Settling on Chaos Mountain

Upper Realm. Bright Moon Flower Valley. Su Yu and his group began their journey toward Chaos Mountain, while back at Bright Moon Flower Valley, quite a few experts arrived in succession. On the Demon race's side, Marquis Duanxue rushed over, and Bajue had returned as well. Experts from the Immortal, Demon, Dragon, Nether, and other races all arrived. At this moment, everyone was trying to deduce what had occurred... Two Dao Integrators had perished, and nobody even knew who had killed them. That was what made this truly terrifying. To slay Dao Integrators so effortlessly, the culprit was likely a peak Dao Integrator or even a Heavenly King-tier expert. Of course, in the Upper Realm, whether one was called a Heavenly King or a Quasi-King, both belonged to the realm of Quasi-Kings—representing those who had reached the peak of Dao Integration and were advancing toward the level of Master of Order. At this moment, an expert whose form was somewhat illusory was investigating a depression in the valley, tracing back time to search for lingering imprints. After a long time, this illusory expert spoke in a low voice: "There was more than one person! The enemy first subdued or killed Mo Shiji right here. Traces of an array linger in the void. First, one thing is certain: they are skilled in formations, or there is an expert among them who specializes in the Dao of Arrays!" The crowd nodded. This expert's judgment was unlikely to be wrong. The illusory figure continued, "Furthermore, the enemy likely possesses the ability to obscure heavenly secrets, or an ability to seal and silence. When Mo Shiji was slain, nearby experts sensed no movement at all until the moment of his death. It went virtually unnoticed!" Everyone committed this to memory once more. "What's more, Marquis Dingjun might not have been in league with them." This revelation caught the crowd by surprise. By now, Marquis Duanxue's temper had subsided somewhat, and he asked in a heavy voice, "Marquis Xunxi, what do you mean by that?" Marquis Xunxi did not explain immediately. Instead, he flew over to the area where Marquis Dingjun and his people had originally stayed. After sensing the surroundings, he said, "Just now, I noticed something amiss. In this place, there is actually a faint wisp of aura that none of you picked up on! Marquis Dingjun's spear aura! Marquis Dingjun thrust his spear here!" "Yet Mo Shiji was not killed by Marquis Dingjun; he was captured or killed in the outer canyon. There was no reason for Marquis Dingjun to unleash a spear strike!" "If so, the target of Marquis Dingjun's spear was someone else!" "Aside from Mo Shiji, who else would Marquis Dingjun attack?" At these words, odd expressions appeared in everyone's eyes. Marquis Dingjun was not working with them; it was entirely possible he had been captured as well! This deduction was completely different from their earlier assumptions. They had assumed that Marquis Dingjun had cooperated with that mysterious figure to kill Mo Shiji. Marquis Duanxue asked in a heavy voice, "You mean Marquis Dingjun might have been captured rather than cooperating willingly to leave?" "Yes!" Marquis Xunxi nodded slightly. "Additionally, the enemy is skilled in the spatial Dao and departed via spatial teleportation. There is a weak point in space here that was torn open once before smoothing out again." "The weak point is tiny, indicating it was not torn open by brute, overwhelming force." "..." This Marquis Xunxi searched continuously for clues before finally concluding, "There was more than one person. By my estimate, there may be four to five individuals, all possessing Dao Integration combat strength. Among them, at least two are peak Dao Integrators! Each wields a different Great Dao power, each possessing their own specialization. Since Marquis Dingjun isn't dead, there is a high probability he was captured..." Marquis Duanxue's face turned grim. "Different Great Dao powers? Diverse powers such as space, formations, silence, and sealing?" "Yes!" Marquis Xunxi nodded once more. "At least as far as I can tell, that is the case." Marquis Duanxue said darkly, "In that case, they might not be humans! Ever since antiquity collapsed, ninety-nine percent of human experts have walked the physical body Dao! Aside from a few ancient old-timers who cultivated different paths in those days, subsequent humans who advanced to Dao Integration have almost all walked the physical body Dao." This was common knowledge throughout the myriad realms. Ever since King Wen and the others vanished, human civilization had fractured, and other Daos could no longer support human breakthroughs. Even if there were exceptions, they were exceedingly rare—a single practitioner of another Dao emerging in an entire tide was already considered a miracle. Over so many years, humanity might not have produced even four or five experts