At this moment.
The Clear Abyss Sect had undoubtedly become the most dazzling presence in Purple Sun Prefecture, its rosy radiance nearly stealing the luster of the bright moon in the sky.
Purple Sun Prefecture City.
In an ancient, elegant room.
An old man dressed in finery was warming his feet in the arms of two little maids when he suddenly noticed the color of the window gauze change.
He slowly rose and asked:
"Why is the rosy light outside so dazzling?"
"Reporting to the Prefecture Master, it's coming from the direction of the Clear Abyss Sect."
"Clear Abyss..."
The old man pondered for a moment, his expression shifting several times.
"Write a letter and invite Elder Yin Hua of Rare Beast Peak to the prefecture for a chat."
"Yes..."
The steward agreed, then seemed to have something to say but hesitated.
"Hmm? If you have something to say, then say it."
"Princess Chulong... has gone missing."
After saying this, the steward was already covered in sweat. He didn't dare look at his master, the Purple Sun Prefecture Master, in the face.
After a long while, a faint voice finally drifted over:
"Even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, we must find her and bring her back."
"Yes."
Bilo Lake.
A huge ship as majestic as a mountain stretched across the river. It was hardly any smaller than the surrounding islands.
A black flag cracked loudly in the wind, bearing the iron-stroked characters:
[Red Whale]
The Red Whale Gang was one of the three sects of Purple Sun Prefecture. On the surface, it was the weakest of the three.
But its members came from all walks of life, a tangled mixture of fish and dragons. It claimed to have a hundred thousand members, and no one knew how many forces throughout the martial world were secretly connected to it by ties that had never quite been severed.
A burly, bearded man stood at the bow, his hands clasped behind his back as he gazed into the distance.
"Did the Clear Abyss Sect really produce a rare treasure, or has some kind of inheritance been opened?"
"Boss, in my opinion, it's the latter."
Behind him, a fair-faced, beardless young man spoke.
For some reason,
the burly, bearded man, who was the Red Whale's leader and an External Scene Realm expert, did not refute the young man's words.
"The Clear Abyss Sect has a long history. I never expected an inheritance to emerge even now."
"Then an inheritance of this level must be extraordinary."
"And the person qualified to receive it can only be a favored child of Heaven. Could they perhaps have the makings of someone on the Hidden Dragon Ranking?"
The bearded man spoke in a low voice.
He had always wanted to lead the Red Whale Gang to greater heights and seize the Clear Abyss Sect's position as the foremost of the three.
This was entirely possible.
After all, Shangguan Wencang was already old.
"With me here, so what if this little Purple Sun Prefecture produces one or two monsters? Could they possibly surpass me?"
The young man in a red robe licked the corner of his mouth.
"You're right, Senior." The worry in the Red Whale Gang Leader's eyes vanished.
The Northern Nether Domain.
On an impossibly towering mountain stood a hundred-story pagoda that seemed to reach out and touch the heavens.
The Heaven Derivation Sect.
The world-famous Hidden Dragon Ranking, along with the Heaven, Earth, and Human Rankings, all originated here.
At the Star Gazing Platform atop the pagoda,
an old woman with hair as white as snow had maintained her posture of looking up at the sky for who knew how long.
Suddenly, the corner of her eye twitched, and she murmured in an aged voice:
"There should have been an extraordinary astral shift, with the Lunar Star flourishing. Why has everything fallen into chaos again?"
She drew a Jade Disk from her robes. Countless jade pieces the size of fingernails slowly slid across it.
As she urged it onward, the jade pieces moved faster and faster.
Then, without warning, they jammed. The entire Jade Disk dimmed.
The old woman's complexion dimmed along with it.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
"Master, what's wrong?"
"Yinghuo... Yinghuo..."
"Do you mean the Yinghuo Chaos Sign recorded by the Ancestor?"
The old woman let out a long sigh. Her pale, wrinkled face seemed to grow even more aged.
The bright, lovely young woman pressed her lips together, her thoughts in utter disarray.
The Heaven Derivation Sect could know the Mandate of Heaven and observe the rise and fall of countless ages. It could even fan the flames from within.
The founding of Great Yu and the Martial Emperor's ascension had both been among its deeds.
The Yinghuo Chaos Sign represented one thing.
The Heaven Derivation Sect was about to lose sight of the heavenly secrets.
"Master, the Crown Prince requests an audience."
Another disciple stepped forward to deliver the message.
"Tell him this old woman will not help her find Princess Chulong, nor can she find her."
The Clear Abyss Sect.
With such a major event occurring, the sect trial was naturally ended ahead of schedule.
The main reason was that throughout the Clear Abyss Mountain Range, every strange beast in the places touched by the rosy radiance, regardless of strength, had fled in a panic. Some had even sprawled on the ground, trembling all over.
Continuing the sect trial would have been meaningless.
At Moon Gazing Cliff, the thin old man walked to the edge of the cliff.
