Chapter 608 - 29: Stone Sect, Dragon Palace, Giant Whale

The Taixu Gate.

At this moment, nine clusters of spiritual light of varying sizes floated in the sky before the Stone Sect.

Within each cluster of light was a Flying Celestial Palace, a Spiritual Ship Tower, a mountain, a gourd, a Demon Beast, or something of the sort...

The auras emanating from three of these clusters were the most vast and surging, projecting an astonishing might that seemed to dominate the sky and suppress the very world.

Directly above the Stone Sect, an ancient Immortal Mirror hung motionless. Profound Light cascaded down from it, completely enveloping the area before the gate and revealing every minute detail.

A hundred li away, atop a mountain, Fang Cheng and Feng Yan stood side by side, watching this scene.

"The Beiming Immortal Race got here fast!"

The two were a bit speechless. Despite rushing here as fast as they could, they had still lost the initiative.

"They must have a cross-planar transportation Array or Magical Artifact..."

Neither of them knew much about the Beiming Immortal Race. At that moment, Xia Yue pointed to the nine clusters of light before the Stone Sect and began to introduce them one by one. "That large flying ship is a treasure of the Beiming Immortal Race’s Celestial Jade Lineage. Beiming Yong should be on it."

"That palace seems to be the signature traveling residence of the Cangming Lineage’s top expert, Beiming Yan. And that Immortal Mountain must be the treasure of the Jiyu Lineage..."

Xia Yue rattled off the information like she was listing her own family treasures, revealing everything she had gathered for Ascendant Feng Yan over the years.

Experts from all three main lineages and six branch lineages of the Beiming Immortal Race had arrived, though they had yet to show themselves.

What was certain was that the Celestial Jade Lineage had Beiming Yong, the clan’s number one genius in a thousand years.

Although he only had a Seven Tribulation Cultivation, his Divine Power was enough to crush an ordinary Nine Tribulation Expert.

The one from the Cangming Lineage was named Beiming Yan. He was a Nine Tribulation Expert who had risen to prominence within the Beiming Immortal Race in the last three thousand years. He was a generation senior to Beiming Yong and even stronger.

As for who had come from the Jiyu Lineage, Xia Yue couldn’t tell for now, but judging by the aura emanating from the Immortal Mountain, it was someone above the Seven Tribulations as well.

The other six branch lineages mostly sent experts with powerful auras at the Fourth or Fifth Tribulation and above, displaying the full might of a great clan.

In addition to the Cultivators from the Beiming Immortal Race itself, there were many attendants and Tribulation Realm Cultivators from affiliated factions. Within those nine clusters of light alone, there were no fewer than thirty auras belonging to Tribulation Realm Great Powers!

Furthermore, outside the nine clusters of spiritual light, many Tribulation Realm Cultivators from other factions were lingering around the Taixu Gate, watching from a distance, and their numbers were growing.

Feng Yan stared intently at the Immortal Mirror hanging high above the Taixu Gate, her fine brows furrowing slightly. "Is that a Sixth-rank Magical Artifact?"

Xia Yue nodded. "Among the ten great Clan Treasures of the Beiming Immortal Race, this mirror ranks second. It’s called the Profound Sky Illusion-Shattering Mirror, and it’s rumored to have been obtained from within the Taixu Gate itself. This mirror has the power to see through the Nine Netherworld and observe everything. I can’t believe they actually brought it out."

Feng Yan looked at Fang Cheng, a hint of resignation on her face. "Fellow Daoist Fang, I’m afraid your Void God Gu won’t be able to defend against this mirror, will it?"

"It won’t."

Fang Cheng shook his head. To be honest, he had no confidence that the Void God Gu could evade the illumination of the Profound Sky Illusion-Shattering Mirror. Since he’d obtained it, the Gu had never failed him.

But now was not the time to risk testing the Void God Gu’s limits. After all, the Void God Gu was only a Tier Five Gu Insect, while that Immortal Mirror was a genuine Tier Six Treasure.

He was somewhat puzzled. "Logically, they should have worked together to set a hidden trap before the Taixu Gate, lying in wait to ambush us after we appeared... But they’ve done the exact opposite, openly blocking the gate. Did they calculate that we’d dare to force our way through?"

"They’re banking on the fact that I can’t let go of the temptation of immortality." Feng Yan’s beautiful eyes shifted as she glanced at Fang Cheng. "Besides, you’re overestimating them. To hide their presence from the two of us would require a Sixth-rank Talisman or Magical Artifact at the very least."

"Fellow Daoist Fang, your talent is extraordinary and your comprehension is heaven-defying. In the future, you’ll be able to shatter the void and ascend without relying on external opportunities. You naturally can’t understand what we Cultivators feel. I have now reached the final step toward immortality. As long as there is even a sliver of a chance, I will never give up."

"I believe the same is true for Beiming Yong and Beiming Yan. The opportunity to ascend to immortality comes down to this one chance! They’ve already set the stage; they’re just waiting for me to step up and fight."

Fang Cheng said in a low voice, "Given the current situation, we should still avoid a direct confrontation and plan our next move carefully."

Feng Yan’s thoughts turned, and she said in a gentle voice, "I can help you refine a few more Spiritual Mechanism Incarnations. When the time comes, if we join forces, we should stand a fighting chance."

After a brief discussion, the two of them quietly retreated with Xia Yue.

*

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No longer in a hurry, Fang Cheng and Feng Yan calmly searched for a place to forge the Spiritual Mechanism Incarnations, their pace now more leisurely and relaxed.

Xia Yue used a Divine Technique, summoning a Flying Cloud Raft that gave off an exotic fragrance, woven from countless peach blossoms and the light of clouds. It carried Fang Cheng and Feng Yan across the high heavens.

As the three of them passed over a desert, the weather suddenly changed.

Dark clouds suddenly gathered in the sky, followed by rolling thunder. Before long, a torrential rain began to pour down, like a waterfall crashing from an overturned sea.

A halo of light rose from the Cloud Raft, blocking the downpour. It continued to press forward through the curtain of rain.

"Huh?"

Fang Cheng let out a soft sound of surprise, a look of astonishment on his face as he stared at the vast, endless desert below.

Feng Yan and Xia Yue sensed it too and looked down.

As the rain fell upon the desert, it seemed to trigger some kind of restriction. A strange, hundred-zhang-tall, violet-blue flower emerged from the sand and slowly blossomed. It glowed with a wondrous light, a vision of exquisite beauty.

Even with Fang Cheng’s level of Spiritual Cultivation, he hadn’t sensed that such a bizarre flower was hidden beneath the desert. It was as if the flower had appeared out of thin air the moment it touched the rain.