walking other Daos. Now, so many experts skilled in alternative Daos had suddenly appeared, and Marquis Dingjun was likely captured... With that, the theory that these were humans was practically refuted. Those who had come were not humans. This mysterious band might belong to another race. In truth, everyone else was harboring the same thought. It was not that they hadn't considered human reinforcements, but... where would the human race get so many experts in other Daos? At this moment, an expert from the God race spoke softly, "Could this be the work of certain ancient human old-timers who went into hiding? Of the ancient human experts known to exist, very few remain. But perhaps there are some old-timers who never revealed themselves until now. Could they have emerged at this moment?" Marquis Duanxue sneered, "What a coincidence! Not earlier, not later, but right now!" The God race expert replied calmly, "It isn't coincidence. In this era, the human race can no longer hold on. If those human old-timers learned of this, stepping forward now is hardly impossible." "Then let me ask you: back in antiquity, which human experts specialized in these Great Daos?" Marquis Duanxue said coldly, "To my knowledge, while there were indeed humans who specialized in these Dao powers... aren't they all dead by now?" No one could easily answer that. The God race expert fell silent as well. Marquis Duanxue gave a chilly laugh. "It seems there truly are quite a few remnants in the Upper Realm! Or perhaps they aren't remnants at all. Could it be that someone thinks victory is in sight and plans to pull something from the shadows?" One could not help but be suspicious! It wasn't just Marquis Duanxue; everyone present was entertaining similar thoughts. First, rule out the possibility of human reinforcements! At the very least, it was highly improbable that they were human. Secondly, these people had forcibly abducted Marquis Dingjun, perhaps to muddy the waters. Had Marquis Xunxi not detected those faint traces, everyone would have believed Marquis Dingjun was in league with them. At this moment, everyone had their own suspicions. If not humans, then who? To deploy four or five top experts all at once—which race possessed such boldness? The Demon race had lost two Dao Integrators, so the likelihood of it being them was low. Would they slaughter two of their own Dao Integrators just to sow confusion? If not the Demons, then speaking of proficiency in diverse Dao arts, that pointed toward the Immortals. The Immortal race was also well versed in various Dao arts. An Immortal race expert was present. Seeing that no one was speaking, he essentially guessed what they were thinking. He spoke calmly, "You need not suspect our race. Lately, our race has primarily been discussing how to deal with the humans of the Lower Realm! Marquis Meteor and King Bing have fallen one after another, and the Lower Realm humans have gained the upper hand. At a time like this, the Immortal race will not bring trouble upon itself!" He looked toward Marquis Duanxue and said evenly, "Perhaps someone is trying to create chaos to fish in troubled waters. Marquis Duanxue, you had better keep your head and avoid falling into their trap!" Marquis Duanxue said coldly, "Rest assured, I am not that stupid! However... you'd better hope I don't catch you red-handed!" He was furious inside. Was it the Immortals? He couldn't be certain, but he made up his mind to keep a close watch on them! Soon, he looked toward Marquis Xunxi and asked, "Marquis Xunxi, can you trace their movements?" "It will be difficult!" Marquis Xunxi shook his head. "They were extremely cautious and left almost nothing behind. When they departed, they even cleaned the battlefield, and an explosion destroyed all lingering traces!" Marquis Duanxue frowned. Marquis Xunxi quickly chuckled and added, "Of course, it's not entirely hopeless." "What can we do?" Marquis Duanxue pressed, while the others looked over attentively. "That group is mysterious, but someone among them might not be!" Marquis Xunxi smiled. "We can focus our search on Marquis Dingjun! We don't know who the mysterious figures are, but Marquis Dingjun is an old acquaintance of ours. We are all familiar with him—his aura, his Great Dao power, his bloodline power are all known to us. It won't be easy to track, but that doesn't mean it's impossible." Marquis Duanxue frowned. "Tracking Dingjun and his kind isn't easy either!" Marquis Xunxi nodded and smiled gently. "It isn't easy, but at least we have a target! Another point: they captured Marquis Dingjun this time, so what was their objective? Was it purely to kill two Demon Dao Integrators? Both were newcomers who had only recently entered Dao Integration. What meaning was there in killing them?" "On the human side, besides Marquis Dingjun, several others are still alive, hiding within various perilous zones. Some