"Daoist Li, did you really come just for me?"

Zi Yun’s smile was radiant. Her gentle voice drifted over the Flying Ship.

She held out her fair hands with a grin.

"Daoist Li, since you’re here to congratulate me, surely you didn’t come without a gift?"

"Of course I did."

Li Chang’an replied with a smile, presenting his gift.

The gift was a suit of Tier Three Top Grade Soft Armor he had personally crafted for Zi Yun. It was a delicate, beautiful piece, pale purple all over, and made from extremely precious materials.

Zi Yun fell in love with it at first sight and excitedly put it on.

At the same time, she realized something.

"Daoist Li, has your Artifact Refining Skill broken through to Tier Three Top Grade?"

"Thanks to the help of the Tier Three Earth Fire, I had a fortunate breakthrough not long ago."

Upon hearing this, the gazes of everyone on the Flying Ship filled with even more shock.

To have reached Tier Three Top Grade in both Alchemy and Artifact Refining was truly a sign of extraordinary talent!

It took quite a while for everyone to calm down.

...

「The next day.」

Zi Yun’s eightieth birthday officially arrived.

She hadn’t announced it publicly, so none of the other Golden Core Influences in the Southern Domain came.

Besides Li Chang’an, everyone celebrating with her was a Cultivator from the Purple Mist Sect.

Li Chang’an had planned to leave after the birthday banquet.

However, just as the banquet was halfway through, the Spiritual Ore mine below suddenly began to tremble, cracks appearing all over its surface.

"What’s going on?"

The celebratory atmosphere on the Flying Ship instantly vanished.

Everyone wore grave expressions as they watched the changes in the Spiritual Ore mine.

The cracks grew more numerous, and the tremors intensified.

Suddenly, with a deafening BOOM, the earth caved in, creating a chasm thousands of feet deep.

Immediately after, the ground around the chasm continued to collapse.

When the cataclysm ended, the Spiritual Ore mine below was gone, leaving only a chasm tens of thousands of yards deep.

"The Spiritual Ore mine collapsed?"

This sudden turn of events was beyond anyone’s expectations.

A primitive, ancient aura, filled with the weight of ages, surged out from the depths of the chasm.

Below, within the chasm, amidst the wreckage of the fallen Spiritual Ore mine, lay a vast expanse of well-ordered palaces and pavilions.

"To think there was a set of Ancient Sect Ruins hidden beneath this Spiritual Ore mine!"

"No, this aura is even older than the Ancient Sects. The architectural style of the palaces is different from the era of the Nine Great Sects. It’s from a more distant age. Could it be... the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty?"

"I can sense the aura of several Treasures..."

As everyone was discussing this, the nearby Yellow Sand Sect’s Flying Ship suddenly transformed into a streak of light and charged into the ruins.

Their intentions were perfectly clear.

They were going to snatch the Treasures!

The first to enter the ruins often finds the greatest opportunities.

Zi Xi’s eyes turned cold. She immediately piloted the Flying Ship, bringing everyone into the ruins in an instant.

"There are many Treasures here. Everyone, feel free to search on your own. Be careful of traps and mechanisms, and don’t stray too far from the Flying Ship."

"Yes!"

Unable to contain their excitement, everyone left the Flying Ship and entered the ruins below.

Wu Shuo invited Li Chang’an, "Daoist Li, how about we go Treasure Hunting together?"

Li Chang’an nodded. "I was thinking the same thing."

Zi Yun chuckled. "Count me in. I’ll go Treasure Hunting with you, Daoist Li."

And so, the three of them once again formed a team and entered the ruins below.

Li Chang’an’s objective was crystal clear.

The moment he entered the ruins, he had sensed the aura of a Turtle Shell Treasure.

’A Tier Four Turtle Shell!’

A Turtle Shell of this Tier would be a massive help to his Divination Skill.

Without the slightest hesitation, he headed straight for the source of the Tier Four Turtle Shell’s aura.

Just then, Li Chang’an suddenly sensed two hostile gazes fall upon him.

He frowned and turned to look.

