Wei Chen took out the crumpled paper and checked it.

[To the esteemed Wei Chen,

From this solitary height, where the air is thin and the view encompasses a world that feels ever-distant, I, Meng Die of the Immortal Dream Garden, pen these words.

The silence of the Immortal Dream Tower is a profound one, broken only by the whisper of wind and the turning of pages. It is a winter of exquisite stillness.

Yet, even in the deepest winter, a promise endures.

Outside my window, a single plum branch has dared to bloom,

a defiance of the cold, a testament that the most fragile beauty can be the most resilient.

Its fragrance, carried on the wind, is a secret message that spring is not a forgotten dream.

It is that same hope which compels me to write to you. I have heard the echoes of your journeys, and in the tapestry of this secluded life, your adventures are like vibrant threads of a world I long to understand.

I find myself wishing to share the scent of this plum blossom with one who appreciates not just beauty, but the strength required to bloom in solitude.

Therefore, I extend this invitation, written in my own hand, the only key to this gilded cage. I would be honored if you would share a moment of company with me.

Let us speak of art, of distant lands, and of the quiet hope that bridges solitude.

I will await your coming, as the earth awaits the certainty of spring.

Yours in anticipation,

Meng Die]

Seeing the content of the letter, Wei Chen smiled wryly. This was a very strange kind of invitation letter. Who was Dream Butterfly? And why was that girl Mo Xingyao acting like that? Was this girl envious of Dream Butterfly or something?

No, that didn't seem right. Mo Xingyao had acted coy and pouted like a girl who caught her boyfriend chatting with an unknown girl.

She's not my girlfriend, so why was she acting like that?

Don't tell me…

Wei Chen started to think, and there was only one answer.

"Does this girl like me? But that shouldn't be right. We just met. It's not possible for her to develop feelings. Or maybe…" Wei Chen looked at the letter.

There were several key words: Dream Butterfly, Immortal Dream Garden, Gilded Cage.

With these kinds of key words, either this Dream Butterfly was the daughter of some noble who couldn't leave her house, or she was someone who somehow made Mo Xingyao jealous.

"Maybe... her identity… Immortal Dream Garden… Gilded Cage… don't tell me… she's a courtesan?" Wei Chen muttered after reaching that conclusion.

If that was the case, then it made sense. A woman knowing her friend was invited to that kind of place could react like this.

Wei Chen shrugged it off and kept it at the back of his mind. It was not like Mo Xingyao was his girlfriend, so he did not need to concern himself with her that much. And since he had the invitation letter, he decided to visit this so-called Immortal Dream Garden.

— Meanwhile - Azure River Capital City —

Within the Gu Clan residence, inside Gu Tianhe, also known as Azure Sky Elder's personal lounge, he sat at the top of the tower of the Gu Clan residence, admiring the view of the large city.

A guard walked in from outside the lounge and politely handed the elder a letter.

Azure Sky Elder read it for a moment before his expression darkened. The letter came from the information guild. It seemed that the bounty he posted had attracted no one, because one of the bounty hunters who accepted the job had been killed by the target.

This made the bounty guild increase the risk rating and adjust the minimum cultivation realm required to take the bounty to Peak Soul Transformation or early stage Void Refining Realm. And what were Peak Soul Transformation or Void Refining Realm cultivators?

They were clearly not cabbages. Each one of them was either an elder or a sect leader, people who ruled small forces or even forces capable of influencing an entire province.

They were not interested in these kinds of bounties because the task was beneath them. Besides, these people lacked nothing and had too much to lose. Why would they participate in a bounty hunt?

Azure Sky Elder thought about the recent developments involving that Wei Chen guy.

This man, Wei Chen, claimed to be an adventurer and wanderer who was the first to discover the primordial era ruin. He also seemed to know many secrets of the world and even had a method to bypass the restrictions of a secret realm, as shown in his first broadcast.

Combined with his cultivation realm at Soul Transformation Realm, this meant that even if he was a heaven-defying genius like Jian Heng, he had to be at least one hundred years old. Otherwise, his accumulation of Dao understanding would not be enough to break through to Soul Transformation Realm.

