Awakening from his profound meditation, Yu Ci held the Tao Scripture Master Three Treasure Seal which emitted a gentle white light, illuminating a radius of ten feet. Zhang Yan stood beside him, quietly instructing the Tu Brothers, "Don't lose your energy, pay attention to controlling the flow."
Collecting his thoughts and completely detaching from the extraordinary world within his heart, Yu Ci felt a slight sway in his body. Beyond Zhang Yan's voice, there was the faint sound of water rushing. The bamboo raft under him gently bobbed in the water.
Beyond the illuminated area was an abyss of darkness. Yu Ci focused his mind, retracting the radiance of the Tao Scripture Master Three Treasure Seal. As the light dimmed, a hazy blue light emerged from the surrounding darkness, limitless and extending to the horizon.
It was a vast blue ocean.
In this life, Yu Ci had never seen the sea. He wondered if the boundless water-sky landscape of legends was similar to this. However, they were not here to admire the scenery.
This was the lower level of the Law Sky Secret Realm.
The Law Sky Secret Realm was divided into two levels. Yu Ci and the Tu Brothers were cultivating in seclusion in the upper level. It was well-known that the lower level could also be used for cultivation. The spiritual energy within was purer and denser than the upper level, even condensing and liquefying into a boundless ocean of spirit energy, where Yu Ci and the others were currently drifting.
However, this place was also one of the foundations of the Lichen Sect's Mountain Gate, standing tall in the void. The interior was heavily sealed. Even if one knew the place inside out, a single misstep could lead to total annihilation. Therefore, the Sect imposed many restrictions on disciples entering this place. Generally, only those at the Golden Elixir Stage or above had the opportunity to enter.
As for the disciples cultivating in the upper level, they were sitting atop a vast Sea of Spirit, absorbing its vapor to enhance their cultivation. If the vapor was so potent, how powerful was the Sea of Spirit itself? It was said that drilling through ten feet of cliff would reach it. Unfortunately, the walls and ground here were all sealed. Those who dared to try would face severe consequences.
There was a popular song among the disciples:
"In the cauldron of Law Sky, the Sea of Spirit is boiled; In the steamer of Law Sky, our kind is steamed."
The "cauldron" referred to a large pot, and the "steamer" referred to a bamboo steamer. This metaphor was quite apt. However, among the disciples of the Sect's Mountain Gate, thousands wished to be "steamed", and even more wished to be "boiled".
Now, Yu Ci was among those coveted to be "boiled".
His entry here was undoubtedly due to Zhang Yan's influence. With Zhang Yan's status, there were no restrictions on entering or leaving the Law Sky Secret Realm. To enter the second layer, he only needed to report, and bringing someone with him was not a problem as long as no one objected.
"We're almost there, get ready!"
Zhang Yan's actions were swift. As his voice still echoed, the bamboo raft under Yu Ci's feet vanished into thin air. A chill ran through his body as he was submerged in the blue sea, sinking down. The raft was a magical instrument refined by Zhang Yan, and ordinary objects could hardly maintain their form in this blue sea.
Underwater, Yu Ci, following Zhang Yan's guidance, took a deep breath. Indeed, he could breathe normally here, but what he was inhaling and exhaling was no longer ordinary air, but highly refined spirit energy droplets. He squinted his eyes, closely following Zhang Yan's figure ahead, with the Tu Brothers trailing closely on either side in their Yin Spirit forms.
Zhang Yan kept sinking, swift as an arrow, with Yu Ci closely behind. The intense friction between their bodies and the water caused the surrounding temperature to skyrocket, as if searing their skin, yet the resistance gradually diminished. This was the phenomenon of the highly refined spirit energy re-vaporizing from its liquid droplet state.
Yu Ci, enveloped within, initially felt only heat. Later, as the heat boiled and seeped into his pores, he felt as if he was immersed in liquor, nearly intoxicated, the sensation far more intense than in the upper "steaming cage." His inner "Primordial Qi" was stimulated, extraordinarily lively, circulating within his body, gradually seeming to lose its boundary with this pure Primordial Qi, melting within.
"Keep up!"
Zhang Yan warned again, just in time. At this moment, Yu Ci's physical sensations were beginning to blur. Zhang Yan's voice was like a chunk of ice, thrust directly into his collar, causing him to shiver, his physical body instantly becoming solid.
"Be careful, if you dissolve your heart-mind here, no one will help you gather it back together!"
Zhang Yan was speaking to the Tu Brothers. Whether it was Yu Ci or Zhang Yan, both had underestimated the thickness of these two's skin. Hearing that they were going to the Sea of Spirit to cultivate, they shamelessly followed, venturing out in their Yin Spirit forms. If they hadn't prepared a magical instrument to protect their Yin Spirits, they would have dissolved by now. Even so, their Yin Spirits flickered and distorted, looking incredibly frightening.
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"How much further?"
After regaining his alertness, Yu Ci was no longer afraid of the pure spirit energy that was so dense it could melt the heart-mind, but the Tu Brothers' situation didn't look good.
"Can't you feel it yet?" Zhang Yan's voice seemed somewhat ethereal at this point.
Yu Ci concentrated, indeed detecting a vibration coming from the outer Sea of Spirit. Upon close sensing, it was a tremendous suction force, stirring the deep Primordial Qi of the Sea of Spirit, forming a massive vortex. Now, he could see the trajectory of the outer seawater flow.
"This is the gate leading outside the Sect's Mountain Gate, the place where the inner and outer Primordial Qi transforms. You must go with the flow, rush out in one go, you can't resist!" Zhang Yan, unusually detailed, even voluntarily slowed down to accommodate the three behind him.
