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Stepping into the third level of the ancient tower, Chen Qingyuan's cultivation level was suppressed to the Prenatal Realm, facing an opponent of the same strength.
"Come on!"
Chen Qingyuan took the initiative, exerting the limits of his strength at the Prenatal Realm.
And so, Chen Qingyuan began his trials within the ancient tower.
Song Ningyan was temporarily ahead of Chen Qingyuan, having reached the fifth level. As for Chen Qingyuan, he had no desire to be beaten for five hundred rounds before escaping; he had to fight back before he was willing to ascend to the higher levels of the tower.
Outside the ancient tower, Zhao Yichuan and Lin Wenchou stood guard, not moving an inch.
They were very clear about the situation inside the tower.
"The heir of the Qing Sect truly has exceptional talent and a solid foundation. Following this trend, he might reach the thirtieth level and will not be weaker than you," Lin Wenchou praised.
"It's just the beginning; the road ahead is extremely difficult. Don't jump to conclusions," Zhao Yichuan said, his heart actually quite amazed by Chen Qingyuan's performance, but his face remained indifferent.
"Care to make a bet?"
Lin Wenchou raised an eyebrow.
"Boring, I won't bet."
Zhao Yichuan rejected the proposal without hesitation.
"You're really no fun. Can't you have some other interests besides cultivation?"
Fine wine, beautiful women, power, and wealth—none of these entered Zhao Yichuan's eyes. Sometimes, Lin Wenchou felt that Zhao Yichuan was not a normal person, as if there was something wrong with his heart.
Having maintained the body of a child for over ten thousand years, in the Northern Wilderness, he was almost unique.
"Mundane affairs are but stumbling blocks on the path of cultivation."
In Zhao Yichuan's life journey, there was only cultivation. Everything else in the world was excluded.
"Sigh! If you have no interest, what's the point of all this diligent cultivation?"
Lin Wenchou asked.
"To become stronger," Zhao Yichuan replied.
"And then?"
Lin Wenchou pressed further.
"To pursue a higher path, to see farther places."
After pondering for a while, Zhao Yichuan said with unwavering determination.
"Alright then, I certainly don't have your level of enlightenment," Lin Wenchou shook his head, savoring a sip of fine wine, his expression one of enjoyment.
***
Meanwhile, in the Flow Star Domain, at the Heavenly Jade Sect.
Beneath the sect's grounds, there was a massive array with countless spirit stones piled at the array's focal points to prevent the spiritual qi from depleting and causing the array to fail.
In the center of the array, a vast demon's lair was sealed.
"The demonic energy has already surged out of the array; we won't be able to control it in two years at most."
"We've done our best, but still can't solve it."
"In my opinion, the chaos of the demon's lair is unstoppable. While there's still some time, we should quickly organize our resources and relocate the sect to another star domain."
"What should we do?"
All the high-ranking members of the various sects gathered here, having tried everything to no avail in dealing with the demon's lair. At this moment, everyone had lost hope of resolving the issue with the demon's lair, and many decided to leave the Flow Star Domain as soon as possible to minimize losses.
As for the ordinary cultivators and countless common beings who lacked the means to escape, they could only stay here and await death.
The sacred grounds were too busy with their own troubles to spare any thought for the lives of the common folk.
"If any Dao Friend is willing to enter the demon's lair to try, perhaps the current dilemma could be resolved," an Elder of the Heavenly Jade Sect said through gritted teeth.
"This disaster was caused by your Heavenly Jade Sect. If anyone should enter the demon's lair, it should be you. Do you really expect us to risk our lives for you?"
These words instantly angered the powerful figures of the various sects, their gazes towards the people of the Heavenly Jade Sect becoming particularly sharp.
Intimidated by their aura, the Elders of the Heavenly Jade Sect hurriedly explained, "Please calm your anger, esteemed Dao Friends; that was not our intention."
"Then what is your intention?"
"Had the Heavenly Jade Sect disclosed the matter of the demon's lair from the start, when it was not yet formidable, it would have been easily dealt with. Now that it has grown beyond control, the Heavenly Jade Sect not only fails to remedy the situation but also expects us to enter and die for them, which is laughable!"
