All around was quiet and soundless, as if the only thing echoing in my ears was the intense beating of my own heart. The unknown fear of death was like an endless cold sea water that drowned the wild dog.

  He involuntarily trembled...

  Under the gaze of countless pairs of eyes, this figure is quite pitiful and lonely, yet he unexpectedly persists, his trembling hands grasping that black command tightly, very tightly.

  This appearance suddenly has a few points of familiarity, as if many years ago, that stubborn and persevering young man had an inexplicable persistence.

  The red glow in his eyes faded away, his arms moved silently in the darkness, and suddenly countless black-clad men surged out like a tide, disappearing cleanly in an instant.

  The stray dog's panting gradually calmed down, and he felt a bit strange in his heart, but still afraid. He slowly opened a slit of his eyes, only to find that this place had become deserted at some point, with only two people left, including himself.

  The bloody smell lingering in the air also disappeared at some unknown time.

  That person stood with his back to him, at the front of the Dead Spirit Abyss, silently gazing downwards, as if in the deepest darkness of that world, there were memories of his past.

  There is wind, gently blowing in, the tiny human body against this vast and eerie abyss, very fragile. A sudden thought flashed through the stray dog's mind, take advantage of no one being around, just push him down like this...

  As soon as this idea emerged, it instantly spread like wildfire in his mind, burning his whole body with heat, and he couldn't help but try, yet while his mind was thinking wildly, his body seemed to resist his will, not moving at all.

  Until then, the person turned around and looked at him.

  The stray dog felt a basin of cool water poured over its head, cooling it from head to toe.

  "Did you just try to push me down from here?" he said lightly, as if talking about something that had nothing to do with him.

  "Clang!"

  The black token slipped from the stray dog's paws and fell to the ground. The stray dog hastily picked it up, its face also turned a few shades paler, but immediately straightened its body, as if to boost its own courage, and loudly said: "If you want to kill me, then kill me, I'm not afraid of you!"

  The man known as "Gui Li" glanced at him faintly and said, "I won't kill you. If you die, the Blood Refining Hall will really become extinct, and I'm afraid the old black-hearted man underground will not be able to rest in peace." He walked forward, stepping over the wild dog, and continued, "From now on, just follow me!"

  The wild dog was taken aback and immediately shouted loudly: "You brought people to almost wipe out our Blood Refining Hall, and you still want me to follow you?"

  Gui Li didn't bother to reason with him, he just kept walking forward, but his voice still came through clearly: "Your skills are too low, and even if I weren't here now, the Gui Wang Sect would want to kill you first. Even your surrendered fellow disciples, like Lao Da and the others, would think it's shameful for you to insist on practicing the Blood Refining Hall, and they would also want to kill you."

  The wild dog let out a low growl, sweat dripping from its forehead, but as it saw the figure's shadow gradually disappearing into the darkness, getting farther and farther away, it suddenly kicked off with one foot and ran after him in quick strides, shouting loudly: "Hmph, I'm not afraid of death, but for the sake of reviving the Blood Refining Hall, I'll put up with this humiliation..."

  In the darkness, footsteps echoed, they walked one after another in this ancient cave of ten thousand bats. Suddenly, as if thinking of something, the person behind spoke up: "Hey, Zhang Xiaofan, why are you treating me like this..."

  His voice suddenly disappeared, deep in the darkness, and a fierce beast howled, thick bloody breath surrounded him. The wild dog was terrified.

  After a while, the breath slowly retreated, and the person in front of him remained silent for a long time in the darkness before saying faintly: "This name, I've forgotten it for many years."

  The wild dog let out a sigh, but couldn't help saying: "Then what should I call you from now on?"

  No answer came, and the man walked on again. The wild dog muttered a few words in its mouth, it was unknown whether it was cursing something, but still followed up.

  Before them was still an endless darkness.

  ※※※

  Qingyun Mountain

  This mystical and mysterious fairy mountain in people's eyes, after ten years, is still like a paradise on earth.

  The destruction brought by that battle between good and evil has long been repaired, but it's unknown whether the wounds left deep in the heart have also healed.