we even know which perilous zone they are in; they are just difficult to locate..." Marquis Xunxi smiled. "Do you think these people will make another move? If they do, will they strike directly at us, or will they act through the humans to confuse us—capturing humans while killing members of other races, ensuring our attention remains fixed on humanity?" Marquis Duanxue nodded slightly, but soon sneered, "Such things shouldn't be discussed so openly. Among those present... I fear someone might leak word!" The others remained impassive. Leak word? Nobody wanted to touch that. Who that group was and which race they belonged to remained uncertain. It was not impossible that the Demons were playing the thief crying thief! The Immortal expert did not care to say much more, merely stating calmly, "At least one good thing came of this: Marquis Dingjun's lair was destroyed, Bright Moon Flower Valley is ruined, and this perilous zone no longer exists! The human race has lost yet another stronghold in the Upper Realm!" A small comfort, perhaps. One less human outpost. Marquis Duanxue sneered, not bothering to argue. If you want to think that, go ahead. After further discussion, Marquis Duanxue said, "Enough idle chatter. Accelerate the effort to pinpoint the locations of the other human marquises. Find a stronghold to besiege, spread the news, and I would love to see whether this group of human 'reinforcements' comes to the rescue!" With a cold, meaningful smile, he added, "Since they claim to be human reinforcements, it wouldn't do for them to sit idly by while we besiege human experts! With such strength—four or five top experts—they ought to make some gesture, wouldn't you say?" "As far as I know, Marquis Huoyun, who is hiding in Godfire Mountain, is close to having his exact location locked down!" Marquis Duanxue laughed darkly. "It won't be long now. Once his precise location is confirmed and his retreat sealed off, all races will join forces to stage another encirclement! If they truly are human reinforcements, they may show up. If someone is pulling strings from the shadows, we will also be able to confirm whether our suspicions were correct!" The experts of the various races made no comment. As for the Immortals, their marquis did not bother meeting Duanxue's gaze. The Immortals hadn't done it—though whether they truly hadn't, even he could not be certain; some matters were known only to the highest echelons. He said promptly, "I will report this to the Immortal Council. The Immortals should participate in the siege!" "That would be best!" Saying nothing more and having found no further leads, their figures faded away as they departed one after another. Once everyone was gone, leaving only Marquis Duanxue and Bajue, Duanxue's expression grew sinister. "Nine times out of ten, it was the Immortals! Four or five peak Dao Integrators, humph!" Who else besides the Immortals could secretly mobilize so many experts? "What about the Gods?" Bajue asked in a low voice. "Could it be the God race? They've kept a very low profile in recent years, rarely taking action..." "The Gods..." Marquis Duanxue paused in thought before nodding. "Possible as well! In short, it is far more likely one of them did it. If humanity had the strength to strike back like this, they would have done so thousands of years ago. Why wait until now?" "Four or five peak Dao Integrators couldn't have appeared out of thin air!" Marquis Duanxue scoffed. "And as for slumbering ancient human fossils—what a joke! If they truly existed and stayed hidden all this time, they wouldn't emerge now. Before Hundred Battles is unsealed, why would those fellows show themselves?" He sneered in disdain at such an idea, adding contemptuously, "Claiming that is just as laughable as saying they came up from the Lower Realm!" Bajue let out a chuckle as well. "The Lower Realm... Lower Realm humans did produce a few experts, but by all accounts, it was mostly because humanity gained several allies. Races like the Iron Eaters seem to be helping them..." "Forget it!" Marquis Duanxue cut him off. "Let's not borrow trouble right now. We've heard wind of the Iron Eaters and the others, but there's no rush. First purge the human remnants, lest those factions align with them." "Understood!" Bajue replied, his eyes flickering slightly, and he quickly added, "Lord Duanxue, please put in a good word for me this time. It wasn't my carelessness; some bastard intentionally set up my Demon race..." He needed to shirk responsibility! Two Dao Integrators were dead, and another had lost two past-and-future bodies. Such a crime was by no means small. He added hastily, "My Lord, if the Council punishes me, the Demon race will lose four Dao Integration combatants all at once... That is likely exactly what the mastermind wants to see!" Two dead, one heavily injured, and if he were punished or imprisoned, that