The Back Door!

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, it's been a while."

Beneath the black veil, Leng Weiyue's eyes held a hint of amusement, as if she had expected him to come. "It seems even you couldn't resist the allure of the Mysterious Sky Palace in the end."

Li Qingshan remained wary inside, but his expression was calm. "Such a grand event was worth coming to see for myself. Did you seek me out, Fellow Daoist Leng, because you have another deal in mind?"

"Talking to a clever person like Fellow Daoist Zhou certainly saves time."

Leng Weiyue gave a soft laugh and lowered her voice. "Brute-forcing the Seven-Colored Glazed Barrier is truly the worst option. Even if we can break through it, it'll take several days, and everyone will exhaust their magic power in the process. It simply isn't worth it. As it happens, I've found a node in the formation. We may be able to bypass the front and enter through a side door."

Her gaze swept over several cultivators nearby, who were also watching coldly without giving their all. "I'm not the only one who's noticed it. Yin Kui of the Yin Luo Sect, Liu Wenyan of the Beast Taming Sect, and that Rogue Cultivator couple, Chen Gang and Zheng Wenxiu, have all figured out a few things.

"What do you say? Will you work with me again? The side door may not lead to the main hall, but it'll still give us a head start and spare us this pointless waste of energy."

Li Qingshan followed her gaze.

Yin Kui of the Yin Luo Sect was a pale young man with a sinister gaze. When he looked at Li Qingshan, there seemed to be a trace of barely perceptible hostility in his eyes.

Liu Wenyan of the Beast Taming Sect, meanwhile, was a refined-looking young man. A snow-white spirit beast crouched beside him.

The Rogue Cultivator couple looked to be in their thirties. The man was simple and honest, while the woman was shrewd. They were speaking quietly about something.

Every one of them had an extraordinary aura. Clearly, none was to be trifled with.

Most importantly, they were all at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

Only he was still at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.

Li Qingshan paused to consider.

Working with these people was no different from plotting with a tiger.

But Leng Weiyue was right. Entering through a side door was indeed the best option available.

More importantly, Li Qingshan was confident that even against so many Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivators, he could protect himself.

"Fine."

He nodded. "I'm willing to work with you again, Fellow Daoist."

Leng Weiyue smiled with satisfaction, then sent a message to the others.

A moment later, the group seemed to reach an agreement. They quietly withdrew from the crowd and headed toward a secluded cliff behind the main hall.

At the foot of the cliff, where vines concealed the rock face, they found an inconspicuous stretch of stone wall. The formation patterns here were indeed far fainter and sparser than those around the main entrance, though they remained complex.

"This is the place."

Leng Weiyue pointed to more than a dozen faintly glowing spots on the wall. "All seven of us must strike these nodes at once. Our force and timing must be exact down to the smallest detail, or we won't be able to open a gap, even briefly. Everyone, prepare yourselves."

The others nodded and began gathering their magic power.

Li Qingshan understood. This was a collaboration, but also a test of one another—and a chance to establish their strength.

He quietly circulated his Longevity True Essence, keeping it around the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage level. He wouldn't stand out too much, nor appear too weak.

"Now!"

At Leng Weiyue's low command, seven beams of light, each a different color but all incredibly concentrated, shot out at once and struck the nodes with pinpoint accuracy!

The formation patterns on the stone wall flickered violently, emitting a strained hum. At last, a hazy portal just wide enough for one person to pass through opened.

"Go!"

Leng Weiyue entered first, and the others followed in single file.

Li Qingshan brought up the rear. The instant he stepped through the portal, he felt Yin Kui of the Yin Luo Sect glance at him, seemingly by chance. His gaze was icy.

After passing through a short, dim passage, the view before them suddenly opened up. They were now inside the Mysterious Sky Palace!

The hall was vast, with carved beams and painted rafters, jade pillars supporting the heavens. Though it bore the marks of time, it was far more intact and resplendent than the Heritage Ancient Hall outside. The dense spiritual energy was almost tangible, mingling with the scents of medicinal herbs and the aura of spirit artifacts, refreshing the spirit.

Yet almost as soon as they entered, their hastily assembled, loose alliance fell apart.

