As the Qian Patriarch brought Qian Feng out of the ancestral tomb, the hidden formations gradually dimmed.
The ancient runes vanished once more beneath layers of concealment.
The hidden chamber disappeared.
The stone walls sealed themselves.
Everything returned to normal.
To an outsider, nothing seemed unusual.
The Qian Patriarch nodded slightly.
"Remember what you've heard tonight."
Qian Feng lowered his head.
"I understand."
The older man smiled faintly before leading his son away.
Neither noticed that a shadow had already departed.
Far away.
Deep within the darkness.
A figure shot through the forest at astonishing speed.
Branches snapped.
Leaves scattered.
Yet the figure never slowed.
Gu Qing's heart pounded violently.
Her beautiful face was filled with excitement.
No.
Ecstasy.
The kind that appeared only when a cultivator discovered an opportunity capable of changing their fate.
Cross-continental teleportation formation.
An unknown continent.
The inheritance of a Purple Palace founder.
The possibility of resources beyond the Eastern Region.
Every piece of information was enough to drive ordinary cultivators mad.
Combined together?
Even Nascent Soul cultivators might become interested.
Her breathing gradually became heavier.
The further she traveled, the brighter her eyes became.
For years she had cultivated diligently.
For years she had followed her master's instructions.
For years she had advanced steadily.
Yet she understood something clearly.
Talent alone wasn't enough.
Resources alone weren't enough.
Many geniuses eventually became ordinary.
Many talented cultivators eventually died.
What separated legends from ordinary cultivators was opportunity.
And now—
She had found one.
Her first instinct was obvious.
Report everything.
Inform her master.
Allow the sect to investigate.
Allow stronger experts to act.
Yet the moment that thought appeared, she immediately suppressed it.
Her expression darkened.
No.
Absolutely not.
Others might trust their masters blindly.
She didn't.
At least not anymore.
Gu Qing knew her master extremely well.
He had indeed treated her kindly.
Provided resources.
Provided protection.
Provided cultivation methods.
Yet all of those things stemmed from one fact.
She was useful.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
If she handed over such a secret...
Would her master reward her?
Perhaps.
Would he value her contribution?
Possibly.
Would he allow her to share the opportunity?
Absolutely not.
The moment she finished speaking, she would become the greatest threat to secrecy.
The fewer people who knew, the safer the secret remained.
And dead people kept secrets perfectly.
The thought sent a chill down her spine.
No.
She could not tell him.
Not yet.
At least not until she secured enough benefits for herself.
Yet another problem quickly emerged.
Without her master's help, how would she proceed?
The Qian Family clearly possessed information unavailable to outsiders.
The Patriarch's jade slip.
The ancestral records.
The hidden chamber.
Even if she knew the island existed, she still lacked crucial clues.
After all—
Multiple generations of Qian Patriarchs had searched.
And failed.
The Southern Archipelagos weren't a small region.
They were vast beyond imagination.
Countless islands.
Countless seas.
Countless dangers.
Many maps remained incomplete.
Entire islands disappeared beneath storms or sea beast attacks.
Even powerful cultivators frequently vanished there.
Traveling by sea was incredibly dangerous.
Sea Yao Beasts ruled the oceans.
Their numbers exceeded those found on land.
Their strength was equally terrifying.
Even Foundation Establishment cultivators could easily become prey.
Only specially designed airships regularly crossed such distances.
And even then, many never returned.
The deeper she thought, the more complicated the situation became.
Opportunity existed.
Yet obtaining it remained another matter entirely.
...
So focused on her thoughts was she that she failed to notice her surroundings.
The forest around her gradually changed.
Trees became scorched.
Several trunks had been sliced apart.
The ground itself contained deep cracks.
Signs of battle.
Fresh signs.
By the time Gu Qing noticed, it was already too late.
A palm strike suddenly erupted from the darkness.
Boom!
Scorching Gangqi exploded through the air.
The attack appeared without warning.
The speed exceeded her expectations entirely.
Years of combat experience saved her life.
Her body twisted instinctively.
The palm barely missed her shoulder.
Instead—
It struck the forest behind her.
A deafening explosion followed.
Several massive trees instantly shattered.
Splinters flew everywhere.
The shockwave flattened nearby vegetation.
Gu Qing's pupils contracted.
Someone had been waiting.
Someone had followed her.
Or perhaps—
Someone had noticed her much earlier.
Before she could fully recover, the surrounding Spiritual Qi suddenly surged.
A terrifying pressure descended.
The air itself seemed to ignite.
The gathered Spiritual Qi condensed into a massive blade of flame.
Ten meters long.
Burning brightly beneath the moonlight.
The fiery blade descended.
Fast.
Heavy.
Merciless.
Gu Qing's expression changed immediately.
She abandoned all thoughts of concealment.
A pearl-shaped artifact instantly flew from her sleeve.
The artifact expanded rapidly.
Layers of defensive light enveloped her body.
The next moment—
The blade arrived.
Clang!
An enormous collision erupted.
Flames exploded in every direction.
