The battle at Skeleton Mountain was earth-shattering.
Qin Feng had single-handedly stood against the Chan Sect's Twelve Golden Immortals. In the end, he had even forced a Saint's decree to retreat and extorted the Chan Sect's entire fortune. News of it seemed to have sprouted wings, spreading throughout the prehistoric world at an inconceivable speed.
Especially to the Interception Sect's stronghold, Golden Ao Island.
The instant the news arrived, all of Golden Ao Island erupted.
Countless Interception Sect disciples ran about spreading the word, their faces filled with the ecstatic joy and vindicated pride that had been suppressed for countless years and was finally bursting free.
"Have you heard? Those Chan Sect bastards got wiped out at Skeleton Mountain!"
"Wiped out? The Twelve Golden Immortals all came out, and even Guang Chengzi brought out the Fan Tian Seal. In the end, he and his treasure were slapped flying with a single blow!"
"I heard from a senior brother who returned from the front lines that even Yuanshi Tianzun's decree descended in the end. And what happened? It was useless! That senior openly extorted the Chan Sect's entire fortune right in front of the Saint's decree!"
"Hahaha! Satisfying! Truly satisfying! How many years have we swallowed this resentment for?"
For a long time, Interception Sect disciples had suffered plenty of contempt while traveling outside.
The other side relied on their status as the orthodox Mystic Sect and the profound fortunes of their disciples. They had always looked down on those born from dampness and eggs, those clad in fur and bearing horns. Their overt and covert suppression had never ceased.
Now, Qin Feng's sudden rise was like an incomparably resounding slap, viciously striking the faces of every Chan Sect disciple.
It filled all Interception Sect disciples with a sense of shared glory and pride.
Although they did not know who Qin Feng truly was, that did not stop them from treating him as one of their own.
After all, that senior had made such a huge spectacle because he was standing up for Shi Ji, a fellow member of the Interception Sect!
For a time, speculations about Qin Feng's identity sprang up endlessly across Golden Ao Island.
Just as this fervor was growing ever more intense, Zhao Gongming, the renowned God of Wealth and chief disciple of the Interception Sect's outer branch, could no longer sit still.
Emei Mountain, Luofu Cave.
As Zhao Gongming listened to several friends animatedly recounting the glorious achievements of the battle at Skeleton Mountain, his square face was full of excitement and yearning.
He slapped his thigh and abruptly rose to his feet.
"No! Such a hero stood up for a fellow member of our Interception Sect. If I, Zhao Gongming, do not personally pay him a visit, would that not be terribly discourteous?"
His voice was sonorous, carrying an unassailable boldness.
"Let's go together! We also want to see just what sort of figure could put those arrogant Chan Sect fellows in their place so thoroughly!" Several Interception Sect immortals beside him eagerly echoed him, each rubbing their hands together in excitement.
No sooner said than done.
Zhao Gongming immediately mounted an Auspicious Cloud and set off with several like-minded friends, flying grandly toward Skeleton Mountain.
However, when their group arrived at their destination in high spirits, everyone was dumbfounded.
The sight before them made them wonder whether they had come to the wrong place.
Where was the gloomy, terrifying Skeleton Mountain, littered with white bones?
In its place stood a supreme immortal mountain, towering into the clouds and shrouded in Immortal Qi!
The mountain was lush and verdant, spiritual mist swirling around it. Countless rare birds and exotic beasts ran and played within, while cascades and springs poured down from its summit like the Milky Way descending from the Ninth Heaven.
What made their hearts pound most violently was the spiritual energy permeating the immortal mountain.
That spiritual energy was so dense it had almost become tangible, forming a visible barrier of spiritual energy.
Merely standing outside the mountain, they felt terrifying pressure crashing toward them, as though their whole bodies had been submerged in an ocean of spiritual energy. Even breathing became somewhat difficult.
"Th-this... is Skeleton Mountain?" One immortal rubbed his eyes, his voice full of disbelief.
