Among the countless cultivators stood a figure completely concealed beneath a dark cloak.
His hood covered nearly his entire face, allowing only the faint outline of his jaw to remain visible.
It was...
Elder Ji.
He quietly stood near a collapsed stone pillar while twenty carefully selected Xiao Family cultivators remained scattered throughout the surrounding crowd, deliberately keeping their distance from one another so as not to attract suspicion.
Although they appeared unrelated...
Every one of them secretly awaited Elder Ji's orders.
As Elder Ji silently surveyed the surroundings, someone slowly approached him from behind.
The newcomer appeared to be a young man no older than a eighty years old
He possessed shoulder-length black hair that gently swayed with the mountain breeze.
His complexion was unusually pale.
Most striking of all...
Both of his eyes had been completely sewn shut using black thread. The horrifying sight caused several nearby rogue cultivators to instinctively distance themselves.
The young man stopped several meters away before speaking calmly. "Would this be Elder Ji?"
His voice was unexpectedly gentle. Elder Ji slowly turned toward the stranger, remaining vigilant. "Who's asking?"
The young cultivator calmly clasped his hands behind his back before replying. "I'm a Confidant of the Pavilion Master, Tang Qian."
The moment those words entered his ears, Elder Ji's pupils contracted slightly beneath the hood. 'Looks like the Pavilion Master truly intends to participate.'
His thoughts rapidly calculated the strength surrounding him. 'The Pavilion Master sent around one hundred and fifty cultivators while I only brought twenty members of the Xiao Family.'
His eyes discreetly swept across the crowd. Now that he knew what to look for...
Many hidden experts gradually revealed themselves. A seemingly ordinary middle-aged merchant. A wandering swordsman drinking from a wine gourd. Two elderly men playing chess beneath a dying tree.
None of them were ordinary. Every single one belonged to Tingfeng Pavilion.
In all including the people he had brought, the count was :
'Thirty Golden Core Masters...'
'Over one hundred Innate Realm cultivators...'
'Even if one of the Four Great Sects arrived, this force would not be easily ignored.'
A satisfied smile appeared beneath Elder Ji's hood.
Excellent...
The greater their strength... The greater my chances of success.
Nearly an hour later...
The number of cultivators gathered before the ruins had surpassed several thousand. The once-noisy crowd gradually fell silent as everyone's attention shifted toward the very center of the ancient city.
Standing there...
Was an enormous bronze gate.
It stood nearly fifty meters tall, towering over every surrounding structure like the entrance to another world. Time had weathered its surface, coating much of the bronze with green patina, yet the gate itself remained perfectly intact.
Ancient dragons coiled around both massive doors, their scales intricately carved with astonishing craftsmanship. Above them soared elegant celestial swans with wings spread wide, while countless unfamiliar runes shimmered faintly across the gate's surface.
Every few moments...
The runes pulsed with ancient spiritual energy. The mere pressure emitted by the gate caused many weaker cultivators to instinctively retreat several steps.
No one doubted it. Beyond this gate...
Lay the true inheritance of the ancient ruins.
Just then...
A powerful gust of wind swept across the entire mountain range. Everyone instinctively looked toward the sky. A gigantic emerald bird descended from the clouds.
Its wings stretched nearly forty meters from tip to tip, while every feather shimmered with jade-like brilliance beneath the sunlight. Long tail feathers trailed elegantly behind it, gradually darkening into a deep obsidian black near their ends.
Its piercing cry echoed across the heavens.
The enormous spiritual pressure released by the beast immediately silenced the surrounding crowd. "It... Is that the infamous Nether Roc of the Azure Moon Sect?" one cultivator whispered in disbelief.
"I heard all Nether Rocs are at the Innate Realm at their Birth," another cultivator whispered, unable to hide the envy in his voice.
As the Nether Roc slowly descended, dozens of Azure Moon Sect disciples gracefully leapt onto the ground.
Every one of them carried themselves with unmistakable confidence.
However...
Before the crowd could recover from their astonishment...
Another roar shook the heavens.
This roar...
Belonged to a tiger. High above the ruins, a colossal beast flew through the clouds.
Its body resembled an ordinary tiger, yet two enormous heads rested upon its broad shoulders, each pair of crimson eyes scanning the crowd below with terrifying arrogance. Golden stripes stretched across its snow-white fur, while its razor-sharp claws gleamed like forged weapons.
Most terrifying of all...
Its mane resembled thousands of steel needles.
Even from such a distance, many cultivators could sense the overwhelming hardness contained within every strand of fur.
"It's a Two Headed Flying Tiger. I heard it has a trace of bloodline from the Heavenly Nine Headed Sun Tiger," one cultivator whispered in amazement.
Another voice immediately followed.
"Truly only one of the Four Major Sects could tame such a beast... the Heavenly Sword Sect."
The massive tiger slowly descended opposite the Nether Roc.
Standing atop one of its heads was a rugged middle-aged man with fiery red hair and a thick beard that reached his chest. His broad shoulders resembled a mountain, while the heavy saber strapped across his back radiated an oppressive killing aura.
This man...
Was Wei Qiang.
The moment he landed, his sharp eyes immediately fixed upon another man who had calmly stepped down from the Nether Roc.
Unlike Wei Qiang's imposing appearance, this man wore elegant blue robes embroidered with silver clouds. His long black hair flowed freely behind him, and his unusually long nose gave him a scholarly appearance despite the powerful aura surrounding him.
His every movement carried the elegance of someone born into a prestigious sect.
He was...
Zhang Yuxuan.
The moment the two men locked eyes...
The atmosphere surrounding the ancient ruins instantly became several degrees heavier.
Even before the bronze gate had opened...