Night hung low. The White Cloud Sect's spirit vessel had long since docked beneath the main peak, and the three were each guided to their own palace.
The palace where Qin Yu lived alone backed onto the flank of White Cloud Peak. A flight of white jade steps wound up into the air, ancient cloud patterns adorned the palace's roof ridge, and faint spiritual mist wreathed the halls, like a celestial palace descended to earth. The moment he entered, Qin Yu felt Spiritual Qi rush against his face. This was no gentle trickle like that of Cloud-Leveling Hall, but a vast, oceanlike tide from the spiritual veins, surging into his meridians as though heaven and earth were resonating with his breath.
He sat cross-legged on the jade dais at the center of the hall and slowly circulated the Mystic Origin Body Tempering Art. Spiritual Qi poured into his dantian from every direction like a cascading river of stars. His meridians filled instantly, and every inch of his bones gave off a deep rumble, like metal being forged. The Qi in his chest surged to its utmost, as though just one more step would take him into an entirely new realm. Qin Yu's brows knitted tightly, and sweat beaded on his forehead, yet he felt no pain. Instead, an unprecedented exhilaration and clarity arose within him.
Yang Zheng's palace stood near a waterfall and spiritual pool. As the night breeze swept past, mist rose, and the Spiritual Qi was so dense it almost took solid form. Startled, Yang Zheng thought, No wonder the White Cloud Sect stands as the foremost sect on the Great Yan Continent. Cultivating with spiritual veins like these, one day is worth half a month outside! He slowly drew his sword, sat cross-legged, and activated the Heng Mountain Sword Art. As he raised the tip of his blade slightly, Spiritual Qi poured into it like surging mountains and rivers, producing a humming dragon's cry. Beneath the night sky, sword light shimmered in many colors, and his sword momentum was steady, as though the mountains of heaven and earth were reborn within this single strike. Yang Zheng's gaze was resolute, and his fighting spirit was kindled without limit in the White Cloud Sect's night.
Zhao Xinyu's palace was quiet and elegant. All the surrounding flowers and trees were cultivated from spiritual plants, and when the night breeze passed, even the fragrance breathed out by the spiritual flowers carried Spiritual Qi. She sat cross-legged in the middle of the flower beds, gently swept her hands, and circulated her cultivation method. Petals danced beneath the night sky, moving in rhythm with her breathing. Flecks of spiritual light fell like stars into her body, turning into a gentle, warm stream that nourished her meridians. She whispered, "With Spiritual Qi like this, if I can cultivate with a quiet mind, I'll surely go farther down the road ahead." Determination and longing shone in her eyes, as though she already saw a future in which she stood beside Yang Zheng.
All three cultivated beneath the White Cloud Sect's spiritually suffused night. Though mountains and rivers separated them, their hearts were equally shaken and set ablaze. That night, they finally understood-true cultivation had only just begun.
The night deepened, and the White Cloud Sect's palaces gleamed pristine beneath the moonlight. Qin Yu sat cross-legged alone in the center of his hall. On the jade dais before him, rows of high-grade spirit stones were neatly stacked, two thousand in all, radiating brilliant light. The Spiritual Qi within them was vast and surging, as though it could turn into towering waves at any moment and flood the entire hall.
Qin Yu drew a deep breath and thought:
Ever since reaching major accomplishment of the Qi Condensation Realm, I've been able to stabilize the primal Qi in my dantian and unite my body with Spiritual Qi. But breaking through to the Yuan Transformation Realm requires me to stir a Fate Soul primordium into being. This step is tantamount to touching the soul's origin. The slightest mistake could cause Qi deviation, or even shatter my dantian and destroy all my cultivation... But now that I've entered the White Cloud Sect, where experts gather like clouds, how can I establish myself unless I raise my cultivation as quickly as possible?
With that, he swept both hands outward, and the two thousand spirit stones he had received as a reward rose into the air. In an instant, they erupted with boundless radiance. Spiritual Qi poured down like the celestial river cascading from the nine heavens, becoming a waterfall of light that rushed straight toward Qin Yu's body.
Rumble-
The fluctuations of Spiritual Qi inside and outside the hall instantly exploded like thunder!
