Simultaneously, void portals opened in both the Two Jin Realms and the Great Ming Realm.

Both portals led to the same destination—

Lianshan, one of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.

As the void portal to Lianshan opened, Lin Xiaoyi, Ye Zhao, Ye Ying, Ye Chunyue, and others from the Two Jin Realms did not immediately rush in, wary of potential unknown dangers.

First, this place no longer resembled its former state when the Ye Clan once ruled it.

Second, given the current circumstances, Lianshan had remained hidden for so long without reappearing in the mortal realm, hinting at something unusual.

With the surge of spiritual energy across various mortal realms, the connection between the mortal world and the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands grew increasingly close.

More often than not, it wasn’t the people of the mortal realm seeking out the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, but rather certain realms suddenly choosing to re-emerge in the mortal world.

Conversely, realms that remained hidden likely held secrets of their own.

For Lianshan, Ye Zhao, Lin Xiaoyi, and the others felt both yearning and unease.

They cautiously guarded the portal, carefully observing and sensing their surroundings.

"The spiritual energy here seems weaker than in the old days of Datong or Sumeru," Ye Zhao remarked, glancing at Lin Xiaoyi.

Lin Xiaoyi nodded slightly. "Indeed..."

To say it was weaker than Datong or Sumeru was putting it mildly.

In truth, Lin Xiaoyi and Ye Zhao felt that the spiritual energy in Lianshan seemed almost depleted.

It couldn’t compare to the current Han Realm, where spiritual energy had surged for years, nor even to the Two Jin Realms, where the surge had only just begun.

Let alone standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Datong, Sumeru, or the Saha World—all part of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.

Lianshan was one of the Ten Lands, and while its environment was harsher than the Nine Heavens—Datong, Sumeru, and Saha—it was still supposed to be rich in spiritual energy.

Yet the Lianshan before them now made Ye Zhao and Lin Xiaoyi wonder if they had come to the wrong place.

"Regardless, we must investigate," Lin Xiaoyi declared firmly, taking a deep breath. "Even if the spiritual energy is lacking, if it can shield us from the mortal realm and buy us time to survive, that’s exactly what we need now."

Ye Chunyue nodded. "Well said. We must enter to uncover the truth."

Ye Ying hesitated before speaking. "What if... the current ruler of Lianshan is still He Xuan Shanren?"

Ye Zhao and Ye Chunyue fell into brief silence.

He Xuan Shanren—Jiang Fengge.

Once a son-in-law of the Qingzhou Ye Clan, he was also known as Ye Fengge.

Before the Great Calamity of the Han Dynasty’s end, the Eastern and Western Ye Clans had worked together in rare harmony to gather clues and prepare rituals to reclaim the lost Lianshan.

Yet their efforts were stolen by Jiang Fengge.

Already a peerless genius, Jiang Fengge soared even higher, attaining sainthood in a single leap and seizing control of Lianshan—an eternal disgrace to the Qingzhou Ye Clan and a lingering humiliation for the Jinzhou Ye Clan.

At the time, Jiang Fengge’s power was unmatched, and he had allied himself with the remnants of the Heavenly Court, forcing the Eastern and Western Ye Clans to swallow their fury.

Now, Jiang Fengge’s current situation was unknown, but both the Qingzhou and Jinzhou Ye Clans were beset by internal and external troubles.

Lin Xiaoyi had already made up his mind but remained silent, not wanting to speak out of turn.

After a long pause, Ye Zhao broke the silence. "For now, we must endure humiliation and bide our time."

Ye Ying and Ye Chunyue nodded in agreement.

Lin Xiaoyi finally spoke. "Then, for the moment, let me scout ahead."

Ye Zhao replied, "We’ll go together."

With that, he and Lin Xiaoyi stepped through the portal.

Ye Ying, leader of the Northern Jin’s Jinzhou Ye Clan, stayed behind to guard the portal, while Ye Chunyue, leader of the Great Han’s Jinzhou Ye Clan, went to assist Xiao Jing and the others.

…………………

In the Great Tang Realm, Fang Yue couldn’t directly open a void portal.

But like Xing Feng of the Blood River Sect, who had once traveled to the Luo Abyss, Fang Yue found a path that could lead him personally to Lianshan.

Leaving a letter behind in the mortal realm as a precaution, Fang Yue allowed himself to be drawn into Lianshan, vanishing from the Great Tang.

At first, he saw swirling ink, as if floating in a dark void.

Then the scene shifted—

Lush, picturesque mountains and rivers unfolded before him.

Fang Yue remained still, observing carefully before forming his thoughts.

