Leng Weiyue didn't seem to notice. She quickly gathered every valuable remnant in the hall, leaving nothing behind, though her expression was far from pleasant.
Clearly, the gains had fallen well short of expectations.
"Looks like luck wasn't on our side. This place has already been looted many times." Leng Weiyue turned to Li Qingshan, her tone giving away nothing. "As agreed, you can have thirty percent of these jade slips."
She really did take out more than a dozen jade slips of varying quality and send them over to Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan didn't refuse. He accepted the jade slips and tucked them away, then cupped his hands. "Many thanks, fellow Daoist." He remained secretly on guard. This woman's scrupulousness about keeping her word only made him more uneasy.
Leng Weiyue studied him, then suddenly asked, "I still don't know what to call you, fellow Daoist."
Li Qingshan's thoughts raced, but his expression remained calm. "Zhou Yun, a mere rogue cultivator."
"Zhou Yun..."
Leng Weiyue repeated the name. Beneath her black veil, the corner of her mouth seemed to curve in a meaningful smile. "Very well, Fellow Daoist Zhou. It's been a pleasure working with you today. I hope we meet again someday."
With that, she didn't linger. Her figure flickered, turning into a wisp of ghost shadow as she swept out of the ancient hall and vanished into the horizon in an instant, showing not the slightest intention of attacking.
Li Qingshan stood where he was, stunned for a moment.
She was just leaving? So decisively? All the many contingencies he'd prepared had gone completely unused.
"This woman is deep-minded and unpredictable. She's no easy opponent. Either she doesn't care about these meager gains, or... she's left some kind of mark on me, or there's something strange about that black jade slip." Doubts swirled through Li Qingshan's mind. He carefully checked himself from head to toe, but found nothing amiss.
Whatever the case, this was no place to linger.
He immediately left the Heritage Ancient Hall and flew toward the general direction of the secret realm's entrance. After everything that had happened, especially his encounter with someone as dangerous as Leng Weiyue, his desire to leave had only grown stronger.
"The secret realm may be full of treasures, but danger lurks everywhere. I've already obtained the Spirit Liquid Immortal Spring, the Millennial Vermilion Fruit, and these jade slips. That's enough to keep me busy for a long time. Better to quit while I'm ahead and leave now, before I get caught up in an even bigger mess..."
But just as he made up his mind and prepared to find a way out of this place, a sudden thunderous roar rang out—
BOOM!!!
At the very heart of the secret realm, atop the highest mountain, a brilliant pillar of light burst forth, connecting heaven and earth!
Countless runes swirled within the pillar. Celestial music drifted through the air as the phantom of a white jade palace, grander and more sacred than any before it, slowly emerged amid endless rosy clouds. A vast, soul-shaking aura and an intoxicating Dao resonance poured from it!
An irresistible summons instantly stirred in the hearts of every cultivator in the secret realm!
"The Mysterious Sky Palace! The main hall of the Mysterious Sky Sect has emerged!"
"Gods! The legendary main hall of the Mysterious Sky Sect! It must contain the sect's true core inheritance and supreme treasures!"
"Go! If we're late, there won't even be scraps left for us!"
The entire secret realm erupted into a frenzy!
Every cultivator, no matter where they had been or what they had been doing, now shot into the sky like madmen, transforming into streaks of light and rushing toward the mountain beneath the pillar.
Li Qingshan halted in midair, staring at the soul-stirring sight and feeling the summons from deep within his soul. An extremely conflicted expression crossed his face.
The pillar of light pierced heaven and earth, while celestial music bewitched the heart.
Suspended in midair, Li Qingshan gazed at the phantom of the Mysterious Sky Palace, as if a celestial palace had descended into the world. Feeling the stir and summons from deep within his soul, he watched his expression shift again and again.
