At the same time that the Infinite Dao Sect completed the feng shui of its mountain, the sects in the Central Continent were far from calm.
"Sect Leader?"
A hesitant voice rose from one of the hundreds of elders gathered at the entrance to the sect's forbidden zone, where the ancestors' and the leader's caves lay.
But his voice echoed into the cave, and only silence answered him.
He looked back, a trace of confusion on his face.
"Should we… go in?"
The elder asked his companions, who had equally hesitant expressions.
Several glances were exchanged at that moment, seeking a decision.
Normally, they would never do such a thing. The leader and the ancestors had asked everyone to wait for a month, and even if a year passed, they would still wait calmly without daring to enter recklessly.
The real problem this time, however, was that the leader and ancestors had taken the sect's entire inheritance with them. Even broken jade slips were gone, leaving nothing behind.
Not even the storage rings on each elder's finger were spared.
Such behavior, in addition to being extremely abnormal and never before seen or mentioned in the history of cultivation, resembled more… taking everything and fleeing!
It seemed unbelievable. Where in the world would someone, at the peak of a sect's power, simply abandon it?
Yet this situation didn't happen only in their sect.
Despite the leader's strict orders for the news not to spread, how could that be so easy? Disciples could be controlled by elders, but who controlled the elders?
There were elders with friends in other sects, there were traitors from other sects infiltrated, and of course, there were those who sold information for a high price or simply couldn't keep their mouths shut.
And so, slowly but surely, hundreds of sects discovered that their leaders and ancestors… had gone into seclusion overnight, taking everything with them.
Such a shocking fact awakened extreme anxiety among those elders.
If they had not only been abandoned by the ancestors, but also all their treasures had disappeared overnight… that meant an unprecedented disaster was coming, and they had been left to fend for themselves… and without money!
Thus, under such stress, a foolish but desperate decision was made.
Hundreds of elders advanced cautiously, afraid to make even the slightest sound, entering the cave.
But as they moved forward and softly called for the ancestors, the bad premonition in their hearts grew stronger.
It didn't take long for them to discover that there wasn't a single living soul there.
Nor were there any signs of battle.
That pointed to only one thing.
The damned ancestors had fled!
…
An unprecedented chaos swept through the Central Continent overnight.
The problem was so great that, in a short time, the news spread to every corner of that land.
Several other sects, upon hearing what happened, did not laugh at others' misfortune. After all, in their own sects, a few days earlier, the ancestors had also gone into seclusion, taking all items in a sudden move.
Upon hearing the situation, it didn't take much thought to realize that they had also become victims.
Soon, reports poured in from all directions of yet another faction whose ancestors had fled with all their wealth
In total, one hundred and ten of the one hundred and thirty Void Refinement sects were affected.
Questions kept arising about why the ancestors had left, and why those twenty sects had not followed the others.
Amid this uncertainty, in a hidden cultivator tavern where everyone wore masks, a heavy atmosphere filled the air.
No one spoke or even whispered. Not even voice transmissions were used. The silence of the place was not just verbal, but almost palpable.
Everyone waited until, on a small stage before the hundreds of cultivators present, a man in black robes and a mask stepped forward.
He paused, his cold black mask hiding his expression as he studied the crowd for a moment, before a low, hoarse voice emerged from his throat.
"This information bazaar is beginning…"
He spoke in a somber tone, without a trace of the excitement he usually showed when sharing information for money.
Entering this place wasn't cheap. One hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones per ticket was not a price just anyone could afford.
And this time, the hall was full, showing that his bazaar had yielded a fortune. Even so, there seemed to be no excitement in such an achievement.
Taking a deep breath, he decided to get it over with quickly.
"This time, everyone likely already knows about the chaotic and grim news that is plaguing our central continent."
No one spoke, but it was possible to feel the intensity of the crowd's gaze upon hearing the topic.
The man's tone became even darker.
"Our bazaar has always prided itself on providing the highest level of information, sharing it with those willing to pay the price."
"But this time… not even we know where the ancestors and sect leaders who disappeared have gone."
As soon as those words were spoken, the crowd's silence broke.
The sounds of chairs scraping and hands slamming tables echoed in various places. Several cultivators, exuding an aura of extreme anger, stood up and stared murderously at the man on the stage.
Just as everyone was about to start a fight, the announcer quickly raised his hand, and his voice spread with authority throughout the hall.
"Stop! The information is not finished. My bazaar has always valued honesty and has never once opened if the information provided wasn't worth the ticket price."
His firm and cold words finally calmed many, who sat back down, gloomy.
The reputation of that establishment was indeed very good, and because of that, they decided to wait. Even so, the disappointment was great. Everyone was deeply worried about the disappearance of the ancestors.
Taking a deep breath, the announcer spoke again.
"Although we do not know where those ancestors went, we have clues as to why they disappeared."
As soon as those words were spoken, everyone in the hall raised their heads, energized.
The man nodded upon seeing that he had regained the crowd's attention.
"About two months ago, the Shadow Domain was forcibly opened, trillions of people were sent in, and not even one has returned to this day. Of the 130 Void Refinement sects, only the 20 allied with the Liu family did not participate in this mass mobilization of cultivators in exchange for rewards offered by the Ancestral Families."
"And this time, only the ancestors of those twenty sects were also the ones who did not flee."
