The giant silver sword floating above the city radiated pressure powerful enough to silence the entire skyline.
Cars stopped.
People froze in the streets instinctively.
Even ordinary humans who could not sense spiritual energy still felt their hearts tighten beneath the terrifying aura descending from the heavens.
High above the dark clouds, the woman in white robes stood calmly atop the sword, countless smaller blades floating behind her like silent guardians.
Spirit Transformation Peak.
One step away from the legendary Void Core Realm.
Her appearance alone caused hidden cultivators throughout the city to panic instantly.
Inside abandoned buildings, underground meeting halls, and concealed sect strongholds, countless hidden experts felt cold sweat run down their backs.
Because they recognized her.
"The Snow Sword Palace…"
"She came personally?"
"Why would that monster leave the northern mountains?"
Fear spread rapidly through the hidden cultivation world.
Inside the Lin Corporation office, Zhao Ren's face had already gone pale.
"That woman…"
Xu Mingshan narrowed his eyes toward the sky.
"So she's still alive."
Lin Yanyan looked between them calmly.
"You know her?"
Xu Mingshan nodded slowly.
"Bai Xue."
A pause.
"The youngest Sword Saintess in the history of the Snow Sword Palace."
The atmosphere inside the room became heavier.
Even Su Chen remained quiet while looking upward through the office windows.
Because the moment he sensed her aura—
Fragments of memory had stirred again inside him.
Snow-covered mountains.
Ancient sword formations.
And a girl standing alone beneath endless falling snow while holding a broken sword covered in blood.
The synchronization voice echoed faintly.
Ancient resonance detected.
Familiar bloodline connection found.
Su Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.
Not bloodline.
Connection.
Interesting.
Above the city, Bai Xue finally moved.
One small step forward atop the massive sword.
BOOM.
A pressure wave spread across the clouds instantly.
Then—
Her voice echoed throughout the city.
Cold.
Clear.
"Su Chen."
The moment his name left her lips, countless hidden cultivators inside the city felt their hearts shake violently.
Because calling out the descendant publicly meant only one thing.
The hidden world had officially acknowledged him.
Inside the office, Lin Yanyan crossed her arms slowly.
"She's dramatic."
Zhao Ren almost choked.
"President Lin, that woman can probably split this building in half with one sword strike."
Lin Yanyan didn't even blink.
"She can try."
Xu Mingshan glanced at her quietly before looking back toward the sky.
"She's not here to fight."
Su Chen finally spoke.
"No."
His golden eyes remained fixed on Bai Xue calmly.
"She's here to confirm something."
Then—
Without warning—
Su Chen vanished from the office.
Lin Yanyan's eyes sharpened instantly.
Outside the building, high above the city streets, space distorted briefly before Su Chen appeared directly in the air facing Bai Xue.
The surrounding clouds trembled from the collision of their auras.
One carried sharp sword intent capable of cutting through mountains.
The other carried ancient authority that made spiritual energy instinctively submit.
For several silent seconds—
Neither spoke.
The city below remained deathly quiet.
Every hidden cultivator watched nervously.
Then Bai Xue finally looked directly into Su Chen's eyes.
And for the first time—
Her calm expression shifted slightly.
"…So it's true."
Su Chen looked at her quietly.
"You know me?"
"No."
A pause.
"But my sect remembers your bloodline."
The countless floating swords behind her vibrated faintly.
Not hostility.
Resonance.
Su Chen noticed immediately.
"So your inheritance is connected to the Ancient Court."
Bai Xue's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You inherited memories already."
"Some."
Silence lingered between them again.
Wind moved gently through the clouds while rain continued falling far below the skyline.
Then Bai Xue asked softly,
"How much of the seals have broken?"
"Not enough."
"That's dangerous."
"I figured."
For the first time—
A faint smile appeared on Bai Xue's cold face.
Small.
Brief.
Yet stunning enough that several hidden cultivators observing from afar almost lost focus completely.
Because the Sword Saintess never smiled.
Ever.
Below them, Zhao Ren stared upward blankly through the office windows.
"…Did she just smile?"
Xu Mingshan's expression became strange.
"That's not normal."
Lin Yanyan remained silent.
But her eyes had become colder.
High above the city, Bai Xue slowly raised one hand.
A small silver token appeared between her fingers.
Ancient symbols burned across its surface faintly.
"The hidden world is splitting apart right now," she said calmly.
"Some clans want to kill you before the upper realms descend."
"And others?"
"They want to follow you."
Su Chen's expression remained calm.
"That sounds troublesome."
"It is."
Bai Xue's gaze sharpened slightly.
"But that isn't the real problem."
The atmosphere around her suddenly changed.
Sharper.
More serious.
"The upper realms aren't the only thing waking up."
Su Chen's eyes narrowed.
"You know something."
"Yes."
She looked toward the dark sky briefly.
"Three ancient bloodline clans have already emerged from isolation."
A pause.
"The first one contacted you."
The mysterious woman from the phone call.
Su Chen immediately understood.
Bai Xue continued quietly.
"The second clan is hunting surviving descendants connected to the Ancient Court."
"And the third?"
For the first time—
Bai Xue's expression became cold again.
"They serve the upper realms now."
Silence.
Wind howled softly around them.
The situation had become clearer now.
The hidden cultivation world was dividing itself before the coming war even began.
Some feared heaven.
Some wanted freedom from it.
And some simply wanted power.
Su Chen looked toward Bai Xue calmly.
"So where does the Snow Sword Palace stand?"
The floating swords behind her suddenly aligned silently behind her back.
Then she answered without hesitation.
"We stand with the strongest."
The honesty of that answer almost made Su Chen laugh.
Instead—
He smiled faintly.
And that small smile caused Bai Xue's eyes to flicker slightly.
Because the current Su Chen carried an indescribable pressure now.
Not overwhelming.
Not oppressive.
But ancient.
Like standing before someone who had once ruled entire eras.
Then suddenly—
The black ring on Su Chen's finger trembled violently.
Both of their expressions changed instantly.
A deep pulse erupted from the ring.
BOOM.
Golden symbols exploded across the sky above the city, forming an enormous ancient formation visible to everyone below.
The moment the formation appeared—
Every sword floating behind Bai Xue dropped instantly.
As if forced downward by absolute pressure.
Her pupils contracted sharply.
"…Impossible."
Below the city, hidden cultivators everywhere collapsed to their knees simultaneously.
Xu Mingshan's face lost all color.
Because the formation above the heavens contained only four ancient words.
Words forgotten by the modern cultivation world long ago.
But still feared deeply in ancient records.
The Primordial Emperor Returns.