  Ten years ago, a great war occurred. The head of the Chao Yang Peak, Zhang Zheng Liang, and the head of the Luo Xia Peak, Tian Yun Dao Ren, unfortunately passed away. The head of the Long Feng Peak, Cang Song Dao Ren, betrayed us. Except for the leader, Duan Xuan Zhen Ren, half of the six peaks were gone, which was a great loss to our sect's vitality.

  Now, Chaoyang Peak and Luoxia Peak have been taken over by the elders of this sect. Only Longfeng's lineage, due to the reason of Cangsung Daoist, was originally the second largest lineage next to Changmen, but it couldn't hold its head up in Qingyun Gate. After a public vote within the lineage, unexpectedly, Qi Hua, a young generation, took over the position.

  It seems to be a trend that in the Qingyun Gate, among the various factions, younger generations are getting more and more opportunities, such as Zeng Shushu of Fenghui Peak, Song Daren of Dazhu Peak, Wen Min of Xiaozhu Peak, and Xue Qi, who have all been doing more and more things for their masters.

  It was within the Long Gate that over the years, Daoxuan Zhenren had gradually stopped asking about worldly affairs and handed over daily trivial matters to his trusted disciple Xiao Yicai for handling.

  ※※※

  Tongtian Peak behind the mountain, ancestral temple hall.

  Soft sunlight shines on the majestic temple, looking solemn and mysterious. The ancestral hall still looks dim, those long-burning lanterns and twinkling incense sticks, still worshiping the souls of countless ancestors of Qingyunmen.

  Lin Jingyu sat alone in the empty space in front of the ancestral temple, his eyes closed and legs crossed. The Dragon-Slaying Sword, emitting a soft green glow, floated gently above his head, surrounded by a green halo that enveloped him, radiating an air of mystery under the sunlight.

  His face has lost its former innocence, and gained fortitude and vicissitudes.

  Behind him, in the depths of the ancestral hall's shadow, two eyes were quietly gazing at him. After a while, a figure slowly walked out.

  It was the mysterious old man with a wrinkled face who slowly walked out of the shadows and sat down on the steps of the ancestral hall, his eyes fixed on Lin Jingyu's body. After a long time, he said faintly, "It's enough."

  The emerald light of the Dragon-Slaying Sword retracted with a sound, Lin Xingyu took a deep breath, opened his eyes, stood up, turned around to look at the old man, and smiled: "Senior!"

  The old man looked at his young face, a hint of a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and said: "Your talent is really good, and you work so hard, your progress is far better than I expected."

  Lin Jingyu's face flashed with gratitude, and he bowed deeply, saying in a low voice: "Senior's great kindness and virtue, I, your disciple, will never forget."

  The old man waved his hand lightly and sighed, "In the blink of an eye, another ten years have passed. I don't have much to pass on to you anymore, and you've been accompanying me in this ancestral hall for ten years too. You can go back today."

  Lin Jingyu's body shook slightly, revealing a look of astonishment. The old man, however, paid no attention to him and asked instead: "Do you know everything that has happened in the Dragon Peak lineage?"

  Lin Jingyu came back to his senses and nodded: "Yes, some days ago, Qi Huan Shixiong had come to visit me and said a few things."

  The old man nodded and said, "Today I heard that the excellent disciples of the new generation in Qingyunmen are all gathered on Tongtian Peak. There might be something going on. Just now, there was also a message from Changmen. You should go too."

  Lin Jingyu's mouth twitched slightly as he looked at the old man, with a hint of reluctance. The old man smiled and seemed to have a faint sadness on his face, but it disappeared immediately. He waved his hand and said, "Good young man, no need for such courtesy, go!"

  Lin Jingyu took a deep breath, knelt down to the ground and said: "Senior, for the past ten years of teaching, your kindness is as high as a mountain. As a disciple, I will carve it into my bones and remember it in my heart. In the future, I will use what I have learned to uphold justice and eliminate evil, repay the teacher's kindness, and not betray my lifelong ambition!"

  The old man nodded with a smile and said, "Alright, you can go."

