After the battle that day, the Heavenly Dusk Dynasty rose to become a holy land. The news soon spread throughout the Three Thousand Worlds, causing an uproar.
There were three conditions for the birth of a holy land:
First, a saint had appeared among its ancestors, and their legacy had endured to the present, giving it deep foundations.
Second, it was a place where a saint had once lived and left sacred traces.
Third, its Spiritual Qi, Dao resonance, and other powers of creation had reached the standards of contemporary holy lands.
By those standards, the Heavenly Dusk Dynasty fell under the third category!
Dragon fortune descended from the heavens, creating a holy land!
"The Heavenly Dusk Dynasty has risen!"
"A new holy land has appeared. The world has gained another figure who can contend with heaven."
"In an age when mighty contenders vie for the deer, we common folk can only look up at them!" ...
The mortal world began to seethe.
At that same moment!
The Azure Dragon Clan.
"Hmph, merely a holy land. It has yet to become a great vessel. It is no cause for concern!
"What matters most now is still that man!
"General Ning Liao!"
Dressed in blood-red robes, his face devilishly alluring, Qu Jiangxuan stood with his hands behind his back and spoke with a cold snort.
"Your subordinate is here!"
A general in black armor appeared and cupped his fists.
"I want you to search for someone named 'Xie Feng'!"
"The number one on the Heavenly Ranking?"
"Too many questions!"
"Yes! Your subordinate will enter the Three Thousand Worlds and begin searching immediately!"
Ning Liao hurriedly bowed and left.
Qu Jiangxuan's draconic eyes narrowed slightly as he thought to himself:
Xie Feng, your position should be mine. The Ancestral Dragon Formless Demon Physique is the truly invincible physique!
Once I kill you, I can take your place!
Are you...
Ready to die?
The Setting Sun Sect.
The Land of Eternal Twilight.
Yan Fei had invited the beast lord of the Eastern Continent's Devil Beast Forest-the Flame Emperor-to drink with him. The two had met ten years ago and shared a deep friendship.
"You invited me here because you want me to take another blade for you, didn't you?"
"Of course not, hahaha!"
"Whenever you clash with Sect Master Yan, you hide in my Devil Beast Forest, making Sect Master Yan think I've taken you hostage. Once, she even attacked the Devil Beast Forest. I can't help having lingering fears. I have to be on guard..."
"Hey! Why go blurting out the truth! I was just feeling down and wanted someone to drink with. I looked around, and you were the best choice!"
Yan Fei tipped his head back and gulped down wine.
The beast lord, the Flame Emperor, wore magnificent silver-blue robes. His red hair hung loose and unruly, and a flowing flame pattern marked his forehead. At that moment, he was holding a wine flask and sipping from it.
Beside them.
Chu Shanjun sat cross-legged in silence, wholly focused on cultivating his sword intent.
His sword force faintly emanated from him.
"Who is this?"
The Flame Emperor raised his brows slightly, curious.
Yan Fei drained a jar of wine and casually tossed it behind his head. "Him? The Setting Sun Sect's holy son. A sword fanatic!"
The Flame Emperor nodded and continued drinking.
Suddenly!
Boom-
A current shot skyward from Chu Shanjun's body!
At once, heaven buckled and earth collapsed. Boundless sword intent swept through the wind and clouds. Clutching his wine jar, Yan Fei was knocked to the ground, while the Flame Emperor remained unmoved.
"Ow, that hurt like hell! You make such a fuss every time. I have a guest here! Though, well, since I'm borrowing your turf for now, I'll let you do as you please. After all, this is the only quiet place I have left...
"Hey, why are you staring blankly?"
Yan Fei rose, grumbling and swearing. Suddenly noticing Chu Shanjun sitting motionless with a vacant expression, he could not help asking.
Chu Shanjun sighed.
He shook his head. "Just now, I suddenly comprehended the Sword Dao, but only for an instant. That feeling was too vague, too fleeting. It vanished in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, no matter what I tried, I couldn't return to that state!"
