The Liu family caravan continued its journey without any noteworthy events in the past two days, and there are no longer groups of cultivators secretly following them. Currently, the caravan took a brief break. The sun shone brightly overhead as they stopped beside the road, seeking refuge under the shade of trees. Everyone enjoyed the refreshing breeze, took a break, and some relished lunch while others tended to the needs of the horses.

Orion and Wang Lingxin walked together towards the woods, disappearing from view after a while. However, the others had grown accustomed to this routine and didn't pay much attention. The armored man, who didn't speak much or interact with others and appeared to never eat or drink, followed the same pattern every morning, midday, and sunset. During breaks or when the caravan stopped, he always vanished into the woods. Nobody knew the purpose of his excursions—perhaps a call of nature?

Orion and Wang Lingxin continued walking until they reached a small clearing. Suddenly, something resembling a dragonfly flew toward them. Orion then controlled the SO-1 drone to descend slowly towards it, Orion then reached out to grab the drone.

"Master, let me touch it," Wang Lingxin requested.

"Sure," Orion replied, holding the drone for Wang Lingxin.

Wang Lingxin extended her hand and touched the drone. "Wow, Master, you are really awesome to make something like this and control it," Wang Lingxin said, very impressed, looking at the drone closely. Her master had already told her about the drone and its functions. She was genuinely surprised when she learned that she could see what the drone saw from above using her tablet—it was as if she herself were flying in the sky.

"Master, can this drone carry me and fly to the sky?" Wang Lingxin asked.

"No, the drone is too small. But don't worry, I will make a bigger one that can take you to fly in the sky," Orion assured.

"Really? Thank you, Master!" Wang Lingxin exclaimed.

The decision to create a larger drone wasn't just for Wang Lingxin; Orion also deemed it necessary. However, it would require a bigger dragonfly, a spirit beast, not just an ordinary one like the one currently used for the drone.

Orion then stored the drone in the storage ring and retrieved another fully charged SO-1 drone, controlling it to fly. The drone had limited battery life, requiring replacement every few hours. During the night, Orion would leave the drone outside the storage ring to allow the batteries to recharge.

"Let's return," Orion said.

Orion and Wang Lingxin returned to the caravan, and the caravan's journey resumed. In the carriage, Wang Lingxin watched the tablet, observing the caravan from above via the drone's camera to pass the time. Orion sat silently, reading books containing information about Fengxian and the surrounding area. Suddenly, Orion turned its head, opened the carriage window, and looked outside.

"Master, what is it?" Wang Lingxin inquired.

"Mmm... nothing," Orion replied, then closed the window and returned to reading.

Approximately 300 km from Orion's current location, a peculiar phenomenon occurred—a sea of clouds seemed to be slashed and parted, with the clouds roiling and turbulent. The Orbiter, coincidentally orbiting right above the area, captured and recorded the event, sending the footage to Orion. Orion attempted to zoom in with the camera but failed because it was too far away. It could be a natural phenomenon, but in the cultivation world, it's also possible that it was caused by some very high-level cultivator. Orion just hoped there wouldn't be any problems, fortunately, it was rather far away.

...

On a vast grassland, three beautiful girls adorned in elegant white cultivation robes stood, their hair gently swaying in the breeze as they gazed at the sky.

One of them spoke, "Stop hiding like a rat and show yourself."

"Hwa ha ha ha, well, well, well, what do we have here? What are the infamous Lord Crimson Rose doing in this kind of place?" a voice echoed. Suddenly, a figure appeared in the sky—a middle-aged man with long hair, carrying a saber at his waist, and with a rather wild appearance. His right hand held a wine gourd. "Oh, sorry, I mean Lord Snow Rose, my bad," showing a mischievous smile.

"Mad Saber..." replied Snow Rose flatly.

"What? Don't like meeting your old acquaintance?" Mad Saber drank wine from the jug.

"Just you?" the Snow Rose asked.

Then the sky rippled, and another four figures appeared and hovered in the sky. The girl looked at the four familiar faces that had just shown up.

