Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven was exceptionally magnificent. Verdant immortal mountains rose one after another like green jade, gleaming with scattered light and wreathed in immortal mist. Waterfalls cascaded down, their white streams like starlight condensed into ribbons.
On many mist-shrouded peaks, pavilions and halls could be vaguely seen, ethereal and filled with the charm of an immortal realm.
Elder Ma Yun said proudly, "This is the immortal vestige of our Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven, the foundation upon which our sect stands. Who knew how many sect leaders had cultivated into great divine ability users of the Dao Palace Realm atop that Cauldron Peak?"
"Great divine ability users of the Dao Palace?"
A strange smile appeared at the corner of Lin Xian's lips. Dao realm existences who crossed the Sea of Bitterness and transcended the Other Shore could indeed be called great divine ability users.
If one reached the Dao Palace Realm, that would probably be on par with the title of his own Divine Bridge Immortal Venerable.
"I can see that your talent is extraordinary, Fellow Daoist. If you cultivate diligently, the Cave Heaven will certainly not be stingy with Other Shore scriptures, or even the Dao Palace Scripture." After witnessing Lin Xian's strength, another Divine Bridge cultivator abandoned any thoughts of competing with him and deliberately sought to resolve their old grudge. He said meaningfully, "It may even be possible to recommend you to become a cultivator of a Sacred Land."
The six Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands of Yan Kingdom all had Immortal Gates and Sacred Lands backing them. They could be considered peripheral forces of the Sacred Lands, their eyes and outposts near the Desolate Antiquity Forbidden Zone.
"Sacred Land?"
Lin Xian's heart stirred, and he tested the waters. "I heard that Lingxu Cave Heaven is backed by Yaoguang Holy Land. May I ask which Immortal Gate stands behind our Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven?"
"It is the Purple Mansion Holy Land." Elder Ma Yun answered proudly. Purple Mansion was said to be the dwelling place of immortals. A sect that dared use such a name naturally possessed immense strength.
Even the lowest-ranking Sea of Bitterness cultivators among the branches of the Purple Mansion Holy Land would unconsciously straighten their backs at the thought of the Sacred Land's power and grandeur.
"Purple Mansion Holy Land?"
It took Lin Xian quite some effort to recall what sort of Immortal Gate the Purple Mansion Holy Land was. In the great age of contention upon the Emperor Path, the Purple Mansion Holy Land had a truly weak presence.
It was a Dao Lineage founded by a Great Saint Realm cultivator. It could not compare to the top-tier Yaochi Sacred Land, nor even to the first-rate Yaoguang Holy Land. Its only hope was the Purple Mansion Saintess and her Innate Dao Embryo.
This was the Dao-Difficult Era. Everyone stood on the same starting line. Aristocratic families and Sacred Lands appeared equally powerful, Immortal Two Great Powers were peak experts, and a single King could roam the Eastern Wasteland unhindered.
But only when the tide receded did one learn who had been swimming naked.
Once the Dao-Difficult Era ended and the Myriad Dao began to revive, the Purple Mansion Holy Land's situation would be as awkward as could be. It did not even have an Emperor Weapon, much less an Emperor Scripture. The guardians of the Desolate Ancient Families all began at the Great Saint Realm, the same level as the founding patriarch of the Purple Mansion Holy Land.
This was a second-rate Sacred Land, only somewhat stronger than Sacred Land Dao Lineages founded by Saint Kings or Saint Realm cultivators.
Lin Xian evaluated it calmly in his heart, but his face was filled with reverence and longing. To cultivators who were currently only in the Sea of Bitterness Realm, even the weakest Sacred Land was an unattainable existence, like a colossal mountain waiting for them to excavate.
"By evening, sleep beneath Purple Mansion's cloud-mother canopy; by morning, feast upon Kunlun fungus from the Mysterious Garden." Lin Xian praised with a smile. "To be able to join such a branch of immortals, Lin is honored as well."
Everyone liked being praised. Elder Ma Yun laughed heartily, then said, "Go pay your respects to the sect leader. Do not keep the old man waiting too long."
The sect leader of Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven was an old man wearing a white jade crown and Daoist robes. His aura was vast and surging, clearly exceeding the Divine Bridge Realm.
He sat upright in the great hall. When he saw Lin Xian arrive, divine light suddenly burst from his eyes, transforming into two flood dragons that lunged forward in battle.
Lin Xian did not yield. With a sharp shout, the runes between his brows gleamed as he manifested a Heavenly Sword. Wherever there were flood dragons, it slew them, bringing the wondrous use of Divine Sense to its utmost limit.
Boom!
The Heavenly Sword and the flood dragons perished together. The Jade Cauldron sect leader nodded in satisfaction. "Your strength is indeed not bad. The Primordial Ruins have recently shown signs of activity. I fear some heavenly treasure is about to emerge. Next time, you may come along."
"To divide the resources and opportunities within."
The three Divine Bridge cultivators in the hall immediately showed envy and jealousy. The Primordial Ruins were immensely vast and stretched on without end. Located near Yan Kingdom, they had only explored a portion of them over the years, yet had benefited greatly enough to establish the six Cave Heavens.