Shangguan Wencang was still wearing that drab hemp robe. Compared to a sect master, he looked more like an old farmer from next door.
"Sect Master."
"Sect Master."
The elders gradually recovered from their shock.
"How long has it been since Ying Bing and Li Mo descended into the Clear Abyss?"
Shangguan Wencang asked softly, his eyes lowered.
"About two hours."
There was no trace of worry between Xue Jing's brows:
"Sect Master, the two of them should have entered some secret land within the Clear Abyss Sect. And... they should already have taken the inheritance into their possession."
"I... I think so too."
Han He's expression was wonderfully complicated.
It wasn't that Han He's old cultivation of composure was lacking. The other elders' expressions were hardly calm either.
Since the founding of the Clear Abyss Sect, no one had ever been able to witness the true form of this opportunity.
Rosy light filled the skies, illuminating heaven and earth.
This was most likely an inheritance even they found difficult to imagine!
The only uncertainty was who exactly had obtained the opportunity...
Ying Bing?
Or...
"Hahaha, my precious disciple has really made me proud."
Shang Wu planted both hands on her waist, her almond eyes reflecting the crystalline rosy light:
"Now that my disciple has obtained the inheritance, he'll definitely become the sect master in the future."
"Once he becomes sect master, I'll be the Grand Elder."
"Then I can spend the sect's money however I want."
"Heh heh... heh heh heh..."
Shang Wu wiped the corner of her mouth, delighted beyond measure.
The elders: "..."
Miss, we still don't know who the inheritance will go to.
Besides, our sect master is still alive and well, and you're already plotting how to stir up storms in the future?
If Shang Wu became the Grand Elder...
Everyone drew a sharp breath in unison.
Qian Bufan said righteously, "For the sect master to use sect resources, the elders of each peak must vote on it."
"I think that little girl Ying Bing is more likely to have obtained the inheritance," Elder Han He said.
The elder of Sunset Glow Peak also nodded. "That cry just now should have belonged to a female."
Shang Wu: "?"
Could you tell whether it was male or female just by its voice?
Xue Jing laughed helplessly. "It's also possible that the two of them obtained the inheritance together."
The rosy radiance finally filled the entire Clear Abyss.
The young man and woman once again set foot on Moon Gazing Cliff.
Li Mo wore a bright, satisfied smile.
A faint light flickered between Ying Bing's brows, adding a touch of holiness to her peerlessly beautiful face.
But...
Li Mo's smile was simply too radiant.
For a moment, everyone truly couldn't tell whose hands the opportunity had fallen into.
"Where's the inheritance?"
Shang Wu quickly reached Li Mo and looked him up and down. She even twitched her dainty nose and sniffed him.
"It's not with me."
Li Mo spread his hands.
"Then what the hell are you smiling for?"
"???"
It wasn't with Li Mo?
Everyone turned their gazes toward Ying Bing.
"This disciple did indeed obtain an inheritance. It's extremely ancient."
Ying Bing nodded.
She knew the origins of the Nine-Colored Primal Phoenix.
But in everyone's eyes, this should have been her first time accepting an inheritance, so she shouldn't have known its origins inside out.
Of course, that did nothing to diminish the elders' shock.
Because of two words: ancient.
Blindly worshiping the ancient and disparaging the present was unacceptable. Take cultivation techniques, for example: later generations might improve upon them and bring forth something new.
But inheritances were absolutely more precious the older they were.
If they had lacked any real origin, they would have been extinguished by the passage of time long ago. How could they have survived until now?
"Our Clear Abyss Sect is probably about to produce a monster capable of making the Hidden Dragon Ranking."
"The Clear Abyss's history stretches back into the distant past, yet countless people searched it without finding anything. I never imagined that in our lifetimes, we would witness this inheritance emerge into the light of day again."
"With extraordinary talent and great fortune at her side, Ying Bing's future achievements are impossible to imagine!"
Everyone struggled to conceal their emotion and excitement.
The elders examined Ying Bing as though she were a priceless treasure.
Yet Ying Bing herself merely pressed her lips together and turned her gaze toward the young man in the distance.
Only to see him smiling even more happily.
[Congratulations, Host. Your investment in Ying Bing succeeded, granting her the major inheritance of her life.] [Would you like to claim the reward?]
The Ice Block was adored by all, while Little Li wasn't jealous in the slightest.
Because just now, he had received the system's investment feedback.
If it hadn't been inconvenient at present, he would have been unable to resist claiming it immediately.
"I'll claim it after we go back... after we go back..."
Li Mo rubbed his hands, wishing he could hurry back to Autumn Water Pavilion.
At this moment, Shangguan Wencang finally spoke slowly:
"Enough. Ying Bing, grasp your opportunity yourself. If anyone asks about it, you needn't say another word."
"Effective immediately, Moon Gazing Cliff is sealed."
Before you continue