The moon was bright, the stars sparse. Its cold, clear radiance fell upon an abandoned village, illuminating a lone, dry well.

RUSTLE—

A figure leaped deftly from the mouth of the well, landing steadily on the leaf-strewn ground.

Yet, the moment his feet were steady, before he could even brush the dust from his clothes, the Taixu Jade Order hanging at his waist began to tremble frantically, as if it had gone mad.

Spiritual Light flickered rapidly across the Jade Order’s surface, indicating a massive backlog of unread information.

"Hm?" Qi Yun was a little surprised.

’I feel like I spent barely half a day in Wenjian Forest. How could there be so many messages?’

He instinctively glanced up at the bright moon in the Celestial Vault and the clearly visible positions of the stars.

A strange look crossed Qi Yun’s eyes. He swiftly raised a hand to perform a finger divination, and his expression immediately turned to one of astonishment.

’I was in Wenjian Forest for less than half a day, all told...’

’But out here, more than two months have passed?!’

Even with his steady temperament, he couldn’t help but be startled.

Such a vast difference in the flow of time!

Wenjian Forest was truly remarkable; time within it passed far more slowly than in the outside world.

This was far beyond the means of any ordinary Cultivator or even a Sect. No wonder it was known as an ancient, long-fabled place of heritage.

Suppressing his shock, Qi Yun immediately submerged his Divine Sense into the Taixu Jade Order.

Instantly, hundreds of densely packed, shimmering runes from the Communication Talismans poured into his Sea of Consciousness like a flood.

He quickly scanned the information that had piled up over the past two months.

A small portion consisted of internal reports from the Holy Sect detailing the progress and results of recent attacks on the various Marketplaces and strongholds of the Yellow Springs Netherworld.

The results of the battles appeared to be substantial, throwing the rear lines of the Yellow Springs Netherworld into utter chaos.

But the vast majority of the messages repeated the same crucial piece of information, each more urgent and more shocking than the last—

The Battle of Pot Valley Has Erupted.

Word was that over a month ago, the standoff at Pot Valley had spiraled completely out of control.

Ten Foundation Establishment Masters from the Wuji Holy Sect and over fifteen from the Yellow Springs Netherworld had brazenly engaged in battle.

The power unleashed when Foundation Establishment Cultivators fight to the death is nothing short of apocalyptic.

The land in a thousand-li radius around Pot Valley had been razed to the ground!

Mountains crumbled, rivers were severed, and the very earth was torn asunder.

To this day, the region remains shrouded in violent, turbulent energies and the lingering aftershocks of Daoist Skills. All life has been extinguished, turning it into a terrifying dead zone.

But, more critically—in the midst of the Masters’ earth-shattering battle, the terrifying power unleashed by their clash forcibly ripped an unstable tear in the barrier to the Shiyi Realm known as the Yin Ruins!

Through that tear, the outside world caught a glimpse of the scene inside the Yin Ruins.

And what they saw caused an uproar among all who learned of it.

It also completely explained why the Yellow Springs Netherworld was so determined to claim this place, even at the cost of all-out war with the Holy Sect!

It turned out that within the Yin Ruins Shiyi Realm, there were none of the exotic plants or ancient immortal grottos typical of a Secret Realm.

Instead, what stood there was a primitive, vast temple that seemed to have been condensed from the earth itself...

’An Earth Temple...’ A glint flashed in Qi Yun’s eyes. He instantly understood.

’No wonder the Yellow Springs Netherworld is making such a big move, willing to face my Holy Sect in open war just to reclaim this Shiyi Realm. So this is the root of it all!’

The Earth Temple.

This object was not man-made, but a plot of Dao Soil nurtured by Heaven and Earth!

So-called Dao Soil is a strange, tangible entity with specific rules and miraculous properties, formed when the Power of Heaven and Earth and the Daoist Intent of the Great Dao condense to their absolute limit.

If the fusion of the Power of Heaven and Earth with Daoist Intent gives rise to Celestial and Earthly Spiritual Objects...

...then when such a Spiritual Object, or a condensation of them, reaches an ultimate state, it forms a Realm of its own. This is the even more profound Dao Soil.

According to ancient texts, a total of one hundred fifty-seven types of Dao Soil have been discovered and recorded to date.

And the Earth Temple is one of them!

It is formed from the condensation and evolution of the most refined and purest Earth Evil Qi over countless eons, and it most often takes the form of a temple.

’The Earth Temple contains the most refined, purest, almost primordial Earth Evil Qi!’ A sharp light flashed in Qi Yun’s eyes.

’If I can get inside and use it properly, I could directly extract pure Earth Evil Qi from the Earth Temple to open my acupoints!’

What did this mean?

It meant no longer having to travel far and wide, following the guide of an atlas to painstakingly search for specific Earth Demon Positions, only to then laboriously absorb and refine the Evil Qi within.

Inside the Earth Temple, one could obtain a continuous supply of exceptionally high-quality Earth Evil Qi. The cultivation speed for Hundred Acupoints Spirit Communication would increase ten-, even dozens of times over!

This wasn’t just an unparalleled benefit for an individual’s cultivation.

For any Sect, an Earth Temple was a strategic-level treasure capable of greatly strengthening the Sect’s foundation!

Controlling it would mean drastically shortening the cultivation time for Qi Refining Disciples, nurturing more Disciples to higher Realms, and leading to a qualitative leap in the Sect’s overall strength!