And since this man knew many secrets of the world, he might be even older. Maybe he was an old monster who had emerged from closed-door cultivation only to find that the era had changed.

What kind of secrets did Wei Chen hold?

Azure Sky Elder thought about this carefully. He was no longer a rash and reckless young master. When he knew that his enemy was too strong to handle alone, he could swallow his pride, pinch his nose, and look the other way.

But in Wei Chen's case, it was different. This man had too many secrets and knew many things that the people of this era did not.

To capitalize on this, he needed to capture Wei Chen.

Azure Sky Elder looked at the guard who had brought him the secret letter.

"Summon all the Grand Elders and Elders. We will have a grand meeting at the Azure Sky Conglomerate headquarters. There is something we need to discuss," Azure Sky Elder said to his subordinate.

"Yes, Elder." The subordinate cupped his fists before leaving to carry out his master's orders.

— ??? —

At an old ruin on the border between the Azure River Border and the Vermilion Bird Border, several people in long black robes stood in front of a dilapidated courtyard.

There were twelve masked figures standing in a circle inside the courtyard. Each robe and mask matched, and each mask represented one animal from the Chinese zodiac.

Their voices were altered by their spiritual qi to maintain anonymity. They chatted among themselves as if waiting for someone before the meeting began.

Their conversation revolved around the appearance of a strange, indestructible screen that had recently manifested in the squares of every city in the Azure River Province, and lately in cities near the border of the province as well.

After about ten minutes, a cloud of dark mist gathered, and a figure slowly formed as the ominous mist condensed. The dark figure descended to the ground.

"Everyone is here, that is good. It seems the discovery of a primordial ruin has interested everyone in this Profound Zodiac Alliance," the figure in the dark mist said. His voice was so heavily altered by spiritual qi that it sounded more like a demon from hell than a human.

"Of course, Mr. Zodiac. This is the first time we have clear evidence that the primordial era is real and not just a tale!" the man in the rooster mask said with excitement.

"The question is whether this primordial ruin is genuine. This is not the first time we have heard someone claim they discovered a primordial era ruin or secret realm," the woman in the goat mask said cautiously. She was one of the two women in the group.

The man in the snake mask added, "I have already gathered basic information. The text and architecture shown on the broadcast screen match many old records. I am at least ninety percent sure the ruin is genuine."

"As expected of Snake, you are always quick at gathering information," the man in the dog mask said in admiration.

The man in the dark mist, Mr. Zodiac, spoke again. "We need full control of that primordial ruin and must prevent other forces from obtaining it. I expect that the ruin contains information about the primordial era or clues to other primordial secret realms or heaven defying treasures. We must not let it fall into outsider hands."

The man in the dark mist paused and looked around. "Can anyone take action?"

"I can try to create chaos, make the waters as muddy as possible, and we might have an opportunity to seize control," the man in the dragon mask said.

"What kind of chaos?" the woman in the rabbit mask asked. She was the second woman in the group.

"You will know soon enough," the man in the dragon mask replied arrogantly. He did not go into detail, since the group was formed solely for mutual benefit and everyone maintained anonymity to avoid betrayal from within.

"Hmm… if chaos occurs, I think I might be able to obtain something nice from Thousand Treasure Hall," the man in the monkey mask said slyly.

"I think I can also profit from this. When the chaos happens, I have a way to take control of that ruin," said the man in the tiger mask.

Seeing this, the man in the dark mist nodded in satisfaction.

"What about you, Pig? You have been silent. Do you have anything in mind?" Mr. Zodiac asked.

"Sigh… I cannot do much. My base and influence are concentrated in White Cloud Province, and you know it is the weakest province. I cannot do much," the man in the pig mask said helplessly.

The man in the dark mist nodded, then looked toward the dragon mask. "Then it is decided. When chaos erupts in the Azure Sky Province, we will support you three with manpower and resources, Dragon, Tiger, and Monkey."

"Thank you, Mr. Zodiac," the dragon, the tiger, and the monkey all said with cupped fists.

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