Every pore on Qin Yu's body opened, ravenously absorbing Spiritual Qi. His meridians filled in an instant. He felt every inch of his flesh tremble as Spiritual Qi burned like flame, becoming a towering tide that surged into his dantian. Deep within it, an extremely condensed vortex of Spiritual Qi began spinning furiously, gradually gathering into a translucent "sphere of primal power."
Sweat dripped continuously down his face, but his gaze grew ever more resolute. He knew this was the heavenly chasm between "Qi condensation" and "primal transformation." Only by pouring in endless Spiritual Qi could he force the sphere of primal power to give birth to a Fate Soul primordium.
The spirit stones dimmed in an instant, their Spiritual Qi completely drained. Qin Yu's presence surged, and the hall rumbled and shook, as though the Spiritual Qi spilling from his body would burst it apart. He exhaled a mouthful of turbid breath and growled in a firm voice:
"Primal transformation-condense!"
Boom!
Deep within his dantian, the luminous sphere of primal power shuddered violently. A faint, indistinct embryonic form emerged within it, like a wisp of a soul flickering amid spiritual light. At that moment, Qin Yu's Spiritual Sense abruptly expanded. The world before him was no longer merely presences and Spiritual Qi, but the blurred trajectories of living beings' souls and destinies!
Yet before he could rejoice, a backlash suddenly struck. Spiritual Qi surged like a flood, rolling back through his meridians like collapsing mountains and a roaring tsunami. The pain burst blood vessels throughout his body. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and his back was instantly drenched.
Qin Yu clenched his teeth, blood trailing down the corner of his lips, his resolve firm:
If I shrink back today, I'll be buried in obscurity forever tomorrow! Take shape!
He slammed his palms together and activated the spirit stones once more. More than a thousand spirit stones shattered simultaneously. Light blazed through the hall like the rising sun, and Spiritual Qi crashed into Qin Yu's body like monstrous waves, forcefully suppressing the backlash and driving the Fate Soul primordium toward formation.
At that moment, the entire palace trembled, as though this storm of Spiritual Qi would tear it apart. Window lattices shattered, spiritual mist churned outside the hall, and disciples in the distance were startled one after another.
Qin Yu's flesh split all over his body, golden bloodlight shining from the wounds, only to heal swiftly under the nourishment of Spiritual Qi. Between life and death, his body and soul sense were pushed to their limits again and again.
At last, the Fate Soul primordium suddenly lit up within the luminous sphere. A faint, almost imperceptible hum echoed from the depths of Qin Yu's sea of consciousness. It was the breathing of his soul, and the first cry of the Yuan Transformation Realm!
His eyes snapped open, his pupils like exploding stars. His presence burst outward, spiritual light enveloped the entire palace, and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi trembled.
Qin Yu had officially reached initial entry into the Yuan Transformation Realm!
Inside the palace, Qin Yu slowly brought his cultivation to a close, and the Spiritual Qi within him gradually settled. He could clearly feel the condensed core of primal power in his dantian shining like a blazing sun. Above that core, a faint phantom was taking shape.
It was an illusory human figure whose embryonic form was not yet stable, like a projection of himself, yet deeper and more mysterious. This was the Fate Soul primordium that had first manifested after his breakthrough into the Yuan Transformation Realm.
The appearance of the Fate Soul primordium abruptly expanded Qin Yu's range of perception. He slowly closed his eyes. His Spiritual Sense seemed to break free of his body's shackles, becoming countless fine threads that instantly extended dozens of zhang away. He could sense the faint stirrings in the minds of the spirit beasts and birds outside the palace; he could also clearly trace the rise and fall of Spiritual Qi in the neighboring disciples' breaths as they cultivated.
More astonishing still, he realized that he seemed able to perceive something on a deeper level-the trajectories of soul sense and destiny.
He focused his attention, directing his thoughts into the empty air. At once, a luminous trajectory appeared in his mind: it was the "vitality destiny" of a spiritual tree in the courtyard. Faint green light flowed through it, revealing its growth and withering over the coming months. When he turned his thoughts toward the cultivation presence of a distant disciple, he seemed to see the pulse of that person's Spiritual Sense, like a wavering ripple of water, revealing hidden strengths and weaknesses and changes in their state of mind.
"Is this... the power of a Fate Soul?"
