In the secret realm of the cave heaven, the sky was clear and sunny, with not a cloud in sight for miles.

Despite the many years that had passed since the fall of the mysterious Daoist Supreme, the world he had created still maintained a perfectly self-consistent system of Daoist laws. Those with insufficient cultivation could hardly feel any difference between this place and the outside world.

On a gentle slope, Qing Muling put away the Soul Slaying Bell in his hand. He had just been through a bloody battle, yet his body remained clean and agile, showing no signs of fatigue.

The ground was littered with corpses, including human cultivators and native spirit beasts of the secret realm. Some of the creatures were quite large and intimidating, and the air was still filled with the chaotic remnants of their violent spiritual power.

Cheng Yulan and Yu Binghua, two senior sisters, were directing Daoist puppet soldiers to clean up the battlefield. Qing Muling had intended to help but was refused by them. After all, he had already worked hard enough, and it was only right for him to rest now.

The cause of the incident was simple: the three siblings were hunting spirit beasts and collecting ancient medicinal herbs in the mountains when a group of passing rogue cultivators took a fancy to them. After confirming there were only three of them, the rogues became more brazen, hurling lewd comments and threatening to seize their gains.

Naturally, there was no room for discussion. An enraged Qing Muling took the lead, with the assistance of his two senior sisters, and in a short time, the group was slaughtered. The intense battle disturbed some powerful spirit beasts in the area, which angrily joined the fray, only to be killed by the trio as well.

“…Nothing good, just a bunch of paupers, what a waste of time!”

Cheng Yulan sighed in disappointment after inspecting the spoils gathered in one place.

There were only some spiritual and treasure-grade storage bracelets and rings, flying swords, Daoist robes, and low-level medicinal pills. The craftsmanship was crude, and the quality was poor. These rogue cultivators were mostly the struggling lower class of the cultivation world, so how could they have any significant wealth? If not for the valuable spirit beasts nearby, this fight would have indeed been a loss.

Qing Muling didn’t mind. Compared to his senior sisters, his own experience in actual combat was still not rich enough, so he took it as a warm-up exercise.

After the cleanup, Yu Binghua set fire to the corpses of the rogue cultivators, leaving no trace behind.

The trio moved to a new location, lit a bonfire, and began to prepare the spirit beasts they had killed. These creatures had thrived in the secret realm, feasting on the abundant heavenly materials and earthly treasures, growing plump and strong. Roasted, their meat was incredibly delicious and truly nourishing.

“Feels like living here for three to five years, just eating could advance someone to the rank of a True Immortal!”

Qing Muling remarked as he gazed at the spirit beast meat on the grill, oozing with fat and shimmering with a faint aura. After all, the potency of this meat was… incredibly strong, rich with spiritual essence, practically walking elixirs.

In the days since entering the cave heaven, he had noticed the high number of advanced spirit beasts, which traveled in groups and tasted excellent. There were also various rare spiritual fruits, mushrooms, and lake delicacies, making it almost a case of eating wherever one went, to the point of indigestion.

Fortunately, the storage space in his bracelet was large enough, and the space within his innate Harmony Spirit Seed had grown to a thousand miles in radius, more than enough to hold the various treasures collected along the way.

Of course, these native spirit beasts were formidable and not easy to handle. Cultivators had to weigh their own strength carefully before attempting to hunt them, as a slight miscalculation could lead to being killed by the beasts.

However, with the cultivation of his second senior sister, Cheng Yulan, and the use of formations, they were among the most powerful in the cave heaven. With Qing Muling and Yu Binghua’s assistance, dealing with these creatures was effortless.

“It’s a pity that the secret realm is only open for a hundred days. If we don’t return on time, the next opening might not be until five hundred years later!”

Yu Binghua smiled radiantly, yet she pondered in her heart. If she could live here with Junior Brother for five hundred years, enjoying a daily life of dual cultivation as a couple of immortals, it would be quite nice, and they could avoid those seductive foxes outside. Unfortunately, the high ranks of the Dao Court would never agree.

