Xuanji Immortal Domain, the main altar of the super Dao Lineage, Xuanji Star Palace.
On the magnificent square, covered in mysterious and beautiful star-like clouds, stood a quiet bronze palace. Its surface was covered with strange and profound patterns, radiating colorful lights and exuding a deep and vast Dao Rhyme. Thousands of powerful experts stood guard around it.
Wrapped in brilliant rays of light and with a blurred face, the Palace Master of Xuanji Star Palace, Yan Qinyang, walked into the square with the support of many high-level members, heading straight for the bronze palace.
Following the hundred steps, they arrived at the entrance of the palace. The elder on duty personally opened the door and welcomed the Palace Master and his entourage inside.
The interior space of the bronze palace was much larger than it appeared from the outside. The first floor alone was over a thousand zhang in size. Faint blue spiritual mist surged, and under the radiance of a giant formation array, thirty thousand cultivators sat on the ground. Judging from their attire, they were all core disciples of Xuanji Star Palace.
At this moment, their Divine Souls had entered the Misty Illusion Secret Realm. The surrounding elders were responsible for guarding, while disciples were in charge of rescue and care. There were also well-organized areas for storing various pills and treasures.
Occasionally, one or two cultivators would suddenly wake up, their faces covered in blood as they collapsed to the ground. They would quickly be carried away by the disciples waiting nearby for treatment.
After looking around, the Palace Master nodded slightly, feeling satisfied.
An elder beside him smiled and said, “Palace Master, our disciples have performed well in this opening of the Misty Illusion Secret Realm. We have already taken nearly fifty percent of the two hundred and sixteen caves, secret mansions, and medicine mountains that were planned. They are currently collecting resources inside, and the progress in the remaining areas is also smooth. I believe we will have good news soon.”
“Since obtaining this extraordinary treasure, our advantage has been growing. The elders of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace spent a lot of effort to find it, but little did they know that after holding it for only a few days, it ultimately became our wedding dress.”
The surrounding elders all revealed knowing smiles. Since defeating Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace and taking away this extraordinary treasure, the Heavenly Sound Hall, thousands of benefits have been gained by Xuanji Star Palace during each opening of the Misty Illusion Secret Realm.
The marvelous use of this innate spiritual treasure was that as long as one was inside it, their Divine Soul would be blessed with the power of special laws. Their strength when entering the Misty Illusion Secret Realm could be increased by about twenty percent based on their own foundation, and the damage suffered after death and revival could be partially reduced.
Therefore, every time the Misty Illusion Secret Realm opened, Xuanji Star Palace could obtain many extraordinary benefits. With the accumulation of advantages time after time, they had already pulled ahead of other super Dao Lineages.
The Palace Master, Yan Qinyang, spoke in a soft voice, “Back then, the previous Palace Master decided to join forces with Bright Moon Sword Sect to wage war against Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace with the full power of our sect. Besides the fact that they had a strange leader, this innate spiritual treasure was also one of the reasons. As long as we have it, Xuanji Star Palace will have the capital to completely swallow up the remaining foundation of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace in a few thousand or tens of thousands of years, and even take over the territory of Bright Moon Sword Sect.”
“Once we fully integrate the power of the three super Dao Lineages, we will become the most powerful force in the Great Void Starry Sky, and we won’t even need to pay much attention to Calamity Fate Palace.”
The surrounding elders all echoed and flattered. The greatest achievement of the previous Palace Master before retiring was defeating the archenemy Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace and greatly weakening their strength. Although they were hindered by other super forces and couldn’t completely annihilate them, they just needed to wait a few more years.
Yan Qinyang nodded and walked up the stairs to the distant second floor. There were over three thousand cultivators sitting in a formation array, with half of them being elders of different levels and the rest being elite core disciples who received special training. Nearly one-third of the cultivators had a special artifact.
The people on the second floor were even more important, so they received more protection. Their strength when entering the Misty Illusion Secret Realm could be increased by about thirty to forty percent based on their own foundation, and the damage suffered after death and revival could be reduced by forty percent.
After observing for a while, Yan Qinyang arrived at the third floor. There were less than two hundred cultivators here, but most of them were high-level elders responsible for protecting the thirty or so young cultivators in the middle.
The two men and two women in the most central area were the outstanding geniuses of the new generation of Xuanji Star Palace. They all had the cultivation level of Feather Transformation Realm, and two of them were Yan Qinyang’s direct disciples.
Yan Qinyang smiled and said, “Bright Moon Sword Sect has Lin Shengqing, and his father is extremely happy, boasting to everyone he meets. But little does he know that we have at least four geniuses of the same level here, and the rest of these seeds are not inferior either. Let’s see in a few thousand years what they have to compete with us.”
The cultivators on the third floor not only had the highest cultivation level, but their strength when entering the Misty Illusion Secret Realm could be increased by about fifty percent based on their own foundation, and the damage suffered after death and revival could be reduced by fifty percent.
Therefore, Yan Qinyang was full of confidence. Although other super forces might have some unknown cards, the special advantages of Xuanji Star Palace were irreplaceable.
…
On the snowy peak.
Qi Yalan waved her delicate hand, and a set of robes formed by mana appeared on her body. Although it couldn’t compare to refined spiritual treasures, it still had basic defensive capabilities.
“This place should be… the Endless Mountain Range? That’s right.”She carefully observed the surrounding environment after just arriving, and after roughly confirming her location, she relaxed a little.
Qi Yalan had been to the Misty Illusion Secret Realm more than once, so she was familiar with many areas here. Combined with her strong cultivation, ensuring safety was not a problem at all.