The main hall of the Mysterious Sky Sect was undoubtedly where the greatest opportunities in the entire secret realm lay, but it was also sure to become a gathering place for the greatest dangers. The elite of the eight great powers and all manner of unsavory characters would converge there. The ensuing bloody struggle was easy to imagine.
If he wanted to retreat, now seemed the best time. With everyone drawn to the Mysterious Sky Palace, he could slip away unnoticed.
The Spirit Liquid Immortal Spring, Millennial Vermilion Fruit, and mysterious black jade slip in his arms already amounted to a considerable haul.
"Forget it! The struggle for the Mysterious Sky Palace is bound to be incredibly dangerous! I have the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd and am not short on resources. Staying here is too risky. I should leave for now!"
Just as he drew a deep breath, suppressed his greed, and turned his flight toward the edge of the secret realm—
Hum...
The Wish-Fulfilling Gourd, which had been quietly resting in his dantian, trembled ever so slightly, without warning!
At the same time, an ancient yet strangely familiar sensation, faint but unmistakable, drifted from deep within the distant Mysterious Sky Palace. It resonated with the gourd's tremor in a way that was difficult to put into words!
"What?!"
Li Qingshan was shaken to the core, his eyes wide with disbelief.
The Wish-Fulfilling Gourd's origins were shrouded in mystery. It was his greatest reliance and his deepest secret.
And now it had reacted to the Mysterious Sky Palace? What inside the hall was drawing it in? Or what connection did it have to the ancient Mysterious Sky Sect?
In that instant, his caution and desire to retreat were shaken by this sudden turn of events.
"The Wish-Fulfilling Gourd has reacted. That can't be ordinary! The sensation is faint, but there's a pull to it, as though it comes from the same source... Could there be something in the hall that shares the gourd's origins? Or a clue that could reveal where the gourd came from?"
Li Qingshan's thoughts raced. He turned his gaze once more toward the palace wreathed in rosy clouds, his eyes growing unfathomably deep.
The risks were undoubtedly great, but the secret of the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd was worth taking a chance for!
"Fine! I'll make another attempt. But I have to be extremely careful. The moment things turn against me, I'll pull out at once. I won't stay out of greed!"
He turned his flight around once more and concealed his presence, blending into the rushing river of cultivators as inconspicuously as a drop of water into the sea. Then he cautiously flew toward the Mysterious Sky Palace.
The closer he got to the main peak, the more cultivators he encountered, and the more tense and grim the atmosphere became. Streaks of light cut across the sky, each keeping a wary distance from the others.
When he reached the summit, he saw the towering, magnificent Mysterious Sky Palace, built entirely from some kind of spiritual jade, securely enclosed within an enormous, translucent seven-colored barrier.
Runes flowed across the barrier, which radiated an aura of despairing solidity.
By now, several hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators had gathered outside it, nearly half of them disciples from the eight great powers.
For the moment, they had set aside their grudges. At the direction of their respective leaders, they brought out all kinds of magical weapons and treasures, unleashing spell after spell as they attacked the seven-colored barrier with all their might.
Rumble! Crackle!
Countless flashes of spiritual light erupted, and deafening booms shook the air. Powerful shock waves spread in every direction, making for a spectacular yet chaotic scene.
Yet the seven-colored barrier only rippled faintly, absorbing and neutralizing every attack. It remained as steady as a mountain!
At this rate, they might not be able to break through by force even after several days.
Li Qingshan stayed at the edge of the crowd, watching coldly without joining the attack.
He was happy to let others do the work while he conserved his strength.
At the same time, he noticed that the leaders of the eight great powers were all cultivators at the peak of Foundation Establishment. Their strength was formidable, and they wielded top-grade spiritual weapons. As far as attack power went, they were already not far behind True Persons at the Golden Core stage.
Only with those peak Foundation Establishment cultivators leading everyone in a formation could they combine their strength and assault the barrier.
Just then, a waft of delicate fragrance drifted over, and the familiar figure appeared silently at his side once more.
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