The Yellow Springs Palace Opens

After returning from the Ten Thousand Demons Mountain Range, Xiao Chen went directly to the west to seek a breakthrough.

For the entire month of March, he did not make any public appearances.

If he hadn't become Demon Slayer Guard, he really wouldn't be able to be this free.

This undoubtedly caused Han Zi Yan a lot of trouble.

She carries a mission assigned by Yao Chang True Person, but how can she complete it if she can't even find the person in question?

She tried every possible means and asked around to find out more.

Upon learning that Xiao Chen had appeared in Fragrant River Market, they rushed over.

With the end of the month approaching, she decided against making any plans and instead opted for the simplest and most direct tactic: close-up confrontation.

Wear a beautiful outfit and apply Joyful Union Dew all over your body beforehand.

As soon as he sees Xiao Chen, he pounces on him without hesitation.

Just improvise the reason; with Joyful Union Dew around, it won't be long before the other party stops thinking rationally.

This approach will certainly have drawbacks, as the effects of medication will eventually wear off.

But time was of the essence, and she really couldn't worry about those things now.

Despite being trained by the Divine Fire Sect for many years, Han Zi Yan never forgot her mission.

However, to her utter surprise, even so, she was still a step too late.

Xiao Chen did not return to Yuan Magnetic Peak, but instead went straight to the west.

This information came from passersby; they hadn't even seen her back.

Strangely enough, after confirming that the operation had failed again, Han Zi Yan inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

She had already done her best; it was just that the other party was too cautious and didn't give her any chance at all.

That's right, it's all Xiao Chen's fault, not that she intentionally let down Yao Chang True Person's training.

With this in mind, Han Zi Yan overcame her own mental hurdle.

However, given the mission's failure, the Divine Fire Sect certainly wouldn't let her off easily.

Thinking of this, she glanced at the two Demonic Sect spies around her who were responsible for coordinating the operation, a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes.

They're getting in the way!

Three days later.

The Divine Fire Sect was surprised to discover that several of their inside contacts had gone missing.

This includes two Foundation Establishment Family that had been secretly plotted against, whose patriarchs had suddenly disappeared.

This result was quickly reported to the rear, attracting the attention of Karma Mirror True Person.

But this matter was too minor; he had more pressing issues to address.

The opening of the Yellow Springs Palace is imminent; success or failure hinges on this moment.

If the Sha Qi is successfully obtained, both He Province and Li Province will be bathed in the light of the sacred fire.

However, in the past two weeks, when setting up the talisman array to open the entrance, they discovered a large number of Ancient Edicts far exceeding expectations.

The number will be at least double what was expected.

This dragging on is not a good thing. If the Spirit Origin Sect notices something amiss, they may lose their initial advantage.

Therefore, he had no time to deal with trivial matters like the disappearance of his informant, but was busy trying to decipher the laws.

He merely sent someone to give a few instructions to Yao Chang True Person.

She was instructed to expedite the process and resolve the potential threat posed by Xiao Chen.

However, since they are all Golden Core, there is no strict hierarchy among them, so the importance of these admonitions is self-evident.

Several more days passed before Yao Chang True Person realized that she could no longer contact Han Zi Yan.

The original agreement was that she would report on the progress every three days, but she hadn't received any news from her apprentice for six consecutive days.

"Hey, where's my apprentice?"

But she quickly forgot about that.

Because the entrance to the Yellow Springs Palace has been exposed.

This super palace, built by the Yellow Springs Path in Ancient Times, is the burial Third Dao Lord of the Yellow Springs Path, who claimed to be the "human Incarnation of the Yellow Springs True Lord".

Of all the rumors about it, none of them are actually correct on one point.

That is, the Yellow Springs Palace has two entrances, located in He Province and Quanzhou respectively.

The Divine Fire Sect thought they had found the entrance, but they didn't realize that the two entrances were actually connected.

Starting one will also start the other.

The entrance to He Province is located on the south side of the Black Flame Mountain Range, in a ravine belonging to the Ten Thousand Flowers Valley.

Therefore, Spirit Origin Sect quickly noticed the abnormal fluctuations in Spiritual Qi at the entrance.

They even dispatched people specifically to investigate.

This was undoubtedly bad news. Upon learning of the situation, Karma Mirror True Person was so angry that he smashed a small mountain to pieces.