"Greetings, Snow Rose! Long time no see; you just keep getting prettier and prettier," said a muscular and bald guy, one of the four figures, smiling.

"Absolute Diamond..." Snow Rose started, "and your head is getting shinier and shinier," she added with a smile.

"Mua ha ha, that's right, and it's really becoming a trouble," Absolute Diamond said as he touched his bald head.

"Maybe you are playing with girls too much, and your hairs don't have enough nutrients," Snow Rose teased.

"Ha ha ha, perhaps," Absolute Diamond chuckled.

Absolute Diamond is his Dao Title, and his real name is Zhan Lei. He is a cultivator from Heaven and Earth Union Sect, an unorthodox path cultivation sect, cultivating through dual cultivation with the opposite sex. He is a cultivator at the 4th stage of the Soul Ascendance realm.

"Snow Rose, after more than 1000 years cooped up in the sect, you're finally leaving the sect," said a female elf.

"Oh, Elena, you are also here... where is your sister?" Snow Rose inquired.

"She died about 700 years ago," replied Elena.

Elena Silverleaf, a cultivator at the 3rd stage of the Soul Ascendance realm from the Elven kingdom of Sylvan Haven, holds the Dao Title Silver Marionette. She is a puppet controller.

"Such a shame, I wish I could send her to the afterlife by my own hands," Snow Rose remarked.

"Snow Rose... cough... cough... it's time... for you... to die...cough," uttered a figure fully covered in a robe. Despite the incessant coughing, only his pale white face was visible, marked by numerous dark spots. The black blood vessels stood out prominently against the sickly, pale skin, creating a stark contrast. At a single glance, he looked like a very sickly person.

His name is Malachi, a Cerebran and his Dao Title is Noxious Viper. He is a 3rd stage of the Soul Ascendance realm cultivator from the evil path Venomous Shadows Sect, specializing in poison.

"..." Snow Rose didn't reply and just looked coldly at the sickly-looking figure.

The last person is an old man with a goatee, holding a spear, silent the entire time. His name is Wei Zhi, an itinerant cultivator at the 5th stage of the Soul Ascendance realm, and his Dao title is Roaring Thunder.

"Is it just the five of you?" inquired Snow Rose. "Tsk... tsk... tsk..." She shook her head in apparent disappointment. Snow Rose is Lin Xue's Dao Title. She is a cultivator at the 6th stage of the Soul Ascendance realm from the Serene Moonlight Sect, an orthodox cultivation sect.

"Hmph, stop looking down on us. We are more than enough to kill you!" Mad Saber shouted. His real name is Zheng Kai, a Cultivator at the 6th stage of the Soul Ascendance realm from the Sanguine Bloodbane Sect of the evil path.

"Well, the others are still busy with their own things, and only the five of us have some free time," Absolute Diamond explained.

The five figures hovered in the sky, emanating tremendous Qi pressure. The wind intensified, and the clouds around them roiled. They gazed down at the three girls on the grassland below.

"Martial aunt, what should we do?" the other girl asked, worry evident on her face. It seems they've been ambushed.

The two other girls accompanying Snow Rose are Xiu Hui and Yan Mei, her senior sister's disciples. Snow Rose still looked calm, took out her necklace, and gave it to Xiu Hui. The necklace is a Grade-6 defense artifact given by her late master. It is a very strong defense artifact capable of withstanding several full-powered attacks from cultivators in the late stage of the Soul Ascendance realm.

"Xiu Hui, take this necklace. It will protect you two. Activate it and stay; don't leave the protective barrier," said Snow Rose.

"But, Martial Aunt, will you be okay? You should use it for yourself," Xiu Hui expressed concern.

"There's no need," replied Snow Rose.

"Martial Aunt..." Yan Mei said, visibly worried, her eyes moist.

"You don't need to worry about me," Snow Rose said, smiling and patting Yan Mei's head. "You two stay here, understand?"

Snow Rose flew slowly towards the five figures in the sky.

