The Courtyard

... Across the boundless mountain range, ancient halls were nestled in orderly clusters among the forested peaks. Though utterly dilapidated, they still exuded a mysterious aura from remote antiquity. These ancient halls had suffered severe damage, leaving not even a single signboard behind. However, Qin Sang noticed several patches in the mountains that looked like former medicine gardens. This place had very likely been used for alchemy! To Qin Sang's quiet dismay, the Fire Jade Centipede had been stirring in his palm the entire time, yet even after reaching this location, it still failed to sense the presence of any spiritual items. Just as Qin Sang decided to fly down and conduct a search, someone suddenly dashed out of the ruins. Everyone who had entered the abandoned abode knew each other by name and reputation. Qin Sang remembered this person was a disciple of the Taiyi Dan Sect. He called Yunyouzi his senior brother, though his cultivation was a notch higher than Yunyouzi's. He had been one of the nine people in the first batch, entering the ancient immortal's abandoned abode earlier than Qin Sang. At the moment, the man wore a thoroughly disgruntled expression as he flew out of the ancient hall while cursing under his breath. He then rode his sword directly out of the mountain range, looking as though he had no intention of continuing his search here. Catching sight of Qin Sang, the man gave only a lackluster nod. Yet as they brushed past each other, he hesitated for a moment and spoke up. "Fellow Daoist Qin, out of respect for Senior Brother Yun, let me give you a piece of advice: don't waste your time going in. There's nothing left in this godforsaken place. I've searched from that end all the way to this one. Forget magic tools or spirit pills, I haven't even found a single stalk of spirit grass! Damn it all, even a rat scurrying in here would leave with a mouthful of tears!" Qin Sang paused in surprise, then quickly cupped his hands in thanks. The man didn't linger. Without looking back, he flew off, cursing as he went. Even after his figure vanished at the horizon of Qin Sang's vision, his furious swearing could still faintly be heard. Qin Sang smiled wryly. Rather than leaving immediately, he lowered his flying light and ventured into the mountains, swiftly scouring several ancient halls and medicine gardens that appeared particularly grand. Just as the man had said, nothing remained except crumbling walls, shattered ruins, and withered leaves. Even the Fire Jade Centipede showed no reaction. Returning to the mountain peak, Qin Sang gazed ahead. Beyond this range, the landscape grew increasingly desolate. Glancing left and right, he abruptly changed direction, no longer continuing north, and turned toward the west. He had inspected so many sites along the way without finding anything. Qin Sang had harbored suspicions before, and now they were confirmed: the outer regions of the ancient cultivator's abandoned abode—these places with little danger—had already been picked clean more than once by cultivators of demonic sects. They had probably turned up the ground three feet deep back then. Searching for the ancient cultivators' lost treasures in such places was no different from fishing for a needle in the sea. Scavenging for leftovers was simply impossible. If any treasures remained unclaimed in the abandoned abode, they would exist in only one place. ... Along the way, Qin Sang occasionally spotted flashes of flying light or sword rays in the distance, streaking past and, like him, heading straight toward the west. In this direction, figures clearly appeared with greater frequency. It seemed everyone had now realized the issue, heading toward the four Heavenly Peaks by tacit consensus. As the distance closed, the outlines of the four Heavenly Peaks gradually grew clearer, yet the details on the mountains remained obscured, as if some unknown restriction blocked any prying eyes from below. High in the sky, clouds and mist curled around the peaks, making it impossible to tell precisely how tall the four mountains were. This mist did not resemble natural clouds; rather, it bore a resemblance to the haze within the trial space. Approaching the foot of the Heavenly Peaks, the first thing to catch his eye was a mysterious rune in the shape of a flame, suspended in midair like an inverted crimson jade bowl that sealed off a vast stretch of space. The rune was blazing red as fire, colossally huge, blotting out the sky and sun without bound. Looking up from the ground gave one the illusion of being engulfed within a sea of fire. Qin Sang narrowed his eyes, staring at the flame rune, thoroughly shaken. Even from such a distance, he could clearly feel the extreme, violent power latent within the flame rune, as though a terrifying, world-destroying storm was brewing inside it. Before the flame rune, he felt utterly insignificant. If that storm ever swept out, merely brushing against its edge would mean instant death! This was likely the protective grand array. At this moment, however, the flame rune was covered with cracks. Through the fissures, one could glimpse the tip of the iceberg beneath. Beneath the flame rune, countless bizarre peaks rose abruptly, varying in shape and dotting the landscape like stars on a chessboard. One could well imagine how magnificent the scene must have been during the heyday of the ancient immortal's abandoned abode, with countless cultivators darting between the mountains! More than half of these peaks were fully exposed. Upon them lay ancient halls, altars, and the like—all turned to ruins, heavily damaged, just like everywhere else. Yet on some of the peaks, certain spots were sealed by thick fog or light barriers that the naked eye could not penetrate. This thick fog was no ordinary mist, but the outward manifestation of powerful restrictions. The mist's persistence meant the restrictions were still intact, and whatever lay inside had very likely not been taken! Still, any restriction capable of holding out until now without being unraveled was certainly formidable. Qin Sang shifted his gaze and, through a slender gap, spotted a mountain where several clusters of mist hung without dispersing, scattered across various parts of the peak. At present, three people were gathered in front of one of those mist clusters. All three were experts at the middle Foundation Establishment stage. They were trying to join forces to break the restriction, but progress did not seem smooth; after several attempts to step into the dense mist, they were repelled by it every single time. Whenever their attempts failed, several bolts of silver-white lightning pursued them out of the mist with tremendous power, requiring their combined efforts just to barely hold it off. In the end, unable to crack the restriction, they had no choice but to depart in frustration to search elsewhere. Seeing this, Qin Sang's heart sank slightly. To obtain any harvest, it seemed he would have to collaborate with others. After pondering for a while, Qin Sang set off, cautiously slipping through a gap in the flame rune and landing on an outlying mountain peak. The moment Qin Sang crossed through the rune, the Fire Jade Centipede in his palm suddenly turned extraordinarily active. There really was treasure here! Not seeing any fellow disciples from his sect for now, Qin Sang looked around and decided to carry the Fire Jade Centipede along to search on his own. To his surprise, the Fire Jade Centipede's first target was precisely the spot where those three people had just failed. Helpless, Qin Sang had to grab the Fire Jade Centipede and leave the mountain. Only after putting enough distance between them to break its perception did he release it once more. In this manner, Qin Sang wandered aimlessly among the mountains, keeping an eye out for fellow disciples while searching with the help of the Fire Jade Centipede, steering clear whenever he noticed others nearby. The Fire Jade Centipede could only sense spiritual items rich in fire-element power, which posed a considerable limitation. Several times it reacted, but without exception, the areas were sealed behind powerful restrictions. Despite returning empty-handed time and again, Qin Sang remained undeterred. Once more, he noticed the Fire Jade Centipede growing lively and quickly followed its lead. When he arrived at the location, a look of profound delight suddenly surfaced on Qin Sang's face. This time, the Fire Jade Centipede had entered an abandoned courtyard!