Once they left Greenstone Valley, a place that could barely be called orderly, the brutal nature of the Blood-Baleful Wasteland lay fully exposed. Crimson earth stretched to the edge of sight, meeting the dusky yellow sky. The wind sobbed, whipping up grit that struck their protective spiritual light with a fine crackle. The rampant spiritual energy and baleful aura in the air constantly sought to erode flesh and soul. An ordinary Golden Core cultivator would likely lose control of their mind before lasting half a day here.
Yet Ye Chen and his companions remained at ease. Primordial Chaos Purple Qi circulated on its own, shutting out the foul energies and even faintly refining them into an almost imperceptible trace of pure vital energy. Emperor Xuanwu stood as unshakable as a mountain, his aura subtly linked to the earth beneath his feet, as though he were part of this wasteland, impervious to all arts.
"This damned place really makes your skin crawl if you stay too long." As Shi Meng walked, he smashed a boulder stained with dark crimson grime out of his path with a punch and grumbled, "It's nothing like the clan's Tempering Secret Realm. At least the baleful aura there is pure. This stuff is a complete mishmash."
Emerald light danced on Ye Ling's fingertips. Sensing the nearly exhausted vitality of the earth beneath her, she said softly, "All things have spirits. It's tragic that this place has fallen so far. If we can find the source, there may still be a sliver of hope for its revival." As someone attuned to the life law, she felt instinctive discomfort and pity toward such a lifeless land.
At her words, Ye Chen swept his gaze across the vast wasteland and said evenly, "Heaven and earth are a furnace, and all living beings suffer within it. Withering and flourishing, prosperity and decline—these are the cycles of the Great Dao. Yet human strength has its limits, and the Heavenly Dao is not eternally unchanging either. This land's decline may be man-made, or it may stem from a flaw in the Heavenly Dao. Only once we uncover the root can we speak of anything else."
His words were calm, yet they held a trace of insight that transcended worldly concerns. With the Ye Clan's accumulation over countless epochs behind him, he had long since witnessed the birth, destruction, and reincarnation of far too many worlds. He understood that the so-called "Heavenly Dao" was not immutable through the ages. It, too, could be affected by higher powers, or even... bound. The "flawed Great Dao" of this Primordial World was clear proof.
His companions all found something to ponder in his words. Born into the Ye Clan, they had begun where countless living beings aspired to end. Yet precisely because of this, their understanding of the "Dao" and "heaven and earth" ran far deeper than that of ordinary cultivators.
After they traveled for most of the day, the outline of black mountains in the distance grew clearer, resembling the spine of a colossal beast. That was Black Wind Mountain, the lair of the Blood Skull Stronghold. Even before they approached, they could feel dense blood fiend qi mingled with a cold, sinister demonic presence spreading from the mountain, unsettling the mind.
According to Old Man Greenstone's map and the information obtained from the earlier soul search, warning formations and numerous hidden sentries guarded the outskirts of Black Wind Mountain.
"Young master, ten miles ahead is the outer warning perimeter of Black Wind Mountain." Mo Yu swept back from ahead like a phantom and reported quietly, "Three visible sentry posts and five hidden checkpoints, all manned. The formation's fluctuations are concealed. It likely serves both to raise the alarm and to trap and kill intruders."
Ye Chen nodded without breaking stride. "No need to hide. Go straight through."
"Yes!" they answered. Their auras remained steady, but a sharp resolve had entered their eyes. They knew the real "game" was only now beginning.
The group walked openly toward Black Wind Mountain and soon triggered the outermost warning formation.
Buzzz!
A pale red curtain of light instantly rose before them, barring their path. Blood fiend qi churned across its surface, gathering into several hideous ghost faces that howled soundlessly, bewildering the mind.
At the same time, more than a dozen figures sprang from behind the rocks on either side and from holes in the ground. Most were in the Golden Core Realm, while the one-eyed leader was at the nascent soul early stage. Armed with assorted weapons and wreathed in baleful aura, they surrounded Ye Chen and his companions.
"Halt! Who are you? How dare you trespass on Black Wind Mountain!" the one-eyed leader barked. Ferocity flashed in his lone eye, but once he saw Ye Chen and the others’ extraordinary bearing and unfathomable auras, a flicker of instinctive wariness rose within him.
Ye Chen calmly swept his gaze over them as though looking at weeds beside the road. Rather than answer the question, he asked indifferently, "Is Blood Skull Old Man in the stronghold?"
