The Immortal Boat passed through the final barrier of clouds, and the view before Zhou Xuan suddenly opened up.
A massive mountain range floated in midair, its entire expanse a dark blue-black. No vegetation grew on its slopes, only jagged, grotesque rocks.
Spiritual energy so dense it was almost liquid gushed from every crevice in the mountains, forming visible waves of blue-green vapor that surged and howled between the peaks.
This was the Taia Immortal Vein.
The boat shuddered and docked steadily at an enormous platform extending from the mountainside.
The moment Zhou Xuan stepped out of the cabin, a blast of frenzied spiritual energy struck him in the face.
This felt nothing like breathing. What he swallowed was practically scorching, stinging gravel that scraped his meridians raw. This damned place was pure torture.
Lin Qingzhu knitted her brows slightly and quietly circulated her spiritual power before she could suppress the stabbing pain.
At the end of the platform stood a towering hall.
Over a hundred Taia disciples lined both sides of its entrance. Their auras were steady and profound, yet every face was taut, every gaze harboring an agitation they could not contain.
A man in a black robe sat upright in the seat of honor.
His features had an austere, ancient cast, and sword light flickered into existence and vanished as his eyes opened and closed.
Merely by sitting there, he seemed to forcibly suppress all the violent spiritual energy in the hall with his own aura, creating an uncanny balance.
The Longevity Realm.
This was the master of the Taia Immortal Vein, Shangguan Lie.
Qian Zhao led Zhou Xuan and Lin Qingzhu into the hall, hurried up to the seat of honor, bowed, and reported a few words in a low voice.
Shangguan Lie's gaze had settled