The following morning, the sky above the Stele Forest Imperial City was still shrouded in the shadow cast by the colossal stele. Countless suspended palaces floated among the sea of clouds, and ancient flying boats of Fate Soul came and went, leaving trails of dazzling light. Qin Yu led Xiao Yue through the most bustling main street of the North City and finally arrived in front of a towering building that seemed to pierce the clouds.
The moment the building appeared, even Qin Yu, who was used to seeing many magnificent sights in the Eternal Nonexistence Limitless Domain, paused slightly. In front of him, a colossal tower made entirely of dark golden divine crystals pierced the sky, its height unknown, its top even disappearing into the depths of the clouds.
The tower is covered with countless ancient Fate Soul runes, each rune resembling a flowing galaxy that slowly rotates. Ninety-nine floating sky bridges surround the tower, with countless cultivators moving back and forth between them. Above the tower, a silver-white ancient mirror with a diameter of several thousand feet floats, slowly rotating.
The mirror reflects countless mountains and rivers. With each rotation, it seems as if countless destinies are intertwined and unfolding within it. Above the main gate of the giant tower, four powerful ancient characters are prominently displayed: Heavenly Secrets Dao Pavilion. It is said that more than 90% of the intelligence, maps, secret realm information, and clues to ancient ruins in the entire Stele Forest Imperial City originate from this place.
"As long as you can afford the price, you can even buy the secrets of certain Ancient Clan," Xiao Yue said, tilting her head back with her mouth wide open. "My God..." "This is too outrageous..." Qin Yu just smiled and stepped inside. As soon as he entered, the view opened up before him, revealing a completely independent world inside.
Hundreds of millions of scrolls floated in the sky, while on the ground were massive intelligence palaces, with numerous cultivators constantly coming and going. Just as Qin Yu entered, a waiter dressed in a gray robe slowly approached, but when he saw Qin Yu's ordinary clothes...
The enthusiasm on his face immediately faded, and even his gaze carried a hint of disdain. After all, most of the people who came and went in the Heavenly Secrets Dao Pavilion were Ancient Clan prodigies, elders of aristocratic families, and leaders of various forces. Qin Yu, on the other hand, had concealed his aura and had neither Lineage insignia nor any impressive entourage. He looked almost no different from an ordinary Rogue Cultivator.
The waiter sized Qin Yu up and down, a slight smirk playing on his lips before lazily asking, "What would you like to buy, sir?" "But I must warn you beforehand," he continued, "this is the largest trading post in the entire Stele Forest Imperial City. As long as you have enough Supreme Transformation Source Crystal," or even the more precious Dreamplay Beads, you can buy whatever you desire." His tone rose slightly as he said this.
With a hint of arrogance on his face, he said, "There's nothing you can't imagine. Nothing we can't buy." Xiao Yue was immediately displeased and was about to speak when Qin Yu raised his hand to stop her. Qin Yu merely glanced at her, then smiled faintly, a hint of contempt in his smile. "Oh?" "In that case." "Then I need a complete map of the Heart-Questioning Ancient Forest." "Do you have one here?"
As soon as the words fell, the previously arrogant waiter's face instantly changed, his pupils contracted sharply, and he froze on the spot as if struck by lightning. Even his breath caught in his throat for a moment. "Wh... what?" "The Heart-Questioning Ancient Forest?" His voice trembled noticeably. Qin Yu frowned slightly. "What?" "Nothing?" "Didn't you just say you had anything?"
Xiao Er's expression changed several times in succession, and even fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. The Heart-Questioning Ancient Forest is an extremely special place in the entire Eternal Nonexistence Limitless Domain. Especially in recent years, various strange events have broken out there one after another, and a large number of powerful people have perished there. Even many Lineage elders are terrified of it. Only a few people are willing to actively seek out the complete map of the Heart-Questioning Ancient Forest.
There was no way he was just an ordinary cultivator. Thinking this, his gaze towards Qin Yu completely changed. Gone was the previous disdain; instead, a hint of apprehension lingered. Qin Yu spoke again, his voice tinged with impatience. "Do you have one or not?" "If not..." "I'll go to another place." The waiter suddenly snapped back to reality.
He hurriedly waved his hand. "Yes!" "Yes, I do..." Then he couldn't help but ask, "But what are you going there for?" Qin Yu's gaze swept over him coldly. "If they have it, I'll buy it." "If they don't, I'll leave." "Why so much nonsense?" As soon as he finished speaking, the waiter's face immediately turned ugly.
But he dared not lash out, and could only suppress his anger and force a smile. "Please wait a moment, sir." "This item is no longer available for regular sale." "I need to consult the shopkeeper." After saying that, he immediately turned and walked quickly into the depths of the Heavenly Secrets Dao Pavilion, but his departing figure clearly showed some panic, while Qin Yu stood calmly in place.
