"Humans, what is the meaning of this?!"
"Humans, what is the meaning of this?!"
A voice, neither beast nor human, echoed from the depths of the Northern Region, laced with an unmistakable hint of wariness.
In the sky, Chen Xun's eyes sharpened, lightning flashed in his pupils, and he spoke:
"The war in the Northern Region is over. We've come to collect some corpses, gain merit, and perform some rituals." Chen Xun's mighty voice reverberated across the sky, "I hope you'll give us some respect."
"Moo!"
The big black ox let out a skyward bellow, its body now covered in dense fur. Under the moonlight, it shone with divine energy, flooding in all directions!
It slowly revealed a bloodthirsty smile. "You little spirit beasts better know your place. When the big brother speaks, he doesn't joke."
Some spirit beasts' pupils shrank to needlepoints. Why did they feel an overwhelming suppression deep in their bloodlines?
What kind of spirit beast is this black ox?!
"Retreat three hundred miles!"
"Retreat three hundred miles!"
The strange voice from deep within the Northern Region echoed again, filled with an inexplicable heaviness.
Roar!
Roar!
The glaciers trembled, and the spirit beasts at the front, as if prepared, retreated frantically as if they were waiting for this command!
"Thank you."
"Humans, keep your word, or there will be no end to this."
"You dare threaten me?!"
"Moo?!"
Chen Xun and the big black ox suddenly erupted in fury. The flames behind them blazed even brighter, and the power within them was far beyond mere spiritual energy.
A strange silence enveloped the scene.
The voice from deep within the region fell silent, as though something had caught its throat.
Chen Xun glanced toward the glacier's depths, filled with the faces of cultivators, lifeless, as though their consciousness had been wiped away by something.
Slowly, he pulled out a mountain-opening axe infused with both the power of the five elements and deathly energy.
Boom!
Boom!
A terrifying slash of the axe descended from the sky, splitting the glacier apart, revealing the bones of many cultivators at the bottom.
Some Nascent Soul spirit beasts deep within the Northern Region twitched nervously. When did the human race produce such a powerful figure...
A shadow with glowing blue eyes gazed at the vast chasm in the glacier, as if warning all of the Northern Region—cross this line, and you die!
Its expression was dark, suppressing an anger that threatened to explode.
The aura and pressure from those two had already surpassed its understanding—it could not risk certain death.
Half a month later. In the Northern Region, piercing suona music and the constant ringing of bells echoed across the glacier, terrifying many spirit beasts. It sounded like a soul-calling melody, as if luring them across the boundary.
At the same time, the Top Ten Sects released an astonishing message, urging all sects and cultivators to head to the Northern Region to claim their dead.
In the Northern Region. Chen Xun cradled the body of Jin Yu. Her skin was pale as snow and all traces of life within her was gone, her Nascent Soul utterly obliterated.
The big black ox carried a few bodies from the Five Element Sect, having found only a handful.
They boarded their massive flying ship and headed for the Five Element Sect and Nine Palaces Mountain.
Chen Xun and the big black ox did not disturb anyone, simply making coffins with their own hands and placing the bodies back in their sects before quietly leaving.
Jiang Xuechen watched, heart in agony, her face devoid of any emotion or smile.
She knew exactly who had returned Old Ancestor Jin Yu's body. Only those two seniors in the cultivation world could possess such power now.
Several high-ranking members of the Ten Great Sects, upon seeing the chasm carved into the glacier, immediately understood who had done it.
Zheng Yi sighed deeply, cupping his hands to the heavens, "Those two deserve the respect of every cultivator in the world."
...
A year later, at Bailing, a border city in the west of Qian Nation.
Today, the morning sun rose like a round lantern in the sky. Soon, it transformed into a blazing wheel of fire, casting golden rays upon everything, bathing the world in resplendent light.
The vast Tian Duan Plains remained desolate, with rolling yellow sands rushing in all directions, a scene of endless barren wilderness.
A massive flying ship rested far outside the city. The giant tree at the stern was tinged with golden hues, swaying in the fierce sandstorm.
Within the city, countless people emerged from their homes, staring blankly at the sight of the giant tree, towering higher than the city walls.
Children jumped and cheered, never having seen such a spectacle.
At this moment, many immortals soared across the sky, and more flying ships hurtled toward the west.