Yan Fei shrugged. "Then keep cultivating."
Chu Shanjun suddenly raised his eyes, starlight glittering within them. "Yan Fei, I want that man to beat me again!"
"Are you sick in the head? Someone actually comes begging for a beating?!"
"I'm not sick."
"You definitely have something seriously wrong with you."
"..."
Chu Shanjun suddenly stood and left.
"Hey, hey, this guy! A couple of words and he gets upset!"
Yan Fei spread his hands helplessly.
The Flame Emperor suddenly asked, "Who was that man he mentioned?"
"The number one on the Heavenly Ranking, of course!"
"Xie Feng! Mr. Chu has met him?"
"Tsk, more than met him. He even got..." Yan Fei spoke without restraint, but just as he was about to continue, he suddenly remembered that he ought to preserve his friend's dignity and hurriedly changed his words.
"He even exchanged sword techniques with him. Old Chu's Sword Dao has always been formidable. Even compared with the number one on the Heavenly Ranking, the gap is only this tiny bit!
"Enough of that. Drink! Drink!"
Yan Fei raised his cup and began guzzling wine again.
"When life in this world fails to please, tomorrow I shall loosen my hair and sail a little boat. The ancients wrote so well... so well..."
The Jialuo Holy Land.
The empress wore crimson, her beautiful ink-black hair cascading down. A touch of gentleness softened her noble, alluring face.
Extending her slender fingers, she pushed aside the pile of documents before her. Endless, unfathomable depths swirled in her phoenix eyes.
"Your Majesty!"
Leng Ruoshuang entered the great hall and spoke gravely.
Jiang Fei looked up and asked languidly, "How is the investigation going?"
Leng Ruoshuang lowered her head. "No trace of him!"
"Then keep searching. All the monks in the holy land's Buddhist temples have now been exterminated. Mo Ren isn't in the holy land. He must have fled elsewhere!"
"Yes!"
"And... how is the other matter progressing?"
At the mention of this, Jiang Fei's graceful figure abruptly straightened, and she gazed into Leng Ruoshuang's eyes.
"Still no results!"
"Oh..."
Hearing this, Jiang Fei slowly slouched again. Her red lips curved slightly, and she gave a low laugh. Her dark lashes lowered, concealing the disappointment in her eyes.
"Perhaps it was only my wishful thinking...
"Two hundred years have already passed. After such a long time, finding someone whose name I don't even know is too difficult!
"Ruoshuang, I'm tired. You may leave."
Within the expanse of heaven and earth in the Three Thousand Worlds, at the ends of the sky, one side was eternal night, the other eternal day.
These were eternal forbidden lands!
Throughout the ages, unless they possessed extraordinary strength, anyone who tried to enter would inevitably be torn apart by the torrents of laws and fall into nothingness!
"Xiao Shang, we're here."
"Is this the Land of Eternal Night?"
"Countless spacetime storms exist here. The slightest lapse could sweep you into one and tear you apart. Be careful."
"Mm-hmm! I'm following Master, so I'm not afraid!"
Voices rang out.
Two figures stepped into the normally tranquil forbidden land!
Xie Feng!
Sushang!
The little girl walked behind him, hooking her pinky around the corner of Xie Feng's robe. A bright light shone in her big, round eyes.
This was a vast, boundless polar night!
Darkness filled everything within sight.
Xie Feng had cultivated many techniques. One of them was the "Void Heaven Spirit Eyes," which had ten levels in total. He had already cultivated it to the tenth level!
Xie Feng activated the eye technique. His eyes instantly cleared, his gaze able to disregard any obstruction and see through the eternal night!
Towering mountain ranges stretched across this boundless land, pitch-black as ink, like silhouettes. Vortices of laws raged between heaven and earth. Anyone who carelessly stepped into one would meet only death!
"Dust of Eternal Night..."
Xie Feng looked at the ground beneath his feet. It was dark red!
This dust needed refining!
Xie Feng swept his blue sleeve, and tremendous power poured forth in rolling waves like the surging sea!