A series of catastrophic news reports arrived.
Not to mention Director Lin De of the General Bureau being unable to sit still—even Elder Zhang, who had been calm and composed earlier, could no longer remain indifferent.
Professor Chen, a female expert from the Scientific Research Department, was horrified. "What exactly is happening? Why are these things occurring?"
Any single one of these incidents, if it had happened in the past, would have been enough to draw the full attention of the 749 Bureau and even alarm the Ten Grandmasters.
Yet now, these events seemed as if they had been arranged in advance, all emerging simultaneously.
At this moment, even a fool could tell, these incidents were definitely connected and were undoubtedly a butterfly effect triggered by something.
But what could it be?
"Is it that thousand-year-old ancient person?" Professor Chen from the Scientific Research Department suddenly asked.
The timing of these events occurred right after the appearance of the thousand-year-old ancient person, Qin Ye. The timeframe was closely aligned, making it impossible for her not to suspect.
But was that possible?
Could the mere appearance of one person trigger events that could shake the entire fate of Great Xia? Especially since the locations of these occurrences spanned across Great Xia, the sheer scope and severity of the incidents.
She couldn't even imagine how powerful a person would have to be to create such a terrifying butterfly effect.
But the situation was urgent, leaving no time for speculation. The priority now was to handle these crises.
———
At the same time.
Fengdu County.
Since ancient times, mentioning Fengdu County might not ring a bell for many. But if one spoke of Fengdu City, no citizen of Great Xia would be unfamiliar with it.
Fengdu County was historically known as Fengdu City.
According to legend, this place was the connection point between the mortal realm of Great Xia and the underworld, serving as the gateway to the netherworld of Fengdu.
At this moment, at the ruins of the ancient Fengdu City in Fengdu County, though the sky was bright and sunny, beneath it, the ruins of Fengdu were shrouded in a sky-piercing yin aura. The ancient city gates had swung open, revealing a path paved with yellow dirt and stone, leading into endless darkness. Even light could not penetrate, and only ghostly flames flickered, illuminating the abyss.
Looking closely, the massive gate that had suddenly merged with the ancient city gate bore a plaque. Written in Great Xia's ancient script, it read, "Fengdu City · Ghost Gate Pass."
From Ghost Gate Pass, wailing cries like those of wolves and ghosts echoed. Thick, black ghostly energy surged outward, forming countless eerie and terrifying yin soldiers and fierce ghosts.
They danced like a horde of demons, emerging from Ghost Gate Pass, descending into the mortal realm, recklessly howling and causing an uproar with an overwhelming presence.
Let alone ordinary people, even cultivators found it difficult to approach. They could only stand on distant mountain peaks, watching from several kilometers away.
On the mountaintop, the Guardian of Fengdu County, one of the top ten Guardians of Great Xia—Zhao Liao.
When the Ghost Gate Pass suddenly opened at the ruins of Fengdu City, Zhao Liao immediately led his team to investigate. Initially, he thought he could handle the situation swiftly, but upon arrival, he discovered the severity of the situation was far beyond his expectations.
"I thought it was just a few ghosts escaping from Ghost Gate Pass, but now it seems that's not the case."
Zhao Liao's expression was terrifyingly solemn as he stared fixedly at the wide-open Ghost Gate Pass.
There had been past cases of ghosts escaping from the underworld. But this time was different. The number of ghosts was far too great. It had exceeded ten thousand.
And it wasn't just the quantity. Among them, there were several fierce ghosts that even Zhao Liao found terrifying.
"What's going on with the underworld? Could it be that the netherworld has been overrun by ghosts?"
As Zhao Liao frowned in confusion, suddenly, like a mouse encountering a cat, Zhao Liao felt suffocated, his heart pounding violently.
Something was wrong. He abruptly turned his gaze toward the Ghost Gate Pass. He had thought the situation couldn't get any worse—yet it was still escalating in an even more disastrous direction.
At this moment, everyone present, including Zhao Liao himself, felt a deep and intense dread.
