The sky over the Northern Region is always tinged with a hazy yellow hue, as if it has been permeated to the very marrow by ancient winds and sand. The crimson earth stretches to the horizon, with occasionally massive weathered rock pillars standing like silent giants, bearing witness to the desolation and cruelty of this land over millions of years.
Su Mu stood on a high slope, his black robes motionless in the wind. His gaze calmly swept over the scene before him—a ruin almost unrecognizable, eroded by time, with only a few broken stone foundations bearing blurred patterns and some huge stone components half-buried in the red soil remaining. From the layout, one could vaguely discern that this was once a sizable sect, but now only ruins remained, with even the most tenacious weeds growing sparsely in the cracks between the stones.
"The ruins of the Ziwei Sect," Su Mu murmured to himself.
His divine sense spread out like an invisible tide, permeating every inch of soil and every broken stone. At a level imperceptible to ordinary people and even ordinary cultivators, he detected an extremely faint but undeniably present "Taiyin" aura. It was a yin, cold, and seemingly frozen power remnant that had not completely dissipated even after a long period of time.
"As expected, it's related to the Taiyin." Su Mu nodded slightly.
He walked slowly into the depths of the ruins, his bare feet treading on the scorching sand and stones, yet leaving not a single footprint. As he went deeper, the chill in the air became more pronounced, creating an eerie contrast with the sweltering heat of the Northern Region during the day—the temperature in some areas was noticeably lower than the surrounding area.
Su Mu stopped in front of a relatively well-preserved stone chamber ruin. Most of the stone chamber had collapsed, but some traces of murals remained on one of the inner walls. The murals were mottled and unclear, and only some blurry human figures could be barely made out, seemingly worshipping something. There was once a pattern painted in the center, but it has now been completely worn away.
Su Mu extended his finger and gently touched the center of the mural. He didn't use any Magic Power, just pure perception.
In an instant, a fragmented image flashed into his consciousness:
A pale moonlight, like the glow of the moon, enveloped the entire mountain gate. A phantom image of a woman, her face obscured and imbued with the Taiyin Holy Power, stood high in the sky, below whom countless cultivators paid homage. But then, the sky was torn apart, and a colossal black hand, covering the heavens, slammed down, shattering the moonlight, collapsing the mountain gate, and mingling screams and roars...
The screen abruptly stopped.
"The calamity that destroyed the sect." Su Mu withdrew his finger, and the last trace of spirituality on the mural dissipated, turning into ordinary stone. His eyes were devoid of joy or sorrow. "It was at least Quasi-Emperor level power that made the move, carrying a dark and filthy aura, not the work of orthodox cultivators. The time... was probably around seventy or eighty thousand years ago."
The Ziwei Sect, a sect that once founded itself on the Lunar Power, may have been once prominent in the Northern Region, but ultimately could not escape its fate of destruction. In the world of Shrouding the Heavens the Heavens, such things are too common; even supreme dynasties and Great Emperor families have their day of collapse, let alone a sect?
Su Mu felt no emotion about this. He came here not to pay his respects, but for another purpose.
First, we need to confirm whether there are any clues to the Taiyin True Scripture in this place. The Snow Empress possesses the Taiyin Physique, and obtaining this scripture would greatly benefit her cultivation. Furthermore, the lineage of the Taiyin Human Emperor is itself worthy of attention.
Secondly, since this site was one of the three options he deduced, it must have something special about it. Perhaps it's not just about the Taiyin inheritance.
Su Mu's divine sense continued to penetrate downwards, reaching thousands and tens of thousands of feet underground...
Suddenly, he raised an eyebrow slightly.
"I see."
About 30,000 feet underground, his divine sense detected an extremely hidden "membrane." It was not a solid layer of soil or rock, but a spatial fold, or rather, a small spatial node that had been folded and hidden. An extremely sophisticated array was set up outside the node, using the earth's veins and the remaining Lunar Power to conceal it. If Su Mu's cultivation level had not been high enough, and if he had not deliberately explored deep into the area, he would not have been able to discover it at all.
The technique used in this formation felt somewhat familiar to Su Mu.
"Although the sealing techniques of the Taiyin Human Emperor lineage have been modified and disguised..." A hint of understanding flashed in Su Mu's eyes, "It seems that the Ziwei Sect and the Taiyin Human Emperor do indeed have a connection, perhaps it's a branch lineage. This hidden space should be the place where the sect's powerful members urgently sealed the ' Core Flame ' during the calamity that destroyed the sect back then."
With a thought, his figure vanished from his original spot and appeared directly 30,000 feet underground, before that spatial node.
Before them lay a "barrier" swirling with grayish-white mist, within which countless fine silver runes flowed, forming intricate and profound array patterns. These runes emitted a cool, clear light, originating from the same source as the Lunar Power, yet carrying the lingering aura of imperial authority.
Su Mu reached out, his fingertips touching the grayish-white mist.
"Buzz--"
The mist churned violently, the silver runes shone brightly, and a terrifying force of Ice Seal and repulsion erupted, enough to instantly freeze and kill Mighty One at the Second Heaven of the Immortal Platform and completely lock the space. This was the work of Quasi-Emperor, and it carried a trace of the aura of the Supreme Dao. It was clear that it used an artifact related to the Taiyin Human Emperor as the array's core.
Su Mu remained unmoved, a faint, chaotic light emanating from his fingertips. The Lunar Power, capable of Ice Seal everything, melted away as quickly as snow meeting the morning sun when it encountered this chaotic light. The array patterns flickered violently, emitting a mournful cry of unbearable strain, yet it could not stop the finger from slowly penetrating deeper.
"Click."
A slight cracking sound rang out. It wasn't that the formation was broken, but rather that Su Mu, using unparalleled methods, had "opened" a temporary "door" on it, allowing only one person to pass through, without damaging the formation's structure at all.
He stepped inside.
The view before me suddenly opened up.
This is a small space, no more than a few miles in circumference. The sky is Eternal dark, with a pale, cold moon hanging in the sky (not a real star, but a projection of highly concentrated Lunar Power ). The ground is paved with crystalline, jade-white stone slabs, which, though stained with the dust of time, are largely intact. In the center of the space is a small altar, upon which rests a fragmented jade tablet. Beside the tablet, a scroll woven from unknown silver threads floats silently.
On the cover of the ancient book, four Primordial Divine Script are written in Daoist patterns, " The Taiyin True Scripture ".
But Su Mu's gaze first fell on the figure sitting cross-legged in front of the altar.
It was the remains of a woman, or rather, the remains of a woman.
She was dressed in a moon-white palace gown, her face was peerless, and her skin was as white as jade, as if she were just asleep. But there was no trace of life in her body, only the dense and unyielding Taiyin Holy Power slowly flowing around her, maintaining her remains from decay. There was a small ice-blue mark between her eyebrows, shaped like a crescent moon, which was now emitting a faint light.
On the ground in front of her, a line of words was engraved with Daoist patterns:
"Those destined to come here in future generations, if they possess the Taiyin Physique or are of upright character, may worship at the altar and obtain a copy of the true scripture. This is the last inheritance of the Ziwei Sect; may it be used wisely. My name Yue Chan, the last holy maiden of the Ziwei Sect, guarding this remaining body, awaiting a destined one. Our enemies are henchmen of the Underworld, seeking to seize the Taiyin essence of our sect. If any successor succeeds, may they, within their capabilities, slay one or two of them to comfort the spirits of our ancestors in heaven."