Crisis

Deep in the mountains, nestled among barren hills and wild woods, lay a cave concealed beneath layers of restrictions. The cave was exceptionally well hidden. Shielded by the restrictions, even a cultivator flying directly overhead would find it difficult to spot. Suddenly, an eerie light flickered within the cave, followed by a figure darting out in haste—a middle-aged cultivator dressed as a Daoist priest. Soaring out of the cave entrance, the middle-aged Daoist breathed raggedly, lingering dread still written on his face. Upon landing, he stumbled slightly, then turned to stare back at the cave mouth. Seeing no movement from within, he could not help letting out a long breath of relief. Immediately after, he seemed to recall something, and delight washed over his features. Opening his right palm, he revealed an ice sphere the size of an infant's fist. The ice sphere was crystal-clear, made of a peculiar type of cold jade that emitted wisps of chilling frost even without activation. When the middle-aged Daoist withdrew the true essence enshrouding the sphere, crackling sounds rang out as a thin layer of frost instantly crept over his hand, freezing cold to the bone. The chill from the sphere then seeped into his body, as though threatening to turn his blood to ice as well. The Daoist paid it no mind, his joy growing even more pronounced. "Although this cave abode differed from the clues Master found during his life—not the abode of some grandmaster of alchemy—obtaining such a large piece of Lin Jade makes this trip well worth it. Once I refine the frigid essence within the Lin Jade, I'll have great hope of breaking through this bottleneck..." He carefully cast several restriction seals onto the sphere to lock away the chill, stowed the treasure into his mustard seed bag, threw one last glance at the cave entrance, and strode away. A dozen-odd breaths later, his figure appeared atop a mountain peak. Looking around, he hesitated. "Who would have thought that breaking the restrictions and taking the treasure would go so smoothly? None of the precautions I prepared were even needed. It's still early, and there's some time before the immortal formation closes. I'd still have time to venture into two more secret realms. Too bad I didn't learn more about the Hall of Seven Kills beforehand. Rashly exploring unknown secret realms carries enormous danger..." Wavering in indecision, he suddenly jolted to awareness, breaking into a near-cold sweat. "My sole purpose in entering the Hall of Seven Kills was to seek an opportunity to break through my bottleneck. Now that I have the Lin Jade and hope of breaking through, why covet unknown treasures? If I throw my life away for that, it will be too late for regrets!" Having realized this, the Daoist suppressed the greed in his heart, turned resolutely, and departed. Before long, he reached the edge of the mountains. A wasteland. Withered yellow vegetation stretched into the distance. Rustle, rustle... As the wind blew, the wild grasses rose and fell, sending wave after wave rolling outward. The vast wasteland lay fully exposed to view. The middle-aged cultivator formed a hand seal, drew in his aura, and concealed himself within a mountain col. Remaining motionless, he stared intently across the wasteland for a long time. High above the plains, the vortex-like passage within the storm was clearly visible. There was still time before the immortal formation closed, so the passage had not yet begun to contract. A massive vortex covered more than half the wasteland, allowing one to leave the Hall of Seven Kills from anywhere beneath it. Once inside the vortex, one would be far safer. A cultivator only needed to activate their jade talisman to withstand the immortal formation's power. Because the forces within the storm were extremely chaotic, it was possible for them to emerge anywhere once they left the formation. Ambushing them was extraordinarily difficult. The immortal formation was vast, forming an incomparably enormous circular wall of wind. An ambusher could only wait in one spot and try their luck. If their luck turned foul and a Nascent Soul Patriarch emerged, they would only forfeit their own life. After observing for a long time and confirming there was no danger, the middle-aged Daoist crept stealthily to the edge of the wasteland. Finding an extremely secluded corner, he flashed his escape light and shot toward the vortex at top speed. In the blink of an eye, he had already drawn near the vortex. Feeling the terrifying impact of the immortal formation, he immediately activated his jade talisman, a smile of relief spreading across his face. At that very moment, a speck of blue light flashed beside him without the slightest warning. Rumble... The storm vortex churned as before, but the middle-aged Daoist's figure had vanished, seemingly having entered the storm. Within the mountains. Deep inside a dense forest, two gazes had remained fixed on the storm vortex all along. Seeing this scene, the eyes flickered and abruptly drew back. "Fellow Daoist Qin, did you discover something?" someone asked aloud. The ones hiding in the forest were none other than Qin Sang and Bai. After leaving the Heaven Tower, Qin Sang had thought things through and headed straight for the wasteland, having already hidden in the mountain woods for quite a while. He naturally remembered that before their departure, Old Zou had invited him to meet before Flower Immortal Lake to search for treasures together. However, matters had their priorities, and it seemed he would be unable to keep that appointment. Having unexpectedly met Senior Qingzhu and gained a clue about the ancient teleportation formation, returning to the Xiaohan Realm was within reach. Now that his cultivation dilemma was temporarily resolved, retrieving the Nine Illusion Sky Orchid and concocting the Calamity Crossing Pill to form a Nascent Soul was the matter of utmost urgency. Compared to that, everything else was trivial. The prerequisite for all of this was that he could safely leave the Hall of Seven Kills. Qin Sang had not forgotten that another hurdle might be waiting for him at the entrance. If he could not get past it, everything else was moot. That was why he had come straight to the vicinity of the wasteland to scout the situation and wait for a cultivator to test the waters for him. "There really is an anomaly. That fellow has truly lost his mind!" Qin Sang's face was grim. The inconspicuous speck of blue light the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had spotted had no business appearing inside the storm; that cultivator was as good as dead. Previously, he and Bai had only been guessing, thinking it unlikely that the Nascent Soul expert would court universal condemnation by ambushing him on the wasteland. Only now did he realize how completely unscrupulous a Nascent Soul Patriarch could be once driven mad. In a world where supreme power rested entirely within oneself, rules held no absolute binding force over those pinnacle cultivators; they served only as checks and balances. Once the benefit of breaking the rules was great enough, they would not hesitate in the slightest. Bai was not surprised by this and sighed. "It seems that just as you said, we can only hope a fight breaks out inside the Heaven Tower before we'll have a chance to slip away. Once chaos erupts, even with his mid-Nascent Soul stage cultivation, he wouldn't dare act rashly—unless he isn't afraid of being dragged into it." Qin Sang nodded. "If that man only had early-Nascent Soul cultivation, I'd have some confidence in shaking him off inside the immortal formation. For now, this is our only option." Perched on Qin Sang's shoulder, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly looked drowsy. After entering the Hall of Seven Kills, Qin Sang had used Witch Clan secret arts twice in succession to forcibly enhance the Heavenly Eye divine ability, leaving the Heavenly Eye Butterfly utterly exhausted. "Go back and rest." Qin Sang gently caressed its wings and fed it a drop of spirit dew. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly nuzzled affectionately against his fingertip before flying into his dantian. Bai's gaze followed the butterfly, and he could not help feeling a bit envious. Although the Heavenly Eye Butterfly lacked combat power, it was an exceptional helper that had repeatedly rendered miraculous contributions. Unfortunately, nurturing rare spirit insects was immensely difficult. At least until his memories were restored, he had no energy for such an undertaking. "Fellow Daoist Qin, if the restrictions in the valley are as dangerous as you say, those Nascent Soul cultivators probably won't be able to break them anytime soon. What do you plan to do next? Just wait it out here?"