Murmurs began to arise, and many people showed disapproval at the act of sending trillions of cultivators to die in the Shadow Domain, since many present had acquaintances or relatives among those who had entered to die.
Of course, most of the disapproval was not actually related to the lost lives, but rather to the forced opening of those gates. Even with several Tribulation Transcendence cultivators from the ancestral families trying to block the outflow of impurities from there, great chaos and destruction were taking place in the surrounding land.
The land for miles around the gate had become a living hell. The ground was gray, the sky gloomy, and all life had disappeared from that place, while ferocious impurities roamed, seeking to destroy everything.
Countless cultivators from that region rushed to try to contain the spread of the disaster, but with each passing day, they were losing more and more ground.
In a corner of the dim hall, two men calmly drank a cup of spiritual tea, listening to the discussions.
They were, in fact, Bao Wuji and Mo Yexuan, responsible for half of the chaos happening on the continent at that moment, and freeloaders who hadn't paid a single coin to be there.
As he listened, Aotian realized that many conversations actually involved his wife's family, which made him perk up his ears to listen.
"Damn Ancestral Families. When the Liu family was in power, the continent remained at peace for millions of years. But it only took Venerable Liu Shun'an being ambushed and killed, and the Liu family was isolated, for the continent to fall into crisis in less than ten years."
An unknown person muttered, irritated.
"Don't say that out loud if you don't want to die."
Another quickly warned in a low voice.
Aotian blinked as he heard similar conversations at other tables as well.
Apparently, the Liu family's reputation was very good. But he was not fooled.
He truly spared the twenty sects loyal to the Liu family from robbery and slaughter, because of his wife, and because they hadn't forced anyone into the Shadow Domain that day in pursuit of personal gain.
However, normally, such an action would be very bad for them, making them targets, since the Liu family, currently isolated, could not protect them from the ancestral families, who would certainly investigate.
Even so, he did it for one simple reason…
The sect's missions indicated that they would remain safe.
That was a warning. There was something very wrong with the Liu family and the ancestral families. Aotian could smell a conspiracy from afar.
He didn't dwell on it for long and turned his attention back to the announcer, who apparently claimed to have clues as to why the ancestors had disappeared.
"Everyone, you must have noticed how the ancestral families have seemingly been desperate lately."
"Seven venerables fell in the battle against Venerable Liu Shun'an."
"Numerous rewards were offered when the Shadow Domain opened naturally, with intense searches being carried out there."
"Two months ago, they opened the Shadow Domain once again, but this time with force, and trillions were sent in once more, facing almost certain death. The consequences of this are still being felt around the entrance, and are spreading across the continent."
"And this time, the escape of the high-level members of Void Refinement sects connected to the ancestral families, after their promise of a great reward for sending cultivators to the Shadow Domain."
"All these desperate measures, especially to the point that they can no longer even wait for the Shadow Domain to open naturally, actually, together with some other information, point to an old rumor, which was never taken very seriously by the masses…"
At that point, the announcer took a deep breath and, with a slightly trembling voice, spoke his next words.
"The world is ending."
Absolute silence took over the place.
Even a needle could be heard dropping at that moment.
Then… came shouts and angry exclamations.
"What nonsense! I spent my spirit stones on this!"
"Ha! Spouting nonsense and making a fortune—I want a piece of that too. Come, come! For just a hundred thousand spirit stones, I'll reveal how to achieve immortality in a year."
"Haha! I can teach that in just half a month!"
Mockery arose from all sides, but there was no real amusement or genuine anger in their words, only a sense of concealed panic.
Everyone knew things were bad, they just didn't want to admit it.
Proof of that was that, in no time, everyone left without even asking for a refund for the "false" or "nonsense" information that had been given, rushing back to their sects and families as quickly as they could.
It was predictable that, soon, the entire world would know this news.
And the panic that always precedes chaos would be unleashed.
Bao Wuji and Mo Yexuan also stood up and left without drawing attention, leaving behind only the silent announcer on the dark stage, who seemed lost in thought.
As soon as they distanced themselves through one of the many secret passages there, exiting the range of the information bazaar's formation, the masks and black robes dissipated, revealing their bodies once more.
In the same instant, the two disappeared into the void.
Thousands of miles away, in a forest without human presence, they reappeared in the sky, thoughtful.
"An information bazaar operating normally, even knowing about the world's destruction… it seems it's not about money, but about stirring the waters of the central continent even further," Mo Yexuan said darkly, with a small malicious smile at the corner of his mouth.
"Hmm… perhaps they are just desperate and trying to use the hands of the trillions of cultivators in the world to seek a solution," Bao Wuji reflected, with a heavy gaze.
"It doesn't matter, we can deal with it calmly. Let's return to the sect. Yin'er just arrived, and as an old father, I need to go see her while I can." Ancestor Mo shrugged.
But, strangely, upon hearing the name, Bao Wuji turned pale.
"Mo Qianyin is back?! Damn it, we have to go back quickly, that good daughter-in-law of mine has probably already subdued my foolish grandson Hui'er and is draining the family's savings!" Ancestor Bao said in panic and hastily opened a rift in the void, stepping into it.
Mo Yexuan chuckled lightly upon hearing that.
"Well, that sounds like my daughter."
With his low and dark laughter still echoing, he also stepped forward, entering the rift.
Soon, the rift closed, and that place returned to its normal calm.