On an isnd where the air is thick with spiritual qi, a wave of red qi pulsated from the center, turning into a wave that traveled through the isnd.

  Amid this dense atmosphere, an old man sat cross-legged on the ground. His eyes were firmly shut, not in meditation but in a deep state of alertness, his spiritual consciousness had extended far beyond the isnd, and he was looking at the monsters beyond.

  Roar!!

  Surrounding the isnd, a multitude of rank two and three monstrous creatures hurled themselves against an invisible barrier, they all had grotesque forms and released threatening aura, yet they could not breach the shield that protected this secluded isnd.

  At the heart of the isnd, a wave of red Elemental Qi was unfolding, enclosed within shimmering feathers of a deep, resplendent red, a figure stirred from her crossed-legged cultivation.

  The feathers, belonging to a phoenix, trembled and parted, revealing the girl enshrouded within. Wei Luan, with her wings majestically spread, opened her eyes, a smile gracing her face. She had finally reached the 6th yer of her Crimson Phoenix Technique.

  Descending gracefully to where the old man sat, Wei Luan's expression was one of pure joy, yet it quickly shifted to confusion upon noticing the chaos at the isnd's edge.

  "Old man, what happened outside?" Wei Luan's voice was ced with concern and curiosity as she gestured towards the barrier, beyond which the monstrous horde raged futilely.

  The old man opened his eyes, his gaze meeting hers first with joy and then a weight of solemnity. "Congratutions my princess, you have taken another step in cultivation, your mother would surely be proud"

  He quickly answered her question "It's been a month since your seclusion and a lot has happened" he continued. "The venerable has summoned you. It appears that creatures from an ancient dimension have invaded the continent. Many sects have fallen, and this Scattered Isnd Region is already evacuated."

  "I feel the aura of the Nether Cloud Domain, was it due to the breach back then" Wei Luan said as she remembered back to her experience within the nether dimension.

  "Yes it is as you have said princess, I do not know the specifics however it is likely due to the cracks that formed from the dimension" the old man answered.

  Wei Luan nodded. "If father was the one to issue the order then the situation must be grave. We should not dey."

  Whoosh!

  As Wei Luan finished speaking a sudden gust of wind swept over them, drawing their attention toward the sky where a sudden bck orb emerged.

  The orb suddenly spun and exploded with a blinding light, a figure was violently tossed out of the orb and crashed onto the isnd, just a few dozen meters from the two.

  Wei Luan and the old man held a mix of surprise and caution as they noticed a person slowly getting up from a cloud of dust. Before them, the dust settled to reveal the figure of a young beautiful girl enrobed in a clear white robe.

  Her face was serene yet marked with a hint of exhaustion. Her eyes, filled with an intense purple hue, scanned her surroundings before finally locking onto Wei Luan and the old man.

  Setting aside the girl's beauty which she considered just a bit inferior to her own, Wei Luan, with her crimson-colored eyes noticed the girl's aura. It was unlike anything she had encountered before. A potent mix of ancient power and untamed energy radiated from the newcomer, intertwining with her body that seemed to devour spiritual qi within the air.

  "You, you have a physique?" Wei Luan said as she noticed something within her storage bag reacting to the person before her, within her storage bag was a talisman that her father had given to her, Its sole purpose was to identify someone with Luan's soul.

  The girl, Meng Lin straightened her posture, her expression calm and composed. "I do, how did you know," she said, her voice carrying a hint of weariness "Huh" Meng Lin suddenly sensed something and turned her focus towards the edge of the isnd.

  "Those are..." Releasing her spiritual consciousness she saw the monsters beyond the isnd and she was surprised as she had an encounter with them, they were monsters from the nether cloud domain.

  "I was given a talisman," Wei Luan said as she noticed a surprised expression on Meng Lin's face, she continued "A talisman by my father, designed to resonate with those who have a Luan's Soul" She didn't mind saying so as it was common knowledge to anyone who truly knows vulnerable Luan.

  Suddenly Wei Luan's gaze hardened, "your surprised expression leads me to believe that you just emerged from some sort of secret realm" Meng Lin's gaze sharpened, a flicker of recognition passing through her eyes. "Indeed, I did," she said, her voice steadying as she gathered her thoughts, choosing to not say anything else.

  "Princess, I believe you should introduce yourselves" the old man at the side, interjected. Although he seemed to have said it in passing, he was curious about the background of the person before them, this person just like the princess had reached the early stage of the Soul Wondering Realm.

  "Oh, where are my manners? I am Wei Luan, a princess of the Pace and daughter of Venerable Luan. And this," she gestured to the old man beside her, "is Elder Ming, my mentor and protector. May I inquire who you are and from whence you come?" Her tone was polite yet carried an undercurrent of authority, befitting her status.

  Meng Lin's eyes raised at the introduction, the Pace. It seems like there are a lot of rising stars from that pce. "I am Meng Lin, a direct disciple of the Soul Shattering Sect, nice to meet you." Her voice was smooth and her posture was rexed even after realizing who stood before her, she chose to say the truth since there was a bit of friendship between the two sects.

  Wei Luan's interest was piqued as she turned to the old man who suddenly blurted out in surprise "The Soul Shattering Sect?"

  Elder Ming's surprise quickly morphed into a look of concern as he said. "The Soul Shattering Sect... I have heard recent news that your sect is currently facing off against the Scarlet Demon Sect. Their disciples were ordered to immediately return to aid in the conflict. Have you received such orders?"

