After the path was cut off

Li Wangxiang looked at the three jade pieces in his hand.

The jade piece was no more than a finger's width, and was entirely white. Two forbidden patterns ran through it, like parallel and inseparable gossamer threads, intertwining in a small space, and then going their separate ways at the end.

This is a jade pendant.

They will not easily exchange with anyone who is not their closest or most trusted relative.

The coins in Li Wangxiang's possession belong to—

Master.

Junior sister.

And my senior brother who works in the Hall of Law Enforcement.

If there's anyone in the sect he can trust without reservation, it's only these three.

He tried his master's first.

As spiritual energy was slowly poured in, the jade piece glowed faintly, and the sense of attraction disappeared into nothingness, but there was no response for a long time.

Li Wangxiang was not surprised. His master often went into seclusion, and once he entered a deep meditation, he would often not concern himself with external affairs for months at a time.

He picked up the junior sister's coin from the remaining two.

The eldest brother works in the Enforcement Hall, and he usually attracts a lot of attention. It might not be appropriate to contact him rashly at this time.

On the contrary, the junior sister is still young and spends most of her time on the mountain, rarely interacting with outsiders, so there is no need to worry about her being disturbed.

Li Wangxiang took a light breath and slowly infused his spiritual energy into the water.

This time, the jade piece trembled slightly at first, and then its clear light suddenly shone brightly.

"...Senior brother?"

The voice on the other end trembled, as if afraid of mistaking someone for someone else.

Li Wangxiang said in a low voice, "It's me."

There was a moment of silence on the other side.

Immediately afterwards, his breathing became erratic.

"Senior brother? Is it really you? You...you're still alive?"

Li Wangxiang's heart sank.

Why do you say that?

There was a noticeable choking sound on the other end, as if there were many words stuck in his throat, and he managed to suppress them with great difficulty.

"The Northern Celestial City... is gone."

Her voice was strained, with a hint of suppressed sobs.

"News came back half a month ago, saying that Beichen had become a dead end, with no one surviving. Everyone in the sect was saying that you had also perished there."

Li Wangxiang was stunned for a moment, his mind going blank for a instant.

The Northern Celestial City was destroyed, with not a single survivor?

What about him?

How did Li Wangxiang survive?

As if afraid he would misunderstand something, the junior sister quickly added:

"But your jade pendant wasn't broken, so I knew you'd be alright."

"Since Master is in seclusion, I'll discuss this with my eldest brother."

She paused here, as if repeating a sentence that still chills her to this day.

"The eldest brother only said one sentence—"

"Since Beichen is now a dead end, you cannot come back 'alive'."

Li Wangxiang's fingers suddenly tightened.

The junior sister's voice also grew lower and lower.

"He forbade me to utter a single word, and he also forbade me to come to you."

He said that finding you now would only harm you.

As soon as he finished speaking, only a faint, suppressed gasp could be heard from the other end of the jade tablet.

After a few breaths, she managed to compose herself, her voice trembling:

"I've been watching over the jade pendant for the past two weeks, afraid that it might suddenly break one day, and also afraid that it might actually light up..."

Li Wangxiang remained silent for a moment, his knuckles holding the jade piece gradually turning white.

The master went into seclusion, and the eldest disciple strictly forbade his disciples from revealing that he was still alive.

Is this protection or a warning?

He didn't follow up on the question further, but simply said in a deep voice:

"First, tell me how Beichen Immortal City was destroyed."

There was a moment of silence on the other end, as if the excitement had finally subsided, and the voice became a little more steady.

"Fifteen days ago at noon, it suddenly got dark."

"It's not the darkness of dark clouds obscuring the sun, but the sun disappearing into thin air, leaving only a cold moon hanging high in the sky."

Then, a voice rang out, echoing throughout the entire Ziwei Star.

As the junior sister spoke, a trace of the shock she felt at the time still lingered in her voice.

"The sound was vast and boundless, unlike anything made by ordinary beings; it was as if heaven and earth themselves were speaking. Everyone on the mountain who wasn't in seclusion or cut off from the outside world heard it."

Li Wangxiang's heart tightened: "And then?"

"That cold moon hung there for three whole days." The junior sister's voice was low. "It wasn't until three days later that the news that Beichen Immortal City had become a dead end truly reached us."

"It's being said that a giant ape carrying the sun and moon on its shoulders descended upon the Northern Territory, destroyed the Northern Celestial City, and proclaimed a decree."

Li Wangxiang felt a chill creep up his spine.

The strangeness and horror of the situation once again exceeded his comprehension.

"Carrying the sun and moon on his shoulders? A giant ape?"

"When has such a terrifyingly powerful being ever appeared among the demon race?"

'It can even reverse the celestial phenomena, causing the sun and moon to shift positions and remain suspended in the sky for three days without dissipating.'

'Just what level has this immense power reached?'

