In the Nine Soul Heavenly River, on a plain of the Upper Realm, there lay a small, ancient village.
The village had long since been deserted, abandoned for many years.
Under the erosion of time, the few remaining old houses had crumbled into disrepair, making them barely habitable.
This sort of place was actually quite common in the Nine Soul Heavenly River. Never mind a village like this—even vast cities had their share of abandoned ruins.
By all rights, no one would pay attention to such a place.
But right now, over a dozen figures hovered in the sky above this village, standing aloft on air.
Any single one of them taken out would be a renowned figure, a heavyweight capable of shaking the entire Nine Soul Heavenly River.
And these were only the ones who were out in the open.
There were even more lurking in the shadows.
Among those concealed in the darkness were Sacred Light White Brow, Daoist Niantian, and Fairy Daohai.
The reason so many experts had gathered here was because this was the birthplace of Master Huizhi—his hometown.
Perhaps homesickness aided his cultivation, or perhaps it was simply nostalgia, but for whatever reason, Master Huizhi always chose this place for his seclusion.
That was why those who knew him well, if they had business with him, would wait outside this long-abandoned village.
But right now, none of their gazes were fixed on the village itself. Instead, they were all staring into the distance beyond it.
There, blinding light surged in wave after wave, like a titanic beast devouring heaven and earth.
Though it was deep into the night and darkness should have covered the land, under the radiance of that light, this stretch of sky and earth was brighter than broad daylight.
But that was no celestial phenomenon—it was the clash of three immense forces.
Master Huizhi had emerged from seclusion.
The moment Master Huizhi came out, Master Yinren truly appeared, attempting to invite Master Huizhi to join forces with him.
But what Master Yinren did not know was that Granny Yuanshen and Sacred Light White Brow had long been waiting here—not for Master Huizhi, but for Master Yinren.
So the instant Master Yinren appeared, Granny Yuanshen laid out her demand without preamble.
She wanted Master Yinren to hand over Xian Miaomiao and Princess Xiaoxiao.
When Master Yinren refused, Granny Yuanshen attacked.
People had originally assumed this battle would be entirely one-sided.
Master Yinren was certainly famous in his own right—the most powerful Spirit World Master in the Nine Soul Heavenly River.
But if he were truly compared to Granny Yuanshen, they were not remotely on the same level.
Before the fight began, those who didn't know the full picture couldn't understand what had gotten into Master Yinren for him to dare challenge Granny Yuanshen.
It was only once the two began exchanging blows that people discovered, in utter astonishment, that Master Yinren was actually this formidable.
His strength was extraordinarily fierce—far more powerful than Sacred Light White Brow and the others had imagined.
Even someone of Granny Yuanshen's caliber, after clashing with Master Yinren, actually found herself at a disadvantage.