Reunion with Old Friends

Roarrr—

The white banner's power was at its peak. Its surface had expanded to over a thousand zhang, blotting out the sky and sun. Gusts of ghostly wind swept down from above, plunging heaven and earth into darkness.

Bone corpses rained down, carrying surging killing intent as they fled into the mountains.

Xu Yan stared wide-eyed, looking carefully in that direction. The cultivators scattered like frightened birds and beasts, fleeing in panic. A naked child sat cross-legged atop the great banner, his mocking gaze sweeping across the surroundings.

This Spirit-Born Artifact had lain dormant within the Immortal Treasury Sky Boat for endless years, its power reaching the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment Path artifacts.

A group of Pulse Opening disciples were nothing but clay chickens and porcelain dogs before it, utterly powerless to stop it, much less subdue it.

Xu Yan used a breath-concealing technique, completely suppressing his aura as he lay hidden behind a boulder.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

In barely a dozen breaths, the great banner flew overhead. The sky abruptly darkened, and countless bone corpses were hurled out.

Every one of those bone corpses was comparable to a ninth-level Pulse Opening cultivator. Their physical bodies were formidable, indestructible as vajra.

Several rogue cultivators poured all their strength into superior artifacts, yet could not harm them in the slightest, dying amid despairing screams.

This was simply a calamity descending upon them.

The great banner ran wild, its eerie and terrifying laughter echoing across the heavens as it drifted through the vast mountains. Only after Xu Yan watched it fly away and vanish from sight did he emerge with a deep breath.

"How did this Spirit-Born Artifact end up in the latter half of the Immortal Treasury...?"

Xu Yan's brows drew tightly together.

In any case, he needed to leave the treasury quickly. The longer he stayed, the more unforeseen changes there would be!

More than seventy days had passed. Thirty days remained of the hundred-day limit. Crossing the vast mountains would not be difficult, so long as he did not encounter any ghosts or fiends blocking his way. It would be even better if he discovered more shifting mountain-and-river formations.

Xu Yan suppressed his aura and moved cautiously through the mountains.

After reaching the fifth level of Pulse Opening, his escape speed had undergone a qualitative leap. At this stage, all the extraordinary meridians and eight vessels throughout his body had been cleared.

Primordial Unity Mystic Qi billowed beneath his feet like clouds and mist. Xu Yan turned into a sharp sword, crossing several zhang with every breath.

Six days later, Xu Yan passed through a ravine.

The ravine was like a heavenly chasm, stretching across the earth. Clouds and mist swirled within it, and the spiritual currents of heaven and earth were rich and dense.

However, Xu Yan had no intention of cultivating here. Passing through the Immortal Treasury as quickly as possible was the most important thing.

Boom!

Just as he was about to pass through, the sounds of divine abilities and incantations came from within the ravine. Xu Yan reacted swiftly, descending from the air and landing on a cliff beside the ravine to peer inside.

With his Spirit Eye technique activated, Xu Yan's gaze pierced through the mist and fell into the valley.

Below, more than a dozen people were fighting two bone corpses. Just two of them had suppressed the group of cultivators until they could not strike back. Their faces were strained as they resisted with difficulty.

Xu Yan looked closely. Wasn't that Fang Che and Yan Qihu?

Seeing this, Xu Yan wasted no words and strode through the air with Chaos Step.

Buzz!

The Wenjin Shuttle shot from his sleeve, erupting with fierce sharpness. The flying shuttle slashed through the air with a buzzing roar, as though it would tear the air apart.

Bang! Roar—

The shuttle's tip struck viciously at one bone corpse's forehead, spinning at high speed. As its sharpness burst forth, sparks flew in every direction. The bone corpse's body was like metal and stone, extremely difficult to break through. Xu Yan's Primordial Unity Mystic Qi surged out with a howl, and the Wenjin Shuttle's power was driven to its utmost limit.

The Spirit-Born embryo artifact possessed tremendous power. It was exceptionally sharp, and its Metal-element Geng Gold seemed to restrain such ghostly fiends.

Though the shuttle did not pierce through it, the blow sent the bone corpse flying ten zhang away. It crashed down hard and howled like mad.

Upon seeing Xu Yan, a rogue cultivator immediately asked warily, "Who are you, sir?"

"Brother Xu!"

Yan Qihu and Fang Che's eyes widened in astonishment when they saw Xu Yan.

