The Void Sect's void gate at the Ancient Yue Grotto Heaven still emits a gentle spirit light.
With the escape light of the last Golden Core Cultivator disappearing into the gate, the tense aura of the Nascent Soul True Monarchs of the Six Great Sects finally relaxed. The oppressive presence of their Nascent Souls also withdrew considerably, replaced by a feeling of reunion after a long absence.
True Monarch of the Moon Mirage raised her hand and brushed the light veil beside her temple, the Mirage Bead in her hand slowly rotating, releasing mist that outlined fragmented light and shadow. She looked at True Monarch Chong Xu, her smile radiant:
"Fellow Daoist, I just sensed the aura of Golden Roc Li Fire in your Daoist Sect's team. A bloodline this pure is rare; it seems your sect's expedition to the Grotto Heaven will yield considerable rewards."
True Monarch Chong Xu chuckled softly at her words:
"Mirage fellow Daoist overpraises us. The young ones still need tempering. It's the Western Wilderness Mirage's 'Mirage Daoist' sent out this time, I've heard he can summon sea mirage phantoms, surely a strong contender for the Nascent Fruit in this competition."
"Haha, speaking of the Nascent Fruit!"
Suddenly, True Monarch Purple Sun of the Taiyi Xuan Sect spoke, the Purple Sun Mirror in his hand refracted a seven-colored glow, creating colorful patterns on the plain.
"Our sect's youngsters were betting in the cabin last night, saying they'd seize at least two Nascent Fruits this time. They're rather audacious, aren't they?"
Nether River True Monarch of the Six Paths Saint Sect merely shook his head, the black flame in the Netherworld Lamp flickering uncertainly:
"It's good for young people to be ambitious, but the Secret Realm is fraught with unpredictable dangers. The Sword Childs of Myriad Swords Sect each exude powerful Sword Intents, appearing formidable in nature, not easy to deal with. Fellow Daoist Jianchen, wouldn't you agree?"
True Monarch Sword Dust, holding the Mountain-Slaying Sword, which emitted a subtle sword hum, spoke in a calm tone:
"The path of Sword Dao requires progress through competition. Whether they seize the Nascent Fruit is their fortune; if not, it's a form of tempering."
In the words between the True Monarchs, there were expectations for the younger generations, as well as the silent rivalry between sects.
Krijg op elke leeftijd een erectie met deze oude truc! Tweemaal daags innemenOpen
Amidst the conversation and laughter, True Monarch Chong Xu raised his hand and gestured lightly at the Three Elements Dao Sect's ship, causing the hundred-meter-long ancient-looking ship to faintly glow green, as if compressed by an invisible force, slowly shrinking.
First the hull shortened, then the Spirit Wood's texture became intricate, the Luminous Bead's glow contracted into fragmented light points. In an instant, it shrank to the size of a palm, transformed into a green light, flew into True Monarch Chong Xu's sleeve, and vanished from sight.
The other True Monarchs followed suit, True Monarch of the Moon Mirage pointing at the Western Wilderness's ship, a pale purple mist enveloping the vessel, which rapidly shrank like melting snow, finally becoming a fingernail-sized Mirage Crystal that landed into her palm.
True Monarch Sword Dust simply waved the Mountain-Slaying Sword, silver-white sword light flashed, and the Myriad Swords Sect's ship was instantly enveloped in sword light, shrinking into a miniature sword boat, casually stowed into his Storage Ring...
In just a moment, all six grand ships disappeared into the True Monarchs' sleeves or magical treasures, as if they had never been on this plain.
"Time is getting late, my sect still has affairs to attend to, fellow Daoists, farewell!"
True Monarch Chong Xu was the first to salute, the Bamboo Jade Order in his palm emitted a green glow, the surrounding space rippled slightly, like water waves.
The other True Monarchs returned the salutation: "Farewell!"
As the words fell, True Monarch Chong Xu and Han Lou True Monarch's figures blurred slightly, merging into the spatial ripples behind them, like water droplets into a lake surface, disappearing instantly, leaving only a faint green light that soon dissipated into the air.
True Monarch of the Moon Mirage transformed into a pale purple mist, slowly dissipating along the void, vanishing without a trace of aura. True Monarch Sword Dust was enveloped in a flash of silver-white sword light, his whole body slashed through the void like a sharp sword, leaving a thin, long space crack, which rapidly healed, leaving no trace.
True Monarch Purple Sun walked into the void on the glow refracted by the Purple Sun Mirror, with each step his figure faded a bit, until he completely merged into the void. Pearl Light True Monarch held the Glazed Bead, his entire body emitted a glazed light, like a silhouette wrapped in light, slowly faded, and ultimately disappeared from the plain...
In an instant, the ten Nascent Soul True Monarchs all departed, leaving only the large void gate in the center of the plain, along with the lingering spirit light and ancient patterns on the ground.
