From the start to the end, it took only three breaths. Snow Empress quickly searched the three corpses and found three black talismans in the leader's arms. The talismans were decorated with distorted ghost faces and were called " Specter Talisman ". In addition, there was a jade slip recording the distribution of people in the surrounding Underworld, as well as some spirit stones and pills.
Snow Empress glanced at the jade slip and her expression changed slightly. The jade slip recorded that there were twelve Underworld sentries within a thousand miles of this valley, distributed in a network and connected to each other. What was more troublesome was that every day at midnight, each sentry had to send information back to the central hub through the Specter Talisman. If a sentry was out of contact for more than two hours, it would attract the attention of the patrol envoy.
"We must leave as soon as possible." The Snow Empress put away the spoils of war and flicked her finger to send out three icy flames that incinerated the corpse. She hesitated for a moment, then took out a Specter Talisman and, following the method recorded in the jade slip, infused it with a trace of Lunar Power.
The Specter Talisman shone brightly, then quickly dimmed, the ghostly face on it twisted and disintegrated, turning into a wisp of black smoke and vanishing. At the same time, the Snow Empress vaguely sensed that some invisible force of observation in the air had briefly become disordered.
"It worked as expected." Without further delay, she activated her escape light to the fullest extent and sped off in the northwest direction.
About an incense stick's time after she left the valley, a dark figure descended from the sky. It was a Yin Sha Guard from the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm. He scanned the empty valley, his gaze landing on the ashes, a hint of anger flashing in his scarlet eyes.
"Chase!" he shouted coldly, his figure transforming into a black rainbow as he gave chase, simultaneously crushing a bone talisman to send out the message.
Three thousand miles away, in a gloomy ancient castle.
The Earth Venerable sat enthroned on a white bone throne, with three black-robed cultivators kneeling below him. He toyed with a shattered bone talisman in his hand, his eerie green eyes gleaming.
"The sentries were eliminated, Ghost Net experienced a brief period of disruption... Was it her doing?" The Earth Venerable's voice was dry. " The Dao Palace Realm sentries couldn't last three breaths against her. It seems this Taiyin Physique is stronger than expected. But what concerns me more is how she accurately located the sentries and knew how to break the Specter Talisman?"
He stood up, his withered fingers tracing patterns in the air, and a map of light and shadow appeared, showing the regional terrain of the Northern Wilderness. On the map, more than a dozen points of light flickered, three of which had dimmed—these were the sentries that the Snow Empress had eliminated.
"From her escape from the wasteland to Hidden Mist Peak, and then to eliminating the sentries... her route seems random, but it always points northwest." The Earth Venerable Point is in the northwest direction. "She's heading towards the ruins of the Ziwei Sect."
A man in black robes below looked up. " Earth Venerable, the Ziwei Sect has been destroyed for ten thousand years. What is she doing there? Could it be that she left behind some legacy?"
" The Ziwei Sect..." the Earth Venerable pondered, "An ancient sect that produced several Great Emperor, its demise was shrouded in mystery. But even if its legacy remains, it's of little use to those with the Taiyin Physique. Unless..."
His eyes gleamed with a dark light. "Unless there's someone she absolutely must see there! That phantom!"
The Earth Venerable abruptly glanced at the map, his finger emphatically pointing to the location of the Ziwei Sect ruins. "Send the order! All Yin Sha Guard currently stationed outside, assemble around the Ziwei Sect ruins! Notify ' Ghost Granny ' and ' Corpse Elder ' to return from the Western Wilderness and Southern Ridge, they must arrive within three days! I, the Earthly Venerable, will personally confront them and see just who this deity is, daring to oppose my Underworld!"
"Yes!" the three men in black robes replied in unison, then vanished into black smoke.
The Earth Venerable stood alone in the hall, a ghostly green soul lamp flickering beside the white bone throne, casting a sinister shadow on his face.
" The Taiyin Physique, the Green Lotus Jade Pendant, the mysterious phantom... Perhaps this time, I can catch a big fish." He grinned, revealing his missing black teeth. "I have the main soul of the Ten Thousand Yin Banner. If I can refine the origin of that phantom, perhaps I can use it to break through to the Immortal Two and become Mighty One!"
