The White Bone Sect worshipped the Holy Sovereign of White Bones, and their core doctrine was "The Great Equality of the Mortal World."
This doctrine appeared noble and grand, yet the White Bone Sect believed that "Only death is the ultimate equality."
Therefore, they were devoted to slaughter and destruction.
Below the Holy Sovereign, the White Bone Sect had three Grand Elders, one Holy Maiden, one White Bone Envoy, and the Twelve Bone Masks.
Among them, the Third Elder sacrificed himself to condense the Ghost Gate phantom.
Grand Elder Ouyang Lie was beheaded by General Huangfu Duanming.
Only the Second Elder, Nether-Eye Lu Yan, escaped.
The Holy Maiden of White Bones had once fought with Ji Xuan, the head of the Pursuit Bureau in Qinghe County, and was severely wounded. She had disappeared since the battle of Maple Forest City.
The Rat Mask and Dog Mask died in the battle of Maple Forest City.
This generation's White Bone Heir, Wang Changji, seemed to have encountered some accident. During the battle of Maple Forest City, he didn't assist the Holy Sovereign of White Bones, and after the battle, his whereabouts were unknown. So it was unclear whether the White Bone Sect currently had a Holy Sovereign.
Even the White Bone Envoy, Zhang Linchuan, had not reappeared before others.
Since Maple Forest City, the entire White Bone Sect had gone into hiding once more.
Although the extraordinary forces of the State of Zhuang had been hunting them down, eliminating one White Bone Sect stronghold after another, because of the sect's scattered structure with single-line connections, they had never managed to reach the core leadership.
Hunting down the remnants of the White Bone Sect was also part of Li Yunqiu's mission, so he was quite familiar with intelligence about the sect. He understood clearly what that tiger bone mask before him represented.
It was one of the Twelve Bone Masks of the White Bone Sect—the Tiger Bone Mask.
The Tiger Bone Mask among the Twelve Bone Masks was actually hiding in the peripheral territory of the Twin Serpent Society. What audacity! And how utterly unexpected!
One had to consider that the Twin Serpent Society was still considered an orthodox sect in the State of Mo. For a heretical sect like the White Bone Sect, they would surely want to eliminate them quickly.
Even if they intended to shelter the White Bone Sect as part of their strategy against the State of Zhuang, they should have hidden the Tiger Mask within the sect's interior, rather than letting him take refuge in the peripheral territories, risking discovery by the State of Zhuang and potentially triggering a national-level conflict.
If such a situation occurred, the State of Mo, in order to avoid war, would very likely hand over the Twin Serpent Society to demonstrate their stance.
So from any perspective, the Twin Serpent Society's territory was not a good hiding place.
But it was precisely by hiding here that the unexpected happened, leading to the complete annihilation of Li Yunqiu's entire team today.
According to intelligence, the minimum level of the White Bone Sect's Twelve Bone Masks was the Ascendant Dragon realm.
And he himself was still before the Heaven-Reaching realm.
Two realms separated them, a chasm difficult to cross.
Therefore, when that tiger bone mask appeared in his line of sight, Li Yunqiu didn't hesitate—he drew his sword immediately.
He drew his sword and stabbed himself with it!
This sword was incredibly fast and powerful.
Behind him, in the void, a gateway faintly appeared.
And the sharp sword reversed, piercing through this gate with a single thrust!
Boom!
Thunder rumbled, and vital energy surged chaotically.
How could the Tiger Bone Mask not know what was happening? This kid from the State of Zhuang's Dao Academy was actually breaking through to the next realm right in front of him, challenging the Gate of Heaven and Earth with his sword.
For a moment, his rage was like a storm, yet he couldn't make too much noise for fear of alerting the Twin Serpent Society's main base. So he could only let out a muffled roar, reach back to unsheathe his large ringed saber, and slash it through the air.
Unlike the lower three tiers of cultivation—from Meridian-Wandering realm to Cycle realm to Heaven-Reaching realm—which were all processes of accumulation. Even if one couldn't break through, cultivation stagnation rarely posed danger except in rare circumstances.
The Gate of Heaven and Earth separated countless cultivators, keeping them outside the higher realms of cultivation.
And after pushing open the Gate of Heaven and Earth, cultivators became stronger but also more dangerous.
The dao meridian ascended like a dragon, leaping into the sea of the body.
Within the sea of the body, there was natural mist. This mist obscured the three souls and confused the seven spirits—it was called the Fog of Ignorance.