  Lin Jingyu made another bow, looked around at the scenery, and suddenly turned around, straightened his body, took big strides forward, and left this ancestral hall.

  The sunlight shone on his back, as if it was also dazzling.

  The old man stared at his shadow, dazed and lost in thought. Before he knew it, another figure appeared behind him.

  "He's gone." The figure said faintly.

  The old man's mouth twitched slightly as he slowly stood up and turned his head to look at this person, the supreme leader of Qingyun Gate.

  "Thank you," he said suddenly.

  Daoxuan Zhenren seemed to be slightly startled as well, furrowing his brow and saying: "What?"

  The old man walked through his body and into the ancestral hall, saying: "Thank you for agreeing to let this young man accompany me for ten years."

  Daoxuan Zhenren fell silent for a moment, and slowly walked into the ancestral temple. In the main hall, in front of the spirit platform where countless ancestors' tablets were enshrined, the lamp flames and incense candles flickered uncertainly, casting an uncertain gloom on people's faces.

  The old man walked to the front of the incense table, picked up a new incense stick from the incense case in front of the incense table, lit it on another incense stick, and replaced the incense stick that was about to burn out beside him.

  Daoxuan Zhenren silently watched his slow and skilled movements, suddenly saying: "In those years, I risked a great danger, deceiving all the masters to rescue you, but you didn't even say thank you. Why today, as a young man, do you instead thank me?"

  The old man didn't say a word, took a step back and stood in the shadows, still holding the candle he had just exchanged. He raised his head, looked up at the ancestral tablet of the Qingyun Gate's ancestors, which stood majestically before him with an aura as solid as a mountain, its sacred and solemn presence seeming to easily crush this insignificant person.

  He remained silent, saying nothing, just gazing like this.

  Dao Xuan Zhenren behind him, couldn't see the old man's eyes at this moment, but he saw that the hot candle oil dripping from the remaining candle, drop by drop, fell on the withered palm of his hand, and slowly solidified.

  That palm also seemed to be trembling slightly.

  In the depths of the shadows, from far away, a faint sighing sound seemed to be transmitted...

  ※※※

  When Lin Jingyu arrived at the Yuqing Temple on Tongtian Peak, there were already over a dozen people standing here. Among these people, some were familiar to him, while others were strangers he had only met a few times and knew only as fellow disciples.

  But without exception, everyone present knew that the young people standing here at this moment were all the best of the younger generation of Qingyunmen.

  Among the crowd, the two most outstanding ones were Snow Chi and Qi Huan. The former was as cold and elegant as ever, while the latter was dressed in a majestic attire, exuding an extraordinary aura. As it turned out, none of the other sects' leaders had arrived, making Qi Huan the only one from the Six Sects to attend.

  Qī Hào took a glance and saw Lín Jīng Yuè walking in, he was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing and walked up to him, embracing him tightly. He looked him up and down, chuckling: "Lín Shī Dì, you're supposed to be guarding the ancestral temple, what brings you here?"

  For the past decade, Lin Jingyu had been staying in the ancestral temple under the pretext of guarding the spirit, and that mysterious old man was also related to a secret of Qingyunmen's past, so no one knew about it. At this moment, he naturally wouldn't say anything, only smiling: "The ten-year period is over, I've come out too, just in time for someone to inform me to come here, didn't expect you, Qi Shixiong, to be here as well."

  Qī Hào smiled slightly and said, "The Sect Master has informed the outstanding young disciples of each vein that there is an important matter to discuss, I happened to have nothing to do, so I came over to take a look."

  As they were chatting, a tall and sturdy man walked over from the side. It was Song Daren, a disciple of Da Zhu Feng. Ten years had passed without seeing him, but his appearance hadn't changed much.

  At that time, Song Daren and Qi Hao were also familiar with each other. He walked over to chat for a while, and after a moment, his eyes fell on Lin Jingyu's body. Smiling, he said: "Lin Shidi hasn't seen you in years, and you're even more handsome and elegant. I suppose your Taoist practice has made great progress?"