"Good heavens, this concentration of spiritual energy is probably even more outrageous than our master's Golden Ao Island!"
"More than outrageous! Look at the mountain. Even a blade of grass growing at random contains a trace of Innate Dao Rhyme! This is practically a sacred land piled together from Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures!"
Zhao Gongming was even more shaken.
He was a perfected Grand Unity Golden Immortal with extraordinary knowledge, so he could sense even more clearly just how terrifying this immortal mountain was.
Beneath that dense spiritual energy lay a terrifying great formation that even made his scalp tingle.
The formation had not yet been activated, but the Killing Intent contained within it felt like swords hanging over his head, making every hair on his body stand on end.
Zhao Gongming was certain that once this formation was activated, even a Quasi-Saint caught within it would not escape unscathed, much less him.
What a formidable figure. This senior is truly unfathomable! Zhao Gongming secretly marveled. His desire to befriend Qin Feng was now mixed with even greater reverence.
He did not dare act the slightest bit presumptuous. Straightening his robes, he respectfully called out toward the mountain gate.
"Zhao Gongming of the Interception Sect has come with several fellow disciples and friends to pay respects to the master of this place. I hope, Daoist friend, that you will grant us an audience."
His voice carried far into the distance, rolling onward like thunder.
A moment later, the light barrier enveloping the immortal mountain silently opened a passage.
A cool yet somewhat wary voice came from within.
"Please enter, fellow Daoists."
Zhao Gongming and the others did not dare delay. They immediately flew through the opening.
The instant they entered the mountain, that outrageously dense spiritual energy made them all shudder. Every pore on their bodies seemed to open, greedily devouring this supreme energy.
At the entrance to a palace stood a graceful figure in silence.
She wore a simple and elegant palace gown, with a tall, poised figure and a beautiful face. It was Shi Ji.
At this moment, however, Shi Ji had long lost her former timidity and inferiority. In its place was the composure and confidence of a master of the Daoist grounds.
Her gaze swept over Zhao Gongming and the others. Neither arrogant nor humble, she clasped her hands in greeting.
"Shi Ji greets Senior Brother Gongming and all fellow Daoists."
"Junior Sister Shi Ji, there is no need for such ceremony!" Zhao Gongming hurriedly returned the greeting, his attitude exceedingly respectful.
It was no joke. She lived in a Cave Heaven blessed land like this, with a terrifying Great Power behind her who even dared to confront a Saint. Let alone him, even Daoist Duobao, the Interception Sect's senior brother, would have to politely call her junior sister.
The group was ushered into a magnificent palace.
When Zhao Gongming saw the plaque above the main hall, bearing the three vigorous characters "Azure Stone Palace" and containing boundless Dao Rhyme, his eyelid twitched again.
Azure Stone Palace?
It had Shi Ji's "stone," and also...
He did not dare think further. His reverence for that mysterious senior deepened once more.
Upon entering the hall, the sight inside nearly blinded them.
The tables, chairs, cups, and vessels were all forged from top-grade innate spiritual materials. Even a casually hung painting on the wall circulated profound Dao laws, enough to intoxicate one's mind with a single glance.
Extravagant!
Extravagant to the extreme!
Zhao Gongming felt that, compared to this senior, he, the God of Wealth, was practically a pauper.
After everyone took their seats, Shi Ji personally served them Spirit Tea.
The tea leaves were tender shoots from an Innate Spiritual Root, while the water used to brew it was spirit spring water gathered from myriad streams of spiritual energy. Merely catching its fragrance made the Primordial Spirits of these Grand Unity Golden Immortals feel clear and refreshed, and even their cultivation seemed to improve faintly.
Holding his teacup, Zhao Gongming's hands trembled slightly. He carefully took a sip before gathering his courage to ask.
"Junior Sister Shi Ji, is that... that senior here? We came so abruptly because we wished to personally thank him for helping our Interception Sect vent its resentment."
