Everyone returned to their respective residences, but Zhou Yin and Yun Zong were invited to Qingying's room.

"I missed the first half earlier, what exactly happened?"

Yun Zong briefly explained the situation.

Recalling what Zhou Yin said to them later, Qingying couldn't help but chuckle, "You guys are really harsh, but it was very satisfying!"

Yun Zong gave a cold smile, "They just wanted to make a big fuss and embarrass Shangxuan Sect in front of all the sects in the world, to elevate themselves and make an example out of us. But their ambition was too great and they picked the wrong target. If it were Qinggu Sect or Wanshan Sect, maybe they really could have swallowed this insult."

Qingying said, "Song Yi'an originally said their sect master wanted to see me, but when I went, there was only an elder present. At that time, I already knew something was amiss. When I saw your water dragons, I realized their intentions. Such behavior," she sighed lightly, "is enterprising, which is Tianyan Sect's strong point. I used to think Shangxuan Sect was too staid, inevitably a bit lifeless. But now it seems, compared to this ostentatious display and impatience, being steady is better!"

Zhou Yin's wrist suddenly felt hot. He stood up and walked out.

The two were puzzled, "Where are you going?"

Without looking back, Zhou Yin said, "To receive a letter."

Leaving the residence, he rode his Lingyin sword southward. Now they all had tokens given by Tianyan Sect, so they could come and go freely. Right next to Tianyan Sect was a town as prosperous as a county. This was where Tianyan Sect got their daily supplies and it also relied on Tianyan Sect's protection. Further west of the town in the outskirts was a desolate graveyard rarely visited.

The bracelet Zhou Chen gave him before was getting hotter and hotter, burning around his wrist.

Earlier when the two sides were fighting, the phoenix eye bamboo thrown by Xiao Chengjun of Tianyan Sect did not harm Zhou Yin at all because the bracelet was taking effect. Having been used once, there were two more times left.

He had long known that this bracelet was not only able to block attacks for him, but also let Zhou Chen know his location. So every time Zhou Chen sent a letter, he could also know immediately.

In the desolate graveyard, there were graves everywhere, with tangled branches, withered vines, old trees and crows. Even in broad daylight, no one dared to come.

Passing through tombstones of all sizes, Zhou Yin saw a white crane standing on someone's tombstone, tilting its head and looking at him, blinking its little eyes.

Seeing him approach, the white crane flapped its wings a couple times and opened its mouth. But instead of spitting out a letter like last time, it...

"Dear - little - Yin - Yin - quack quack!"

"A day apart feels like three autumns, I miss you so much my heart aches!"

The white crane spoke human language, quacking like a duck.

Zhou Yin: "..."

White crane: "Don't make that expression. It is me, I am it. Don't tell me when you see it, you don't think of my incomparably handsome face, quack quack quack!"

Zhou Yin: "..."

White crane: "Oh my, don't stare at me like that, you're making me shy! Hurry and set up a barrier, I want to tell you a shocking secret!"

Zhou Yin really didn't want to converse with this thing, but there might be extremely important information in there. He could only suppress his impatience and set up a barrier.

The white crane wiggled its butt, "First tell me, did you miss me?"

After a moment of silence, Zhou Yin said, "The feathers on your body should be plucked too."

"Quack quack, murdering your husband! Oh no, this little thing is just temporarily imbued with a wisp of my divine sense. Wifey, if you like, pluck as you wish!" Even so, the white crane's little eyes still showed horror as it hopped a few steps. This was the white crane's instinctive reaction that even Zhou Chen couldn't control.

Zhou Yin had already drawn his Canghe sword, smiling gently, "Get to the point."

"You made my little heart thump!" The white crane shrank its head, "The point is, the matter you asked about in your letter is indeed inextricably linked to Tianyan Sect."

Zhou Yin asked, "What connection?"

The white crane shrugged its shoulders, very straightforward this time, "I don't know!"

Zhou Yin: "..."

Seeing him raise his sword again, the white crane finally said, "The reason I've been apart from you for so long is actually because I'm doing something big."

Zhou Chen always rambled nonsense in front of him, so Zhou Yin didn't take it seriously and just listened. But then he heard the white crane continue, "We captured someone from the upper realm."

This time Zhou Yin became solemn, and was quite shocked.

"What is their status?"

"Not low," said the white crane. "This has to be explained from the beginning. The immortal races in the upper realm are divided into two kinds. One is the innate immortal bloodline, the other is those who became immortals later, which is the kind that cultivated up like you."

Zhou Yin nodded, "I know this."

The white crane said, "Although the continent is fragmented and independent, the situation in the upper realm is even more complex. Those who came first look down on those who came later. So naturally, those innate immortal races also don't take the cultivators who ascended later seriously. They feel the latter took advantage to attain the Dao and ascend.

"Let's call them the innate faction and the latecomer faction. There was a time when the upper realm was dominated by the innate faction and they suppressed the latecomer faction as much as possible. The continent at that time was not as depleted as it is now. There were still a few people who could ascend. But the innate faction controlled it very strictly.

"In order to prevent some exceptionally powerful individuals from ascending and not being controlled, even being used by the latecomer faction, they didn't hesitate to go against the Heavenly Dao and tampered with the tribulation lightning, causing the other party to fail the tribulation..."

"Wait!"

Zhou Yin's heart sank and a thought flashed through his mind. The white crane was about to continue but was interrupted by him.

The white crane tilted its head and looked at him, its little eyes full of concern.

"Quack, what's wrong?"

For him, in his previous life, he single-mindedly and diligently cultivated just to be able to ascend to the upper realm one day. Although reborn, his thoughts had changed a lot.

Cultivation was not only for the sake of cultivation, there were many things he originally overlooked. The various ruins left by Nüwa also aroused his interest in seeking. But the setback of failure in his previous life undoubtedly became a difficult mental hurdle to overcome.

He had always known that if he could reach the late stage of Void Refinement again in the future, then this hurdle left from his previous life would likely expand into a heart demon, difficult to cross.

However, what Zhou Chen said now stirred up shocking waves in his heart.

Could it be that his fall that year was not due to his own inadequacy, but had another hidden reason?

Even though Zhou Yin's face remained unchanged, his eyes still revealed a bit of emotion.