The heartland of the Eastern Territory.
The peaks rise majestically from the ground, piercing the highest reaches of the sky.
The sea of clouds churns day and night, while the clear cries of cranes pierce through the clouds and mist.
Jade Capital Heaven.
A grand, ancient hall stands majestically atop the summit, its entire structure cast in bronze. Despite the passage of time, it has not developed any verdigris, but instead radiates a lustrous, precious light.
No plaque was hung in front of the hall; only two obscure and difficult-to-understand talismans were engraved on the thick pillars on both sides, suppressing the earth's energy within a radius of ten thousand miles.
The hall was empty and desolate.
No prayer cushions are set up, and no offerings are made to gods or Buddhas.
Only one elderly man in Red Robe sat cross-legged in mid-air.
The old man had a gaunt face, white hair, and a youthful appearance. His bright red robe fluttered in the main hall even without wind.
He slowly opened his eyes.
The original somber atmosphere inside the main hall was instantly illuminated.
The old man raised his withered fingers and tapped the air twice.
The crisp sound pierced through the heavy palace doors and carried outwards.
Not long after.
A man dressed in a moon-white robe and straw sandals entered the main hall.
The man had a handsome face and a reserved, profound aura; his movements revealed no trace of worldly concerns.
When the man in white reached a distance of three zhang (approximately 10 meters) in front of the old man, he stopped and bowed deeply.
" True Lord."
True Lord Xuanyang did not lower his head, his gaze fixed on the void. "Go tell Zhuge Qing that Wang Canglan is dead."
The person in white paused almost imperceptibly.
Even though he usually cultivated his mind and remained calm even when Mount Tai collapsed before him, upon hearing such news, his breathing still skipped a beat.
The head disciple of the Jade Capital Pavilion.
The number one among the younger generation in the Eastern Territory.
Wang Canglan, cultivated by the Pure Yang Lineage over a thousand years with countless rare and precious heavenly materials and earthly treasures, is dead.
The man in white suppressed the violent shock in his heart and asked in a low voice, " True Lord... who did this?"
True Lord Xuanyang withdrew his gaze and focused it on the man in white.
Who did it is not important.
The old man's voice was hoarse, showing no sign of regret.
" Wang Canglan's fate was unfortunate; he couldn't bear the high expectations of the Pure Yang Lineage and died in the outside world. That was his calamity. If he couldn't overcome his calamity, he couldn't be a player in the game; he could only be a dead piece on the chessboard. Once a piece is dead, it has no value. It's meaningless to investigate who broke the piece."
The man in white remained silent.
He had long understood the ruthlessness of traditional morality.
Even a dazzling prodigy like Wang Canglan was only described as a "dead child" in the eyes of this Chief Seat, which was truly chilling.
"Yes, disciple will go and deliver the message immediately."
The man in white was about to take his leave.
True Lord Xuanyang suddenly spoke again, "That stupid elephant hasn't spoken yet?"
The man in white stopped what he was doing and replied, "No, Your True Lord."
"Your bones are tough enough." True Lord Xuanyang sneered.
The man in white paused briefly before reporting truthfully, "It is still trapped inside the Cave of No Light on Spirit Mountain, yet it remains stubbornly clenching its teeth, insisting on unwavering loyalty to Patriarch Moyang and refusing to utter a single word, even at the cost of its life."
"Loyalty and righteousness?"
A hint of mockery flashed in True Lord Xuanyang's eyes.
"A beast is still a beast; it knows nothing of loyalty or righteousness... Master has been dead for many years, yet it still clings to those withered bones. Utterly foolish."
The old man waved his sleeve.
"Hurry up, we'll need the Star Palace True Map soon... If it continues to be disrespectful, we'll directly extract its soul and refine its spirit. The whereabouts of the Star Palace True Map is crucial to the Pure Yang Lineage's grand plan; it cannot be lost."
"Yes."
The man in white bowed again and then left the hall.
The heavy, purple-gold bronze door slowly closed.
The main hall fell silent once more.
True Lord Xuanyang closed his eyes again.
Painting Realm...
As the Chief Seat to the Imperial Position, ruling the Eastern Territory, he enjoyed all the honors and glory of the world and lived a long life.
