron Screens in the Extreme Domain were connected to Jian Chou!
Now they had all gone blank?
This incident immediately exploded!
The Eighteen-Story Ground Building and the Ten Great Ghost Clans, all those hoping to profit from the cauldron competition, were almost unanimously shocked by this change.
In the entire history of cauldron competitions, such a “cauldron ring accident” had never occurred!
By all rights, this kind of thing should never happen!
Groups of powerful leaders immediately couldn’t sit still.
How could they still care about watching the battle between the Kui Ox and that winged Dharma Marten? They needed to quickly ask the Eight Directions Yama Halls what was happening!
For a moment, countless transmissions flew toward the center of the Extreme Domain—Eight Directions City!
Each transmission trailed long flames behind it, like shooting stars racing across the sky.
However, just as they were about to fly into the central Lord Qin Guang’s hall, they were blocked by a deep purple dark light screen outside the magnificent gates!
Inside the hall, the Eight Palace Yama Kings had all gathered.
At this moment, all bore expressions of uncertainty and doubt, even an unprecedented gravity.
Song Emperor King, the first generation emperor of the mortal realm’s isolated island, was skilled in scheming and strategy. Now he stared at the blank light screen and raised his aged palm with a wave!
“Swish!”
A deep white soul power radiance flashed, and the previously disappeared sinkhole scene appeared on the light screen again.
The Kui Ox and Myriad Seal Dharma Marten were already locked in fierce battle, neither giving ground.
The Kunwu All-Directions Battle Chariot swayed precariously in the turbulent soul power and spiritual energy. Zhang Tang, Chen Tingyan, and the others had brought out their full vigilance, each revealing their magical artifacts.
But…
There was no Jian Chou!
The biggest “sensation” of this cauldron competition had simply vanished into thin air!
The cauldron rings, Mystic Rings, and Eight Cauldron Screens were a complete systematic set of magical artifacts specially created by the Extreme Domain for the cauldron competition, capable of connecting inside and outside the competition.
This set of artifacts was maintained by countless artifact refinement masters.
For nearly six hundred years, they had never experienced any errors!
Song Emperor King’s eyes gradually turned somewhat cold as he looked at the cave mouth spewing endless white storms, saying in a cold voice: “This female cultivator has far too many strange aspects. If we continue to stand by and watch, I fear endless troubles will follow…”
Lord Qin Guang wore an equally grave expression.
As the host of this cauldron competition, he correspondingly held the “key” connecting all Mystic Rings and cauldron rings of this competition, able to sense the condition of every holder.
But at this moment, he completely couldn’t sense Jian Chou’s existence!
It was as if this person had simply evaporated into thin air!
Hearing Song Emperor King’s words, his face was dark as water, saying nothing.
Beside them, Lord Du Shi Jiang Chang frowned slightly, his gaze ethereal as smoke drifting past Song Emperor King’s cold eyes, yet he spoke quietly.
“Though the eighteen levels of hell fall under our jurisdiction, they involve the Six Paths of Reincarnation.”
“Since the Yin-Yang Realm War ten cycles ago, cultivators from Jiushijiu Zhou do not enter reincarnation, leaving the Human Path of the Six Paths half-incomplete, making reincarnation imperfect.”
“Therefore, though we are Yama Kings, we cannot completely control this realm.”
“If heaven-reaching, earth-penetrating demons arise in this realm, or even a ninth Yama King emerges, it would not be inconceivable.”
“This woman Jian Chou has imperial purple in her Soul Orb. Perhaps one day she will sit alongside us as equals.”
“Why should we interfere with the workings of destiny?”
Her voice had a quality like flowing water.
After hearing this, Song Emperor King only raised his eyes to regard Jiang Chang, his tone sinister: “Lord Du Shi naturally has a benevolent heart, but this woman surely harbors countless mysteries. If something goes wrong…”
The rest of his words dissolved into a tail note darkly containing warning and threat.
The atmosphere in the great hall tensed to the extreme, actually generating a sword-drawn tension.
The other Yama Kings said nothing, only letting their gazes wander between Song Emperor King and Lord Du Shi, occasionally showing thoughtful expressions that finally transformed into meaningful smiles.
