The Giant Panda Came to Collect Rent

After an incense stick had burned, Qi Minze arrived at Zhang Xuanlin's secluded retreat place, carrying a soul lamp.

The stone gate slowly opened.

Qi Minze passed through a Barrier and entered.

This place is a vast Cave, with its ceiling a hundred feet above the ground, inlaid with countless Spirit Stone forming a constellation map.

The Spirit Mountain emitted a faint white light, illuminating the cave.

On the ground is a Yin-Yang Taiji, surrounded by Five Elements and Eight Trigrams Formation. A middle-aged man wearing Golden Crown sits cross-legged on High Platform in the center.

"Greetings, Sect Leader."

"Senior Brother, you are too polite. Is this lamp the object where Ji Qingyun's divided soul resides?"

"Indeed, does the sect leader intend to use the methods of the Celestial Person to enter the realm of Void and perform Soul Summoning Art to summon Ji Qingyun's Divine Soul for a question?"

Lingxu Sect Leader Zhang Xuanlin nodded and said, "Indeed, I have made some progress in my secluded cultivation today, and it is time to take care of some sect affairs."

He raised his hand to summon the Soul Lamp, and pointed at it with a finger. The flickering Flame of the Soul Lamp instantly froze, as if solidified.

Not only that, everything within a three-zhang radius around Zhang Xuanlin seemed to be under a complete halt.

Qi Minze waited quietly. After a moment, seeing Zhang Xuanlin open his eyes, he quickly asked, "Sect Leader, how is it?"

"How strange! His soul lamp hasn't gone out, so why can't I sense his presence? Even within the Floating World, this shouldn't be the case."

"Could he have fallen into a mysterious place? The Floating World is Ancient Array, and some areas are probably beyond the reach of Cultivator like Non-Self. Could it be that he went to find out the cause of the changes in this realm, and thus fell into danger?"

Zhang Xuanlin nodded and said, "That's not impossible. It seems I still need to Split Soul some time to go."

"Sect Leader, I think it's inappropriate. Even if you were to go with your Split Soul, it would be too dangerous. Once you unleash power exceeding the Divine Platform Realm in the Floating World, you might fall into the Demon World. Although it's just Split Soul, if you lose it, your Divine Soul will be severely damaged, and even you would need several years to recover."

Zhang Xuanlin smiled and said, "It's alright. Putting aside the fact that our disciples are in danger, this Floating World ultimately falls into the hands of our Lingxu Sect. Countless Living Beings entrust their lives to our Sect. We cannot remain inactive, otherwise we will feel guilty, which will be detrimental to our cultivation."

Upon hearing this, Qi Minze did not try to persuade him further. Cultivation is about cultivating the mind, and all actions of a cultivator must follow their own heart. Since Zhang Xuanlin had already had this thought, further persuasion would be useless.

Gu Yuanqing then asked some questions about the Cultivation World, the Floating World, and the Lingxu Sect.

Ji Qingyun perhaps felt as if he had fallen into the Demon Realm, and said a great deal.

But Gu Yuanqing could still tell that he was hiding a lot, and that some of his words were a mix of truth and falsehood.

He didn't expose her true intentions, but simply said, "You are indeed loyal to the Lingxu Sect, and you are somewhat useful. I will keep my word and allow you to stay in the Mountain for one day. At this time tomorrow, I will send you into the pool."

Ji Qingyun's expression changed slightly. He guessed that Gu Yuanqing must have noticed the problem in his previous words, but he didn't say anything more. When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. You can only do what you can for one day at a time.

Gu Yuanqing also showed him a Courtyard to stay in, but still suppressed all of his cultivation.

Moreover, they had to find their own way to eat, wear, and live in the house; Gu Yuanqing had no intention of asking Aunt Feng to provide another servant.

Gu Yuanqing did not restrict his movements. In fact, if Ji Qingyun really wanted to escape from North Spring Mountain and enter the Demon Realm, that was fine with him. As for whether he would live or die after escaping due to the corruption of Demonic Qi, that was up to fate.

