A shriek rang out—
The sound was unbearably shrill, as though torn from the depths of a soul. It made scalps prickle and sent chills down spines.
Everyone jumped and hurriedly summoned their artifacts, their eyes fixed on the Nine-Story Pavilion.
The pavilion's gate was tall and ancient, roughly fifty zhang high and ten zhang wide. Its frame was densely inscribed with Edict Script from top to bottom, interspersed with ordinary words that cultivators today could still read.
The Mystic Gate Sky Boat had been built in the Late Antiquity, a turbulent age when the Edict Script of the Primordial Era was gradually being simplified.
Someone cried in alarm, "We have limited time. Let's not kill one another, or we won't get the treasures—and the Sky Boat will carry us away!"
"Once we're in the void beyond the heavens, not even an immortal could save us."
"Xu Yan, and you fellow cultivators from Nine Star Kui Island—if you want to fight, take it outside. Don't trigger the Sky Boat's restrictions!"
The cultivators were on edge.
Before the Nine-Story Pavilion's gate had finished taking shape, no one dared move recklessly, for fear of triggering the Sky Boat's killing array.
"Once we've taken the treasures here and the Great Teleportation Token, it won't be too late to demand an explanation from Half-Immortal Xu."
The speaker was a young man from Nine Star Kui Island. His aura was immense, and his Dao Attainment was the highest in the group: the Seventh Pulse Opening Stage.
Murong Yan snorted coldly and shot Xu Yan a hard stare, but said nothing more.
These disciples were not direct heirs, so strength naturally held sway among them. Murong Yan had only recently broken through to the Sixth Pulse Opening Stage, greatly improving his Dao Attainment, but he still could not measure up to the strongest here.
Xu Yan remained calm and paid them no mind.
"Are there really ghosts hiding inside this Sky Boat?" Xu Yan asked quietly.
Qin Yiren seemed to consider it, then shook her head. "A few days ago, the ghostly howls inside the Sky Boat were still faint. And after the Nine-Story Pavilion opened, no cultivator found a ghost inside. Some suspect it's energy released by a Spirit-Born Artifact."
"Spirit-Born Artifacts have minds of their own. If one has no master, it naturally wouldn't want a cultivator to refine it. That theory makes sense," Xu Yan said casually.
The Nine-Story Pavilion's gate was still taking shape.
At the same time, everyone sensed the Mystic Gate Sky Boat beneath their feet slowly raising its bow, as if it were about to fly into the heavens.
At the sight, anxiety crept across their faces.
Rumble—
Ripple after ripple of magical power spread from the Nine-Story Pavilion. The Edict Script on its gate shifted through countless forms, crawling like swarms of ants and leaving onlookers dizzy.
A black mist slowly seeped through the gap between the doors.
Everyone braced for an enemy, gripping their artifacts tight. If anything ghostly appeared, every cultivator present would descend on it.
"Stay close to me. Don't get lost."
Xu Yan spoke softly, deep in thought. The Edict Script on his palm felt hotter by the moment.
He might be able to activate the [Wondrous Method] Edict Script and break the gate's ancient array, but doing so consumed an enormous amount of spiritual sense. An array this old might drain his sense completely and leave him unconscious.
Under these circumstances, that would be utterly foolish—nothing short of courting death.
"All right!" Qin Yiren nodded.
They had traveled together before, and she knew Xu Yan had some skill in Mystic Gate arts. Here, he might finally put it to use.
The black mist pouring from the gate grew thicker and thicker, sweeping across the entire deck like a tide!
Strange restrictions from the Primordial Era seemed to drift within it, sealing off even cultivators' five senses. Without activating the Miaoyuan Edict, Xu Yan could extend his spiritual sense only one zhang!
Rustling came from every direction.
Everyone's heart tightened, but no one dared act rashly.
Gradually, the black mist seeping from the Nine-Story Pavilion engulfed the entire Sky Boat. Every cultivator stood within it. The eerie stillness kept them from relaxing for even a moment; they summoned every ounce of focus and watched all sides.
"Something came out of the gate. Be careful," Xu Yan suddenly told Qin Yiren as his spiritual sense stirred.