The Eight Directions City’s Eight Directions Yama Halls’ Eight Palace Yama Kings had never been united.
The eight Yama Kings each had different origins and backgrounds.
Some were born from heaven and earth, forging themselves from chaos, existing like laws—such as the highly positioned First Palace Yama King, Lord Qin Guang.
Others were different existences born within the Extreme Domain, similar to demons, each with different true forms.
Of course, most were later ghost cultivators who cultivated to high positions. Song Emperor King and Lord Du Shi Jiang Chang were both in this category.
Due to different origins and interests, the Eight Palace Yama Kings were never a unified bloc.
The conflict between Song Emperor King and Lord Du Shi Jiang Chang had always simmered beneath the surface.
Everyone was actually accustomed to it.
On today’s incident, there was no need to pay attention.
Because they all knew the one who truly decided everything hadn’t spoken yet.
Everyone’s gazes wandered for a while before concentrating back on Lord Qin Guang.
Wide ceremonial robes draped his body, endowing him with weighty dignity.
Lord Qin Guang stared at that scene, also staring at the bottom of that sinkhole. In his pupils, a blood-colored radiance suddenly flashed.
This level was the seventh level, the Bull Pit Hell.
If he remembered correctly, this sinkhole was exactly the most terrifying “battlefield” from the Yin-Yang Realm War ten cycles ago, aside from the Yellow Springs where thousands of Yashan cultivators perished…
He wanted to see what secrets this female cultivator truly harbored!
His gaze turned cold, instantly becoming substantial!
Lord Qin Guang’s vision immediately penetrated through layers of barriers, reaching the sinkhole, like a sharp arrow probing toward the wind cave at the sinkhole’s bottom…
Endless white hurricanes, carrying soul-tearing cold and sharpness, blew from the pit bottom.
Lord Qin Guang was not supposed to be affected by these.
However, the moment his gaze touched the wind cave’s entrance, it was as if a spear thrust out from within the cave—sharp and murderous!
“Bang!”
What tremendous striking force was that?
Lord Qin Guang in the Eight Directions City hall was immediately shocked into stepping back, and his probing gaze almost instantly collapsed!
In just this lightning-fast moment, his deep pupils were already filled with blood!
“Lord Qin Guang!”
Everyone in the hall was immediately greatly alarmed!
But Lord Qin Guang slowly covered that blood-stained pupil, suddenly revealing a smile hiding bloodthirstiness. His voice was halting and hoarse, yet concealing countless heart-stopping elements—
“It’s that thing’s remnant soul…”
He slowly lowered his palm. The blood color stabbed by that “spear” had disappeared from his eyes, returning to deep black.
In the sinkhole, everything had completely fallen into chaos.
The little marten and Kui Ox seemed to harbor some deep enmity, fighting fiercely. Stepping on the Myriad Phenomena Battle Disc, treading on thousands of Dao seals, it leaped and bounded within the sinkhole, determined to fight the Kui Ox to the death.
The Kunwu All-Directions Battle Chariot momentarily swayed like a small boat.
But amazingly, it didn’t fall from mid-air…
Zhang Tang, Chen Tingyan, and the others had become extremely familiar with the various rules within the Extreme Domain.
That the Kunwu All-Directions Battle Chariot hadn’t fallen, that even its protective array and crane wings remained open, could only prove one thing—
Jian Chou was safe and sound!
Endless white storms blew upward from the sinkhole’s bottom.
Even if Chen Tingyan had ten thousand curses, they were completely choked back into his stomach.
They wanted to find Jian Chou but had no idea of her whereabouts. Moreover, they could barely take care of themselves—how could they spare the effort?
The entire sinkhole had become a Shura hell in the battle between the two beasts!
But all of this, Jian Chou at this moment could no longer feel.
That snow-white bird claw appearing in the storm carried a magnificent, vast power that left her completely unable to resist, unable even to generate the will to resist!
It was as if the supreme existence of heaven and earth had also become an ant before this claw!
Jian Chou could only be dragged by this bird claw, plunging headfirst into the wind cave at the sinkhole’s bottom.
