The Dance of Years

"My goodness, you're finally back!"

Space fluctuated slightly above Misty Cloud Mountain, and a spatial rift appeared. It was Ye Qianqian and the other two.

The fear-stricken look on Ye Qianqian's little face remained one of utter shock.

She had caused a huge disaster this time. The moment that old hag appeared, the entire Holy Lion City would probably become a living hell.

"Lady Kaguya, where is our ancestor?" Yun Shan and the others hurriedly asked when they saw her return.

"Am I not right beside you?" Ye Qianqian rolled her eyes. Were these people blind?

Yun Shan and the others froze for a moment, only to see an eleven-year-old girl appear before them. They were instantly dumbfounded. "Ancestor, how did you... grow up?"

Ye Qianqian clasped her hands behind her back and puffed out her slightly protruding little chest. "What's so surprising about that? The cultivation technique I practice is called the Six Directions and Eight Desolations, Only I Am Supreme Technique. There was an error in the technique when I first cultivated it, so I never grew up. Now that I'm cultivating it anew, my body has naturally grown as well."

"Ding."

Congratulations, Host, on obtaining 10,000 Shock Points from Yun Shan.

Congratulations, Host, on obtaining 10,000 Shock Points from Xiao Yi Xian.

Congratulations, Host, on obtaining 10,000 Shock Points from the Mu Lan Three Elders.

...

Everyone was deeply shaken. So it had been caused by the cultivation technique their ancestor practiced!

Ye Qianqian said, "All right, Yun Shan, hurry and call over all the sect's elders. I have something to order."

"Yes, disciple will handle it immediately."

Ye Qianqian was now extremely eager to raise the strength of the Misty Cloud Sect to its peak. On one hand, she intended to prepare for the experts from the Ancient Families who might attack. On the other, that old hag called Leng Bingyan had frightened her badly, and she needed to strengthen herself as quickly as possible.

Before long, Yun Yun, Xie Shan, Medusa, and the others had all gathered in the main hall.

Ye Qianqian recounted everything that had happened during her trip to the Lion Underworld Sect, leaving everyone utterly shocked.

"Ancestor, the Northwestern Continent has undergone sudden changes and is in turmoil. What should we do next?" Yun Yun asked.

After hearing Ye Qianqian's words, Yun Yun immediately became concerned. The moment that extraterrestrial demon appeared, a large number of Ancient Families would certainly begin paying attention to the Northwest.

Wouldn't the Misty Cloud Sect's rapid development also attract the attention of those Ancient Families?

"There's no need to fear. We must continue expanding our strength and strive to bring the entire Northwestern Continent under our territory as soon as possible," Ye Qianqian said.

The more chaotic the world became, the better. The Misty Cloud Sect could take advantage of the situation to rise, gathering all the forces amid the turmoil and forging a new power.

"But..." Xie Shan hesitated before sighing. "But our strength isn't enough. Will the other forces of the Northwestern Continent be willing to submit to the Misty Cloud Sect?"

The Misty Cloud Sect currently had only six Dou Venerates. Even counting Wang Ba from the Soul Hall, there were at most seven. Such strength was unparalleled, but before the power of the Ancient Families, it was completely insignificant.

The rulers of those Ancient Families certainly wouldn't want to see the Misty Cloud Sect grow stronger, would they?

Ye Qianqian took ten Divine Venerate Beads from her chest and said, "You don't need to worry about Dou Saint enemies. You only need to deal with Dou Venerate experts. Now, I'll make all of you Venerates."

She distributed all the Divine Venerate Beads among the people. Yun Yun, Medusa, Xiao Yi Xian, Yan Luotian, Xie Shan, Xie Biyan, the Mu Lan Three Elders, and the young sect master, Na Lan Yan Ran, each received one.

"These are called Divine Venerate Beads. After absorbing and refining them, your battle qi cultivation will rapidly increase, and you will ultimately advance to the Dou Venerate realm. However, after advancing, your realms will be unable to stabilize for a time. You'll need to practice extensively before you can completely control this power."