...
The opening duration of the Ancient Yue Grotto Heaven has always been precisely locked at nine months, not a day more, not a moment less. For the Nascent Soul True Monarchs of the Six Great Sects, expecting them to wait in this place for nine months is simply impossible.
As pillars of their sects, they need to oversee the sect, handle sect affairs, orchestrate spirit vein allocations, and mediate cultivator disputes... where do they have leisure to sit idly on this desolate plain?
More importantly, even if they stayed to wait, it would be meaningless.
The Ancient Yue Grotto Heaven's core houses an exceedingly intricate void restriction, which not only prevents Nascent Soul Cultivators from entering, but once the time limit is reached, the restriction becomes an invisible hand, transporting all foreign cultivators out of the Secret Realm using the Void Shifting Skill.
That shifting skill is extraordinarily refined, neither damaging cultivators' physical bodies nor their Storage Magical Treasures, yet scattering them across all corners of Yue Country.
Some may find themselves on a bustling Immortal City street, some may appear in remote mortal forests, and some might be transported to the far north ice fields or Southern Border's miasma marshes, with locations unpredictable.
In earlier years, some loose cultivators didn't believe in fate and tried to exploit loopholes—they laid layers of Killing Array near the entrance after the Grotto Heaven opened, intending to rob the Spiritual Objects from exiting cultivators.
As a result, these people waited for a full nine months, without seeing a single cultivator emerge, nor capturing even a hint of spiritual power fluctuation. In the end, they could only leave dejectedly, having wasted a large amount of spirit stones and time.
After all, the landing points of void shifting are completely random. Not to mention setting up a Heaven and Earth Net in advance, even if a Nascent Soul Cultivator took action, they couldn't possibly catch those figures being randomly transported.
It's precisely because of this void restriction that Golden Core Cultivators without a deep background dare to boldly enter the Ancient Yue Grotto Heaven for adventure.
Most of them come from small families or are loose cultivators, without a sect's Nascent Soul True Monarch to back them. If someone were waiting outside the secret realm, even if they risked their lives to find spiritual materials in the grotto heaven, they might still be directly captured by powerful cultivators upon exiting, toiling for them in vain.
Now, with this void restriction, they are free of that concern—as long as they survive the secret realm, they can leave safely with their gains. Even if transported to a remote place, they only need some time to travel back to the familiar market.
...
Inside the grotto heaven, two soft white lights suddenly fell from the void, landing lightly as two feathers beside a large lake. As the light faded, the figures of Chen Xihua and Master Shi Fang appeared.
As soon as Master Shi Fang landed, he couldn't help but take a deep breath, his eyes lighting up with excitement:
"Such dense spiritual energy! It's several times more rich than the main peak of the Three Elements Dao Sect, there must be several tier five spiritual veins underground here!"
He reached out to touch the lake surface, which emitted a faint spirit light, with a warm sensation transmitting through his fingertips:
"It's a pity there's only nine months' time. If we had twenty years, just digging out the spirit crystals from the spirit veins, we'd make a fortune!"
Of course, this was a joke. The spiritual veins beneath the Ancient Yue Grotto Heaven are set with countless restrictions by great divine power users. Not to mention the two Golden Core Cultivators, even if a Nascent Soul True Monarch came in person, they would find it difficult to forcefully excavate, only to sigh in admiration.
On the side, Chen Xihua didn't respond but closed his eyes, carefully sensing the process of the void teleportation.
When wrapped in Ancient Yue Profound Light just now, he clearly felt the wrinkles and flow of space, that wondrous sensation of crossing distance shook his soul:
Er komt 's morgens een stukje worm uit je. Probeer hetOpen
"So this is void teleportation? Truly remarkable!"
He had seen long-distance teleportation arrays in the Three Elements Immortal City, which not only required a large consumption of spirit stones but also involved intense spatial turbulence. Compared to the silent, stable and gentle void shifting, they were simply child's play.
"Alright, snap out of it!"
Master Shi Fang patted his shoulder with a laugh:
"The grotto heaven is so vast, nine months will pass in a flash. We can't waste time in a daze; we need to quickly determine our position and find some opportunities—that's the main task."
The Ancient Yue Grotto Heaven is enormous, spanning millions of miles. Even Golden Core Cultivators must spend a lot of time on traveling, requiring a well-planned route.
Usually, the cultivators transported into the grotto heaven head towards the nearest opportunity point.
Hearing this, Chen Xihua slowly opened his eyes and nodded: "First, let's find out where we are?"
He released his divine sense like a tide, spreading around. What he saw was a vast, boundless lake, its water crystal clear, with faint gleams of spirit crystal lights beneath.
Around the lake stood several mountain peaks resembling tridents, their bodies a dark green color, covered with dense patterns, emitting a faint sharp aura, obviously shrouded in profound mysterious restrictions.
