Within the Four Directions Sky-Locking Diagram.
Day and night were sharply divided, each occupying half the sky.
The Golden Crow hung high in the east, its great sun dazzling.
The Jade Rabbit hung in the west amid a sky full of stars, with the river of stars suspended overhead.
Beneath the sun and moon lay mountains, rivers, grasses, and trees. Four pillars supported the sky in the four directions, each secured firmly to the others by eight chains stretched across the air.
Golden patterns were engraved upon those iron chains.
The patterns resembled both writing and images.
Atop the central mountain, where day and night met.
Four figures stood side by side.
"Are we still not making our move?" one man murmured.
"Could something have happened to Chang Xi?" Another man furrowed his brows.
"There shouldn't be any problems. I know Chang Xi," a woman said.
Just then.
"Something's wrong!!" One of them abruptly changed expression.
At the same time.
Lishui Palace.
Boom-!!
A thunderous explosion rang out.
A cloud of blood mist burst apart.
Was that enough? The thought flashed through Jiang Ning's mind.
His hands, however, did not slow in the slightest.
With a lift of his hand, he took the Peach of Immortality and stowed it away.
At that moment, Zhou Yun's eyes were filled with terror.
All she had seen was a streak of golden light tearing through the air before Chang Xi, who had been chatting with her just moments earlier, exploded into a cloud of blood mist.
She could even smell the blood so close at hand, its scent yet to disperse.
Just then.
Hum-!!!
The void shuddered.
A speck of immortal light appeared in the void.
Then ripples spread through the void as though across a lake.
That speck of immortal light