Western Region.

...Earlier...

Inside the Radiant Sect, the peaceful and serene atmosphere that once prevailed was long gone. A tense, bloodthirsty aura permeated the air.

Disciples moved with wariness, constantly glancing over their shoulders, many bearing dark circles beneath their eyes.

The elders wore grave expressions. Moreover, their auras had shifted. The Radiant Sect was known for its strong yang technique, but now—

They reeked of evil.

There was no meaningless chattering; everyone kept to themselves, minding their own business.

Since the day they closed their gates, the sect's future had taken a drastic turn. They had embarked on a path of no return.

Inside the sect's grand hall, all the elders stood with a range of expressions. The most notable change around them was their aura.

Besides turning sinister, their realms had grown by leaps and bounds.

Seated on the main seat, their sect master exuded the aura of a Golden Core Realm Expert. Beside him, a thin old man, as slender as bamboo, also radiated the aura of a Golden Core Realm Expert.

He was one of the Supreme Elders, yet he was now sidelined.

His name was Guo An.

As for the other supreme elders, they had been sacrificed for the greater good of the sect.

Not only the supreme elders, but elders and disciples who failed to embark on the sect's new path were sacrificed as well.

Thus, those who remained in the sect had all begun cultivating the Evil Dao.

The sect master looked at the elders and the supreme elder, nodding with a bright smile.

"Is everything ready?" He asked, fixing his gaze on a particular elder.

"Sect Master, everything is ready," the elder replied with a tone of confidence.

They had been planning this for over five months. They could not afford to fail at this juncture.

"Good." The Sect Master spoke. "This is the moment we've all been waiting for—the chance to reclaim our glory as the leader of our region."

"Tonight, we will cleanse our land with the blood of those who stand in our way." His voice rose in crescendo, filled with madness and revenge.

He could still remember the shame of their ancestor, killed by the Dust Valley Sect Master and his wife.

And now, he would avenge his ancestor and make everyone who betrayed them pay with their blood.

Although they had embarked on a new path, different from their ancestry, who cared as long as they grew stronger?

He would not care.

Besides, all paths lead to the Dao.

There is no right or wrong on the path to achieving the Dao.

"Activate the ancient formation. Let's welcome the Netherworld spirits." He declared, his deep laughter echoing.

With his declaration, he rose to his feet. "The moment the pathway opens, it will be time to open our gate. It is time to let the world feel our presence."

"Yes, Sect Master." All the elders nodded, sinister grins creeping across their faces.

A few minutes later, the ancient formation was activated, and the netherworld gateway appeared inside the Radiant Sect.

A solemn mist, eerie as moonlit silk, gushed from the netherworld gateway, swiftly cloaking the sect grounds.

All the elders and disciples emerged. Some wore anticipatory smiles, while others remained expressionless.

Howl! Howl!

From the solemn mist, the bluish glow of the Wisp Spirit appeared in hundreds, increasing with every breath.

That was only the beginning; the Restless Phantom, Wailing Revenant, and the Shadow Lurker appeared one after another.

In moments, the Radiant Sect's sacred ground transformed into a netherworld battlefield, a place of vengeful spirits.

The temperature dropped dangerously low, but no one seemed to care.

Leading the elders and disciples, the sect master stood at the forefront and shouted, "Welcome, and let the feat begin."

Howl!

A deep, guttural sound rose from the netherworld gate, and all the vengeful spirits flocked toward the elders and disciples.

They moved around them, as if trying to sense whether they belonged to them. After a few seconds, the vengeful spirits departed and headed toward the distant gate, seeking their meal.

Watching the vengeful spirits head outside, all the elders wore evil grins.

"Tonight, we reclaim what belongs to us." The Sect Master shouted and looked at Supreme Elder Guo An.

"Let's go to the Dust Valley Sect. Tonight, blood must flow like a river."

"I'm glad to heed your command," Supreme Elder Guo An responded, rising into the sky.

"Everyone else, to Dust Valley City." The Sect Master commanded.

"Yes, Sect Master." Everyone answered in unison and departed.

Unbeknownst to them, a few thousand meters from the sect grounds, a team of five young people watched the sudden change with wide eyes.

They were spies dispatched by Mo Jian before his departure for the Southern Region.

The Radiant Sect believed their protective array could shield them from prying eyes, but they were wrong.

Mo Jian had crafted an artifact capable of breaking any array formation below Tier-3.

And the Radiant Sect's array was merely a low Tier-2 formation.

Shielded by a Peak Tier-2 Concealment Array, everyone in the sect failed to notice their presence.

Now, they saw everything.

"Captain…" one whispered, trembling.

The captain recovered from his shock and replied quickly, "We need to report this immediately."

They all nodded, drew their Spirit Links, and began taking pictures detailing what they saw.

Like a chain reaction, the information spread quickly and was sent to Mo Jian.

Before the Radiant Sect could begin their grand plan, the Dust Valley Sect had already learned of it.

Still, danger could not be avoided in the shortest time, but this gave them a chance to be prepared.

….Present Time….

Dust Valley City.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A thunderous sound echoed through the sky, and every person in the city wore solemn expressions.

Looking at the various cracks in the city's protective formation, fear gnawed at everyone's minds.

Against the horrifying vengeful spirits, every warrior in the city trembled.

How could they fight such a dangerous and endless enemy? Looking at the tens of thousands of vengeful spirits, many had begun to lose hope.

While the tension inside the city rose, beneath the Thousand Wealth Chamber, the Skytrack Runner arrived.

Whoosh!

The door slid open, Mo Jian and everyone stepped out.