Cangyuan 1135, October 23rd.

It is just one month and twenty-three days since the fall of the Liang Kingdom, and on this day, too many events shook the entire Cangyuan.

The most influential event was naturally the formal declaration of war between the Martial Saint Pavilion and the Mystic God Daoist Sect.

The truth of Martial Saint’s demise is unclear, and Lv Zhexiong, who was rumored to be dead, has now ascended to the Daoist Shore Realm. The circumstances are muddled and opinions vary, with no one knowing which is true.

But the loss of Martial Saint and his two True Disciples genuinely caused unrest and even a split within the Martial Saint Pavilion.

The Martial Saint Pavilion was originally established due to the reverence for Martial Saint.

The almost defeated Wen Hongsheng could not suppress the scattered hearts, and the Pavilion immediately split into three factions.

One faction believed the saying "Saints do not enter reincarnation" and chose to await the return of Martial Saint, searching for his reincarnated person.

One faction vaguely learned of Martial Saint’s calculations at the Pinggu Battlefield, became extremely disappointed, and chose to leave on their own.

However, another faction is quite intriguing.

Cang Xing, the Sect Leader of the Yang Kingdom’s Mei Sect, claims that Martial Saint is not dead and even left behind a divine incarnation capable of leading the Martial Saint Pavilion once more.

The members of the Martial Saint Pavilion are naturally skeptical, but it’s said that whoever visits the Yang Kingdom out of curiosity or doubt and sees the Martial Saint’s divine incarnation, immediately declares it to be the true Martial Saint.

Because this Martial Saint indeed demonstrated the "domineering" Dao Realm technique, impossible to mistake for any Pavilion member!

This new "Martial Saint" is named Mo Xu.

The very person who was once possessed by Mu Zhao, sacrificing his entire meridians while in seclusion to "kill" Chen Kuang.

As for the Mystic God Daoist Sect, they naturally joined other sects to publicize Mu Zhao’s scheming that day and initiated a crusade.

No one knows why the Earth Spirit Daoist Monarch Lv Zhexiong, who appeared in the territory of the Liang Kingdom after the battle, rose to fame as the newly ascended Daoist Shore Realm, dubbed "Heart Saint."

Another significant news is the sudden disappearance of the Pinggu Battlefield, which has existed since ancient times.

The major sects have different stances on this, and most chose silence, but the Zhou Kingdom and Martial Saint Pavilion insist that the resurrected Chen Kuang stole the core of Pinggu Battlefield, causing its sudden disappearance.

They seem to want to justify Martial Saint’s and their own Eldest Princess’s actions with some reasons.

However, Chen Kuang, at the center of this whirlwind, disappeared at this critical moment...

...

Liang Kingdom, Chen Mansion.

Chen Ning held a teacup, gently exhaling a wisp of mist, furtively glancing at the Daoist Nun sitting at the head.

That is...a Saint.

Although grateful for her rescue, knowing her identity still filled him with irrepressible surprise and shock.

This is a living Saint!

Not to mention ordinary people; even cultivators find them an unreachable celestial presence.

Yet now, she sits in the hall, a faint smile on her face, chatting with Chen Rong and Gan Tang.

If not for their own eyes witnessing the Daoist Nun descend from the sky, merely walking in as those Death Warriors immediately fell dead... Lv Zhexiong would seem like an ordinary wandering Kun Dao.

However... truly beautiful.

Chen Ning secretly thought.

The Daoist Nun at the head wore only a plain Daoist Robe, yet her unmatched elegance lit up the entire hall.

Big Brother is amazing; he actually invited a Saint for help!

Chen Ning felt more admiration.

"Thank you, Saint, for the rescue!"

Chen Rong didn’t know how many times he’d repeated this.

Lv Zhexiong just subtly smiled: "No need; I promised to do what is within Chen Kuang’s bounds."

Chen Rong politely exchanged a few more words, stopping only when Gan Tang pulled him aside.

Gan Tang couldn’t help asking:

"Saint, how is Kuang’er now?"

Lv Zhexiong thought momentarily and said: "His life is not in danger."

Gan Tang sighed in relief but wanted to ask further, fearing unsettling news.

She doesn’t understand the cultivation matters, only thinking: as long as he’s safe...

Lv Zhexiong stood up, and the Chen Family wanted to see her off but were stopped:

"I still need to stay here for a while, no need for farewell."

Chen Rong stunned, joyfully said:

"It’s an honor for the Saint to stay at our humble abode... An’Er, hurry and arrange a room."

