Having successfully snatched the Ghost Gate Saliva from the Cyan Sect Master, Qi Yun returned to the skies above the ruins of the Zombie Alliance Headquarters, continuing to lie in wait.

Four or five months had now passed since the collapse of the Zombie Alliance.

After this period of observation, more and more Foundation Establishment Masters began to appear. Their auras, some overt and some hidden, intertwined over this scorched earth, making the atmosphere increasingly treacherous and unpredictable.

After all, the Zombie Alliance had once been an undisputed second-tier top power in the Northwest Cultivation Realm, with a profound heritage.

It was weaker only than the four great titans: the Wuji Holy Sect, the Yellow Springs Netherworld, the Cyan Sect, and Fengduo.

When a whale falls, ten thousand things are born.

Such a once-in-a-millennium gluttonous feast.

Who wouldn’t want to seize this opportunity to reap enough benefits and strengthen themselves?

Qi Yun sat cross-legged atop a low-hanging azure cloud, his aura all but merging with the cloud itself. His calm gaze overlooked the scrambles and fierce battles that periodically erupted below.

Other than the time he brazenly intercepted the Cyan Sect’s Sword Cultivator for the Ghost Gate Saliva, he had not participated in any other disputes.

His Daluo Ten Thousand Laws Dao Foundation’s purpose was to command all skills and derive his own internal world.

His reliance on external Magical Treasures and rare materials was far lower than that of an ordinary Cultivator.

The items that had previously sparked conflict were mostly powerful Ancient Treasures, top-tier materials for refining Outer Incarnations, or certain esoteric legacies.

To him, they were of limited significance.

He was better off saving his strength and waiting for a "big fish" truly worthy of his action to appear.

He split off a thread of his Heart and Spirit to silently carry out the Refinement of the Ghost Gate Saliva he had seized, solidifying his foundation for a future breakthrough to the Middle Stage.

Amidst the superficial silence and surging undercurrents, Qian Xin Master, who had been gone for a long time, suddenly returned. He rode his Escape Light to land beside Qi Yun, his face holding a trace of imperceptible gravity as he transmitted his voice in a low tone:

"Nephew Qi."

"Black Mountain’s people... are here."

Hearing this, Qi Yun slowly raised his head. His closed eyes opened, revealing a clear and limpid gaze.

He looked in the direction Qian Xin Master indicated.

Some distance away, atop a still-intact solitary peak, a figure had appeared at some unknown time.

That person was also standing on a cloud. His figure was plump and round—a rare sight for a cultivator.

He wore a well-tailored, jet-black brocade robe embroidered with intricate, overlapping mountain-like patterns in Dark Gold Thread, exuding a sense of weight amidst its magnificence.

A jade belt was fastened around his waist, studded with various gemstones brimming with Spiritual Qi, giving him an air of being ostentatiously wealthy.

In stark contrast to his portly figure and magnificent attire was his face.

His skin was fair, but it was not the rosy complexion of a well-pampered life.

Instead, it was a bloodless pallor, as if he hadn’t seen the sun in a very long time.

His eyes were long and narrow, his irises a strange, dark yellow. When he looked at people, his gaze was unabashedly cold and appraising, like a predator sizing up its prey.

As Qi Yun looked at him, he looked back toward Qi Yun.

Their eyes met.

The air seemed to freeze in that instant.

The man’s faint, insincere smile seemed to widen slightly, revealing stark white teeth. It was a smile filled with undisguised malice and a condescending, mocking amusement.

Qian Xin Master’s voice, tinged with a warning, sounded in Qi Yun’s ear:

"He’s one of Black Mountain’s direct subordinates, named He Sha. He cultivates the Floating Form Flowing Abyss Dao Foundation."

"The man is ruthless and cunning. His Cultivation has been at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage for many years. He is one of Black Mountain’s most loyal attack dogs."

"His appearance here means... he comes with ill intent."

Qi Yun remained expressionless, merely watching the fat man named He Sha. His gaze was as calm and still as a deep pool, betraying none of his thoughts.

But the air around them grew subtly tense and murderous from the meeting of their gazes.

"This must be the renowned Nephew Qi, who recently caused such a stir and made a name for himself throughout the Northwest, yes?

"I have long heard of your great name; it rings like thunder.

"To finally meet you today, your bearing is as extraordinary as they say."

With a single step, He Sha transformed into a gust of strange, erratic yellow wind, arriving in an instant before Qi Yun and Qian Xin Master. His face was wreathed in a seemingly enthusiastic smile as he cupped his hands and spoke.

But deep within his dark yellow irises, a chilling coldness lingered.

"You flatter me."

Facing He Sha, who had clearly come with ill intent, Qi Yun’s expression remained unchanged. He simply raised a hand slightly, a minimal gesture returning the courtesy.

Seeing Qi Yun’s lukewarm and impassive demeanor, the hint of viciousness in He Sha’s eyes intensified, yet the smile on his face grew even more brilliant:

"Nephew, you are far too modest."

"Your talent, Nephew, is so great it is rarely seen in all of history. You even managed to form the legendary Venerable Dao Foundation in one go."

"When I heard of it, I was incredibly envious."

"I can only lament my own meager fortune and shallow fate, to be denied such a grand Dao."

His words seemed complimentary, but they were laced with hidden barbs. By repeatedly mentioning the "Venerable Dao Foundation," he was subtly trying to put Qi Yun in the eye of the storm.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Qian Xin Master, who was standing to the side, immediately spoke up to try and change the subject. His tone was both familiar and probing:

"He Sha, I seem to recall you were in seclusion.

