The moment Lin Sheng stepped through the gates of Purple Iris Immortal City, he immediately noticed something was wrong.
The city was still as prosperous as he remembered, the streets were filled with cultivators, merchants shouted from the entrances of their shops, flying swords occasionally crossed the sky above the city, and the spiritual light from various formations illuminated the surrounding buildings, yet beneath all that activity was an unmistakable sense of alertness.
Almost every cultivator he passed carried caution in their eyes.
Some walked with their hands resting near their storage bags, others constantly swept their surroundings with divine sense, while even the cultivators who appeared relaxed occasionally glanced behind themselves as though they expected someone to emerge from the crowd.
There was tension in the air.
It was not the kind of tension created by an ordinary conflict between cultivators.
It felt as though the entire Eastern Region was waiting for something to happen, as though a single spark could cause the carefully maintained peace to collapse.
Lin Sheng's brows slowly furrowed.
Nine years.
Only nine years had passed since he left.
Yet the Eastern Region had changed to this extent.
He did not need to ask anyone what had happened.
His mental perception quietly spread through the city.
He did not force his perception into anyone's sea of consciousness, nor did he deliberately probe the cultivators themselves, but with his current spiritual cultivation and mental strength, ordinary conversations within his surroundings naturally entered his perception.
The first conversation he heard came from two Foundation Establishment cultivators sitting inside a tea house.
"The Black Moon Sect has been moving again."
"They aren't the only ones, I've heard that three different demonic sects have appeared around the western provinces."
"The demonic sects aren't even the most troublesome part."
The second cultivator lowered his voice.
"There are assassin groups now targeting specific cultivators, not simply ordinary assassins either, some of the targets are geniuses who have recently displayed extraordinary talent."
Lin Sheng's footsteps did not stop.
His expression remained calm, but his attention became more focused.
He continued walking.
Another conversation entered his perception.
"The Seven Star Palace has already begun mobilising."
"Mobilising for what?"
"War."
The word immediately caught Lin Sheng's attention.
"The Seven Star Palace intends to fight the Purple Extremity Dan Sect and the Dao Reaching Sect."
"You cannot be serious. Trying to fight 2 Nascent Soul sects at the same time is ludicrous."
"I heard it from someone who has connections with a Purple Palace senior, the Seven Star Palace has already begun gathering forces, and the conflict is no longer limited to secret struggles between their affiliated families."
"What about the other two sects?"
"They are preparing as well."
The conversation faded as Lin Sheng walked further away.
His expression had become somewhat solemn.
Demonic sects.
Assassins targeting specific cultivators.
The Seven Star Palace preparing for war against the Purple Extremity Dan Sect and Dao Reaching Sect.
What had happened during his nine years away?
The Eastern Region had clearly entered a period of upheaval.
Lin Sheng continued moving through the city, his divine sense quietly sweeping across the surrounding streets.
Everywhere he went, similar discussions appeared.
Some cultivators believed that the Seven Star Palace had finally become ambitious enough to challenge the other two Nascent Soul forces.
Others believed that the golden runes had changed everything, that the appearance of those mysterious objects had accelerated the cultivation of the younger generation and caused countless ancient forces to become restless.
There were even rumours that some powerful cultivators had begun searching for forbidden lands.
Lin Sheng listened silently.
Then another piece of information entered his perception.
This time, his expression changed.
"Rank 4 powers are already choosing sides."
The voice belonged to an elderly cultivator.
"Already?"
"Not just one or two, there are many. Some have pledged themselves to the Seven Star Palace, while others have approached the Dao Reaching Sect and Purple Extremity Dan Sect."
"Then the war is inevitable."
Lin Sheng's eyes narrowed.
Rank 4.
That meant Golden Core level powers.
Once that many Rank 4 forces began choosing sides, the conflict was no longer something that could be resolved through negotiations between three Nascent Soul sects.
It meant the entire Eastern Region was beginning to divide itself.
And if Dragon Yuan Province was becoming one of the strategic centres of the conflict, then the Lin Family...
Lin Sheng's expression became slightly colder.
He immediately stopped listening.
There was no point standing here reminiscing about the city he had once known.
Nine years ago, Purple Iris Immortal City had represented a place filled with opportunities and dangers.
Now it had become a window through which he could see just how much the Eastern Region had changed.
He needed to return.
He needed to know what had happened to the people he had left behind.
Most importantly, he needed to know the current situation of his family.
Lin Sheng turned towards Lou Feng.
"Let's go."
Lou Feng had been quietly observing the surroundings and immediately nodded.