  Lin Jingyu slightly lowered his head and smiled: "Brother Song, you're overpraising me."

  Song Daren wanted to say something else when another voice came from behind him, saying: "Ah, Qi Shixiong, do you still recognize your little brother?"

  Zi Hao looked at the person who spoke and smiled: "Junior Brother Zeng, I forgot that no one dares to forget you!"

  The newcomer was Zeng Shu Shu, the most outstanding disciple of Feng Hui Peak's younger generation, and walking alongside him were two beauties from Xiao Zhu Peak, Wen Mian and Xue Qi.

  Most people's eyes were fixed on the icy Snow Qi, but Song Daren looked at Wen Min, chuckled and smiled, and Wen Min smiled back, giving him a sideways glance.

  Qī Huǎng and others also met with Wén Mǐn, Xuě Qí, etc. Once: "Elder brother Qī, when you took over the position of Zuo that year, I had made a mistake and was being confined at home by my father, so I couldn't attend to congratulate you, no need to blame me!"

  Zi Hao burst out laughing and said: "What Brother Zeng said is nonsense, as long as the intention is there, it's enough."

  Zeng Shu smiled and nodded, then looked around and said: "Brother Qi, this time the Master has called us over, I wonder what's going on?"

  Zi Hao waved his hand and said, "I'm not very clear about the specifics either, but I've heard that something has happened in a certain place in the Western region. The Master wants to send out some outstanding young disciples of the younger generation to gain experience."

  "Ah." The people around made a sound, many of them were quite curious and excited. Zeng Shu was originally smiling, but suddenly his expression solidified, as if he had thought of something. Qi Huan noticed and asked in surprise: "Zeng Shidi, what's wrong?"

  Zeng: "The younger generation, excellent disciples going down the mountain to gain experience?" He lightly shook his head and sighed, saying, "This phrase, why does it sound so familiar to me."

  He exchanged a glance with Qi Huan, and suddenly they both understood each other's intentions. The four of them back then, now...

  They simultaneously turned their heads, gazing at the beautiful woman. Xue Qi stood quietly there, as if she hadn't heard anything, yet seemed to have deeply buried something in her heart. Her bright eyes moved, and her gaze swept over Lin Jingyu's face, seemingly trying to discern some sort of shadow, but ultimately looked away.

  At this moment, the sound of bells and drums suddenly came from above the main hall. Everyone immediately stood up straight, and after a moment, the leader Dao Xuan Zhenren walked out with Xiao Yicai's accompaniment, glanced at everyone, smiled and greeted them, and sat down in the main seat.

  Everyone bowed together, Qi Hao stood at the very front, Dao Xuan Zhen Ren smiled and waved his hand, saying: "Alright, alright, you may sit."

  But among the many disciples, except for Qi Huan, who now has a different status and sat down under Dao Xuan's true person, everyone else is still standing.

  Dao Xuan Zhenren glanced at Xiao Yi beside him and said: "Yi Cai, you say it."

  Xiao Yicai nodded and said: "Yes, Master."

  As he spoke, he walked out and looked around at the crowd, saying in a loud voice: "Fellow disciples, I have invited everyone here today because there is something that requires the most outstanding disciple of Qingyun Gate to complete."

  He said this, and the crowd suddenly stirred. Xiao Yi smiled slightly and continued: "Recently, rumors have been circulating throughout the land that in the Western Great Swamp, a strange light has suddenly appeared in the sky, lasting for several days without stopping. It is feared that an extraordinary treasure will soon emerge. Originally, heavenly spirits are only possessed by virtuous people, and we have no interest in this matter. However, after this news spread, it was heard that the demonic cult's evil demons made a large-scale advance to the west, intending to get involved."

  "What?"

  "How detestable!" The young disciples of Qingyun Gate immediately showed their anger on their faces and shouted out in unison.

  Xiao Yicai waited for the crowd to quiet down a bit, then smiled and said: "If this news is false, it's nothing, but what if it's true that there are rare treasures, and they fall into the hands of the demonic sect? Wouldn't that be lending a helping hand to the tiger? The Qingyun Gate has always been the leader of the righteous path in the world. Therefore, the True Person of the Gate has decided to select outstanding disciples from among the younger generation of our gate, to go together to the Western Great Swamp, upholding the righteousness of the orthodox way, and slaying demons and eliminating evil."

