Jade Mansions and Palaces

Ning Wuhui walked and stopped by turns, frequently shifting direction as if searching for something. After crossing ridge after ridge, his gaze swept across the landscape and landed on a distant peak. After observing it for a moment, a look of delight appeared on his face. "Found it!" Qin Sang was somewhat surprised; they had not yet reached the Spirit-Suppressing Domain. He peered closely. The mountain was lofty, its summit touching the immortal restriction and cloaked in radiant glow. However, among the mountain ranges encircling Yitian Peak, similar peaks were by no means few, and there seemed to be nothing special about this one. Before long, the two arrived at the foot of the mountain. The space within the Secluded Valley was more stable than elsewhere, but spatial rifts were not absent either. This mountain happened to have one stretching right across halfway up the mountainside. Already accustomed to such sights, they confirmed there were no other dangers on the mountain, concealed their figures, and flew swiftly up the slope. One could clearly see a man-made stone path cut into the mountain, winding through the woods and ravines toward the summit. Along the path lay dried-up stream valleys, dilapidated pavilions, and collapsed ancient halls. Yet these were all quite ordinary; there were no lingering restrictions, nor any traces hinting at the presence of a secret realm. Such a mountain had surely been explored by cultivators long ago. Once confirmed to hold nothing of value, it had gradually fallen into neglect. Qin Sang followed Ning Wuhui, stopping only when they reached the summit. At this point, they stood almost directly beneath the immortal restriction, radiant light shimmering all around. Experiencing the might of the immortal restriction at such close range was enough to make one tremble. A cluster of ancient halls stood atop the peak. One could tell they had once been magnificent and exquisite, but once the ancient cultivators were gone and the restrictions dissolved, the ancient halls could not endure either. Weathered by the passage of time, the halls were covered in dust, with collapsed and shattered ruins everywhere. The main gate was gone, tossed who knew where. The two stepped inside through the empty doorway, moving with utmost care to leave no trace behind. Passing through several chambers, they entered a vast, open square. The square was circular, surrounded by broken stone pillars. Some were reduced to mere pedestals, while even the intact ones had long lost their luster, returning to ordinary stone. Ning Wuhui walked to the exact center of the square, raised his head, and stared up at the immortal restriction above. Qin Sang remained silent, quietly observing Ning Wuhui's movements. A curious gleam flashed in his eyes as he faintly guessed where the path Ning Wuhui spoke of lay. The glowing light was glaring, but Ning Wuhui's eyes shone like stars, his vision piercing through the radiance to see the true nature of the immortal restriction. After searching for a moment, Ning Wuhui suddenly took a step forward, flattened his hand into a blade, and slashed forcefully upward. *Swish!* His true essence formed a crescent blade-light that plunged deep into the radiant glow. At this sight, Qin Sang's heart tightened. He secretly circulated his true essence, worried about triggering a backlash from the immortal restriction. Even if they managed to escape safely, any disturbance in the immortal restriction could not be concealed. If it drew over a Nascent Soul Patriarch, they would be in serious trouble. However, what he feared did not come to pass. Ning Wuhui kept slashing with his palm, sending streak after streak of true essence into the immortal restriction. His footwork shifted continuously in a deliberate, intricate pattern. The radiant light rippled, but only faintly. Despite being attacked repeatedly, the immortal restriction surprisingly launched no counterattack. Suddenly, a heart-palpitating fluctuation rippled out from within the immortal restriction. Qin Sang was startled. Fortunately, the fluctuation vanished as swiftly as it had come, gone in an instant. The glowing light stirred like clear ripples on water, fading away before traveling far. "Go up! Remember, do not leak the slightest fluctuation of true essence or spiritual sense!" Ning Wuhui gave a low shout and leapt into the air. Qin Sang gritted his teeth, pushed aside all worries, dashed into the square, and followed closely behind Ning Wuhui, charging straight into the immortal restriction. He watched helplessly as the glowing light of the immortal restriction submerged him bit by bit. Blinded, he could see nothing at all, nor did he dare send out his spiritual sense to probe. In an instant, he readied all his protective measures. As he surged upward, Qin Sang suddenly felt his whole body tighten. A howling gale bearing immense force bore down upon him. He steadied himself and pushed upward against the violent winds. The good news was that, aside from this, no backlash from the immortal restriction materialized. Only the gale grew increasingly fierce. Just then, Qin Sang felt the weight lift from his body. Ning Wuhui gave him a pull, and his feet landed upon solid ground. Bewildered, Qin Sang quickly opened his eyes, only to be met by a breathtaking sight. He could not tell whether he was now above the immortal restriction or inside it. The sky-filling radiance still lingered, but it was no longer so monotonous. All around was a boundless sea of clouds, interweaving with the glowing light to create a wondrous, iridescent spectacle. Qin Sang's eyes widened, unable to imagine that such a world existed within the immortal restriction. He hurriedly looked down at his feet. It was a white jade corridor stretching out from the depths of the cloud sea, severed right where he stood. Even more astounding was that a flaw had formed in the immortal restriction beneath the corridor. It was impossible to tell whether it was a deliberately crafted exit or damage inflicted by some external force. Such a flaw could only be spotted from above. Every palm-blade Ning Wuhui struck earlier had hit the exact position of this flaw, ultimately opening a tiny gap just large enough for them to enter. *Are we really above the immortal restriction? No, the immortal restriction is all around us too!* Qin Sang looked up and surveyed his surroundings. He found that around the white jade corridor, the glowing radiance was everywhere, interwoven with runes that exuded a perilous aura. Surrounded by clouds and rosy haze, aside from the white jade corridor beneath their feet, they could see nothing else tangible. Everything seemed illusory. In the direction the white jade corridor extended, silhouettes of jade mansions and palaces loomed, resembling the dwellings of immortals. To the north, the west, the east... In every direction stretched vast clusters of immortal palaces and lofty peaks of immortal mountains. Flowers seemed to bloom in glorious abundance upon the slopes, painting an exquisite scene. The misty vapor and glowing light were not stagnant. Amid the churning clouds and haze, those immortal palaces and mountains appeared both real and illusory, fracturing one moment and reforming the next. One could not tell whether they were phantoms conjured by some restriction, or whether the immortal palaces were real and only their vision was distorted by the immortal restriction. No one could say whether they were real or mere illusions. Below the immortal restriction, including within the Inner Hall, desolation reigned everywhere; the void was shattered and riddled with spatial rifts. Certain places had clearly once been extraordinary, their former owners figures of immense renown, yet they too could not withstand the wash of time. They had fallen into total ruin, with scarcely an intact hall left standing. Yet here inside the immortal restriction, the immortal palaces were pristine, their past splendor preserved in its entirety. The immortal court envisioned by mortals was probably just like this. Yet without any human figure, an immortal palace devoid of life was also deathly silent. Awestruck by these vistas, Qin Sang turned his head toward the final direction. Suddenly, his expression froze as his eyes fell upon something. In that direction, there were no immortal palaces. It was an empty expanse, save for a section of a dark tower standing tall. It emerged from the glowing light only to vanish into the sea of clouds; its top was nowhere in sight, its height immeasurable. "The Heaven Tower!" Qin Sang felt a jolt in his heart, certain that this silhouette was the upper portion of the Heaven Tower! In that instant, many things became clear to Qin Sang, and countless thoughts raced through his mind. Back then, when everyone saw him fall from the top of the tower, could it be that it hadn't happened in the Outer Hall, but above the immortal restriction?