Mysterious Sky Palace Appears!

Leng Weiyue did not seem to notice; she quickly cleared the hall of all valuable remnants, her expression looking rather unpleasant.

Clearly, the harvest was far below her expectations.

"It seems our luck is poor; this place has already been ransacked many times over." Leng Weiyue turned to look at Li Qingshan, her tone revealing neither joy nor anger. "As agreed, I will give you thirty percent of these jade slips."

She truly took out a dozen jade slips of varying quality and pushed them toward Li Qingshan.

Li Qingshan did not decline. He took the jade slips, tucked them away, and cupped his hands. "Many thanks, fellow Daoist." He remained inwardly vigilant; the fact that she kept her word so strictly only made him feel more uneasy.

Leng Weiyue scrutinized him and suddenly asked, "I have yet to ask how to address you, fellow Daoist?"

Li Qingshan's thoughts raced, but his expression remained calm. "This Humble One is Zhou Yun, a mere rogue cultivator."

"Zhou Yun..."

Leng Weiyue repeated the name, and the corners of her mouth beneath the black veil seemed to curl into a meaningful arc. "Very well, Fellow Daoist Zhou. A pleasant cooperation today. I hope we shall meet again."

With that, she stopped lingering. Her figure flickered, transforming into a ghostly shadow that swept out of the ancient hall and vanished into the horizon in an instant, showing no intention of attacking.

Li Qingshan stood where he was, stunned for a moment.

Just like that? So decisive? The many contingency plans he had prepared had not been used at all.

This woman is deep and unpredictable; she is certainly not someone to be trifled with. Either she looked down on this meager harvest, or... she left some kind of mark on me, or perhaps that black jade slip is strange? Li Qingshan's heart was filled with suspicion. He carefully checked his body but found nothing unusual.

Regardless, this place was no longer safe to stay.

He immediately left the inheritance hall and fled toward the general direction of the secret realm's entrance. After this series of events, especially his contact with a dangerous figure like Leng Weiyue, his desire to retreat grew even stronger.

The secret realm is good, but it is riddled with crises. I have already obtained the Spirit Liquid Immortal Spring, the Millennial Vermilion Fruit, and these jade slips—enough to digest for a long time. It is better to quit while I am ahead and leave before I get dragged into even greater disputes...

However, just as he made up his mind and prepared to find a way out of this troubled place—

BOOM!!!

From the very center of the secret realm, at the peak of the highest mountain, a brilliant pillar of light erupted, piercing the heavens and shaking the earth!

Within the pillar of light, countless runes flowed and ethereal immortal music played. A phantom of a white jade palace—even more magnificent, sacred, and shrouded in endless rosy clouds—slowly emerged, radiating a soul-shaking, majestic aura and a Daoist charm that drove people to madness!

An irresistible sense of summons instantly took hold of the hearts of every cultivator in the secret realm!

"The Mysterious Sky Palace! The main Mysterious Sky Palace has manifested!"

"Heavens! The legendary main Mysterious Sky Palace! It must contain the true core inheritance and supreme treasures of the Mysterious Sky Sect!"

"Hurry! If we go too late, we won't even get a drop of soup!"

The entire secret realm instantly boiled over!

Every cultivator, regardless of where they were or what they were doing, acted as if they had gone mad. They transformed into streaks of light, rushing desperately toward the mountain where the pillar of light stood!

Li Qingshan steered his light, stopping in mid-air to gaze at the shocking scene. Feeling the summons from the depths of his soul, a complex expression appeared on his face.

The pillar of light pierced heaven and earth, while the ethereal immortal music bewitched the hearts of men.

Li Qingshan hovered in mid-air, watching the phantom of the Mysterious Sky Palace as if an immortal palace had descended to the world. Feeling the throbbing and the summons from the depths of his soul, his expression shifted uncertainly.

