Just as Gu Han was planning for the future at the Jade Pool Immortal Palace.
In the Central Region, the storm triggered by the "Starfall Valley" incident was rapidly escalating.
On the fourth day since the disappearance of the Lingxu Grotto-Heaven, the news had already reached the Tianji Pavilion.
Tianji Pavilion, atop the Star Observatory.
An old man wearing purple-gold Daoist robes with white hair and a white beard sat quietly on a meditation cushion.
In front of him, there was no astrolabe, no divination sticks, only a floating sphere that looked like crystal.
Inside the sphere, stars flickered in and out of existence, and the trajectories of the Dao were faintly visible.
He was one of the three great Immortal Ascension experts in the Central Region, known for deducing heavenly secrets and discerning destiny — Old Man Tian Ji.
"Old Ancestor."
A refined and elegant middle-aged Cultivator stood respectfully below the platform; he was the current Pavilion Master of the Tianji Pavilion, Yu Chenzi.
"Over at Starfall Valley, a Secret Realm called the Lingxu Grotto-Heaven suddenly disappeared a few days ago. It seems as if someone 'erased' it from that place."
"The scene left no traces of space tearing or rule collapse, as if it had never existed."
Hearing his words, Old Man Tian Ji slowly opened his eyes and cast his gaze toward the direction of Starfall Valley.
Starlight flickered in his eyes, as if he could pierce through the endless Void Realm to see the true situation at Starfall Valley.
After a moment, Old Man Tian Ji frowned deeply.
"It was not erased; it was 'moved away' by someone."
"Moved away?"
Upon hearing this, Yu Chenzi was shocked. He quickly lowered his voice and spoke cautiously:
"Then... Old Ancestor, can you tell whose handiwork this is? Could it be the Dragon Emperor? Or Saint Lord Yaoguang?"
"Neither."
Old Man Tian Ji said calmly.
Hearing this, Yu Chenzi trembled.
"Then what does Old Ancestor mean..."
"There are two possibilities."
Old Man Tian Ji cast his gaze toward a star in the crystal ball that had suddenly brightened.
"First, an Immortal Ascension expert from one of the other four regions has taken action. Second..."
He paused, a rare trace of solemnity flashing in his eyes:
"That Secret Realm itself was placed there by someone, and now it has simply been reclaimed by its owner."
Yu Chenzi gasped.
The Lingxu Grotto-Heaven had existed in the Central Region for nearly ten thousand years and had always been an openly ownerless Secret Realm. How did it suddenly become an "owned object"?
"Then Old Ancestor, can you deduce who did this?"
Yu Chenzi asked.
Old Man Tian Ji remained silent for a long time, then slowly shook his head.
"The heavenly secrets are in Chaos, shrouded in heavy fog."
He looked toward the south. For the first time, confusion appeared in those eyes that had seen through the ways of the world.
"A 'variable' has appeared, disrupting the established trajectory of fate."
"A variable?"
Yu Chenzi was somewhat puzzled.
"A year ago, a new Immortal Ascension expert was born in the Southern Region, and then they vanished without a trace!"
Old Man Tian Ji said indifferently,
"At that time, I also attempted to deduce the origin and background of that person, but I only saw a blank slate."
"Now, it seems to have appeared."
"Southern Region? A new Immortal Ascension expert?"
Yu Chenzi realized suddenly,
"Is the Old Ancestor referring to that 'Yaochi Empress' who has been the talk of the Southern Region recently?"
"Yaochi Empress..."
Old Man Tian Ji repeated this title in a low voice and chuckled softly,
"Interesting. If those two girls, Qing Xuan and Ling Shuang, find out, they will probably be unhappy."
Yu Chenzi dared not respond.
As an Immortal Ascension expert who had lived for over eighty thousand years on the Canglan Continent, his Old Ancestor could indeed address them that way.
Who in the entire Canglan Continent did not know the prestige of those two Empresses?
They were notoriously overbearing and strong-willed, and they cared extremely deeply about the title of "Empress."
Now, someone in the Southern Region actually dared to claim the title of Empress, and it was a woman...
"Old Ancestor, do we need to do anything?"
Yu Chenzi asked for instructions.
Old Man Tian Ji pondered for a moment and said slowly:
"Since she has already appeared, send someone to the Southern Region to deliver a congratulatory gift in the name of congratulating the 'Yaochi Empress'."
"There is no need to investigate the matter of the Secret Realm further. There are so many Secret Realms in our Central Region; it doesn't matter if there are one or two fewer."
"Yes."
Yu Chenzi accepted the order and asked again,
"What about the Dragon Emperor and Saint Lord Yaoguang..."
"They have their own plans."
Old Man Tian Ji closed his eyes again,
"If anyone visits recently, tell them that I am going into seclusion for a period of time."
Yu Chenzi felt a chill in his heart and retreated respectfully.