Although Ji Qingyun's cultivation was suppressed, his Physical Body had been tempered by the Dao Fire, making him far superior to ordinary people. However, his Divine Soul True Essence were suppressed, preventing him from cultivating. His body was depleted and weak, which is why he appeared so listless.

He walked calmly through the mountains, looking around. He saw the Mountain Spirit Spring, the trees, the beasts, and carefully examined the Mountain and Heaven and Earth Pool. He even came to the foot of the mountain and stood at the entrance Memorial Archway of North Spring Mountain for a long time. But in the end, he let out a long sigh and did not dare to take the last half step.

He didn't rest all day, seemingly determined to see everything in North Spring Mountain.

Gu Yuanqing let him do as he pleased. It would be strange if he could see the true secret of North Spring Mountain just like that!

The true secret of North Spring Mountain has never been in the mountains themselves, but rather in Gu Yuanqing's Sea of Consciousness.

During the day, the Demon Realm appears no different from the Floating World to the naked eye, except that the trees are taller and the wild beasts are stronger and more ferocious.

Gu Yuanqing had expected to encounter many troubles after falling into the Demon Realm, but nothing happened all day.

Occasionally, Demon Realm beasts would try to break into North Spring Mountain, but all their efforts were in vain. With their limited intelligence, they couldn't understand what was happening at all. They would just glance at it a few times in confusion and then walk away.

Some Mountain beasts flew out of the Boundary Domain, but those that lived in the Mountain all day felt uncomfortable as soon as they went out and quickly flew back.

Gu Yuanqing, meanwhile, studied the Secret Manuals he had obtained from Lan Tinglie the previous day.

It was discovered that the Cultivation Method of the Demon Realm Cultivation Techniques are fundamentally different from those of the Floating World and the Cultivation World.

The Cultivation Method in the Cultivation World are based on the Way of Vital Energy, which strengthens the body, nourishes the foundation and cultivates the essence, thereby drawing upon the True Martial Secret Treasury from the Void Realm, and finally comprehending the Way of Heaven and Earth, nurturing the Dao Embryo.

The Demon Realm Cultivation Techniques initially followed the path of Qi and Blood, using medicine and the blood of Demon Beast to temper the body, thereby generating more Qi and Blood. Then, Demonic Qi was drawn into the body to temper the Divine Intent, thus influencing the Heaven and Earth and transforming into Divine Intent.

However, despite the different paths, the Cultivation Method of the two realms become similar once one reaches the Divine Platform Realm.

"I originally wanted to see how the people of this world Refinement Demonic Qi, but it seems it's not very useful to me."

The following night, when the Red Moon was in the same position in the sky, Gu Yuanqing sent Ji Qingyun back to the Heaven and Earth Pool, saying only calmly, "If you can tell me something that interests me when we meet again, I will allow you to stay in these mountains for another day."

Ten days passed peacefully like this, and Gu Yuanqing seemed not to care much about whether he was in the Demon Realm or not, continuing his daily cultivation as if he were in the Floating World.

The only extra thing they did each day was to scoop out one or two small fish from the Heaven and Earth Pool to feed the carnivores in the Mountain.

He studied the treasure he obtained from Lan Tinglie for only a short while before tossing it aside; to him, such external things were trivial matters.

After North Spring Mountain completely fell into the Demon Realm, its growth rate accelerated once again.

As if after this period of settling down, it has accumulated enough foundation, and the mountain begins to rise again, gradually widening in width.

This change is happening every moment. Even when Gu Yuanqing enters the state of Mountain Observation and becomes one with North Spring Mountain, he cannot sense where this growth comes from.

The Spiritual Qi within the mountain continues to dissipate into the Floating World, and its current state of existence is quite peculiar.

It is clearly connected to the Earth Vein of the Floating World, and even its Spiritual Qi is emitted through these Earth Vein, yet it seems to exist in two different worlds from the Floating World.

Although it is located in the Demon Realm, it has no other connection with this Boundary Domain except for absorbing Demonic Qi from here.

This spatial illusion, this feeling of being both present and outside of something, keeps surfacing in my mind, as if something is about to burst forth from my heart, yet I can't quite grasp it.

