Second Region, Long River of Spiritual Mist!

Looking at the burning glow of the inscribed talisman in his hand, Li Guanqi could not help but marvel at Gu Li's exquisite craftsmanship in making talismans. Long ago, he had coveted such methods—leaving a mark in place to detect approaching enemies. Gu Li had also been exceedingly generous, gifting him a wide variety of talismans. Of course, Pengluo possessed a similar ability, except its method mostly involved self-mutilation. Ever since learning what Pengluo had gone through, Li Guanqi had no desire whatsoever to see it hurt itself. It was hard to imagine what state of mind allowed Pengluo to snap off its own arms with such casual nonchalance, acting as though it did not care in the slightest. Bound by their contract, Pengluo naturally sensed what Li Guanqi was thinking. As it tossed the stone tablet into the domain fissure, its mouth pouted and the rims of its eyes reddened slightly, lost in thought. Pouting, Pengluo suddenly muttered under its breath, "If it's to feed you guys, I'm still willing..." Li Guanqi raised a hand as if to slap it, making Pengluo yank its head back in fright. Yet Li Guanqi only rubbed its head gently. Gazing into the distance, he murmured softly, "From now on, no one will ever force you to snap your arms." Pengluo looked up at Li Guanqi's profile and broke into a goofy grin. Before long, the group bypassed the qilin phantom and reached the region beyond the back mountain. Surrounded on all sides by mountains, the sheer cliffs were smooth as mirrors, as if a celestial had sliced through the peaks with a sword. Directly ahead lay a cascading waterfall like a silver river, a full hundred zhang wide. Plunging straight from beyond the clouds, its true height was impossible to fathom. Encircled by the surrounding peaks, their figures seemed utterly minuscule in this moment. Standing by the sprawling lake, Li Guanqi heard nothing but the deafening roar of water. Thick mist billowed upward, the thunderous crash sending a shiver through his heart. Such impact... "This waterfall must be at least five hundred zhang high!" Circulating his primal energy, Li Guanqi discovered that this area was still subject to flight restrictions. He darted over to the cliff face, pressing the fingers of his left hand together like a blade as lightning gathered in his palm. Blood and vitality surged as primal energy shielded his body, and he violently jabbed his hand-blade into the stone wall! *Bang!* A deafening crash rang out. A sharp throb shot through his fingertips, bending them out of shape. Yet the cliff face before him did not budge in the slightest, marked only by a faint white scratch. Li Guanqi frowned. It seemed that trying to scale the surrounding walls to reach the top was nothing more than wishful thinking. Jiuxiao also attempted to coat his dragon claws in lightning and strike, but found it equally futile. It was as though the cliffs were not merely made of unusually tough rock; a mysterious power seemed to shroud them. Striking the wall was tantamount to pitting their strength against the power of the entire region. Li Guanqi glanced back at the torrential silver cataract, his lips twitching. Even combining all their strength likely would not match the force here. Just then, Pengluo's eyes lit up. Crouching by the lake's edge, it scooped up a handful of water, only to discover that the lake was filled entirely with a substance resembling spiritual energy jade marrow fluid! Without a second word, Pengluo tore open a rift to the domain and began funneling it inside! Seeing this, Li Guanqi's eyes brightened as well, and he called on everyone to start collecting it into their domains. Meanwhile, Li Guanqi stepped across the protruding boulders scattered across the lake, heading toward the waterfall. Stopping dozens of zhang before the deluge, he finally saw several large characters inscribed on the stone wall behind the falling water: "Long River of Spiritual Mist!" Standing here, Li Guanqi could already feel himself struggling to keep his footing. Yet he could still sense that behind the spiritual mist lay a multitude of natural spiritual plants—exceedingly rare and precious treasures seldom seen in the outside world. Li Guanqi looked toward the very top in the center of the waterfall, where a seven-colored bloom shimmered with faint, luminous light. Li Guanqi's heart leaped. That really did seem to be... the Seven-Colored Glazed Flower! Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and said in a grave voice, "I'll give it a try!" With that, Li Guanqi stripped off his outer robe, leaving only his inner trousers. Lightning armor enveloped his entire body, his muscles bulging as he drove the Dragon Elephant Prison-Suppressing Art to its absolute limit. Blood and vitality roared ferociously through his meridians, and fine, cobweb-like cracks began spreading across the boulder beneath his feet. *Thud!* Li Guanqi hurled himself straight toward the plummeting cataract. *Bang!* Before his soaring body could even penetrate the cascade, the crushing force smashed him straight down beneath the falls! Although the icy lake water was rich in spiritual energy beyond measure, Li Guanqi's expression was exceedingly grim. He burst out of the lake, the flesh across his entire back and half of his shoulder bruised a mottled purplish-black. Grimacing in pain, Li Guanqi could not help but curse under his breath, "Who could possibly climb a waterfall like this?! I'm starting to suspect Xuan Lin never made it into these ruins at all—did a rift open in the ruins and fling the Qilin Soul outside?! With Xuan Lin's cultivation, entering the Illusory Forest alone would have seen him devoured without even bones left over!" Meng Wanshu frowned as she watched. She knew very well how formidable Li Guanqi's physical body was. Yet that waterfall had shattered his lightning armor in a split second, leaving such extensive bruising across his body. If it were anyone else... Perhaps only Jiuxiao could make an attempt; a tiny frame like Pengluo's would probably be torn to shreds by that force. Meng Wanshu lightly tapped the surface of the lake and glided over to Li Guanqi's side, frost freezing the water beneath her feet. Standing tall beside him, she frowned and said, "Could this spiritual mist really expect someone to climb up? With that kind of impact, standing at the very bottom makes ascending impossible... If even your physical strength can't withstand it, for me or Pengluo to try would be pure fantasy." Li Guanqi had naturally realized this as well, thoughts racing through his mind. "How about letting Jiuxiao try? If Jiuxiao can endure it, he could carry us up together." Looking at the roaring waterfall, Jiuxiao swallowed hard. In the end, he gritted his teeth, eyes glinting as he flew beneath the falls. His dragon claws beneath his belly pushed off with explosive force, shooting forward like an arrow released from a bowstring. Dragon scales across his body gleamed with the cold sheen of metal, enveloped in lightning, golden light flashing in his draconic eyes. *Bang!* *Crash!* However fast Jiuxiao charged upward, he crashed down into the lake just as fast... Jiuxiao wailed as he plummeted into the water, sending huge waves of spray in every direction. Seeing this, Li Guanqi's mouth twitched. He had clearly seen dragon scales shattering in midair. Jiuxiao burst from the surface and dashed straight for the shore, refusing to try again no matter what was said. Li Guanqi felt a prick of urgency. After all, another group had entered the secret realm behind them... A cold glint flickered in Li Guanqi's eyes, and he said in a deep voice, "Jiuxiao, head back to the Illusory Forest. Command all the great demons throughout the forest to charge that group and stall them. Pengluo, go with Jiuxiao and see if you can scavenge some natural spirit herbs from the forest along the way—don't let them go to waste." Turning to the woman beside him, he said softly, "Wanshu, bide your time and watch how things unfold. If the opportunity arises, take out a few of them! Furthermore... Pengluo, forge that stone tablet from before so it directs them to bypass the mountain col directly!" Pengluo's eyes lit up, clearly catching on to Li Guanqi's intention! That qilin guardian spirit recognized only tokens! Without the token jade slips... that creature possessed power rivaling the late Mahayana realm! A single fiery storm from it would leave not even bone fragments of those pursuers!