"What?"

Ye Qianqian's words left everyone wide-eyed and slack-jawed. Their hands trembled as they held the Divine Venerate Beads. These things could actually let them advance to the Dou Venerate realm.

Yun Yun held the Divine Venerate Bead, feeling as though she were dreaming. She was only a three-star Dou Emperor. She had no idea how many years it would take to advance to Dou Zong, yet this bead could actually let her leap straight into the Dou Venerate realm. It was simply inconceivable.

Na Lan Yan Ran trembled even more violently. Was this a joke? She was only a Great Dou Shi, and now she was going to become a Dou Venerate?

"Master, I want one too."

"Ancestor, I... want one too."

Ye Qianqian turned around and saw that it was the two little girls, Mo Youyou and Qing Lin.

Seeing the two little girls pout and reveal envious looks, Ye Qianqian coaxed them, "Your control over battle qi is still insufficient. Even if you advanced to the Dou Venerate realm, you wouldn't be able to adapt completely in such a short time. Cultivators must advance step by step; there can't be any shortcuts. Anyone who takes shortcuts is simply lazy by nature and will be laughed at. Besides, you can freely use the sect's cultivation resources!"

Yun Yun and the others: "..."

All right, now they had become lazy bums.

Having said all that, Ye Qianqian gave everyone one month to advance to the Dou Venerate realm as quickly as possible and strengthen the Misty Cloud Sect.

She also gave Yun Shan and She Qingqing an order, telling them to pressure all the large and small forces of the Northwest through forceful means. Whether by promising benefits or intimidating them with strength, they had to bring all those forces under the Misty Cloud Sect's control as quickly as possible.

"Clang, clang, clink..."

Within Holy Lion City, zither music filled the air. Large amounts of lifespan and souls were extracted by the Years Zither, forming a vast power of years that all converged into the body of the ugly old woman, Leng Bingyan.

Leng Bingyan's body constantly changed.

The few remaining white hairs on her head all vanished, replaced by thick, black hair that flowed down to her waist.

Her dry, wrinkled, aged skin also became fair, delicate, and smooth enough to break at a touch.

With a radiant smile, bright eyes, and pearly teeth, she was breathtakingly beautiful.

Dressed elegantly and standing tall and graceful, she possessed peerless charm.

Her bewitching face could captivate all living beings, while her enchanting figure was a hundred times more perfect than Medusa's, stirring a trace of wicked desire in anyone who saw her.

How could she still be an ugly old woman? She was simply an incomparably beautiful woman of peerless elegance.

After exhausting the lives of everyone in the city, Leng Bingyan finally restored all the vitality her physical body had lost.

"Ah, I'm still a step too late!"

In the distant sky, an old man tore open space and took in the tragic sight of the entire Holy Lion City.

The entire Holy Lion City was now empty, like a dead city. The bodies of all the humans and animals had been eroded by the power of years until they vanished completely.

Since ancient times, beautiful women had been branded with the title of calamities who brought ruin to nations. It seemed that this enchanting woman before him was no exception. She had directly destroyed a great city of more than a hundred thousand people.

"Oh? A Half-Saint expert!"

Leng Bingyan covered her lips with one hand and let out a charming giggle. Her alluring appearance was like deadly poison, making people wish to pull her into their arms and lavish affection upon her.

The old man's mind wavered, and he was stunned by her beauty, but his will was extremely strong, and he instantly regained consciousness.

"This old man is Shi Qingxuan, the Shi Clan's administrator in the Northwest. Just what are you, demoness? How dare you harm innocent lives!"

Shi Qingxuan was furious. Hundreds of thousands of people had been slaughtered by this demoness just like that. It was utterly intolerable.

Leng Bingyan giggled, her laughter making her body tremble charmingly. "Demoness? You're mistaken. I'm a witch!"