Not far away, the Huang Sha Saint Child, Wei Xu, stood on his Flying Ship, staring intently at him.

Beside Wei Xu was another person whose aura was even stronger.

This person spoke coolly, "Third Junior Brother, is that the Li Chang’an Master ordered you to kill? Why have you let him live this long?"

Wei Xu replied, "First Senior Brother, Li Chang’an has been under Zi Xi’s protection this whole time. I haven’t had a good opportunity to act."

"Forget it. Since I’m here today, I’ll help you out. I will block Zi Xi for you."

"Thank you, First Senior Brother!"

A look of delight appeared on Wei Xu’s face.

Immediately after, the two of them transformed into streaks of light and shot straight toward Li Chang’an.

But before they could even get close, Zi Xi blocked their path.

She summoned a Magical Treasure, her tone icy. "Gu Yunqi, Wei Xu, where do you two think you’re going?"

"Daoist Zi Xi, please step aside!"

Gu Yunqi, Wei Xu’s First Senior Brother, also summoned a Magical Treasure as Spiritual Light flashed in his hand.

As Huang Sha True Monarch’s first disciple, his talent was exceptional, and his power far surpassed that of an ordinary Saint Child or Saintess.

His standing in the Yellow Sand Sect was similar to Zi Xi’s in the Purple Mist Sect; both could be called the number one person beneath the Nascent Soul realm.

"Third Junior Brother, I’ll hold off Zi Xi! You go kill Li Chang’an, quickly!"

With that said, he attacked without the slightest hesitation.

Wei Xu, meanwhile, intended to bypass Zi Xi and take Li Chang’an’s head as quickly as possible to end the conflict.

However, just at that moment, a beam of Spiritual Light shot out from Zi Xi’s Storage Pouch, transforming into a deep purple Puppet that blocked his path.

"A Quasi-Tier Four Puppet?"

Wei Xu’s expression immediately turned sour.

With his strength, he wouldn’t be able to take down this Puppet anytime soon.

He had no choice but to call out to the other Yellow Sand Sect Cultivators, "Everyone, help me kill Li Chang’an! I will reward you handsomely when it’s done!"

"Alright!"

More than ten Golden Core Cultivators from the Yellow Sand Sect responded in unison.

They all knew.

Killing Li Chang’an was an order from Huang Sha True Monarch.

If they succeeded, they would most likely receive a reward from the True Monarch himself.

At this thought, the dozen or so Cultivators, filled with killing intent and greed, all charged toward Li Chang’an.

"Daoist Li, I’ll hold them off! Get back to the Flying Ship and use its Array to fight them!"

Zi Yun gritted her teeth, summoned her Magical Treasure, and prepared to buy him some time.

The other Purple Mist Sect Golden Core Masters also rushed over to help.

The two sides quickly fell into a chaotic battle.

But the Yellow Sand Sect had more Cultivators.

Just moments later, two Middle Stage of Golden Core Cultivators broke through the blockade and charged at Li Chang’an together.

"Haha, Daoist Li, don’t even bother resisting."

"We’ll be borrowing your head!"

The two pushed their Escape Techniques to the limit, each trying to reach and kill Li Chang’an before the other.

They wore cruel smiles, as if they could already see Li Chang’an’s head flying through the air.

But in the next instant, the two of them froze in unison, stopped by a large, invisible net.

’This is bad!’

Their expressions changed drastically as they summoned their sharpest Magical Treasures, attempting to tear the net apart.

But no matter what techniques they used, they couldn’t rip it. Instead, the net only grew tighter, until they were completely immobilized, like lambs to the slaughter.

Li Chang’an’s expression was cold, his robes fluttering. His Magical Power surged, and the faint sound of a dragon’s roar echoed around him.

"Mu Longteng!"

Two terrifying, giant dragons made of green wood appeared. Fierce, domineering, and unstoppable, they seemed like true Tier Three members of the Dragon Race as they violently slammed into the two Golden Core Cultivators from the Yellow Sand Sect.

BOOM!

With horrified screams, the two of them exploded on the spot, dissolving into a shower of blood that rained down on the land.

In that instant, the entire ruins fell silent.