Mysterious Venerable, the Secret Realm!

"This is--"

Lu Qingfeng suddenly opened his eyes and looked at the vast river outside the Military Tome and Treasure Sword Gorge.

Frost swept across the land, rivers froze, and a mountain range surged forth like a tidal wave. Behind the mountain, a thousand waves rose, freezing into frost in mid-air—a truly terrifying sight.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that this was not a mountain at all, but rather an old, jet-black tortoise. It was enormous, easily several hundred feet tall. Its body was covered in silt, moss, and aquatic plants, making it appear from a distance just like a mountain.

Wherever you wander, you'll find ice everywhere.

"What kind of monster dares to run wild on the Myriad Beasts Immortal Mountain!"

Lu Qingfeng suddenly darted out and landed on the Military Tome and Treasure Sword Gorge, facing off against the old turtle on the Chengyang River.

"Mysterious Venerable!"

"Greetings, Mysterious Venerable!"

"Changqing, this is the sect's guardian ancestor Mysterious Venerable."

The river froze, Lu Qingfeng roared, startling the cultivators who were in seclusion in the Military Tome and Treasure Sword Gorge. Seeing the scene, they hurriedly explained to Lu Qingfeng.

"So it's Fellow Mysterious Venerable."

Lu Qingfeng suddenly understood.

He had previously wondered why, despite the Myriad Beasts Immortal Mountain's reputation for beast taming, both Daoist Bingyi and Ancestor Guyue displayed profound sword techniques. Now he realized that the Myriad Beasts Immortal Mountain actually possessed Primordial Spirit level.

The disciples in the gorge explained—

The dark, old tortoise before them was one of the most powerful demons of the Myriad Beasts Immortal Mountain, called the 'Cold Jade Black Tortoise,' revered as the 'Mysterious Venerable' by the cultivators of the sect, and a guardian of divine beasts. In the past, it cultivated in seclusion in the Chengyang River, guarding the southern side of the Myriad Beasts Immortal Mountain, deterring demons and villains.

I don't know why I've come to Military Tome and Treasure Sword Gorge today.

"Cold Jade Black Tortoise".

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingfeng had his own guesses.

The Cold Jade Black Tortoise opened and closed its mouth, and its voice reached Lu Qingfeng's ears, "I heard that Changqing has a Snow-Soul Pearl. I wonder if you would be willing to make a move? This old tortoise is willing to exchange all of my possessions for it."

The voice rang out.

More than ten Treasure Peak, piled up with gold and silver mountains, agate and jade, Spirit Stone Spirit Pearl, spirit medicine and minerals, came into Lu Qingfeng's mind.

The Chengyang River is vast, and countless treasures are hidden in its depths.

The Cold Jade Black Tortoise, which has been stationed in the Xiling Gorge section of the Chengyang River for countless years, has naturally collected countless treasures.

Lu Qingfeng recounted the details.

There are as many as nineteen Treasure Peak.

All together, their value is immeasurable.

Even if one were willing to spend the time, it would probably take Primordial Spirit cultivator hundreds or thousands of years to collect these treasures.

It requires considerable mental effort and significant strength.

While the Snow-Soul Pearl is priceless.

Only in the extreme cold of the Arctic Snow Domain, deep within underground snow caves, is it possible to obtain them. Even after searching the Arctic Snow Domain for over a thousand years, the Snow Mountain Ancestor Wei Fengniang only found two Snow-Soul Pearl.

But everything in the world, as long as it exists, has its price.

It all depends on each person's assessment.

For the Cold Jade Black Tortoise, whose attributes are a perfect match, they would be more than happy to exchange their entire fortune for it.

"Mysterious Venerable".

"Junior brother."

Lu Qingfeng knew the purpose of the Cold Jade Black Tortoise's visit, but before he could respond, a mysterious light from beyond the sky suddenly appeared and landed in front of Lu Qingfeng. It was none other than Daoist Bingyi.

"Mysterious Venerable is mild-mannered. If you are in a difficult position, just say so."

After settling down, Daoist Bingyi transmitted his voice to Lu Qingfeng.

Obviously.

Daoist Bingyi was worried that Lu Qingfeng would feel awkward about making excuses, and also worried that he would think that Cold Jade Black Tortoise's actions were instigated by him and Ancestor Guyue, so he quickly expressed his attitude.

"Thank you, senior brother."

Lu Qingfeng nodded slightly to Daoist Bingyi, opened his palm, and revealed a hazy, indistinct ice bead surrounded by icy mist.

It is indeed the Snow-Soul Pearl!

Upon seeing this, the Cold Jade Black Tortoise's two enormous eyes, as large as lakes, immediately lit up.

