The clear skies of Glazed Wonderland had suddenly darkened with rolling storm clouds.
"W-w-what's happening?" Qin Jiaxian stammered.
The abrupt shift in the heavens left Qin Jiaxian trembling in fear.
"Everyone, be careful!" Qu Shitu warned.
No sooner had his words faded than a figure materialized within Glazed Wonderland—Death himself had descended.
"Where is Su Huanzhen?" the Grand Academician demanded.
The one who had arrived, the Grand Academician, had come for Su Huanzhen—or rather, to kill him.
"I-i-i-is that… Death?" Qin Jiaxian gasped.
Recognizing the intruder, Qin Jiaxian recoiled in terror, scrambling behind the others.
"Su Huanzhen isn't here. Come back another day!" Qu Shitu declared.
Though fear gnawed at him, Qu Shitu mustered his courage and addressed the Grand Academician.
"If he isn't here, then you are of no use," the Grand Academician stated.
Hearing that Su Huanzhen was absent, the Grand Academician saw no reason to waste further time.
With a mere lift of his palm, dark whirlpools surged forth, manifesting into a terrifying suction force.
"What the hell is that?!" Qin Jiaxian shrieked.
"Danger! Move back!" Qu Shitu shouted.
At the same time, two spirits—one a peanut-headed plant sprite, the other a stone spirit, both brought from the Annihilation Realm by Phoenix Cry—stepped forward, shielding the group.
Then, the Grand Academician clenched his fist—
"Aaaah—!" Di Peng screamed.
"Daddy, help—!" the Shade Corpse wailed.
In an instant, the two spirits, Di Peng and the Shade Corpse, exploded into a gory mist under the Grand Academician's divine power.
The blast sent Qu Shitu, Qin Jiaxian, and Ye Tuling flying, leaving them grievously wounded—yet alive.
Gritting through the pain, the three struggled to their feet.
"Y-you…!" Qin Jiaxian stammered.
"Boss, run! I'll hold him off!" Ye Tuling urged.
"Do you really think you can escape?" the Grand Academician mocked.
Just then—
A flash of Moonhook Blade sliced through the air, striking at the Grand Academician.
Unfazed, the Grand Academician kept one hand behind his back. Half a meter away from him, an invisible barrier deflected every slash.
Only then did he turn—to see Qing Shi Buhianhe, wielding the Moonhook Blade, lunging at him.
Yet, no matter how swiftly she attacked, her strikes never found their mark.
"Go, now!" Qin Jiaxian urged.
Qu Shitu wasted no time, dragging Qin Jiaxian and Ye Tuling through Glazed Wonderland's hidden passage.
"Hahahaha—!" the Grand Academician laughed.
Hearing his mocking tone, Qing Shi Buhianhe slashed wildly, her blade releasing a flurry of shifting sword energies.
Yet again, an unseen barrier materialized, effortlessly nullifying her assault.
Before she could strike again, the Grand Academician moved—his palm lashing out.
Instinctively, she raised the Moonhook Blade to block.
But how could she withstand his might?
The impact sent her flying.
Crashing to the ground, Qing Shi Buhianhe coughed up blood as she tried to rise.
Just then—
"Death… please… save me," Zhiyu Changxin pleaded.
Turning, he saw Zhiyu Changxin—crippled, her martial arts eradicated—desperately wheeling herself toward him.
"You… child," the Grand Academician murmured.
"Restore my power. I can still serve you," Zhiyu Changxin begged.
"Hahahaha—!" the Grand Academician laughed.
"Let the crippled accompany the crippled… and live out their crippled lives together," he sneered.
Still laughing, the Grand Academician vanished from Glazed Wonderland.
"Death—!" Zhiyu Changxin screamed.
Zhiyu Changxin frantically turned her wheelchair, trying to chase after him—her only hope.
But in her haste, she tumbled to the ground.
"Changxin, are you alright?!" Qing Shi Buhianhe called.
"Don't touch me!" Zhiyu Changxin snapped.
Not long after the Grand Academician's departure, an anomaly stirred within Glazed Wonderland.
The spiritual energy of the land, the earth's pulse from the *Kylin Lair began converging toward a single point.
[*Kylin Lair] - A potent site where earth energy gathers.
Zhiyu Changxin, powerless as she was, sensed nothing—but Qing Shi Buhianhe immediately noticed.
Her gaze snapped toward the gathering energies.
Amidst the swirling currents, a violet radiance emerged, intensifying with each passing moment.
Then—
A human silhouette took form within the light.
...
Before losing consciousness, Yin Shiren had heard screams, followed by explosions.
When he awoke, his vision cleared to reveal a ruined courtyard—and two women.
One, though beautiful, was disheveled, her eyes wild with madness as she sat in a wheelchair.
The moment Yin Shiren's gaze met hers, an inexplicable tremor ran through his heart.
Not attraction—he'd seen plenty of beauties—but something deeper.
The other woman, clad in white, missing an arm, clutched a slender, razor-edged weapon.
Blood stained her lips, her body bearing the marks of severe injury.
Despite her wounds, she shielded the wheelchair-bound woman, eyeing Yin Shiren warily.
Both women stared at him in shock.
A flood of memories surged into Yin Shiren's mind—he knew them now.
The wheelchair-bound woman was the Vermilion Bird Empress, Zhiyu Changxin.
The white-clad warrior—Qing Shi Buhianhe.
While Yin Shiren was merely surprised, the two women were utterly stunned.
"Who are you? Why have you appeared in Glazed Wonderland?" Qing Shi Buhianhe demanded.
But Yin Shiren didn't answer. He had more pressing matters.
His gaze shifted to his left shoulder—where a golden bird, resembling an eagle yet not, perched.
As if reading his thoughts, the creature let out a cry—
"Scree—!" the golden roc cried.
—and took flight, soaring into the sky.
In midair, its form expanded rapidly, wings stretching ten meters wide.
Without hesitation, Yin Shiren leaped, landing effortlessly on the golden roc's back.
Before the stunned eyes of the two women, the colossal bird shot into the distance, vanishing within moments.
"Who was that handsome man? Why was he in Glazed Wonderland?" Zhiyu Changxin murmured.
"I… don't know," Qing Shi Buhianhe admitted.
A single glance had seared Yin Shiren's striking visage into their minds.
But it wasn't just his looks—there was something else, an inexplicable magnetism.
Of course, Yin Shiren himself remained oblivious.
Right now, he had only one goal—
To reach the Thousand Evils Cave, and fast.
He had urgent business to attend to.