Void Cultivation

The lady known as Orphis wore a look of perplexity, her delicate features creased with concern. Her voice, though suppressed, carried an urgency that could not be hidden. "How long ago did it occur? Have you ventured near its periphery yet? What is its Nascent Growth stage?"

The handsome young man before her, his presence sharp and unyielding like the edge of a blade, responded curtly, his tone unwavering and cold. "It transpired just a few days ago, in the northern reaches of the continent. We at the Mystic Sword Sect only discovered it recently. Our current estimation is that the Nascent Soul stage will reach its zenith within the next month."

Orphis stood motionless for several moments, her expression unreadable as she absorbed this information. Without uttering another word, she turned, her long, flowing robes trailing behind her like the mist of dawn, and swiftly soared towards Sky Mist City.

The young man, his aura still radiating with the power of an ancient sword, did not move. He stood in the air, unwavering, his gaze steady as he watched Orphis ascend into the distance. Despite the pride that gleamed in his eyes, there was a reverence that underscored his every movement—a respect so profound it suggested an acknowledgment of her as an equal, if not superior. His eyes flickered briefly towards the city below, his focus drawn to the Blue Barrier that encased the sprawling metropolis. A heavy sigh escaped him, though it was silent, swallowed by the vastness of the sky.

***

Inside Sky Mist City, a profound silence hung over the grand hall as all the high-ranking members of the sect, from the powerful elders to the sect master himself, gathered in anticipation. The atmosphere was thick with a mix of reverence and fear, the kind that only those who stood at the pinnacle of the cultivation world could truly understand. None dared to meet the gaze of the figure who had just returned.

The weakest of the elders, standing at the threshold of the Core Formation realm, was a force to be reckoned with. His spirit energy was so potent that it could cause lesser cultivators to tremble in fear. And yet, even he, along with the other elders, exuded an unmistakable sense of submission before the lady who had just arrived.

Her appearance was both spectral and beautiful—her pale, ethereal form seemed to glide just above the ground, her feet never once touching the earth. The edges of her robes were impossibly long, trailing behind her like a shadowy veil. The faintest air of coldness radiated from her, and her eyes, devoid of emotion, carried the weight of ancient secrets. The very aura of detachment she emanated seemed to make her more than a mere mortal, casting a chill over those who stood in her presence.

Despite the beauty and power she projected, there was a sense of eerie dissonance about her—a strange and unnerving grace that forced those who dared approach to question their very existence.

One of the elders, a middle-aged man whose cultivation was at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul Transformation realm, stepped forward. His voice was low and deferential as he spoke, his body slightly bent in a posture of deep respect. "Ancestor, may I ask… has the Mystic Sword Sect come here with their Ancient Sword Artifact in hand? Has there been a declaration of war?"

Behind the gathered group, a woman dressed in flowing white robes, her hair and eyes as pale as the moon itself, raised her gaze and answered in Orphis' stead. "No," she spoke, her tone calm but resolute. "The Mystic Sword Sect did not come here for war. Had that been their intent, they would have broken through the Blue Barrier surrounding this city. The reason for their visit must lie elsewhere."

The ghost-like lady, Orphis, nodded slightly in acknowledgment, her gaze sweeping over the gathered sect elders. Though her eyes never focused on any one person in particular, her words rang out clearly, as if addressing them all at once. "Indeed, what elder Lin says is true. The Mystic Sword Sect did not come to declare war upon us. If they had, the very ground we stand on would becoma a battlefield. No, their arrival signifies a different matter altogether."

The hall fell silent, every ear straining for her next words.

"A new Divine Zone has manifested in the northern part of the continent," Orphis continued, her voice carrying the weight of profound importance. The elders froze, their expressions shifting from curiosity to disbelief, and then to unease. It had been more than a century since the last Divine Zone had appeared, and with each new emergence came an unparalleled level of danger. These Zones were known to attract beings of immense power—beings whose very presence could alter the balance of the world.

"The last Divine Zone appeared over a hundred years ago, and its arrival left scars upon our land," Orphis continued. "The consequences of its existence were catastrophic, and we lost many lives to the monstrous entities that it birthed. And now, another one has emerged. We cannot yet know its true nature, but we must prepare for the worst. If the new Divine Zone is anything like the last… we will be forced to confront new and terrifying Divine existences."

A ripple of fear and anxiety spread through the sect. The mere mention of Divine entities—beings whose powers surpassed even the greatest cultivators—was enough to send a shiver through their bones. The last time a Divine Zone appeared, countless human lives were lost to creatures of unfathomable strength. And now, the fear that history might repeat itself hung over them like an impending storm.

"Therefore," Orphis spoke again, her voice spoken softly but unyielding, "I will leave Sky Mist City and venture alongside the Mystic Sword Sect's Ancestor to explore this new Divine Zone before it fully matures. We must investigate its origins and determine whether it poses a threat to our world."

She paused, letting the weight of her words settle over the elders and sect master.

"Until then, I leave the responsibility of overseeing Sky Mist City to each of you. The sect master will retain full authority over the Sequences. Should any problem arise in my absence, he will be the one to make decisions on behalf of this sect."

The tension in the room thickened as the sect master, who had been silent until now, stepped forward with a grave expression. Though his cultivation level was formidable, his expression was still one of slight fear and anticipation for the future.