would indeed be four Dao Integrators lost. Marquis Duanxue's brow furrowed, but he soon let out a cold snort and cursed, "You idiot! Waste! You deserve to be punished!" After cursing for a while, he added, "Rest assured. Even if there is punishment, it will only be in name. Nothing will happen to you! At a time like this, the Council will not undermine its own combat strength!" Hearing this, Bajue was relieved. Marquis Duanxue was one of the Council's leaders; with his word, Bajue would most likely escape punishment. The Council was an institution modeled after antiquity. Each race had its own council. The Demon Council, for instance, had two tiers: Speaker and Councilors. Ordinary Dao Integrators were Councilors, while Speakers, by Su Yu's classification, were Heavenly King-tier beings. Marquis Duanxue possessed strength at that level, giving him significant influence within the Demon Council. Marquis Duanxue stopped scolding him, his mind turning to other matters. After flying for a while, he said, "You did commit an error this time. I will fight for the Council to give you a chance to redeem yourself through meritorious service. When we besiege Marquis Huoyun, you must go. Render a service, and this matter will be put to rest!" Bajue had no objection, only asking with some worry, "And if those people show up..." "We will have arrangements in place!" "Understood." ... On that day, discussions arose across various dao arenas in the Upper Realm. Bright Moon Flower Valley was destroyed, two Demon Dao Integrators were dead, Marquis Dingjun had vanished, and four or five peak Dao Integrators had purportedly appeared. These tidbits put several experts on high alert. Was the Upper Realm about to plunge into chaos as well? With the opening of the Upper Realm's gate drawing near, was someone deliberately stirring up trouble at this juncture? ... Meanwhile. In the dao arena of an expert from a small race, a sizeable crowd had gathered. A great city stood here, serving as the dao arena of a small race's Dao Integrator, and it was fairly bustling. On a wide stone avenue, an expert wearing a black conical bamboo hat twitched his ears slightly. Marquis Dingjun had vanished; two Demon Dao Integrators were dead. Marquis Dingjun... The cloaked expert furrowed his brows slightly as he walked down the street, yet none could see him. *Marquis Dingjun went missing... Was he rescued, or is this a trap?* This man was none other than Marquis Anying. He had always walked alone, though he maintained some contact with the other human experts and occasionally provided them with intelligence. Right now, worry weighed upon his mind. He did not know whether this was a trap or something else. A rescue? Who would rescue Marquis Dingjun? Everyone could barely take care of themselves; who had the time or strength to save him? Could it be a trap set by the major races? With deep apprehension, he walked on, soon disappearing from the street. With Minshan's death, the whereabouts of the other human marquises were likely exposed. Now Dingjun was gone; who would be next? Perhaps he could quietly investigate. Even if it was a trap, he had to probe it. Otherwise, if Marquis Dingjun were turned or surrendered, catastrophe could follow. ... "What a massive mountain!" At this moment, Su Yu could not care less about what others were doing. He was leading his companions toward Chaos Mountain. After flying for a long time, he saw a colossal mountain range whose silhouette was visible from far away. The more he looked, the more familiar it seemed. An instant later, he said in surprise, "This mountain... do mountains from the heaven-opening era all look similar?" He had seen a mountain before. Upon Old Turtle's Great Dao! It had looked like a mountain, a Dao pioneered by Old Turtle's wife—an offensive Great Dao said to have been formed after gazing upon a mountain during the primordial era. Could it have been this Chaos Mountain? Or was it some other similar mountain? In any case, even from afar, Su Yu could faintly feel the oppressive force and primeval aura emanating from the great mountain. Here, the Great Dao was turbid. The effect even radiated out to where they were. If the rule power of the Myriad Realms was a neat grid, orderly with clear beginnings and ends, then the rule power of the Upper Realm was gushing water—somewhat scattered, yet with its source generally flowing in one direction. However, the rule power near Chaos Mountain was something else entirely. It was a massive hodgepodge where all sorts of rule powers mingled together, murky and completely chaotic. Su Yu opened his Heavenly Gate and observed for a while. The utterly jumbled rule powers made this place feel as though it had returned to the era when heaven and earth were first opened. "The further in you go, the murkier it gets!" "Perhaps it isn't murky, but simply its original nature. Before heaven and earth