Qin Yu was deeply shaken.
He could actually glimpse the course of another person's destiny. Even if it was only the shallowest fragment, it was already enough to put him one step ahead in battle. If an enemy's mind wavered, he could discern their openings; if an enemy's Spiritual Sense was weak, he could even find the weak point in their destiny and strike directly at its core!
In an instant, Qin Yu's eyes blazed like a river of stars.
This new power already far exceeded the scope of major accomplishment of the Qi Condensation Realm. The true meaning of the Yuan Transformation Realm lay not merely in releasing Spiritual Qi outward, but in the first manifestation of the Fate Soul, touching the truth of the soul and destiny.
He slowly withdrew his Spiritual Sense and murmured:
"If I can fully master the Fate Soul primordium... then no matter how powerful an enemy is, they'll be laid completely bare before my eyes."
With that, Qin Yu let out a long breath, his heart steadier than ever before.
The night was not yet over. Spiritual light flashed repeatedly among the palaces of the White Cloud Sect's outer disciples.
Inside a palace on the other side, Zhao Xinyu sat upright in a courtyard surrounded by spiritual flowers. Around her grew spiritual trees and herbs unique to the sect, and the passing night breeze brought a refreshing fragrance that soothed the heart. Five hundred high-grade spirit stones were piled on the jade dais before her, shining like stars and illuminating the entire courtyard.
She took a deep breath and gently swept her delicate hand. The spirit stones instantly rose, becoming points of starlight circling around her. Then Spiritual Qi erupted, pouring frantically into her body like a river of stars rolling backward. Zhao Xinyu's slender body trembled slightly, and fine sweat appeared on her forehead, but her eyes grew brighter. With a shift of thought, she circulated her cultivation art. The vortex of Spiritual Qi in her dantian expanded rapidly, gradually condensing into a stable core of primal Qi.
"Major accomplishment of the Qi Condensation Realm-break through!"
With her low cry, spiritual light burst within Zhao Xinyu, and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi suddenly resonated. Countless flowers and grasses in the courtyard bloomed together, releasing a purer spiritual breath, like a gift from heaven and earth to aid her breakthrough. In an instant, her presence surged straight into the night sky, and her Spiritual Sense expanded severalfold. She had fully reached major accomplishment of the Qi Condensation Realm!
In the palace on the other side, Yang Zheng sat cross-legged beside the spiritual pool. The waterfall roared, spiritual mist churned, and five hundred spirit stones hovered in the air like stars clustered around the moon. Yang Zheng's forehead was covered in sweat, but an unyielding light shone in his eyes.
I, Yang Zheng, absolutely cannot keep holding Senior Brother back!
At a shift of his thoughts, the spirit stones shattered together, and immense Spiritual Qi poured into his meridians. Pain struck his bones and blood vessels like fierce flames consuming his body. He grunted and clenched his teeth, refusing to let himself waver. The vortex of Spiritual Qi in his dantian spun rapidly, gradually condensing into a stable spiritual foundation.
"Break through!"
With a furious roar, spiritual light erupted from Yang Zheng's entire body, and sword intent soared into the sky. His Heng Mountain Sword Art circulated on its own, as though the might of heaven, earth, and mountains had settled upon him. Sword light cleaved the night sky and illuminated the entire palace. His presence rose steadily, and at last, in a single push, he reached-initial entry into the Qi Condensation Realm!
The spiritual light dissipated. Yang Zheng let out a long, turbid breath, his face covered in sweat, but his eyes burned like fierce flames.
That night, Qin Yu broke through to initial entry into the Yuan Transformation Realm, Zhao Xinyu reached major accomplishment of the Qi Condensation Realm, and Yang Zheng also advanced to initial entry into the Qi Condensation Realm. All three were within the White Cloud Sect, yet each welcomed a tremendous change in cultivation within their own palace.
Early the next morning, the White Cloud Sect's bells boomed across the sky like rolling thunder. Before dawn's light had fully spread, the sect's outer sect square was already a sea of people.
The square stretched vast and boundless. It was paved not with ordinary stone, but with a single enormous slab of spiritual jade carved out through the sect's secret methods, its surface covered in ancient formation patterns. Spiritual light flowed along those patterns like a cascading river of stars, radiating an incomparably powerful presence. Above the surrounding platforms hovered dozens of carved jade pillars, upon which undying spiritual flames burned, bathing the entire square in brilliant golden light like an immortal realm.