If cultivators weren't careful, the true dragon of their dao meridian would become lost within the sea of the body, and their cultivation would never progress further.
The feedback from heaven and earth gained when pushing open the Gate of Heaven and Earth was the foundation for cultivators to survive within the Fog of Ignorance. Therefore, the stronger the Gate of Heaven and Earth, the more feedback one received upon pushing it open, which often meant the cultivator had greater potential.
This place had a name—it was called "the Solitary Island of Heaven and Earth."
Heaven and earth were infinite. Cultivators in the Ascendant Dragon realm explored the limits of their physical bodies using this "solitary island" as a base, dispelling the Fog of Ignorance to expand the known space.
Understanding its importance, one could see why Wang Yiwu insisted on lingering before the Gate of Heaven and Earth. He wanted to obtain the broadest and most solid Solitary Island of Heaven and Earth when entering the Ascendant Dragon realm, to explore greater potential.
Pushing open the Gate of Heaven and Earth was such a cautious endeavor.
Back then, when Lin Zhengren broke through during battle, it was because he had already refined his foundation to perfection, and his opponent Sun Xiaoman posed no threat to him. The Gate of Heaven and Earth was one of his trump cards, so he could calmly reveal it.
For Li Yunqiu, however, the time had not yet come to push open the Gate. Breaking through now meant insufficient feedback from heaven and earth, and he was destined to face greater difficulties in combating the Fog of Ignorance within the Ascendant Dragon realm.
But he had no choice.
His long hair moved without wind, the surging vital energy suddenly turned violent, then in an instant was smoothed out.
Clang!
His sword, named Peach Blossom, precisely met the blade of the Tiger Bone Mask's large ringed saber.
Whoosh!
Wind whistled past his ears as Li Yunqiu felt the long hair on both sides silently shatter and fall.
Then his entire body was blasted away!
"A breakthrough to the Ascendant Dragon realm on the battlefield—do you think that's enough to fight me?"
The Tiger Bone Mask's anger hadn't subsided. He stepped forward and struck with another saber blow!
The White Bone Sect's plans had failed spectacularly. For high-ranking members like him, dreams had shattered in an instant.
All the hardships he had endured over the years seemed like pointless torment.
Who could know the hatred in his heart?
Every mask-wearer had survived through the slaughter of over a thousand children. The inhuman torture they experienced was beyond what most people could even imagine.
For the ideal of "The Great Equality of the Mortal World," he had given everything.
Yet here he was, having traveled all this way, with even the Holy Sovereign of White Bones trampled back into the netherworld.
The dream of establishing a divine kingdom on earth seemed to have never been within reach.
They fled in terror, their strongholds across the land being dismantled one by one.
Almost every day, he heard the sound of his ideals shattering.
Later, when he risked hiding in the peripheral territory of the Twin Serpent Society, the endless pursuit finally quieted somewhat.
He hid like a rat.
He had already hidden himself here.
Yet even here, these damned little insects still chased after him!
"Die!"
The large ringed saber cleaved heaven and earth, splitting everything in two.
And as the night and moonlight were parted, Li Yunqiu returned with his sword.
He traced a long arc through the air, and in the process of being blasted away, he had established his Solitary Island of Heaven and Earth and gained control of the world that opened after the Gate of Heaven and Earth swung wide.
Thus he could leap with his physical body and step through the void.
The sword was named Peach Blossom, blooming in spring.
Though this was not spring, the sword made spring come.
The sword tip met the blade once more.
An instant felt like eternity.
Boom!
The Tiger Bone Mask withdrew his saber and struck again.
Blocked and struck again.
Blade and sword clashed repeatedly.
With growing alarm, the Tiger Bone Mask discovered that the young man before him had a sword momentum that grew ever more stable, ever more powerful.
Every clash seemed as if it would topple his opponent.
Yet, it never extinguished.
In this exchange, Li Yunqiu was gradually stabilizing his power at the Ascendant Dragon realm.
The Tiger Bone Mask decided to unleash his full power, no longer giving this person time—even if it meant exposing himself to the Twin Serpent Society's main base, he would not hesitate.
The Twelve Divine Manifestation secret arts of the White Bone Sect were all different.
Like the Dog Mask, whose divine manifestation became a nether hound, nurturing the netherworld. The Snake Mask infused his divine manifestation into his sword, his Snake Tongue Sword comparable to a famous weapon.
And he, the Tiger Mask...
Roar!
A tiger of white bone strode upon the wind, standing high in the sky, having absorbed all the moonlight.
The tiger roared in the mountain forest!