Who could remain unmoved by such Supreme Painting Realm?
To achieve such Painting Realm is incredibly difficult.
Involuntarily, the tragic scene from tens of thousands of years ago surfaced in True Lord Xuanyang's mind.
Master True Lord Moyang is a man of extraordinary talent, unparalleled throughout history.
What an arrogant and domineering person he was.
Even those who are from this place, who dare to try to peek into the Painting Realm... still end up looking like neither human nor ghost.
Since then, with the Twenty-Five Lineages in their Chief Seat, no one has dared to touch that Daoist Sect again.
They finally understood a cruel truth.
The Painting Realm of this world is a dead end.
It's a cage where you can only get in and never get out.
Heavenly Dao does not allow anyone to transcend it.
There is only one way to survive and keep moving forward.
Find a scapegoat.
They forcibly pushed open the door to the Painting Realm.
Once the painting is created, it will be able to re-establish connections with the outside world.
At that time.
These old monsters, trapped in the Chess-Player Realm for tens of thousands of years, can then abandon this world and escape their cage.
Go out into the world to find the true way to achieve mastery in the Painting Realm.
Wang Canglan was originally the best candidate.
He was talented, capable, and most importantly, obedient enough to have a deep belief in the "divine mandate to save the world" instilled in him by the Daoist tradition.
Unfortunately... it broke.
He was brutally killed by a wild girl who appeared out of nowhere.
It doesn't matter.
The face of True Lord Xuanyang was hidden in the dim light.
That girl in black, with that arrogant demeanor that dared to defy the heavens, and that unparalleled, domineering presence.
It is truly a more perfect piece of rough jade.
The < Great Evolution Pure Yang Supreme Chess-Condensing Record > has already been sent out.
No matter how vigilant or cautious she was.
As long as she wants to take another step forward.
Then one cannot avoid the issue of the painting.
"Grow faster... grow faster... I can't wait any longer..."
The back mountain of Wanchuan Valley.
The sheer cliffs, as if carved by a knife and axe, stretch across the space between heaven and earth.
A spacious cave abode was carved out at the bottom of the cliff, with a thick, tightly sealed stone door that kept out all the bloodshed and noise from the outside world.
This place was where Tianzhu used to cultivate in seclusion before his death.
Now, naturally, it's been taken by Jiang Yuechu.
He sat cross-legged on the ground.
Outside the cave abode, the Demon Emperor Juechen, being extremely sensible, personally led a group of trusted Great Demon to guard a hundred paces away.
This deer demon is now completely devoted to its master, so much so that it would gladly offer its heart and liver as a token of loyalty, and it won't even allow a single flying insect to approach the cave abode.
Previously, with thousands of eyes watching, it was inconvenient to be too direct.
Now that there's no one around, there's nothing to worry about.
She flipped her wrist, and the dark red Storage Bag she had taken from Wang Canglan fell into her palm.
As the top disciple of the Jade Capital Pavilion and the number one young talent in the Eastern Territory, he should be quite wealthy.
Hang it upside down.
It made a rustling sound.
The dazzling array of items was piled up into a small mountain.
Elixirs in porcelain bottles, talismans in Jade Slip, Law Artifact and spiritual minerals—everything imaginable was available.
Jiang Yuechu casually picked through the items, not caring whether she recognized them or not, simply categorizing them by appearance.
After a long while.
My gaze finally fell on an item that was placed alone.
It was a box made of mysterious ice and jade.
The material of this jade box alone is priceless.
Jiang Yuechu exerted force with her fingertips and crushed the box.
Inside the Extreme Cold jade box, a piece of ore the size of a fist lay quietly.
The ore is entirely red, with cracks covering its surface, and a viscous golden liquid flowing through the cracks.
As soon as Fang Yi appeared, the temperature inside the cave abode suddenly soared. Even the Xuanbing Jade Box seemed to be melting.
This is...
Top-grade Heart Material?!
Jiang Yuechu was slightly taken aback, then forced a smile.
He sighed inwardly.
Wang Canglan is quite the capable money-giving Young Disciple...
Know what you lack.
No.
We'll send it over even though it's a long way.
What a good person...