If a Golden Core cultivator were to cause trouble, the opening of the Yellow Springs Palace would be indefinitely postponed.

But there is some good news: the Divine Fire Sect wasn't the only one to make a mistake.

The cultivators from the Spirit Origin Sect who were in charge of the investigation did not recognize that this was the ruins of the Yellow Springs Path, and immediately mistook it for an ordinary High Antiquity Secret Realm.

Instead, they reported it back as good news.

The slight delay prevented the Golden Core True Persons from taking notice, and naturally, they were unable to intervene in time.

If both sides make mistakes, it's the same as no one making any mistakes.

Thus, by a twist of fate, the Yellow Springs Palace was successfully opened a few days later.

A massive amount of demonic energy surged into the sky, instantly transforming the area within a hundred miles of the entrance into a demonic realm.

The dramatic change finally drew the attention of the entire He Province.

It even inevitably affected the area west of the Yuan Magnetic Peak.

So when Xiao Chen finished his breakthrough and set off to return to Yuan Magnetic Peak, he encountered many tribulation Bandit Cultivator causing trouble along the way.

They were all ill-intentioned late-stage or even Great Perfection Late-Stage Qi Refining cultivators, wantonly robbing the other Mid-stage Qi Refining Realm cultivators.

One group even took pleasure in torturing and killing ordinary people in broad daylight.

Xiao Chen casually dispatched these scoundrels. "Strange, where have all the Foundation Establishment from this area gone?"

If there had been a Foundation Establishment Cultivator nearby to maintain order, such severe chaos would not have occurred.

Moreover, logically speaking, the Spirit Origin Sect wouldn't do something like mobilizing all its Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Unless something extremely important happened, these independent Foundation Establishment would all voluntarily gather around.

Even though he suspected something big might happen, Xiao Chen still slowed down his escape speed slightly and dealt with all the Bandit Cultivator he encountered along the way.

It took two extra hours, until the evening at 7 PM, before they finally returned to the Yuan Magnetic Peak.

However, to his surprise, the Yuan Magnetic Peak was now enveloped in a layer of bright golden light.

Chains of runes appeared and disappeared, like an inverted bowl covering a radius of thirty miles centered on Yuan Magnetic Peak.

It was clear that the Mountain Protecting Grand Array had been fully activated, severing the connection between the inside and outside.

Generally speaking, there are only two possibilities in this situation.

Either the enemy is at the gates and you need to defend yourself, or your own forces have been mobilized but you lack defenses.

Based on the current situation, it should be the latter.

Xiao Chen turned and went to Fragrant River Market. It was no longer as bustling as it used to be, and almost all the shops, big and small, were closed.

Only one Clan Elder of the Qiu Family family remained at home, presumably to guard the Spirit Turtle Egg.

"Daoist Qiu, may I ask where the other fellow Daoists have gone?"

.

It turned out that too much time had been wasted due to comprehending the Way of Yin and Yang, and it was now already April 18th.

Six days have passed since the Yellow Springs Palace opened.

"Five days ago, a rumor spread that High Antiquity Secret Realm had opened, and that it contained Golden Core Opportunity."

"Three days ago, an unusual phenomenon appeared, almost draining the Spiritual Qi from the entire Black Flame Mountain Range."

"Everyone says that someone has already obtained fortuitous opportunity, so they all followed him into the Secret Realm, hoping to seek even more fortuitous opportunity."

"Daoist Xiao, you should go and try too. It should still be in time."

ah?

An High Antiquity Secret Realm has opened, and there may be Golden Core Opportunity within?

Is it true or not?

After learning about the situation from the Qiu Family, Xiao Chen rushed south without stopping.

After crossing the Black Flame Mountain Range, a large mass of black clouds appeared in the distance, suspended in the sky.

Below the cloud mound, several Golden Core True Person sat cross-legged, each surrounded by numerous runes that together formed some kind of array.

Numerous rays of light shone from the formation, continuously flowing into the Yellow Springs Palace.

There was a large, open hole in the ground, about ten zhang in diameter.

Gong Lingfeng and the others stood at the cave entrance, waiting anxiously.

Upon seeing him approach, she was first surprised. "Daoist Xiao, you're still outside?"

Her complexion improved slightly afterward. "I'm so glad you're alright."