Xu Yan's sudden appearance from nowhere put every cultivator besides Yan Qihu and Fang Che on high alert.

"Everyone, don't attack! Brother Xu is my friend!" Yan Qihu hurriedly said.

Fang Che's gaze flickered as he asked in surprise, "Brother Xu, why are you here? You still haven't left the Immortal Treasury?"

Long ago, when they had first entered the latter half of the Immortal Treasury, they had heard that certain prodigies had broken open the Heaven and Earth Furnace and taken ancient pills such as the Heaven Mending Pill.

With a little inquiry, they had learned who those people were.

"Let's drive back these two demon fiends first," Xu Yan said grimly, sending the Wenjin Shuttle howling forth once more.

"Alright!"

The group of cultivators joined forces and sent the other bone corpse flying more than ten zhang away.

Afterward, no one dared linger for even a moment. They immediately used their escape techniques and fled into the distance.

Only after fleeing for half an hour did they finally shake off the two bone corpses behind them.

Then everyone slowed down and began chatting casually.

The hundred days within the Immortal Treasury had washed away the sand and revealed the gold; they had reached the final stage.

The top hundred spots had long since been claimed. Those still within the mountains were mostly people from lesser sects and rogue cultivators.

Tushan Jing and the other Demon Race cultivators who had originally traveled with them had already left ahead of them. As for Yao Yu and the others Xu Yan had met before, they were already dead.

Fang Che was now at the fifth level of Pulse Opening, while Yan Qihu was at the third level. After spending so long in the Immortal Treasury, even the least talented would have improved their cultivation.

They had prepared for a long time in Spirit-Sealing City. Only after befriending a group of rogue cultivators and people from lesser sects, and making thorough preparations, had they begun the final stretch of the journey.

Yan Qihu and Fang Che stole slightly alarmed glances at Xu Yan. Though they knew that this Half-Immortal Xu had decent talent, they had never expected that once he entered the Immortal Treasury, he would be like a dragon returning to the sea, his cultivation advancing so rapidly.

He was at the fifth level of Pulse Opening. Mystic Qi around him was overbearing, his blood and vitality vast, his spirit veins shining brilliantly. He faintly showed signs of breaking through to the sixth level.

"Everyone, this is Xu Yan, Half-Immortal Xu. Back when we were at the Immortal Inn, I often sought him out for divinations. Brother Xu's talent is exceedingly high. He once received guidance from the Dharma King at Dragon Whisker Ravine. One day, he will surely enter the Divine Land and obtain the inheritance of the path to immortality!"

Yan Qihu loudly introduced him to the rogue cultivators and lesser-sect disciples beside him.

Hearing this, the group repeatedly cupped their hands and greeted Xu Yan with smiling faces. What cultivator capable of reaching this point was not shrewd? Seeing someone Xu Yan's age possess such cultivation and divine abilities, they naturally wished to forge a good relationship with him.

Amid the boundless mountains, the sun hung high in the sky.

At the farthest reaches in the distance, a gate tower shone with rising light. It looked close enough to touch, yet lay at the edge of the heavens.

Over the following days, everyone traveled together.

Xu Yan even used the edict script to find a shifting mountain-and-river formation. The group escaped several thousand li away, greatly shortening the time needed to leave the treasury.

Another ten days passed in a hurry.

The sky-piercing gate tower in the distance drew ever closer, like the Gate of Heaven itself—majestic and grand.

At the same time, more and more cultivators gathered from every direction. At a glance, cultivators could occasionally be seen riding swords upon the wind, arriving from all sides and rushing impatiently toward the gate tower.

Xu Yan and the others did not waste any time. After recovering their cultivation and Mystic Qi, they immediately continued their flight.

Less than several hundred li remained. They had to seize the moment and break through this realm in one push!

"Run! That Spirit-Born Artifact is chasing us again!"

Figures filled the area in every direction. Someone suddenly shouted, and countless cultivators snapped their heads around.

All at once, heaven and earth behind them seemed to darken.

Eerie ghostly howls echoed down from the heights of the sky, instantly draining the color from everyone's faces. During this time, that white banner had become the nightmare of every cultivator. They had been avoiding it at every moment.

On the great road leading toward the exit, a vast swarm of cultivators surged forward, the light of divine abilities spilling everywhere. Like a plague of locusts sweeping across the land, there were more than a thousand people at a single glance.