The three Eternal Envoys stood suspended in the void.
The surrounding space-time warped around them, concealing their presence completely.
To reach this place from the center of the world, each of the three had to be at the Third Realm of Freedom.
They had also mastered many techniques for suppressing their auras.
Without those, if they encountered a Source Demon— let alone Third Realm experts—even Eternal Progeny would struggle to escape with their lives.
“Something’s wrong.”
Prompted by the silver-eyed middle-aged man, the other two—one male, one female—became more alert.
They hadn’t failed to notice earlier; rather, their detection range was simply not as wide as his.
If only a small area lacked demons, it wouldn’t be unusual.
But as the other two scanned farther afield, they too discovered that the entire region had surprisingly few demons.
Elsewhere, even if Source Demons weren’t present, there would be a Great Demon every so often— or even terrifying Demon Titans approaching the level of Source Demons.
But here, the demons ravaging this world had practically vanished?
The three Eternal Envoys could only detect a few Demon Spirits, and those were newly born.
“Did something major happen in this region?”
The silver-eyed man exchanged glances with the other two, expressions grim.
An entire region devoid of proper demons was not a good sign.
A sect like Qingyun Sacred Sect couldn’t possibly achieve that.
Even if they could, they wouldn’t dare.
Unless one had absolute dominance, clearing out demons from one area would only attract more—and stronger—demons.
The demons of this world were endless. Even the Eternal Sects could barely hold them off.
For other sects, the most effective strategy was complete concealment—not confrontation.
Because you could never truly win.
Demons did not die. Even if their bodies were destroyed, they would be reborn elsewhere.
“The contact rune for Qingyun Sacred Sect hasn’t been destroyed, isn’t moving, and shows no signs of demon corruption.”
The silver-eyed man’s thoughts stirred, and a green rune appeared before him. He examined it closely.
The Eternal Sects’ contact runes, given to every sacred sect, not only allowed communication and tracking, but could also sense the surrounding environment to some extent.
At least for now, Qingyun Sacred Sect’s rune showed no sign of damage.
“What should we do now?”
The female Eternal Envoy asked.
The demon scarcity in this area made them uneasy.
“Let me check something else.”
The silver-eyed man flipped his right hand, revealing a purple rune.
As it hovered, a subtle wave spread out in all directions.
“There are no overly powerful demons nearby.”
After a moment, he put the purple rune away, frowning.
A large demonless zone might suggest an extremely powerful demon had emerged.
Demons, though mindless, possessed instincts. When facing something stronger, they would retreat.
But his probe hadn’t found any trace of such a powerful demon.
“Strange… very strange.”
The three looked at one another.
Even at the center of the world, such a scenario was rare.
An entire region with no demons, and no trace of a greater demon?
Of course, this conclusion was based on the assumption that Qingyun Sacred Sect lacked the strength to clear the region.
And even if they had that strength, there would be no reason to do so.
“Should we still go to Qingyun Sacred Sect?”
The male envoy asked.
“We came here carrying the will of the great Eternal Lords.”
The silver-eyed man scanned the area.
“If Qingyun Sacred Sect had been destroyed, there’d be no point. But from the contact rune’s readings, the sect is still intact.”
In other words, they still had to go.
“True.”
The female envoy nodded.
At the center of the world, the Eternal Sects were struggling to hold off the Source Demons.
Many powerful cultivators had fallen. And anyone slain by a Source Demon had their soul and will eroded— meaning life-saving techniques like avatars or clones were useless. Death was absolute.
So the Eternal Sects were in desperate need of fresh blood— part of which came from the surviving sacred and Supreme Sacred Sects.
Though reluctant, these sects dared not refuse.
Their continued survival amid the demon catastrophe was thanks to the Eternal Sects holding off the strongest demons.
If the Eternal Sects collapsed, the rest of the sacred sects would soon follow.
Only by their sacrifice could the others endure.
“Let’s go.”
“But stay alert.”
The silver-eyed man steadied his thoughts and continued toward Qingyun Sacred Sect— but this time, at a much more cautious pace.