In that instant, it was like breaking through a jade wall.
Deep in her mind came a “crash,” extremely crisp.
As if exploding from her soul.
Thus, all the clamor she had heard in the sinkhole disappeared, the turbulence of battling soul power and spiritual energy also vanished completely, and all tense emotions seemed to find solace.
That feeling was like an adult becoming a baby again, returning to the embrace of birth.
Tranquil.
Peaceful.
With a sense of belonging.
As if her entire being had transformed into a gentle feather.
Jian Chou felt herself supported by a gentle force, slowly descending until her feet touched solid ground.
“Splash splash…”
In the silence, there seemed to be the sound of flowing water.
Jian Chou slowly opened her eyes.
Before her was complete darkness.
The only light in the entire space was the snow-white bird claw that had grabbed her.
But the moment she landed, this bird claw had already released her, transforming into sand-like white light points that scattered into the surrounding darkness.
Thus, Jian Chou could use this light to see her surroundings.
This was actually a rock cave.
But the surroundings were too dark for her to determine its size. She could only use the scattered light to see deep blue stalactites hanging from the high dome, natural and beautiful like heavenly jade.
The ground beneath her feet was somewhat damp.
From the stalactite tips, drops of water flowed down extremely slowly, gathering in low places to form pools of standing water.
The white light points from the bird claw’s dispersion drifted down accordingly.
Like fireflies in the dark night.
Some continued drifting toward deeper, more distant places, while others fell slowly like dandelion seeds, landing on the ground, on the standing water…
Thus, in this cold, silent darkness, an amazing scene appeared before Jian Chou!
Directly ahead, those descending light points actually slowly gathered, flowing toward the deeper darkness ahead!
Like a flowing galaxy!
“Splash splash…”
The faint water sounds became somewhat clearer at this moment.
Jian Chou was momentarily entranced, almost forgetting she was still in the cauldron competition.
But soon she remembered, and her vigilance expanded to the extreme.
Subconsciously, she first sank her consciousness into the cauldron ring—
Complete blankness!
She couldn’t even see the Star Cloud Scroll!
In that instant, Jian Chou’s heart tensed!
The previous peace and tranquility completely stripped away from her body and heart.
Slightly frowning, Jian Chou raised the Six Meridian Spirit Dividing Mirror in her right hand, emitting a gentle pale golden radiance.
The surrounding environment became somewhat clearer.
Still couldn’t illuminate the boundaries of this space.
But the true appearance of where the “galaxy” gathered was revealed.
The ground was full of uneven rocks.
However, about three zhang from where she stood, there was actually a narrow dark river exposed above the surface. Cold river water flowed along a shallow ravine toward deeper places.
The firefly-like light points scattered into the water.
The “galaxy” Jian Chou had seen was formed by these light points falling and flowing with the current…
The Six Meridian Spirit Dividing Mirror’s radiance could penetrate very little darkness and illuminate too narrow a range.
In this space, it wasn’t even as brilliant as that galaxy.
Jian Chou stood in place without moving a step.
But her gaze followed this dark river, flowing toward deeper, deeper darkness.
Light points formed the galaxy, flowing with the dark river farther and farther, so everything along the way was touched by this bright light, gradually revealing itself.
Jagged rocks…
Uneven ground…
Strangely shaped stalactites…
Flowing far away, seemingly endless.
This thought suddenly appeared in Jian Chou’s mind, but the next moment she discovered something unusual ahead—
The dark river floating with light points had originally flowed in a nearly straight line.
The gathered light points were like a light ray marking its trajectory.
But when flowing to about a hundred zhang away, it suddenly slanted downward, like a straight line suddenly bending.
Jian Chou was immediately startled.
Then, the galaxy flowing downward illuminated the narrow space around it!
That was actually a cave entrance!
Relative to the boundless giant space around them, it was really too narrow, so even the not-very-bright firefly light could illuminate its outline.
Less than three zhang wide and high.
Still with an uneven surface, embedded with countless deep black stones, each stone bearing honeycomb-like holes!
