Chapter 425 401: A Thunderbolt from the Void, the World in Shock

On Cyan Feather Peak, clouds and mist swirled.

Beichen Sword Immortal flicked his blade and sang, "The dawn's light gleams on my bow, my sword reflects the frost. In autumn winds, my steed and I ride forth from Pinglan. Grudges and glories are sweetest when one is young, so why fear a dawn that brings but a moment's rest?"

"Hahaha!" After singing, he laughed. "Magnificent! It truly takes you young people to feel things so fiercely. This Immortal Venerable has always loved heroic youths. Song, I hope that even a thousand years from now, you will still possess the spirit you have today. Only then will our meeting not have been in vain."

Song Ciwan watched Beichen Sword Immortal before her. One hand rested on his sword, the other held a cup. A clear mountain breeze swept past, loosening a strand from his high ponytail. As the dark lock of hair brushed against his cheek, she noticed he still had a hint of baby fat!

It was as if Beichen Sword Immortal, who had lived for who knows how many centuries, had seared his youthful self into the annals of time.

The swift passage of years seemed to have left not a single trace upon him.

His blessing for Song Ciwan today felt like a blessing for his own younger self as well.

Song Ciwan immediately released a Marvel: the Netherworld Fog Barrier!

This item could only be used once and would only last for a quarter of an hour, but once deployed, the Netherworld Fog Barrier had the power to conceal Celestial Secrets.

More importantly, its power could be amplified by burning Lifespan!

The moment Song Ciwan released the Netherworld Fog Barrier, she instantly burned a thousand years of her Lifespan. The millennia of life transformed into a torrent of white energy that surged into the barrier.

If not for the Netherworld Fog Barrier's limited capacity, Song Ciwan could have burned even more of her Lifespan.

But even "just a thousand years" was enough to make Beichen Sword Immortal's expression change dramatically.

Beichen Sword Immortal blurted out in shock, "What are you doing? Are you insane?"

"A thousand years" of Lifespan was an abstract concept once burned; the human eye couldn't typically see its substance.

But Beichen Sword Immortal was, after all, a top-tier Celestial Immortal and could sense it to some degree. Though he didn't know exactly how much Lifespan Song Ciwan had just burned, the mere fact that she was "burning Lifespan" was astonishing enough.

Beichen Sword Immortal had intended to intervene, but firstly, Song Ciwan's actions were too swift, and secondly... he had already sensed that the item she released was meant to conceal Celestial Secrets.

'What kind of "Celestial Secret" would compel a top Celestial Pride to conceal it at the cost of burning her own Lifespan?'

Beichen Sword Immortal's hand, resting on his Immortal Sword, tightened slightly. He sat up straight, his gaze fixed on Song Ciwan.

Song Ciwan forced a thin layer of sweat onto her face. Her Sutra of Sitting and Forgetting perfectly simulated a state of faint weakness. She spoke rapidly, "Immortal Venerable, I have an urgent matter to report."

Beichen Sword Immortal said at once, "Speak."

Song Ciwan said, "Ten years ago, I entered the Spirit Realm and saw that everyone within was pursuing the Golden Core Dao. After that, I entered the Demon Realm, where I discovered a Demonized Jian Wood!"

Beichen Sword Immortal listened intently, his expression unchanging.

It was conceivable. Spirit Realm Secret Realms had been appearing in the Nine Provinces for a decade now, and in recent years, they had even begun to spring up everywhere. Then there was the so-called Chuzhou Zhang Family, who were promoting the virtues of the Golden Core throughout the Nine Provinces, recruiting Guests, and spreading the Golden Core Technique.

Therefore, neither the Golden Core of the Spirit Realm nor the Jian Wood of the Demon Realm were likely to be major secrets.

For a Celestial Immortal of Beichen Sword Immortal's Level, they were even less likely to be secrets.

Song Ciwan quickly continued, "All over the Jian Wood were scattered fragments of various strange diagrams. After climbing it several times, accumulating and analyzing them, I finally glimpsed a secret."