’The battle at Pot Valley, the rift in the Yin Ruins, the appearance of the Earth Temple... The waters of the Northwest Cultivation Realm have been thoroughly muddied. This might even trigger a storm of blood that sweeps across the entire Northwest.’

Qi Yun put away his Taixu Jade Order, his gaze somber as he stared into the distant night sky.

He had originally planned to deal with the matter of the Golden Ring, then continue his reclusive cultivation, absorbing Evil Qi.

But the appearance of the Earth Temple had undeniably disrupted his plans, bringing with it both unprecedented opportunity and risk.

’Getting too close to the action is a good way to get burned. The Earth Temple is no small matter. Now that it’s been exposed, I’m afraid it won’t just be my Holy Sect and the Yellow Springs Netherworld involved.’

’Other powers in the Northwest Cultivation Realm will likely catch wind of this and move in for a piece of the pie.’

’These muddy waters run deep.’

Beside the dry well under the moonlight, Qi Yun pondered for a long while before the calculating light in his eyes finally settled into tranquility.

The temptation of the Earth Temple was indeed immense.

It could save countless hours of painstaking travel and allow for the direct absorption of pure Earth Evil Qi.

For any Cultivator stuck at the bottleneck of the Hundred Acupoints Spirit Communication, it was an irresistible opportunity.

Yet, after careful consideration, Qi Yun suppressed the impulse stirring in his heart, his gaze clearing.

’An opportunity is only good if you’re alive to enjoy it.’

’Though I’m stuck at this Realm, my greatest advantage over the many Cultivators who have been trapped here for decades, or even centuries, is... time.’

He had only been cultivating for six or seven years at most; he wasn’t even thirty.

For a Qi Refining Cultivator with a lifespan of one hundred thirty-six years, he was absurdly young.

He still had a century ahead of him to use, to accumulate, to break through.

In contrast, at Pot Valley, Foundation Establishment Masters were now personally engaged in mortal combat, where the aftershocks alone could level a thousand li.

The appearance of the Earth Temple was like pouring water on a grease fire; it was bound to attract the gazes of every predator in the Northwest Land.

The place was now the center of a giant vortex, fraught with deadly peril.

If a Qi Refining Cultivator were to get caught up in it, the slightest misstep would mean being ground to dust—they might not even be qualified to serve as cannon fodder.

’Risking life and limb for a small gain is unwise.’ Qi Yun’s conviction solidified.

He had his Magic Technique Panel, the Stealing and Swallowing Gu to aid his cultivation, the miraculous Devouring Essence for rapid accumulation, and the Secret Manual of the Northwest Celestial Spirits and Earthly Fiends to guide his path. His step-by-step progress was already quite fast.

There was simply no need to wade into those waters, which were destined to be a bloodbath.

Once his mind was made up, he no longer hesitated.

His figure blurred, and he transformed back into the inconspicuous ’Zhang Mazi.’ Holding the Soul Refining Banner, he melted into the night and slipped away toward the next Earth Demon Acupoint marked in the atlas of the Essentials.

He had chosen the safest path, the one that suited him best.

He would continue seeking the lands of Celestial Spirits and Earth Fiends, taking one step at a time, methodically opening his acupoints through Qi Refining.

...

Time flew. While Qi Yun was engrossed in searching for Evil Points among the mountains and great marshes of the Northwest, silently accumulating power and opening the acupoints in his body one by one...

...the storm in the Northwest Cultivation Realm was brewing ever more fiercely.

And at its center was Pot Valley!

The temptation of the Earth Temple was something no power could ignore.

At first, it was just a fierce conflict between the Wuji Holy Sect and the Yellow Springs Netherworld.

But once the tear in the Yin Ruins Shiyi Realm appeared and confirmed news of the Earth Temple’s existence spread...

The entire Northwest Cultivation Realm was shaken!

More and more Sects and Noble Families of cultivators began to converge on the Pot Valley region, like sharks drawn to blood.

At first, it was only some small and mid-sized factions trying to fish in troubled waters for a slice of the pie.

But soon, the true heavyweights could no longer stand idly by.

The Cyan Sect!

Fengduo!

These two behemoths, who held dominion over the Northwest and whose strength and heritage were in no way inferior to the Wuji Holy Sect or the Yellow Springs Netherworld, could also no longer restrain themselves. One after another, they dispatched elite disciples, and even had Foundation Establishment Masters secretly arrive at the periphery of Pot Valley.

They had made their intentions to meddle clear!

Who wouldn’t be tempted by a Dao Soil that could strengthen their Sect’s foundation?

Both the Cyan Sect and Fengduo had vast numbers of disciples who needed to pass the trial of the Hundred Acupoints Spirit Communication.

If they could control an Earth Temple, it meant their Sect’s mid-tier strength would see a qualitative leap over the next several centuries.

As one rose and others fell, it could have a profound impact on the entire political landscape of the Northwest.

The Pot Valley region had become the focal point for the entire Northwest Cultivation Realm.

The various factions were intricately entangled, struggling both openly and in the shadows. The situation had become extremely complex and tense.

The small Pot Valley was like a massive powder keg; the slightest spark could set off a chain reaction, threatening to erupt at any moment into a cataclysmic war that would engulf the entire Northwest.

And all this clamor and danger had nothing to do with Qi Yun, who had long since departed and was now cultivating in seclusion.

He continued to wander through desolate mountains and deep ravines, steadily improving his strength at his own pace.

Occasionally, he would learn of the growing chaos in Pot Valley through his Taixu Jade Order, but he would only offer a faint smile before continuing his journey of seeking out Evil Qi to open his acupoints.

...