Summoning the Gods: Start by creating the Eternal Night.

Qian Xuan shook his head: "It's hard to say. That aura is very weak, more like the aura of inheritance left by your great-grandfather."

"But this at least shows that the disappearance of the founding emperor is inextricably linked to the Fallen Immortal Mountains."

Qian Tian took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his excitement:

"Regardless, this is a clue! Once the secret realm opens, we must send capable people to investigate!"

"Hmm." Qian Xuan nodded. "After this matter is over, we will unite with other forces to completely eradicate the Blood Demon Palace and the Nine Nether Demon Sect, avenging the fallen soldiers and the imperial grandson!"

"Yes!" Qian Tian nodded emphatically, the gloom in his heart dissipating considerably.

With the patriarch in charge and clues from the founding emperor, he seemed to see hope again.

After discussing for a while, Qian Tian got up to take his leave and turned to leave the ancestral land.

However, as soon as he returned to the Imperial Study, a mournful cry rang out.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! You must do justice for me!"

A woman dressed in gorgeous clothes and with an exceptionally beautiful face stumbled in.

She was Consort Rong, the younger sister of General Song Zongxiang, and the birth mother of the Second Prince Qianxiao.

Consort Rong's face was streaked with tears, and her hair was disheveled; she was clearly devastated upon hearing the terrible news.

She threw herself before Qian Tian, ​​grabbed his dragon robe, and cried out:

"Your Majesty! My only brother is dead! My Xiao'er is dead too! You must avenge them!"

"Bloodless Heaven! That demon! You must tear him to pieces to appease their spirits in heaven!"

Rongfei's cries were mournful and desperate, and her repeated cries of "revenge" struck Qiantian's heart like heavy hammer blows.

Looking at the grief-stricken concubine before him, and remembering the general who died in battle and his son, his anger and sorrow surged up again.

"I understand." Qian Tian's voice was hoarse and heavy.

"You may go back now. I will definitely avenge them and show no leniency! However, this matter still needs to be considered carefully."

"Let's take it a long time?" Consort Rong suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with resentment.

"Are you just going to let my son and brother die in vain, Your Majesty?! Are you afraid of that demon?!"

"If you truly desire revenge, why not send troops immediately? Why wait?!"

"Insolence!" Qian Tian roared, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes. "How dare you, a mere woman, interfere in matters of the court?!"

Consort Rong, overwhelmed by the emperor's power, collapsed to the ground, yet continued to cry out, "I don't care! I just want revenge! Revenge!"

Looking at her crazed state, Qian Tian felt a headache coming on. He shook off Rong Fei's hand, turned and walked to the desk, his back to her, his voice icy:

"Guards, escort Consort Rong back to the palace. Without my order, she is not to step out of the palace gates!"

Several palace maids and eunuchs rushed forward, helped up the crying Consort Rong, and forcibly took her away.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty...You can't do this!"

As Consort Rong's voice faded into the distance, silence returned to the Imperial Study.

Qian Tian gazed at the deepening twilight outside the window, his eyes filled with weariness and determination.

He naturally wanted revenge. But he couldn't act impulsively or risk the fate of the Great Qian Dynasty.

"Xue Wutian, the Nine Nether Demon Sect... I will make you pay for the blood debt you owe my Great Qian Dynasty one by one!"

the next morning,

Before the first ray of sunlight pierced the clouds, the towns and cities of the eastern states were already in an uproar.

In Xuanzhou, at a tavern called "Wangyuelou".

Several monks were sitting together, talking loudly.

"Have you heard? Tianfeng City is completely gone overnight! The city is full of dried-up corpses."

"I've heard that the entire Tianfeng City is still permeated with demonic energy, making it impossible to get close!"

"It's terrifying, unimaginable. What exactly happened back then?"

"There's also news that something major has happened in the Fallen Immortal Mountains!"

"Some people witnessed a pillar of light rising from that place, eventually transforming into a spatial rift, said to be the entrance to an ancient secret realm!"

Several cultivators were discussing amongst themselves, spitting as they spoke.

"A secret realm? Really?"

A cultivator nearby leaned over, his eyes full of curiosity.

"Absolutely true!"

At this moment, a monk dressed in blue robes patted his chest:

"My cousin's grandfather's grandson is a disciple of the Qingyun Sect, and he personally witnessed their sect leader, Xuanxiaozi, going there!"

"It's said that the secret realm will open in a month, and cultivators at the Nirvana Realm and below can enter to explore it. They also say it contains ancient inheritances and rare treasures!"

"Below the Nirvana Realm?" A young cultivator carrying a long sword gleamed in his eyes. "Then we all have a chance?"

"Young man, your cultivation is quite impressive!"

A burly, rogue cultivator laughed, "Hurry up and get ready, this is an incredible opportunity!"

"I heard that not only the Qingyun Sect, but also the Wanfo Temple, the Xuanming Sect... all those major powers know about it, and they'll definitely fight tooth and nail to get in!"