And whenever the Heavenly Fishing is activated and pierces through the Cloudmist, this feeling becomes a little clearer.

Gu Yuanqing knew that this was a kind of Way of Space, but his cultivation was still shallow. Only by constantly familiarizing himself with the Heavenly Fishing Method could he possibly truly comprehend it!

More and more cultivators are gathering outside North Spring Mountain, because the Spiritual Qi within a radius of a hundred miles is even denser than that of their sect's core area.

One day of cultivation in this area is equivalent to several days, or even dozens of days, of cultivation in other places. Such benefits are an immense temptation for cultivators.

Not to mention Ordinary Person, even Ji Dai and Li Shi'an, who are at the Dao Fire Realm, have been staying at the top of the Hongyan Mountain Waterfall recently.

Li Shi'an originally intended to visit, but upon hearing that Gu Yuanqing Mountain Sealing to cultivate, he decided to postpone his visit.

Ji Dai lay half-reclined on the Green Stone, his Wine Gourd never leaving his hand. This gourd was a treasure he had found many years ago. It looked like an ordinary gourd, but it could hold two large jars of wine, which was exactly what he wanted.

"After staying here for a few days, I feel that the bottleneck that has bound me for thirty years is beginning to loosen. If this place is like this, I wonder what it's like inside? Brother Li, you've been inside a few times, tell me about it."

Li Shi'an stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the distant North Spring Mountain, shrouded in Cloudmist and appearing and disappearing in the clouds, and slowly said, "It truly resembles Immortal Realm, unlike anything in this world."

"Do you think that if things continue like this, this realm will gradually become Upper Realm, instead of just being a Trial Ground, seemingly at the mercy of others?"

Li Shi'an sighed softly, "How could that be? Even if North Spring Mountain suddenly revives, we both know the state of this world; it's essentially just a Small World."

"How does your Imperial Court plan to resolve the issue of cultivation here? Now that all the major sects have gathered here, there needs to be an explanation, otherwise everything will descend into chaos."

"The Heavenly Policy Mansion is communicating with various sects and Rogue Cultivator to try to come up with a solution that everyone can accept. However, no matter what, the final decision on this matter still requires the approval of that person on North Spring Mountain."

"That's true. I don't think I've seen anyone from the Lingxu Sect before?"

"They consider themselves the number one sect in the world, Guixu Island is a top-tier cultivation ground in this realm. How could they possibly look down on this place?"

The old man in Hemp Robe Ji Dai, laughed loudly, "I think they're really too ashamed to come."

While Mountain Observation, Gu Yuanqing would occasionally glance at the Outer Realm, gaining a clear understanding of its developments.

He had no interest in what the situation would be like down the mountain; it was none of his concern. The secular world had its own rules.

He still occasionally comes into contact with the Incense and Fire Qi lingering in the mountains. Many people, having heard of the miracles of North Spring Mountain, bring their sick family members to the vicinity to pray for divine intervention.

Gu Yuanqing used the Incense and Fire Qi to guide the spirit spring and used the Heavenly Angling Technique to send it to the Spirit Spring, saving many people, but some Spirit Spring were useless to him.

There was nothing he could do about it, but he could only do his best.

As Gu Yuanqing continued to practice, he became more and more proficient in the Heavenly Angling Technique. As long as he was within the range of Mountain Observation, he could break through space more and more at Ruyi, and his understanding of the Way of Space gradually began to take shape.

He had a feeling that when he truly grasped this path, it would be the day when North Spring Mountain could freely manifest in the Demon Realm and the Floating World.

"Ultimately, the reason why North Spring Mountain has always been visible in the Demon Realm is that I, as the North Spring Mountain Master, am not strong enough to fully control this mountain."

As Gu Yuanqing was pondering this, he suddenly heard the sound of gongs being struck.

Following the sound, he was stunned. There stood a black and white, round-bodied, adorably goofy-looking panda on a Cloud Layer, holding a large gong and striking it repeatedly, its Divine Sense radiating in all directions. "Rent is due!"