Lv Zhexiong’s eyes flickered, smiling:

"No need for trouble; where does Chen Kuang usually reside? I’ll stay there."

The Chen Family instantly pondered.

"This..."

Although a Saint is a Saint, in the end, genders are different; how can a Saint be allowed to stay in a man’s room?

But this is a request made personally by the Saint, how could they refute it?

The atmosphere became somewhat delicate.

Chen Ning blinked, suddenly conjuring bold ideas.

Ideas so bold they seemed absurd...but for some reason, whenever she thought of her elder brother, they didn’t seem so strange.

As if enlightened, Chen Ning immediately stepped forward and said, "Saint, please follow me, my elder brother’s room is in the East Wing, it’s been cleaned very well!"

Lv Zhexiong remained calm, smiled, and nodded: "Thank you for leading the way."

Chen Ning blinked at her parents and made a strong gesture with her eyes.

But whether they understood or not, that was not her concern...

...

Outside the Chen Mansion.

Zhou Yanwei clutched his chest, smiling bitterly:

"Brother Lin, your plan almost got me killed."

Lin Er You chuckled and said:

"But you didn’t die, right? As the saying goes, fortune comes at the risk of danger."

Zhou Yanwei’s face darkened: "Have you forgotten the rest of the saying—"

He sighed: "Fortune comes at the risk of danger, yet is also lost in danger."

"If Brother Chen hadn’t picked up on my hints, we’d be doomed today!"

Lin Er You, calm as ever, said: "He would notice because he is Chen Kuang."

"Look, the hidden death warriors have been cleared out, His Majesty trusts you completely, and has chosen to officially entrust the entire Liang Kingdom to you—it’s the perfect moment for us."

The two of them looked up, the snow falling even heavier.

...

Northern Plains.

Countless armies and cultivators converged towards the Northern Defense Line from all directions, with death transforming from a thread to a blood-red jigsaw puzzle, the heavy scent of blood even seeping into the hundreds of meters thick frozen soil.

Yet the Northern Defense Line continued to retreat, collapsing.

Due to one fatal decision by King of Zhou and Qi, Ji Wenxuan, that tore open a gap, the situation on the battlefield has become nearly irreversible. But with cultivators constantly replenishing from the rear, and with Xunmi Mountain as a natural barrier, the main forces of the Night Barbarians still cannot penetrate the Central Domain.

On the boundless snow-white frozen tundra, the winds swept wild and harsh, silently blowing over everything.

Apart from the abandoned remnants of old structures and occasional passing beasts, there were no living beings in sight.

"Hm hm hm~"

A casual hum suddenly echoed across the ice plain, drawing near from a distance.

Accompanied by the sight of a little girl wrapped in thick fur, bouncing along.

The girl’s delicate fair face was charmingly clear, adorned with a cunning smile.

Yet her eyes, radiant like molten gold, seemed unreadable, oozing endless wickedness.

The girl’s bare feet stepped upon the ice, her toes resembling pearls stained with faint redness from the cold, her slender legs elegantly balanced, every bone and muscle in place.

For ordinary people, the cold would have torn their flesh apart, but she seemed utterly unbothered.

If Chen Kuang were here, he’d surely recognize her as the little maid from Xuni Pavilion—Lianmi.

Lianmi hummed a tune as she reached the cliff adorned with a thick layer of ice.

This was the edge of the Northern Plains, beyond was the thousands-meter-high Xunmi Mountain.

She had single-handedly traversed the entire Northern Defense Line!

The girl lifted her gaze, her golden eyes reflecting the gigantic, seemingly endless mountain range.

She murmured, "Granny Weiran, this is the obstacle blocking our path, yet today, it shall be no more."

The girl extended her hand, pressing it against the cliff, her voice mixing countless male and female tones, becoming eerily bizarre yet immensely authoritative:

"The demons shall descend, bound to annihilate everything..."

"Boom... boom boom..."

A colossal sound akin to falling thunder erupted, echoing through the sky.

"Crack... crackle..."

Countless fissures appeared on the cliff, densely packed, endless, stretching from the base to the summit.

Until the first massive rock shattered away, plummeting down.

That grand mountain crumbled like sand.

Collapsed.

...

Cangyuan 1135, October 23rd.

Xunmi Mountain collapsed, the Northern Defense Line fell completely, seventy-two tribes of Night Barbarians launched a major invasion, nations were alarmed, the Central Domain plunged into turmoil.