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墨書 Inktalez
The renowned Heavenly Grain's Ancient Celestial Field is located at the back of the Peak mountain. The entrance is surprisingly an inconspicuous small hole.
If it weren't for the people from Heavenly Grain explicitly stating it, no one would guess that the entrance to the Ancient Celestial Field is such a small opening, less than three feet high, hidden among the tall grass.
The Ancient Celestial Field has finally been revealed to the entire Immortal Sect.
The entrance is crowded with people. The thousands of participants from yesterday have not diminished much. The so-called Treasure Competition was simply too easy. As long as one has a cultivation level above Initial Stage of Caution and possesses decent magical artifacts, they could return before the incense burns out. Moreover, there is an unspoken understanding among the various sects; their goal is the Heavenly Grain's Ancient Celestial Field, knowing that true dangers lie within. Therefore, aside from the Emei Four Swords having some reservations about Li Hong, most have no intention of sabotaging each other and have flocked here instead.
In reality, the total number of disciples from the Eight Major Sects is only about five to six hundred, with half of the remaining participants being from small sects. Many of these individuals enter seeking opportunities—hoping to stumble upon a spiritual herb or obtain a bottle of Jade Liquid or similar treasures, which would provide some resources for future cultivation. Some smaller sects are merely seeking face, pitifully pooling their best magical artifacts to give to new disciples who meet the requirements, repeatedly advising them to return immediately if they encounter danger and not to lose both people and artifacts inside—essentially treating it like a sightseeing trip. There are also some lone cultivators quietly standing aside, appearing quite mysterious. However, even these individuals were not hindered by Heavenly Grain.
This event was originally announced widely; any newcomer from the Immortal Sect could participate. Thus, it became a chaotic mix of people.
Heavenly Grain seemed completely unconcerned and maintained an air of generosity throughout. Some found this perplexing.
Heavenly Grain distributed a map to each disciple entering.
Qing Yizi smiled from above and said, "Thank you all for your support. However, I must say upfront that it is very dangerous inside; life and death are at your own risk. Heavenly Grain will not be responsible for any incidents that occur once you enter. Additionally, I must mention that many areas inside are still unclear to us; we need your assistance this time. If you find any discrepancies with that map, please make a note of them; there will be rewards upon your exit. To reiterate, this map is from three months ago. The interior has become quite Strange; it changes frequently—sometimes the landscape can be completely different, while other times it may revert back after a few days without explanation. Furthermore, although there are many Exotic Flowers and Rare Herbs inside, most good medicines are heavily Restricted or guarded by Ancient Spirit Beasts; needless to say, it is dangerous. Therefore, I hope everyone will refrain from harvesting ancient celestial herbs inside. That’s all I have to say; I wish you all good luck!"
This speech was primarily directed at those small sects and lone cultivators; the participants from the Eight Major Sects and Five Elements Sect had already reached a different agreement privately. The leaders of the Immortal Sect were well aware.
Many small sects and lone cultivators were quite dismissive of this statement—no harvesting herbs? Then why should we even enter? We can just blend in first and decide what to do once we’re inside!
There were quite a few who held this mindset.
Xuan Xuzi's voice rang out: "Brother Qingyi speaks humbly; we Nine Major Sects do not wish to stand by idly. We have already assigned seats for disciples from the Eight Major Sects, Five Elements Sect, and Qixia Palace; let’s enter first. Within three months, whichever sect's disciples stay inside the longest and produce the most detailed and accurate map will be declared the winner. However, participants from other sects must come forward one by one for inspection; we need to ensure that only newcomers can enter—those who have cultivated for over twenty years should remain behind."
Upon hearing this, there was an uproar among the small sects and lone cultivators. This was too unfair! But their leader Xuan Xuzi was like a deity; who would dare refute him? Most could only seethe silently with indignation.
The crowd began to split into two sides: one side comprised participants from the Eight Major Sects and Five Elements Sect, while the other consisted of members from small sects and lone cultivators.
The participants from the Eight Major Sects began to file into the entrance when suddenly someone shouted: "Unfair! Why must we undergo inspection? Are you saying only your Nine Major Sects are part of the Immortal Sect while we small sects do not count?"