  Meng Lin's serene face tightened slightly, the news came as a surprise to her. "No, my sect token was destroyed within the secret realm" A sect war? she wondered as she began to think about what this implied.

  Wei Luan suddenly asked the Elder Ming in confusion, "Old man, didn't you say that the whole continent was facing an invasion, why the heck are those two sects squabbling"

  "It was because Divine Sage Ancestor of the Soul Shattering Sect was badly injured after receiving a very strong attack from a weird rank 6 monster of the Nether Cloud Domain."

  "Rank 6 monster?"

  Elder Ming nodded solemnly. "Yes, a rank 6 monster from the Nether Cloud Domain. It was an unprecedented threat that caught the Soul Shattering Sect off guard. The Scarlet Demon Sect took advantage of their vulnerability and unched an attack, seeking to exploit the situation for their gain."

  Wei Luan's eyes widened with understanding. "So, the conflict between the two sects is a result of the chaos caused by the invasion. The Scarlet Demon Sect saw an opportunity to weaken their rival while they were already dealing with the aftermath of the monster's attack."

  Meng Lin listened intently, her expression growing more serious. "The Soul Shattering Sect's Divine Sage Ancestor... Is their condition critical?"

  Elder Ming nodded gravely. "Yes, the Divine Sage Ancestor suffered severe injuries, leaving the sect in a vulnerable state. If it wasn't for the Divine Soul Ancestor stepping in then the sect might have been destroyed"

  Meng Lin's gaze hardened with determination. "Then I must hurry and return to my sect, you said the whole continent was facing an invasion, does it have to do with those monsters outside the isnd"

  Wei Luan nodded in agreement. "Indeed, we have to return as well. Luckily for you, there is an ancient teleportation formation that the Pace has found on an isnd a few miles from here, you can use that to return to your sect"

  Wei Luan's words seemed to echo with urgency. "But before we proceed to the teleportation formation, we must address the immediate threat at our doorstep—the horde of monsters ying siege on this isnd."

  The old man, Elder Ming, stood up, his robes fluttering as if caught in an unseen wind. From within his sleeve, he slowly drew out a talisman, its edges frayed yet pulsating with a potent energy.

  With a grave expression, Elder Ming turned to Wei Luan and Meng Lin. "Once I break this talisman, the barrier will be gone, we will pave a path through these beasts and head for the teleportation formation."

  Wei Luan and Meng Lin shared a look of understanding, their eyes mirrored each other's. They took their positions beside Elder Ming, ready to face the impending onsught.

  With a solemn nod, Elder Ming crushed the talisman in his palm. A brilliant light erupted from his hand, spiraling upwards and expanding rapidly. The invisible barrier that had protected the isnd began to shimmer violently before dissipating entirely, leaving the isnd exposed.

  The moment the barrier fell, a cacophony of roars filled the air as the horde of Rank 3 beasts, emboldened by their newfound access, charged with a frenzied vigor. Though each beast individually posed little threat to Soul Wondering Realm cultivators, their sheer numbers made them a formidable swarm, turning the battle into a war of attrition.

  Wei Luan, her phoenix wings unfurled to their majestic span, leaped into the air. "Swish!" Her movements were swift, leaving trails of bzing fire in her wake.

  "HAA!!"

  With a cry that melded into scorching air, she incinerated the nearest beasts with her scream, fpping her wings, she flew out of the hoard, heading towards the distance.

  Following behind her was Elder Ming and Meng Lin who was slightly impressed by the dispy of the princess, although she could also scream and turn any rank 3 beast into dust, it would require a rge amount of qi to do so.

  roar!!!

  Monsters continued to attack from all sides, however, with the fire formed by Wei Luan, most monsters that came too close were incinerated.

  Occasionally a few peak stage or half-step Rank 3 monsters would emerge through the fme trail however Meng Lin only needed to raise her hand to use an Elemental Qi, sshing and disposing of them.

  By the side, Elder Ming was surprised at the pure elemental qi within Meng Lin's attacks, the feat that she was showing was beyond anything a normal cultivator at the early stage of the Soul Wondering Realm was capable of.

  As the trio made their way through the horde of monsters, their synergy became apparent. Wei Luan's fiery onsught from the air created a path, while Meng Lin's precise strikes dealt with any that managed to breach the fiery barrier. Elder Ming, with his te-stage Soul Wondering Realm Cultivation just occasionally released powerful talismans that exploded amongst the beasts, causing chaos and destruction.

  As they traveled for a few miles, an isnd came into view and the intensity of the attacks lessened. The monsters, sensing a potent ancient energy emanating from the isnd, hesitated, their instinctual fear of ancient powers holding them at bay.

  Reaching the isnd, they flew through some trees before arriving at the teleportation formation, Elder Ming took the lead, his hands moving in intricate patterns as he activated the ancient mechanism, quickly setting the coordinates for Meng Lin.

  The formation hummed to life, its runes glowing with a vibrant light that pierced the dim surroundings, Wei Luan turned to Meng Lin with a smile. "Good luck, and I hope we meet again"

  Meng Lin nodded, her eyes reflecting the fire and determination she'd seen in Wei Luan. " thank you"

  Elder Ming's voice broke their brief exchange, "The formation is ready. Miss, step forward."

  With a deep breath, Meng Lin stepped into the formation. The runes under her feet pulsed, and a beam of light enveloped her, then, with a fsh, she was gone.

  Wei Luan and Elder Ming also didn't stay for long, after setting up the coordinates for the Pace, the two quickly stepped through the formation, disappearing from the isnd altogether.