After accompanying Fang Xing for three days, Ying Qiaoqiao ended up returning to the Grand Melody Court. She’d reached an important point in her own cultivation, after all, and there were still many things she needed to learn. Fang Xing also realized this little girl had received a huge opportunity; even putting aside the Dragon-String Guzheng, the purity of her Qi had also reached a rather astonishing state, perhaps not too much worse than Fang Xing’s during his time in Spirit Stage. It was clear that after the events in the Snowy Mountain, the quality of all the young elites in Chufung had been raised. Using the very unique Eminent Yin Jade mine and the skills passed on from the five Golden Cores, they’d created a group of genuine elites within Chufung.

　　‘Seems I’ll need to finish mastering this skill as soon as possible, too, or else I won’t be able to do business anymore!’ Fang Xing laughed out loud to himself and continued working on this Yin-Yang Sanding Disc. The spirit of malice had already been captured and the Dao had been understood; all that remained now was cultivating.

　　—

　　Time passed and stars shifted. All of Chufung—or, perhaps, all of the entire South Jambu, or even each of the four continents—had started to move.

　　Some time four months later, disordered stars appeared in the sky, disturbing the constellations that hadn’t changed for hundreds of years and triggering chaos all over the four continents. A countless number of cultivators who’d studied the constellations and those old cultivation monsters who hadn’t been seen for so long all stared intently at the sky to seek out the reason.

　　The second change, however, was obvious to everyone.

　　Less than three days after the constellations were disturbed, flashes of lightning suddenly appeared over the skies of Chufung. In the perpetually cold Snowy Mountain, to have thunder and lightning rolling through the clouds was a very bizarre occurrence, and there were even rumors amongst the disciples that some powerful masters were fighting within the clouds to determine the direction of something particularly important. Whatever the outcome might be, however, they didn’t know—not even someone in the Foundation Stage could tell.

　　A short while after these two prominent changes, the third finally arrived.

　　Millions of miles away within the sea of stars, nine mysterious coffins stood within the constellations and quietly pointed at nine different locations within the land of Tianyuan ¹ , as though anchoring the heavens and earth. Each of these indescribably broad coffins were poised like nine sharp swords towards the land of Tianyuan, all pointing towards Tianyuan’s lifelines while remaining unchanging in the air, not even reflecting much light.

　　One of the nine coffins had already opened halfway, and although seven remained tightly shut, the last one had been creaked open a tiny sliver, as though something inside had managed to sneak its way out.

　　It seemed as though the stars were being moved by an unknown power pushing them into a constellation never seen before. The entire process had been in progress for forty-nine days prior, yet it still hadn’t finished.

　　When the last star arrived in its position, an unspeakable power covered an enormous section of land. As though being tugged by this power, one of the nine coffins began to lightly shake and open up. The lid managed to draw half open after a long while later, allowing black rays of light to shoot out from within like a meteor shower. As though alive, these black rays of light all fell towards specific locations along the land of Tianyuan.

　　—

　　“It’s here!”

　　Atop the western oceans of the South Jambu continent stood a floating palace, with a powerful purple-robed cultivator sitting on his throne within it. In front of him was a large, lifelike map of the continent, with the highs and lows of its landscape clearly shown. The map unceasingly changed, and if it were to be magnified without end, it would even be possible to see the ordinary men and beasts peacefully living out their days.

　　A shadow suddenly appeared on a particular location of this map and the area beneath it slowly vanished from view.

　　“The changes in heaven’s fate have even managed to obstruct the Square Diagram of Jambu. The ancient coffin must have descended to this location!” The purple-robed cultivator pointed towards the shadow before ordering, “Give the orders!”

　　Inside the palace, a large number of message talismans containing some manner of orders flew out in multiple directions towards various forces.

　　—

　　“It’s here!”

　　Inside the Spirit Mountain Temple engulfed with thick white clouds, a grey-robed monk sat in the middle of one of its Buddhist temples. In front of him was a kasaya vest, and embroidered on top of it were the names of all mountains, rivers, and landscapes within South Jambu, with each name releasing a white spiritual shine that rose up to connect with the monk’s forehead. By using this vest, the grey-robed monk was able to use his spirit sense to look over and obtain information about any changes in South Jambu.

　　At this moment, a location was somehow cut off from the monk’s connection and separated from his senses. The grey-robed monk opened his eyes and released a low sigh before flying from the temple and over to the peak of Spirit Mountain Temple. A giant ceremonial bell was raised here, and the grey-robed monk raised both his arms to push the wooden beam against its side a total of nine times.

　　The bell rang low and deep, its sound traveling far in all directions to reach nearly all corners of South Jambu. The sound from this bell couldn’t be heard by ordinary folk and was audible only to Golden Core Stage cultivators and above, and everyone who heard it left their seclusions. The important event had finally arrived, causing all of South Jambu to explode into activity; even those who’d come from East Videha, North Kuru, and West Godaniya were disrupted.

　　Within a deserted forest west of Chufung that formed a triangle with the Bohai Kingdom and Azure Seas, a ruin could be found. The location was filled with red earth and deserted mountain ranges, but none of the mountains were particularly tall. In fact, it looked as though the mountains were damaged—as though they’d been hacked away with swords or axes. This place was rumored to be where the final battle had taken place during Jambu’s beast extermination, and so it was known as the Beast Exhaustion Ranges.