  He paused for a moment, then suddenly with a mysterious tone, said: "Fellow disciples, there's another important matter. I heard that Tianyin Temple and Fengxiang Valley have also sent their disciples to the Western Swamp today. Since the great war ten years ago, everyone is clear in their hearts that these two sects are openly harmonious with us, but secretly vying for the position of Orthodox leader for a long time. I hope you all won't lose face for our school!"

  A commotion arose among the crowd, and someone immediately shouted out: "Don't worry, Master! We will never lose face for Qingyun Gate!"

  "This time, we must let the Demon Sect and the people of Tianyin Temple and Fengxiang Valley see our prowess!"

  Daoxuan Zhenren smiled and nodded, standing up, saying: "This time going to the Western Regions, there may be danger, and the people of the Demon Sect are even more treacherous. You should worry about it every day."

  Everyone said in unison: "Yes."

  Dao Xuan Zhenren said to Xiao Yicai: "Then you arrange it, and set off early."

  After finishing, he glanced at Lin Jingyu standing in the crowd with a deliberate or unintentional gaze, then turned around and walked towards the inner hall. The crowd sent him off, waiting for his figure to disappear before Xiao Yi turned back to divide the personnel.

  "By the way, Lin Jingyu asked Qi Huan: "What's wrong, Brother Qi? You're not going this time?"

  Zi Hao lost his smile and said: "Lin Shidi, now I'm stuck here."

  Lin Jingyu suddenly came to his senses, his face flushing red as he said: "Ah, Shixiong you've already become the sect leader, but I hadn't expected it."

  Zi Hao patted his shoulder and laughed, "This is your first time traveling the world, it's a great opportunity, I'm looking forward to you showing off your skills and making a name for yourself!"

  Lin Jingyu laughed and said: "Elder brother, you're joking."

  Zi Hao smiled, but immediately his face turned somewhat gloomy. Looking around to make sure no one was listening, he spoke in a low voice to Lin Jingyu: "Lin Shidi, I won't hide it from you. Ten years ago, our Master... Qingyun's betrayal by Cangsong Dao Ren resulted in our Longfeng lineage being unable to hold its head up high. Especially the disciples of Chaoyang Peak and Luoxia Peak, who treat us like enemies when they see us. My position as Shixiong is also very difficult to bear, so I'm really hoping that this time you'll be able to help our Longfeng gain some prestige!"

  Lin Jingyu was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly and said in a low voice: "Qi Shixiong, I know, you can rest assured that I will not disappoint you."

  Qī Hào gave a slight smile, his face also relaxed a bit, and he stretched out his hand to pat Lín Jīng Yuè's shoulder.

  Just then, Song Daren walked over and looked at them with a smile: "What's going on? Is Dragon Peak going out this time, Lin Shidi?"

  Zi Hao smiled and said: "That's right, I don't know who is the master of Dazhu Peak?"

  Song Daren chuckled and said, "Originally it was supposed to be me, this useless big brother, who went. Later, my master's wife thought I was stupid, so she sent my sixth younger brother Du Bishu instead."

  Zi Huan smiled and said: "Brother Du has always been clever, with him in our Qingyun Gate, it's like a tiger adding wings."

  Song Daren's eloquence was not as smooth and comprehensive as Qi Huan's, but he laughed and chatted for a few sentences before turning to leave. Suddenly, he turned back and said to Qi Huan: "By the way, Brother Qi, my wife has been missing Ling'er recently. When you get back, ask her to return to Dazhu Peak for a few days."

  "Song Shixiong, you don't know yet, do you? Early this morning, before I left Longfeng and came here, Ling'er has already returned to Dazhu Peak. She said she missed her mother. It seems that Yue Mu and she are indeed a heart-to-heart mother-daughter pair."

  Song Daren was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing, his voice clear and ringing, echoing in the Jade Clear Hall.