He had never been to Lianshan before.

Yet the scenery felt strangely familiar.

It somewhat resembled the landscapes of the mortal realm... Fang Yue’s heart stirred slightly.

A man of principle, like Zhang Hui, he believed in the value of traveling far and wide, and had once journeyed across the Great Tang’s vast lands.

Now, the scenery before him reminded him of the spring scenery of Jiangnan in the mortal realm.

...But this was clearly a man-made construct.

Fang Yue began walking, inspecting his surroundings.

The terrain resembled the mountainous regions of western Zhejiang—a place he had visited in the Great Tang.

Yet now, a peak stood where none had been in his memory.

But this wasn’t an illusion.

Fang Yue, well-versed in history, knew that in the Great Tang, these mountains had been altered by a great battle between cultivators.

Once, a towering peak had stood here, only to be split in two by the conflict.

The Lianshan before him matched the ancient records of the land before that battle.

This place mirrored the mortal realm—but as it had been in antiquity.

As Fang Yue walked, he gradually felt disoriented.

His gaze sharpened as he surveyed his surroundings, then ascended to gain a higher vantage point.

Softly, he recited:

*"I cannot recognize Mount Lu’s true face, for I am lost within its midst."*

As the words left his lips, the poetic imagery took form, affecting the world around him.

The landscape, copied from the mortal realm, flickered momentarily, transforming from reality into something resembling a painted scroll.

But the illusion quickly faded, and the mountains returned to view.

"This is the work of the Qingzhou Ye Clan... but there’s more," Fang Yue murmured solemnly.

Though the vision had lasted only an instant, he had glimpsed something extraordinary.

In that moment, he hadn’t seen just one scroll—but countless, scattered irregularly across the landscape.

Like stars scattered across the sky... The thought struck Fang Yue like lightning.

The Qingzhou Ye Clan was known for their paintings, while the Jinzhou Ye Clan excelled in chess.

Legend said that before the Eastern and Western Ye Clans split, they had once ruled Lianshan. But after their division, Lianshan was lost, and no Ye Clan member had reclaimed it since.

Instead, it was Jiang Fengge—a son-in-law of the Ye Clan—who had rediscovered it.

According to the Tang Emperor’s earlier intelligence, Jiang Fengge had been part of the Heavenly Court remnants during the Han Dynasty’s fall.

A man who thrived in chaos, he had stirred countless storms in those turbulent times.

As these thoughts raced through Fang Yue’s mind, he attempted to leave Lianshan.

Whoever had arranged these countless scrolls was no ordinary scholar—their power surpassed even a Ninth-Level Great Confucian.

Under normal circumstances, Fang Yue might have sought a polite audience, but given Jiang Fengge’s reputation and the strange state of Lianshan, there was likely a deeper scheme at work.

Entering had been difficult—leaving proved no easier.

Fang Yue was exceptionally talented, with extraordinary strength and fortunate encounters, which had allowed him to enter Lianshan in the first place.

But he had only recently reached the Ninth-Level "Pacify the World" realm, and though the master of Lianshan hadn’t personally intervened, the techniques at play here were far from ordinary.

Trapped within Lianshan, Fang Yue couldn’t immediately escape.

But he was principled, not foolish, and far from arrogant.

Even as he worked to free himself, he reached out to allies beyond.

Soon, the scrolls trapping him trembled, their three-dimensional landscapes flattening back into painted images.

Seizing the moment, Fang Yue darted into a fold in the void—what seemed like a gap between the scrolls—and vanished.

……………………

Feng Wensu, also in Lianshan, found himself lost in its picturesque scenery.

A martial artist at the Ninth-Level "Martial Saint" realm, his spirit was unshakable, his body and soul perfectly united—making him nearly immune to illusions and mental attacks.

But this resilience only held if the gap in cultivation wasn’t too vast.

Now, trapped within the scrolls, Feng Wensu couldn’t break free on his own.

Fortunately, he carried sacred artifacts bestowed by the Abyssal Emperor.

These had allowed him to open the portal to Lianshan earlier, and now they served him again.

Arranging the ritual vessels carefully, he unfurled a scroll—one of Jiang Fengge’s early works, like the *Phoenix Cry Collection* before.

As the Confucian rites took effect, the scroll merged with the surrounding landscape.

Feng Wensu bowed and announced:

"Feng Wensu of the Abyssal Border, by order of His Majesty, pays respects to He Xuan Shanren and conveys greetings from an old friend."

……………………

Not long after arriving at the Underground Sea, Lei Jun received word from the Tang imperial court about Fang Yue’s encounter in Lianshan.

