Meanwhile,
the voice calling "Xiang Li" continued to echo in their ears without pause, growing ever more urgent as time passed, carrying an indescribable anxiety.
Yet it only repeated that one sentence over and over, as though it had lingered here in some form since long ago, only to be partially stirred awake after this strange change erupted...
This left Xiang Yun and the others, who wished to uncover the truth, utterly at a loss.
With dark clouds weighing on their hearts, half a year had passed since the day the anomaly erupted.
Xiang Yun and the others' injuries slowly recovered under the care of spiritual medicines, but the doubts and unease in their hearts grew by the day.
They could sense that some irreversible change, utterly beyond their understanding, was taking place within Scarlet Glow River—or rather, deep within the Ancestral Abyss.
And this change seemed to have been...
extremely gentle toward the Xiang Family.
Their instincts told them that following the voice's instructions and leaving this place might be the best choice. Yet since no great calamity had occurred, Xiang Yun was unwilling to leave just like that and abandon the land where his ancestors had lived and multiplied for generations.
During this time, Xiang Yun, whose lifespan had already been running short, grew increasingly frail from his repeated attempts and anxiety. More and more white hair appeared, and he truly began to show the signs of old age.
The other elders were not much better off.
Time flew by, and another twenty-one years passed.
Devouring Heaven Calendar, Year 1350, autumn.
At dusk that day, the setting sun was like blood, dyeing the entire Scarlet Glow River crimson. The sight was magnificent, yet it seemed to carry a faint hint of ill omen.
Suddenly,
Bzzz!
A formless, intangible