Yu Ci nodded at him, unfolding a white light from the Tao Scripture Master Three Treasure Seal in his hand. Within it were hundreds of starlights, spanning across like a miniature Milky Way, descending in the blue sea spirit waves, brushing over the few people here. Immediately, the starlight adhered to their bodies, as if they were draped in a robe adorned with star diamonds.
It was one thing for Zhang Yan, but when the Tu Brothers were swept by the celestial river starlight, they immediately felt a barrier erected between their Yin Spirits and the blue sea spiritual waves. It was like a sieve, sifting out the excess Primordial Qi, reducing the pressure on their Yin Spirits drastically. The contrast was so stark that they almost blurted out an exclamation of relief, but they managed to suppress it just in time.
Yet even so, they couldn't help but exchange looks of disbelief, "Could he really wield such a talisman?"
In a sense, the Tu Brothers were among the few who were closest to Yu Ci at this stage. Yu Ci spent most of his time cultivating in the Law Sky Secret Realm, living next to the Tu Brothers, and they often sparred together. They knew what he practiced and refined, but the more they knew, the harder it was for them to believe.
They both specialized in Yin Spirits, and their method of attack was often through controlling tools and talismans, so they had a deep understanding of Yu Ci's abilities.
"Pouring the ocean waves, sprinkling the starlight, the ancient river winding around the heavens."
This was the "Heavenly River Prayer Incantation", an absolutely superior talisman secret technique. If one's cultivation was sufficient, they could be enveloped by a river of starlight, forming a magical robe that could ward off all evil. Ordinary Three to Five Heavens Artifacts might not even be able to shake it.
Yu Ci was still far from that level, but he was clearly showing signs of potential. His protective spirit and calming effects were top-notch.
"Brother, is this the skill he learned from the Spirit Sky Pavilion?"
"Hmm hmm," Tu Rilun was at a loss for words when faced with his brother's doubts. He finally managed to say, "Spirit Sky Pavilion's Old Master Zhu is unfathomable, he has his own ways of teaching."
This excuse was hard to believe. In truth, they had an inkling of the answer.
They shared a thought, "If one knows the knack of drawing talismans, it would astonish even the gods. This man has already grasped the knack of talismans, has learned the Primordial Root Qi Method, and further evolves talismans with it. It's only natural that he improves rapidly."
This was Yu Ci's advantage, one that the Tu Brothers could only envy. But it made them think more intensely, "If a person with such a foundation doesn't make rapid progress in refining talismans, even the heavens would curse him!"
As the Tu Brothers' thoughts were in disarray, their two Yin Spirits had already entered the vortex deep in the blue sea, rapidly rotating and sinking in the turbulent currents, with the rumbling sound around them drowning out everything else.
Yu Ci didn't mind the pressure of the powerful forces. He opened his eyes wide, looking at the increasingly clear light deep in the vortex.
"We're here!"
At Zhang Yan's shout, the pressure on the two Yin Spirits suddenly lightened. They had been thrown out from the depths of the blue sea, instantly entering the endless void.
The gale in the high sky howled, sharp as a knife. With a "whoosh", the Heavenly River Magical Robe around Yu Ci and the Tu Brothers flickered, on the brink of breaking down at any moment. The wind here was even stronger than the pressure of the blue sea's Primordial Qi.
"Strike!"
At this moment, Zhang Yan unleashed his power. With a slight flick of his hand, a rainbow light soared across the sky, arcing in mid-air to form a vast incline. The surface shimmered with ripples, the result of the collision between the Sword Energy and the high-altitude Gang wind. With his pure Embrace Elixir True Sha Sword Qi, he temporarily shielded Yu Ci and the others.
Before they came here, Yu Ci and the Tu Brothers already knew this was no ordinary place. It was the very top of the Gang wind Belt, five thousand feet above the earth.
This region, from ten to about thirty miles high, was known as the "Gang wind Belt". The relentless Gang wind blew throughout the year. Any ordinary Cultivator, unless they had reached the Golden Elixir Stage and their Aura had merged into one, would unknowingly be invaded by the Gang energy, causing fundamental damage.
The Mountain Gate of the Lichen Sect was already situated tens of thousands of feet in the sky. However, the Sect Mountain Guardian Array was in place to protect it from the Gang wind's torment. Unfortunately, once they left the gate, they were at the edge of the Sect Mountain Guardian Array, where the protective power greatly diminished. For Yu Ci and the Tu Brothers to come here, even with Zhang Yan's protection, was undoubtedly a risk.
Yu Ci glanced at the ripples on the outer ring of the sword rainbow, exhaled, and seemed to reduce the high-altitude chill with just that. Then he turned to look at the place they had just emerged from. There, clouds rolled in and out, vast as the sea. Its dense fog obscured the Mountain Gate of the Lichen Sect. From Yu Ci's perspective, only the faint outline of the mountain peaks was visible, like a dot of ink in a stack of white silk, ethereal as a painting.
The Tu Brothers, despite being old members of the Sect's Mountain Gate, had never seen such a sight. They were both somewhat dumbfounded. Finally, Tu Rilun was the first to recover and began to show off his knowledge:
"This is one of the forty-eight thousand Vital energy transformation gates of the Mountain Gate of the Lichen Sect. Every day, endless Primordial Qi is ejected from here, expelling stale and turbid air, and then drawing in fresh spiritual energy from the boundless void."
Yu Ci gave a noncommittal grunt, and with one hand raised, he looked out into the boundless void beyond the Sect's Mountain Gate:
"Weren't there supposed to be hordes of Misty Flowing Beasts outside the Sect's Mountain Gate? Why don't I see a single one? Without them, when the deadline comes tomorrow, I won't be able to meet the Merit Points quota. Sister Meng will surely make me face the wall!"
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