Inside the mountain cave, firelight flickered.
Li Ya sat on a boulder, bare-chested as he used white cloth to bind the wounds covering his body. Blood kept seeping out, a terrifying sight, yet he did not furrow his brow.
A soul body floated beside him. It was a tall old man, stroking his beard as he watched him.
"To withstand the poison of the Thousand-Hand Demon Vine, your physique has grown stronger again," the Old Ancestor praised.
Li Ya said calmly, "It is still not enough. Compared to Lu Xian and Ji Xiaoyu, it is not worth mentioning. Besides, another An Hao has emerged in the sect. They say that fellow's talent is even more outrageous than those two."
The Old Ancestor chuckled. "They are born geniuses, but you are a genius forged through hard work. You may not be unable to surpass them. In my view, innate aptitude is not the most important thing. What matters most is an unyielding Dao Heart and a striving heart that refuses to give up."
Li Ya nodded and was just about to reply when the blazing flames above the fire suddenly swayed violently. His expression changed drastically as well.
"Spiritual energy is sinking?"
Li Ya frowned. His Old Ancestor frowned as well.
The Old Ancestor said with a frown, "Could it be not man-made, but a natural disaster? What does this foretell?"
He pinched his fingers and calculated, but unfortunately, he could calculate nothing.
Once the spiritual energy of the North Sea Mountains began to sink, Demon Beast roars rose and fell throughout heaven and earth. Cultivators hiding in Cave Mansions rushed out one after another, while those in the midst of battle had no choice but to stop.
Beneath a tree.
Gu An was surrounded by five-colored spiritual light. At