At that very moment, an urgent report from the north arrived on the Town Night Division's desk in the form of a Jade Slip.
Town Night Division, Director's private chamber.
Zhou Qingmu stared at the contents of the Jade Slip for a long while before setting down her teacup. Her fingertips tapped twice against the armrest of her wheelchair.
"Call Gu Chengming."
When Gu Chengming pushed open the agarwood door, he immediately sensed that the atmosphere was different from usual.
Zhou Qingmu wasn't sitting in the specially made red sandalwood wheelchair. She was standing, and the crosswise saber had been hung back at her waist.
"Director?"
Gu Chengming's gaze lingered on her walking stick for a moment. She's recovering faster than I expected.
"Sit."
Leaning on her cane, Zhou Qingmu walked to the desk and pushed an unfolded map toward Gu Chengming.
It was a topographic map of the Far North Bitter Cold Land.
A spot on the map had been marked in vermilion, with two ancient seal-script characters written beside it.
—Heavenly Que.
"The Far North, the Heavenly Que Secret Realm."
Zhou Qingmu got straight to the point, her voice carrying a long-missed sharpness. "Several years ago, celestial signs indicated that this place would appear. The major sects have been watching it for a long time, but there's never been a definite opening date."
"Three days ago, the Imperial Observatory's Stargazing Tower detected a disturbance in Spiritual Energy at that location."
She raised her head and looked at Gu Chengming, her gaze grave. "This so-called Heavenly Que Secret Realm has officially appeared."
"None of the factions will let this opportunity pass. Wenjian Sect, Heavenly Peak Sect, Taihao Sect... Every Great Cultivator with hopes of reaching a higher realm will find a way to enter."
"As for the Town Night