Thirty-Four Years

Kong Yang's death did not greatly disrupt the Empty Mountain Sect's daily affairs.

From the day he climbed Tian Ding Mountain during the Chaos of Immortals and fought True Person Jingchen, Qiu Siruo, and True Lord Ling Xuan, Gu Jing, with all his might, the life of the Empty Mountain Sect's Third Generation Ascension Realm leader had been on a countdown.

Twenty-three years passed after Chen Yan quelled the Chaos of Immortals before True Person Caiyun finally died.

That was far sooner than Kong Yang had expected. He had believed his Dao Rhyme could withstand centuries of wear, and it could have.

But the backlash and injuries he had suffered were simply too severe.

His Dao Rhyme had worn away far faster than he had imagined.

Twenty-three years.

Throughout those years, the Empty Mountain Sect had been preparing for an age without Ancestor Kong.

So when Kong Yang died, everything in the sect continued as usual.

Another eleven years passed.

The thirty-fourth year of the Azure Crossing calendar.

Apart from the pitch-black rift in the sky, which continued to widen, all was calm across Chenping Continent.

No, that was not quite right.

For Chenping Continent's Immortal Cultivators, this year was different.

Chu Xiyao, Li Haowen, Bai Jinye, and the others had all reached the late Wanhua Realm.

Chu Xiyao remained the fastest. She had cultivated more than 9,500 strands of Destiny True Qi and was expected to make her attempt at the Upper Three Realms within three to five years.

Li Haowen had steadily closed the gap between them. He had cultivated more than 9,200 strands of Destiny True Qi, and barring any surprises, he would begin his attempt at the Guiyi Realm around the same time as Chu Xiyao.

Bai Jinye, however, had fallen behind Chu Xiyao and Li