With their strength, they could’ve flown straight in with ease. But the demons’ disappearance had them on edge.
—
One or two years later.
The three Eternal Envoys finally arrived near Qingyun Sacred Mountain.
“There it is—Qingyun Sacred Sect.”
The silver-eyed man looked toward a distant gray mountain.
Using the contact rune, he confirmed it was indeed Qingyun Sacred Mountain.
“Looks fine to me.”
The two envoys behind him observed for a while and breathed a small sigh of relief.
With their cultivation, they could see runes operating throughout the gray mountain.
That meant cultivators were still guarding it.
If demons had broken through, the place would be a ruin.
“Still… don’t let your guard down.”
The silver-eyed man didn’t act rashly.
“If so many demons vanished here, why is Qingyun Sacred Sect still standing?”
“Good point.”
The other two envoys nodded, their expressions turning serious.
The more normal Qingyun Sacred Mountain appeared, the more suspicious it felt to them.
“I’ll send in a clone first to investigate. Once I’m sure it’s safe, we can notify the Sect Master.”
The silver-eyed man was extremely cautious—he didn’t intend to let the Sect Master greet them just yet.
He wanted to find out exactly what allowed Qingyun Sacred Sect to survive in this region.
“Alright.”
The two envoys nodded.
It was the safest approach.
If nothing was wrong, no harm done.
But if something was—this could save their lives.
The three had come with a mission—they couldn’t afford to die here.
Three Freedom Realm experts traveling together—if they were lost, the Eternal Sects would suffer greatly.
Especially since they were carrying promising talents from other sacred and Supreme Sacred Sects in their spatial artifacts.
The silver-eyed man focused.
A portion of his energy split off and formed a clone.
The clone resembled him but had much weaker aura, making it easier to conceal.
He stepped forward, vanishing into Qingyun Sacred Mountain.
As an Eternal Envoy, he had visited many times. The sect’s defensive rune array came from the Eternal Sects.
So he knew its structure well—and could easily sneak in.
Before the great upheaval, sect formations were vastly different.
Now, they focused more on concealing energy and blocking demonic influence—thanks to aid from the Eternal Sects.
Buzz—
Following the familiar fluctuations of the rune barrier, the silver-eyed man entered the mountain with ease.
Disciples were cultivating in orderly fashion. Elders carried out their duties.
The clone watched silently but detected nothing unusual.
“The Sect Master?”
He headed to the highest hall on the mountain and found the Sect Master in closed-door cultivation.
The Sect Master was only a Longevity Sixth Realm cultivator. Compared to a Freedom Third Realm expert like the envoy— even a clone could avoid detection.
“I’ve checked almost all of Qingyun Sacred Mountain.”
The envoy stepped out of the hall, gazing downward.
“Except for there.”
He looked toward Qingyun Courtyard.
His senses told him that area was… void.
Not because something was there— but because he couldn’t sense anything at all.
“Let’s take a look.”
After a brief hesitation, he decided to investigate.
This was just a clone—if it encountered a threat he couldn’t handle, the worst-case scenario was its loss.
With that, he stepped forward, arriving at the entrance of Qingyun Courtyard.
—
Deep inside Qingyun Courtyard.
Lin Yuan watched calmly as the silver-eyed man’s clone wandered Qingyun Sacred Mountain.
In fact, the moment the three Eternal Envoys approached the mountain, Lin Yuan had already noticed.
Thanks to the contact rune, he was tracking their every move.
From the moment they paused outside the mountain, to the moment the clone slipped in— he had seen it all.
“Quite cautious.”
“Let’s meet them.”
Lin Yuan shook his head and flipped his hand.
—
At the entrance of Qingyun Courtyard—
The silver-eyed clone was still pondering how to enter when— space-time around him suddenly warped.
He had been silently teleported elsewhere.
Before he could even react—
Outside Qingyun Sacred Mountain—
The silver-eyed man’s true body, along with the other two envoys, suddenly saw the space around them collapse— as if time and space itself had been seized and pulled away.
“Where… are we?”
The silver-eyed man and the other two Eternal Envoys looked around— and their scalps went numb.
...
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