As soon as these words left their mouth, a golden light shot into the crowd at incredible speed, leaving everyone unaware of who had struck. With a thunderous crash and a spray of blood, that person was instantly reduced to fragments—it was indeed one from the small sects.
Some were so enraged they trembled and shouted: "This is too much!" Without hesitation, they attempted to retaliate.
At that moment, a thin beam of Black Light swiftly fled from the splattered flesh and blood, but there was no escape! A crystal-clear jade bottle suddenly appeared, soaring up and capturing the Black Light within it.
Qing Yizi extended her rosy palm to receive the small jade bottle that flew towards her. She glanced inside and smiled, saying, "Indeed, there are spies from the Demon Sect! The Sect Master is truly insightful!" With a flick of her hand, the small jade bottle vanished.
Spies from the Demon Sect! Everyone was stunned by this revelation. They finally understood that Xuan Xuzi had used a provocation tactic to effortlessly expose the spies from the Demon Sect. However, how could spies from the Demon Sect infiltrate such a grand competition?
Most of the scattered cultivators did not know each other. With a whoosh, they hurriedly distanced themselves from one another, casting suspicious glances at those nearby.
Except for the participating disciples from the Eight Major Sects, everyone felt uneasy.
Xuan Xuzi's gentle voice echoed throughout the venue again: "There is no need to panic; this situation was anticipated. We have already confirmed the participants from the Eight Major Sects and the Five Elements Sect. Please do not send any participants forward for inspection just yet."
A long line formed in front of the Immortal Sect leaders. However, some individuals began to reconsider entering after hearing about the spies from the Demon Sect and quietly retreated.
Heavenly Grain had already made arrangements for this; someone soon appeared before them. Those unwilling to enter were taken aside and given a specially formulated Forgetting Pill by Heavenly Grain, causing them to fall into a deep sleep. When they awoke, their memories of these past few days at Heavenly Grain would be completely blank.
Those small sect disciples who wished to enter could only walk past one by one in front of the Immortal Sect leaders. In front of these Nascent Soul Stage experts, even attempting to play tricks would require careful consideration.
The disciples of the Eight Major Sects disregarded all this and began disappearing one by one into the cave entrance.
Li Hong stepped into the cave and immediately felt darkness envelop him, followed by an extremely strange sensation rising in his heart—a warning of extreme danger. Yet at the same time, there was a faint sense of familiarity.
The place inside seemed to have existed since primordial times, exuding a raw and primitive aura that was powerful enough to make one tremble and terrifying enough to weaken one's legs. As he entered the dark cave, Li Hong felt as if he were stepping into the gaping maw of an ancient beast, overwhelmed by a thick stench of blood, cold metallic odor, humid heat, indifference towards living beings, and disdain for all things in existence—all of it made his legs feel weak.
However, there was also a warm familiar aura within, like a sprout beckoning beneath an icy wasteland.
Li Hong could neither hear nor feel those in front or behind him; he unconsciously took steps toward that familiar aura. It felt like walking into a quagmire frozen in time; all sensory perceptions faded away, each step became heavy and laborious as if his body were not his own. Surrounding him was an impenetrable darkness; it did not resemble a cave entrance but rather felt more like passing through that layer of Restrictions he had encountered in the Artifact Hall.
Suddenly, his body felt light as if he had emerged from the quagmire. Before him lay another world.
A deep blue sky stretched above with countless shining stars; a great mountain loomed ahead, its height unfathomable and stretching endlessly from east to west like a giant dragon quietly resting beneath the night sky. The night was eerily quiet, with faint monstrous roars echoing from within the mountain.
In front of them was a flat grassland, with tall grass reaching above their heads, extending all the way to the foot of distant mountains.
There was no one around. It seemed that the cave entrance functioned like a teleportation array, randomly transporting them here. Li Hong summoned Lingyi and flew up, scanning the surroundings.
The grass in front of them swayed slightly from a distance, prompting Li Hong to hurry over.