Master Shi Fang also released his divine sense to survey the surrounding terrain. When his gaze fell on those peaks, he suddenly trembled with excitement, his eyes flashing with unparalleled light:
"We're incredibly lucky! This should be the Taiyue Sword Peak in the southernmost of the grotto heaven, and this lake is the Sword Washing Lake!"
He explained rapidly:
"Taiyue Sword Peak is a sword cultivator's treasure ground marked on the Daoist Sect map, with many treasures suitable for sword cultivators."
"Especially the Sword Grinding Cliff, where the legendary 'Sword Heart Bamboo' grows. It's a supreme treasure for sword cultivators, capable of refining the sword heart and nurturing sword intent, a dream for many sword cultivators!"
The Ancient Yue Grotto Heaven has been explored multiple times by Daoist Sect cultivators, with detailed maps marking dozens of known opportunity sites.
The most central is the Creation Floating Island in the middle of the grotto heaven, filled with tier four spiritual objects and where the Nascent Fruit grows, a focal point for all cultivators' contention.
Other places also have their own wonders, from heavenly materials and earthly treasures to nascent soul spiritual materials, opportunities are countless.
Master Shi Fang was clear about his strength, knowing he couldn't compete with those at Golden Core Perfection, so he didn't plan to join the fun at Creation Floating Island for now.
This Taiyue Sword Peak was one of his most desired targets for this journey. To think they were directly transported nearby, it's definitely an advantageous position.
According to Daoist Sect records, Taiyue Sword Peak only allows the first fifty cultivators to reach it during each grotto heaven opening. Once the number is exceeded, endless restrictions activate on the peak, blocking further people.
"We were transported directly here, truly a heaven-sent opportunity!"
Master Shi Fang rubbed his hands with anticipation:
"Other cultivators will take at least several days to get here from the teleportation drop point. This time is enough for us to seize the initiative; we might find quite a few valuable things."
Chen Xihua looked up at Taiyue Sword Peak, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. His luck has always been good, and this Taiyue Sword Peak suits not only Master Shi Fang but him as well.
Though the Sword Heart Bamboo holds no use for him, the sword grinding spiritual materials, Sword Dao insights, and Sword Dao inheritance on the peak are exactly what he urgently needs.
Moreover, the Daoist Sect records mention that the process of climbing Taiyue Sword Peak is an opportunity in itself!
The restrictions on the peak actively infuse Sword Dao insights, cleanse the sword heart, and hone sword intent, greatly enhancing a sword cultivator's swordsmanship proficiency. The better one's Sword Dao talent, the higher the steps climbed, the more benefits gained.
Thus, the sword madmen of the Myriad Swords Sect consider this place second only to Creation Island.
Chen Xihua's gaze suddenly landed on a colorful area on the eastern side of the peak, enveloped in clouds and mist, with faint steam rising, and couldn't help but mutter to himself:
"That should be the source of Sword Washing Lake—the Five Elements Crystal Element Cave."
"If I can enter it through the Sword Heart Passage, perhaps I can find the 'Myriad Spirits Stone Milk', which is one of the three great treasures needed for advancing to the third layer of 'Myriad Phenomena Sources Returning to Spirit Skill'."
With this thought, Chen Xihua no longer hesitated and said to Master Shi Fang: "Time is of the essence, let's hurry and climb the mountain."
"Alright!" Master Shi Fang nodded in agreement.
The two then simultaneously leapt, transforming into two streams of light, flying towards Taiyue Sword Peak.
Soon, they landed at the foot of the sword peak, where they saw a gigantic stone tablet standing there, inscribed with ancient seal characters!
"Taiyue Divine Sword Peak, Sword Grinding Land, fifty sword child can climb the mountain..."
The characters were powerful and vigorous, seemingly containing true Sword Dao intent, causing Chen Xihua's heart to tremble, feeling an urge to draw his sword.
As they ascended the stone steps, they had just reached the mountainside when a heavy pressure suddenly came upon them, accompanied by a fierce sword momentum, as though countless invisible long swords hovered overhead, making it difficult to breathe.
Master Shi Fang's face changed slightly, circulating his spiritual power to resist:
"Such heavy sword pressure! It seems the rumors were true—this Taiyue Sword Peak might really be transformed from a tier five ultimate sword!"
However, Chen Xihua didn't feel much discomfort. Instead, he closed his eyes, letting the sword pressure envelop him. As he continued to climb, a pure stream of Sword Dao insights flowed into his mind, deepening his understanding of swordsmanship.
The previously obscure sword techniques now became clear, and the previously stagnant sword intent gradually condensed, becoming more refined.
Chen Xihua felt extremely delighted, his Lifebound Sword Pill trembling constantly, emitting joyful sword cries:
"Grinding swords and climbing peaks, truly a great opportunity!"