Chapter 294 - 293: Sacred Grounds

The blinding silver light of the Celestial Jade Horn flared one final time, and the seamless tunnel of folded space abruptly deposited them into the physical plane. The Rank 8 Golden Immortal Beast’s hooves touched down upon a surface of flawless, ancient white jade, its majestic form completely unbothered by the sudden transition.

Lin Yuan and Bai Qingyue had arrived at the Sacred Grounds.

The moment they crossed the boundary of this hidden, heavily shielded spatial pocket, the fundamental laws of reality shifted violently. It was a well-known secret among the absolute elite of the Nine Provinces that within the Sacred Grounds, the river of time flowed in strange and unnatural ways.

The temporal dilation was immense, with days passing in the outside world equating to years of uninterrupted cultivation within these borders. It was the ultimate sanctuary for a world racing against the clock of an impending demonic invasion.

However, as Lin Yuan’s deep purple eyes swept across the breathtaking, alien landscape, his comprehension immediately identified the true value of this place.

It was not the temporal dilation that made the Sacred Grounds so extraordinarily valuable for consolidating his cultivation. It was the density of the surrounding energy. The concentration of spiritual Qi and the ambient Dao laws were staggering. It was said that the Sacred Grounds were the only remaining spatial fragments that perfectly mirrored the ancient era, preserved from the time before the Grand Ascendant ancestors cleaved the universe in two and damaged the foundation of the lower world.

The moment Lin Yuan inhaled, he knew the legends were accurate. He could feel spiritual Qi flowing into his lungs, so abundant and dense that his True Elemental Body practically hummed in deep, resonant approval. The Dao laws governing this space were immense, completely devoid of the frayed, fragile edges that characterized the Central Continent. Here, the elements were absolute. Gravity was absolute.

And because the laws were absolute, the atmospheric pressure was conceptually crushing.

Under normal circumstances, Bai Qingyue, whose cultivation had only reached the Middle Stage of Core Formation, should have been obliterated the instant she arrived. The sheer weight of the ancient Dao laws pressing against her fragile cultivation would have shattered her Golden Core and crushed her physical body into bloody mist within a fraction of a second. She was a mortal stepping into a crucible designed explicitly for gods.

Yet, as the crushing pressure descended upon her, a brilliant crystalline blue light erupted from her skin, swirling with a faint, iridescent golden hue.

The Heaven and Earth Luck that continuously enveloped her, the immense and unfiltered fortune she had absorbed through their karmic tether during the formation of Lin Yuan’s Primordial Spirit, rose to meet the ancient laws. It formed a flawless shield, allowing the immense pressure to slide harmlessly away from her body. The heavy Dao laws simply failed to gain a foothold against a destiny directly blessed by the Origin.

Heaven’s fortune could not be subdued by it!

As the saying goes, that which the Heavens crown with fortune cannot be crushed by the weight of the sky. A leaf riding the crest of destiny will float untouched above even the deepest and most violent abyss.

Bai Qingyue released a soft breath, her eyes widening as she examined the glowing aura surrounding her. "The pressure here... it feels as though the world itself is trying to forge me. But the Heaven and Earth Luck is pushing it away. I feel perfectly light."

"The luck is not pushing it away, Qingyue. It is commanding the environment to accommodate you," Lin Yuan corrected gently. His mind worked at terrifying speed as a profound realization suddenly clicked into place.

He turned away from her, his gaze sweeping across the sprawling ancient jade plaza that extended toward a dense, primordial forest filled with towering trees bearing violet leaves.

"I understand now," Lin Yuan declared, a cold, sovereign smile touching his lips as the puzzle of the Central Continent finally came together. "I understand the true purpose behind the Peerless God Tournament."

Bai Qingyue looked up at him, her intelligent mind racing to follow his reasoning. "The tournament? But Emperor Tianxu said it was meant to find the fated one who would lead the charge."

"It was," Lin Yuan replied with a nod, his deep purple eyes gleaming with absolute clarity. "But think about the prize, Qingyue. The ultimate reward for the victor was the Fortune Banner. Emperor Tianxu explicitly told me that a cultivator possessing immense fortune could use that banner to increase their cultivation by leaps and bounds. The banner was inert in my hands, but what if one of the Six Peerless Geniuses had won? What if Xuan Mingzhe or Chu Kuang had obtained it?"

Bai Qingyue gasped softly as understanding dawned in her eyes. "They would have used the Heaven and Earth Luck within the banner to elevate their cultivation... just like I did!"

"Exactly," Lin Yuan replied, his voice ringing with absolute certainty. "The Five Emperors knew that the Central Continent was fundamentally lacking. They did not have a single young cultivator who had organically reached the Soul Transformation Realm. They needed a champion capable of entering these Sacred Grounds, and they were willing to manufacture one. The tournament was designed to identify the most fortunate among the younger generation, grant them the banner, and forcefully elevate their cultivation to the Soul Transformation Realm so they could survive entering this very place."

It was a staggering revelation of political desperation. The Central Continent had been scrambling to artificially forge a sovereign simply to maintain its standing on the greater stage.

As Lin Yuan and Bai Qingyue dismounted from the Rank 8 Golden Immortal Beast, allowing the majestic creature to rest at the edge of the jade plaza, the truth of Lin Yuan’s deduction was immediately and undeniably confirmed.

The sprawling jade plaza was far from empty. It was a massive staging ground serving as the central hub for the elite geniuses of the Nine Provinces.

Dozens of figures were scattered across the plaza. Some sat in deep meditation, levitating above the ground as they absorbed the ancient Qi. Others sparred within localized, heavily shielded spatial bubbles, their techniques producing shockwaves powerful enough to level Sky Jade City.

Lin Yuan’s Primordial Spirit expanded, casting a vast, imperceptible net of divine sense across the gathering.