The fierce battle attracted widespread attention, with both human and demonic forces rushing towards the location.

The Celestial Immortal glanced at the situation, dodged an attack from the palace guard, and then swung his sword forcefully, cleaving a natural barrier between the two.

"Let's go!"

He shouted, and the members of the Kongshan Sect reacted and followed him away.

The palace guard landed with his spear in hand, his hand slightly numb. He sighed inwardly, truly worthy of being the strongest among the human race.

The final blow was seen as evenly matched by outsiders, but Lu Zhaozhao could tell that the Heavenly Gang Immortal was a level one guard in the high hall. But if that was the case, why did he leave in such a hurry?

Unless someone even stronger is about to arrive, and there's more than one person stronger than them.

Demon Lord!

Lu Zhaozhao's pupils contracted; the Demon Lord she had been searching for was about to arrive!

The sky suddenly darkened, as if it had been covered by a black cloth.

The palace guard reacted, looked in one direction, knelt on one knee, and shouted, "Welcome, Demon Lord!"

At the same moment, all the other demons knelt down on one knee and shouted, "Welcome, Demon Lord!"

"Kunwu." A majestic voice rang out, and the palace guard trembled, whispering, "Present."

"The western border barrier will be open this month. You must immediately head north to assist Dijiang."

The Demon Lord's voice continued to come, and Lu Zhaozhao quietly looked up and around, but did not see the Demon Lord's figure.

"Your subordinate obeys!"

The temple guard responded, and the sky cleared again. The black cloth seemed to have disappeared, as if the Demon Lord had never been there.

What's going on?

Lu Zhaozhao was puzzled and looked up, but there was nothing around her that could explain this phenomenon.

The palace guard stood up and addressed the entire army: "The Demon Lord's afterimage sent a message; everyone heard it, right? Set off immediately and head north!"

"Yes, sir!" A thunderous shout pierced the sky.

Lu Zhaozhao climbed onto the back of the Netherworld Flame Nightmare Beast, pondering as she walked.

What just appeared was merely an afterimage, yet even an afterimage possessed such immense power. How terrifying would it be if it were the Demon Lord himself?

"What's wrong? You haven't been in a good mood the whole way," Cheng Sangji asked, looking at Guan Nan's serious face.

Lu Zhaozhao turned to look at him and chuckled, "It's nothing, I was just a little shocked by seeing so many experts."

Cheng Sangjie gently comforted him, "Don't worry about it. With your talent, you'll reach that level sooner or later."

"Really?" Lu Zhaozhao was somewhat dazed.

“That’s natural.” Cheng Sangji continued, “You are born into the Nüba clan and have such talent. Look further ahead, the strongest members of each generation of the eight clans can basically reach the Void Returning Realm. I’ve heard that the patriarch of your Nüba clan is no less powerful than my grandfather. You don’t need to worry too much. That realm is not out of reach for either of us.”

"I see." Lu Zhaozhao nodded. Cheng Sangji assumed that she had let it go, but what Lu Zhaozhao was thinking was that, in the Void Returning Realm, besides the Palace Guardian and the Demon Lord, there were actually nine other demons.

No, it should be eight people, as it stands. Changyu Languan doesn't seem to have reached the Void Returning stage yet, but it's only a matter of time.

So, what about the others present?

Her gaze swept over each of the eight clans.

These people are the best of the new generation, inheriting the purest bloodline of their clan, endowed with unparalleled talent, and showered with countless resources. For them, is the Void Returning Realm just a piece of cake?

Lu Zhaozhao calmed herself down and tried her best to get rid of these chaotic thoughts.

Today's events have stirred up too many distracting thoughts within her. Perhaps it was because she saw the ascension beings she had once recorded appear before her that she couldn't help but feel that the mission wasn't so far away after all.

She also wanted to become that strong.

Therefore, she must leave this illusion as soon as possible and embark on her own journey.

Thinking of this, a spark ignited in her eyes once more.

A bright moon hangs in the sky; it is both an ancient moon and a solitary moon.

The further north you go, the more clearly you can feel the changes in air quality and climate.

A thin layer of frost covered the ground, and the air was thin, making it increasingly difficult to breathe.

As she walked further, a glistening snowflake landed on her shoulder.

The northern part of the Western Territory connects directly to the Northern Region, which is the territory of the Zen sect. The incident here means that the current timeline has reached the point where the easternmost part of the Central Plains of the human race and the Northern Region are joining forces.

The fierce wind, biting like swords, scraped against my cheeks. Snowflakes swirled in the air, the chill penetrating to the bone. The cold wind, sharp as a knife, blew the snowflakes wildly, blurring my vision into a boundless curtain of snow.

Just then, in the farthest distance, the endless snow-capped mountains stretched like a sharp long knife piercing the sky, and on that mysterious and beautiful mountain stood a person.

He stood high above, dressed entirely in pure white, seemingly blending into the snowy landscape. Only a black ribbon tied around his cloak accentuated his fair face. A faint smile played on his lips, and his dark eyes were filled with coldness. A flash of gold revealed his extraordinary nature.

What a beautiful and otherworldly scene! It's just a pity that a blood-stained sword is stuck in the ground by the edge of his wide robe, and the stench of blood is carried by the whistling north wind.

"Wen Sheng, we meet again," Lu Zhaozhao thought to herself.

The palace guard bowed to him from afar, saying, "Demon King."

Wen Sheng looked at him, her gaze lingering on Lu Zhaozhao for a moment before subtly shifting away, nodding, and continuing to look into the distance.

The palace guard didn't pay much attention and focused on organizing the team to set up camp at the foot of the snow-capped mountain.

Perhaps it was because of her proximity to the Zen temple that her memories of that year seemed to be awakened, and the image of Abbess Jingwen seemed to be right in front of her, soothing all her chaotic thoughts.

The night was deep and all was quiet.

Lu Zhaozhao opened her eyes from her sleep, lifted the tent flap, and walked towards the snow-capped mountain.

The winding road narrows as you go up, until it disappears completely.

The moonlight fell, reflecting off the snow, creating a vast expanse of white.

Lu Zhaozhao walked up step by step until she reached a broken wall where a person stood with a sword stuck in the ground beside him.

"Wen Sheng".

The figure in front of her turned around, and the moonlight shone on his face, revealing a face that Lu Zhaozhao recognized.

He looked at Lu Zhaozhao quietly, his eyes revealing something indescribable. Then, he approached, took off his cloak, and revealed the dark robe hidden underneath.

The cloak gently draped over her shoulders, and Wen Sheng asked softly, "Where do you want to go?"

Lu Zhaozhao turned her head, looked at the mountaintop, and said, "I want to go there."

"Why do you want to go there?" Wen Sheng asked without stopping, adjusting her collar.

“A thought is in my mind that makes me want to go there,” Lu Zhaozhao said softly.

"Go back, go back to where you belong."

Wen Sheng's voice was very soft, as if a gust of wind could blow it away in the snowy night.

"What?" Lu Zhaozhao didn't understand. She looked at him and met his gaze, which was so gentle that it could drown a person in it.

"It won't be safe here soon, so go back to where you used to be."

Wen Sheng's voice grew softer and softer, and Lu Zhaozhao felt her vision gradually blurring.