　　It was rumored that its earth was stained red from the collective blood of the humans and beasts who’d fallen here. It was a place where malicious spirits were abundant and a famous land of exhaustion in its own right; let alone humans or animals, not even a single plant could be seen. Aside from certain zombies and evil spirits, there was nothing else alive.

　　This place had been lifeless for so long, yet a huge change was welcomed on this day. The skies above shined with a mysterious light, and a bizarre meteor shower of unmatched power suddenly covered the entirety of this place….

　　In mere moments, the Beast Exhaustion Ranges underwent drastic changes. Spirit plants and herbs began to grow, poisonous gas and insects came about, blessed cavern paradises appeared, and the valleys were filled with extreme danger as well….

　　…

　　…

　　“It has arrived!”

　　The old man Hu Qin was the first one within the Snowy Mountain’s depths to hear the bell from Spirit Mountain Temple, and he flew out of the grand hall with a long sigh. At nearly the exact same moment, four other golden lights rose up from four of the five courts, belonging to the old bastard Wanluo, Chu Taishang, Zhang Daoyi, and Mu Longyin. These four golden cores arrived quickly, and the nervousness and excitement could be easily seen as they looked to each other.

　　“Disciples of the Snowy Mountain, come and assemble at the main hall immediately!” Chu Taishang yelled, his voice imposing and awe-inspiring. He used divine talismans to send out messages and notify all disciples of the five courts.

　　A countless number of people arrived at an amazing speed from all directions of the Snowy Mountain. They landed in front of the main hall, their expressions all filled with excitement.

　　“Has the grand opportunity arrived?”

　　“All five grand elders are here; it must be an important matter!”

　　“The opportunity of a lifetime! I’ve waited so long for this day, the day I’ll reach the heavens with a single leap!”

　　The disciples were all so excited they couldn’t control the boiling of their blood.

　　Before long, all the disciples of the Wanluo Court, Grand Melody Court, Royal Sanctuary Court, Demon God Valley, and Sword Cleansing Court were gathered here, along with five giant spirit vessels. The head disciples and their eight young elites were also lined up in front of the grand hall, with the leading disciples including Prince Chu Huang, Xiao Xue, Ye Gu’yin, Hou Guimen, and Leng Ziyan.

　　“The heaven’s coffins have dropped mysterious spells! An opportunity not of this realm is right here!” A yellow-robed Chu Taishang moved began to yell while moving forward and scattering about tens of jade talismans. “Listen up, all disciples of Chufung. The grand opportunity we spoke of before has arrived! This is an opportunity that arrives once in a million lifetimes, and if you are able to gain a portion for yourself, reaching the heavens with a single leap will be possible for you. Your future potential will not only surpass us, it might even surpass any previous ancestors within Chufung’s past as well. With a single thought, you could become your clan’s pride and superpower. Whether or not you will have a share, however, is up to your own individual abilities.

　　“This jade talisman has recorded all the causes and effects of this event. You can read through it on your way there, but remember this: this opportunity can pass very easily, and even the smallest amount is worth fighting over. There is no need for me to say any further, let us prepare to depart!”

　　“Yes, Grand Elder!”

　　As each young elite received a jade talisman, their eyes twinkled with excitement.

　　Chu Taishang turned towards the other Golden Cores. “It’s best we don’t delay. It’s time to depart with the youths!”

　　The old man Hu Qin nodded. “The guardians of this journey are waiting outside the Snowy Mountain.”

　　Zhang Daoyi smiled. “We’ve taught all there is to teach and said all there is to say. The rest is up to their own abilities and luck.”

　　Mu Longyin laughed. “To live or to die, to succeed or to fail, all of it is a gamble. What more needs to be said?”

　　These men were all filled with smiles and seemed to be rather relaxed, yet the old Wanluo looked towards somewhere far away with a concerned gaze.

　　In the end, the silhouette he’d expected to see didn’t show. He’d originally wanted to use a spell to ask about the progress, yet he hesitated and finally let out a long sigh from the bottom of his heart. ‘Even I in my youth would have needed at least a year to master this skill. This boy has studied it for less than four months, and two of them were spent sweeping at the Wanluo Court; how could he have mastered it by now? With that kid’s temperament, if I were to ask him, he would surely cry to come along regardless of whether he’s mastered it or not.

　　‘If he hasn’t mastered the skill and gathered enough strength, though, going will only be seeking death. For him to form the golden foundation wasn’t an easy task. He has unlimited potential, and it must have come from great cost and careful nurturing from that fellow Daoist hidden within the Qing-Yun Sect. Why would I ruin all of that?’

　　After such thoughts, the old Wanluo flourished his sleeves and commanded, “Let’s go!”

　　Five giant spirit vessels rose up in the air and flew towards the southwest at a great speed. In mere moments, the Snowy Mountain returned to its usual tranquility.

　　“Within a village lived the widow Xiao Hua, her face was pretty and her chest aplenty. By the toll of… sh*t, where is everyone?” Six hours later, Fang Xing arrived at the Wanluo Court from atop a black cloud while singing a tune. Just as he was about to call out to the old bastard Wanluo to say “What you thought would require at least a year to master was mastered in less than four months by your little grandpa here”, he saw the empty Wanluo Court and rubbed at his eyes with dumbfounded shock.