"Senior Sister, is there something that we can do to help Martial Aunt?" Yan Mei asked.

Xiu Hui sighed, "There is nothing we can do. Let's just hope that Martial Aunt will be fine," Yan Mei said, looking at her martial aunt with worry.

Both Xiu Hui and Yan Mei are just Golden Core realm cultivators, not qualified to get involved. The five figures and their Martial Aunt are all in the Soul Ascendance realm. Compared to them, Xiu Hui and Yan Mei are just like ants. Just a snort from any of those five figures would be more than enough to kill both of them.

The difference is three major realms. After Golden Core realm, there is Nascent Soul realm. After a cultivator reaches Nascent Soul realm, they will receive a Dao title, choosing a title of their preference and becoming something like an alias in the cultivation world. They will be addressed as lords by those of the same or lower cultivation level to show respect. After Nascent Soul, there is Soul Transformation realm, and after that is Soul Ascendance realm.

Snow Rose hovered in front of the five figures and scanned them one by one. "So, how do you guys know that I am leaving the sect?" Snow Rose asked.

"Of course, I will know. After all, my feelings towards you are so deep. It's like I can feel where you are," Absolute Diamond said, smacking his chest confidently.

"That's creepy," Snow Rose remarked.

"Um, cough cough. Anyway, Snow Rose, do you want to be my Dao companion?" Absolute Diamond blurted out, seemingly out of nowhere. The others didn't seem to be surprised or affected by the surprise curveball.

"My answer is still the same," Snow Rose replied.

"Well, that's a shame," Absolute Diamond said, dropping his shoulders and looking sad. It seems that he is rejected yet again.

"It's not important how we know that you are leaving the sect. By the way, who are those brats?" Silver Marionette asked, taking a glance at Xiu Hui and Yan Mei.

Xiu Hui and Yan Mei felt frightened and got goosebumps when being looked at by Silver Marionette.

"They are my senior sister's disciples," Snow Rose replied.

"Oh... Thousands Icicles disciples?" Silver Marionette inquired.

"Hey, Snow Rose, is Thousands Icicles still single?" Absolute Diamond asked, apparently getting spirited up after getting rejected.

"Yes, but I don't think you have any chances," Snow Rose replied.

"Hey, hey, hey! What do you mean by that? You don't know anything about me. Hmph, I can easily make your senior sister fall head over heels for me. Hua ha ha," Absolute Diamond boasted.

"So, are we just gonna talk or fight?" Snow Rose inquired.

Mad Saber drank the wine from the jug and emptied it. Then, he smashed it with his palm. "Very good, you never change," Mad Saber grinned, wine trailing from his mouth. He wiped it away. "That's what I like about you," Mad Saber remarked.

The situation changed abruptly. The faces of the five figures grew serious, and their killing intent flooded out, accompanied by thick bloodlust. They emanated strong and oppressive Qi pressures, causing the wind to intensify, and their momentum is surging.

Despite this, Snow Rose's expression remained unchanged – calm, tranquil, and serene as ever. She also emanated a strong Qi pressure, not losing to any of the other five.

On the other hand, Xiu Hui and Yan Mei suffered from the tremendous Qi pressure and the overwhelming killing intent, kneeling on the ground and gasping for breath. Cold sweat drenched them, and Xiu Hui immediately activated the defensive artifact necklace given by her martial aunt. A defensive energy barrier surrounded and protected them, shielding from the Qi pressure. Once no longer affected, they both could breathe normally again, still sitting on the ground.

"It's finally beginning," Xiu Hui exclaimed.
"Martial Aunt... please be okay," Yan Mei pleaded.

Xiu Hui and Yan Mei looked up towards the sky with worry, where six figures hovered. Clouds churned around them. The Qi pressure from the six of them clashed, creating vibrations in the air. The ground below cracked, the grass shook, and small rocks, pebbles, sand, and dust started floating slowly toward the sky. Fallen dried leaves scattered chaotically in the air. A great battle was about to start.