opened, or when they had just opened, the Great Dao might have been exactly like this!" "All Daos converge, or perhaps there is no so-called Dao at all. Pioneering a Dao is merely untangling this chaotic ball of yarn." Su Yu realized that the greatest harvest from coming to the Upper Realm was not slaying someone, saving someone, or subjugating someone. It was witnessing things he had never seen before! For instance, this scene of heaven and earth at their inception. In the Lower Realm, one could never see this in an entire lifetime, because the Lower Realm had developed for far too long and had long since been sorted out. The Dead Spirit Realm was the same; perhaps it had once been chaotic, but it too had changed over time. Only in the Upper Realm could he witness such a spectacle. As they drew closer to Chaos Mountain, King Dazhou and the others felt somewhat uncomfortable. King Dazhou remarked, "The Great Dao power here is chaotic, causing interference to one's Dao. It is no good place for cultivation." "Wrong!" Su Yu shook his head. "This place is an excellent location to seek the source!" "Seek the source?" King Dazhou quietly pondered the meaning of those words. A moment later, he said thoughtfully, "Perhaps you are right. If someone could slowly strip away the rule power needed for their cultivation here, they would likely gain deeper insights into the power of the Great Dao." Su Yu nodded. "Correct! Of course, since you cannot see it clearly or understand it, cultivating here would indeed be difficult! However, if one can trace the source of their own Dao amidst this tangled web, the benefits to comprehending the Dao would be immense!" Su Yu sighed with feeling. "It's a great place, but it's only suitable for those with exceptional comprehension. Ordinary cultivators training here must be careful, or they could be overwhelmed and blow up." Lan Tian giggled. "I am all living beings, and all living beings love me. There is no Dao I cannot cultivate!" Su Yu also smiled. "The Dao of Living Beings is strong, but it is still a streamlined Dao. This place is thoroughly jumbled; you would have to sort it out strand by strand, which is still difficult. Don't underestimate this place!" He saw more and knew more than the others. Lan Tian's Dao was impressive, but untangling myriad Daos here would still be an immense challenge. Lan Tian grinned. "Then that makes it an opportunity. This place is a land of fortune!" "That's not wrong either!" As they spoke, the group arrived before the mountain range. The moment they drew near, a primeval aura washed over them! This was not a single mountain, but a colossal range stretching to the ends of heaven and earth. At this point, Marquis Dingjun took a deep breath and said urgently, "This Chaos Mountain Range stretches without end. We must not venture deep inside; we can only establish a temporary foothold on one of the smaller peaks on the periphery! We also must avoid the powerful ancient beasts. Those beasts are hostile toward us..." Su Yu smiled. "It's not hostility! It's the influence of the Great Dao's power..." Marquis Dingjun looked at Su Yu. *You know that too?* *You seem to know everything!* *Didn't you just arrive here?* Seeing everyone look over, Su Yu smiled and explained, "In this place, the Great Dao is a tangled mess, like a puddle of filthy water, whereas our Dao power is single and pure, like a drop of clear water! When that drop of clear water enters a puddle of filthy water—or rather, a pool of ink—the surrounding ink will naturally seek to taint and assimilate you!" Su Yu could actually see it. He saw that the primeval and chaotic energy permeating this place was eroding them, seemingly trying to assimilate them! The Daos cultivated by King Dazhou and the others had all been refined and purified; naturally, their Daos refused to be invaded and instinctively fought back in resistance. Su Yu smiled. "Staying for a short while is fine, but over time, the harder you resist, the more the surrounding ancient beasts will detect the anomaly. They will definitely come to investigate, and when they do, trouble will find you naturally!" This time, King Dazhou and the rest understood. King Dazhou said softly, "Then your meaning is... don't resist?" "Not resisting is one method, but if you don't resist, your Dao is easily corrupted, making your Dao power impure. Not everyone can walk the path of Chaos; once your Dao is tainted, any hope of advancing yourself in the future is gone." Chaotic energy didn't matter much to Su Yu. He intended to walk the path of uniting myriad Daos and reopening myriad Daos; being tainted didn't bother him, though it was best if his Brush Dao remained uncorrupted. However, not everyone was walking that path, which made it extremely troublesome. To them, this chaotic energy was poison! The benefits of opening the Heavenly Gate were demonstrated to the fullest