Confronted by Baiyun Shanren's questioning, Yu Daiyue's expression remained unchanged. "Fellow Daoist Baiyun, Senior Sister Qingting and I were merely taking precautions against the unexpected. With your years of experience traveling the world, you should understand. As long as the ancient cultivator ruins are real, there is no difference whether they are in Tianduan Mountain or the Yuncang Great Marsh."
Qingting added, "We did not intend to deceive you. Junior Brother Yu and I were merely acting out of necessity. All of you should be able to roughly estimate from the speed of the magic tool that this place borders both the Tianduan Mountain Range and the Yuncang Great Marsh. If anyone is concerned about the presence of demonic scoundrels, there is no need. Ever since the Chunyang Sect destroyed the Xueming Sect, the major demonic sect in southern Tianduan Mountain, the various demonic sects south of the Xueming Sect either fled north in panic or cowered in the depths of Tianduan Mountain, not daring to show their faces. There is truly little danger here."
Baiyun Shanren's expression softened slightly, and the others nodded gently as well, accepting their explanation.
Seeing that the crowd's dissatisfaction had finally been smoothed over, Yu Daiyue breathed a silent sigh of relief. He walked to the edge of the mountain peak and pointed toward the southeast. "The ancient cultivator ruins lie in a canyon between two mountains just a few hundred li ahead. Above it is a layer of yin wind barrier. Passing through the yin wind barrier won't be a problem for any of you, and it won't cause much commotion. However, when we break the array, the noise will surely be considerable, and it may well carry outside, creating a commotion and disturbing the great demons deep within Tianduan Mountain. We shall split into two groups and circle around from the perimeter on the left and right, quietly clearing out all the demon beasts in the vicinity to prevent trouble."
No one objected to this, and they quickly divided into two teams.
Li Zai, Baiyun Shanren, and the Liu brothers followed Qingting along the northern route, while Qin Sang and Wu Yuesheng followed Yu Daiyue along the southern route.
With three Foundation Establishment cultivators joining forces, they encountered no overly difficult obstacles along the way. Qin Sang only needed to use his Five Elements Dharma-Breaking Sword to pull his weight, and seeing the Five Elements Dharma-Breaking Sword, Yu Daiyue's eyes lit up.
"If breaking the array goes poorly, we might still need Junior Brother Qin's help."
Qin Sang naturally agreed.
……
Deep valleys flanked by twin mountains.
A colossal mountain range stretched from north to south, its ends lost from sight, sprawling across the earth like a reclining dragon. Every peak among its ridges was exceptionally steep and treacherous.
Yet the peaks flanking the canyon where the ancient cultivator ruins lay appeared exceedingly ordinary, completely unremarkable.
The cliffs pressed close together, forming a narrow sliver of sky, but the terrain broadened out as it descended. As a result, this canyon was exceedingly well-concealed; only by venturing deep into the mountain range would one suddenly realize such a vast canyon existed here.
The cliff faces were as precipitous as if sheared by a blade, bare and devoid of a single plant or tree, impossible to climb. The stone exhibited a dark greenish-black hue, without even a trace of moss, looking utterly lifeless.
A thick, poisonous miasma drifted above the canyon, impenetrable to the naked eye.
Tianduan Mountain consisted of endless overlapping peaks, gloomy and damp. Deep bogs and secluded valleys abounded, where layers of decaying leaves concealed bottomless mud that bred toxic vapors capable of killing a person.
Along their journey, such areas of poisonous miasma were by no means rare.
However, the poisonous miasma in this canyon differed slightly from that of other places. Only by probing with spiritual sense did one realize this was no mist at all, but rather strands of black yin wind intertwined like countless massive black pythons—an exceedingly eerie sight.
Qin Sang and his two companions had taken a circuitous route, spending two days clearing through all the demon beasts along the mountain range. When they arrived at the ancient cultivator ruins, Qingting's group had not yet arrived.
"The ancient cultivator ruins are right here?"
Standing above the canyon and looking down, Wu Yuesheng asked in slight surprise.
