As night deepened, the top floor of the luxury inn was quiet, with the lights of countless homes outside filtering through the sheer curtains, casting a soft glow over the entire room.
Qin Yu sat cross-legged on the bed, the ancient scroll silently floating in front of him. Golden sealing patterns slowly flowed across the surface of the scroll, faintly emanating ancient and mysterious Fate Soul fluctuations.
Qin Yu slowly closed his eyes, and strands of his divine sense once again enveloped the entire scroll, probing it bit by bit from the outermost edge. However, no matter how his divine sense wandered, the sealing patterns remained perfectly integrated, without revealing the slightest flaw. After a moment, Qin Yu slowly opened his eyes and gently exhaled.
Just then, a star-blue light appeared between his brows. "Whoosh--" A petite and delicate figure hopped out of his sea of consciousness. "Little Qinzi!" Xiao Yue landed steadily on the table, put her hands behind her back, circled the scroll once, and then stretched out her fair little hand to gently touch the sealing patterns on the surface of the scroll.
Her large, star-blue eyes gradually became serious. She circled the scroll several times, sometimes crouching down to examine it closely, sometimes tilting her head in thought. After a long while, she gently puffed out her cheeks and said softly, "This scroll actually has a restriction seal." "There must be some enormous secret hidden inside."
Qin Yu nodded slowly, his gaze remaining fixed on the secret scroll. "Hmm." "I've tried several methods just now," Xiao Yue said, gently stroking her chin. Her expression became unusually serious. "Hmm..." "This seal is indeed a bit tricky."
She gently tapped the scroll with her finger. "But it's alright." "As long as it's a restriction or seal," "there will always be a flaw." "We just haven't found it yet." Saying this, she looked up and smiled sweetly at Qin Yu. "Little Qinzi." "Leave it to me." "I'll study it first."
Qin Yu looked at her, a smile playing on his lips. "Okay." "Xiao Yue." "Then take it into your sea of consciousness to study it first." "I have some other things to take care of." "Okay!" Xiao Yue nodded happily. She picked up the ancient scroll, which was longer than herself, and struggled to carry it on her shoulder, looking both serious and somewhat adorable. "Don't worry, Little Qinzi." "I will definitely study it thoroughly."
As soon as she finished speaking, a star-blue light slowly bloomed, Xiao Yue, holding the secret scroll, transformed back into a stream of light and entered Qin Yu's sea of consciousness between his brows. The entire room returned to silence once more.
Qin Yu slowly stood up, then changed into a very ordinary blue robe, and concealed his aura considerably. After confirming that nothing was missing, he slowly pushed open the door and walked down the inn's corridor step by step. The Heavenly Ruins Floating City at night was even more prosperous than during the day.
The entire floating ancient city is suspended above a sea of clouds, with countless pavilions brightly lit, and long streets of jade crisscrossing the area, with countless flowing lanterns hanging on both sides.
Those lamps were not ordinary fire, but clusters of spiritual flames floating in the air, each a different color; some were as soft as starlight, others as cool as moonlight, and still others flowed like the Milky Way. Countless flying boats glide slowly across the night sky, and in the distance, between the tall buildings, cultivators occasionally soar through the air, leaving streaks of light in their wake. The streets were bustling with activity.
Various hawking cries and conversations rose and fell, and the air was filled with the faint aroma of spirit wine, spirit fruit and all kinds of delicacies. The entire floating city was like a celestial city that would never sleep. Qin Yu walked slowly among the crowd, his eyes constantly scanning the shops on both sides of the street.
Before long, a magnificent pavilion came into view. The pavilion was seven stories high. The entire building was made of purple-gold spirit jade, and a huge golden plaque hung outside the building, with three powerful ancient characters that looked like dragons and phoenixes. -- Myriad Illustrations Pavilion. Although its overall scale was not as grand as the Heavenly Secrets Dao Pavilion, it still looked magnificent.
Cultivators came and went in an endless stream, but Qin Yu didn't stop. He stepped inside, and as soon as he entered the hall, a faint fragrance wafted towards him. A graceful woman walked towards him with light steps. She wore a light purple dress that perfectly accentuated her exquisite figure. Her brows and eyes held a hint of charm, her watery eyes were filled with laughter, and her voice was soft and seductive.
"Young master~" "Welcome to the Myriad Illustrations Pavilion." She gently covered her mouth and smiled. "Is there anything I can do for you, young master?" Qin Yu's expression was calm as he glanced around.
The hall was quite crowded, with many cultivators browsing various maps, secret realm catalogs, and information on different domains. He then slowly said, "I'd like to buy one." "A detailed map of the God-Defying Heavenly Abyss." The woman's beautiful eyes lit up upon hearing this. "A map of the God-Defying Heavenly Abyss?" "Yes, we do."
Her smile grew even more alluring. "How many would you like, sir?" Qin Yu replied calmly. "One will suffice." The woman bowed slightly and nodded with a smile. "Very well." "Please wait a moment, sir." "I'll go and fetch them for you right away."
After speaking, she swayed her slender waist and slowly walked upstairs. Qin Yu walked to the side of the hall, found an empty seat, and slowly sat down. Just then, not far from him, a group of cultivators were whispering among themselves. "This competition Lineage... I don't think it's going to be that simple."