Xiao Chen asked curiously, "Daoist Gong, wasn't it said that an High Antiquity Secret Realm has opened, and there are Golden Core Opportunity within?"

"Why are you all standing outside? What do you mean by that?"

Upon hearing this, Gong Lingfeng's face immediately showed a worried expression, and he sighed repeatedly.

Seeing this, an Elder behind him excitedly explained, "Daoist Xiao, you are unaware that this is not an High Antiquity Secret Realm at all."

There's absolutely no fortuitous opportunity inside.

"It was a trap set by those bastards of the Divine Fire Sect, designed to harm us."

His tone became increasingly agitated, and he interspersed his speech with numerous curses against the Divine Fire Sect.

The gist is that for the first three days, the entrance to the ruins was actually equipped with a super illusion array made entirely of Law Power, which fooled even Golden Core True Person.

Without exception, all the cultivators who rushed there were misled and went inside to search for treasure.

After almost everyone rushed in, they discovered that it was a Death Trap where entry was permitted but exit was not.

It wasn't until those left outside didn't receive any reply that they began to have doubts.

They then finally realized and destroyed the illusion array.

However, this discovery was clearly too late; a large number of cultivators were already trapped inside.

The remaining Foundation Establishment Cultivator gathered nearby and waited.

No one was willing to risk going down there until the Golden Core True Persons had secured the exit.

Gong Lingfeng also looked worried. "According to Master Gongliang's calculations, this is the legendary entrance to the Yellow Springs Palace left behind by the Demonic Sect."

"Even for a few True Person, cracking this will not be an easy task."

"Those who entered this time are likely to meet a grim fate; it's uncertain how many will survive."

Hiss~!

The Yellow Springs Palace!

Xiao Chen immediately thought of the Ancient Books he had read; this was a good place to hide the Five Elements Sars.

Good heavens, does that mean there really is Golden Core Opportunity inside?

At least for me, the Five Elements Sars itself can increase the success rate of Core Formation.

"Daoist Gong, there's no need to worry. I'll go inside and see what's going on."

Xiao Chen started to walk inside as he spoke.

ah?

Gong Lingfeng was taken aback and quickly reached out to stop him. "Daoist Xiao, this is the ruins of the Demonic Sect, you can't go in."

"It should be full of the Divine Fire Sect cultivators inside now, and there might even be various traps and mechanisms."

Xiao Chen waved his hand, "Then I must go in. Perhaps some fellow cultivators need my help right now."

"My mind is made up, Daoist Gong, there's no need to persuade me any further."

Upon hearing the news Gu Qiuling promptly advised, "Daoist Xiao, the Heaven's Secret Pavilion has confirmed that the appearance of malevolent shadows outside the Yellow Springs Palace indicates the presence of accumulated Sha Qi within."

"Going in now would not only mean facing demonic cultivators, but also having to guard against the corrosive Sha Qi; it would be tantamount to going in to die."

"Let's wait two more days until the True Person have secured the exit, then we can go in and rescue them."

She couldn't leave Looking Swallow Mountain immediately, and by the time she arrived later, the illusion array had already dissipated, so she was lucky enough to stay outside.

However, after hearing her say that there was Sha Qi inside...

Xiao Chen did not hesitate at all. Instead, he waved his hand and said, "No one can stop me. We cultivators should rise to the challenge."

He walked to the entrance and jumped in without hesitation.

As soon as I entered, I immediately felt as if the world around me had turned upside down.

After calming down a bit, they realized they had landed in a pitch-black cave.

Having previously experienced the Profound Heaven Immortal Palace, Xiao Chen naturally knew that this was the power of spatial teleportation, so he was not alarmed.

He simply activated his Illusion Breaking Spirit Eye and carefully examined the surrounding environment to determine the direction.

As far as the eye could see, everything was a hazy gray, with not a single other color in sight.

The cave has two ends, front and back, and is almost the same height and width, about ten feet, clearly carved by man. There is no end in sight, and there is basically no difference between the two ends.

Under such circumstances, it is impossible to distinguish east from west, north from south.

Xiao Chen didn't hesitate for long and walked straight in the direction he had been facing when he came in.

After winding their way for about five or six miles, some moss emitting a blue fluorescent glow gradually grew on the surrounding stone walls.