"Indeed," Yu Daiyue nodded. "This place is simply too well-hidden. Senior Sister Qingting and I searched for a long time before locating this spot. The yin wind was cleverly disguised as poisonous miasma, and we almost overlooked it. Look closely at these yin winds, Junior Brothers—they have form and substance, definitely not something formed naturally. After falling into the yin wind, not only does one's footing become erratic and unstable, but endless demonic voices also harass the mind. Any cultivator or demon beast of weaker strength who mistakenly wanders in will surely meet with misfortune. Once we enter the yin wind barrier, we must also descend as quickly as possible to get through it."
Upon hearing this, Qin Sang pondered briefly and asked, "Is there a spirit vein here?"
Yu Daiyue nodded. "Junior Brother Qin is quite observant. Deep beneath this mountain range, there is indeed a concealed spirit vein. Moreover, Senior Sister Qingting and I found only two unformed spirit eyes, which is highly abnormal. We suspect that the true spirit eye of the vein lies right beneath this canyon. Precisely because of this, we dare to claim this is very likely an ancient cultivator's cave abode."
Qin Sang nodded inwardly. Any capable cultivator would undoubtedly establish a cave abode upon a spirit eye. If it were merely to seal away an evil entity, unless under extraordinary circumstances, there would be no need for such stringent conditions, which would needlessly waste a prime cave abode.
Moreover, he did not particularly fear evil beings. The Gui Water Yin Thunder Incantation was the natural bane of demons and evils; he would simply need to exercise a bit of caution when the time came.
Thinking of this, Qin Sang scrutinized the yin wind barrier for a while and said, "It looks more like a measure used to conceal the cave abode and prevent outsiders from disturbing it. It seems the formation down below is the true defensive grand array of the abode."
The three sat quietly on the mountain peak, adjusting their breathing. Several hours passed before Qingting and her group finally arrived.
"We ran into a Demon Spirit stage black tiger, which delayed us a bit."
Hearing their explanation, Qin Sang and the others felt a twinge of envy. The corpse of a Demon Spirit stage demon beast was top-tier spirit material. Seeing the excited expressions on the faces of the Liu brothers and the others, it was evident their gains had been considerable.
Once Qingting's group finished catching their breath, everyone soared into the air above the canyon.
Qingting's expression grew solemn as she warned, "Fellow Daoists, do not be careless. Take protective measures for both your bodies and your origin souls before entering the yin wind barrier. Once we drop into the barrier, the ferocious yin wind will immediately blow us apart. Everyone will have their hands full just protecting themselves and will have no strength to spare to lend a hand to anyone else."
Hearing these words, everyone's expressions turned grave.
Qin Sang was not afraid of the so-called demonic voices corroding his mind, so he merely activated the Heavenly Star Tear, forming a protective membrane of light that covered his body, while secretly palming the Essence-Devouring Awl just in case.
Looking at the others, each was displaying their own methods.
Having prior experience, Qingting and Yu Daiyue, like Qin Sang, each activated only a single defensive magic tool. Li Zai was even flashier, sword radiance swirling around his body like a swimming dragon.
It was unclear what method Wu Yuesheng used, but Qin Sang could barely sense any aura fluctuations from him at all.
Baiyun Shanren brought out a cloth pouch that hovered above his head. The pouch looked dusty and gray, resembling an ordinary grain sack used by mortals.
What aroused Qin Sang's curiosity the most were the Liu brothers. He wondered how these twin brothers planned to traverse the yin wind that even Foundation Establishment cultivators feared.
Yet the Liu brothers stood back-to-back, forming identical hand seals and chanting incantations under their breath.
After going through their motions, divine light shot forth from between their brows, forming a protective shroud of light around them. The shroud then contracted and clung tightly to their bodies before vanishing from sight.
At that moment, Qin Sang actually sensed a faint trace of threat radiating from the Liu brothers. He could not help but feel secretly astonished. It seemed Yu Daiyue had not exaggerated—the Liu brothers truly possessed the strength to contend with Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Chapter 153