The main Mysterious Sky Palace was undoubtedly the greatest opportunity in the entire secret realm, but it was also destined to be the place where the greatest dangers converged. The elites of the eight great factions and all sorts of monsters and demons would gather here; the bloody struggle to come was easy to imagine.

If he were to withdraw, now seemed like the best time. While everyone was distracted by the Mysterious Sky Palace, it was the perfect moment to slip away quietly.

With the Spirit Liquid Immortal Spring, the Millennial Vermilion Fruit, and that mysterious black jade slip in his possession, his harvest was already significant.

Forget it! The battle for the Mysterious Sky Palace will surely be incredibly dangerous! I have the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd in my hand and lack no resources. Staying here is too dangerous; I had better leave first!

Just as he took a deep breath, suppressed the greed in his heart, and turned his light slightly toward the edge of the secret realm—

Hum...

Within his dantian, the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd, which had been quietly nourishing itself, trembled ever so slightly without any warning!

At the same time, an extremely faint yet ancient and intimate sensation drifted from the depths of the distant Mysterious Sky Palace, creating an indescribable resonance with the vibration of the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd!

"What?!"

Li Qingshan's heart shook violently, and his eyes revealed an expression of disbelief.

The origin of the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd was mysterious; it was his greatest reliance and secret.

Could it actually react to the Mysterious Sky Palace? Was there something in that palace attracting it? Or rather, what connection did it have with this ancient Mysterious Sky Sect?

At this moment, all his caution and desire to retreat were shaken by this sudden turn of events.

The anomaly of the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd is no small matter! Although the sensation is faint, it carries a sense of primordial attraction... Could it be that there is something of the same origin as the gourd in this palace? Or perhaps a clue that can unlock the mystery of the gourd's origin?

Li Qingshan's thoughts raced, and his gaze turned once again to the palace bathed in thousands of rays of light, his eyes becoming incredibly deep.

The risk was indeed huge, but when it came to the secret of the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd, it was worth taking the risk!

Fine! I shall go and venture there once! But I must be extremely careful. Once the situation becomes untenable, I will withdraw immediately and never be greedy!

His light shifted once more. He suppressed all his aura, blending into the torrent of light streaking across the sky like a drop of water into the ocean, and flew cautiously toward the Mysterious Sky Palace.

The closer he got to the main peak, the more cultivators there were, and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense and murderous. Streaks of light of various colors cut through the sky, each maintaining a vigilant distance from the others.

Upon arriving at the summit of the main peak, he saw the towering, majestic Mysterious Sky Palace, constructed entirely of some kind of spirit jade, firmly protected by a massive, translucent, seven-colored light barrier.

Runes flowed across the barrier, radiating an aura of despairingly impenetrable strength.

At this moment, no fewer than several hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators had gathered outside the light barrier, with disciples from the eight major factions accounting for nearly half of them.

They had temporarily set aside their grievances, and under the command of the lead disciples from each sect, they unleashed various magical artifacts and treasures, casting all manner of spells to attack the seven-colored light barrier frantically.

BOOM! CRACKLE!

Countless flashes of spiritual light erupted, the deafening roars shaking the air as powerful shockwaves of energy rippled outward, creating a scene that was both massive and chaotic.

However, the seven-colored light barrier merely rippled slightly, absorbing and neutralizing every attack with ease, remaining as steady as a mountain.

At this rate, it would likely be impossible to forcibly break through even after several days.

Li Qingshan mingled on the periphery of the crowd, watching with cold eyes, making no move to join in.

He was more than happy to let others expend their energy while he conserved his own strength.

At the same time, he noticed that the eight major factions were each led by a cultivator at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment; they were formidable, wielding top-grade spiritual artifacts that, in terms of raw offensive power, were not far off from those of Golden Core masters.

It was these Great Perfection cultivators who led the others in forming grand arrays, allowing them to pool everyone's strength to assault the barrier.

Just then, a faint fragrance drifted over, and that familiar figure appeared once again, soundlessly, at his side.