Jian Land, Night-Replacing Blessed Land.
It was winter, and the heavens were cold, the earth frozen.
A great dark-red star hung high in the distant heavens, triangular in shape and embedded in the void. It continually scattered strands of dark-red and yellow light, keeping the entire blessed land brightly lit, with day and night indistinguishable.
Yin Bell, the star of the ding fire fruit position.
This star had remained dim for many years since the last opening of Azure Leaf Sky, but today it shone brightly once more.
The True Lord had returned.
Most cultivators throughout Dust-Sweeping understood what this meant, but said little. There was no clamor; all remained quiet.
Within the great void, ding fire raged.
A middle-aged man in dark-red Daoist robes stood there, yin qi seeming to coil endlessly about his brows and eyes. Around him appeared all manner of ding fire manifestations: illumination piercing the Gloomy Netherworld, the burning of lifespans, shifts between warmth and cold, and more.
He was True Person Lingjing, An Changyan.
A Purple Mansion late-stage cultivator of the ding fire path, he was the one responsible for overseeing the Immortal Dao cultivators under Dust-Sweeping.
He walked straight toward the central Spirit Peak and arrived before a majestic Mysterious Palace.
Built of jade, the palace blended skyblue and brilliant blue throughout, spanning roughly nine chambers. Precious pillars of dark wood carved with azure birds stood on either side, and inscriptions flanked the doorway, from which lightning streamed:
[Neither err nor stray]
[Follow the established ways]
At the very top hung a silver-gray Daoist plaque bearing the words [Three Bows Palace].
Lingjing paused, then stepped inside. Yet he stopped just after crossing the threshold, his gaze tightening slightly as he restrained his aura.
The interior of the Mysterious Palace glowed blue and azure,