“Buzz.” A portal suddenly appeared in the sky above the bottomless pit. A person space-traveled into this area.

She slightly grimaced after noticing the disappearance of White Orchid.

Anyone else would certainly be frightened, realizing the looming danger. Escaping should be the first reaction.

However, the girl was quite bold and began to descend down the pit.

She quickly made it to Li Qiye’s position and found his existence surprising. She thought she was the first one to get here, not expecting someone even earlier.

She carefully looked at Li Qiye, wanting to get a good read on him. Meanwhile, he naturally did the same. Of course, his stare was much more invasive and rude, at least in the eyes of others.

Her beauty deterred others from looking straight at her, overwhelmed with both admiration and respect.

Her features were exquisitely sculpted like a work of art. One would be hard-pressed to notice any flaw. Her eyes were as bright as the stars at night, shining like the luster of gems.

Eyebrows resembling the far mountains with a unique charm to them - instilling a deep impression to any spectator.

This was a transcending beauty. Jianyao had a similar aura, but she gave the feeling of being otherworldly. On the other hand, this girl was real.

She looked like a piece of jade deep in a valley - precious and flawless, an ultimate treasure.

She wore a sapphire blue dress with a white moon embroidery. The bottom spread out like a peacock tail but not in a gaudy manner for it was full of elegance.

Her aura commanded attention even more than her beauty since she looked like a dominating ruler.

This particular aura, in theory, should be out of place but it wasn’t the case here.

This girl looked ready to fight whenever and wherever. One should describe her as being decisive and determined.

She purposely hid her aura yet each of her actions still looked as dominating as ever. This was indicative of her strength.

A duality of conflicting traits that didn’t seem out of place, just enough to demand respect and fear.

The two of them gauged each other. She found Li Qiye to be an ordinary man wearing a cheap robe. Someone like him could just disappear in a crowd.

Upon closer inspection, she found him to be unfathomable, especially his eyes containing an entire galaxy.

“Dao Brother, my name is Yuzhen, may I ask for yours?” Her voice was clear and pleasant. 

She became curious. Where did this unfathomable youth come from during her isolated cultivation? She should know every master in Imperial Lineage but she had no impression of him despite racking her brains.

“Li Qiye.” He smiled.

“Ah, we’re from the same branch then, my last name is also Li.” She smiled faintly, enough to swoon any man.

“It’s a type of fate.” Li Qiye casually responded, not paying too much attention.

His attitude perplexed her even more because few in Imperial didn’t recognize her name. 

After finding out, they would feel various emotions such as fear, admiration, reverence…

This was the first time she saw this reaction after stating her name.

“Dao Brother, do you know what evil is at play here?” She composed herself and asked.

He shook his head: “Hard to say right now since it’s too early to conclude. Of course, this has been at work for a while now, we’ll see some clues soon.”

“You mean that there is a sinister plan behind this?” She became surprised.

“Not to that level, it’s just a case of a turtledove taking over the nest of a magpie, that’s all.” Li Qiye said.

“Really?” She said: “So that progenitor was right? The dao source of Stone Harmony is still as rich as before.”

“If that’s not the case, then why hasn’t the system fall to Myriad yet?” Li Qiye said.

“So you are saying something is taking over Stone Harmony? Where is it then? There should be clues if it is taking advantage of the dao source.” She humbly asked.

Li Qiye looked down below: “I can’t tell right now. The progenitor of this land spent great effort to use a technique for foundational building. This system down here is quite profound with countless channels. It’s too early to lock onto this thing.”

“After coming here, I felt a majestic force underground, seemingly blockaded and hidden by another entity so I can’t pinpoint its direction.” She tilted her head and frowned.

“That’s correct, the dao source here is perfectly fine. Someone else is simply taking it for themselves.” Li Qiye smiled.

“I see.” She replied: “Rumor has it that the prosperous system started declining in just one night. Something fell from the sky like a meteor, people believed that this ominous sign was the start of the decline.”

“Not necessarily, let’s not believe in superstition in the world of cultivation, but if this rumor is true, there will be an answer behind it all.” He shook his head.

She nodded in agreement and looked down. The bottom was still as quiet and black as before.

“Are you interested in going down there? How about the two of us together?” She invited.

“Why not?” He intended on doing so in the first place so he accepted.

The two of them slowly descended, shoulder to shoulder.

During the process, she couldn’t help stealing glances at him. The man was simply unfathomable.

“May I ask where you are from?” She asked.

“I’m just a passerby in Imperial, where I’m from doesn’t matter that much.” He chuckled.

“You must be from Myriad Lineage!” Li Yuzhen became surprised and impressed at the same time: “Your goal must be Immortal Lineage. I feel inadequate in comparison.”

“You are very smart. A smart girl is always very lovely.” He nodded.

This girl was world-renowned. Normally, she heard plenty of praises and flattery but all of them combined felt shallow. Li Qiye’s casual remark was much more pleasant and meaningful.

“I should learn from you, Dao Brother. I always want to go to Immortal Lineage, alas, my cultivation is still weak right now so I do not dare to be reckless.”

Keep in mind that she was the strongest among the young generation in Imperial. People would be dumbfounded to hear this humble comment from her.

“There will always be a chance for someone like you to soar to Immortal.” He had a high evaluation of her.

“Thank you, Dao Brother, I hope so too.” She smiled. One could never get tired of this smile.

“May I ask when you are leaving for Immortal Lineage? If we have free time later, I would like to ask you a question or two about certain issues that elude me.” She sincerely said.

Outsiders would find this unbelievable. In the present day, maybe only three or so characters were qualified to teach Li Yuzhen.