"This is--"

Daoist Bingyi also looked at Lu Qingfeng, feeling slightly surprised and suspicious.

Lu Qingfeng then gently pushed the Snow-Soul Pearl with his palm, and it landed in front of the Cold Jade Black Tortoise. Lu Qingfeng's voice came from the Military Tome and Treasure Sword Gorge, "Mysterious Venerable Xuanzun is more suitable for this Snow-Soul Pearl than I am. Please take it. It's just a pity that I didn't know this before, and after three months of refining, much of it was worn away. This Snow-Soul Pearl has also served as the array foundation in Green Conch Ravine for hundreds of years, so it can't compare to the original Snow-Soul Pearl."

Actually--

Daoist Bingyi's eyes flickered slightly, and he was surprised. He never expected that Lu Qingfeng would give away the Snow-Soul Pearl so easily.

That's enough!

The Cold Jade Black Tortoise nodded repeatedly, its gentle nature filled with boundless joy. It excitedly said to Lu Qingfeng, "Thank Changqing, Fellow Daoist Changqing. Please accept these treasures from this old tortoise."

"In this way."

"Then I will not stand on ceremony."

Lu Qingfeng smiled, and with a flick of his sleeve, he took all nineteen Treasure Peak that the Cold Jade Black Tortoise had hidden somewhere.

The Cold Jade Black Tortoise was not distressed at all; on the contrary, it was overjoyed. After Lu Qingfeng accepted the Treasure Peak, it hurriedly swallowed the Snow-Soul Pearl in one gulp, then bid farewell to Lu Qingfeng and disappeared into the depths of the Chengyang River.

He went to focus on refining the Snow-Soul Pearl.

"Junior Brother Gao Yi!"

Upon seeing this, Daoist Bingyi's mind raced with conflicting emotions, but in the end, he still gave Lu Qingfeng a sigh of admiration. He honestly admitted that if it were him, he probably wouldn't have been so carefree in exchanging such a treasure as the Snow-Soul Pearl.

After all, Snow-Soul Pearl are extremely rare.

Not only can it greatly improve the cultivation of Primordial Spirit cultivators, but it can also create a top-notch technique, with more variations to protect the path when facing enemies.

Lu Qingfeng waved his hand and said, "Mysterious Venerable is more suited to the Snow-Soul Pearl than I am, and he couldn't bear to let the treasure go to waste. Besides, with Mysterious Venerable being so generous, who wouldn't be Heart Movement?"

This differs from what Daoist Bingyi thought.

The Snow-Soul Pearl is indeed a rare treasure for Primordial Spirit cultivators. However, Lu Qingfeng is currently only at the initial stage of Core Formation. The nineteen Treasure Peak of the Mysterious Venerable are far more substantial than the Snow-Soul Pearl, enough for Lu Qingfeng, and even Qingshan Qingyu, to cultivate for a long time.

As for top-tier techniques...

Lu Qingfeng already possessed numerous Divine Ability and Great Divine Ability, so he had no need for them. Using a mere Snow-Soul Pearl to befriend an existence like the Cold Jade Black Tortoise was truly the best deal imaginable.

"And."

"In three months, I refined a small portion of the Snow-Soul Pearl, which greatly benefited the Demon God Shebi Shi. Even the power of his Divine Ability 'Water-Freezing Art' increased significantly, advancing to the minor completion stage."

"That's enough."

Daoist Bingyi thought Lu Qingfeng had suffered a loss, but Lu Qingfeng had his own assessment.

"My junior brother is far superior to me!"

Daoist Bingyi sighed and returned to his cave abode with Lu Qingfeng before explaining his purpose, "... The slaying of the Green Conch Eight Demons was entirely due to my junior brother's efforts. I am truly ashamed to have sought Master Zhenhui of the Six Dust Temple's help this time. My senior brother and I have agreed that this 'White Geng Ring' will be entrusted to my junior brother for a hundred years. During this hundred years, he can freely enter and exit the Heaven Stele Secret Realm for cultivation."

Three months later.

Finally, Daoist Bingyi made a decision to go to Six Dust Temple to seek Master Zhenhui's ' Buddhist Sect Lesser Wheel of Three Vehicles of Wondrous Manifestation and Transformation Miaofa's to aid his cultivation.

The 'White Geng Ring' and the 'Heaven Stele Secret Realm' are compensation given to Lu Qingfeng.

"The Heaven Stele Secret Realm?"

Lu Qingfeng reached out and took the gleaming Golden Light 'White Geng Ring' handed to him by Daoist Bingyi. He was curious about what Daoist Bingyi and Ancestor Guyue were seeking from Six Dust Temple. However, Daoist Bingyi didn't mention it, Lu Qingfeng didn't press the matter.