Qin Yu, Yang Zheng, and Zhao Xinyu walked side by side, slowly entering the square. The moment the three came to a stop, the magnificent scene before them stunned them.
Thousands upon thousands of new disciples had gathered here. They came from every corner of the Great Yan Continent, their clothing varied and their presences different, yet now they all gathered beneath the White Cloud Sect's banner like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea. At the center of the square, the White Cloud Sect's outer sect stewards stood in a row, all at the Qi Condensation Realm or above. Upright and imposing, their spiritual might vast, they looked down upon these newly admitted disciples.
Most awe-inspiring of all was what hung high in the sky-
The White Cloud Sect's banner snapped in the wind. Embroidered upon it was a white-cloud divine crane spreading its wings to fly. As Spiritual Qi flowed through it, it actually seemed alive, beating its wings as though about to take flight. Each ripple of the banner drew a surging response from the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, shaking every disciple's heart.
"So this is the White Cloud Sect..."
Yang Zheng murmured, his eyes full of awe.
"It truly deserves to be called the foremost sect on the Great Yan Continent."
Zhao Xinyu spoke softly, her clear eyes revealing a faint determination.
Qin Yu gazed up at the sect banner, unable to restrain the surging within his heart. He could clearly feel that this was the sacred ground every cultivator on the Great Yan Continent dreamed of reaching. The Spiritual Qi was so dense that even his Fate Soul primordium trembled gently, as though expressing submission and resonance toward this colossal entity.
At that moment, the chief outer sect elder on the platform stepped forward. His voice rang out, vast as thunder:
"New outer disciples of the White Cloud Sect, from this day onward, you all belong to our White Cloud Sect's lineage! Henceforth, you will share honor and disgrace! Though the outer sect is the starting point of cultivation, if you distinguish yourselves in assessments and martial competitions, you may ascend directly to the inner sect, or even enter the core halls!"
"The White Cloud Sect accepts no mediocrities, only true dragons! If you wish to establish yourselves on this Great Yan Continent, then starting today, show all your courage and fighting blood!"
Rumble!
Countless disciples' blood surged hot. They shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens and shooting straight into the clouds. Amid the stirring Spiritual Qi, the square's spiritual flames blazed fiercely, illuminating every youthful face.
At that moment, Qin Yu, Yang Zheng, and Zhao Xinyu all clenched their fists tightly, the same light burning in their eyes.
They knew that their true path of cultivation-had only just begun.
As the elder's words fell, the clamor in the square gradually subsided, leaving only the solemn stillness of thousands of disciples holding their breath in concentration. The chief outer sect elder's robes fluttered, his eyes like lightning as he surveyed the crowd. Once more, his voice boomed out:
"The White Cloud Sect is the foremost sect on the Great Yan Continent. Our spiritual herbs and medicines are nourished by spiritual veins and do not require you outer disciples to gather them. Your first round of assignments-is patrol duty!"
As he uttered those words, the square's spiritual flames suddenly shuddered, and all the formation patterns flashed with them, as though heaven and earth themselves were responding.
"The patrol areas encompass three locations:"
The elder raised a finger. A streak of spiritual light crossed the air and became three enormous luminous maps, hovering above the square.
The first location was the White Cloud Sect's spirit stone mines.
Within the image, mountain ranges stretched unbroken, the Spiritual Qi incomparably dense. Mines glittered with golden radiance, and spiritual veins flowed deep beneath the earth like pulsing dragon bones. Countless mining disciples and stewards came and went, guarding and extracting the sect's foundation.
The second location was the Immortal Vein Ruins.
It was an ancient, ruined land, with cracks crisscrossing the sky and golden lightning stretching across it. Formation patterns left by ancient cultivators remained in the ruins, faintly exuding a terrifying pressure. Legend held that traces of the White Cloud Sect's ancient glory lay buried there.
The third location was the Ancient Spiritual Sea.
The image revealed a boundless spiritual sea. Its waters were not azure, but liquid Spiritual Qi glittering with spiritual light, sending towering waves of Qi into the air as they churned. Unknown ancient beings seemed to sleep beneath the sea, and the occasional surging wave brought forth terrifying shadows.