At his words, Shi Ji revealed a trace of apology and gently shook her head.
"Unfortunately, Daoist Brother Qin Feng is in seclusion, seeking to break through to a higher realm. Before he left, he instructed me to guard him and not allow anyone to disturb him."
Her voice was soft, but to Zhao Gongming and the others, it was no less than a thunderbolt.
Daoist Brother Qin Feng?
In seclusion?
Guarding him?
Zhao Gongming's mind buzzed. This was a great deal to take in.
For a Grand Unity Golden Immortal like Shi Ji to willingly address him as "Daoist Brother" and personally guard his seclusion, the status and strength of this Senior Qin Feng needed no further explanation.
What shocked them even more was the heartfelt protectiveness and natural certainty in Shi Ji's words.
What did that mean?
It meant that the relationship between the two was so close that there was no distinction between them!
Not only were Zhao Gongming and the others not dissatisfied at being turned away, their estimation of Qin Feng rose countless levels once again.
For a female immortal to be so utterly devoted to him, this senior's personal charm was likely even more terrifying than his strength!
"So that is the case! We were too presumptuous!" Zhao Gongming hurriedly stood, his face full of solemn respect. "A senior's seclusion is of utmost importance. We would never dare disturb him. For Junior Sister to receive the senior's favor is truly a tremendous blessing. Allow this senior brother to offer his congratulations first!"
"You overstate it, Daoist Brother." Shi Ji smiled calmly.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the group sensibly took their leave.
They did not dare remain even a moment longer, afraid of disturbing that senior's cultivation.
On their way back, the immortals remained immersed in their enormous shock, unable to calm down for a long while.
"My heavens, just what is the background of Senior Qin Feng? Such grandeur is too frightening!"
"For Junior Sister Shi Ji to guard his seclusion so devotedly, it cannot be explained merely by his great strength. This is clearly... love deeply rooted in the heart!"
"I envy her! I truly envy Junior Sister Shi Ji!"
Zhao Gongming said nothing. He merely engraved the names "Azure Stone Palace" and "Qin Feng" deeply in his heart.
He knew that from this day onward, the entire landscape of the Interception Sect—and perhaps the whole prehistoric world—would likely undergo earth-shaking changes because of that name.
Filled with shock, Zhao Gongming returned to his Daoist grounds on Three Immortals Island.
He recounted everything he had seen and heard during his visit to Azure Stone Palace to his three younger sisters—Yun Xiao, Qiong Xiao, and Bi Xiao.
"What? Big Brother, are you saying that senior's Daoist grounds are even more magnificent than our master's Golden Ao Island?"
The most lively of them, Bi Xiao, immediately widened her eyes in disbelief.
Qiong Xiao also slapped the table and leaped to her feet, her pretty face flushed with excitement.
"For Senior Sister Shi Ji alone, he confronted the entire Chan Sect and even forced a Saint to yield! Heavens, that is far too domineering! Big Brother, you have to bring us along next time. We want to meet this great hero too!"
The two sisters chattered away, their eyes sparkling with adoration.
Only Yun Xiao, the calmest and most composed of the three, remained silent for a long time after hearing Zhao Gongming's account.
An unusual light flickered in her beautiful eyes, cool and clear as autumn water.
Unlike Qiong Xiao and Bi Xiao, she did not focus solely on Qin Feng's dominance and power.
She had keenly caught several crucial details.
Azure Stone Palace.
For Shi Ji alone, he had opposed the entire Chan Sect.
Yun Xiao's jade-like fingers unconsciously tapped lightly against the table as Zhao Gongming's words replayed in her mind.
How good would a male immortal have to be to a female immortal before he would be willing to give so much for her?
Even to the point of offending a vast Saint's Orthodox Lineage.
That devotion and sense of responsibility touched Yun Xiao's heartstrings far more deeply than his earth-shattering strength.
For some reason, she developed an unprecedentedly intense interest in the mysterious man named Qin Feng, whom she had never met.
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