The man behind

Ten days have passed since the Heavenly Dao Rankings concluded.

The Chaotic Land also welcomed its first snow of winter!

Light snow fluttered down, turning the mountains white overnight.

Frost descended sharply, covering mountains and vegetation with a layer of white frost.

The white snow, the sudden cold frost, and the icy sky could not deter the enthusiasm of the entire Chaotic Land.

The Chaotic Land, once known as the most barren region in the Void Domain, used to see its inhabitants inherently inferior and shorter when compared to other cultivators of the same rank from different regions.

However, with the Phoenix Feather Sect dominating the Heavenly Dao Rankings and acquiring countless essences of fortune, which transformed the entire Chaotic Land, this situation immediately reversed.

Every day, cultivators from all directions continuously flocked in from other places.

Facing the local cultivators of the Chaotic Land, those from out of town invariably shed their former arrogant demeanor, instead appearing cautious and even somewhat fawning.

This gave the local inhabitants of the Chaotic Land a sense of pride and vindication.

At the same time, it also strengthened their sense of belonging to the Phoenix Feather Sect.

This phenomenon had a strong flavor of 'one person attains the Dao, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven'.

Outside the Phoenix Feather Sect's mountain gate, a dense crowd knelt.

These were all people who had come from various places, ready to become disciples.

The Phoenix Feather Sect had cultivated ten thousand disciples who ascended the Heavenly Dao Rankings, and each disciple was a supreme talent, an unparalleled prodigy.

It could be said that throughout the Void Domain, the Phoenix Feather Sect had become a living golden signboard.

This naturally attracted countless ambitious individuals.

Outside, the commotion caused by the Heavenly Dao Rankings had entered a relatively stable phase as time passed.

On the surface, the entire Void Domain seemed to have returned to a state of tranquility.

But secretly, a storm was brewing.

Li Huo Sect!

As one of the five strongest forces in the Void Domain, the Li Huo Sect suffered an undeserved calamity when its leader, Yuan Xiaotian, fled.

A group of people were purged, and another group was completely enslaved!

The Li Huo Sect had now transformed from an affiliate of the Asking Heart Sect into a branch of the Asking Heart Sect.

Ye Ji, dressed in a long black dress, sat on the main seat of the Leaving Fire Hall, examining the messages sent from the Asking Heart Sect's headquarters.

The Asking Heart Sect was a top sect in the Star Domain.

There were more than five Saint realm powerhouses within its gates.

There was even a half-step Great Saint realm powerhouse overseeing it.

Of course, this was not the Asking Heart Sect's strongest power, and there was even a mysterious existence behind it.

Although Zhong Qing was extraordinary, and even cultivated a top-tier prodigy who made it onto the rankings, Ye Ji believed that he could not be compared to the one behind the Asking Heart Sect.

After Ye Ji finished reading the instructions sent by the sect, a peculiar expression appeared on her face.

"The Sect Master and the others, they actually want me to directly contact that one behind the Asking Heart Sect?"

"That's right, being able to cultivate someone with an Innate Dao Body possessing ten Innate Imprints would surely attract that one's attention!"

Thinking of this, she directly put away the communication jade slip.

Her entire being transformed into a streak of light, disappearing from her original spot, and reappearing at the highest peak within a radius of ten thousand miles!

The peaks were like pillars, soaring straight into the clouds!

Ye Ji stood atop Cloud Soaring Peak, and with a flick of her jade hand, three sticks of incense appeared in her grasp.

This was the Ancient God-Summoning Incense!

It was bestowed by that esteemed one behind the Asking Heart Sect.

Lighting this incense could ignore spatial and temporal distances, allowing for a remote dialogue with that esteemed one.

Originally, Ye Ji had thought about whether she could use the sect's power to reclaim this essence of fortune and alleviate that esteemed one's worries.

But now, judging from the sect's reply, that esteemed one seemed to be giving instructions personally.

As the Ancient God-Summoning Incense was lit!

Smoke billowed, drifting outwards.

It seemed to stir time and space, traverse eons, and agitate the power of years!

Ye Ji held the incense sticks with both hands, raised them above her head, and bowed three times respectfully!

The next moment!

In the void, smoke swirled, forming a giant vortex!

Inside the vortex, fragments of time seemed to dance.

Gradually, a scene emerged from within.

It was a mountain!

The mountain was not large and looked very ordinary.

However, the figure on the mountain was extraordinarily remarkable.

It was a man who looked to be only in his early twenties!

He wore white robes, his hair like a galaxy, his skin like white jade, with starry brows and sword-like eyes.

He sat cross-legged beneath an ancient pine tree, eyes closed in contemplation.

A majestic and profound aura emanated from his body.

With his every breath, the mountains seemed to tremble, and the flowers, grass, and trees swayed with his breathing.

He just sat there, yet he seemed to be the master of the entire world, controlling the rise and fall of all things, and governing the cycle of life and death.

In this world, there are some people whose mere appearance can dim the sun and moon, and make heaven and earth lose their color.

Evidently, the man in the image was such a person.

Even though Ye Ji was not seeing this person in the image for the first time, each meeting always brought her a different feeling.

Her cultivation at the Saint realm Third Heaven always felt like a mayfly on the ground, looking up at a divine dragon in the nine heavens, in front of him.

"My Lord, your subordinate is incompetent; the mission has failed!"

"Please punish me, my Lord!"

Ye Ji's demeanor was respectful, and her voice carried a hint of self-reproach.

Ten thousand years ago!

Although the Asking Heart Sect was powerful, it was far from reaching its current scale.

Even the Asking Heart Sect's Ancestor faced the calamity of death and disappearance, and the entire Asking Heart Sect ushered in an unprecedented crisis.

It was this man before her, Gu Chenxian, who descended upon the Asking Heart Sect as an immortal, instantly killing a half-step Great Saint powerhouse with a single finger.

He casually enlightened the Asking Heart Sect's four supreme powerhouses into four Saints.

And she was one of the four Saints who were enlightened.

It could be said that the Asking Heart Sect's current status was inextricably linked to this man before her.

And the collection of the essence of fortune was pushed by this man behind the scenes.

Now that the mission had failed, Ye Ji felt that she was entirely to blame.

Hearing Ye Ji's words, the white-robed man, Gu Chenxian, slowly opened his eyes.

What kind of eyes were those?

Within his gaze, the sun, moon, and stars revolved, and scenes of creation unfolded!

A streak of sword light was born from among the stars, seemingly capable of annihilating all things in heaven and earth, and destroying the stars of Cang Yu.

After a long while, all the anomalies in Gu Chenxian's eyes disappeared, replaced by a gaze as deep and profound as the starry sea.

His gaze fell upon Ye Ji; although they were separated by an infinitely vast space and time, it felt as if they were close at hand.

"In the Void Domain, a Supreme is a top expert, and a Half-Saint is a transcendent and supreme expert. With your strength, how could you fail?"

He asked, his voice calm and serene, betraying no emotion.

Ye Ji said with a bitter expression, "Reporting to my Lord, this time, it was not a failure in battle!"

"In the Void Domain, a mysterious powerhouse has emerged. He cultivated ten thousand disciples who possess an Innate Dao Body with ten Innate Imprints."

"This time, the Heavenly Dao Rankings were completely dominated by this person's disciples!"

...