Not only that, the ten thousand yin soldiers and ghosts that had emerged from Ghost Gate Pass, a second ago, they had been howling wildly, creating chaos. But in the next second, they all fell silent.
The weaker ones even showed fear and trepidation. Furthermore, they all turned toward the interior of Ghost Gate Pass and knelt down reverently.
Even the most powerful ghosts, stronger than Zhao Liao himself, were no exception.
Immediately afterward, from within Ghost Gate Pass, a vividly red bridal sedan emerged, carried by four monstrous ghostly figures as strong as zombie kings.
As the yin wind swept through, even though only a corner of the red bridal sedan was lifted, a faint glimpse inside revealed—
A bride seated within.
Dressed in a festive red wedding gown, her face covered by a red bridal veil, making her features indiscernible.
However, her pale, bloodless hands resting on her lap, with long, crimson nails as if soaked in blood, were clearly visible.
There was no need to guess, the one inside was definitely not a living bride.
It was a ghost bride.
The chilling yin aura emanating from her was what made Zhao Liao's heart tremble and what caused the ten thousand ghosts to submit in worship.
At this moment, as she emerged from Ghost Gate Pass, inside the red bridal sedan, the ghost bride gently lifted her head.
The red bridal veil trembled slightly, and from within, she softly murmured, "At last, I've waited for your birth. I told you, no matter where you are, one day you will become my husband…."
———
Elsewhere.
Yuzhou, Dragon-Sealing Well.
"What did the General Bureau say? Any updates?"
A cultivator from the 749 Bureau in Yuzhou frowned.
"And how long until the Guardian arrives?"
At this moment, from Dragon-Sealing Well, resounding dragon roars echoed, accompanied by the clanging of chains, as if something inside, a legendary true dragon, was awakening.
The cultivator's palms were already sweating just from hearing the roars.
He knew, this was not something he could handle alone.
Even if it wasn't a true dragon but merely a flood dragon, it made no difference.
Dragons were mythical creatures, and according to the 749 Bureau's records, the last known dragon sighting was in the 1934 Yingkou Fallen Dragon Incident, where a flood dragon failed to ascend and died, its body washed ashore by ocean waves.
Such legendary beings, as described in myths, were symbols of immense power.
Even a failed flood dragon was no exception. "Captain Lou, didn't the 749 Bureau investigate supernatural occurrences when it was first established? Wasn't Dragon-Sealing Well among them? Why did no one tell us Yuzhou's Dragon-Sealing Well had a dragon?"
Before the cultivator could answer, a sudden transformation occurred.
From within Dragon-Sealing Well, a massive surge of black liquid erupted, gushing out like a fountain, quickly flooding the area.
Within minutes, it was on the verge of turning Dragon-Sealing Well into a river.
And at that moment, some began to notice, the black liquid, as it gathered, took on a distinct shape, it looked exactly like a dragon.
Not just any dragon, a pitch-black divine dragon.
And the dragon roars grew louder. The once-clear sky turned dark with storm clouds. Summoning wind and rain.
It was like a scene straight out of mythology, a dragon undergoing tribulation to ascend.
If they could understand dragon language, they would have realized, the being inside Dragon-Sealing Well was ecstatic, roaring, "A thousand years of waiting! Finally, I can take my revenge! Qin Ye! This time, I will avenge the severing of my dragon body!"
———
Zhongnan Mountain.
Within the terrifying fissure that split open in the mountain.
"Qin Zun has awakened, too fast... However, it seems that those petty scoundrels have also awakened along with him."
———
Back mountain of the Maoshan Sect.
Burial site of successive generations of sect leaders.
"A great dream of a thousand years, who has awakened me? Hmm? So, it is him? He is indeed still alive. Very well, since I have awakened, let me emerge into this era."
Similar scenes played out in various places.
Even though each of these incidents alone could alarm the strongest Guardians and shake the Ten Great Sages, they were scattered across different regions of Daxia.
Yet, without exception.
The triggering time of every single event occurred after Qin Ye's emergence, and they followed soon after his awakening, being summoned or awakened.
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