As she approached, a familiar voice called out, "Who!" A beam of crystal light shot up as Chu Xi appeared, riding her Flowing Crystal. Upon seeing Li Hong, Chu Xi broke into a sweet smile and said, "I didn't expect the first person I would encounter to be you!"
Li Hong chuckled, "It's me."
The order of the teleportation was strange. The group had entered the cave in a line; she remembered that Chu Xi was right behind Chu Huai at the front, while Li Hong had three senior brothers ahead of her. Those three senior brothers were nowhere to be seen now, but she had encountered Chu Xi first. Where had Chuxiong, who was behind them, gone?
It seemed that the priority was to find Chuxiong and reunite with him; this place was dangerous, and Li Hong was worried about Chuxiong wandering around alone.
The two took to their swords and began searching the vast grassland.
Seeing that there was no one around, Li Hong scratched her head and took out a small red box from her Cosmic Bag, handing it over. "This is for you. A gift for your coming-of-age ceremony."
She had received these Supreme Fire Jade Essences from Ling Yizi and had taken one to make medicine for Heavenly Torch. There were still several left, which she had been planning to give to Chu Xi but hadn't found the opportunity until now.
Chu Xi's face flushed slightly as she accepted the box without looking at it and stored it in her Spirit Bag, murmuring, "Thank you, Senior Brother."
Li Hong found it strange that she didn't open it to take a look. Chu Xi usually loved these little items that greatly aided cultivation. She wanted to ask but felt shy about it and turned her face to secretly observe Chu Xi.
Chu Xi's face bore a faint blush that made her skin appear even whiter than jade. Since her coming-of-age ceremony, she had started styling her hair in double buns. Looking closely now, Li Hong felt that Chu Xi had become even more beautiful recently. This beauty was different from the disciples of Qixia Palace; it exuded an elegant demeanor befitting a refined lady without any hint of coyness or affectation.
Noticing Li Hong's gaze upon her, Chu Xi's blush deepened.
Li Hong hurriedly turned her head back to focus on flying her sword while an unusual feeling quietly stirred within her heart.
Before long, they encountered another person. He seemed puzzled as he flew low over the grass with his Flying Sword, shaking his head and glancing around as if he were a bobblehead. From a distance, Li Hong recognized his white Fire Rat Robe and knew he was from Nine Li Sect.
He shouted, "Which senior brother is up ahead?"
The person turned around and, upon recognizing Li Hong, immediately flew over with a delighted laugh, "What good luck to run into you first! Brother Chu Hong, you must take good care of your younger brother."
It was Chu Hai, the little disciple of Ling Panzai and Shibo, who entered the sect at the same time as Li Hong. The two had some friendship and were both from Nine Vermilion Peaks. Li Hong was also very happy to see him.
The three discussed for a while and decided to continue searching for others.
Gradually, they encountered more and more people. There were disciples from Zhao Zhen Sect, disciples from Xuan Wei Sect, and even some from Emei. Li Hong didn't want to waste words, so he simply cupped his hands in greeting from a distance and flew away. However, he still hadn't seen anyone from Nine Li Sect.
As they approached the towering mountain, Li Hong finally realized its grandeur.
It was high! It was truly too high! Describing it as ten thousand fathoms was insufficient; the mountains stood like a row of giant beasts, silently towering before everyone in the cold night. Various strange sounds emanated from within the mountain. Sometimes there were sharp cries resembling those of a night owl. Other times it sounded as if some giant beast was passing by, with a series of crashing sounds like firecrackers echoing as they faded away. Occasionally, it resembled the deep, angry roar of some suffocating wild beast that sent chills down one's spine.
Looking at the dark mountain, Chu Hai's expression turned grim. He hesitated and asked, "What do you think? Should we go in to search or continue looking on the grassland?" Despite his words, his demeanor showed clear fear; he evidently did not want to enter the mountain right away.
Li Hong looked towards Chu Xi.
Just as Chu Xi was about to speak, suddenly a white shadow flashed behind a giant bamboo-like strange tree at the edge of the mountain. Li Hong grabbed Chu Xi's arm and whispered, "There are people over there!"
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