A middle-aged cultivator also spoke up, "But hasn't the Fallen Immortal Mountain Range been known as the Misty Forbidden Land since ancient times?"

"Even if a secret realm appears, it's not something low-level cultivators like us can enter."

Among the several cultivators dressed in sect attire beside them, an elderly man in a Daoist robe stroked his beard and said:

"You wouldn't believe it, would you? That's because the mist over the Fallen Immortal Mountains has now dissipated."

"The Fallen Mountains experienced a tremendous upheaval in the Celestial Realm, which caused changes to the region and environment there."

"Senior, how did you find out?" asked a cultivator dressed in black.

The elderly man in the Taoist robe said proudly, "I am an outer sect elder of the Xuanqing Taoist sect. How do you think I knew that?"

"Let's go! We need to get to the Fallen Immortal Mountain Range right away!"

The several cultivators traveling together exchanged glances and immediately made a decision.

"Even if I can't get any great treasures or inheritances, getting some ordinary cultivation resources that major powers wouldn't even look at would be good!"

Similar conversations could be seen everywhere in teahouses, restaurants, and post stations in the various states of the Eastern Region.

.....

Just as the various states of the Eastern Region were abuzz with excitement over the secret realm of the Fallen Immortal Mountain Range...

Another piece of news exploded like a thunderclap, instantly pouring cold water on the excitement of many cultivators.

The source of this news is the reappearance of the Bloodstained Palace of the Great Qian Dynasty, which has joined forces with the Nine Nether Demon Sect!

A man dressed in a dark, close-fitting outfit, with a token at his waist, strode into the tavern and shouted in a loud voice:

"Breaking news! Breaking news! Urgent report from the Great Qian Dynasty!"

The tavern fell silent instantly, and all eyes were on him.

The man cleared his throat and raised his voice:

"The Blood Demon Palace, a wicked force that committed numerous evils five thousand years ago, has reappeared in the martial world!"

"What? The Bloodstained Palace?"

"Is that the Blood Temple, which uses blood sacrifices for cultivation and has killed countless cultivators?"

"Weren't they wiped out a long time ago? How come they've reappeared?"

The discussion erupted again, this time filled with shock and apprehension.

In the hearts of the older generation of cultivators in the Eastern Region, the name Bloodstained Hall represents endless bloodshed and terror.

The man continued, "Not only that! A secret report from the Great Qian Dynasty reveals that the Blood Demon Hall's patriarch, Xue Wutian, has resurrected and is now colluding with the Nine Nether Demon Sect, which has also been in hiding for many years!"

"The Nine Nether Demon Sect?!"

This caused even the few old cultivators who had been silently drinking in the corner of the tavern to suddenly put down their wine cups, their eyes flashing with surprise.

"The Nine Nether Demon Sect! That's a notorious evil sect on par with the Bloodstained Palace, who knows how many cultivators they slaughtered back then!"

"They've joined forces? This...this isn't a good thing!"

"No wonder Tianfeng City was in turmoil, filled with dried corpses; it must be the Blood Sacrifice Palace's blood sacrifice technique!"

"Now they've joined forces with the Nine Nether Demon Sect... What are they planning? Are they trying to recreate the chaos of five thousand years ago?"

An elderly monk with white hair spoke with a worried expression.

"Alas! The Bloodstained Palace and the Nine Nether Demon Sect are ruthless. If they join forces, the entire Eastern Region will likely suffer!"

The cultivators who were just dreaming of the opportunities in the secret realm suddenly turned serious.

Compared to the elusive opportunity, the resurgence of these two evil forces caused a panic in their hearts to spread like a plague.

The news spread like wildfire, not only among the lower-level cultivators but also quickly reaching the upper echelons of various forces.

At the Qingyun Sect, Xuanxiaozi frowned as he looked at the secret report: "Xue Wutian has resurrected and is even colluding with the Nine Nether Demon Sect... It seems that the peace in the Eastern Region is completely over."

He instructed the elder beside him, "Pass down the order to keep a close watch on the movements of the Bloodstained Palace and the Nine Nether Demon Sect. Report back immediately if there are any unusual developments!"

"Yes, Sect Master!"

In the Arhat Hall of Wanfo Temple, a group of Arhats sat in a circle discussing matters.

"Amitabha! The bloodthirsty aura has reappeared, and all living beings will suffer another calamity."

The old monk at the head of the group said in a deep voice, "Amitabha! After Xue Wutian was resurrected, he joined forces with the Nine Nether Demon Sect, so he must be in Cangzhou now."

"Pass down the order to closely monitor the movements of the Nine Nether Demon Sect. If any demonic forces commit evil within the territory of my Ten Thousand Buddha Temple, take action to suppress them."

"Yes," the other Arhats replied.

The Xuanming Sect, the Star Pavilion, the Xuanqing Daoist Sect... all the major powers received the news. They then sent out spies to investigate.

The winds of change in the Eastern Region were stirred by the appearance of the secret realm, and became even more unpredictable due to news of the Blood Demon Palace and the Nine Nether Demon Sect.