Cloud Heaven Sect

"Boom—!"

Amid an earth-shaking explosion, the massive palm of vital energy collided with the dense fog, and the violent shockwave forcibly tore a gap through the wall of mist before them.

Before anyone could cheer, a sudden change erupted—

The dispersed fog abruptly churned violently. Like a primordial beast enraged, it instantly condensed into a tangible tidal wave and came rolling down upon them.

"Retreat! Retreat now!"

Feng Wuyai shouted sharply as he shot backward.

The sect masters and elders of the various major sects all paled at the sight. They unleashed their movement techniques and fled in panic at top speed.

"Ah... save..."

An elder from a third-rate sect, clad in gray robes, was half a step too slow. A tendril at the edge of the fog wave wrapped around his ankle and violently dragged him into the mist. His cry for help stopped abruptly.

"This fog... is alive?"

Liu Xinghe cried out in disbelief.

After advancing another hundred feet, the fog wave suddenly seemed to strike an invisible barrier. It roiled violently for a moment, then began to recede.

The retreating mist left behind viscous black liquid on the ground, corroding it into one black pit after another.

"I don't know. Nothing like this has ever happened before."

Zhang Zhidong's brows were tightly furrowed. The changes in the dense fog had far exceeded the bounds of his understanding.

"It seems we can only wait again. Let's hope those youngsters don't come to harm."

Feng Wuyai let out a helpless sigh.

Half an hour later.

Wei Qing and the others emerged from the misty passageway, all of them stunned by the desolate scene before their eyes.

This was actually a land of ruins that had endured a brutal war.

Countless broken weapons lay embedded at angles in the cracked, scorched earth.

Bronze swords were overgrown with moss, while half of a Mysterious Iron spear shaft was buried in the soil.

Several tattered flags fluttered fiercely in the mournful wind. A single character, "Cloud," could vaguely be seen upon them.

Even more horrifying were the gigantic skeletons scattered everywhere. Some stood more than a hundred feet tall, and the savage horns on their skulls still gleamed with a chilling light despite the passage of time.

"What kind of earth-shattering battle took place here?" Jun Wushang's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice dry.

Qin Shuang frowned tightly. "Why is there no record whatsoever of such a devastating battle in the historical records of Jizhou?"

"It is said that the Black Mist Wasteland appeared during the early days of the demons' descent. The records may have been lost during that great war." Tantai Yue sighed softly, her tone carrying a trace of speculation.

Nangong Ruyan, Liu Yulong, and the others nodded slightly in agreement.

"What do we do next?"

Song Yuanming voiced the doubt in everyone's hearts.

They looked at one another.

In the end, their gazes fell upon Wei Qing.

They waited for his decision.

Wei Qing crouched before a peculiar skeleton.

It was a human skeleton, with three longswords of different designs embedded in its chest.

The skeleton had died kneeling, clutching a demon's skull in a death grip, its finger bones sunk deep into the creature's eye sockets.

"Since we're already here, why not go in and take a look?"

Wei Qing rose to his feet. With no clue what to do now, he could only order them to continue onward in search of clues that might lead them out.

The others followed suit, closely trailing Wei Qing as they set foot on the path ahead.

After they passed around the remains of a colossal creature, a broken stone stele came into view.

The stele stood nearly thirty feet tall, its surface covered in cracks.

When they drew closer, they finally made out the inscription: In the third year of the Heavenly Origin New Calendar, the Cloud Heaven Sect sent its entire sect to their deaths, sealing the Heavenly Demon here.

Beneath the inscription were densely carved names. At the very top stood: "Sixth-generation Sect Master of the Cloud Heaven Sect, Yun Tianheng."

Cloud Heaven Sect!

At the sight of those three words, everyone's hearts jolted violently, and they all sucked in a sharp breath.

The Cloud Heaven Sect had been the strongest sect among the hundred sects of the Eastern Region before the demons descended!

When the Human-Demon War came to an end two hundred years ago, the Cloud Heaven Sect vanished from the river of history in the Heavenly Origin Realm.

"I never expected this place to be the site of the Cloud Heaven Sect's final battle all those years ago." Tantai Yue sighed softly.

"Yes. If the Cloud Heaven Sect had not acted back then, the Eastern Region might have completely become a paradise for demons." Qin Shuang's voice brimmed with deep respect for that chapter of history.

Even after two hundred years had passed.

The deeds of the Cloud Heaven Sect were still passed down within certain sects.

The Four Nations of the Eastern Region had even incorporated the Cloud Heaven Sect's deeds into the martial arts textbooks of their respective nations.

Yet during that final battle long ago.

Following an earth-shattering explosion, Silver Moon—one of the Six Great Heavenly Demons—and the demons under its command had vanished together with the Cloud Heaven Sect.

Afterward, human experts repeatedly set out, yet still failed to find any trace of either side.

Left with no alternative, they could only abandon the search.

Yet who would have thought that the final battlefield would appear within Great Zhou, near an inconspicuous little county town?

At the end of the inscription was one final line in small characters.

"Descendants of future generations: unless your cultivation has reached the Martial King realm, do not open the Heavenly Demon Seal!"

Boom...

Everyone froze, nearly forgetting that this place still imprisoned a terrifying Heavenly Demon.

Grandmasters, even experts of the Innate realm, were as weak as infants before it.

At that thought, an inexplicable chill rose along everyone's backs.

"Th-this... what are we supposed to do? The Heavenly Demon King—forget us, even if the sect master came, he would meet his end here." Zhao Gao of the Blood Robe Gate trembled, his face full of terror and helplessness.

Negative emotions could spread.

As Zhao Gao's trembling words fell, it was as though a massive boulder had been cast into a tranquil lake.

At once, more than a dozen disciples' expressions changed dramatically, fear swiftly spreading across their faces.

"Senior Yun's message made it very clear: the Heavenly Demon is still sealed. What are you afraid of?" Jun Wushang glared displeasedly at the fellow ruining the atmosphere.

For some reason, from the moment they had met at the passageway, he had felt an instinctive aversion toward the Blood Robe Gate disciples.

"My junior brother is simply somewhat timid. I apologize to everyone on his behalf."

With that, Qin Yang lightly cupped his hands, his manner carrying a measure of sincerity and apology.

Seeing this, Zhang Xue gently tugged at Jun Wushang's sleeve and softly soothed him. "All right, Wushang. We're all companions."

"Hmph."

Jun Wushang snorted coldly and stopped looking at Zhao Gao.

Zhang Xue nodded lightly in apology.

Qin Yang waved his hand magnanimously, seeming not to take it to heart.

Yet after Zhang Xue turned away, he stared at the pair's retreating backs, and a flash of gloom and amusement silently passed through the depths of his eyes.

To show their respect for the Cloud Heaven Sect.

Everyone stepped forward in turn and bowed deeply before the stone stele.

Just as the last person straightened up, a faint tremor suddenly ran through the ground beneath their feet.

Everyone's expressions changed sharply. They immediately unleashed their movement techniques and retreated at high speed.

Just as everyone fell back.

A crisp crack sounded from the sky. Then, the space behind the stone stele shattered like broken glazed glass.

One ruined palace after another manifested from within that space.