here. Those who had not opened the Heavenly Gate would find it difficult to perceive these dynamics; they only knew that lingering here too long would bring danger and trouble. Su Yu took a deep breath and opened his Heavenly Gate fully! The moment he entered the mountain range, he sensed countless perils lurking around. With the Heavenly Gate wide open, he swiftly surveyed all directions. Ahead lay many smaller peaks. Each peak appeared close to the next, but in reality, they were millions of li apart; within the Chaos Mountain region, the distortion made them seem right next to each other. Su Yu looked toward several outer peaks, and his expression suddenly changed. There, in the void above one mountain, the image of a ferocious ancient beast manifested. It was not a physical entity, but a phantom of the Great Dao—turbid, its power jumbled, yet incomparably savage! As if sensing someone observing it, the phantom beast suddenly snapped its jaws toward Su Yu! Though separated by an immense distance, Su Yu felt as though it had lunged right before his eyes. He swiftly shifted his gaze, evading the beast. Just as he avoided that one, he spotted another Great Dao phantom—a crocodile-like behemoth. The moment Su Yu looked, its tail swept toward him! In truth, these were merely instinctual reactions from the Great Dao phantoms. It did not mean their true masters had actually discovered Su Yu's presence. Even so, Su Yu felt an intense sense of threat. Su Yu inhaled deeply and continued looking. There were countless peaks along the periphery, but many bore the shadows of giant beasts. This meant ancient beasts likely inhabited those peaks. After scanning hundreds of peaks, Su Yu's eyes lit up slightly. He suddenly fixed his gaze on a certain mountain. Not only was there no phantom beast above it, but there also appeared to be a barrier shielding it from the encroachment of the turbid forces. Su Yu's eyes flickered, and he asked swiftly, "Marquis Dingjun, you said Marquis Anbei survived in Chaos Mountain for over a hundred years back then?" "Yes." "Do you know where his base was?" "Well..." Marquis Dingjun shook his head. "I truly don't know. Even the myriad races never found it, because they didn't dare venture deep. There are too many peaks here; who knows where Anbei hid?" "Was Marquis Anbei skilled in formations?" "Well... I never heard of that." Marquis Dingjun hesitated. "Probably not. Marquis Anbei was better known for physical combat." Su Yu frowned. "He specialized in physical combat, yet he survived here for a hundred years?" Could the mountain peak he saw—the one with a barrier shielding against chaotic forces—not be Marquis Anbei's stronghold after all? Pondering this, Su Yu said swiftly, "Follow me. Everyone, retract your Great Dao power and pull it back. Endure some pressure for now; it won't be a big problem!" This was just like the dead spirits in the River of Dead Spirits who retracted their Dao power to avoid being detected by Su Yu. Without using Great Dao power, one's state was akin to the Sun Moon Realm; if danger arose, it would take a moment to reconnect with the Dao. Under normal circumstances, who would dare do such a thing in a place as perilous as Chaos Mountain? On the contrary, people would be on high alert, violently flaring their Dao power. Yet the more one did that, the easier it was to be discovered and targeted. Marquis Anbei battling the myriad races here had been courting death. In this place, a battle between several Dao Integrators would cause a massive commotion. It would be a wonder if they weren't discovered. Who else would the ancient beasts kill if not them? The others did not question him. Perilous though it was, since Su Yu had spoken, they complied. Marquis Dingjun was stunned once again. This was... entrusting their lives to Su Yu! A group of Dao Integrators—and Eternals as well—retracting their Great Dao power meant that mounting a response would take precious seconds. Su Yu could slaughter them with ease! Even King Dazhou was doing so! And even if Su Yu didn't kill them, a sudden ambush by an ancient beast could wipe them out instantly. What kind of charisma did Su Yu possess to make these Dao Integrators trust him so? Su Yu said nothing, and the others remained silent. What charisma? Simply that Su Yu was undefeated in a hundred battles, that he had led them to sweep the Lower Realm clean without suffering losses—that alone was enough for everyone to trust him implicitly. Believing in Su Yu was the only way to succeed, the only way to win. Even King Dazhou believed this wholeheartedly. Those who opposed Su Yu and went against his grain now had grass growing over their graves. Su Yu paid no attention to what they were thinking. After sensing his surroundings, he turned his head and barked, "Marquis Dingjun, retract your power!" Marquis Dingjun looked innocent. "My... my Dao was sealed. I couldn't use it anyway." "Oh!" Su Yu nodded and swiftly lifted the divine character seals on Dingjun's Dao. A moment later, Marquis Dingjun's strength was restored. Speechless, Dingjun wondered: *Had I not said anything, would you have genuinely forgotten, or were you just pretending?