18: Chapter 18 Bloodshed Appears in the Northwest

At the third quarter of the Zi hour, all was silent within Xuanwei Temple.

Lu Mingyuan sat cross-legged on a prayer mat in the side room, with three Magic Treasures spread out before him: the tingchao staff lay across his knees, the virtue jade pendant was tied around his neck, and the qiankun bag hung at his waist. He closed his eyes and concentrated, attempting to communicate with these treasures using his Divine Thought. At first, it was awkward, like a stone sinking into the ocean, but as his True Qi was slowly infused into them, the three Magic Treasures lit up with a faint glow one by one.

The tingchao staff conveyed the rhythm of the tides, and images of the East Sea's waves surfaced in his consciousness; the Yin and Yang energies of the virtue jade pendant circulated, forming a warm field of Qi at his chest; the spatial fluctuations of the qiankun bag were stable, and with a single thought, he could sense the three-foot-square void within.

"They truly are treasures," he praised softly.

Just as he was about to continue familiarizing himself with them, a very faint sound of something cutting through the air suddenly came from outside the window.

It wasn't the sound of wind, nor was it falling snow, but rather a kind of... tearing sound. It was subtle, yet sharply piercing. Lu Mingyuan snapped his eyes open and pushed open the window to look out.

The night sky was clear, the moon hidden and stars sparse, and the snowy peak of Zhongnan Mountain shimmered with a cold, silvery white under the moonlight. Everything seemed normal. However, the warning signs in his heart grew stronger and stronger—the Eye of Clarity was sounding an alarm, and his brow felt a faint heat.

He threw on his clothes and went out into the courtyard.

Xuanweizi was standing by the ancient well, looking up at the sky, his Daoist robes fluttering slightly in the night breeze. The old Daoist's expression was solemn, his gaze fixed intently on the Northwest. Lu Mingyuan followed his line of sight; at first, he only saw the ordinary starry sky, but after activating the Eye of Clarity—

In the Northwest horizon, that crack, which had originally been only a faint dark red, was now writhing violently.

The black filaments at the edge of the crack were growing frantically like tentacles, spreading in all directions. Deep within The Rift, a dark red light as thick as blood flickered; every pulse was accompanied by a subtle tremor in space. By the time that tremor reached Zhongnan Mountain, it was already extremely weak, but Lu Mingyuan still felt it—the blue bricks beneath his feet transmitted an almost imperceptible vibration, ripples appeared in the well water, and even the Spiritual Qi particles floating in the air were jumping uneasily.

"Sir..." he approached, "that rift..."

"It has expanded again," Xuanweizi said in a low voice. "The abnormal movement began three hours ago, and by now, it has spread by thirty percent."

Thirty percent didn't sound like much, but that was a crack in the Heavenly Dimension Barrier! For every bit it spread, the amount of Chaos aura seeping into the Great Desolation increased by ten percent, and another batch of ancient evils would be awakened. Lu Mingyuan thought of the strange Devilish Qi wound on Wang Meng's shoulder, and a chill rose in his heart.

"Why would it suddenly expand?"

"I do not know either," Xuanweizi shook his head. "The Heavenly Dimension Barrier was formed by the will of Pangu. Logically, unless it is forcibly torn by an external force, it should only decay slowly. But this time... it's as if it's being pushed open from the inside by something."

He paused, his tone becoming even more solemn: "Furthermore, it's not just this one place."

"Not just one?"

Xuanweizi raised his hand and made a stroke in the void. A faint golden light condensed into a simplified map of the Great Desolation, marked with seven points of light—the Northwest, the East Sea, the Southwest, the Northern Plains, the Southern Border, the Central Plains, and... near Zhongnan Mountain.

Among the seven points of light, the one in the Northwest was the brightest, with a piercing red light; the other six were dimmer, but all were flickering slightly.

"These are the seven weak points in the Heavenly Dimension that I have sensed," Xuanweizi pointed to the map. "This rift in the Northwest is the largest, followed by the East Sea Vortex, and then the Southwest Miasma Lands. However, in the last three days, all seven have become active simultaneously. Especially—"

He pointed his finger at the light point near Zhongnan Mountain: "Here, less than three hundred miles from us."

Lu Mingyuan's heart tightened: "Three hundred miles? Then isn't that..."

"It could tear open at any time," Xuanweizi Collapse map, "That is why I am telling you to leave the mountain as soon as possible. Zhongnan Mountain has a Mountain-Protecting Array laid down by generations of Ancestral Masters, so it is safe for the time being. But if you continue to stay here, once the nearby rift opens, you, who carry the providence of the one that escaped, will surely become a target for all."

The night wind blew, swirling the snow accumulated under the eaves. Lu Mingyuan shuddered, not from the cold, but from lingering fear.

"Sir, that Heavenly Dimension Barrier... how much longer can it hold?"

Xuanweizi was silent for a long time before he slowly said, "At the current rate, ten years at most. But if all seven rifts erupt at once..." He shook his head, "It might be within these next three to five years."

Three to five years.