"Brother Xu, your spiritual sense can detect it?" Qin Yiren asked gravely, holding her sword case.
"My family passed down a secret Mystic Gate art that can awaken the spirit and strengthen the senses," Xu Yan lied offhandedly. Without activating the Miaoyuan Edict, he was like the other cultivators: he could sense only the area within one zhang of himself.
Even so, the dark mist was deeply strange. Though the [Miaoyuan] Edict let Xu Yan perceive something within it, his spiritual sense felt as if it were sinking into a swamp.
Qin Yiren did not press him.
They stood back to back, alert to their surroundings.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Within the black mist, one cultivator could no longer bear the oppressive atmosphere. He cast a flight art to escape the Sky Boat.
But the next instant—
A discordant sound came from above. The black mist seemed to come alive, gathering into an enormous dark vine. It seized the cultivator and dragged him down from midair.
"Aaaah—"
His scream made everyone's heart jump. No one knew where he had been dragged, and he soon fell silent.
Everyone waited tensely for half an incense stick to burn.
At last, a sound came from the gate. Its creak stood out sharply in the black mist.
"The Nine-Story Pavilion's gate is open!" someone whispered.
"Move."
Footsteps rustled as many hurried toward the gate.
No one used a divine ability or Daoist art, afraid of meeting the same fate as the cultivator from moments before.
Xu Yan and Qin Yiren wasted no time and immediately walked toward the gate.
Its enormous doors were now close enough to touch, the Edict Script on their frame plainly visible.
Black mist billowed from within like a tide. Beyond the threshold lay something like a black hole, impossible to see through.
Not far away, several cultivators had already hurried inside and vanished through the doorway.
Xu Yan caught Qin Yiren by the arm.
Her beautiful eyes flickered. She looked up at him but did not pull away.
"Let's go!"
As soon as Xu Yan spoke, he raised a foot. In that instant, a force burst from the gate and swallowed them both.
After a dizzying whirl, Xu Yan and Qin Yiren landed in a vast hall.
This was clearly the first floor of the Nine-Story Pavilion.
Many cultivators had already entered. Like Xu Yan and Qin Yiren, they looked around in wonder.
No wonder: the hall's design and decorations were wildly imaginative, filled with ingenious tricks and contraptions that took their breath away!
The hall stood some thirty zhang high. Countless fist-sized pearls were set into its vaulted ceiling, casting a soft glow that lit the entire space as brightly as day.
Huge murals covered the walls. Some showed cultivators flying on swords, others great ships crossing the stars or immortals debating the Dao in midair. They were so lifelike they seemed ready to step off the walls.
"Are these... all relics from the Late Antiquity?"
A cultivator exclaimed in wonder. He walked up to a vivid mural, marveling at its exquisite detail.
"Don't touch it!" someone shouted.
The warning came too late. The moment the cultivator touched the mural, it swallowed him whole, and he became part of the scene.
"What a fool!"
As Xu Yan surveyed the hall, he noticed that the people from Nine Star Kui Island had entered as well.
Gradually, all several hundred cultivators gathered on the first floor.
While everyone was looking around, a spiritual glow flashed within one of the huge murals. A streak of light shot out like a meteor, wrapped in an Edict Script restriction.
"A high-grade artifact!" a cultivator cried. It was a massive axe, though no one knew whether it belonged to the Sky Boat or to a cultivator the mural had swallowed long ago.
Like ripples spreading from a stone dropped into water, its appearance was followed by more Spirit Treasures shooting out from every direction!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
In an instant, Spirit Treasures filled the air, too many to take in at once.
Eyes gleaming, the cultivators immediately cast flight arts and rose into the air, snatching up spiritual wealth and treasures!
Qin Yiren flew up and, with a casual gesture, caught a bottle of pills.
"Primal Qi Pills?" Qin Yiren raised an eyebrow, a faint smile touching her lips.
Xu Yan made no move to collect anything. Instead, he activated the Miaoyuan Edict and sent out his spiritual sense to search. Then he said quietly, "The Great Teleportation Token isn't here. Let's go upstairs. We shouldn't waste time here."
Before you continue