After hearing Yafei's words, Ya Zongyun fell into deep thought. A long while later, he asked, "Fei'er, are you telling me that Daoist nun Qiushui is a gold-robed Spirit Realm Master?"
"Mm." Yafei nodded in confirmation.
"Was she wearing a white dress?!" Ya Zongyun pressed further.
"Mm. Grandfather, how did you know? Don't tell me you've met her?" Yafei asked, confused.
"Fei'ер, was this woman extraordinarily beautiful — nearly forty years of age, yet possessing a grace and demeanor far beyond ordinary people?" Ya Zongyun continued.
"She wore a veil over her face, so I couldn't see her features. But judging by her figure and the outline of her face, she was certainly quite attractive. As for her bearing… come to think of it now that you mention it, she did seem to carry a sort of transcendent, otherworldly quality," Yafei replied.
"Then it's almost certainly her." After hearing Yafei's answer, Ya Zongyun gave a slight nod, a faint smile of peculiar significance playing at the corners of his lips.
"Grandfather, who exactly is this Daoist nun Qiushui?" At this point, Yafei was certain her grandfather knew the woman. Otherwise, he wouldn't be reacting this way. She was also deeply curious about what kind of person could make her grandfather behave so.
"If I'm not mistaken, this so-called Daoist nun Qiushui is no ordinary person. She should be the woman who once made a name for herself across the Eastern Sea — known as the number one beauty of the Eastern Sea, and simultaneously the saintess of the Holy Church of Heaven Burning. Her name is Qiushui Fuyan," Ya Zongyun said.
"The saintess of the Holy Church of Heaven Burning — Qiushui Fuyan?!"
"Grandfather, that can't be right! Didn't you say that over a decade ago, the entire Holy Church of Heaven Burning stepped onto the Heavenly Path and migrated to the Sacred Land of Martial Arts?"
"If Qiushui Fuyan was the saintess of the Holy Church of Heaven Burning, how could she appear in the Eastern Sea?"
Yafei's face was filled with shock. After all, Qiushui Fuyan's name was legendary in the Eastern Sea. Even though the Holy Church of Heaven Burning had vanished years ago, her reputation remained seared into countless memories — she had been the defining icon of an era, the dream lover of an entire generation.
"You don't know the full story. When the Holy Church of Heaven Burning was migrating, I went to see them off alongside the Island Master. At the time, I carefully observed every member of the church. All of the named powerhouses were present, but the saintess Qiushui Fuyan was notably absent."
"Even back then, I suspected she might not have left with the Holy Church of Heaven Burning. And now, this Daoist nun Qiushui you describe — whether by age or characteristics, she matches very closely. That's why I believe she is most likely Qiushui Fuyan," Ya Zongyun said.
"So she really is Qiushui Fuyan? No wonder — no wonder she pays absolutely no respect to our Immortal Execution Archipelago. As the former saintess of the Holy Church of Heaven Burning, she certainly has the standing for it." Yafei sighed helplessly, looking aggrieved.
"Silly girl, the Holy Church of Heaven Burning was powerful, but that was ages ago. They're long gone now. Without that massive organization behind her, Qiushui Fuyan is merely a reclusive expert at best — nothing to be afraid of," Ya Zongyun said.
"But Grandfather, she was the saintess of the Holy Church of Heaven Burning. She was already formidable back then, and she must be even stronger now. You really shouldn't provoke her." Yafei tried to dissuade him on the surface, though in truth she was egging her grandfather into action.
"Haha, my silly Fei'er, you really overestimate that Qiushui Fuyan."
"The saintess of the Holy Church of Heaven Burning, Huangfu Haoyue, was indeed remarkable — but the other saintess, Qiushui Fuyan, was far inferior. She wasn't your grandfather's match back then, let alone now!"
"From what you say, she's currently living in this Boundless Blood Sea? Take me to her right now. If I don't teach her a lesson, she'll really think my precious granddaughter is someone to be bullied!" Ya Zongyun had fallen right into Yafei's trap, thumping his chest as he spoke.
"That's wonderful! I knew my grandfather was the strongest of all!" Yafei jumped and bounced with delight, absolutely overjoyed. In front of her grandfather, her haughty demeanor was completely gone — she looked like a little girl, utterly adorable.
"Bang!" Just then, the tightly shut hall doors were suddenly shoved open. A maidservant rushed in with a panicked expression and shouted, "Lord Yixian, Lady Yafei — something terrible has happened!"
"How dare you! I'm speaking with my grandfather — who gave you permission to barge in without announcing yourself?" Yafei flew into a rage, pointing at the maidservant, ready to strike.
"Wait." Before she could act, her grandfather Ya Zongyun stopped her. After restraining Yafei, he asked gravely, "What is it that's so urgent? Speak plainly."
"Lord Yixian, Lady Yafei."
"There's a strange phenomenon in the sky outside. Please, both of you, come and see for yourselves," the maidservant replied nervously.
"What? A strange phenomenon in the sky?!" At these words, both Ya Zongyun and Yafei's expressions shifted. Then Ya Zongyun grabbed Yafei, and with a slight movement, they transformed into a streak of light, arriving in the sky above the hall.
In that moment, they saw that across the floating islands of the Boundless Blood Sea, countless people had already taken to the air, faces full of shock as they gazed upward at the night sky.
And when they looked up themselves, even Ya Zongyun and Yafei's faces changed drastically, their eyes widening with incomprehensible astonishment.
Because at this very moment, in that star-filled sky above, a strange phenomenon had truly appeared.
No one knew how far away it was, but it was certainly far beyond the reach of any of them — up in the Nine Heavens of stars, a crack had appeared.
Yes, it was a crack. Even though it was the dead of night, they could see it clearly — a crack in the sky, one that was gradually growing wider, as if the very heavens were being torn apart.
"Heavens! The sky is being ripped open! What on earth is going on? Could this be the legendary end of the world — is the sky going to collapse?!" As the crack continued to grow, some of the weaker-minded among them began screaming in panic.
"Grandfather, what's happening? Could a Divine Body be descending?" Yafei had seen something like this once before in her childhood — a strange celestial phenomenon had appeared in the Eastern Sea back then too, and a Divine Body had descended. That Divine Body was Zi Ling.
"No. The phenomenon that accompanies a Divine Body's descent is usually dazzlingly magnificent, and it symbolizes the special divine power that the body possesses."
"But what we're seeing now is different. This doesn't look like the heavens bestowing a Divine Body upon the world. It looks more like some terrifying existence is forcibly tearing the sky apart."
"Fei'er, look carefully. Doesn't the shape of that crack look like someone pressed their two hands into the sky?" Ya Zongyun pointed at the fissure above.
Following her grandfather's words, Yafei looked more closely at the two sides of the ever-widening crack above.
The moment she did, terror — indescribable, overwhelming terror — flooded her already shocked face. Her delicate body began to tremble, and in a barely audible voice, she whispered, "Grandfather… that… that… what in the world is that?!"