As the Graha prepared for their descent, the people of the Mortal Desolate World were unaware of an approaching storm.

Although this sudden escalation could be said to be caused by Ji Xian and his actions, it wasn’t entirely his fault. His interference merely sped up their involvement. Sooner or later, it was bound to happen, for the moment the Graha obtained the coordinates of Mortal Desolate, it was no longer possible for them to hide.

At the Second Peak of the Arcane Mountain, a harmless looking old man wearing a bloodstained robe slowly emerged from an immortal cave.

“This feeling…” he muttered in a grave tone.

He had short grey hair and was holding a wooden cane in his left hand, using it to assist him with every few steps. 

After walking to an open space, he came to stop. As he slightly lifted his head toward the sky, a frown can be seen between his brows.

A linen blindfold was wrapped around his eyes so it was unknown what he was looking at. 

Suddenly, two mysterious white lights can be briefly seen shining through the fabric on his face. It was obvious they came from where his eyes should be and shockingly, just after a few breaths of time, the blindfold was dyed red as crimson tears gushed down his cheeks. The streams of blood were thick, making the old man look quite terrifying at this moment.

A fine trickle also leaked from the corner of his lips. As his mouth filled with the taste of metal, he forcefully swallowed it back down his throat.

The white glow vanished and the old man heavily panted. His hands clutched his chest, hoping to relieve some of the tightening tension there. 

Despite his sorry state, it didn’t take him long to calm his condition. 

“In the end, what I feared most happened. They’ve found us,” he sighed.

As the words left his mouth, a figure appeared next to him without any warning. Clothed in a conservative light green dress, It was Dong Zongying.

The flowing wind parted her long bangs, revealing her troubled eyes.

“Ancestor, something isn’t right… I’m getting an overwhelming sense of foreboding. I…”

She spoke hurriedly but immediately froze after seeing the old man’s pale complexion. He was also soaked in blood, causing her to immediately worry.

“Ancestor, you performed divination again?”

The old man calmly nodded.

He wasn’t surprised to see her.

Cultivators are beings who go against the natural order. They, who wish to control their own fate. When their lives are threatened, their intuition at times may warn them, and a cultivator’s intuition can be frighteningly accurate. As one’s cultivation increases, their sensitivity to danger will also grow as well. Alas, there are also moments when these intuitions just don’t appear, at the end of the day, the vast majority of cultivators have yet to dominate their destiny, and their lives remain outside the realm of their control. 

“The Graha is descending,” the old man said simply, without any embellishment. 

Dong Zongying instantly turned serious.

“The Graha again…” she said softly in a daze.

She noticed the choice of words used here. If the other party is descending, then that could only mean one thing, they were from the Upper World.

Mortal Desolate have fought with the Graha before, and they had nearly lost at that time. Those Grahas were merely from the Lower World, yet, they have already given them so much trouble. Now, their situation doesn’t seem too optimistic with the true force coming.

After drowning in her thoughts for a while, she finally asked, “Is this due to the sealing of the Chaos Tunnels?”

“It is likely,” the old man calmly replied.

Dong Zongying bitterly smiled, “We never had a chance, did we? After all the sacrifices the previous generations had made, and along with your help, Ancestor, we were finally able to push the Graha back. Unfortunately, they left a way to return, the Chaos Tunnels, but through some unknown fortune, a person appeared out of nowhere that was capable of sealing them. The problem that has been plaguing our minds for centuries should’ve been solved, however, it was actually all meaningless. There was never a way for us to get rid of the Graha. You beat them but only more will come.”

The more she spoke, the more frustrated she became at their current situation. 

The old man saw the way she reacted and shook his head. He let her vent for a while before letting out a gentle laugh.

“We never had a chance? Who’s to say that?”

He continued, “Zongying, the Arcane Mountain is the guardian of Mortal Desolate. We are responsible for the protection of our people and the world. How can you already be so pessimistic when the outcome is still unclear, and what will others think if they were to hear your words, the words of the Sect Master of the Arcane Mountain? How would they feel knowing that you have given up?”

Dong Zongying lowered her head as she listened quietly like a child who has done wrong. In truth, she was still somewhat inexperienced. It has only been a decade or so since she received the position of Sect Master. While this was a grand status, it also carries immense pressure. The Arcane Mountain was created to safeguard the world but it was simpler said than done. She was still in the process of learning what her role meant.

The old man’s heart softens upon seeing her like this. He kindly pats her shoulder and said, “Your Master unexpectedly passed away many years ago due to his injuries, forcing you to become the next Sect Master without much preparation. So far, you have done an excellent job of stabilizing Mortal Desolate. You just need a little more time to acclimate. I’m sure you can do it well.”

Dong Zongying exhaled a breath, “I won’t disappoint you, Ancestor.”

The old man nodded with satisfaction before returning his gaze to the sky.

“Hope is not lost yet. I am still here. There are also those other two experts whom we know nothing about. Something tells me they will play a very important role in this. Zongying, the future is not yet set in stone. It is always changing. I cannot see the outcome but even if I could, even if what I saw was unfavorable towards us, it is not enough for me to give up, nor should it be for you.”

“…”

Dong Zongying was silent. She glanced at the frail figure standing next to her whom she had nothing but respect for, and upon seeing his bloodstained robe and weak body, a hint of shame grappled at her mind.

Her bright brown eyes flashed with determination. An aura of authority came from her petite figure and she knew what needed to be done next.

“Ancestor, you don’t need to worry, Mortal Desolate will prevail. I will leave first, there are still some matters that I need to prepare.”

“Good, go on then,” The old man said with a smile.

Dong Zongying disappeared, returning to the Sect Hall in the First Peak.

She stood in a tall building with an open view of the Arcane Mountain. Her gaze passed by the other five Halls one by one. When she saw the Talisman Hall, she stopped and her eyes flashed with a dangerous light.

“Dongwu Sheng, I’ve tolerated you long enough. Do you really think I didn’t know who you are? Since your kind is coming, there’s no more reason to watch over you. It’s time to send you on your way.”

A strand of spiritual sense left her body and traveled to the Combat Hall to notify Zeng Shihao. All the while, she took out an ordinary copper token. She blankly looked at it for a second before tightening her grip.

Her body glowed with a soft green light as she circulated her True Essence into it.

It shined with a series of different colors before ultimately settling on red.  In the instant that this happened, nine other tokens throughout the Mortal Desolate World also erupted into the same color.