After being jilted by the saintess at the beginning, why is she crying?

Behind a towering ancient tree hundreds of feet away, a graceful figure was quietly hidden in the shadows of its branches and leaves.

She was dressed in black, with a slender and graceful figure, a frosty face, and the hilt of the sword in her hand was slightly white from gripping it so tightly.

Qin Lan watched as Lin Fengmian stepped into the increasingly secluded forest path without hesitation, her heart pounding in her chest. Her usually calm and beautiful eyes now held a clear hint of tension and unease.

"...Not good. Young Master Lin, this is heading to the core forbidden zone of the Fallen Dragon Mountain Range."

She spoke softly to herself, her voice barely audible:

"That place is a place that even a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator dares not venture into alone... It is said that there are remnants of ancient restrictions inside, as well as remnants of the Demon Abyss that have been sealed for countless years... Young Master Lin certainly has no idea how dangerous this place is."

She bit her lip, took a half step forward, and was almost about to appear and block the figure in the blue robe.

But just as she was about to emerge from the shadows, that clear, authoritative voice from before she set off echoed in her mind once more—

"Qin Lan, let Lin Fengmian go wherever he wants. Don't stop him. He is a person of great destiny. What you need to do is protect him, not hinder him."

Qin Lan's movements suddenly froze.

She took a deep breath and swallowed back the words of advice that rose in her throat.

He disappeared back into the shadows of the trees, but his eyes remained firmly fixed on the receding figure, not daring to relax for a moment.

Lin Fengmian was completely unaware that someone was following him. He was focused on exploring and went deeper and deeper.

The surrounding spiritual energy became increasingly dense, even faintly resembling the concentration of a "normal place" outside.

However, these spiritual energies were mixed with a trace of inexplicable and cold aura, as if some kind of power had been suppressed for too long and was seeping out resentment.

Finally, a fierce collision of spiritual energy and a loud explosion came from ahead!

"boom--!"

The surge of spiritual energy exploded outwards like a tidal wave, causing the surrounding rocks to tumble down.

Lin Fengmian's eyes narrowed, and he immediately concealed his aura, using the Qi Concealment Technique to suppress his own fluctuations to the lowest level, approaching silently like a ghost.

He walked through a low, dense forest and peered into the valley through the gaps in the branches, his pupils contracting slightly.

Beside a spring shrouded in spiritual light in the valley, a man and a woman were engaged in a fierce battle.

The man was dressed in a black robe, with a sinister and ferocious face. His spiritual power was so immense that it was terrifying.

He was clearly a highly skilled cultivator, but due to the suppression of the rules here, he could only maintain his Foundation Establishment Great Perfection. However, the solidity of his spiritual power clearly indicated that he was an old monster who had been tempered and suppressed for countless years.

The woman, dressed in white, was now stained with blood. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, and she staggered, yet she still stood firmly in front of the spirit spring, desperately trying to stop it.

"Bai Ruolan! Stop being so stubborn!" The man's voice was hoarse and fanatical, his eyes filled with madness.

"You promised to grant my wish back then! As long as I absorb the essence of this last remaining spiritual vein, I will surely be able to form my core here!"

Do you know what Core Formation means? This is the Land of Absolute Spirit! From this day forward, I will be invincible!

Bai Ruolan wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, but her eyes remained resolute.

"Luo Jian! Shut up! This spiritual vein is the last foundation of the Land of Severed Spirits, and the hope for the future revival of this world!"

If you drain it dry for your own selfish desires, this place will become a complete wasteland!

"At that time, the seal of the Demon Abyss will no longer have the power to maintain it. Do you know what the consequences will be?!"

"How foolish!"

Luo Jian interrupted sharply, his eyes filled with a crazed light.

"Once I successfully form my core, I will be able to break through some of the shackles of this world and find a way to escape this prison!"

"I have waited a hundred years, planned a hundred years, and secretly refined a portion of the spiritual vein's core! Today, no one can stop me!"

"You're insane!" Bai Ruolan exclaimed, her face filled with grief and indignation.

"Have you forgotten the ancestral teachings? Forcibly forming your core in a place devoid of spiritual energy will trigger a tribulation that violently impacts the seal of the Demon Abyss, potentially awakening a dormant demon and attracting demonic energy to parasitize it! Even if you successfully form your core, you might not survive!"

"Then I'll accept it!" Luo Jian said, seemingly out of control, arms outstretched, his expression dazed.

This awful place! I don't want to stay here even for another day!

The outside world, that vast expanse of land, that boundless resource… that's where we should be! Not rotting away in this coffin, decaying alongside the rest of the world!

Lin Fengmian, who was hiding in the shadows, heard this and his expression changed drastically.

Refining the essence of the spiritual vein? Forcibly forming a core in the Land of Desolation? And even attempting to break through the seal of the Demon Abyss?

Damn it, is this madman trying to drag everyone down with him?

Moreover, he repeatedly mentioned "leaving this cage" and "the outside world."

...It seems that these top-level cultivators hidden deep within know far more than he imagined.

This desolate land is not simply a place where spiritual energy is depleted; there must be a much larger secret behind it.

In the valley, Bai Ruolan was already at her last gasp, barely clinging to life.

Luo Jian, however, grew stronger with each battle, his spiritual energy surging like a tide, and even the power of the earth's veins seemed to be wrapped around his feet.

Lin Fengmian's gaze sharpened as he silently assessed the situation.

Luo Jian's cultivation level was suppressed to the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment by the rules of this place, but the solidity of his spiritual power and the magnificence of his blood and qi far exceeded those of ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators.

He was clearly a seasoned expert who had honed his skills here for decades or even centuries, with an incredibly solid foundation.

What's even more troublesome is that he absorbed a portion of the spiritual vein's essence and seems to be able to mobilize the earth's power. His every move exudes astonishing power, and he seems to be "borrowing the power of heaven and earth for his own use."

"Damn it... in a head-on confrontation, I'm afraid I might not be his match."

Lin Fengmian's heart sank, but his gaze quickly turned cold: "But I must stop him!"

"If he really destroys this spiritual vein, my way home might be cut off right here!"

At that moment, the situation suddenly changed!

Luo Jian sent Bai Ruolan flying with a single palm strike, his five fingers forming a claw as he reached out to grab her crown, his sinister laughter echoing through the valley.

"Ruolan, since you insist on stopping me, then go ahead! If I absorb the essence of your dantian, along with this spiritual vein, I will surely be able to form my core in one fell swoop! Hahahaha—!"

Bai Ruolan looked desperate, unable to move due to the powerful spiritual energy. She could only close her eyes and prepare to die.

Just as the sharp claws were about to touch her forehead—

In the valley, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.

Just as Lin Fengmian was about to step in to save Bai Ruolan, a sharp, furious shout suddenly rang out from behind him!

"You thief! How dare you—!"

Lin Fengmian turned around in surprise and saw a graceful figure shoot out from the dense forest behind him like an arrow.