[Fire Escape] transformation, teleportation afterimages; plotting for the [Sun-Eclipsing Crow], discussing [third-tier Pill Dao]

Gold Valley Ridge, the Xue Family's Mountain Gate.

Those were not formation screens shimmering with spiritual light and treasure radiance, nor banners fluttering in the wind, but stark white mourning cloth!

Coarse white hemp cloth hung from the Mountain Gate's archway, the cliffs on either side, and even the temporary watchtowers erected at the valley mouth. It fluttered feebly in the desolate mountain wind, exuding a heavy air of grief and grim severity.

Even the family cultivators guarding the Mountain Gate wore plain hemp robes with black bands around their arms. Their expressions were somber, their eyes filled with barely concealed grief, anger, and exhaustion.

Something had happened!

And judging by this display, either the Xue Family had suffered a calamity that killed far too many of its members, or someone important-even a pillar of the family-had fallen!

The thought immediately flashed through Lin Changheng's mind, stirring a sigh within him. He had never expected to return after barely more than a decade and find such a scene.

As Lin Changheng hovered and observed, a middle-aged cultivator at the Foundation Establishment middle stage flew out from within the Mountain Gate, his face haggard and his eyes bloodshot.

Spotting Lin Changheng from afar, he first froze, then seemed to recognize something. Sensing that the aura of the visitor's cultivation had grown even more formidable, his heart tightened. He forced out a respectful smile that could not conceal his anguish and hurried forward to bow with utmost reverence. "Junior Xue Mingyuan greets Senior Li! Please forgive me for failing to welcome your esteemed arrival from afar. It's just that-our Xue Family has recently undergone a terrible upheaval. Please pardon any shortcomings in our hospitality."

His voice was hoarse and steeped in exhaustion.

"No matter."

Lin Changheng glanced at him and recalled their