Demonic Calamity

Message Peak lay beneath a cold wind that gently brushed past. Fallen leaves drifted down, and the breath of late autumn spread through the mountains, desolate in countless ways.

Before the Dao platform, the red-robed figure bowed in salute, meeting the master of the Ink Sect.

"Master," Ning Chen said respectfully.

"What is it?" Ink Lord spoke from atop the Dao platform.

"This disciple came to ask Master whether the Time Restriction truly exists in this world," Ning Chen asked directly, without beating around the bush.

Ink Lord frowned upon hearing this. "Why do you ask?"

"This disciple once encountered the Yellow Springs Restriction in an ancient land and benefited greatly from it. Therefore, I am deeply interested in the Time Restriction, which stands among the divine restrictions alongside it," Ning Chen replied.

"It exists."

Ink Lord nodded and said slowly, "Four hundred years ago, when I had not yet become the master of the Ink Sect, I witnessed a great cultivator use the Time Restriction while wandering abroad. The destructive might of that divine restriction remains unforgettable to this day."

Ning Chen's expression darkened. "Does Master know who that great cultivator was?"

Ink Lord shook his head. "I do not. We met only once, and I never encountered that person again afterward."

Regret appeared on Ning Chen's face. After a moment, he suppressed the turmoil in his heart, looked at the old man before him with immortal bearing and Daoist bones, and said solemnly, "This disciple has another matter to ask, though I do not know whether I should."

"Speak," Ink Lord replied.

"Where did Eighth Senior Sister go? When will she return?" Ning Chen asked.

Ink Lord's aged eyes did not change in the slightest. He said indifferently, "Old Eight's great tribulation in the Reality Realm is approaching.