Increasingly violent conflicts tore through Destiny City. Even the city lord was powerless to stop things as increasing numbers of genius cultivators lost their lives.

Soaring ambition had reared in a proud heart when the will of the immortal dao had first chosen his city to hold the Sovereign Meet. He’d pledged himself to organize the event as well as possible and set a precedent for the world of immortals.

Who would’ve ever thought that things would end up like this??

“Those old immortals wouldn’t be acting like this if it weren’t for the void realm.” The city lord lifted his head and looked in the direction of Dusk Province, shaking his head with a sigh. “Qing Han… You are the greatest sinner of our world.”

‘A desperate frenzy’ was no longer sufficient to describe the state of the world. Countless immortals had just about lost their minds upon facing the ruins of everything they’d ever lived for and an abject future of their long lives.

“Master,” Xi Yingchen spoke up quietly. “Isn’t there the Great Formation of Heavenly Spirits and Earthly Demons? Once incorporated into the body, it’ll—”

“Incorporated into the body?” the city lord sneered. “I’ve seen the formation for myself. Once incorporated, it’ll only cause an overload of energy and detonate the body.

“Why else do you think the major factions of the world abandoned Lu Yun and sealed off Dusk Province? That’s because the formation is a dead end. Lu Yun… is one of the greatest villains that can be found!”

Shock wrote over any expression on Xi Yingchen’s face.

“However, the hand behind the scene right now is likely those old immortals who’ve severed their own cultivation… Though they slashed their cultivation, their replicas remain what they were.” The city lord didn’t wish to speak further about the formation.

……

Destiny City was engulfed in utter chaos, but no one dared approach Jadeite Manor.

Even the old wolfking, the most senior member of the Silvermoon Wolfkings, had been thoroughly routed and slunk out in human form. The manor had thus gained a foreboding and mysterious reputation.

“Someone who can give away a hundred billion premium immortal crystals must be somebody.”

The river of crystals remained coiled atop the manor like a river. A hundred billion in total—no more, no less. It wasn’t that no one had tried taking the crystals, but that no one had succeeded so far.

……

“Milord! We have a guest, milord!” The night before the third round of the Sovereign Meet, an unexpected guest visited Jadeite Manor. Ge Long welcomed the visitor with a smile, instead of barring him at the door.

“It’s you.” Lu Yun paused. He was both surprised and not surprised. The young man must’ve figured out who he was.

It was Mo Chenfeng!

Lu Yun had seen the Mo genius from Lazuli Major at the end of the Ingress Path, observing a young man so dominated by Mo Qitian that he’d become a shadow of himself. He hadn’t expected his acquaintance to pay him a visit.

“It is indeed you!” Mo Chenfeng’s eyes lit up.

“Oh?” Lu Yun neither admitted or denied who he was, but simply looked at Mo Chenfeng without a word.

“You’ve changed your appearances and bearing… Even the ripples of your nascent spirit are different. But that’s not enough to fool me!” Mo Chenfeng inhaled deeply. “My sword intent recognizes you!”

Lu Yun nodded. His sword intent had started out inspired by Mo Chenfeng’s. Although it’d now evolved into a different thing, it still couldn’t escape Mo Chenfeng’s notice.

“Out with it, what are you here for?” Lu Yun asked.

“Qitian...” After a long pause, Mo Chenfeng said, “He doesn’t seem to be who he’d been before.”

“Mo Qitian’s probably dead. Whatever this Mo Qitian is, I’m not sure.” After a moment of deliberation, Lu Yun asked, “What does your senior council think of him?”

“Qitian’s really dead?” Dejection painted a thick stroke over Mo Chenfeng’s face. “No wonder. No wonder he’s been in closed door cultivation ever since returning to the clan...”

“Wait!” Lu Yun tensed and manifested a talisman, then stuck it to Mo Chenfeng’s forehead.

“What’s wrong?” Mo Chenfeng questioned in shock as a surge of golden light paralyzed him.

“Hehehe… So you noticed...” an eerie voice rose from behind Mo Chenfeng, sending shudders down the young man’s spine.

“What a big yum yum...” Standing guard outside the door, Ge Long stared past Mo Chenfeng’s shoulders. “But… I think I can’t eat it… not just yet...” His expression turned uncharacteristically grave.

An infant with a bluish complexion crawled up along Mo Chenfeng’s back, bearing a seventy percent resemblance to the young man. This must’ve been what Mo Chenfeng looked like when he was young.

Hum.

The talisman attached to Mo Chenfeng’s forehead burst into blinding golden light. With a piercing shriek, the infant ducked back behind Mo Chenfeng’s shoulders, attempting to burrow back into the young man’s body.

“Think you’re getting away on my watch?! Halt!” Lu Yun stepped forward and shot another talisman at the infant’s forehead. Gold light flashed by, restricting the wide-eyed infant who’d opened his mouth. No sound or movement was forthcoming from it.

Lu Yun grabbed the infant from Mo Chenfeng’s shoulders and removed the talisman on the young man’s forehead.

“What’s going on? What is that?!” Mo Chenfeng gaped at the infant, chilled to the bones.

“This is you.” Lu Yun glared broodingly at the immobilized infant.

“...me?” Blaring confusion reigned.

“Once he grows up, he’ll replace you and take everything from you. You’ll never be you again. ...this is soul planting.” Lu Yun rubbed at his forehead, his expression severe. “It’s a technique of the shamanic race. Have they allied themselves with the divines?”

The shamans were the only descendents of the Primeval humans, while the divines had been deemed traitors by the Primeval humans. The two groups should’ve been the worst of enemies.

Why would they work together?

“Or perhaps...” Another possibility came to Lu Yun’s mind.

No matter what the truth was, Mo Qitian was indeed dead. Like Mo Chenfeng, someone had planted the seed of a soul in Mo Qitian’s spirit, which was in the process of growing up to eventually replace him!

Realization suddenly striking him, Lu Yun vanished into thin air.

“What’s wrong?” Qing Han was startled by Lu Yun’s sudden disappearance.

Bam!

Unceremoniously, Lu Yun stuck a golden talisman to Qing Han’s forehead. She trembled as a trace of black smoke left her body, slowly taking the form of a human.

“I’ve already warned you, Lu Yun. If you insist on interfering with my plans, I will show you no mercy.” The black figure stood atop Qing Han’s head, its ruthlessly chilling gaze settling on Lu Yun through the black smoke.

“Why don’t you stay, since you’ve come all this way?” Scoffing, Lu Yun grabbed at the smoke figure.

“Hmph!” It huffed and scattered in an instant.