"That old devil brought his people here, so why hasn't there been any movement from them?"
Outside the Spirit-Suppressing Domain.
In a secluded mountain forest, immortal cultivators blended seamlessly with the stone spires.
A hoarse voice drifted from a stone tree.
They acted with extreme caution, relying on a concealment formation so as not to expose the slightest trace of their auras.
"The Demon Lord came for Yitian Peak. Unfortunately, that old devil kept his lips tight. Even a confidant like Old Demon Yin knows nothing. It seems our previous preparations won't be of much use."
A stone tree squirmed, revealing the silhouette of an aged Daoist—none other than Lingzhuzi, Sect Master of the Tiandao Sect!
He raised his head to gaze at Yitian Peak, his brow deeply furrowed. In deep thought, he said, "Within the Spirit-Suppressing Domain, the Grand Elder will also be suppressed and cannot ascend Yitian Peak. We can only trouble Madame Li to make this journey with this poor Daoist."
As he spoke, Lingzhuzi glanced toward a nearby patch of petrified flora.
Light and shadow flickered in the empty air, and a woman in palace attire stepped forth.
She possessed exquisite beauty, yet her demeanor was austere and carried an innate majesty that commanded respect, brooking no irreverent thoughts.
Madame Li was the Sect Master of another great orthodox sect, the Yunxia Sect. Originally, however, she had merely been the wife of Sect Master Li. After Sect Master Li passed into meditation, she assumed authority and took charge of the sect.
Proving herself second to no man, not only did the Yunxia Sect flourish anew with each passing day under her leadership, but she also broke through consecutive cultivation realms. She had already reached the peak of the mid-Nascent Soul stage, becoming a pillar of the righteous path who stood on equal footing with the leaders of the Three Great Merchant Alliances.
Though her renown shook the Inner Sea, she still insisted that others address her as Madame Li.
Among the masters of the righteous path, she was the one most likely to break through to the late Nascent Soul stage; even the Grand Elder of the Tiandao Sect fell short of her in cultivation.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, once Lingzhuzi passed into meditation, she would become the paramount leader of the righteous path.
"Since Old Devil Mou didn't die, he will probably enter the mountain alongside the Demon Lord this time, won't he?"
With only the two of them entering the mountain, their strength would hold no advantage over the demonic faction.
Lingzhuzi said solemnly, "Back then, forcing the Demon Lord to strike Old Devil Mou was already no easy feat. We originally assumed that so long as full preparations were made, even if Old Devil Mou was shielded by the Demon Lord, he wouldn't be able to sway the situation, so we did not press relentlessly. However, I found an opportunity to grievously wound Old Devil Mou's foundation. It will be impossible for him to recover in the short term. With us acting with premeditation while they are caught unprepared, our odds of victory remain quite high..."
At that moment, another tree shadow wavered nearby, and a Daoist stepped out silently.
Lingzhuzi handed an official seal to the Daoist. "Grand Elder, I leave this formation under your control. Act as the situation dictates..."
"Understood!" the Daoist acknowledged.
***
Upon Yitian Peak.
Before a sheer precipice.
Clouds and mist coiled.
Pavilions and towers were nestled amid the mountain rocks, faintly revealing traces of their former grandeur.
Now, having lost the protection of ancient restrictions, all were dilapidated and ruined—an immortal realm fallen into mortal dust.
The streams had run dry, the rocks lay bare, and a broken bridge half-spanned a river valley, pointing toward the cliff in the distance.
Judging by the traces here, before the precipice there might once have been a magnificent ten-thousand-zhang waterfall, like a heavenly river hanging inverted, plunging thousands of li in a ceaseless torrent.
Amid the mist, three figures swooped in one after another—an old man and two youths, descendants of the Four Sages!
The boy and girl were merely at the late Core Formation stage, yet they moved about freely atop Yitian Peak at the heart of the Spirit-Suppressing Domain. Had anyone else witnessed this, their jaws would have dropped.
"This will be the last place I bring you to see, and also the most crucial part of our ancestral teachings! In a moment, you must etch every single word I say firmly into your hearts. This is our mission as the descendants of the Four Sages."
