"Do we go for it or not?"
Xuan Yan could feel the terrifying pressure rising behind them from the center of the storm. He turned to shout at Song Wanníng.
Spatial storms were deadly, and who knew what lay beyond this one?
It was a gamble with their lives on the line.
But Song Wanníng didn't hesitate for even a second. "Go!"
The moment the word left her lips, she dashed straight into the heart of the storm.
Xuan Yan's eyes flickered with madness, and he followed right after her.
Inside the storm, the violent winds howled like blades, cutting into their skin until the pain burned deep. They dodged and weaved through the raging currents, but there was no escaping. Before long, their bodies were covered in cuts and blood.
"Hiss—!"
A chunk of flesh was sliced clean off Song Wanníng's calf. The pain made her gasp sharply.
The winds howled in every direction, dragging them deeper and deeper.
Even so, they gritted their teeth and pressed on. Somewhere beyond this storm, there might be the secret to restoring the shattered world. They couldn't stop now. At the same time, in the distant sky chasm, Mo Yang Xiānjūn suddenly realized that a familiar aura had vanished.
His brow furrowed. For some reason, unease crept into his chest. That aura had always seemed to guide him, leading him toward something unknown. And now, it was gone.
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind. Then, with that growing anxiety crushing his heart, Mo Yang Xiānzūn didn't think twice. He leaped straight into the seal below.
He had no idea what lay beneath the seal, whether danger waited for him there, or even what he hoped to find. But he knew one thing—if he didn't jump, he'd regret it forever.
With that conviction burning in his chest, his eyes showed no hesitation, only confusion and urgency. As he dropped into the depths, a swarm of demonic creatures came rushing toward him, their claws and fangs flashing in the dim light.
He drew his sword in a blur and cut them down one after another. As expected of an Immortal Sovereign, one of the highest beings in the Immortal Realm—those creatures didn't even last a full exchange against him.
Before long, a spatial storm came into view ahead.
Mo Yang Xiānzūn didn't hesitate for a moment and charged straight in.
The fierce wind slammed into him from every direction, yet his movements were swift as lightning as he wove through the chaos.
Then, in the next instant, two figures appeared before his eyes. His pupils contracted as he instantly recognized Song Wanníng. No wonder he'd sensed a trace of his own sword intent—it was this girl!
When he saw the demonic creature beside her, his gaze darkened. In a flash, he appeared beside Song Wanníng, shielding her with his body and dispersing the raging winds around them.
"Mo Yang Xiānjūn?! It's really you?!"
Song Wanníng's eyes widened in shock. Her face was filled with disbelief.
Shouldn't Mo Yang Xiānjūn be in the Immortal Realm?
Why was he here?
Xuan Yan was just as stunned. When he heard her call the newcomer "Xiānjūn," his pupils shrank.
That person was an Immortal Sovereign?!
But how could Song Wanníng, a cultivator from the lower world, possibly know someone like that?And by the looks of it, the Immortal Sovereign seemed to care deeply for her, guarding her as if she were a precious treasure.
"Mm."
Mo Yang Xiānzūn glanced down at the young woman in his arms, equally astonished. It hadn't been long, yet her cultivation had already reached the peak of the Unity stage. That kind of speed even surpassed his own back in the day.
While fending off the gale, he led her toward a safer area.
Xuan Yan followed silently behind, muttering inwardly about how the Immortal Sovereign was completely ignoring him. It was like he didn't even exist.
After some time, the three of them finally found a narrow cave tucked behind a slope, perfectly shielded from the wind.
As soon as they entered, Song Wanníng sat down and began tending to her injured leg.
The remnant storm energy still lingered in her flesh, burrowing deeper with every heartbeat. If she didn't treat it fast, it'd invade her meridians.
She frowned, expression calm but firm, and without a sound, sliced away the damaged flesh from her calf. Only when she was sure every trace of the storm energy was gone did she apply medicinal powder and bandage the wound.
Xuan Yan wasn't in great shape either. His demonic aura had weakened considerably, and his form had grown thinner.
Mo Yang Xiānzūn followed them in, silently watching her treat the wound. Without saying a word, he walked closer.
Outside, the storm winds howled past the cave's mouth, sweeping away in another direction.
Inside, silence settled over them.
When Song Wanníng finally finished treating her injury and swallowed a healing pill, she looked up.
"Mo Yang Xiānjūn, why are you here?"
She couldn't hide her curiosity.
He didn't try to conceal anything. "The seal here loosened. I came to check it out and sensed a familiar sword aura, so I entered to investigate."
"I see…"
Song Wanníng nodded in understanding. "So there's a seal here after all?"
It suddenly made sense.
"Yeah. But what about you two? What are you doing here?"
He was genuinely curious how she'd managed to enter a sealed space like this.
Song Wanníng quickly explained everything that had happened over the past few days. Even though they hadn't known each other long, Mo Yang Xiānjūn gave her a sense of absolute trustworthiness.
When he learned that demonic creatures had appeared in the lower realms, his expression turned grave.
"You came because of the creatures? If you plan to wipe them out completely, that's impossible."
There were too many of them. It wasn't something two people could ever accomplish.
Seeing her remain silent, he added, "Even the Immortal Realm couldn't exterminate them all. You two alone? It's hopeless."
"Mo Yang Xiānjūn, we're not here to destroy them," Song Wanníng said with a small smile, realizing he'd misunderstood.
She'd wanted that at first, sure, but after seeing the endless horde in the depths, she'd changed her mind. That kind of threat wasn't something she could solve alone. It'd take everyone working together.
"We came to rebuild the world below," she explained.
Then she told him about her plan to restore the lower realm's structure.
Mo Yang Xiānzūn went quiet for a while.
Seeing the look on his face, Song Wanníng's heart sank. "Xiānjūn, is there a problem? Do you know something?"
His expression said he did. He pressed his lips together, gaze heavy, and finally sighed.
"It's a long story," he said quietly.
Then he began to tell her everything about the creatures and the seal.
"After the Demon God War, the world collapsed. That was when the creatures invaded. The heavens barely managed to preserve a fragment of the world. But when the creatures appeared, that last bit of hope nearly fell apart again.
So the Heavenly Dao had no choice but to sacrifice part of its own power, transforming it into this seal to trap the creatures within the sky chasm."