The elder's voice continued to echo:
"Outer disciples of the White Cloud Sect may form teams themselves or carry out their assignments alone. But remember-these are the sect's lands. Any living creatures or demonic beasts that dare cause trouble here are opportunities for you to slay them and earn merit!"
"Those who complete their assignments will be assessed according to their patrol results and gains, and rewarded with spirit stones, cultivation methods, pills, and more. Anyone who shrinks back in the face of danger or evades duty without permission will be expelled from the outer sect and never allowed to return!"
Boom!
The entire square erupted once more. Disciples discussed among themselves, their eyes burning with fervor and excitement.
"The spirit stone mines are the sect's foundation. There must be plenty of opportunities if we can go there!"
"I heard the Immortal Vein Ruins are dangerous, but if you find any spiritual treasures left inside, you could ascend to heaven in a single step!"
"The Ancient Spiritual Sea... They say even inner disciples don't dare approach it lightly. Are they really sending us there?"
Qin Yu, Yang Zheng, and Zhao Xinyu stood in the crowd, looking at the three great regions depicted in the air. Their gazes grew solemn at the same time.
Yang Zheng asked quietly, "Brother Yu, where do you think we should go?"
Zhao Xinyu frowned slightly. "All three are dangerous, but the greater the danger, the greater the opportunities."
Qin Yu gazed at the churning image of the spiritual sea, yet an irrepressible longing kindled within his heart.
He secretly clenched his fists and whispered inwardly:
Perhaps patrol duty is merely the White Cloud Sect's test for its outer disciples... The true opportunities lie within these dangerous places.
Qin Yu looked firmly at the three assignment locations in the images overhead and slowly spoke:
"The spirit stone mines are too uneventful, and the spiritual sea is too dangerous. If we want to temper ourselves and seek opportunities, the Immortal Vein Ruins are the best place."
Yang Zheng paused, then gritted his teeth and nodded. "All right! If Brother Yu says we're going, I'll follow. Even if there's danger, we'll bear it together."
Zhao Xinyu considered for a moment, a trace of resolve flashing through her eyes. "Though the Immortal Vein Ruins are dangerous, they're also the place where our true abilities will show most clearly. I agree."
Their minds made up, the three walked together to the outer sect stewards' platform. The steward elder glanced at them, nodded, and swept his sleeve. Three black-and-gold patrol tokens slowly descended into their hands. Ancient cloud-and-crane runes were engraved upon the tokens, and formation patterns flickered within them, allowing messages to be transmitted in emergencies.
"Since you have chosen the Immortal Vein Ruins, remember-the formation patterns and ancient intent remaining there are not things ordinary objects can withstand. Do not be impatient or reckless. Proceed cautiously."
As the elder admonished them, he guided a strand of spiritual light with his hand. Three maps appeared, precisely marking the paths and patrol routes around the outskirts of the Immortal Vein Ruins.
The three accepted them respectfully and cupped their fists, speaking in unison. "We disciples will heed your teachings!"
That afternoon, Qin Yu and his two companions finished their preparations and boarded the spirit vessel bound for the Immortal Vein Ruins.
The spirit vessel sped through the air, crossing the White Cloud Sect's vast spiritual territory of mountains and rivers, with a thunderous rush beside their ears. Mountains and rivers flashed past, spiritual springs surged, and occasionally enormous spiritual birds swept by with outstretched wings, their presences immense. Qin Yu stood at the bow, his robes snapping in the wind, his heart filled with both surging fervor and a trace of unease at the unknown.
At last, half a day later, the spirit vessel gradually slowed.
On the distant horizon, a dark expanse of land and sky appeared. The earth there was cracked, lightning intertwined, and broken ancient steles and shattered stone pillars lay scattered across the barren ground, as though whispering of ancient glory and destruction. The air carried a scorched, murderous presence that made even breathing grow heavy.
The spirit vessel halted several li away. A steward disciple waved a hand and sent out a mote of spiritual light. "We have reached the Immortal Vein Ruins. Proceed on your own. Remember, patrolling here is not simply viewing flowers from horseback-it is a trial. If you return alive, you will truly count as disciples of the White Cloud Sect."