He addressed the stronghold master by name, his tone as casual as though he were asking about someone of no consequence.
The one-eyed leader's face darkened. "Insolence! Who are you to address our stronghold master by name? Kneel and submit to capture if you know what's good for you, or we'll kill you without mercy!"
Before he finished speaking, an ill-tempered Golden Core cultivator beside him could no longer restrain himself. Brandishing a Ghost-Head Saber, he sent a blade light like a bloody storm slashing toward Shi Meng, who stood at the front!
"You're asking to die!" Shi Meng grinned. He neither dodged nor evaded, letting the blade light strike his chest!
Clang!!
A thunderous metallic crash rang out! The blade light, powerful enough to cleave rock, struck Shi Meng without even breaking his earthen-yellow protective halo. Instead, the recoil split the webbing of the Golden Core cultivator's hand and sent his Ghost-Head Saber flying. As though rammed by a raging bull, he hurtled backward, vomiting blood, and slammed into the mountainside, his fate unknown!
Silence!
Deathly silence!
The Blood Skull Stronghold cultivators were all dumbstruck. They stared openmouthed at Shi Meng, who was completely unharmed and even picked at his ear. The Nascent Soul leader's lone eye widened into a perfect circle, and a chill rose from the depths of his heart. Taking a Golden Core cultivator's full-force attack without a scratch? How terrifying was that body?!
"You... who exactly are you?!" The one-eyed leader's voice trembled.
Ye Chen still did not look at him. His gaze seemed to pierce through mountain after mountain and settle deep within Black Wind Mountain.
"It seems he is in the stronghold."
He lifted his foot and took a light step forward.
Crack!
The pale red curtain of light, maintained by several Nascent Soul Cultivators and capable of trapping and killing ordinary Spirit Transformation cultivators, shattered like fragile glass! It dissolved into countless blood-red motes that scattered through the air!
Pfft!
In the distant mountain woods, several Nascent Soul Cultivators maintaining the formation simultaneously spat blood. Their faces turned deathly pale, their eyes filled with horror and disbelief!
One step! Just one step! They had not even sensed any energy fluctuations, yet that sturdy formation had shattered?!
This was utterly beyond their comprehension!
"Enemy attack! A powerful enemy is attacking the mountain!!" The one-eyed leader finally snapped out of his daze and let out a piercing shriek, crushing a communication jade talisman at the same time!
Streaks of blood-red light shot into the sky from all across Black Wind Mountain. More auras surged from within, like a disturbed beehive!
Watching Black Wind Mountain erupt into turmoil, Ye Chen showed not the slightest tension. Instead, a faint smile of interest appeared on his face.
He stood with his hands behind his back. His voice was not loud, yet it carried clearly across the entirety of Black Wind Mountain like rolling thunder:
"Blood Skull Old Man, you have three breaths to get out here and face me."
"Otherwise, after today, the Blood Skull Stronghold will no longer exist in the Primordial World."
Dominance! Unparalleled dominance!
His voice echoed among the mountains, bearing an unquestionable will, as though his words were a divine decree, the very laws of heaven!
The Blood Skull Stronghold cultivators rushing over from every direction felt their minds violently shaken by that voice. They were shocked and furious. In all these years, no one had ever dared act so arrogantly on Black Wind Mountain!
The scouts of various factions hiding in the distance and observing through secret arts were frightened out of their wits. They scrambled to relay this earthshaking news.
Wind and clouds stirred at a single man's words!
Deep within Black Wind Mountain, inside a cave dwelling shrouded in dense blood-red light, an old man in crimson robes, with a withered face and deeply sunken eyes, abruptly opened his eyes. Blood-red light blazed from them!
He was none other than the Blood Skull Stronghold Master, Blood Skull Old Man!
He had been at the crucial point of breaking through to spirit transformation peak. Disturbed by the sudden voice and the terrifying will it carried, the blood and qi within him instantly reversed their flow, nearly sending him into cultivation deviation!
"What madman dares disturb my secluded cultivation?!" Blood Skull Old Man roared in fury, blood fiend qi churning around him as though it had taken solid form.
His figure flickered, transforming into a streak of blood-red light that shot out of the cave dwelling and raced toward the mountain gate!
He would see for himself what fool with no regard for his life dared act so brazenly before the gates of his Blood Skull Stronghold!
Before you continue