Lu Mingyuan clenched his fists. It had taken him four months to go from a Mortal to Qi Refining and then to Foundation Establishment. At this rate, he might be able to reach Core Formation or even Nascent Soul in three to five years. But so what? Facing the shattering of the Heavenly Dimension, the invasion of Chaos, and the awakening of ancient evils... even a Nascent Soul Cultivator would be nothing more than a slightly larger ant.

"Afraid?" Xuanweizi asked.

"Yes," Lu Mingyuan admitted frankly. "But fear is useless. This Disciple only wants to know, what should I do?"

Xuanweizi looked at him, a flash of gratification in his eyes. "Very good. Knowing fear yet not shrinking back—this is the Heart-Nature a practitioner should have." He pointed toward The Rift in the Northwest. "What you must do is become stronger as quickly as possible. Strong enough to protect yourself in the Great Calamity, and strong enough... to perhaps influence the situation."

"How do I become stronger?"

"Travel, temper yourself, and seek fortuitous encounters," Xuanweizi said word by word. "Everything Zhongnan Mountain could teach you, I have already imparted without reservation. The rest of the path, you must walk yourself. Go to Longhu Mountain to learn Talismans, go to Mount Song to realize Zen secrets, visit experts in all directions, and temper your Dao Heart in the Mortal World. Read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand miles, and experience ten thousand things—this is your cultivation."

Lu Mingyuan took a deep breath, etching these words firmly into his heart.

Just then, The Rift in the Northwest horizon suddenly jolted violently.

The dark red light surged, instantly illuminating nearly half the night sky. That light was as thick as blood; everywhere it passed, the stars lost their luster and the moonlight dimmed. The black tentacles at the edge of The Rift danced frantically, as if something were about to crawl out from deep within.

"Not good!" Xuanweizi's expression changed, and he swept his horsetail whisk urgently.

A beam of green light soared into the sky and unfurled above Xuanwei Temple, turning into a translucent barrier that enveloped the entire Daoist temple. Almost simultaneously, a dull roar, seemingly from ancient times, came from the Northwest.

That roar was beyond words—neither beast nor human, it contained endless madness, pain, and... hunger. The roar traveled across three hundred miles of space; by the time it reached Zhongnan Mountain, it had weakened significantly, yet it still made Lu Mingyuan's blood surge and his ears ring.

Even more terrifying was the will mixed within the roar.

It wasn't a language, but a pure desire to devour everything. Lu Mingyuan felt his heart sink, as if a thousand-pound boulder were pressing on his chest, making it difficult even to breathe. His Chaotic Dao Foundation spun frantically, and his Noble Spirit automatically protected his body, barely managing to withstand the pressure.

"Stand firm!" Xuanweizi barked, pressing a palm onto his shoulder.

True Qi as warm as spring water surged into his body, instantly soothing his churning blood. Lu Mingyuan caught his breath and looked toward the Northwest again; he saw that the light of The Rift was slowly receding, and the black tentacles were also shrinking back into the depths of the crack as the roar faded into silence.

Everything returned to peace, as if nothing had happened.

However, the surface of the water in the ancient well in the courtyard was still vibrating violently, refusing to settle for a long time.

"What was that just now..." Lu Mingyuan's voice was dry.

"Something from the other side of the Heavenly Dimension Rift." Xuanweizi withdrew his palm, his expression more serious than ever before. "Evil creatures bred in Chaos are attracted by The Rift and want to crawl into the Great Desolation. That roar just now was the sound of it attempting to break through the barrier."

"Did it... succeed?"

"Not for now," Xuanweizi shook his head. "Although the Heavenly Dimension Barrier is damaged, it was ultimately formed by the will of Pangu; it won't be that easy to tear completely. However..."

He looked at Lu Mingyuan: "That roar is a signal. The evil creatures on the other side of The Rift have already begun to notice the Great Desolation. Today was just an attempt; tomorrow, the day after... they will strike again and again until the barrier is completely shattered."

Lu Mingyuan felt a chill run down his spine. A single rift was already this terrifying; if all seven erupted at once...

"That is why you must leave the mountain as soon as possible." Xuanweizi turned to face him. "Leave tomorrow morning. Go to Longhu Mountain first; it is the ancestral home of Daoist Talismans, and Tianshi Mansion has a deep heritage. They may be able to teach you some means of countering evil. Then, travel as planned and return to the mountain in three years—I hope by then, you will be strong enough."

"This Disciple... obeys."

That night, Lu Mingyuan had no more desire for sleep.

He sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, gazing toward the Northwest until the east turned white with dawn. The Rift was still clearly visible under his Clear Sight, a dark red gash stretching across the horizon, the black filaments at its edges crawling slowly like living things.

The Great Calamity is about to begin; the signs have already appeared.

And what he had to do was become strong enough before this Great Calamity descended.

Strong enough to protect everything he held dear.

Strong enough to maintain a pocket of clarity within the Chaos.

As the morning light broke, Lu Mingyuan stood up and returned to his room to begin packing his bags.