A desolate mountain stood on the southwestern border of the Southern Bright Region. Its slopes were steep, its vegetation sparse, and grayish-white mist shrouded it all year round.
A hidden fissure lay halfway up the mountain, extending several dozen zhang inward to form a natural cave.
The cave was not large, appearing long and narrow as a whole.
Water seeped from the stone walls, gathering into several dark pools within the cave.
The sound of footsteps and burning torches echoed through the cramped, narrow cavern.
More than forty people were crammed inside the cave.
The Daoist robes they wore varied greatly, yet they all wore identical black hoods over their heads, concealing their faces.
They sat scattered throughout the cave in groups of two or three. Some leaned against the stone walls with their eyes closed, resting; some lowered their heads as they wiped down their weapons; others gathered around a weak fire, speaking in hushed voices.
An atmosphere of exhaustion, tension, and despair spread through the cave.
The Southern Bright Sect.
The cultivators hiding within this natural cave deep in Abyssal Deep Ridge were members of the Southern Bright Sect.
These Southern Bright Sect cultivators ranged in cultivation from the Martial Spring Realm to the Divine Ability Realm.
At their head were two Divine Ability Realm cultivators.
Two people sat upon a protruding rock at the deepest part of the cave.
The rock's surface was flat, seemingly shaved smooth by a sharp weapon, and stood roughly two chi above the ground.
The man on the left wore a dark gray Daoist robe. His hood was slightly taller than the others', revealing a streak of grizzled hair at his temple. He held a bamboo scroll in his hand.
The scroll had yellowed with age, its edges badly worn. He kept