Faintly, streams of fine wind flowed from the cave…
“This is…”
Jian Chou completely widened her eyes, involuntarily holding her breath, yet her heartbeat thundered like drums!
Black Wind Cave!
Such a familiar structure!
This familiar feeling!
She had once gone thirteen hundred feet deep into such a cave, mastering the fourth level of “Human Artifact”—Black Wind Bone Patterns—and comprehending “Riding Wind.”
How could she not be familiar?
Jiushijiu Zhou had Black Wind Caves!
The Extreme Domain also had Black Wind Caves!
Then, where would this cave entrance lead?
Jian Chou’s breathing became somewhat rapid.
The soul power flowing within her body was like a rushing river, crashing against blocking boulders, surging turbulently!
In that moment, she couldn’t control her steps.
Step by step, following this flowing “galaxy,” she walked toward the cave entrance at the end. The closer she got, the clearer she could hear the rushing water sounds from within the cave.
When still in the original space, the water sounds were gentle;
After the terrain changed and slanted downward, the water flow accelerated, and the sound of water striking stone became heavier.
Jian Chou stood at the cave entrance.
The breeze brushing her face carried an aura completely different from the entire Extreme Domain!
What a long-missed aura!
The moment she felt it, Jian Chou’s eyes actually grew warm!
She had already forgotten why she came to this place. Only one enormous voice, accompanied by that drumming heartbeat, clamored in her heart!
Step over!
Step over!
Go out from here—out would be Jiushijiu Zhou, out would be the Central Domain, out would be…
Yashan!
It was an extremely intense longing!
How could Jian Chou resist this call from within her heart?
She followed her heart’s desire and finally took that step—
“Splash.”
One step into the water, splashing up some light.
Starlight swayed in the water waves, illuminating Jian Chou’s tall, slender figure, but her expression became entranced in an instant.
“Whoosh!”
In that moment, a violent wind actually blew up from the unfathomable cave bottom, rushing toward her!
Thus, Jian Chou smelled that familiar aura.
The heavy darkness before her eyes was suddenly dispelled, and clear light actually penetrated from the cave bottom, carrying the atmosphere of mortal life.
That feeling was like returning from the Nine Nether Hells to the bustling red dust!
Endless phantoms, accompanying this rising clear light, swept over!
Jian Chou’s consciousness seemed also lifted by this wind, drawn into the cave’s depths, traveling together through that long, narrow tunnel to the other side of the cave…
She was like when she first comprehended “Riding Wind,” as if embodying herself in the wind.
Thus, she emerged from that dark, cramped deep cave, instantly finding herself under the clear sky.
The sky was bright and clear, with gentle, pleasant breezes.
The vast land of Jiushijiu Zhou spread before her like a long ink painting scroll. Thousands of mountains and waters all overlapped into flickering shadows, carrying misty vapor as they flew past her eyes.
Those were scrolls of paintings, familiar faces one by one!
It was Deng Tiandao, the last of the Immortal Path’s Thirteen Islands.
Young Master Ruhua, covered in embroidered flowers, held a gaudy peony as he flew across the horizon.
It was the West Sea Plaza with its towering Nine Heavens Tablet…
Qian Que waving his golden abacus crashed to the ground with a “bang,” a mercury long sword piercing through his shoulder!
The sword-wielder wore a light purple long dress with a cold smile!
It was Kunwu Elder Gu Pingsheng’s daughter, Gu Qingmei!
It was Baiyue Valley before dawn!
In the dark mountain forest, Xia Houshe in blood-red robes stumbled along the mountain path.
His face was deathly pale, the vertical mark on his brow had already split open, deep red blood dripping down his straight nose. His chest bore two wounds deep enough to see bone, flesh and blood mangled!
At the end of the mountain path in the deep valley, Lu Xiangleng sat quietly in meditation before the medicine hut, her moon-white cloud-embroidered robes spread on the ground, as cold as her features…
It was the Central Domain’s notorious “City of Chaos,” Mingri Xinghai.
The huge basin, wrapped in night’s embrace, had not yet awakened.
In the filthy dark alleys, Zuoliu holding a jade tablet hid behind a broken door panel, sweating profusely, enduring pain as he pulled an ice poison dart from his right arm.
