Just as the Flood Dragon was being flayed in Su Yang City, and heaven and earth trembled over Bibo Lake.

Far, far away, tens of thousands of miles from Su Yang City, atop the cloud-shrouded Xuanling Peak, a white-bearded old man suddenly opened his eyes—eyes as empty and vast as the Abyss!

He gazed beyond the endless clouds, toward the boundless, star-filled expanse invisible in the daylight...

A low voice drifted from the peak, echoing softly, "The Great Zhou... the Starfall Era... is about to begin!"

The next moment, more than a dozen brilliant figures rose from all corners of the Xuanling Mountain Range.

These figures commanded unique Escape Lights. Some rode on a Sword of Command, some were Cloud Stepping, some had Spiritual Crane mounts, some traveled on a Cloud Plate Jade Palace, some were wreathed in Flower Branches, and others were accompanied by the Star Moon...

Each one radiated Immortal Energy, yet they moved with incredible speed.

Like a shower of stars breaking through the sky above the Immortal Mountain, they landed in unison, in the blink of an eye, on Bright Sun Peak—the very heart of the Xuanling Mountain Range.

These magnificent figures were the Xuanling Thirteen Immortals, renowned throughout the Great Zhou World and even across the Demon Country!

Among the thirteen, the leader—Master Yun He, Sect Leader of the Profound Spirit Sect—asked in alarm, "Ancestor Master Xi Yi, the Starfall Era... what does that mean?"

On the peak, the white-bearded elder with vacant eyes pointed a hand toward the south and said slowly, "In the southern skies, a Flood Dragon sheds its blood. A disaster born of deep affection... So be it. It is the inexorable tide of fate. Eight thousand years... No one can escape it..."

His soft words, spoken on the distant Xuanling Mountain, did not travel beyond its peaks.

But at that very same moment, Ancestor Master Xi Yi on Xuanling Mountain was not the only one to be disturbed.

In the depths of the East Sea, within the Crystal Palace, a True Dragon stirred. His antlers breached the water as the old dragon raised his head and declared, "That Flood Dragon in Bibo Lake is finally getting his retribution!"

As the dragon’s head spoke, the ocean waves trembled, and countless Water Demons went belly-up in an instant. The old dragon, however, paid them no mind. Instead, he suddenly opened his mouth, and an endless, terrifying suction force erupted from his maw.

AH! AHH! AHHH—

Countless Sea Demons shrieked, but they were ultimately reduced to the most humble of meals in the deep-sea vortex, vanishing into the True Dragon’s giant mouth, which was like a bottomless Abyss.

The True Dragon took a few bites, then exhaled, spraying dozens, even hundreds of figures out from his nostrils.

These "scraps" who had survived the ordeal didn’t even have time to steady themselves in the churning currents or celebrate their narrow escape before the blast from the True Dragon’s breath sent them flying for thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of miles.

The True Dragon submerged again, and the ocean waves calmed once more.

An aftershock, a tremor, seemed to originate from that moment, slowly spreading across the entire world.

At that time, some were shaken to their core, some remained blissfully ignorant, some knew what was happening but not why, and some, seeing a mere fragment of the truth, thought they had devised a master plan, when in reality they were just like headless flies caught in a web, darting about in chaos...

In the Demon Country, the Demons gathered and roared.

Within the Demon Realm, Demons danced in wild abandon.

Yet more people saw but a single spot, failing to see the whole leopard. In this bustling, mortal world, they paid no heed to the future, focusing only on the present.

But how far away was the future?

Those who do not stand on the mountaintop can never truly see it.

Su Yang City, Bibo Lake.

Song Ciwan had collected about a hundred catties of Dragon Blood when she hastily put away the Heaven and Earth Scale. Pushing Escape into the Night to its absolute limit, she sped toward the location of Aunt Zhou, which she tracked via the Puppet Mark.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want more; it was because she had sensed her Paper Soul Puppet being triggered for the third time!

No matter what, protecting Aunt Zhou was more important to Song Ciwan right now. For that, she was willing to decisively give up a fortuitous opportunity like the Dragon Blood.

This was a matter of priorities!

But that wasn’t to say Song Ciwan had lost out. Just as she swam away from the center of the lake, diving toward the fissures along the shore, the Flood Dragon in the sky—which had already been sliced into silence by a thousand Wind Blades—somehow managed to draw another breath.

Its draconic mouth opened, and it let out a cry of shock, fury, and grief. "Is it you? Ming Zhu..."

But it couldn’t finish the sentence before it let out another miserable, painful groan.

Then, golden blood began to drip from its mouth.

The torrents of Dragon Blood that had rained down earlier were a dark crimson.

Though great in volume, that crimson blood was merely ordinary Dragon Blood. For the Bibo Lake Flood Dragon, whose massive body could stretch for dozens of miles, losing that much for several more days would at most have damaged its Vitality; it wouldn’t have harmed its essence or foundation.

However, the Golden Dragon Blood now was different.

Golden Dragon Blood was the Flood Dragon’s heart-blood. The Bi Bo Lake Dragon King might have seemed enormous, but in reality, he had only managed to refine a few hundred drops of this Golden Blood over several thousand years.

Losing a single drop would weaken him to his very core.

The potency of this Golden Blood was more than any ordinary person could bear.

Even Ma Mian, the City God’s incarnation, shrieked the moment the Golden Blood fell. He instantly retracted his gloomy gray pouch and fled, scrambling away in a complete panic.

Ma Mian had no regard for his image, and fled, screeching and hollering.

Pity the other official, Fang Jintai, the Sixth Grade County Magistrate of Su Yang City. He wasn’t as quick to react as the City God. A single drop of Golden Blood grazed him, and with a SIZZLE, an entire arm was corroded away!

If not for the glorious, clear light that his Official Seal had instantly released to block the rest of the Golden Blood’s damage, Fang Jintai would have paid a far greater price than just an arm.

Fang Jintai also screamed and fled for his life.

With both of them gone, there was no need to even mention the other Cultivators and Water Demons.

As the Golden Blood descended, the waters of Bibo Lake rapidly evaporated. The Water Demons who had previously bathed in the ordinary Dragon Blood and survived could not withstand the potency of the Golden Blood, and in moments, scores of them were dead or wounded.

Ordinary Cultivators also died in droves, completely unable to escape or hide.

As Fang Jintai flew off, the City God, Ma Mian, returned to his post. His rough voice boomed across the sky, tinged with a faint, hard-to-detect panic. "Bibo Lake is turning anomalous! Fang Jintai, use your seal to raise the Array, now! Are you really going to let the people of this entire city be devoured by this anomaly?"

Fang Jintai, already disheveled from his escape and now goaded by the City God, had long since lost his earlier composure.

He was furious but dared not delay. He couldn’t help but let a curse fly, "What fucking bullshit! Who says I’m going to let the people come to harm?"

As he spoke, the Official Seal under his command soared high into the sky, casting down waves of brilliant, clear light.

Within the clear light, a phantasmal image of the entire Su Yang City flickered into view. To the west, the turmoil over Bibo Lake caused the image to sway violently, as if it were about to break through the shroud of light!

Fang Jintai bit his tongue, spat out a mouthful of blood, and roared, "By the might of the nation’s fate, protect my people! With my seal, I bind this space... Settle!"

Did it settle?

It did not!

Within the phantasmal image, the shaking of Bibo Lake grew even more terrifying. From the mountains and waters surrounding Su Yang City, countless tendrils seemed to writhe forth, threatening to shake apart and devour the lonely city nestled in their embrace.

Fang Jintai roared, "Liu City God! You, surnamed Liu! Aren’t you going to do something?"