“Come out!”
Luo Chen lightly patted the gray pouch at his waist.
In a flash, two streaks of light shot forth and knelt reverently before him.
They were none other than Black King and Tianxuan!
“Master!”
“Master!”
Luo Chen nodded and gestured outward. “Take this hall as the center and scout the surrounding thousand li. Should you encounter anything out of the ordinary, use these talismans to report back to me at all times.”
Enveloped in magic power, two talismans floated down into the hands of the two demons.
They were the Ten-Thousand-Li Voice Transmission Talismans Luo Chen had purchased from Lord Lushan years ago.
Throughout the Mountain Sea Realm, ancient wars between humans and demons had raged, with some battlefields reaching deep into the untamed wilderness.
When the war concluded, countless ancient cultivators had fallen across the land before their remains could be recovered. Given their diverse abilities, some mighty figures had left behind heritages before their demise, which evolved into secret realms and grotto-heavens.
Even after human cultivators established their dominance across the Five Continents, they never managed to reclaim all of these secret realms and grottos.
This was why, down to the present day, major sects continued to discover the secret realms of ancient cultivators one after another.
Within these realms, due to the methods ancient cultivators employed before passing away alongside the passage of countless ages, all manner of mutations had arisen.
Some suffered spiritual energy aberrations, while others saw extreme evolutions among the native creatures. In severe cases, the flow of time itself diverged, so that even cultivators of high realms dared not tread lightly, leaving them no choice but to send low-level disciples to explore.
Luo Chen had already harbored speculations regarding this Demon Fall Ground.
If the Sunken Sea guarding the realm outside suppressed spiritual senses, the interior of the secret realm would likely be even more severe.
Observing it now, it was indeed so!
Earlier, Luo Chen had attempted to extend his spiritual sense. Ordinarily, it could reach seven or eight hundred li, yet within this illusory space, its limit was compressed to less than several dozen li.
Several dozen li sounded like a considerable distance, but for sharp-eyed and keen-eared cultivators, it fell short of what ordinary sight could take in.
Yet, more often than not, what the eyes beheld could be deceitful.
Under such circumstances, the perils born of the unknown became the greatest threat of all.
At this juncture, the Ten-Thousand-Li Voice Transmission Talismans would prove immensely useful!
Receiving the talismans, Black King and Tianxuan exchanged a glance before departing in different directions.
Standing before the stone hall’s grand gates, Luo Chen watched them depart, his gaze drifting primarily toward the mountain peaks that resembled sharp swords.
Staring at them for too long, he even felt a stinging sensation in his eyes.
Right then, the wooden plaque against his chest trembled faintly.
“Luo Chen, have you noticed that the world’s spiritual energy here seems somewhat unusual?”
Han Zhan’s telepathic transmission sounded in his ear.
Hearing this, Luo Chen was taken aback.
He attempted to circulate the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture to capture the stray spiritual energy drifting outside. Yet the moment he began running the technique, he froze.
“So scarce!”
“Indeed. Just now, this old man also felt that the wood-attribute spiritual energy here is exceedingly thin.”
Han Zhan primarily cultivated wood-attribute techniques and absorbed environmental spiritual energy centered on wood qi.
Luo Chen, on the other hand, cultivated fire.
For both of them to find it lacking demonstrated just how drastically wood and fire spiritual qi had dwindled—and clearly, those were not the only two.
In Luo Chen’s perception, aside from wood and fire, water and earth attributes were also sparse to the extreme.
What abounded most was metal-attribute spiritual energy!
Upon realizing this, Luo Chen’s expression shifted subtly.
This secret realm appeared to have undergone spiritual energy mutation, the most common phenomenon recorded in exploratory guidebooks.
Later generations did not know the underlying principles of such mutations; they merely speculated that it was tied to the Grand Dao the realm’s master had cultivated in life.
Whichever element the master had favored, that element’s spiritual energy would heavily gather in the land left behind after their demise.
In doing so, the environment of the secret realm could be exceptionally well preserved.
Yet for subsequent explorers, this posed an immense danger.
It meant that if a cultivator did not cultivate the same element as the realm’s master, their magic power would deplete without being easily replenished.
Conversely, those who shared the same elemental focus would thrive like fish in water, growing fiercer with every battle.