He then examined the 'White Geng Ring' in his hand and asked in surprise, "What is the Heaven Stele Secret Realm?"

The Three Mountains and Nine Rivers contain countless hidden realms, large and small.

Perhaps it is for the purpose of inheritance.

Or perhaps it is for spiritual practice.

Or perhaps it hides all sorts of treasures.

Over the years, countless secret realms have been discovered. Some are small, like the 'Hundred Herbs Garden' in the Gathering Cloud Mountains, which contains low-grade spirit medicine. Others are of medium quality, such as the First Secret Realm of the Mystic Origin Sect, Sky-Supporting Palm Seal contains a powerful technique.

"The 'Heaven Stele Secret Realm' is a top-tier secret realm that can be ranked first among all the famous secret realms in the Three Mountains and Nine Rivers."

Seeing Lu Qingfeng's curiosity, Daoist Bingyi explained in detail—

"Countless years ago, the Tianxing Sect of Kongling Gorge of the Seven Gorges Immortal Sect Celestial Star Sect, was the first to discover the Heaven Stele Secret Realm. They fought a great battle against the demons, but suffered heavy casualties among their experts and were nearly wiped out. In the end, with the help of the other six sects, they were able to survive and repel the demons."

"The Celestial Star Sect thus fell into decline, unable to monopolize the Heaven Stele Secret Realm, and eventually became shared by the Seven Gorges Immortal Sect."

Celestial Star Sect.

Lu Qingfeng's heart stirred.

This was the third time he had heard news about the Celestial Star Sect, aside from the Hundred Herbs Garden and the Immortal Mansion of Yu Mountain.

The Seven Gorges Immortal Sect are independent of each other, yet they are also closely connected.

It is quite similar to the 'Five Peaks Sword Sect' in Lu Qingfeng's mind.

Xiling Gorge, Myriad Beasts Immortal Mountain.

Yellow Maple Gorge Azurewood Valley.

Six Dust Temple in Fish Return Gorge.

They are all one of them.

The Celestial Star Sect is located between the Yunmeng Marsh and the Spirit Mountain Shell Grounds in the Three Mountains and Nine Rivers, nestled in the Kongling Gorge, and is more than ten thousand miles away from Biyang Lake.

Speaking of which, Lu Qingfeng still has three Celestial Star Sect True Disciple Tokens, but with his current cultivation level, he doesn't need to travel all the way to the Celestial Star Sect.

He pondered it in his heart.

Lu Qingfeng did not interrupt, and only then did he hear Daoist Bingyi continue:

"Inside the Heaven Stele Secret Realm."

"There is neither heaven nor earth, only sixty-four Heaven Stele that subtly correspond to the workings of the stars and the heavens. Each Heaven Stele bears countless inscriptions written in Ancient Eroded Script. Regarding the Heaven Stele and their inscriptions, two interpretations have been most widely accepted throughout history—"

"One Heaven Stele is that these Heavenly Steles were originally crafted and inscribed by High Antiquity cultivators to record Celestial Phenomenon phenomena and the movement of stars. They gleaned profound insights from the stars, which contain many mysterious changes in the workings of the heavens. However, celestial phenomena are ever-changing, and the stars are unpredictable and have no fixed number. Therefore, the insights gained by every cultivator throughout history from the sixty-four Heaven Stele are quite different."

Therefore, the Heaven Stele is also known as the 'Constellation Stele'.

"Another theory is that the Heavenly Heaven Stele were created by nature itself. Once one fully comprehends all sixty-four Heaven Stele, one can ascend to immortality. Among the seven sects, the geniuses of each generation have comprehended countless methods from the Heaven Stele, including many top-tier techniques. However, since ancient times, even the most talented individuals have only managed to comprehend twenty-four Heaven Stele. When they forcibly comprehended the twenty-fifth Heaven Stele, their energy became disordered, their mental strength was exhausted, and they died from Qi Deviation."

At this point, Daoist Bingyi's expression turned serious as he instructed Lu Qingfeng, "Junior brother, once you enter the secret realm, do not be fixated on comprehending the Heaven Stele. Just focus on your cultivation with the help of the 'White Geng Ring'."

"Thank you for the reminder, senior brother."

Lu Qingfeng nodded in agreement, and then asked Daoist Bingyi for some details about the Heaven Stele Secret Realm before sending Daoist Bingyi out of the cave abode.

He turned back.

"The Heaven Stele Secret Realm".

After a moment of contemplation, a stream of True Essence entered the 'White Geng Ring'. The boundless Geng Metal energy collided and converged to form a portal. He took a step out and entered the portal.

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