Even Divine Bridge cultivators did not dare explore the deepest regions. Only ancestors at the Other Shore or even Dao Palace Realm dared take a glimpse.
Exploring the Primordial Ruins? Don't drag me along if you want to die. A Sea of Bitterness cultivator charging into Qing Emperor's Tomb—how is that any different from a Qi Refinement cultivator entering a Great Vehicle dungeon? The ignorant truly fear nothing. Lin Xian mocked inwardly, but his face was utterly sincere as he declared, "I am deeply grateful for the sect leader's esteem. In life, I am a man of Jade Cauldron; in death, a ghost of Jade Cauldron. I will certainly fight for greater benefits for Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven within the Primordial Ruins!"
"Good, very spirited!" The Jade Cauldron sect leader nodded approvingly. He did not care whether Lin Xian was sincere or merely putting on an act. All he wanted was an attitude.
If he could not even show an attitude, then he could not be given the chance to serve as cannon fodder.
Lin Xian also knew that the Jade Cauldron sect leader intended to use him, an outsider who had just joined, as a pawn sent across the river. But in the Human World, one did not fear being used; one feared having no value to be used.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, he pressed his advantage and requested, "This disciple wishes to contribute to the Cave Heaven, but I fear my cultivation is too weak and my studies too varied. I ask the sect leader to bestow an Immortal Scripture upon me, so that this disciple may comprehend the Great Dao and cleanse his foundation."
"What scripture do you want?" the Jade Cauldron sect leader asked expressionlessly.
"I ask the sect leader to allow me to select one in the Scripture Pavilion." Lin Xian cupped his fists in salute. "Only after trying it personally will one know whether it is suitable."
"I fear you will bite off more than you can chew. Be careful not to suffer cultivation deviation." The old crone in the hall sneered. "Bestowing an Other Shore scripture upon you is already heavenly grace, yet you still want to covet more."
"Perhaps some people are simply too stupid to understand even one scripture, so they assume others cannot understand other scriptures either," Lin Xian retorted mockingly.
"You..." The Divine Bridge old crone glared at him furiously.
"Enough!" The Jade Cauldron sect leader's cold voice rang out. He waved his hand. "Ma Yun, take him to the Scripture Pavilion."
"Yes, Sect Leader." Elder Ma Yun bowed, then led Lin Xian swiftly out of the great hall.
After the two had gone far away, the Divine Bridge old crone said unhappily, "Sect Leader, he is an outsider..."
"Enough." The Jade Cauldron sect leader waved a hand, cutting off the argument. He said calmly, "What outsider? What insider? There is no distinction between inside and outside. Since he has entered Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven, he is a Jade Cauldron man."
"Some of you are clouds, some are water. You merely do different things."
"You may leave."
The Divine Bridge old crone's heart trembled. She suddenly remembered that the sect leader's lifespan was nearly at its end. If he could not break through to the Dao Palace Realm soon, he probably would not live more than a few years.
He urgently needed several helpers to support him and gather millennium-old precious herbs from the Primordial Ruins.
"For his own selfish desires, he is even disregarding the sect's inheritance!" Gritting her teeth, the Divine Bridge old crone flew toward the secluded cultivation grounds of several Taishang elders.
The moment Lin Xian entered the Scripture Pavilion, he was like a fish returning to the sea or a tiger returning to the mountains, no longer bound by restraints. He had the system record every divine art and scripture in the Scripture Pavilion, studying their forms and principles without making them his primary cultivation.
What he truly studied seriously were only the opening section of the Dao Scripture and several incomplete Saint Realm scriptures passed down by Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven.
After comparing them with those incomplete Saint Realm scriptures, Lin Xian found the Tianxuan Sacred Scripture increasingly profound and mysterious. As expected of the Sacred Land that had attacked the Immortal Ascension Road six thousand years ago, its inherited scripture far surpassed ordinary Saint Realm scriptures.
After comprehending the scriptures in the Scripture Pavilion for several days, Lin Xian's Divine Sense caught someone secretly observing him. Thus, a plan arose in his mind.
While comprehending a spell one day, Lin Xian suddenly coughed up blood, his face turning pale as though he had suffered a backlash from his cultivation technique.
Elder Ma Yun was greatly alarmed when he heard of it. He came to persuade Lin Xian not to study too many scriptures, lest they conflict with one another.
Lin Xian agreed on the surface. Yet every night, he secretly slipped into the Scripture Pavilion to read its scriptures. As time passed, his aura grew increasingly powerful, but his face became noticeably paler.
Finally, one evening, he suddenly stumbled on the path to the Scripture Pavilion. A dignified cultivator had to gasp for breath for quite some time before recovering.
After recovering, Lin Xian's expression changed drastically. He no longer went to the Scripture Pavilion as usual. Instead, he leaped out of Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven alone, found a stone chamber he had excavated beforehand, and hid within it.
Sitting cross-legged inside the stone chamber, he sensed the figure drawing ever closer. Though his aura was weak and his face pale, a smile suddenly curled across his lips.
Question Ye Fan, understand Yezi, become Ye Hei, surpass Little Black.