Golden Skeleton Relic

A golden skeleton, ancient broken characters, and a jade pendant filled with protective Daoist charm.

Li Su's divine sense meticulously scanned the stone cave. After confirming there were no other dangers or traps, he cautiously approached the golden skeleton.

The skeleton's bone quality was crystal clear, containing a peculiar power. It was neither demonic energy, nor immortal light from Daoist magic, nor the blood essence of the Wu clan. Instead, it was a residual energy he had never encountered before, filled with order and a sense of sanctity, seemingly incompatible with the mainstream power system of the Primordial World.

Although the pressure had become extremely weak after the passage of years, one could still feel that its owner must have been an incredibly powerful being in life.

"Van Race? Defector? Beware of light?" Li Su pondered the few incomplete ancient characters. The information was too scarce to understand their meaning.

The word "Van," in the fragmented memories of his vague past life, seemed to be associated with the Western Teachings, but he had never heard of it in this Primordial World.

As for the broken milky-white jade pendant, the protective Daoist charm on it made him feel very comfortable. It was akin to the steadfastness of the "Bedrock Rune," and could even subtly complement it.

The "Bedrock Rune's" reaction was so strong; this item was definitely extraordinary.

Li Su bowed to the golden skeleton and said, "Senior's legacy, this junior has fortunately obtained it. If I achieve anything, I will not fail this intent of 'protection.'"

With that, he carefully used a bamboo branch to gently pry open the tightly clenched finger bones and retrieved the broken jade pendant.

The jade pendant felt warm in his hand, and the protective Daoist charm flowed slowly, bringing a sense of peace to his mind.

Although it was covered in cracks and seemed like it could shatter at any moment, its essence was extremely high.

[Detected: Damaged sacred artifact (???) containing innate protective Daoist charm. Can be slowly absorbed and comprehended to enhance defensive Spiritual Power and understanding of "Bedrock Rune." Attempting repair is also possible (requires specific materials and immense merit).]

The system's prompt confirmed the item's preciousness.

Li Su carefully put away the jade pendant, glanced at the golden skeleton again, and after some thought, cast a spell to reseal the entrance of the stone cave, preventing it from being eroded by the external fierce winds.

After completing all this, he exited the stone cave and rejoined Ming Feng and the others.

"Senior, did you find anything?" Ming Feng asked curiously.

"Just a place where an ancient cultivator passed away. Not much gain," Li Su did not elaborate. This matter was mysterious and not suitable for publicizing.

Ming Feng and the others didn't ask further. Seeing Li Su was unharmed, they continued forward.

The last hundred miles were passed smoothly, and the group finally broke out of the suffocating environment of the Raging Wind Canyon.

Their vision suddenly opened up!

The fierce winds ceased. Although a faint trace of Evil Qi still permeated the air, it had become much calmer.

The land presented a vast, grayish-green hue. On the distant horizon, the silhouettes of continuous, majestic mountains shrouded in auspicious clouds and immortal light could be vaguely seen!

These mountains exuded a magnificent aura, connecting heaven and earth, radiating a vast, majestic, and sacred aura that involuntarily inspired awe and yearning!

Even from such a distance, one could feel the incredibly abundant spiritual energy and the rhythm of the Great Dao emanating from there!

"Is that... the Kunlun Mountain Range?" Zhiwei gazed into the distance, murmuring, her eyes filled with shock and enchantment.

Ming Feng and the others also showed expressions of pride and yearning: "That's right! That is the ancestor of all mountains, the Holy Land of Kunlun! Where our sect is located!"

Li Su stood on his bamboo body, gazing at the majestic mountain shadow enveloped in immortal light, his heart stirred and unable to calm down.

After countless hardships, traversing hundreds of millions of miles, and experiencing innumerable dangers, they had finally... arrived!

The "Bedrock Rune" gently resonated deep within his Primordial Spirit, faintly echoing with the distant Kunlun Mountain, making the guidance incredibly clear and strong.

"Let's go. There's still a stretch of road ahead, but it's relatively safe now. We need to hurry back to the sect to report," Ming Feng said.

