Deep within Liuxian Valley.
The miasma was like ink, never dispersing throughout the year.
Inside a hidden Immortal Cave, the stone door was thick and heavy, exuding a chilling aura.
Two grey-bristled wolf demons, expressionless, hauled the elderly man of the Human Race and strode into the Immortal Cave.
Passing through the dark, winding stone path, the two demons stopped in front of a cage covered in Restrictions.
The jackal-wolf demon tossed him aside casually.
Bang!
The old man was smashed heavily into the depths of the cage like a piece of broken wood.
The stone door slammed shut with a boom.
The two Great Demons of the Eight Chess Pieces of Strategy turned and left, their footsteps fading away in the dark stone path until they vanished completely.
The old man lay on the cold stone floor, gasping for breath.
A long time passed.
Confirming there was no more movement around him, he finally dared to shakily prop himself up with his arms and stood up with difficulty.
Looking around with uncertainty, the cage was not large, and the four walls were built from some kind of black stone.
A faint fluorescent light emanated from some unknown moss in the corner, barely illuminating this small space.
Only at this moment.
Did the old man see clearly.
Inside this cage, he was actually not the only one.
In the shadows of the corner.
Another figure was lying quietly.
That person was in tattered clothes, disheveled, covered in dried blood, and motionless, not knowing whether they were dead or alive.
"Hmm?"
The old man frowned slightly.
He instinctively moved forward two steps, wanting to see the person's face clearly.
By the faint fluorescent light.
The old man saw the large part of the face covered by messy hair clearly.
He suddenly froze in place, rubbing his eyes in confusion.
Even though he had already entered the Chess Master Realm, he still could not believe his eyes at this moment.
"True Lord Xuan Yang..."
The old man's voice was hoarse, carrying a trace of undisguisable trembling.
"You are here too?"
Hearing this familiar name.
The figure lying on the ground in the corner suddenly shuddered.
As if hearing some unbelievable voice.
That person turned their head with difficulty and raised their eyes.
"You..."
"Old Ancestor Xuanming?"
Inside the cage.
It fell into dead silence again.
The two old men stood a few steps apart, their eyes meeting.
Both saw shock and bitterness in the other's eyes.
"I really didn't expect..."
True Lord Xuan Yang smiled bitterly: "That you and I would finally reunite in such a situation."
Old Ancestor Xuanming remained silent.
He stumbled to the side of True Lord Xuan Yang and sat down dejectedly.
"What exactly is going on? How did you also fall into the hands of these demons?"
True Lord Xuan Yang tugged at his cracked lips, pulling out an ugly smile: "What else could it be..."
As he spoke, he changed to a slightly more comfortable position, leaning against the corner.
"Back then, when the Star Palace opened and the Heavenly Gate pierced through, you and I both thought this was the Dao to the heavens. I broke through the realm and arrived, landing in the southern part of this Yunmeng Township."
He looked up at the pitch-black dome.
"I inquired many times and learned that this Yunmeng Township has the Nine Great Dao Sects."
"I originally thought that with the foundation of The Main Seats from our world, where could we not shine brightly?"
"Hearing that the Jieqing Sect was just outside this southern Great Marsh, I intended to head to the Jieqing Sect."
"As a result... before I even reached the territory of the Jieqing Sect, I was blocked by a few demons."
"Those Beasts had terrifyingly high cultivation, and their methods were unheard of."
"I didn't even have room to resist before being directly suppressed and thrown here."
Old Ancestor Xuanming listened and remained silent for a long time.
He looked down at the hemp rope on his body and smiled bitterly: "I'm not much better off... A few days after landing, I was entangled by an Old Dog Demon. That old dog looked withered and aged, but when it started moving, it was extremely fierce. I tried my best, exhausted all my trump cards, but still couldn't defeat it..."
The cage fell into a long, dead silence.
Once upon a time.
In their original world.
Xuanming and Xuan Yang, these two great imperial The Main Seats, were both supreme figures, high above and covering the sky with one hand.
They were gods in the clouds looked up to by countless Cultivators.
Later.
The Star Palace opened, and the Heavenly Gate pierced through.
Filled with a longing for a higher Dao, they resolutely broke through the barriers of their world and stepped into this vast, boundless Yunmeng Township.
They thought it would be like a Dragon swimming in the sea, a Phoenix dancing in the Nine Heavens.
Who would have thought.
The water in this Yunmeng Township was actually this deep.
Once supreme great experts.
Now.
Both had been reduced to prisoners in this dark cage.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
True Lord Xuan Yang suddenly raised his head and stared straight at Xuanming: "Have you noticed something wrong?"
Old Ancestor Xuanming frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
True Lord Xuan Yang lowered his voice and leaned in closer: "I once heard the demons who captured me mention that the person behind them is some Second Young Master... This Yunmeng Township is so vast, with countless Cultivators, why is it that only you and I were captured and brought here?"
Old Ancestor Xuanming's heart shook.
"You mean..."
True Lord Xuan Yang nodded: "This is definitely not a coincidence. You and I are both 'outsiders' who broke through the realm from that world. This Second Young Master went to great lengths to specifically capture us realm-breaking Cultivators; there must be some plot."
Old Ancestor Xuanming's face turned ashen, and he hurriedly asked: "Just who is that Second Young Master?"
True Lord Xuan Yang shook his head.
"How would I know... I only heard the demons mention it once while chatting; how would I know what his background is..."
"Sigh..."
A long sigh echoed in the dark cage.
Old Ancestor Xuanming silently closed his mouth.
He no longer pursued the identity of that Second Young Master.
No matter what the other party's background was... it was not something they could afford to provoke now.
Even the demons under his command were this terrifying; the methods and foundation of that Second Young Master were likely even more unfathomable.
True Lord Xuan Yang lowered his head, his messy white hair covering most of his face.
He sighed with emotion: "I originally thought that the two of us had reached the summit in that world, and by breaking through the Heavenly Gate, we would be able to find a glimmer of the Dao of Immortality in this Yunmeng Township."
"But I never expected that we would be so vulnerable."
The old man smiled self-deprecatingly, his laughter hoarse, filled with endless sorrow.
"In the end, it was you and I who sat in the well and looked at the sky, becoming those frogs at the bottom of the well who didn't know the height of the sky and the depth of the earth."
"If I had known this... it would have been better to stay in that world... why come to this place and suffer this humiliation."
Having reached their level in cultivation, they actually knew long ago.
The struggle for the Dao is inherently like sailing against the current, with thorns at every step.
Since they chose to break the realm and Ascend to pursue a higher Dao, they must be prepared for their bodies to die and their Dao to dissipate; there was nothing to complain about.
But when it really reached this point.
Falling from high above to being trampled upon at will.
This violent reversal of heaven and earth.
Still caused these two former supreme great experts to feel a sense of dislocation in their state of mind that was difficult to smooth over.
Both closed their eyes, thinking with hearts as dead as ashes.
No one spoke anymore.
Was the world of Yunmeng Township just too vast... No matter how outstanding one's talent was, or how brilliant one was in that small world.
How could they stand firm in this Yunmeng Township where dragons hide and tigers crouch?