“Don’t think too much. Having the chance to scour this peerless treasure land for a hundred days is already a rare opportunity. The Dao Court isn’t a charity; they can’t always fulfill your wishes.”

Cheng Yulan handed over two large pieces of roasted spirit beast meat to Qing Muling. As the Junior Brother had expended the most energy, it was only right to prioritize his nourishment.

Only when he was full could the senior sisters be satisfied.

Qing Muling took the meat and began to eat heartily, and the two senior sisters didn’t sit idle either. In less than half an hour, several large spirit beasts had been devoured by the trio.

What happened next was only natural…

“Could it be that the senior sisters have encountered some trouble? Why haven’t they arrived yet?”

Inside the luxurious boudoir of the cave mansion treasure, filled with a faint fragrance, a slightly fatigued Qing Muling released the milky white Snow Child beside him and took out a jade slip containing a map to check, muttering with some confusion.

He wasn’t too worried, though. Thanks to the spiritual connection with his life-bound Dao companion, he could confirm the status of Xuebing Xuan and the other ladies, at least in terms of safety, though he wasn’t clear about the rest.

Cheng Yulan, with her flushed beautiful face and moist eyes like water, turned over and pressed her flawless body against the Junior Brother, cooing, “They probably encountered some important opportunity, right? Otherwise, they might be held up due to a conflict with cultivators from other sects. But that’s not a big deal; we can go find them later.”

Qing Muling thought it made sense. With the strength of the senior sisters, there weren’t many enemies who could threaten them. Those who weren’t targeted by them should count their blessings.

“But we’re not far from the Cloud Jì Ask Dao Tower, and I’ve heard that there might be ancient cultivation methods and scriptures hidden inside. It would be a pity to miss it!”

Yu Binghua lazily stretched her voluptuous and exquisite body, hugging Qing Muling and kissing him, her eyes filled with infatuation and happiness. She was somewhat reluctant to meet up with the senior sisters too soon. With more people around, it would be inconvenient to be close to Junior Brother. Unlike now, when she could pull him into the room whenever she wanted, eating to her heart’s content, and feeling incredibly happy.

“Well…”

Qing Muling was momentarily indecisive. In the map, the Cloud Jì Ask Dao Tower was an important location in the secret realm, likely where the mysterious Daoist Supreme once lectured and stored lost Daoist scriptures.

Such an important area was naturally the focus of various forces and needed to be explored as a priority. Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace certainly couldn’t miss out, or else if the opposing forces gained an advantage, there would be no remedy for regret.

Cheng Yulan glanced at her junior sister, understanding her intentions, but she wasn’t opposed to it either. Spending more time with Junior Brother to deepen their emotional connection was, of course, preferable.

“Let’s go check out the Cloud Jì Ask Dao Tower first, then. I believe the senior sisters won’t take long to join us.”

After weighing his options, Qing Muling finally made a decision.

The two senior sisters breathed a sigh of relief, entangled him in another round of cultivation until they were satisfied, and then set off on their journey refreshed and invigorated.

Tens of thousands of miles away, deep within the majestic mountains, the sky was almost illuminated by the colorful and dense brilliance of treasures.

As time passed, more and more cultivators from various places arrived, creating a bustling and chaotic scene, with groups of three or five gathering together, and it was hard to tell how many hidden experts were among them.

At the peak of those mountains, the silhouette of a small white tower surrounded by countless clouds appeared and disappeared, its nine layers smooth and integrated, exuding an ancient and profound aura of the Dao, with the mysterious sounds of the Great Dao reverberating at the level of the Divine Soul.

Under the watchful eyes of countless cultivators, the small tower was visibly growing and solidifying from its ethereal state, and the awe-inspiring sounds of the Great Dao grew stronger and clearer.

Near the base of the tower, a semi-circular portal emitting a soft glow quietly emerged.

The Cloud Jì Ask Dao Tower was officially open.

—

Qing Muling frowned upon seeing the chaotic scene. Such a large gathering could turn unpredictable once it descended into chaos. Even with supreme luck and his second senior sister’s formations, it would be hard to ensure absolute safety.