"Why have you suddenly emerged here?"

He Sha’s expression didn’t change. His gaze remained fixed on Qi Yun as he answered casually:

"I appreciate your concern, Senior Brother Qian Xin."

"My seclusion can wait."

"Senior Brother Black Mountain is concerned for the future of the Sect and worried about Nephew Qi’s safety."

"The outside world is in turmoil, and with Nephew Qi possessing the Venerable Dao Foundation, a tall tree catches the wind. It’s inevitable that he’ll be coveted by petty villains and fiends from other sects."

"Senior Brother Black Mountain fears that Nephew Qi is young and inexperienced, and might fall victim to a sneak attack. So, he has specially dispatched me to guard him from the side, to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

He spoke with grandiose righteousness, packaging his intention to monitor as concern and protection.

Qian Xin Master’s gaze flickered. ’This damned, cunning fatty,’ he cursed inwardly, but squeezed out a smile:

"So that’s how it is."

"Senior Brother Black Mountain is truly thoughtful."

"However, my presence here is sufficient to watch over Nephew Qi."

"Since you’re here, Junior Brother He, why don’t you wander around the Zombie Alliance ruins and take a look for yourself?"

"This is, after all, the Zombie Alliance’s foundation of ten thousand years. Perhaps you might find some unexpected treasures, Junior Brother He, that could help you break through your bottleneck. Wouldn’t that be killing two birds with one stone?"

He was trying to send He Sha away.

Hearing this, however, He Sha’s eyelids lifted slightly. His long, narrow eyes narrowed into slits, and the corners of his mouth curved into a smirk as he retorted:

"Ah, Senior Brother Qian Xin, that’s not right. Are you saying your words carry more weight than Senior Brother Black Mountain’s?"

"You...!"

Qian Xin Master hadn’t expected He Sha to be so merciless, putting him in check right from the start. He was rendered speechless, his face turning ashen as his brows furrowed tightly.

He had old ties with the Elder Master and was naturally close to Qi Yun. Furthermore, with Qi Yun having healed his mount, he was all the more grateful.

But to directly confront Black Mountain Master and his faction over this... even he would find it hard to bear.

The scene froze for a moment, the air seemingly solidifying.

A false smile on his face, He Sha leisurely watched Qian Xin Master’s changing expression, then glanced at the ever-silent and calm Qi Yun.

The mocking amusement in his dark yellow irises grew more pronounced.

"Be careful, Nephew Qi."

Qian Xin Master frowned and gave He Sha a deep look. With a soft sigh, he said no more, turned, and transformed into a Flowing Light, departing directly.

Faced with such blatant interference from the Black Mountain Lineage, he could only temporarily withdraw.

After all, within the Holy Sect, Black Mountain Master was currently at the zenith of his power!

Seeing Qian Xin Master forced to retreat, the smile on He Sha’s face grew even more brilliant. He was just about to speak again.

RUMBLE!!!

Dozens of miles away, in the already devastated core region of the Zombie Alliance, the void suddenly began to tremble violently!

It was as if some ferocious beast had brazenly awakened!

The earth was struck hard like the surface of a drum, splitting open to form a massive, bottomless chasm!

Then, a Black Coffin of indescribable size, carrying a deathly stillness that could bury the heavens, slowly rose from the abyss!

The Black Coffin was hundreds of zhang tall, forged from a dark material that was neither metal nor stone. Its surface was devoid of any ornate carvings.

Pitch-black chains, each as thick as a palace pillar and forged from some unknown Divine Iron, were wrapped tightly around the coffin like giant pythons. Each chain was inscribed with dense, constantly flowing, bizarre talismans, emanating a vast power of restriction and sealing.

At this moment, these chains were vibrating violently, straining taut and emitting a grating screech of metal on metal that set one’s teeth on edge!

Great gouts of black gas, thick as ink and filled with extreme yin malevolence and chaotic Dao Principles, were continuously surging out from the seam between the coffin’s lid and its body!

Wherever the black gas passed, the scorched earth below was swiftly covered in a layer of black frost crystals!

A terrifying pressure, heavy enough to be suffocating and powerful enough to disrupt Yin and Yang, spread out from the Black Coffin like an invisible tide, sweeping across Heaven and Earth!

Under this pressure, the Qi Refining Cultivators in the distance, who had been fighting over scattered treasures, instantly fell silent, like chickens with their necks squeezed.

One by one, their faces turned deathly pale, and they trembled uncontrollably, finding it incredibly difficult to even move.

The Foundation Establishment Masters hidden throughout the void also revealed themselves one after another, all with extremely solemn expressions.

"Is that... the Zombie Alliance’s Mountain-Suppressing Artifact—the Chaotic Heaven Black Coffin?!"

"It wasn’t destroyed by the Celestial Corpse True Monarch?!"

Cries of alarm and sharp intakes of breath rose and fell in the shadows.

At the same time, inside Qi Yun’s body, the Human Emperor Banner trembled slightly, and a throbbing sensation slowly spread through him.

His expression flickered as he raised his eyes to look at the Black Coffin.

He Sha, at his side, noticed this and his figure immediately shifted slightly forward.

Giving He Sha an imperceptible glance, Qi Yun sneered as a plan began to vaguely form in his mind.

...