“Senior Brother, what should we do?”

“Everyone, don’t panic! We are of the same Sect, the same origin. It is absolutely impossible for us to kill each other. Do not fall for this trick!”

“But how do we break this deadlock? Why have these Rain Ghosts suddenly become so abnormal? Nothing like this has happened in five hundred years.”

“Are we… really going to die here?”

At this moment, the lofty Qingxuan Heaven’s Chosen were no longer the high-and-mighty scions of a Sacred Land.

They had become insects.

Sect insects that could be trampled to death at any moment. They were unwilling, their hearts screaming that it shouldn’t end like this.

But as they looked at the Rain Ghosts, whose eyes glowed with an ominous red light, constantly urging them to act, the defiance in their hearts dissolved into terror.

Squelch!

Someone struck first!

Bian Yifei, who had just been preaching unity, clutched his side, staring at his fellow disciple in utter disbelief. “Are you insane? You actually attacked me?”

“Senior Brother, I’m sorry. Your strength is too great. If you don’t die, all of us will undoubtedly perish,” one of the Qingxuan disciples said through gritted teeth.

The others remained silent, but they too drew their weapons.

No one wanted to die. With six people, there was only one chance for survival. Killing a fellow disciple was a sin, but dying was worse. As long as one could live… what did fratricide matter?

“Damn it, you bastards!” Bian Yifei roared, his fury peaking. He retreated rapidly, putting distance between himself and the traitors. “Since you dare to attack me, I will no longer consider you fellow disciples!”

What followed was a massacre.

Bian Yifei lived up to his title as a Heaven’s Chosen. His strength was formidable, and his Falling Blossom Sword—though useless against Feng Bugui—was exceptionally efficient at slaughtering his own kin.

However, the disciples of Qingxuan were not weaklings. Those selected for this mission were the elite of the elite. Five against one.

For a time, the battle blotted out the sun and moon.

The disciples from other sects, who had just arrived to witness this spectacle, felt their hearts pound. They didn’t know the Qingxuan group was being forced. All they saw was the brutal efficiency with which they slaughtered each other.

Everyone had only one thought: Qingxuan kills their own with such decisiveness!

While the crowd stood dumbfounded, shocked by the fratricide unfolding before them, no one noticed a small black monkey and a jade pendant behind the vast army of Rain Ghosts.

They were staring at a massive pile of treasures, grinning from ear to ear.

Master’s task… complete!

For this trip to Falling Rain Valley, Gu Xiu had brought the little black monkey and fifty puppets. Upon entering, he released them to roam freely. To ensure the monkey’s safety, he even gave it the Carefree Jade Pendant.

His command was simple: Subdue as many Rain Ghosts as possible.

Over five hundred years ago, when Gu Xiu first visited Falling Rain Valley, he had been intrigued by these puppet-like creatures. He had even taken one as a gift for He Mengyun.

Rain Ghosts were incredibly resilient. Formed from Yin Rain Wood, their defenses were formidable, and they responded well to spell enhancements. Aside from a weakness to fire, they were arguably the strongest puppets at the Foundation Establishment stage. Even that weakness could be mitigated by a skilled puppet master.

Under normal circumstances, Gu Xiu wouldn’t care much for them. But with the Bone-Discarding Yin Ape and the success of using puppets to craft talismans, he saw the Rain Ghosts differently. To the Yin Ape, they were like fields of high-quality cabbage waiting to be harvested!

It would be a waste to leave them behind.

Only… even Gu Xiu hadn’t expected such a massive surprise from a casual move.

“Senior Brother… spare me! I was wrong! I shouldn’t have attacked you! We are fellow disciples! Senior Brother…”

In a short time, the six Qingxuan disciples had been whittled down to two.

Bian Yifei was undeniably powerful. As a Heaven’s Chosen second only to Jiang Xun in the Foundation Establishment realm, he had slaughtered five of his peers despite their combined assault.

He looked down at the last disciple, who was kneeling on the ground, his crotch soaked in urine.

Bian Yifei’s eyes were cold. “As a Qingxuan disciple, to be so pathetic… you disgrace the Sect. Your death today is not unjust.”

Flash!

A cold light flickered.

Bian Yifei calmly sheathed his sword, ignoring the five corpses around him. He turned to the nearby Rain Ghost, his guard up. “I have won. Let me go…”

Before he could finish, his expression froze.

He looked down to see the disciple he thought he had just killed staring up at him with intense resentment. In the disciple’s hand was a dagger glowing with a sinister green light, buried deep in Bian Yifei’s lower back.

Poison!

“Bian Yifei, if I die, you don’t get to live either! Hahahaha! Let’s die together!”