On the desolate long street ahead, not a single pedestrian.
Only a mountain-roaring, sea-boiling clamor came from the distance…
Qu Zhengfeng, who had betrayed Yashan, stood atop the isolated peak of Mingri Xinghai, facing the gaunt gray-robed elder opposite him, drawing his sword!
His gold-threaded black robes billowed in the dawn wind.
In the fierce fluttering, the proud arrogance of a generation’s Sword Emperor!
Jian Chou’s consciousness was entranced to the extreme.
She wanted to stay and see clearly this about-to-begin battle, to see how strong he was now, but the rushing wind swept her away, past Qu Zhengfeng’s swaying gold-threaded robe hem!
All the way west…
It was the Central Domain.
It was Zuo Sanqian!
It was the vast, flowing waters of Nine-Head River!
The morning sun’s radiance fell on the river surface where she and Zhou Chengjiang had fought their magnificent night battle.
Fudao Shanren stepped on a reed, swaying from this bank toward that bank. His greasy, dirty ink-green Daoist robe still couldn’t show its original color.
He took a sip of wine from his gourd, then turned it over and poured!
Thus, from the wine gourd, nectar and jade liquid all poured into this Nine-Head River’s main current…
His face showed no trace of playfulness.
Only that emotionless gaze directed toward Kunwu’s highest point…
Thus, Jian Chou’s consciousness, completely beyond her control, drifted over.
That was the Heavenly Hall, suspended above the layered clouds.
On the broad Cloud Sea Plaza, Hengxu Zhenren’s third disciple Wu Duan wore a grave expression, hurrying forward. He leaped down from the heights, following the mountain path toward the cold, desolate back mountain.
Lining the path were several unopened pear trees.
Forest and trees provided cover, with quiet paths carved into the mountain stone, bearing green moss marks.
Flying waterfalls and springs cascaded from the high cliff, splashing water and flashing silver light.
A simple wooden house was built on the cliff face opposite the waterfall.
Sparse fallen leaves covered the wooden steps before the courtyard, as if long unswept and unvisited. Bronze locks hung on the two door panels but weren’t locked, only pushed ajar.
Through the unclosed door crack, one could vaguely glimpse the interior furnishings.
Several rows of antique shelves held neatly arranged precious ancient books; on the long desk spread with ink, brush, paper, and inkstone, blank rice paper blown by wind had scattered across the floor.
A light blue bamboo curtain hung, separating inside from outside.
On the wall hung a sword with sharkskin sheath.
Behind the bamboo curtain, the vague outline of a seated figure…
Jian Chou suddenly froze.
Inexplicably, a bone-chilling coldness crawled over her limbs, making her consciousness tremble!
Riding that wind penetrating the mountain forest, her awareness quietly entered the house…
Between the bamboo curtain and floor was a one-foot gap.
Through this crack, one could see a piece of plain blue robe spread on the ground. Beside the meditation cushion lay a foot-long black ruler, seeming neither stone nor metal.
A hand like jade bones and bamboo reached out, gently picking up this ruler…
In that instant, all sounds in Jian Chou’s mind exploded!
In her heart, besides surging killing intent, nothing else remained!
She almost instinctively wanted to strike out with the Six Meridian Spirit Dividing Mirror and Four Symbols White Jade Crown in her hands, but at this moment, a tearing pain suddenly appeared in her soul!
“Crash!”
All wandering, soaring consciousness condensed into a ball in this instant!
All overlapping true and false phantoms shattered like mirror glass at this moment!
Before Jian Chou’s eyes, where was Jiushijiu Zhou? Where were Kunwu and Yashan? Only that dark, deep cave leading to unknown destinations!
Everything was just the instant of stepping down!
“Boom!”
An extremely terrifying repulsive force surged from where she stepped!
How could Jian Chou resist?
Her entire being, like a clay puppet, was instantly sent flying, crashing into the ravine with the flowing dark river behind her with a “bang”!
“Splash!”
Water sounds rippled, the galaxy shattered!
Deep white blood instantly spurted from various parts of her body, staining half the dark river!