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The night skies were still as water, and the moon was full and bright.
The old woman seemed kindly and benevolent, and her eyes were bright and spirited. When she looked at Gu Cangning, her gaze was doting with a trace of reverence.
Gu Cangning turned to look at her and asked, “Granny, within the Great Zhou’s borders, have any ‘paradises’ survived the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness?”
The old woman shook her head. “The Great Zhou is a tiny little backwater, with only a few passages to other worlds scattered throughout its territory. However, thirty thousand years ago, it was home to an extremely powerful Buddhist orthodoxy.”
“Which Buddhist orthodoxy?”
“The Prajna Meditation Garden,” said the old woman without even pausing to think. “Thirty thousand years ago, the Great Zhou, Wei, Qin, and about a dozen other nations were part of the Azure Continent’s Southwestern Frontier. Numerous factions of yao and ghost cultivators, as well as shamans, were dispersed throughout its territory.
“It was the Prajna Meditation Garden’s presence that kept them under control. Strictly speaking, the Prajna Meditation Garden was the top orthodoxy of the Southwestern Frontier, as well as a first-rate faction by the standards of the Azure Continent as a whole.
“However, when the power of the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness descended, the Prajna Meditation Garden suffered grievous losses. In the end, they had no choice but to withdraw from the Azure Continent, proceed into the unknown, and seek refuge amidst the stars.”
The old woman sighed. “All of this is old gossip, as irrelevant as old sesame and stale grain. Why bring it up, Young Master?”
“Just now, a young man named Su Yi and I crossed blades
.” Gu Cangning quickly explained what had happened.
The old woman’s face filled with surprise. “If it’s really as you say, that Su Yi’s origins can’t possibly be ordinary.”
She was well aware of how incredible the young master’s foundations in the Grand Dao were. Even thirty thousand years ago, in an era when numerous grand orthodoxies coexisted, he would have been a stand-out genius of the younger generation!
Yet someone had casually used their finger as a sword and forced him back. Of course she was surprised. How could she not be?
“I don’t understand either. Just where did this Su Yi come from? I’ve never once heard of such a person,” said Gu Cangning with a bitter laugh.
The old woman thought for a moment, then said, “Young Master, if you ask me, this is actually perfectly ordinary. Don’t forget: in just a few months, the curtains shall open on the Great Xia’s Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly. This grand occasion has long since drawn the attention of cultivators all over the world.
“I don’t even need to think to know that, when the competition begins, countless mighty, dazzling, geniuses and monsters will participate. There will surely be numerous others like Su Yi.”
She then looked at Gu Cangning and said gently, “Furthermore, there are quite a few others like you in this world, Young Master—recently awakened being fortunate enough to have escaped the corrosion of thirty thousand years of the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness. Anyone capable of such a feat cannot possibly be ordinary.”
Gu Cangning shuddered inwardly.
During thirty thousand continuous years of the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness, countless ancient orthodoxies were lost to the river of time.
Those like him, those fortunate enough to have escaped this thirty-thousand-year calamity, were invariably extraordinary. Who among them wasn’t a monster among monsters?
“Young Master, the Su Yi you told me about might well be incomparably capable and a genius of the younger generation. However, when you fought, you never unsealed the power of your bloodline. Were that a true struggle for life and death
 He wouldn’t necessarily have been your opponent,” said the old woman, her gaze kindly. “Young Master, you needn’t lose heart over this.”
Gu Cangning shook his head. “I’m not upset. I just wouldn’t have thought I’d encounter someone so impressive within the Great Chu’s borders.”
The old woman smiled. “Young Master, in just a few years, the power of the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness will have dissipated completely, and the Azure Continent will welcome an unprecedented Radiant Epoch!
“When the time comes, the gathering storm will sweep across the world. Countless unrivaled heroes will emerge. There will undoubtedly be numerous elites similar to Su Yi.” The old woman paused before continuing, “What you need to do now is gather your power and gradually refine your cultivation. You must make ample preparations to welcome the descent of the Radiant Epoch. Only then can you contend with the world’s geniuses and seize the era’s fortune and opportunities!”
Gu Cangning’s eyes gradually lit up. “I can definitely do it!”


Meanwhile, beneath the same night sky.
The Great Xia.
The Qingyi Dao Sect.
Daoist Master Miaohong sat cross-legged in an immortal cave shrouded in mist.
He looked like a young man, except that his temples were tinged white. His Daoist robes had wind and fire patterns, and he seemed imbued with enough force to conquer mountains and rivers.
He felt a talisman in his hand. It was currently burning, and its flames outlined a series of images.
The scenes depicted were all of Madam Miaohua and her companions dying at Su Yi’s hands.
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When he saw Su Yi’s Abstruse God Sword attack through the air and pierce Madam Miaohua’s body, Daoist Master Miaohong felt a rending pain in his heart, and his face was ghastly pale.
Next, he saw the wisp of a Netherflame Demon Sparrow’s soul essence appear and devour Madam Miaohua’s soul as she attempted to flee.
Daoist Master Miaohong felt as if everything went dark around him, and he could no longer repress his rage and grief. He let out a low, bestial roar, and his aura surged explosively.
A long time passed before he gradually calmed down. However, his expression was cold as ice and incomparably sinister.
“Little Sister, go to the next world in peace. Your brother will avenge this grudge for you!” His tone was calm, yet somber and grave.
The talisman in his hand burnt into nothingness, and the images disappeared.