The disciple sneered, but his laughter was cut short as Bian Yifei’s furious punch turned his head into a smashed watermelon.

But killing the traitor brought no relief. Bian Yifei immediately circulated his Qi, trying to expel the poison.

Pfft!

He vomited a mouthful of black blood.

This poison had no antidote! It contained a Spirit-Dispersing toxin that rushed straight to his Dantian Qi Sea, corroding his meridians along the way.

“No! Not like this! My Qi! My cultivation!”

Bian Yifei panicked. He felt his spiritual energy dispersing, his meridians snapping, and even the Dao Platforms within his Dantian withering.

Boom!

A loud roar echoed in his mind as one layer of his Dao Platform shattered. He screamed in terror, but he was powerless to stop it.

Second layer. Third layer. Fourth layer…

He was a Qingxuan Heaven’s Chosen, possessing seven Dao Platforms. His master had prepared treasures for him to attempt the eighth. But now, they were crumbling one by one!

He was becoming a cripple!

“Save me! Save me! I beg you! I can’t lose my cultivation! I am the direct disciple of Peak Master Shi! Save me!”

Bian Yifei pleaded with those around him, terrified.

But the sea of Rain Ghosts had silently dispersed, and the disciples from other sects turned their heads away. They were too cowardly to kill him openly, but they certainly wouldn’t save him. Being swept away by the black storm earlier had been forced; this was a choice.

“Bastards! You bastards! Damn it! Damn it all!”

“No… this is a secret realm! A land of opportunities! I am a Heaven’s Chosen! I can find a way out of this desperate situation!”

Bian Yifei scrambled to his feet, panic consuming him. He needed to find a way to heal his collapsing Dao Platforms. He had to save his cultivation!

Without hesitation, he stumbled toward a direction where thousands of radiant lights were erupting. Reaching the door, his eyes lit up.

He recognized this place.

It was the mysterious backyard, the location of the legacy left by the valley’s master! The restrictions on the door had vanished.

Convinced he was the Child of Destiny finding hope in despair, he rushed into the courtyard.

But as soon as he entered, he froze.

A white-haired man was carefully placing an umbrella and a spirit tablet into an earthen pit.

Bian Yifei dropped to his knees. “Senior, save me! I beg you, save me! I don’t want to lose my cultivation! I don’t want to become a cripple! Please, Senior…”

His words caught in his throat.

The white-haired man turned around. Although Bian Yifei had only seen him a few times, he recognized him instantly.

This is… that trash Martial Uncle?

Isn’t he at Clumsy Peak? Why is he here?

But his doubts quickly gave way to a thrilling realization. The master of this place has been waiting for this trash Martial Uncle. If he’s here, he must have obtained the legacy! He’s just a cripple without cultivation—what can he protect? If I take the legacy…

“You came… just in time.”

Gu Xiu spoke softly, withdrawing his gaze. “Senior Rain Lotus’s wish was missing one final piece. Now that you’re here, perhaps this is what she called… Providence.”

What? Bian Yifei stared blankly, uncomprehending.

Before he could figure it out, a massive phantom of a millstone appeared in the sky, blotting out the sun.

The next moment, a shrill scream erupted from Bian Yifei’s throat, only to be cut short as his body and soul were ground into fine powder. He was merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator; under this millstone, he couldn’t last a single breath.

His ground-up vitality transformed into nourishment, flowing toward the spirit tablet in the grave.

At that moment, the ordinary-looking paper umbrella and spirit tablet began to glow.

A white butterfly phantom slowly flew out from the tablet.

Simultaneously, outside the gates of Falling Rain Valley, Shi Siling, who had just arrived to investigate the dead disciples, looked up sharply.

The dense fog that had shrouded the valley for hundreds of years… had dispersed!

The restriction preventing cultivators above Foundation Establishment from entering… was gone!

Above the valley, the projection of a single white butterfly appeared for all to see.

Immortal’s Demise for Life Exchange—this is Immortal Fate!

And Immortal Fate… everyone wants to fight for it!

Shi Siling abandoned her investigation instantly, rising into the air to seize the opportunity.

But before she could move, terrifying figures rushed in from all directions. These were peerless powerhouses, old monsters rumored to be long dead. They could no longer sit still. They came to seize the Immortal Fate, to prove longevity!

Only Gu Xiu, sitting calmly in the courtyard, seemed unaware of the storm gathering above. He opened a jar of wine, broke the seal, and sprinkled it before the grave.

Falling Rain Valley is an Ascending Immortal Ruin. A place of Immortal’s Demise for Life Exchange.

But it is also the former Dao Field where two Sacred Land Supremes were slaughtered. This place holds great opportunities.

But for those who seek to seize its vitality… it is also a trap!