"Everyone, now that we're inside, let fate decide what opportunities await each of us. Farewell!" Leng Weiyue gave a soft laugh, then turned into a ghostly shadow and sped toward some distant part of the hall, as if she already had a destination in mind.

"Hmph!" Yin Kui of the Yin Luo Sect sneered and swiftly left in a different direction.

Liu Wenyan of the Beast Taming Sect cupped his hands to the others, then headed down another corridor with his spirit beast.

The Rogue Cultivator couple, Chen Gang and Zheng Wenxiu, walked up to Li Qingshan. Chen Gang, the honest-looking man, spoke first. "Fellow Daoist Zhou, the hall is full of dangers. Why don't the three of us travel together? We can watch each other's backs."

Li Qingshan could clearly feel Zheng Wenxiu's shrewd eyes studying him, full of scrutiny and calculation.

He smiled faintly and cupped his hands in refusal. "Thank you for the kind offer, but I'm used to going it alone. I wouldn't want to hold you two back."

The couple exchanged a glance, seeming a little disappointed, but they didn't press him. They turned and quickly left.

Once everyone had gone, Li Qingshan remained where he was, in no hurry to act.

He carefully sensed his surroundings again.

The Wish-Fulfilling Gourd in his dantian was trembling more distinctly now. That faint summons was guiding him deeper into a secluded corridor on the right side of the hall.

At the same time, his keen spiritual sense detected that Yin Kui of the Yin Luo Sect, who had just left, had not gone far. Instead, he seemed to be lurking nearby on purpose, and a faint, carefully concealed killing intent appeared to have fixed on him.

"So you couldn't resist after all?"

A cold glint flashed briefly in Li Qingshan's eyes.

He pretended not to know and followed the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd's call, walking unhurriedly down the corridor on the right.

That path led to the side halls of the Mysterious Sky Palace.

Compared to the main hall, the side halls were deeper and more secluded. Their corridors twisted and turned, and the light was dim. Following the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd's increasingly clear signal, Li Qingshan made his way cautiously farther inside.

The farther he went, the more a strange medicinal fragrance began to fill the air. It wasn't a single scent, but a rich medicinal essence formed from countless refined herbs that had mingled and settled together. One breath refreshed his spirit, and even the Longevity True Essence in his body seemed to stir more actively.

At last, he reached a stone door that stood ajar.

The fragrance of pills seeped out from inside. He probed with his spiritual sense, and only after confirming that there were no obvious restrictions or signs of living creatures did he slowly push the door open.

Beyond it lay a fairly spacious pill room.

At its center stood a three-legged pill furnace, half a person tall.

The furnace had an antique design and was dark gold all over. Its body was carved with dancing dragons and soaring phoenixes, along with images of the sun, moon, and stars. Dust covered its surface, but could not hide its extraordinary aura. Spiritual light was contained within it, and the Dao's resonance seemed to arise of its own accord—it was unmistakably a Top-Grade Pill Furnace!

"It's not a second-tier spirit artifact, but a... third-tier magical treasure?! And a top-grade third-tier treasure, at that?!"

Li Qingshan shuddered all over, his eyes blazing with fervent light.

What excited him even more was that the enticing medicinal fragrance was wafting out in wisps through the furnace's vents. Pills were clearly taking shape inside, and they had been nourished for who knew how many years!

"A top-grade pill furnace! Pills inside! This risk was worth it!"

Delight flared in Li Qingshan's eyes. Such a treasure was a chance any cultivator could only dream of encountering!

And the pills it had been nourishing had probably been inside for several thousand, perhaps even ten thousand years. Even if they had originally been third-tier pills, they might have long since become fourth-tier pills.

Fourth-tier pills were treasures only Nascent Soul old monsters had the right to take.

What kind of pills could have been nurtured for so long?

He held back his excitement and stepped forward, preparing to study how to claim the furnace.

The instant his attention was drawn slightly toward the furnace—

A sudden change struck!

A vicious streak of black light, swift as lightning and appearing without warning, shot out from the shadow of a massive stone pillar behind him to the side, aiming straight for his temple!

The timing of the ambush was perfect. It struck at the exact moment his guard was lowest!

At the same time, a powerful force of restraint descended, attempting to lock down the space around him!