However, Daoist Master Miaohong vividly remembered Su Yi’s appearance, as well as the appearances of everyone else present!
“Servant.” Daoist Master Miaohong took a deep breath, then used his divine sense to carve Su Yi, Yuan Heng, Ling Yunhe, and Qing Ya’s appearances into a jade slip.
“Elder, what are your orders?” An aged servant scurried in.
“Take this jade slip and investigate these four people’s origins.” Daoist Master Miaohong’s gaze was indifferent as he tossed the slip over.






A black awning boat floated down Billowing Sky River.
Su Yi reclined in his wicker chair, resting with his eyes closed.
Yuan Heng, however, was chatting with Ling Yunhe and Qing Ya, and the atmosphere seemed harmonious.
“Does that mean that numerous experts just as impressive as Gu Cangning will surely appear at the upcoming Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly?” Yuan Heng couldn’t help but ask.
“Indeed.” Ling Yunhe nodded.
Yuan Heng couldn’t help but feel emotional.
Earlier, when they discussed Gu Cangning, Ling Yunhe mentioned that numerous others like him had appeared throughout the continent—mysterious, with unknown origins, yet terrifyingly strong.
Some of them had inherited the legacies of ancient orthodoxies. Others obtained heaven-defying good fortune sufficient to change their destinies, while others still were Possessed.
Each had their own fortuitous encounters, and both their foundations and their cultivations far surpassed those of the mundane world.
Ling Yunhe even offered two examples.
One was a gray-robed youth called Zeng Pu. A month ago, in the Great Song, he relied on nothing but his two bare fists to fight his way into the Huayang Daoist Sect, the Great Song’s top Daoist faction. One Gathering Stars Realm expert and four Origin Palace Realm experts joined forces to defeat him, but Zeng Pu nonetheless triumphed and single-handedly crushed the Huayang Daoist Sect beneath his feet.
According to a witness, Zeng Pu was only in the Origin Palace Realm!
Word of this incident shook the nation, yet no one knew Zeng Pu’s origins.
Then, just two weeks before the present day, something happened to shake the entire Great Jin.
The three strongest sects of the Great Jin joined forces to seek out opportunity within the perilous Illusory Moon Blood Pool. There, they encountered a girl who called herself Chi Jiansu.
Both sides fought over a stalk of divine medicine, but in the end, each of the sects’ nine Origin Palace cultivators and thirteen Grain Avoidance cultivators were knocked unconscious.
The cruelest part was that after defeating them, Chi Jiansu stripped them and hung them from a towering pine tree, their nakedness bared for all to see.
This battle didn’t just humiliate the Great Jin’s three greatest sects. As a result of this incident, the name “Chi Jiansu” reverberated throughout the world.
Apparently, she was young, and she was only in the peak of the Grain Avoidance Realm.
Just like Zeng Pu, no one knew where she’d come from.
After learning this and comparing them to Gu Cangning, Yuan Heng was astonished.
These were just the examples Ling Yunhe knew of, but there were over one hundred nations on the Azure Continent. There was surely no shortage of unknown monsters similar to Chi Jiansu, Zeng Pu, and Gu Cangning!
Furthermore, according to Ling Yunhe, there would be no shortage of others like them at the Great Xia’s upcoming Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly.
Yuan Heng couldn’t help but glance at Su Yi, only to discover that he was still just lying there, eyes closed and pretending to sleep. He didn’t react at all; it seemed he wasn’t the least bit interested.
And here Yuan Heng wanted to ask for Su Yi’s opinion. When he saw this, he couldn’t help but feel ashamed.
Those monstrous geniuses are indeed shocking, but compared to Master, what do they amount to?
When he thought of it in those terms, Yuan Heng’s heart swelled with pride, and his initial shock faded.
Never mind Master, even Miss Qing Wan is an incomparable genius. She’s no inferior to those monsters, thought Yuan Heng.
Qing Ya couldn’t help but ask, “Big Brother Su Yi, are you going to the Great Xia to participate in the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly too?”
This charming, beautiful young woman was rather interesting. She’d only just barely met Su Yi, yet she’d already changed how she addressed him, and her chosen title made them seem quite close.
Of course, this was due to her ignorance of worldly affairs and her unaffected naïveté.
She didn’t concern herself with the limits of social convention, so her words and deeds came straight from the heart, without any of the artificiality or pleasantries of ordinary folk.
Take now, for instance. Neither Yuan Heng nor Ling Yunhe dared disturb Su Yi’s rest lightly.
Qing Ya obviously had no such reservations.
Su Yi’s eyes remained closed; it seemed he was too lazy to raise his eyelids. When he spoke, it seemed his thoughts were elsewhere. “Actually, no. I just needed to gather cultivation resources, so I had no choice but to visit the Great Xia. Of course, if something about the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly piques my interest, I wouldn’t mind participating. In short
 I’ll leave it up to fate.”
When he saw this, Ling Yunhe sighed in relief.
Earlier, he’d worried that Qing Ya’s rashness would provoke Su Yi’s displeasure, but now, it seemed Su Yi didn’t mind in the least.
Even Yuan Heng got the vague sense that, when he spoke to Qing Ya, Su Yi’s attitude seemed somehow different than when he talked to other people.
Qing Ya certainly noticed no such thing. She batted her big, clear eyes and asked curiously, “Something that piques your interest? Big Brother Su Yi, might you tell me what you’re interested in?”