His gaze slowly swept towards the highest level of the Heavenly Secrets Dao Pavilion. For some reason, just when the Heart-Questioning Ancient Forest was mentioned, he vaguely sensed... an extremely ancient divine thought swept over him from the depths of the Heavenly Secrets Dao Pavilion, and that aura seemed to have noticed him.
A few dozen breaths later, the waiter who had left hurriedly returned, but this time, he was followed by a middle-aged man.
The man wore a deep purple robe embroidered with countless ancient golden patterns that flowed continuously, faintly forming phantom images of mountains and rivers. He was tall and slender, with a refined and scholarly face and deep, unfathomable eyes. Every gesture he made exuded the composed demeanor of someone who had long held a high position.
Most importantly, the fluctuations of his Fate Soul were extremely profound, clearly indicating that he was an Eternal Silence Realm · Middle Stage. When he saw Qin Yu, his eyes trembled slightly, because in his perception, the young man in front of him did not have any Lineage insignia, but the faint aura he exuded was something that even he Eternal Silence Realm · Middle Stage, could not see through.
The feeling was extremely strange, like standing before a calm sea, seemingly without a ripple, but if you were to delve deeper, it felt as if you would be swallowed by Endless Abyss. The man immediately composed himself and then slightly clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute to Qin Yu. "Sir," he said, "May I have a moment to speak with you upstairs?"
Qin Yu glanced at him indifferently, then nodded. "Alright." The man smiled and turned slightly to the side, gesturing for him to come upstairs. "Please come upstairs, sir." Then, personally led by the manager, Qin Yu slowly walked towards the second floor of the Heavenly Secrets Dao Pavilion. Along the way, many cultivators cast surprised glances, as it was rare for someone to be personally received by the second manager.
But now he was an ordinary-looking young man. Soon, the two arrived at a private room at the deepest part of the second floor. As soon as the door was pushed open, a rich aura of origin rushed out. The entire private room was extremely luxurious. The floor was paved with dark gold divine crystals, various ancient maps were hung on the walls, and even the tables and chairs were made of extremely precious Mystic Void Divine Wood.
In the center of the room stood a huge star map, with countless points of light slowly rotating on it, as if evolving the myriad worlds. The innkeeper personally closed the door. Then he turned and smiled, "Please sit down, sir." Qin Yu slowly sat down. At the same time, Xiao Yue on his shoulder lightly leaped and transformed into a stream of light, returning to Qin Yu's sea of consciousness between his brows.
The private room was now empty except for the two of them. Qin Yu slowly looked up, "What is the purpose of your visit, sir?" The man smiled slightly, then clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Please don't mind, sir." "I am the second manager here." "Qian Weiyi." "The waiter has already told me about this." "Sir, you wish to purchase the complete map of the Heart-Questioning Ancient Forest, right?"
Qin Yu nodded slightly. "Not bad," but "I don't understand." "A mere map." "Why do we need to come to a private room to trade?" Qian Weiyi smiled wryly upon hearing this. Then she slowly sat down. "You may not know, sir." If it were in the past, "there would naturally be no problem," but the Heart-Questioning Ancient Forest is different now.
His expression turned noticeably serious as he said this. "Recently, a rumor has been circulating throughout the Northern Region: someone has supposedly discovered an astonishing quantity of Supreme Transformation Source Crystal deep within the Heart-Questioning Ancient Forest, reaching an unimaginable scale. As a result, in the past month, a large number of cultivators have flocked to the Heart-Questioning Ancient Forest. And most of these people have purchased complete maps from my Heavenly Secrets Dao Pavilion."
Qin Yu frowned slightly. "Many people?" Qian Weiyi nodded. "Yes, a great many. There are elders from sects and Lineage, powerful Rogue Cultivator, and even some members of the Ancient Clan. Almost all of them went because of that rumor."
At this point, Qian Weiyi's voice gradually lowered, "But... those people have been gone for almost a month and haven't returned yet."
Qin Yu's eyes narrowed slightly. Someone went there a month ago? "Qian Weiyi nodded seriously. Yes, and the number far exceeded your imagination."
The entire private room fell silent. Countless streaks of light flashed across the sky outside the window, but Qin Yu's gaze gradually deepened. At this moment, he finally understood that the news of the Heart-Questioning Ancient Forest was probably no longer a secret. That mysterious place, which possessed trillions of Supreme Transformation Source Crystal, had already attracted a large number of cultivators to enter it ahead of time.
But... why hasn't anyone returned after a whole month? That's what's truly alarming.