Another person immediately nodded. "Of course." "I've heard that the ultimate guardian beasts of the Lineage Source Dao Ultimate Beast Huang, will also make an appearance this time." A cultivator next to him perked up immediately. "Really?" "I've long heard that the ultimate guardian beasts of the Lineage families Source Dao Ultimate Beast Huang, are extremely mysterious. This time, I finally have the chance to see their true form."
The other person lowered their voice and said mysteriously, "Not only that, it's said that the Supreme Transformation Primordial Domain will also send many powerful figures to watch the battle. Besides watching the Four Great Lineage Grand Competition, they will also personally inspect the Source Dao Ultimate Beast Huang that the Lineage have guarded until now."
The others simultaneously showed expressions of shock. "I also heard," they said, "that once the Lineage officially begin their grand competition," "the four Source Dao Ultimate Beast Huang are very likely to all transform into human form and engage in a true contest." "We just don't know if this news is true or false." "If it's true..."
One of them couldn't help but take a deep breath, his eyes filled with longing. "That's truly a once-in-a-lifetime event, one that we might only see once in billions of years." "To be able to witness firsthand the clash between the Source Dao Ultimate Beast Huang." "For us cultivators, it's an unparalleled opportunity to comprehend the true meaning of the Great Dao."
Myriad Illustrations Pavilion, people were still coming and going. Various maps, secret realm catalogs, and ancient domain scrolls were neatly suspended in mid-air, and cultivators would stop to select them from time to time, making the entire hall lively and bustling.
Qin Yu sat there quietly, the conversation of the people not far away still echoing in his ears. His gaze narrowed slightly. "The Source Dao Ultimate Beast Huang..." These words stirred a ripple in his heart. Involuntarily, the scene from the Chi Lineage's main city— Stele Forest Imperial City —some time ago surfaced in his mind.
That day, he, Su Qingyuan, and Shen Qingchen were drinking together at a restaurant when he witnessed the Chi Lineage's Source Dao Ultimate Beast Huang, the Wanyan Phantom.
The Source Dao Ultimate Beast Huang, appeared for only a moment, yet it caused countless cultivators throughout the entire Stele Forest Imperial City to rise simultaneously, and even the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth seemed to give way on its own initiative. Qin Yu still vividly remembers that vast pressure originating from the source.
Thinking of this, his gaze gradually deepened. "Now..." "The ultimate beasts of the Lineage Source Dao Ultimate Beast Huang, are actually taking human form to participate in the competition..." "This is indeed shocking news." Qin Yu slowly leaned back in his seat, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest.
He pondered silently. "Chi Ninghua never mentioned this before." "Could it be..." "Is this an arrangement recently reneged upon by the Lineage?" Just as he was lost in thought, a faint fragrance wafted over again. "Young Master~"
The alluring woman had returned, holding a beautifully crafted ancient map in her hands. She approached Qin Yu with a smile. "I apologize for keeping you waiting, young master." "This is the map of the God-Defying Heavenly Abyss that you requested."
Qin Yu slowly took the ancient map, and as the scroll unfurled, an extremely vast map of mountains and rivers slowly appeared before his eyes.
The entire map was drawn with a special material, marking not only various regions, dangerous places, ancient cities and restricted areas, but also recording some extremely hidden small spatial cracks in great detail.
At the very top of the map, four ancient and powerful characters slowly came into view: --God-Defying Heavenly Abyss. Qin Yu glanced at it briefly, then slowly rolled up the map again and stored it in his storage crystal core. He then looked up at the woman. "Excuse me." "How much is it?" The alluring woman covered her mouth and smiled softly, her eyes sparkling, her voice becoming increasingly seductive.
"Normally," she said, "This map of mine would sell for fifty thousand Supreme Transformation Source Crystal." She blinked, her smile widening as she gazed at Qin Yu's handsome and serene face. "But today..." she continued, "It's rare to meet such a dashing and charming guest as you, young master." "I'll take the liberty of charging you only ten thousand Supreme Transformation Source Crystal." "Is that acceptable, young master?"
Several cultivators nearby couldn't help but glance over, some even showing a hint of envy. However, Qin Yu remained calm and composed. He simply took out a storage pouch and handed it to the woman. "Okay." "Thank you very much." "Here are ten thousand Supreme Transformation Source Crystal." "Farewell."
After speaking, Qin Yu didn't linger any longer. He took the map and walked straight out of the Myriad Illustrations Pavilion. The whole process was clean and efficient, without a single unnecessary word. The alluring woman stared at the receding figure, slightly stunned at first, then lowered her head and opened her storage pouch. She scanned it with her divine sense and found ten thousand Supreme Transformation Source Crystal neatly arranged inside.
The quantity was perfect. She gently closed the brocade pouch, watching Qin Yu disappear into the crowd, a meaningful smile playing on her lips. "Didn't expect that..." "That young man..." "Quite decisive."
Under the cover of night, Qin Yu quickly returned to the luxurious inn where he had stayed. He walked through the long corridor and opened his room, which remained quiet. Just as Qin Yu gently closed the door, a familiar voice, tinged with excitement, suddenly echoed from the depths of his mind. "Little Qinzi!" "The method to break the seal..." "Found it!"