The elder stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at the precipice. Just as he was about to step forward, his feet paused slightly, and he added, "Once we go inside, do not deactivate your protective talismans. Your cultivation is too low right now, and the Spirit-Suppressing Domain is far too dangerous for you. Without the talismans' protection, your lives and cultivation will be snuffed out instantly."
"Your disciples obey!"
The boy and girl felt a chill run through their hearts.
Over their chests, threads of azure light wove into the silhouette of a jade tablet-shaped talisman, adhering tightly to their bodies.
Throughout this journey, following their grandmaster, they had visited ruin after ruin and heard stirring tales one after another, leaving their thoughts churning, unable to settle for a long time.
The old man walked up to the precipice and drew a talisman in the air. He then forced out a drop of essence blood and struck it into the spirit talisman.
The blood talisman sank into the stone wall.
Upon the precipice, which had appeared completely ordinary, an extraordinarily complex restriction suddenly surfaced. The blood talisman merged into the restriction, parting an opening that resembled a doorway.
The three stepped inside one after another.
***
Above the celestial restrictions.
Qin Sang followed Ning Wuhui along the white jade corridor.
This path was unexpectedly long. Qin Sang suspected they had already crossed beyond the bounds of the Spirit-Suppressing Domain, yet still saw no end. Ahead lay an infinite expanse of rosy clouds.
His mind was strung taut every single moment.
For good reason: the surroundings were far too dangerous.
Above and below were celestial mist restrictions and surging spirit tides. The white jade corridor appeared so frail and delicate, feeling as though it could be shattered at any moment.
Qin Sang widened his eyes and searched everywhere, but found no other white jade corridors like this one. Moreover, this path had no branches, leaving him no way to head elsewhere.
He patiently followed Ning Wuhui. After walking for a while longer, they finally reached the end and came upon a white jade stone platform.
"An immortal palace?"
Qin Sang was startled, but looking closely, he realized this place did not match the shadowy silhouettes of the immortal palaces he had seen.
"It's Yitian Peak!"
Qin Sang looked up, his gaze piercing through layers of rosy clouds to faintly catch sight of blurred contours.
It was an immortal mountain resembling a pillar propping up heaven—precisely the portion of Yitian Peak submerged within the celestial restrictions. Majestic and extraordinary, even from here the summit's scenery remained hidden from view.
The elevated platform was built atop a protruding boulder, resembling a viewing terrace.
Now, however, the platform was drowned in rosy mist, and the mountain below was desolate, leaving no fine scenery left to admire.
The two briskly climbed onto the platform and found two more sets of stairs extending left and right, each leading in a different direction.
One was intact, winding downward around the mountain body.
The other broke off right at the foot of the stairs.
"We go down from here."
Ning Wuhui pointed toward the intact corridor.
Qin Sang, however, stared intently at the other set of stairs. "Where does this path lead?"
If this place connected to the ancient teleportation formation, and the one Ning Wuhui pointed to led down the mountain, perhaps this broken one led to the teleportation formation!
"I don't know either,"
Ning Wuhui shook his head.
Qin Sang walked over and inspected it carefully, leaving no corner unexamined. Unlike before, the fracture had not affected the celestial restrictions. The area remained exceedingly dangerous, showing no signs of any flaw or exit.
He channeled his Heavenly Eye divine ability, only to discover in disappointment that ahead lay nothing but an empty cliff face; perhaps there had never been a path here at all.
"Alas! Only when Senior Qingzhu shows himself will I be able to find a way out..."
Helpless, Qin Sang had no choice but to turn back and catch up with Ning Wuhui.
The white jade corridor was built against the mountain, traversing woods and crossing valleys in gentle curves before suddenly veering downward.
The long flight of stone steps was nearly vertical.
As they descended, the radiant glow of the celestial mist restrictions flickered practically before their eyes, and the spirit tides surged forth like tsunamis, seemingly on the verge of crashing into them, only to be held at bay by the corridor.
Qin Sang broke into a cold sweat. Inching downward with utmost caution, he finally reached the bottom and could not help but let out a sigh of relief.
Chapter 1062