“It’s not necessarily a bad thing; we can just stay back.”

Cheng Yulan waved a plain silk flag, and a thick fog appeared out of nowhere, enveloping the three of them and hiding their presence.

This was the advantage of not being a prominent target. Just three people wouldn’t attract much attention. In contrast, the cultivators closest to the Cloud Jì Ask Dao Tower were already secretly targeted by countless divine senses.

Once the fighting started, they would be the first targets, and how many would survive was uncertain.

“Hmm, the people from Shadow Kill Hall have arrived, and there are so many of them?”

Qing Muling suddenly noticed at the edge of the sky, thousands of dark figures riding on light, rushing over with an unabashedly fierce and chilling murderous aura, startling nearby cultivators into dodging.

In a moment, this bloodthirsty group had charged forward, led by Su Zhengji, a core elder of Shadow Kill Hall, surrounded by more than three thousand disciples, including a significant number of sealers. Their strength was formidable.

The cultivators from the Supreme Dao Lineages were all solemn. With such a lineup from Shadow Kill Hall, they theoretically posed a lethal threat to any sect’s disciples. If they didn’t form alliances, they would end up like dumplings in the hands of Shadow Kill Hall.

“This is a good place, and we from Shadow Kill Hall have taken a liking to it,”

Su Zhengji glanced around and, upon seeing the white tower, narrowed his eyes before declaring loudly, “I am Su Zhengji, a core elder of Shadow Kill Hall. Unrelated friends, please leave quickly to avoid being accidentally injured in the upcoming conflict. Shadow Kill Hall will remember your kindness!”

The scene fell silent, with no one responding.

Many cultivators quietly shifted their positions, subtly grouping together, while more protective spells and talismans were deployed, making the atmosphere subtly tense.

Who would willingly give up such a great opportunity? Even with Shadow Kill Hall’s notorious reputation and formidable strength, they had no right to monopolize this place.

Want to monopolize the venue? Are you prepared to pay the necessary price?

Su Zhengji’s expression darkened. He hadn’t expected that even after revealing his identity, there would still be people who dared to defy him. Did they not fear death?

“Shadow Kill Hall sure has a lot of nerve, but… do you have the capability to confront so many friends here? Don’t get targeted by everyone and end up with no bones left!”

A vague and androgynous voice echoed eerily.

“Huh?”

Su Zhengji’s eyes swept across the crowd with a sinister look, but he found nothing, unable to identify the person who had spoken out to provoke him.

At this point, the number of nearby cultivators, both near and far, probably exceeded a hundred thousand. Although their cultivation levels varied, they held the numerical advantage. If a fight broke out, the people from Shadow Kill Hall wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Elder Su, the opportunities within this secret realm belong to no one and are determined by fate. Your aggressive and domineering approach will not only offend everyone, but the high ranks of the Dao Court will probably not turn a blind eye. Are you sure you want to do this?”

Chi Ye Ling spoke indifferently.

Su Zhengji glanced at him with a sullen look. This young leader of the ancient Kylin clan, once known as the top talent of the new generation, now exuded a fierce killing intent, surrounded by hundreds of strong cultivators from different races, all with unfriendly eyes.

If things broke down and they turned on him, Su Zhengji had no confidence he could escape unscathed, even with a life-saving jade talisman. Losing face was inevitable.

“Since your esteemed self is also interested in this place… Fine!”

Su Zhengji grunted sullenly, dropping the matter of monopolizing the venue.

Perhaps conflicts and killings were still unavoidable later, but not being targeted in advance was always better. Otherwise, how many of his three thousand elite disciples would survive was really hard to say.

The scene fell silent again.

After waiting for another half an hour, the Cloud Jì Ask Dao Tower had grown to a hundred feet tall, and its form had stabilized. With the diffusion of auspicious lights and aura, the sounds of the Great Dao resonating at the level of the Divine Soul suddenly became much clearer.

Near the base of the tower, a semi-circular portal emitting a soft glow quietly appeared.

The Cloud Jì Ask Dao Tower was officially open.