Everyone summoned their escape lights and flew towards Kunlun Mountain. Along the way, they occasionally saw other cultivators rushing from various places, either alone or in groups, all looking travel-worn but with expressions of pilgrimage-like devotion and anticipation.

They also saw teams of patrolling Jade Clarity Sect disciples. Upon seeing the attire of Ming Feng's group and the token in Li Su's hand, they nodded in greeting.

The environment gradually improved, and they could even see some spiritual herbs and immortal plants growing, with rare exotic beasts playing, forming a stark contrast to the desolate and dead silence of the Primordial World before.

After flying for several more days, a colossal white jade archway, as majestic as a mountain, appeared before them!

On the archway, two large ancient characters were inscribed in a vigorous calligraphy—Kunlun!

Behind the archway was a winding, upward-leading staircase paved with white jade, stretching into the depths of the clouds, as if leading to the heavens. On both sides of the staircase stood two rows of powerful golden-armored Daoist soldiers, gazing forward with solemn majesty.

Beneath the archway, a pavilion was set up, named "Welcoming Immortal Pavilion."

Currently, several cultivators with profound auras, wearing high-level Jade Clarity Sect Daoist robes, were on duty in the pavilion, responsible for receiving cultivators arriving at Kunlun from all directions.

Ming Feng's group, along with Li Su and Zhiwei, landed their escape lights and approached the Welcoming Immortal Pavilion.

"Outer disciple supervisor Ming Feng, returning with the escort mission team! And by the decree of Martial Uncle Qingxu, introducing fellow Daoist Mo Xing here!"

Ming Feng stepped forward and respectfully reported to a middle-aged Daoist in charge of affairs within the pavilion, presenting his token.

The middle-aged Daoist took the token for inspection, then looked at Li Su. His gaze, sharp as lightning, swept over his bamboo body and the purple-gold token. A hint of surprise appeared on his face, which then turned polite. "So, it's fellow Daoist Mo Xing, introduced by Martial Uncle Qingxu. Martial Uncle has already sent a message, stating that fellow Daoist is an extraordinary talent and instructing us to receive you accordingly."

He took out two jade tokens and handed them to Li Su and Zhiwei: "These are temporary Kunlun jade talismans. With these, you can temporarily reside in 'Gathering Immortal Town' at the foot of the mountain and participate in the preliminary test of the 'Ascension Conference' three days later. If you pass the preliminary test, you will gain the qualification to ascend the mountain and participate in subsequent assessments. As for whether you can be accepted as a disciple by any Immortal Master, that will depend on your own fortune."

"Ascension Conference?" Li Su took the jade token and scanned it with his divine sense, realizing it was a selection mechanism for recruiting disciples at Kunlun Mountain periodically.

"Thank you, fellow Daoist," Li Su said gratefully.

Ming Feng and the others also bid farewell to Li Su: "Senior Mo Xing, we need to return to the outer sect to report. We shall take our leave now."

"I wish you success in finding an immortal master this time, senior!"

"Thank you all for escorting me along the way," Li Su replied with a bow.

After bidding farewell to Ming Feng and the others, Li Su and Zhiwei, guided by the middle-aged Taoist priest, headed towards the "Gathering Immortal Town" beside the archway.

The town was quite large, with people coming and going on the streets. Most of them were cultivators from various races attempting to find a master, with cultivation levels ranging from Earth Immortals to Celestial Immortals, and occasionally, the aura of a True Immortal could even be felt.

Shops lined both sides of the street, selling all sorts of elixirs, magical treasures, and cultivation technique jade slips. It was incredibly lively.

Although Li Su's bamboo spirit true form attracted attention, in this place, with all sorts of bizarrely shaped cultivators being common, he didn't stand out too much.

He found an inn and checked in. After setting up his restrictions, Li Su took out the broken jade pendant and the dark yellow stone he obtained from the battlefield, and began to study them carefully.

He had to pass the Ascension Conference three days later.

The profound truths contained within these two items might allow his strength to advance further.

Kunlun Mountain was within sight, and the final trial was imminent.