With the help of these faint lights, one can see further into the cave, at the far end, where large amounts of sand are flowing in.

But unlike ordinary sand, these grains all have a chilling, pale white color.

Furthermore, as Xiao Chen approached, they could feel an increasingly intense chilling aura permeating the air ahead.

Xiao Chen bent down, picked up a grain of sand, and gently rubbed it between his fingers.

The grain of sand instantly transformed into a wisp of cold air, which seeped into his body.

A sudden chill swept over me, as if I were standing naked outside in the dead of winter, feeling the wind blowing.

"So it was the Cold Wind Sand."

Xiao Chen immediately recognized the origin of the sand; it was a special spiritual object that could only be born in the coldest and most yin-heavy places.

It looks like sand, but it is actually highly condensed Yin Qi.

It's one of the raw materials for Talisman Making Talisman Master, and I think it costs five catties for one Spirit Stone.

His gaze swept across the ground. "The area around the cave entrance alone must weigh over a hundred pounds."

Xiao Chen then took a few steps forward and stepped out of the cave.

Looking around, they discovered that the ground was entirely covered in this Spirit Sand.

The total weight must be at least tens of thousands of kilograms. If they could all be taken out, they could be sold for one or two thousand Spirit Stone.

However, this thing is composed of Yin Qi and cannot be picked up from a distance Law Power; it can only be grabbed by hand.

There were several excavation marks on the ground, probably left by the earlier cultivators.

But it seems most people skipped this part and rushed off to find other good stuff.

Such resources are usually reserved for the next opening of the Yellow Springs Palace.

Only then will cultivators arrive prepared to collect the items.

.

Xiao Chen did not linger there, but continued to walk deeper into the area.

However, as he walked, a sudden gust of Yin Wind swept by, and then a large mass of Cold Wind Sand condensed into a dummy that lunged at him.

ah?

No, what does this mean?

Based on his previous knowledge from various ancient texts, the Cold Wind Sand should be an inanimate object.

However, judging from the Spiritual Qi fluctuations emanating from the dummy in front of him, it was no less powerful than a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage 3.

Xiao Chen slashed out with his sword, cutting the dummy in two.

"Bang!"

As the dummy fell to the ground, a large amount of Cold Wind Sand dispersed again, and two streams of Yin Qi emerged from it.

That appears to be the culprit behind the mutation.

However, the two Yin Qi quickly merged into one and re-absorbed onto the surrounding Cold Wind Sand, instantly coalescing into a new dummy.

"Bang!"

Xiao Chen swung his sword again with a backhand strike, while simultaneously activating his spiritual eye to observe the dissipating Yin Qi.

Strangely enough, what appeared to be nothing more than ordinary Yin Qi seemed to possess a kind of vitality.

And just then, a new gust of Yin Wind blew by, causing the two scattered Yin Qi to rapidly expand and quickly transform into two dummy figures.

"I knew it! Why would anyone put so much Cold Wind Sand here?"

"There's definitely something fishy going on."

Seeing this, Xiao Chen abandoned his attack and instead transformed into Golden Light, dodging and continuing to advance.

The number of mannequins around him increased, clearly indicating that this was a large hunting ground.

Although a single dummy's cultivation level wasn't high, forty-nine dummy figures had unknowingly appeared nearby.

These dummies attack tirelessly, and are themselves virtually immortal.

Even a typical Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator would likely fare poorly here.

Fortunately, the Golden Light Shrinking Earth was fast enough, and it rushed forward for about ten miles in a flash, until the ground was finally free of Cold Wind Sand.

As soon as Xiao Chen left the Cold Wind Sand ground, the dummy behind him immediately collapsed, as if it had never existed.

He had now arrived at a new cave.

Compared to before, there is a greater amount of fungal growth here, and it is all concentrated on top of the head.

The soft blue light illuminated the entire cave, and it also made it clear that there were murals carved on the Rock Wall on both sides.

These murals contain no text and are painted rather casually.

It reveals a simple, primal beauty.

Xiao Chen looked at all the images one by one; they all depicted the story of a group of people worshipping a river.

At first, it was a person lying by the river drinking water.

Then a group of people were seen lying on the riverbank drinking water.

Then, it seems like spring, summer, autumn, and winter come, and people grow old.