"Whether you're a demoness or a witch, I'll make you vanish into ashes today!" Shi Qingxuan shouted angrily and reached toward Leng Bingyan from afar with one hand.

How terrifying was a Half-Saint expert? A giant hand that blotted out the sky instantly appeared above the Nine Heavens, carrying tremendous pressure as it ruthlessly closed around the enchanting woman.

Leng Bingyan's figure dodged slightly like a fluttering butterfly, avoiding the attack. Her cultivation had yet to return and remained at the Nine-Revolutions Dou Venerate realm, so it was unwise to clash head-on. She smiled coldly and said, "Little brother, would you like to listen to some zither music? Shall I play you a song?"

Her jade finger lightly plucked the zither strings. Countless sound waves radiating the power of years surged forth, as if an unimaginable number of years had passed in the world.

Shi Qingxuan's heart jolted. He immediately unleashed his strongest punch. "Heaven Shaking Stone Fist, break for me! Break! Break!"

In an instant, that single punch became ten thousand punches. One punch destroyed heaven and earth, one punch slaughtered ten thousand people, one punch shook the universe, and one punch shattered myriad laws. Like a dense swarm of meteors, the punches collided with the zither music.

The two fought fiercely, darkening the sun and moon. Various energies collided and exploded throughout Holy Lion City, shaking the prosperous city into ruins.

Just then, the space behind Leng Bingyan warped. A heaven-shaking palm radiating immense spiritual might struck her directly in the back, making her spit out a mouthful of blood.

"Attacking from behind? The humans of your plane have always been despicable." Leng Bingyan's face was pale and weak.

If she hadn't been ambushed back then, she certainly wouldn't have been suppressed here for several thousand years. She hadn't expected to be ambushed again today.

The owner of the palm behind her snorted coldly and emerged from the depths of space. It was the Half-Saint from the Spirit Clan.

"Hmph. What does using some despicable methods against an extraterrestrial demon like you matter?" The old Half-Saint from the Spirit Clan didn't feel the slightest guilt over his actions.

When Shi Qingxuan saw the newcomer, his tense expression immediately relaxed.

"So it's Lord Ling Tong of the Spirit Clan. You arrived at just the right time. Quickly, join me in eliminating this demoness."

"Good. That is precisely what I intended as well." Elder Ling Tong and Shi Qingxuan stood on opposite sides of Leng Bingyan, completely blocking both her escape routes.

"Hahahaha!" Leng Bingyan burst into laughter. "Thousands of years ago, countless Saints could do nothing to this lady. And today, you two think you can?"

She tossed the Years Zither into the air. The zither played on its own, its music like lofty mountains and flowing water, its melody intoxicating and mesmerizing. It caused visions to fill the heavens and earth.

Leng Bingyan's body slowly turned. Her graceful figure danced lightly to the zither music, breathtakingly beautiful and picturesque, captivating everyone until they were unable to free themselves.

One dance of years illuminated all living beings, while a thousand years of zither music shook the world. Beauty enough to topple cities and nations could only retreat in shame, for this countenance startled even immortals and gods. The first dance brought the sorrow and joy of future lives; the second dance made separation and reunion this life. All sorrow and joy, separation and reunion, were contained within it; she saw through the cycles of prosperity and decline.

"Dance of Years, one dance, one century."

An immensely powerful artistic conception spread without limit, forming a domain of dance that continuously stripped away the power of years within it.

The entire Holy Lion City seemed to have experienced endless vicissitudes. As the years changed, all the buildings vanished and transformed into a dense forest, as though a thousand years had passed.

Shi Qingxuan and Ling Tong were within the domain and could only feel their lifespans rapidly draining away. With a cry, they turned to dust.

As Leng Bingyan absorbed the years of the two Half-Saints, her strength finally broke through to the Half-Saint realm.

"It's still not enough. I need more power of years." She frowned, drew the ancient zither into her body, and vanished in a flash.