The defensive barrier trembled violently.
The fiery blade pushed downward.
The pearl resisted desperately.
Neither side moved.
For several breaths.
Then—
Boom!
The blade exploded.
The resulting shockwave swallowed the surrounding area.
The defensive barrier cracked.
Fragments of light scattered throughout the forest.
Yet it held.
Barely.
Gu Qing landed heavily on the ground.
Her expression became ugly.
The pearl had saved her life.
But its stored energy had been exhausted.
The defensive artifact was effectively useless now.
A treasure capable of blocking Foundation Establishment attacks had been consumed within moments.
Her eyes swept across the darkness.
Searching.
Waiting.
Then footsteps echoed softly.
A figure emerged from the shadows.
A young man.
Tall.
Calm.
A saber hung from his waist.
Moonlight illuminated his face.
Gu Qing immediately recognized him.
Lin Shou.
One of the participants from the Jade Haven Competition.
One of the Lin Family's most talented martial artists.
The person who had comprehended Martial Intent.
Her heart sank slightly.
Of all people.
Why him?
Then another realization appeared.
His eyes showed vigilance.
Killing intent.
Yet not recognition.
He didn't know who she was.
The concealment treasure still worked.
At least partially.
Good.
That meant her identity remained safe.
If she escaped now, everything remained recoverable.
Unfortunately—
Lin Shou had no intention of allowing that.
The moment their eyes met, he moved.
No hesitation.
No conversation.
No questioning.
His figure blurred.
A crimson radiance erupted around him.
The surrounding Spiritual Qi immediately responded.
Gathering.
Compressing.
Obeying.
The sight immediately shocked Gu Qing.
Martial Intent.
No wonder the rumors surrounding him had become increasingly exaggerated.
The radiance intensified.
Like a rising sun.
Like a blade forged from dawn itself.
Then Lin Shou's voice rang out.
"Tiangang Saber!"
The saber left its sheath.
A single slash.
Nothing fancy.
Nothing complicated.
Yet the moment it appeared, the surrounding Spiritual Qi seemed to explode.
A wave of destructive force surged toward her.
Gu Qing immediately activated movement techniques.
Several talismans shattered.
Defensive spells appeared.
Yet the attack still arrived.
Boom!
The shockwave struck her directly.
Her body flew backward.
Pain spread throughout her chest.
Blood surged within her throat.
Though she managed to suppress it.
The attack had wounded her.
Not severely.
But enough.
Most importantly—
It confirmed something.
Lin Shou wasn't an ordinary Xuan Gang cultivator anymore.
His combat power had become absurd.
Especially after comprehending Martial Intent.
A direct battle would be foolish.
Thus she immediately chose the only sensible option.
Retreat.
Using the force from the attack, she redirected her movement.
Her figure shot deeper into the forest.
Fast.
Extremely fast.
The distance between them widened rapidly.
For a moment, it seemed she would escape.
Then—
A jade talisman activated. From the pressure... at least Rank-2 High Grade. Can't dodge...
Lin Shou's expression immediately changed.
"Shit!"
The curse escaped instinctively.
The talisman exploded.
An icy spear materialized.
Unlike ordinary talismans, this one possessed astonishing power.
Foundation Establishment power.
The spear appeared directly before him.
There was no time to dodge.
Boom!
The ice spear collided with his Gangqi Barrier.
The barrier shattered instantly.
Fragments of frozen energy scattered everywhere.
The remaining force struck his chest.
Lin Shou staggered backward.
The surrounding temperature plummeted.
Frost spread rapidly.
Ice expanded across his body.
Before he could fully react, the freezing energy swallowed him completely.
Crunch!
A massive block of ice formed around him.
The forest instantly became silent.
...
Far away.
Gu Qing finally stopped.
Breathing heavily.
Her robes had become slightly damaged.
Several strands of hair were disheveled.
Yet relief appeared within her eyes.
She had escaped.
The talisman had worked perfectly.
The spear possessed enough power to threaten even Late stage Xuan Gang cultivators.
A martial artist trapped by such an attack should already be dead.
Or close to it.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"What a pity."
Such talent.
Such potential.
Yet destined to die young.
The cultivation world had always been cruel.
Countless geniuses disappeared before reaching greatness.
Lin Shou would simply become another example.
Without wasting further time, Gu Qing disappeared deeper into the forest.
The opportunity before her was far too important.
Every moment mattered.
She couldn't afford delays.
Not now.
Not when fate had finally revealed a path forward.
...
Several minutes later.
Crack.
A faint sound echoed through the frozen forest.
Then another.
Then another.
The massive block of ice began trembling.
Tiny cracks spread across its surface.
Within the frozen prison, a crimson glow gradually emerged.
Warm.
Bright.
Persistent.
The ice slowly began melting.
Steam rose continuously.
A hand moved.
Then another.
The glow intensified.
The frozen prison groaned under increasing pressure.
Lin Shou's eyes opened.
Cold killing intent flashed within them. Thankfully his martial skill activated last second.
The person had escaped.