What concerned him even more was what that voice, which resounded throughout the Purple Star, had said.

"That imperial edict," Li Wangxiang said slowly, "do you still remember it?"

"I remember." The junior sister said almost without pausing. "The sound was so loud that the whole mountain was shaking. I still can't forget it."

She took a deep breath and repeated it word by word:

"In the past, when the heavens were in turmoil, the entire demon race refined their forms and merged with the true essence, transforming their qi into emptiness, and embodying the virtue of the Yin in creating all things."

Now that the calamities have been completely extinguished, the true spirit shall manifest itself before the moon, wielding the power of heavenly punishment and decisive action, and performing the work of manipulating creation, to atone for the destiny of the moon's attainment of immortality.

The moment the voice rang out, Li Wangxiang's mind went blank.

It was as if an invisible hand had suddenly plucked a string deep within my consciousness.

Those fragmented, indistinct, and strange dreams surged up once again.

"A change in the heavens is imminent, and destiny cannot be defied..."

"The Jianmu tree has withered, and heaven and earth are about to collapse..."

The coldness, majesty, anger, and clamor seemed to press down from across eternity, shaking his soul and making his vision slightly blurry.

Li Wangxiang gritted his teeth, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, as he forcefully suppressed the dizziness that threatened to plunge him back into a dream.

"Senior brother?" The junior sister, having received no response for a long time, became anxious. "Senior brother, what's wrong? Are you still there?"

Li Wangxiang closed his eyes, and after a few breaths, he focused his mind again:

"I am here."

"Senior brother, it's good that you're alive." The junior sister's voice calmed down. "You should hide first, and whatever you do, don't let anyone know you're still alive. This is too strange. I'll go knock on the gate and call Master out so we can discuss this—"

"No need to knock on the gate."

Li Wangxiang spoke quickly, his tone becoming noticeably somber. The person on the other end immediately fell silent.

He paused for a moment before continuing:

"Pretend you don't know I'm alive."

"But--"

"No buts." Li Wangxiang interrupted her. "Also, if you hear anything about me afterward, don't respond. Wait for my news."

There was a moment of silence on the junior sister's end, then her voice lowered:

"……good."

Li Wangxiang continued, "If Master emerges from seclusion, inform him immediately."

"I understand." The junior sister paused, then couldn't help asking, "And what about you, senior brother?"

Li Wangxiang gazed at the jade pendant in his palm, which was gradually heating up, and whispered:

"I know what I'm doing."

As soon as he finished speaking, he withdrew his spiritual power. The light on the jade piece trembled slightly and then went out.

Li Wangxiang slumped in place, remaining motionless for a long time.

The news brought by my junior sister was truly shocking.

Beichen Immortal City has become a dead zone.

He was the only one who came back alive.

Li Wangxiang slowly opened his palm, which was empty, but his knuckles tightened little by little.

Why him?

Why him of all people?

"Is it because of the magic mirror...?"

The moment the thought crossed his mind, he immediately accepted it.

It must be.

Otherwise, the decree wouldn't have stirred his dream so deeply that he almost fell into despair again just by hearing it.

This precious mirror never left him.

There must be some connection between the precious mirror, the Beichen Incident, and that imperial edict, which he has not yet figured out.

But right now, the most important thing is not to figure all of this out.

Rather, it's about what the Hall of Mastery is planning.

With Bei Chen all dead and only him alive, this matter naturally attracted attention; however, neither ordinary disciples nor stewards of the various halls had the right to punish a true disciple.

From beginning to end, only one person truly determined his life, death, advancement, and retreat—

Lord Huanyou, the master of the Hall of Martial Arts who commands the true disciples.

The terror of this great man is already a well-known fact in the ten-thousand-year-old tradition of the Tianxuan Sect.

No one knows its true identity:

Some say it is a rare treasure controlled by the sect leader, some say it is a spirit born from the mountain-protecting formation, and some say it is simply a shadow cast by the fortune of the Tianxuan Sect.

Regardless of its true form, no one has ever dared to underestimate its methods.

Its summons are never preceded by any warning, and they cannot be refused. No matter where one is, as long as it has the will, the summoned person's mind will be directly drawn into the Palm Martial Arts Hall in the next instant.

This constant scrutiny made every true disciple feel like they had a thorn in their side.

Lord Huanyou must know that he is still alive.

But to this day, there has been no movement from that side.

This silence itself is the answer.

It's not being shelved.

It's not forgetting.

Instead, they are waiting.

Wait until he wakes up on his own, until he thinks things through on his own, until he voluntarily leaves this cave and goes to the Hall of Mastery to give an explanation.

Thinking of this, Li Wangxiang slowly sat up straight.

His gaze slowly fell upon the layers of restrictions deep within the cave, then shifted to the tightly closed stone door.

The last trace of hesitation in his eyes finally faded away little by little.