The power of the illusion formation grew progressively stronger, yet under the combined efforts of Mingwei and the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, their pace was even faster than Qin Sang's had been alone.
Qin Sang only had to deal with whatever dangers cropped up along the way.
Mingwei observed Qin Sang in secret. When she caught sight of his sword wheel, she was astonished, thinking, *Such exquisite swordsmanship is rare even among sword cultivators of the same realm. Why is someone with this kind of talent completely unheard of in the Canglang Ocean?*
Her beautiful eyes flickered with curiosity, yearning to see through the mask to his true identity.
*Teaming up with him was indeed the right choice...*
In the end, they safely walked out of the Thousand Mountains Formation.
In an instant, the dense fog dissipated.
The two found themselves standing inside a pavilion.
Its layout was largely identical to the courtyard before, with two teleportation formations set to one side. The difference was that this pavilion had an exit leading outward.
Mingwei stepped up to the door and leaned against the railing, gazing outside as she said, "This door should lead to the Inner Hall..."
Qin Sang swept his gaze around, then looked out as well.
The scenery outside was laid bare before their eyes.
Beneath the pavilion lay empty air; it hung suspended high above, enveloped in the dazzling, radiant glow of multicolored immortal restrictions.
Beyond the exit stretched a long flight of stairs that pierced through the immortal restrictions, leading who knew where. At the far end of the steps lay an expanse of pitch darkness; standing here, nothing could be seen.
Mingwei gripped the railing tightly and took a deep breath, whispering in her heart, *Grandmaster is waiting for me!*
At this moment, only the two of them occupied the pavilion. There was no telling how many others had already beaten them to it and entered the next trial.
"The fourth and final trial is up next, and the Soul-Cleansing Liquid is located right there. Has Fellow Daoist estimated roughly how long it will take to reach the Hundred Treasures Pavilion?" Mingwei asked, turning her head toward Qin Sang.
The Hundred Treasures Pavilion was their agreed meeting place.
It was also where the rewards of the final trial were bestowed. Treasures were housed within the Hundred Treasures Pavilion; whether one could obtain anything—and what one could get—depended entirely on one's discerning eye and ability.
Qin Sang pondered for a moment, then shook his head helplessly. "Fellow Daoist is truly enviable, having the backing of a Nascent Soul Patriarch. I, on the other hand, have always traveled alone. My knowledge of the Trial Realm is limited to hearsay; I only learned about the Soul-Cleansing Liquid after arriving here. Rumor has it that the final trial is the most dangerous and vast. While it does not shift constantly like the first three trials, everyone is transported to a different location, and everyone's encounters will differ. Even I cannot say how long it will take to reach the Hundred Treasures Pavilion."
"Aside from the Life Talisman, Grandmaster cannot help me much either. From here on out, I can only rely on my own wits to adapt to circumstances," Mingwei said after a brief pause, her voice grave. "If Fellow Daoist arrives too late and misses the moment the Soul-Cleansing Liquid emerges, I will not wait for you."
Qin Sang took no offense. "As it should be! If I cannot even reach the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, I can only blame my own lack of strength, not Fellow Daoist. However, now that I have guided you out of the Thousand Mountains Formation, could you share a thing or two about the Soul-Cleansing Liquid?"
This had also been a term of their vow.
Qin Sang wanted to understand how the Soul-Cleansing Liquid emerged so that he could respond with composure.
Before entering the Trial Realm, his interaction with Ning Wuhui had been far too brief; Ning Wuhui had only had time to tell him the liquid's effects and the place where it would appear.
Qin Sang had gotten the impression that Ning Wuhui was not particularly interested in the Soul-Cleansing Liquid. He had not even suggested teaming up to vie for it, leaving Qin Sang unsure whether he intended to compete at all—or if he harbored another objective entirely.
"No rush. Once we meet at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, I will lay out everything I know without holding back a single detail," Mingwei said, still unwilling to yield ground.
"Fellow Daoist must be careful: by no means allow yourself to be blinded by greed over the treasures in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. The moment you take any single item from the pavilion, you will instantly be teleported out of the Trial Realm, forfeiting your chance to contend for the Soul-Cleansing Liquid."
"I understand."
Qin Sang did not press her further. Nodding to Mingwei, he stepped onto the teleportation formation.
White light flared, and Qin Sang's figure vanished within it.
Mingwei wore a thoughtful expression before stepping onto the formation as well.
Not long after their departure, subtle ripples stirred in the pavilion. Moments later, four silhouettes materialized at the same time.
Among the four were three men and one woman, all cultivators at the late Core Formation stage.
Two of the men wore matching Daoist robes, indicating they likely hailed from the same sect. The remaining man and woman wore ordinary robes, offering no clues to their origins.
"We made it out!" the woman cried softly upon seeing the pavilion, delight washing over her face. "I never imagined it would go so smoothly! It's all thanks to Senior Brother Mei's Illusory Moon Treasure Mirror, which sees through illusions and happened to be the perfect counter to the Thousand Mountains Formation! We must be among the fastest to pass through, right?"
"Perhaps you can drop the 'among'! Senior Brother, choosing the Illusory Moon Treasure Mirror as your natal magic treasure was truly a winning bet!" one of the robed Daoists said proudly, thoroughly admiring his fellow disciple.
The man in question smiled, replying with modesty, "Back then, I chose the Illusory Moon Treasure Mirror only because it suited me best. How could I have planned so far ahead? What's more, without Junior Brother and the two fellow Daoists working tirelessly to deduce the paths, I couldn't possibly have broken the formation so easily on my own. Disciples from major sects like the Tiandao Sect surely possess similar means, so we cannot afford to let down our guard. Still, the Thousand Mountains Formation was indeed our fortune, buying us precious time..."
"Indeed!" the last man agreed. "Barring any mishaps, we will definitely reach the Hundred Treasures Pavilion before the Soul-Cleansing Liquid emerges, seizing the initiative when the time comes."
The woman gave a soft, charming laugh. "I don't share the grand ambitions of you three fellow Daoists. If I can take a fine treasure from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, I will be more than satisfied. Unfortunately, I've heard that divine consciousness cannot be used to inspect items inside the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. What grade of magic treasure one obtains comes down entirely to luck."
"Fellow Daoist need not worry. The vast majority of people are still trapped in the Thousand Mountains Formation. When the time comes, not many will be competing with you, so you can take your time to choose. A truly fine magic treasure will always have something extraordinary about it. If you want to play it safe, picking a damaged ancient treasure will definitely not disappoint you."
The Daoist-robed man seemed very familiar with the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and offered comforting words.
After regulating their breath and chatting briefly, the four agreed upon a rendezvous point and stepped onto the teleportation formation one after another.
Once they vanished, other cultivators began to appear in scattered trickles.
At first there were very few, but as time went on, the numbers swelled.
Some possessed withered auras, having suffered severe injuries; unable to join the final struggle and not daring to enter the Inner Hall, they could only steady their breath before departing the Trial Realm in regret.
Others beamed with joy, having apparently reaped abundant rewards from the earlier trials; unwilling to risk further peril, they teleported away without hesitation.
The later one arrived, the slimmer the hope of claiming a reward in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion—to say nothing of the Soul-Cleansing Liquid.
There were even immensely powerful cultivators who, lacking the means to counter illusion formations, were trapped in the Thousand Mountains Formation for too long, missing their chance to seize the treasures and letting this grand opportunity slip away.
People came and went through the modest pavilion, each choosing a different path.
Chapter 1027