Hunyuan Ruins

Whoosh—

A fierce wind swept through heaven and earth, stirring the lush ancient forest into waves of green.

In midair, Zhang Gan rode a massive sword, flashing past like a startled swan as he carried Xu Yan deep into Mang Mountain.

Looking down, Xu Yan saw ancient trees reaching for the sky, their roots coiled like horned dragons.

Zhang Gan's sword flight was exceedingly swift. In less than the time it took to burn two incense sticks, they had already crossed a thousand li.

They were nearing the edge of Mang Mountain's outer region. Within the ancient forest below, Xu Yan spotted a sprawling "immortal inn," with pavilions and towers standing in rows and cultivators moving about in shadowy crowds.

The Ten-Thousand Mang Mountains held countless spirits and precious herbs within, as well as ancient treasures and ruins. Naturally, many cultivators flocked there like ducks to water, despite the extreme danger inside.

Over time, many such immortal inns had sprung up along the outskirts, offering them a place to rest their feet.

"Young Master Yan, we're here. My fellow brothers of Daque Temple are all here," Zhang Gan said.

Buzz!

With that, Zhang Gan rode his massive sword down from the air.

The immortal inn teemed with people, its bustling clamor unceasing.

After walking along the street for a while, the two stopped before a lodging house.

"Senior Brother!"

"Senior Brother, you're back."

Upon seeing Zhang Gan return, ten cultivators dressed in Daque Temple robes immediately rose and came outside.

"Junior Brothers and Sisters, this is Young Master Yan!" Zhang Gan did not dare neglect Xu Yan and hurriedly introduced him.

The leading pair, a man and a woman, were both at the Spirit Bridge realm, their magical power deep and profound.

The woman was named Song Yan. She looked barely over twenty, yet she had already entered the second realm of the mortal world. Her talent was extraordinary.

The male disciple was named Chen Shengzhi. He was quite handsome, though his looks carried a feminine softness. His skin was snow-white, his phoenix eyes curved slightly upward. Smiling, he cupped his hands to Xu Yan and bowed. "Chen Shengzhi greets Young Master Yan. I had long heard of your illustrious name, and today I have finally seen you."

"You flatter me. What illustrious name do I have?" Xu Yan replied casually.

After they became acquainted, the group wasted no time. They left the immortal inn and headed southeast.

Once they left Mang Mountain's outskirts, the atmosphere became somewhat grim and murderous.

The air carried a faint yet lingering stench of blood, while the sky gradually darkened.

Xu Yan looked up at the sky. Layer upon layer of gloom hung overhead, with dark clouds packed thickly together, largely due to the evil demons and malicious spirits.

This was still considered good. Within the deeper hundred thousand li, the sky would be blotted out and the sun obscured, demonic qi running rampant!

None but Grandmasters dared venture in rashly.

Zhang Gan and the other two Spirit Bridge cultivators led the way ahead.

Xu Yan was guarded in the center by seven Daque Temple disciples of the Qi Exhalation realm, who watched their surroundings vigilantly.

The ancient trees were gnarled and mighty. The farther inward they went, the older and taller the trees became, steeped in the traces of time and brimming with an archaic air. For a moment, Xu Yan felt as though he had stepped into the Near Ancient era.

Roar—

A terrifying howl echoed from the depths, shaking the soul within the silent mountain valley.

The unbroken mountain ranges seemed level with the heavens, their oppressive presence immense, as though great demons lay crouched there.

The group traveled for more than an hour, winding this way and that as they continued deeper along the rugged mountain ridges.

The terrain within the Ten-Thousand Mang Mountains was exceptionally chaotic. One careless step, and one could lose their bearings.

"Young Master Yan, we're almost there!" Zhang Gan said, turning back to glance at Xu Yan.

Xu Yan nodded without changing expression.

After all, he was still only at the Spirit Aperture realm. The evil qi, ghostly qi, and pungent stench within these deep forests made him somewhat uncomfortable.

"We were lucky this time. We didn't run into any spirits or ghosts along the way, or we would have had to fight," Song Yan said with a sweet smile, dimples appearing on both cheeks as she spoke thankfully.

Chen Shengzhi smiled, his phoenix eyes curving. "It would not matter much to us. We only fear that Young Master Yan might be injured. Even several of our heads would not be enough for the King of Wuan to chop off."