Not only that, but a deeper worry gnawed at Luo Chen’s heart.
Gazing at the boundless expanse before him, he quietly posed a question to Han Zhan.
“Are we truly still in the Sunken Sea, still within the Mountain Sea Realm right now?”
Han Zhan fell silent for a long moment before finally replying, “Perhaps we are still in the Mountain Sea Realm, but I fear we are no longer within the Sunken Sea.”
Having his suspicions confirmed, Luo Chen could not help inhaling a cold breath.
“Just what kind of supernatural ability did the master of this place possess to forge such a spiritual land prior to his death?”
“Have you forgotten what Ding Yi said regarding the Yuan Demon Sect’s assessment of this ruin’s master?”
“The strongest Void Refining True Monarch throughout history? But could an existence in the Void Refining realm truly achieve something of this magnitude?”
“Whether an existence of that realm could do so, this old man does not know. But I do know that the fundamental principles governing all things are largely similar. If you view this Demon Fall Ground as a massive storage bag, it begins to make a little sense.”
A little sense—and merely a little.
What kind of storage bag could accommodate a boundless world teeming with vitality?
Luo Chen considered many possibilities: spatial restrictions, the concept of a mustard seed holding Mount Sumeru, and even spatial rifts, yet none seemed sufficient.
Such methods were more than adequate for small-scale objects, but within an environment this vast, they could never maintain such stability.
Suddenly, Luo Chen recalled a rumor concerning the master of this place.
His mastery of formations had reached the realm of perfection!
Li Canghai, currently the sole human Soul Formation grand expert of the Northern Sea, had attained his fortune right here in the Demon Fall Ground, thereby ascending to become a grand formation master.
A mere fragment of lingering fortune had nurtured a Soul Formation grand expert of his generation.
This alone proved how formidable the original master’s formations were.
Moreover, formations were among the few Grand Daos capable of encompassing diverse techniques and harnessing myriad elemental attributes for oneself.
Perhaps formations were the very core behind the creation of this space.
At this thought, Luo Chen turned to look at the stone hall behind him.
Spiritual light gleamed in his eyes as he carefully scrutinized the flow of formation patterns inside and out, growing increasingly certain of his speculation.
This seemingly ordinary stone hall incorporated four great formations: Spirit Drawing, Spirit Gathering, Spirit Dispersing, and Spirit Transforming, all interwoven without any conflict.
At least with Luo Chen’s current formation attainments, achieving such a feat was impossible.
And this was merely the most fundamental structural design.
If several hundred similar stone halls existed across this space, it might truly sustain an uninterrupted cycle of spiritual energy, making it virtually indistinguishable from the outside world.
As Luo Chen pondered and observed, the voice transmission talisman on his person stirred.
It was from Tianxuan.
Upon listening, astonishment surfaced on Luo Chen’s face.
Yet within an instant, he buried his surprise deep down, for Ding Yi and Cave Master Moyun had stepped out of the hall.
“Finished adjusting your breath?”
Cave Master Moyun nodded. “More or less. Fortunately, this old man anticipated this and prepared plenty of external aids.”
Luo Chen observed that the man’s magic power flowed steadily, having already recovered to its peak state, showing that his words were true.
The other person, however, was not doing as well.
“Fellow Daoist Ding Yi, you...”
Ding Yi waved a hand. “No matter. It is merely a slight loss of magic power; it will not impede our upcoming venture.”
Cave Master Moyun asked curiously, “Then which way should we go next?”
This was also what Luo Chen wished to ask.
He possessed not the slightest clue regarding the spirit herb garden’s location.
Ding Yi took a deep breath, extended a finger, and pointed far into the distance.
“It lies in that direction!”
Luo Chen and Cave Master Moyun exchanged a glance before speaking in unison:
“In that case, we must ask Fellow Daoist Ding to lead the way.”
Without a change in expression, Ding Yi opened his mouth and spat out a gourd.
With a swift motion, he leaped onto the yellow-skinned gourd.
Cave Master Moyun made no noticeable movement, yet wind rose beneath his cloud boots, lifting him smoothly into the air.
They were clearly gearing up to travel at full tilt.