She lowered her voice. "Senior, the Golden Core Dao requires a Foundation Establishment Pill to cultivate. But every single Foundation Establishment Pill that comes from the Spirit Realm has a foreign body parasitizing it. It is the Ancient Divine Insect Race's..."

Her full sentence should have been, "Egg of the Ancient Divine Insect Race."

However, before she could finish the sentence, just as the four words "Ancient Divine Insect Race" left her lips, a bolt of lightning suddenly materialized out of nowhere beyond the high, cloudy heavens!

RUMBLE—

The thunderclap, like the sharp twang of a startled string, exploded across the skies of the Nine Provinces.

No, it was not just the skies of the Nine Provinces.

At this moment, whether in the vast Nine Provinces, the barbaric Supreme Profound Heaven of the Demon Realm, the boundless Four Seas, or the mysterious Merfolk Abyss...

Innumerable living beings heard the startling thunder and felt the tremor.

In the Demon Realm, deep within the Supreme Profound Heaven, an aged Nine-tailed Fox on a dark altar raised its head of dull fur and muttered in faint surprise, "A thunderclap that shakes the world. How could this be?"

This Nine-tailed Fox appeared ancient, but its voice was enchanting—a young woman's voice, tinged with a faint, sweet charm.

The fox tilted its head slightly and sighed. Puckering its lips, it blew gently, sending three hairs from its forehead flying.

It was a red fox, its entire body a dull crimson, save for a circular patch of grayish-white fur on its forehead, about the size of a copper coin.

The three hairs that now floated forth were from that grayish-white patch. The white hairs drifted up, ignited without flame, and were instantly reduced to ash. A moment later, even the ash was gone, leaving only emptiness.

The nine-tailed red fox's eyes were slightly closed, when suddenly its whole body trembled.

It opened its eyes again and spoke in a shocked voice, "A calamity for all living things..."

Before the words had faded, a wisp of smoke suddenly drifted from its already dull-furred body.

As the wisp of smoke dissipated, the Nine-tailed Fox collapsed once more. The fur on its body grew even duller, and its nine once-beautiful Fox Tails, now sparse of hair, splayed out behind it, looking almost ugly.

The Nine-tailed Fox remained stunned, speechless for a long time.

「The Mortal World, Great Zhou Immortal Dynasty.」

On the Observatory Platform, hundreds of disciples arranged in an Array for routine observation suddenly let go of the Magical Treasures in their hands. Some with lower Cultivation cried out and began bleeding from all seven orifices on the spot.

「The Dragon Race, the Crystal Palace.」

The Hengshui Old Dragon King lifted his head from the deep mud he was buried in.

「Ruo Xu Valley, the Merfolk Abyss.」

The Third Princess threw down the hand of cards she was holding, pulled the drowsy Heir of Prince Yun to his feet, and left.

...

Throughout the Nine Provinces World, ancient beings everywhere were stunned into silence.

A thunderbolt from the void, its aura like the sky itself was collapsing.

The Netherworld Fog Barrier shrouding Cyan Feather Peak instantly lost its power and dissipated on its own.

Song Ciwan trembled and spat out a mouthful of blood.

But in the end, she had managed to say the words "Ancient Divine Insect Race" in their entirety!

Across from her, Beichen Sword Immortal had heard it. His mouth hung open, his ears were ringing, and his mind was buzzing.

He couldn't help but repeat, "Song, what did you just say?"

Song Ciwan's heart was racing, and for a moment, Beichen Sword Immortal's question left her a bit dazed.

As Beichen Sword Immortal repeated his question, she asked back, "Immortal Venerable, you... you didn't hear me clearly?" 'That would be terrifying...'

Fortunately, Beichen Sword Immortal replied, "I heard you clearly."

Song Ciwan immediately asked, "Is the Immortal Venerable asking about the word I was unable to finish saying?"

Beichen Sword Immortal asked, somewhat dumbfounded, "What was it you were unable to finish saying?"

Song Ciwan replied with a riddle, "A hen's lay."

Beichen Sword Immortal was puzzled, "A hen's lay?"

A moment later, he reacted. A 'hen's lay'... isn't that an "egg"?

He blurted out, "The An..."