"Don't think that by giving some benefits to the various sects in the past, you can wash away the sins of the Heavenly Jade Sect. Those benefits were mere compensation and cannot cover up the foolish actions of the Heavenly Jade Sect."
Now that the matter was out in the open, the representatives of the various sects no longer spared the Heavenly Jade Sect any face, loudly accusing them.
Faced with the rebukes from the various sects, Sect Master Qin Yang showed no emotional fluctuation, his face expressionless.
It wasn't until the voices of the crowd gradually subsided that Qin Yang finally spoke, "Esteemed ones, please allow me to say a few words."
Seeing that Qin Yang was finally ready to speak, everyone fell silent and turned their attention to him.
"We only need to place this Array Boundary Spiritual Pearl at the deepest part of the demon's lair to strengthen the array and buy time. Then, I will go to the core area of the Northern Wilderness to seek help from a top-tier powerful figure, and there might be a glimmer of hope."
"Whoever dares to go, regardless of success or failure, will be gifted a priceless treasure in gratitude."
As he spoke, a dark-colored spiritual pearl appeared in Qin Yang's palm, a treasure crafted by a master of arrays over ten years. By placing the spiritual pearl at the deepest part of the demon's lair, it could suppress the anomaly, buying at least a hundred years of precious time.
"Why won't Sect Master Qin enter himself?"
Someone asked coldly.
"I am well aware that my strength is insufficient for such a task," Qin Yang said unabashedly, without a change in expression.
In plain terms, he was afraid to die.
Qin Yang tossed a ring into the air, using mystic art to project the space within the ring, which contained three complete high-quality spirit veins, various precious herbs, and high-quality magical instruments.
The crowd was shocked at the sight, greed flashing in their eyes.
Setting aside the various treasures, just the three high-quality spirit veins were enough to take the breath away from countless powerful figures.
Many of the top sects in the Flow Star Domain had only one high-quality spirit vein as their ancestral vein.
Yet, Qin Yang casually offered three high-quality spirit veins, indicating the magnitude of his gesture.
"The Heavenly Jade Sect has reaped quite a few benefits from the demon's lair over the years!"
"Damn it, the Heavenly Jade Sect has taken huge advantages, and now that they've messed up, they want us to solve their problems, which is infuriating."
"Last time, the Heavenly Jade Sect claimed to have distributed all their resources to the various sects and schools, but now it seems like a joke."
The crowd discussed through sound transmission, cursing the ancestors of the Heavenly Jade Sect. They were angry and envious, yet helpless and distressed.
"Esteemed ones, are you willing to give it a try?"
At this point, Qin Yang no longer cared about his own dignity. No matter what, he couldn't take this risk. If the demon's lair truly erupted, Qin Yang would simply abandon the Heavenly Jade Sect's assets and flee as far as possible.
Of course, if there was still a chance to salvage the situation, Qin Yang did not want to give up.
"Sect Master Qin's offer is generous, but entering the demon's lair is a sure path to death, and we would not be fortunate enough to enjoy these benefits."
The powerful figures of the various sects were not fools; they could not stomach the benefits before them.
Risking their lives for these resources was not worth it. Most importantly, they saw no hope of winning the bet.
After a long stalemate, Qin Yang grew anxious. Could it be that no one was willing to go?
The laws within the demon's lair were extremely chaotic. If they did not send a powerful figure to personally escort the Array Boundary Spiritual Pearl inside, and instead tried to use supernatural powers from outside the array, they would definitely fail to place the spiritual pearl in the proper position.
"I'm not going to do something as foolish as courting death."
Although the crowd was tempted, they remained rational and would not do something so foolish, nor did they want to clean up the mess caused by the Heavenly Jade Sect.
Seeing this, Qin Yang felt uncertain, a hint of worry appearing in his eyes.
If truly no one would enter, Qin Yang would have to give up on the Heavenly Jade Sect's legacy.
Clenching his fists tightly, Qin Yang was unwilling to let years of hard work go to waste.
Just as the atmosphere became very oppressive, a voice came from afar:
"I'll go."