Lin Sheng reached out and grabbed his hand.
The next instant, spiritual light surrounded the two of them.
Their figures blurred.
Then they vanished from the street.
No one nearby even had time to react.
---
Meanwhile, far away from Purple Iris Immortal City, within the Cloud Mist Ridge Market, a completely different scene was unfolding.
The market was unusually lively.
Several tables had been arranged outside the central hall, spiritual wine and food had been prepared, while cultivators gathered together in small groups, their faces carrying smiles that had become increasingly rare during the turbulent period of the past few years.
The reason was simple.
Guardian Zhao had broken through.
Astral Gang.
At one hundred and fifty years of age, he had finally crossed that threshold.
For an ordinary martial artist, reaching Astral Gang at such an age would not necessarily be considered extraordinary, but within the Cloud Mist Ridge Market, Guardian Zhao's breakthrough carried considerable significance.
He had guarded the market for many years.
He had fought against countless Yao beasts, suppressed conflicts between cultivators, protected caravans, and maintained order within the surrounding region.
Now that he had entered Astral Gang, his strength had undergone a fundamental transformation.
He had also been granted greater authority.
From this point onwards, Guardian Zhao would oversee part of the southern region, giving him responsibility over a significantly larger territory.
For the cultivators living within the market, this was naturally worth celebrating.
Unfortunately, the celebration could not last.
The current era was simply too turbulent.
Too many things had happened during the previous few years.
Powerful factions were moving, talented cultivators were disappearing, strange golden runes continued to influence the cultivation world, and rumours about an impending war between the great sects had already reached even remote markets such as Cloud Mist Ridge.
Therefore, although everyone was happy for Guardian Zhao, their celebration was restrained.
There was no wild drinking.
No extravagant banquet.
Everyone remained conscious of the dangers surrounding them.
And before the celebration could even properly begin, another problem arrived.
A roar shook the mountains.
"ROAR!"
The sound came from deep within Cloud Mist Ridge.
Then came another.
And another.
The ground began trembling.
The expressions of the cultivators inside the market changed almost simultaneously.
Guardian Zhao immediately stood.
His eyes turned towards the distant mountain range.
A dark mass was moving through the forest.
At first it looked like a river of mud.
Then the cultivators realised what they were seeing.
Yao beasts.
Countless Yao beasts were pouring out of the mountains.
There were ordinary Rank 1 beasts among them, their bodies moving wildly as they fled towards the market, but mixed within them were Rank 2 Yao beasts, some at the early stage, some at the middle stage, and even several at the late stage.
At the very front of the tide, enormous beasts tore through trees as they charged down the mountain slopes.
Their roars shook the surrounding valleys.
Branches snapped.
Boulders rolled down the mountainside.
Dust filled the air.
The entire horizon seemed to have become covered by an endless tide of beasts.
The cultivators in the market immediately became nervous.
"Beast tide!"
"Activate the formation!"
"Get everyone inside!"
"Prepare the defensive formations!"
The market descended into chaos.
Guardian Zhao remained standing on the elevated platform.
His expression was calm.
He was not afraid of the beast tide.
After all, he had just broken through to Astral Gang.
His strength had increased dramatically, and with the market's defensive formation assisting him, even a large number of Rank 2 Yao beasts would not be enough to threaten the market.
What concerned him was something else.
His gaze remained fixed upon the distant mountains.
There was something wrong.
A beast tide of this scale should have a reason.
Yao beasts did not normally abandon their territories and rush towards a human settlement in such numbers without some external pressure.
Guardian Zhao slowly closed his eyes.
His martial will spread through the mountains. He didn't have divine sense but this was enough.
At first, he sensed nothing unusual.
There were countless beasts and the spiritual qi was chaotic.
The movement of the beast tide made the surrounding aura extremely difficult to distinguish.
But as his senses pushed deeper, Guardian Zhao suddenly felt a faint sensation.
A threat, very faint though.
So faint that he almost dismissed it as an illusion.
His brows gradually tightened.
He continued probing.
The sensation became clearer. It was coming from deep within the mountain.
Guardian Zhao opened his eyes.
The excitement that had been present because of his recent breakthrough disappeared completely.
That aura did not feel like it belonged to a Yao beast. It was too cold and too restrained.
And most importantly, there was something about it that made his instincts as a martial artist warn him not to approach.
Guardian Zhao stared at the distant mountains as the beast tide continued rushing towards the market.
His hand slowly tightened around the hilt of the weapon at his waist.
"A beast tide..."
He murmured.
"Or are you hiding behind it?"
The wind swept across the market.