"Cross Dragonthorn Ridge, traverse Demon-Subduing Ravine, pass through Watermoon Cave, and reach Divine Ruins Temple."
Under the murky skies where wind and thunder mingled, the Whale-Riding Immortal held a map and compared it against the towering, pitch-black mountain ridge before him, then nodded.
"This is Dragonthorn Ridge, recorded on the map."
The Whale-Riding Immortal, the Western Sea Sword Emperor, Jiang Yuebai, and Chu Liang had arrived at the Divine Ruins and followed the route marked on the map. He had spent years roaming the Divine Ruins and knew many regions well, so the first half of their journey had gone quite smoothly.
This primordial mountain range stretched from north to south, blocking roads for untold thousands of miles. It rose into the clouds, black as ink, without the slightest trace of life. It was not strange for some regions of the Divine Ruins to contain no living creatures, but such utter, deathly silence—not a single sound—was somewhat eerie.
Divine Ruins Temple was a mysterious and perilous place, and the dangers along the way there were equally unknown.
"Let's scout it out first," said the Whale-Riding Immortal.
With a gesture of both hands, strands of spiritual aura drifted away on the wind. Before long, they attracted a massive seven-colored divine sparrow. It shrieked sharply, then sped toward them.
The Whale-Riding Immortal immediately pointed forward with two fingers, guiding the spiritual aura toward the mountain ridge.
But when the divine sparrow flew to the outskirts of Dragonthorn Ridge, it suddenly halted its wings and refused to approach any farther. Even the temptation of an immortal spirit body's aura could not overcome its fear.
It merely circled outside the mountain forest, crying out sharply again and again.
"It seems the demon beasts nearby are all deeply fearful of this mountain," said the Western