The Star Observatory returned to silence.
Old Man Tian Ji sat alone in front of the light sphere, his fingers tracing over it unconsciously.
The star trajectories in the light screen constantly changed and reorganized with his movements, eventually condensing into a blurry scene —
A woman whose face could not be clearly seen stood on the clouds, with a bright moon and a scorching sun hanging in the sky behind her simultaneously, reflecting each other's brilliance.
"The sun and moon in the same sky..."
Old Man Tian Ji muttered in a low voice.
Meanwhile, in the Western Region, at the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple.
In the solemn Great Buddha Hall, the Buddha Lord Impossibility sat upright on a Lotus Platform, his body bathed in Buddha light, with the sound of Sanskrit chanting lingering.
A Senior monk below the hall reported respectfully:
"Buddha Lord, the Buddha Son has sent news from the Southern Region. That Immortal Ascension expert in the Southern Region has appeared."
"And she has also suppressed the remnant soul of Venerable Tian Qiong..."
Impossibility heard this and slowly opened his eyes,
"Southern Region... Immortal Ascension expert!"
"Exactly. Now all the Cultivators in the Southern Region honor her as the 'Yaochi Empress'."
"Empress..."
Impossibility shook his head slightly,
"Do those two in the Eastern and Northern Regions have any reaction?"
"No movement yet."
"Mm."
Impossibility nodded,
"Pass down the order: Disciples of the Buddha Sect are not to set foot in the Southern Region for the time being."
"Yes."
The Senior monk accepted the order and hesitated,
"Buddha Lord, Venerable Tian Qiong is, after all, a Senior from sixty thousand years ago. Should we..."
"Back then, Tian Qiong failed his Undergoing Tribulation, his obsession turned into a demon, and he slaughtered the common people. Fortunately, he was suppressed by the Dragon Emperor."
Impossibility said calmly,
"Now that this benefactor has taken action to suppress him again, it can be considered as preventing him from wreaking havoc on the world once more. This is an act of Karma."
The Senior monk realized, bowed again, and retreated.
Only Impossibility remained in the hall.
He looked toward the east, then toward the south. Buddha light swirled in his eyes, as if he had seen something.
After deep thought, Impossibility slowly shook his head and closed his eyes again.
"Amitabha, let everything take its natural course."
Northern Region, Extreme Cold Ice Plains.
Empress Ling Shuang, dressed in an ice-blue palace gown, stood at the Peak of a ten-thousand-foot ice cliff, overlooking the endless snow plains below.
Her face was stunningly beautiful, and her temperament was as cold as ice, even more biting than the cold winds of this extreme northern land.
"Her Majesty the Empress."
A Female General wearing armor knelt on one knee and reported respectfully:
"That Immortal Ascension expert in the Southern Region has appeared..."
"Also, our scouts remaining in the Southern Region report that Luo Shui, the head Disciple of Empress Qing Xuan, has also appeared in the Southern Region."
"Appeared?"
Empress Ling Shuang curled her lips slightly, revealing a cold, mocking smile,
"That woman Qing Xuan even sent Luo Shui to the Southern Region?"
She turned around, cold light flashing in her eyes:
"What is that Immortal Ascension expert in the Southern Region called?"
"Replying to Her Majesty, her name is Gu Han. Southern Region Cultivators all call her the Yaochi Empress."
"Yaochi Empress..."
Empress Ling Shuang snorted coldly.
The Female General dared not respond.
The discord between Empress Ling Shuang and Empress Qing Xuan was an open secret across the entire Canglan Continent.
The two Empresses, one in the east and one in the north, were both Peak powerhouses ruling over a region. They had fought each other for tens of thousands of years, neither willing to submit to the other.
Now that another Empress had appeared in the Southern Region, it was only natural for Empress Ling Shuang to be displeased.
"Prepare a 'gift'."
Empress Ling Shuang said suddenly,
"I want to see how much ability this Gu Han has."
The Female General felt a chill in her heart: "Does Her Majesty mean..."
"Go to the Southern Region!"
Empress Ling Shuang's tone was cold,
"I want to go and meet this 'Yaochi Empress' in person."
"But Your Majesty, if you go yourself, is it too..."
The Female General hesitated.
"It is fine."
Empress Ling Shuang waved her hand,
"Hasn't that woman Qing Xuan already sent someone to the Southern Region?"
"Then I will go personally to see if this Gu Han is truly worth my attention."
She paused, a hint of amusement flashing in her eyes:
"Besides, I am also very curious about what attitude that woman Qing Xuan has toward this Yaochi Empress."
The Female General dared not advise further and accepted the order to retreat.
At the Peak of the ice cliff, Empress Ling Shuang stood alone in the cold wind, her gaze looking far away toward the south.
"Yaochi Empress..."
She muttered to herself, a trace of Battle Intent flashing in her ice-blue eyes,
"Do not disappoint me."
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