Hearing that, Xu Yan's brows furrowed slightly, a trace of displeasure flashing through his eyes as he glanced sideways at Chen Shengzhi.

The surrounding mountains were covered in enormous vines and brambles, and the spiritual energy here was exceedingly sparse. Ordinary cultivators rarely came to such places; where spiritual energy was thin, there were usually no earthly treasures or spirit materials aged by the years.

The group descended from the air and began walking. The mountains were too tall, and the skies were filled with the qi of demons and malicious spirits. Flying so ostentatiously might draw who knew what.

Zhang Gan, at the front, focused intently, his expression tense as he held a massive sword.

With a light sweep, he severed all the brambles blocking their path.

The yin qi grew increasingly heavy. Before long, a broad ravine valley appeared before them.

At a glance, it was at least a thousand zhang wide, like an enormous pit stamped into the earth by a heavenly god. Yin qi churned within it like wind, cutting coldly through the air.

"This is the place." Zhang Gan let out a breath of relief.

He had come here before and had even deliberately left sentinel-gold markers, yet they had still taken many detours. Moreover, the yin qi and brambles here grew incredibly fast. Even true fire could not burn them all away.

Cut them down with one foot, and they would swiftly grow back behind the other.

Above the ravine valley, dense mist obscured everything, while the qi of demons and malicious spirits blotted out the sky. Within the valley lay countless broken walls and crumbling ruins, along with the exposed eaves of ancient structures buried in the earth veins. Coated in dust, they exuded an archaic air.

This place looked like the site of a mountain sect from long ago, though for some unknown reason it had collapsed.

The entire Daoist sect had been buried deep beneath the earth veins!

"Hunyuan Sect..."

Xu Yan caught sight, from the corner of his eye, of an ancient stele below the ravine valley. Three large characters were written upon it in the edict script of the Near Ancient era.

Zhang Gan glanced at Xu Yan and said solemnly, "Young Master Yan, this Hunyuan Sect was likely buried in its entirety beneath the earth veins. There must be another world below, and an ancient gate there bears a sealing formation formed from Primordial Script."

"Take me down," Xu Yan said gravely.

Hearing this, Zhang Gan nodded and immediately rode his Spirit Bridge, carrying Xu Yan as he flew down.

Song Yan, Chen Shengzhi, and the others promptly followed, leaving only three Qi Exhalation disciples above to stand guard against anyone else arriving.

A hundred meters from the stele stood a huge ancient gate the color of rust. The exposed portion alone stood thirty zhang high, and the entire gate had collapsed at an angle into the earth veins.

It was covered in the marks of time, and the Near Ancient Daoist script engraved upon it could vaguely be seen.

Without a word, Xu Yan took out the Literary Gold Shuttle and directed it to lightly strike the ancient gate. In an instant, bronze-colored Primordial Script slowly emerged like ripples spreading across water.

It was densely packed, like ants clinging to the gate, arranged in the positions of the Eight Trigrams and sealing the very center of the ancient gate.

Xu Yan frowned, staring fixedly at it as he pondered deeply.

"The Hunyuan Dao Scripture we found last time was discovered in a ruined building outside. Such a divine art scripture was simply left in an outer hall, so there must be even more treasures inside. Perhaps there is even a complete Hunyuan Dao Manual!" Zhang Gan drew a deep breath and said excitedly to Song Yan beside him, "Junior Sister, our Daque Temple will surely flourish in the future and shake Great Yin with its name."

Song Yan was somewhat helpless. Pulling Zhang Gan aside, she whispered, "Senior Brother, don't disturb Young Master Yan as he translates the script and breaks the formation."

Beside them, Chen Shengzhi glanced sidelong at Xu Yan, then at Zhang Gan. His eyes shifted, as though lost in thought.

Examining the Primordial Script arranged in the Eight Trigrams formation, Xu Yan guided the Literary Gold Shuttle with his fingers, lightly tapping different points from time to time. Bronze ripples spread across the gate like ocean waves.

"Five thousand Primordial Script characters... It is likely a complete Primordial Script formation. Where is the formation eye..."

Xu Yan shifted his gaze, searching carefully across the ancient gate as he calculated in his heart.