Unaware that the Underworld had adjusted its plans and was laying a trap, the Snow Empress used the Specter Talisman to interfere with the tracking and followed the map on the jade pendant to avoid several dangerous areas, traveling nearly ten thousand miles in two days.
On the third day at noon, she passed through a red desert. This place was called " Blood Sand Desert ". Legend has it that a true god once fell here in ancient times, and his blood stained the earth, turning the sands for thousands of miles red. Strange illusions often appear in the desert, and occasionally cultivators disappear here.
The jade pendant map marks this location as. "Divine blood remains, illusions abound; hold fast to your heart and pass quickly."
Snow Empress dared not be careless, she composed herself and sped up her journey. But just as she flew to the center of the desert, a sudden change occurred.
The crimson sand below suddenly churned, and a blood-red shadow soared into the sky, rushing straight at the Snow Empress! The blood-red shadow was neither human nor human, faceless and eyeless, with only a gaping maw that split to the ears, emitting a sharp howl.
"The lingering resentment of a divine fiend!" Snow Empress's heart skipped a beat. This was the lingering resentment of a fallen true god, formless and intangible, specifically designed to attack the soul. She dared not take it head-on, and her body swiftly turned, the Lunar Power transforming into an ice crystal shield that enveloped her.
The blood-red shadow crashed against the protective barrier, making a hissing sound, and was actually eroding the Lunar Power. The Snow Empress felt a sharp pain in her soul, and illusions appeared before her eyes—mountains of corpses and seas of blood, gods and demons falling, and countless vengeful souls wailing.
"Hold fast to your true self!" She bit her tongue hard, using the pain to dispel the illusion and fully activating the Taiyin True Scripture. A phantom of a bright moon appeared between her brows, its Leng Yue shining down, and wherever it passed, the blood shadows melted away like snow meeting the sun.
The blood-red shadows roared in resentment and burrowed back into the sand. The Snow Empress dared not linger and accelerated forward. But after flying less than a hundred miles, the sand below churned again, and this time three blood-red shadows pounced out simultaneously!
"This is troublesome." Snow Empress's face paled slightly. She could handle one remnant of a divine evil spirit, but three at once would likely overwhelm her soul. What's more troublesome is that the battle fluctuations here might attract pursuers from the Underworld.
Just as she was preparing to forcibly break through the barrier by using her Yin essence at any cost, the Green Lotus Jade Pendant in her bosom suddenly felt hot.
A soft azure light emanated from the jade pendant, transforming into a blue lotus shadow that supported the Snow Empress. The lotus shadow slowly rotated, and wherever the azure light reached, the blood shadows, as if seeing a natural enemy, screamed in terror and retreated, burrowing back into the sand, daring not to emerge again.
The Green Lotus carried the Snow Empress, flying unhurriedly across the Blood Sand Desert. Along the way, the red sand churned, and shadowy figures lurked, yet none dared to approach the range of the Azure Light.
The Snow Empress stood at the heart of the lotus, gazing at the warm, azure light surrounding her, her heart at peace. The jade pendant bestowed by His Majesty could not only attack, guide, and warn, but even subdue the remnants of divine fiends. Just what kind of treasure was this Green Lotus? And what was His Majesty's true realm?
As she pondered, the Green Lotus carried her out of the desert and landed in front of a verdant valley. The lotus shadow dissipated, the jade pendant's light faded, and it returned to its warm and smooth appearance.
Snow Empress composed himself and looked at the valley ahead. At the entrance of the valley stood a broken stele with the words " Forget Sorrow " written on it in ancient handwriting. The valley was filled with spiritual energy, and exotic flowers and herbs were everywhere, making it seem like a completely different world from the red desert outside.
According to the map, after crossing this valley and traveling another three thousand miles, one will reach the outer perimeter of the Ziwei Sect ruins. However, the jade pendant here is faintly glowing, as if giving some kind of hint.
Snow Empress cautiously entered the valley. After walking only a mile, she suddenly heard the sounds of fighting ahead. She concealed her aura and crept closer, only to see a clearing in the valley where two groups of people were engaged in fierce combat.