* Helpless! Seeing everyone looking at him, he had no choice but to quickly retract his Great Dao power as well. He wasn't accustomed to it; after years of vigilance, staying on guard had become second nature. Seeing that Dingjun had retracted his power, Su Yu stopped looking at him and led the group flying in that direction. At this moment, Su Yu refrained from using his Brush Dao power as well, relying purely on his physical strength to fly. Naturally, he kept watch on the chaotic forces to guard against any sudden ambush by ancient beasts. With him on watch, an ambush would be difficult. Although the distance looked short, Su Yu flew for quite a while—nearly an hour—before reaching the location he had spotted earlier. A small mountain peak roughly three to four thousand meters tall presented itself before the group. In the Chaos Mountain Range, this could truly only be considered a small hill. Very small! It was covered in jagged, grotesque rocks and sparse weeds. The weeds here were unusual, but carrying turbid rule power as they did, ordinary people could not use them as precious herbs. The others could not see the formation, but Su Yu looked closely once more. This time, he saw it even more clearly: there was indeed a barrier's power enveloping the area. It might not be a formation; could it be some treasure? Regardless, the chaotic energy on this peak was the weakest. Su Yu said nothing more, leading the group in a swift circuit around the mountain. They searched all over. The others had no idea what he was looking for. After quite a while, Su Yu spotted a modest cavern entrance halfway up the mountain. His eyes flashed, and after inspecting it carefully, he led the group inside. King Dazhou wanted to voice a word of caution—that it was too dangerous to enter before scouting thoroughly. Before he could speak, everyone was stunned. Behind that modest opening lay an entirely different world! A vast cavern opened before their eyes. Faint traces of living beings having inhabited the place were visible, for the first thing that caught their gaze was a giant luminous pearl suspended from the ceiling at the front of the grotto! It illuminated the dark cavern with a bright glow. Someone had lived here! Marquis Dingjun was taken aback as well. "Could this... could this be where Marquis Anbei lived back then?" He looked around swiftly, soon appearing dazed. "It really might have been his dwelling!" He pointed toward the front of the cavern, where a stone bookshelf stood, and said in astonishment, "I think I see some of Marquis Anbei's rare ancient texts! Back then, King Zhan said Marquis Anbei hated reading, was uncultured, and would be phased out sooner or later... So Marquis Anbei borrowed some books from Lord King Wen and the others to keep up appearances. Afterwards, he carried them everywhere and even showed them off a few times..." "Wherever he lived, he would take these books out; it practically became a habit... This... this must be where he stayed!" He was filled with shock. Su Yu had only just arrived, yet he had already found Marquis Anbei's old dwelling! One had to realize that both the myriad races and the human race had been curious about how Marquis Anbei managed to survive in Chaos Mountain for a century without incident. They had attempted to search for his base multiple times, but after suffering heavy casualties, they had given up. Yet Su Yu had found it the moment he arrived! What... what kind of uncanny luck was this? Su Yu didn't bother explaining. The reason Marquis Anbei had survived here for a century was due to the barrier shielding the outside of the peak. As for where that power originated, Su Yu had yet to discover it. It was either a treasure or an array—plain and simple. "Everyone, we will settle here for now!" "This place is our outpost now. Here, displaying your Great Dao power won't be much of an issue." Su Yu gave a few instructions. He was itching to investigate; if it was a treasure capable of shielding against the interference and corruption of chaotic forces, it would be no ordinary item. Su Yu made swift arrangements, making a mental note to check on their neighbors in the surrounding area later! Caution never hurt. Even if this place was relatively safe, one still had to be wary of neighbors coming to call! The group quickly began clearing out the cavern. Having sat empty for so long, it was rather dusty. King Daming did not idle either, quickly heading to the entrance to set up a concealment array. In the Upper Realm, the group had finally found a good place to settle down. Chaos Mountain—keeping company with ancient beasts.