Luo Chen’s shoulders and waist shifted slightly, and a pair of fiery-red wings unfolded behind him.
Cave Master Moyun glanced at them. “A fine magic treasure, and especially well nurtured. I suspect it is already close to reaching the mid-tier grade!”
Luo Chen smiled faintly without replying. Once the three set off, he deliberately lagged slightly behind.
The gaze he directed toward Ding Yi carried a hint of gloom.
Rushing off like this before your magic power has even recovered—it would be a miracle if you weren't up to something!
***
In the sky, three streaks of escape light flew at rapid speed.
Before long, they drew near the first high mountain.
As the distance closed, Luo Chen’s expression grew increasingly solemn.
*It should be right here.*
Just as he murmured inwardly, a disturbance stirred on the mountain.
In the next instant, a sweep of golden light burst from the peak, accompanied by a buzzing sound that grated on the nerves.
The three halted immediately.
Watching the golden light draw nearer and its overt hostility become unmistakable, they braced themselves as though confronting a great enemy.
As the distance shrank, Luo Chen and the others finally discerned the creatures’ appearance.
They were the size of watermelons.
Resembling both cicadas and mosquitoes, their wings were as thin as golden gauze, and long, sharp proboscises protruded from their faces.
“What are these things?” Cave Master Moyun’s face shifted.
“They are at the Tier 1 level, so they should pose no real threat, but there are quite a lot of them,” Luo Chen remarked.
Without looking back, Ding Yi patted the gourd beneath him, unleashing a vast shower of golden sand.
“Merely some Golden Melon Mosquitoes, nothing to be alarmed about. Leave this to me.”
Even as he spoke, the golden sand blanketed the sky, descending upon the dense swarm of Golden Melon Mosquitoes.
Golden sand clashed against golden mosquitoes; before their sharp mouthparts could display their might, they were submerged within the boundless sea of sand.
Luo Chen and Cave Master Moyun watched without intervening.
After a few breaths, a crisp snap rang out.
Ding Yi stoppered the gourd, looking pleased.
“Let us continue forward!”
Hesitation appeared on Cave Master Moyun’s face. He pinched a tiny mosquito in his fingers, looking somewhat puzzled.
He glanced back at Ding Yi’s gourd and noted that its spiritual luster seemed to have intensified slightly.
Perhaps sensing Cave Master Moyun’s gaze, Ding Yi explained, “These Golden Melon Mosquitoes are condensed from Five Elements metal qi. Refining them in large quantities enhances the potency of metal-attribute magic treasures.”
*Is that why you were the first to strike?*
Cave Master Moyun remained half-convinced.
When they flew beneath the second high mountain and a massive wave of ants surged forth, Cave Master Moyun spoke up in advance: “This time, let me handle it!”
Neither Luo Chen nor Ding Yi objected.
Then, before their eyes, Cave Master Moyun flicked his wrist and cast out a massive net, enfolding the swarm of over ten thousand ants entirely.
Though the net’s mesh was noticeably wide, the ants could not break free once trapped inside.
Channeling his magic power, Cave Master Moyun snuffed out the ants soundlessly.
In the end, only a large handful of black ash remained within the net.
Cave Master Moyun beckoned with his hand, drawing the black ash to his side. Sweeping it with his spiritual sense, delight bloomed across the old man’s face.
“It is actually iron-grinding ash!”
Upon hearing this, Luo Chen could not help looking surprised.
Iron-grinding ash was a Tier 1 mineral material in the cultivation world. Though low in rank, it commanded a steep price due to its scarce yield.
If added to magical instruments or magic treasures, it could significantly enhance a weapon’s tenacity—in other words, elevating its durability.
Had his former Profound Fire Sword contained a generous amount of iron-grinding ash, it would not have ultimately shattered into fragments during battle.
To think these ants would yield so much iron-grinding ash upon dying.
Cave Master Moyun came to a halt, gazing at the mountain from which the ants had crawled, visibly tempted.
Seeing this, Ding Yi let out a cold snort.
“Cave Master, every single peak of these Thousand-Fathom Mountains harbors a rare mineral deposit. If you let greed stall your steps over a mere Tier 1 mineral, do you still want the artifact refining heritage that lies ahead?”