She randomly chose a direction and flew away. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared into the sky.
“I must find Junior Brother as soon as possible.”
Qi Yalan silently pondered. The communication technique of the sect would only work within a certain range, so she needed to find Qing Muling and the others. However, when cultivators first entered, they were usually in relatively safe primitive areas, so it wasn’t as difficult to meet up as imagined.
She was just afraid that other sect cultivators would find Qing Muling first. The opportunities in the secret realm were not unlimited, and in order to compete for those treasures, fellow disciples might stab each other in the back, especially between different Dao Lineages.
Just like the fierce competition between beasts in the same mountain forest, meeting meant a fight to the death. It was even more so for cultivators in the same secret realm.
As for the senior sisters, they were not newcomers. With their strong cultivation and rich experience, there was no need to worry at all.
However, when she thought of Luo Huan and other elite core disciples possibly finding Qing Muling first, Qi Yalan felt an urge to grit her teeth. These seductive foxes had been eyeing Junior Brother for a long time. If they had the chance, wouldn’t they use all their tricks to seduce him?
Enough is enough!
…
At the edge of the desert was a river that was over 200 zhang wide. Its length was unknown, and the river water appeared dark but exceptionally clear.
The river was over a hundred zhang deep, and it seemed relatively calm on the surface, but there were turbulent undercurrents beneath. Many large fish and aquatic creatures could be seen swimming around.
On the opposite bank of the river were continuous low hills, with occasional scattered vegetation and unknown birds and beasts appearing.
Qing Muling cautiously surveyed the surroundings and, after confirming that there were no dangerous creatures, he focused on the creatures in the river. After a brief identification, he found that there were at least dozens of fish and aquatic creatures recorded in the information, and a few of them were considered good resources.
His divine sense quickly locked onto a big fellow in the river that was preying on the fish. Qing Muling used a secret technique, and after a breath, a thick thunderbolt descended from the sky and fiercely struck the head of the water creature, which was about seven or eight zhang long.
“Roar~”
The water creature was caught off guard and couldn’t help but roar furiously. It quickly rushed towards the shore, causing waves several zhang high.
“It really is a Cangshui Wujiaoshou.”
Qing Muling’s expression remained unchanged. He continuously used the secret technique, and several thunderbolts accurately hit its head. With his pure and powerful spiritual power and his control ability far surpassing cultivators of the same level, this ordinary thunder technique could unleash considerable attack power.
The Cangshui Wujiaoshou was repeatedly hit and became even more furious. When it finally climbed ashore, its head was already charred, and large pieces of its skull were exposed.
This big fellow’s strength should be at the Nascent Soul Realm high stage, and its vigorous blood energy far surpassed Qing Muling. Its body was covered in palm-sized scales that were difficult to harm with swords or blades. It emitted a faint black aura and had a quite agile reaction speed. In its narrow and long dark golden eyes, there flickered a cold light, as well as a trace of anger and killing intent, indicating that its intelligence was not low.
The ground trembled, and a terrifying killing intent rushed towards Qing Muling. In the surging and violent airflow, the Cangshui Wujiaoshou was only a few zhang away from Qing Muling, and it could reach him in an instant with its speed.
However, Qing Muling had no intention of dodging. Dozens of vine-like tendrils, as thick as arms and lush green, suddenly emerged from underground without warning, firmly binding its huge body and preventing it from moving.
The Cangshui Wujiaoshou became even more furious, swinging its body and struggling desperately. However, the vines were extremely tough, and it seemed impossible to break free within the time of a few breaths.
This was naturally Qing Muling’s hidden technique. With the blessing of the innate Harmony Spirit Seed, all wood-based techniques and spells released by him would automatically increase their attack power by two major realms. It was especially effective against this kind of creature.
Moreover, more vines continued to emerge, tightly binding its body in layers. Some of the vines grew countless sharp thorns, which ruthlessly pierced its vulnerable parts such as its mouth, eyes, and lower jaw.
The Cangshui Wujiaoshou’s roar quickly turned into a wail. Qing Muling’s figure floated in the air and lightly climbed onto its back along its spine. The wooden sword in his hand burst out with dazzling brilliance, and with one sword, it pierced its left eye. The sharp sword energy penetrated its brain, and then exploded.
After suffering a heavy blow to a vital area, this big fellow’s reaction slowed down abruptly. After a dozen breaths, with its final wail, the Cangshui Wujiaoshou, which was like a wall, fell heavily to the ground, raising a large cloud of dust.
Qing Muling waved his hand, and the vines turned into spiritual energy and dissipated. He wielded the wooden sword and cut open the giant beast. After searching for a while, he dug out a fist-sized Nascent Soul, which was round and smooth, emitting a faint clear light. The essence of rich spiritual energy gathered around it.
He took a look and decisively cut it open with the sword. Since he couldn’t bring it back, eating it directly was the most appropriate choice.As for the big fellow in front of him, it would be a waste to simply abandon it. Qing Muling pondered for a moment and then made up his mind. With his body as the center, a faint image of the Blue Lotus appeared, enveloping the entire body of the river monster.
In a short while, the image of the Blue Lotus faded and disappeared, leaving only a pile of broken skeletons on the spot. The essence of blood and flesh was completely absorbed by the Harmony Spirit Seed, transforming into nutrients for its recovery and growth.
“Hmm, there are still many big fellows in this river, it could be a good opportunity for it to replenish…”
Qing Muling’s gaze turned back to the water.