Chapter 406: What Was Bound to Come Has Come

Beneath the shifting night, at the core of the Sacred Site of the Ancients.

Zuo Qiuyang, Master of the Free Will Hall; Shang Xingkong, Deputy Head of the Dao Inquiry Sect; Huo Jin, Deputy Head of the Shanhai Pavilion; and Chen Longxing, Deputy Clan Head of the Chen Clan, stood side by side behind Yuan Li, Head of the Dan Sect, gazing at the night sky above.

The previously smoothed space now wrinkled again, crushing layer upon layer the already collapsed cliffside, causing the entire valley to rumble and fill with dust.

Soon after, two gaping rifts tore open the warped void, appearing plainly before them.

Seeing this, the four men frowned slightly.

Zuo Qiuyang, Master of the Free Will Hall, Shang Xingkong, Deputy Head of the Dao Inquiry Sect, and other high-ranking figures looked up, watching the distorted space under pressure, their brows deeply furrowed.

“It’s split again—how could this happen?”

“Space is a unified concept. It tears because it cannot bear the internal pressure, so it ruptures to release it. Repair does not restore it to its original state, but forcibly pulls the torn edges together—thus each repair causes surrounding areas to enter an unstable phase. Smaller fissures are manageable, but these final three massive rifts are hard to stabilize.”

“It must be torn open,” Zuo Qiuyang said, narrowing his eyes. “Can Head Yuan judge what’s happening inside the Sacred Site?”

“Perhaps it’s a clash of destiny, or a frenzy of cosmic laws—but the true answer can only be known by opening the Sacred Site.”

“Can the repairs still proceed on schedule?”

“Based on prior progress, meeting the deadline is unlikely. Because of the unstable phases, only by extending the time can we hope to prevent further ruptures.”

Shang Xingkong spoke up: “So we must delay?”

Yuan Li looked at the two rifts. “Delaying is safer, but there’s another issue: the Sacred Site itself is still expanding. I don’t know how long it can hold.”

Zuo Qiuyang turned to Shang Xingkong: “Moreover, the demon clans are ambitious—they will strike now. The longer we wait, the worse it becomes for us. Delaying isn’t a good option.”

“There is another way,” Yuan Li said after thought. “I can divide all our alchemists into two teams, repairing both rifts simultaneously. This not only recovers lost time but prevents the rifts from interfering with each other.”

“You’ve saved this option for last—there must be a catch?”

“Correct. This method greatly shortens repair time, but if it fails, the Sacred Site may suffer even greater ruptures—and another loss of destiny energy is not impossible.”

“What’s the chance of failure?”

“In this world, success and failure are always fifty-fifty.”

At these words, the group fell silent beneath the night.

Two choices: one cautious but time-consuming, one risky but fast—each with potential disaster. They were paralyzed, no one speaking.

Both options carried failure risk. If they succeeded, fine—but if they failed, none wished to be remembered in history for it.

At that moment, a Shanhai Pavilion disciple flew in from above the circular valley and knelt with a thud.

“Deputy Head, northern frontier report: traces of demon clans detected!”

Huo Jin frowned. “So they’ve come—where are they now?”

The disciple looked up. “They use the Hengduan Mountains as cover, moving through dense forests. All our scout teams have been killed. We cannot confirm their location.”

“Send more scouts!”

“Yes!”

The disciple bowed low, then turned and flew swiftly into the distance.

The leaders of each sect exchanged glances, their expressions grave.

Indeed, as repairs neared completion, what was bound to come had come.

Fortunately, we were prepared—if not, the human Sacred Site might have fallen to the demons, and human destiny energy would have been stolen.

But now another problem: the Sacred Site of the Ancients cannot be moved. This means we remain in passive defense, while the demon clans can strike with flexible mobility. The longer we wait, the greater the risk multiplies.

We must soon open the Sacred Site to use the Sacred Artifacts and restore the destiny connection—we must accelerate the repairs.