Cave Master Moyun’s motivation for joining the ruin exploration was the rumor that, aside from formations, the master of this place had possessed remarkable skill in artifact refining.
Hearing this now, he was torn with indecision.
Luo Chen, on the other hand, was somewhat startled.
“Does every high mountain here contain a corresponding mineral deposit?”
Ding Yi nodded. Seeing Cave Master Moyun grow even more restless, his brow furrowed.
“While the deposits are abundant, every mountain is guarded by corresponding exotic beasts. The higher the mineral’s rank, the stronger the beast. Deeper inside, there are even Tier 4 exotic beasts. Are you truly prepared to face a Tier 4 exotic beast?”
At these words, both fell silent.
Ding Yi sneered and urged his magic treasure forward without further persuasion.
Luo Chen and Cave Master Moyun exchanged a glance, suppressing the urge to investigate the mountains, and followed behind him.
However, in subsequent encounters with exotic beast attacks, the two of them intervened with increasing frequency.
Each time a beast was slain, they obtained varying amounts of remarkable minerals from its remains.
From Tier 1, to Tier 2, and then to Tier 3!
Ding Yi made no move to compete with them; rather, he was happy to let them do so to conserve his own magic power.
Time trickled past.
Five days later.
Three figures fled frantically, their breaths ragged.
Beneath their feet, several hundred massive Black-Gold Vipers pursued them like a surging tide.
Ding Yi wore a grim expression. “Damn it, I warned you not to provoke these vipers! Now look at this—they refuse to die, and they hold vicious grudges, forcing us off the shortest route to the spirit herb garden.”
Cave Master Moyun looked somewhat ashamed.
He had failed to restrain himself because these vipers carried exceptionally rare Kui steel.
He had intended to kill just one, never expecting it would draw out the entire horde.
Cave Master Moyun then noticed that Luo Chen had fallen considerably behind.
Seeing that he was about to be encircled by the vipers, Cave Master Moyun roared,
“Demonic Lord, watch out!”
Luo Chen’s face was pale as he instinctively glanced backward.
A bloody maw gaped open and swallowed him whole.
This sight stunned Cave Master Moyun on the spot.
Even Ding Yi had not anticipated such an outcome.
Was Demonic Lord Qingyang truly so incompetent?
While he was still caught in disbelief, the black viper that had swallowed Luo Chen submerged back into the serpent swarm.
*Skree!*
High above, a piercing bird cry rang out.
Ding Yi looked back to see a handsome cyan bird swooping toward them. Behind the bird, a golden divine eagle, seemingly bathed in the sun, surged forward amidst billowing clouds and wind.
The two birds, one following the other, flew straight toward Ding Yi and Cave Master Moyun.
Beholding this, Ding Yi’s face drained of color, despair welling in his eyes.
Yet despite his despair, he showed no panic. Opening his mouth, he spat out a small flying sword that tore through the air toward the cyan bird leading the charge.
The cyan bird flickered repeatedly at blinding speed, using a curiously familiar movement technique to evade the slash by a hair’s breadth.
Though it dodged the blow, it plunged directly into the viper swarm below.
Then, it vanished without a trace.
“Huh?” Ding Yi froze for a moment.
By now, the viper swarm was slowly receding like an ebbing tide.
Having lost its quarry, the golden divine eagle turned its furious gaze upon Ding Yi and Cave Master Moyun.
*Gulp!*
The sound of swallowing saliva rose from the throats of the two Golden Core cultivators.
Cave Master Moyun said with a dry voice, “A Tier 4 exotic beast?”
Ding Yi vaguely sensed that something was amiss, but with a formidable enemy before them, he had no time to ponder what was wrong.
“This is the Nine Yang Golden Eagle! It sustains itself by absorbing solar fire qi and devouring Gengjin ore. It ranks at Tier 4, with ferocious, overbearing attacks, peerless sharpness, and extraordinary speed!”
“Cave Master, hold nothing back! In this battle, we must weather this storm together!”
Cave Master Moyun nodded firmly.
Meanwhile, behind them...
Within the slowly retreating Tier 3 viper swarm, a massive black python slipped away from the pack, coiling itself around an iron tree. Its cold, merciless eyes stared at them from afar.
Chapter 659