Empress Zhang Wantong had intervened, successfully extracting Fang Yue.

Though rumors in the Great Tang claimed Fang Yue had fallen out of favor due to lingering ties to the Jingxiang Fang Clan, a select few knew the truth—Empress Zhang still trusted him deeply.

The empress was intrigued by Lianshan but chose not to enter personally.

While Sumeru had sealed the portal to the Great Ming Realm, it remained connected to the current Han, Two Jin, and former Song Realms.

Empress Zhang kept a close watch on the Kongsang Buddhist Sect’s movements.

Closing the gates prematurely was an option, but it would also cut off opportunities.

Moreover, Lei Jun had previously discussed with her a plan regarding the former Song Realm—one they might yet execute together.

Fang Yue hadn’t allowed Lianshan to open a portal directly into the Great Tang, but in the Two Jin Realms, the portal stood wide open.

Nobles and elites from both the Great Han and Northern Jin began pouring through, seeking refuge from the mortal realm.

The trend grew so strong that even some Southern Jin clansmen traveled north, desperate to escape the suffocating pressure between Sumeru and Saha.

Within Sumeru, Great Tang cultivators finally descended into the Northern Jin.

Xiao Jing, former leader of the Datong Xiao Clan, retreated with her clansmen into Lianshan.

There, they attempted to close the portal from within.

Now, the two sides were locked in a standoff.

"Jiang Fengge must have another scheme in play," Lei Jun mused as he read Empress Zhang’s personal letter. "Even in the past, his strength was extraordinary, and after lying low since the Great Calamity..."

Lei Jun took out a Heaven-Earth Observation Talisman to reply to the empress.

He, too, had made some discoveries.

According to reports from Great Tang’s Future Maitreya, Huiyin, someone was secretly supporting the White Lotus Sect’s rebellion against the Ming.

This was expected.

The unusual part was that these backers came from the Abyssal Border—one of the legendary Ten Lands.

Like Lianshan, the Abyssal Border had remained hidden for years, but now there were whispers of its return.

While rumors at least connected Lianshan to the Ye Clan, the Abyssal Border was far more enigmatic.

Though Future Maitreya Huiyin had uncovered traces of Feng Wensu, the Abyssal Border itself remained a mystery.

But when Lei Jun heard the news, one name sprang to mind:

Zheng Baiyu, the North Star Scholar!

Once known as Chu Baiyu, son-in-law of the Suzhou Chu Clan.

One of the key instigators of the Great Calamity at the Han’s end, he had been the most formidable Confucian scholar among the Heavenly Court remnants.

It was under his leadership that Jiang Fengge and others had risen.

After the Great Calamity, rumors of Zheng Baiyu’s death had circulated, but details were scarce.

Lei Jun had long suspected that Zheng Baiyu had visited the Underground Sea, significantly influencing the Nine Li Tribes before departing for the Abyssal Border via the former Song Realm.

The North Star Scholar might still be alive.

What had once been mere suspicion now seemed increasingly certain.

Thus, upon receiving Future Maitreya’s report, Lei Jun immediately returned to the Underground Sea to investigate.

His decision to reopen the portal between the Underground Sea and the former Song Realm was partly motivated by this.

It was during this time that news of Lianshan and Jiang Fengge reached him.

"Well, well. The Alliance of Son-in-Laws," Lei Jun mused.

Both Zheng Baiyu and Jiang Fengge had once been peerless figures, far surpassing even Daoist Zhou Tian and Venerable Puguang.

Especially Zheng Baiyu.

Even Zhang Wantong’s past incarnation, the Heavenly Omen Scholar He Ying, had considered him a formidable threat.

After the Great Calamity, both men had vanished. Even if the rumors of their deaths weren’t entirely true, they had likely been close to it.

Or perhaps, like Venerable Shanzhihui, they had been in a state of suspension.

But now, with both Lianshan and the Abyssal Border making moves, had they finally completed their preparations?

After a moment of contemplation, Lei Jun set aside his thoughts and turned to Li Tianqing, elder of the Great Tang’s Blood River Sect.

Beside Li Tianqing stood Li Jin, Li Ying, and other tribal leaders of the Underground Sea’s Nine Li Tribes.

Lei Jun bowed slightly in the Daoist manner. "I appreciate your assistance in the coming days."

Li Tianqing smiled, while Li Jin of the Lu Li Tribe spoke: "We, too, wish to uncover the truth of those years."

Lei Jun nodded. "Then let us begin."

With that, he reopened the void portal between the Underground Sea and the former Song Realm.