Yet further rupture and renewed loss of destiny energy would be catastrophic.

At that moment, a rustling of footsteps emerged from the dense forest.

Ding Yao arrived from the eastern mountain range and halted on the slope facing the valley, gazing at the sect leaders.

She had come once before, seen the Sacred Site’s condition, then rushed to Dongshan—now she arrived bearing the Jade Master’s imperial decree.

“Lords, my Jade Master says hesitation solves nothing. None of you can remain here indefinitely. As the saying goes: one surge of momentum, the second fades, the third exhausts. Better to resolve troubles swiftly. She says all consequences can be remedied—but lost time cannot be recovered. So she chooses the second option: simultaneous repair.”

Zuo Qiuyang turned to the three beside him: “The Jade Master speaks wisely. I support simultaneous repair. What do you say?”

Huo Jin, Deputy Head of the Shanhai Pavilion, looked at Yuan Li: “If you were in charge, which would you choose?”

“I would choose the second. When both rifts heal, even if space remains unstable, we gain the chance to open the Sacred Site directly.”

“No risk?”

“If both rifts can be repaired, opening the Sacred Site during that window is not difficult.”

Shang Xingkong turned his gaze, exchanged glances with Huo Jin and Chen Longxing, then all three nodded slightly: “Then let us repair simultaneously.”

Beneath the thick night, under Yuan Li’s order, over two thousand alchemists were swiftly divided into two groups, then sat cross-legged, palms raised to the sky.

In an instant, seven-colored alchemical lights surged upward, converging in the night to form a blazing river of light, rushing toward the two great rifts above, flooding into the void’s darkness.

As both fissures began healing simultaneously, Dan Xunzi and Dan Yangzi, accompanied by eight Elders, stood on the eastern and western flanks, using alchemical light to seal the previously healed sky, shielding the unstable fluctuations between the rifts.

Meanwhile, Fang Ruoyao stood with several thousand armored troops atop the cliff behind the alchemists, silently watching.

As spiritual energy gathered, fierce winds swept around the Sacred Site, one gust after another lifting his moon-white robe, flapping it violently.

“Commandant Cen, what was that explosion just now?”

Bai Ru, Cao Jingsong, Ban Yangshu, and Wen Zhengxin had drunk half a jar of wine when they saw the military commandant leading patrols—they called out.

Commandant Cen turned, glanced at Bai Ru, and replied: “No major issue. The Ancient Sacred Site’s repair encountered a problem. Head Dan and the deputy heads have agreed on a better method.”

“I see.”

Commandant Cen nodded, then turned, his armored troops following, eyes fixed on the southern valley.

Cao Jingsong looked up slightly: “That’s a commandant from the Zhenbei Army?”

“Yes.”

“They’re only supposed to guard the Sacred Site’s core. The outer perimeter is ours—sect and clan disciples. Why do they seem more tense than we are? I’ve seen him patrol this area three times already this first half of the night.”

Bai Ru turned to look at Commandant Cen, his brow slightly furrowed.

Had Cao Jingsong not mentioned it, he hadn’t noticed—since entering the Sacred Site, the Zhenbei Army’s senior officers had been far more tense than they were on the northern frontier.

But before he could ponder further, he suddenly saw pebbles beneath his feet bouncing, and the flow of spiritual energy accelerating toward the northwest.

Bai Ru, the Immortal Emperor, froze, instinctively looking up at Cao Jingsong and the others—each of them had already raised their heads.

BOOM—

In an instant, a brilliant, thunderous light exploded far beyond the mountains.

The sudden brilliance, like lightning, tore through the ink-black night, illuminating every face in the forest, while a violent aura surged into the woods, kicking up a storm of dust.

The next moment, a long, piercing horn blast rang out from the direction of the light.

Those stationed in the forest’s mid-line rose involuntarily, their expressions turning grim.

The demon clans have arrived.