Then they jumped into the river one after another and sank.

Finally, a person emerged from the river and knelt by the riverbank, bowing his head.

If nothing unexpected happens, this river should be the so-called Yellow Springs?

"They have writing but don't know how to use it, yet they insist on imitating the ancients by painting."

Xiao Chen couldn't help but complain, "It's determined that Yellow Springs Water."

He walked a little further in, turned a corner, and came to a spacious stone hall.

This place suddenly became a full ten zhang high.

A colossal sculpture, reaching to the sky, was placed there, wearing a crown, a black upper garment, and a white lower garment.

Xiao Chen recognized the image; it was the statue of the Yellow Springs True Lord.

Strangely enough, not only the Secret Method of the Yellow Springs Path, but even the heads of these statues remain blank.

And it's not an unfinished product that hasn't been carved yet, but a blank face that has been polished to a very smooth finish.

"What do you mean? Too ashamed to show your face?"

Xiao Chen walked around the statue once and made a preliminary judgment that the statue should not move.

Having just experienced the Cold Wind Sand, he was still a little more cautious and didn't get too close, instead going around it.

However, he encountered nothing unusual until he left the stone hall.

It's as if the person who designed the palace simply wanted to tell the story of the Yellow Springs Path here.

Emerging from the stone hall, one finally finds a veranda paved with pure white marble.

Jade pillars, pearl curtains, coral screens, and glazed tiles cover the eaves inlaid with Luminous Pearl.

It finally looks a bit like a temporary palace.

Xiao Chen walked along the corridor, which gradually widened on both sides, revealing many more Spirit Field.

The spirit field is planted with many spiritual herbs, many of which are rare varieties found in the outside world, including some ancient spiritual plants that have long been extinct.

"White Treasure Vine, Dark Spirit Grass, Crimson Violet Immortal Flower..."

He quickly recognized many rare Spirit Herb, and the further he went, the higher the quality of the Spirit Herb became.

Even Tier 3 Spirit Grass began to appear, as well as some rare treasures that could only be found in Ancient Books.

"How come there are so many Spirit Herb here?"

Although Xiao Chen was somewhat curious, he did not stop to pick any, but simply looked at them and left.

Based on the experience with the cold wind and sand earlier, these Spirit Herb are probably also problematic.

Sure enough, after walking for a short while, he saw several scattered Meteor Gold Crystal beside a Spirit Field.

Meteor Gold Crystal is a very rare spiritual ore that can be used to refine top-grade defensive armor.

By simply embedding a few beads, the protective capabilities of the robe can be greatly enhanced.

This fine product originated from the Eastern Domain and was specifically recorded in the book "Memoirs of Rare Treasures from My Travels in He Province".

However, when Xiao Chen looked over, he saw that most of the Meteor Gold Crystal had already melted.

It should disappear without a trace in another day or two.

Presumably, some cultivators couldn't resist the temptation and, relying on the protection of their Top-Grade Magic Robe, tried to pick the Spirit Herb.

It looks like it's already become fertilizer for the Spirit Field.

As they walked further in, they even saw many herbs that appeared to be Tier 4 Spirit Grass.

Beneath a brightly colored fruit tree, vibrant fruits ripen.

Even if he couldn't recognize the variety, a strange urge told him that eating just one fruit could extend his life by a hundred years.

The aroma of fruit wafted through the air, intensifying the urge to pick them all and devour them.

The Divinity Veil did not work; instead, it proved that the fruit tree and its fruit were all genuine.

The problem is, even though Xiao Chen activated his Illusion Breaking Spirit Eye to observe his surroundings, he couldn't discern the slightest clue.

For a moment, he even considered going down to try and see if he could pick the fruit himself.

Even if we assume the worst, I still have the Night's Edge to save my life, so I definitely won't die here.

"No, calm down."

Xiao Chen bit his tongue hard, using the pain to clear his head a little.

I came here to find the Sha Qi; I can't afford to waste my key trump card here.

Once the Golden Core is formed, one can naturally enjoy a lifespan of five hundred years; this is the true path to pursuing Long Sight, Long Life.

Anything that cannot help one form the Golden Core is of little importance.

You must be clear about your main goals and never be tempted by these things.

Having thought all this through, Xiao Chen withdrew his gaze without lingering and quickly left the place.