Qin Yu, Yang Zheng, and Zhao Xinyu exchanged glances, fighting spirit gradually rising within them.
"Let's go!"
At Qin Yu's low shout, all three stepped off the spirit vessel together, becoming three streaks of light that sped toward the barren land of the Immortal Vein Ruins.
Qin Yu, Yang Zheng, and Zhao Xinyu traveled swiftly onward. When they truly entered the outskirts of the Immortal Vein Ruins, the sight before them made all three hold their breath.
Heaven and earth seemed to have been torn apart by an immense, invisible force. Spiritual veins that had once pierced the heavens were now shattered into countless jagged breaks, each still retaining blazing spiritual light, like golden lightning roaming through the void. Mountains and rivers had collapsed, and crisscrossing ravines covered the land-the scars left by the spiritual veins' explosive destruction. Within the fissures, they could faintly see golden spiritual liquid flowing, hissing as vapor rose from it.
Broken immortal formations hovered in midair. Their runes had long since become incomplete, yet faint, flickering pillars of light still thundered down. They seemed to be struggling to maintain some lost rule. Every flash of their formation patterns stirred a resonance through heaven and earth, like the long cry of an ancient immortal, making the three feel a stifling weight in their chests.
More heart-rending still was the sky. Dark clouds piled upon one another, lightning rolling within them like silver dragons. Thunder exploded without end, as though heaven and earth were roaring. Occasionally, an enormous pillar of lightning descended, instantly shattering an entire distant mountaintop. Blazing white light burst from the splitting rocks, accompanied by deafening thunder that could shatter one's courage.
Yet amid this vast, ruined landscape, traces of grandeur remained. Far away, halls seemingly cast from golden light lay half-hidden within the clouds and mist. Enormous stone pillars stretched across the heavens, and shattered walls still radiated majesty. As the sea of clouds churned, broken spiritual veins jutted out like dragon bones, making one feel insignificant.
Everything overlapped with the words "immortal vein" in Qin Yu's mind, bringing not peace, but shock and oppression. The three even suspected that without their White Cloud Sect outer disciple tokens, the pressure radiating from the ruins alone would be enough to crush disciples with insufficient cultivation on the spot.
Qin Yu spoke quietly. "This place... is a hundred times more dangerous than the Shadow Woods or the Soul-Rending Mountain Range."
Yang Zheng could not help swallowing, his hand gripping his sword hilt tightly. "I feel like the thunder of heaven and earth could shatter me at any moment."
Zhao Xinyu gazed at the broken spiritual veins and flickering immortal formations in the distance, a complicated look in her eyes. "The more it's like this, the more it shows that opportunities beyond our imagination are hidden here."
Their gazes met, and the same thought arose in all their hearts-the Immortal Vein Ruins might change the course of their entire lives.
The three continued deeper, and the presence of the Immortal Vein Ruins grew increasingly heavy.
At first, they entered a canyon like a stream of molten gold. The lingering force of the broken spiritual veins had suffused the entire mountain forest with boundless golden radiance. Searing spiritual light flowed through the trees' branches and trunks, and every leaf seemed cast from crystalline gold. When the wind blew, the leaves scraped together, producing crisp metallic clangs like countless blades lightly striking one another, making their hair stand on end. Beneath their feet flowed a river of Spiritual Qi like molten lava. Golden radiance gushed forth like the blood of heaven and earth surging from an abyss. That blazing presence made even the Spiritual Qi in their dantians stir uncontrollably.
Farther on, an ancient hall shrouded in a sea of clouds abruptly appeared. Its entrance towered into the clouds, and dozens of stone pillars, like columns supporting the heavens, connected the hall to the sky. Ancient runes were embedded in every pillar, occasionally flashing with cold light. The ruined doors stood wide open, as though unspeakable secrets lay buried within. Clouds and mist churned, and the instant they stepped inside, they heard sounds like the whispers of ancient immortals, mingling solemnity with an eerie chill and leaving their minds dazed. Zhao Xinyu frowned deeply and softly warned, "Be careful. This place isn't dead and silent. It's some kind of... will that hasn't completely dissipated."
After passing through the ancient hall, the view before them suddenly opened up. A cloud-filled canyon stretched ahead. On the towering golden cliffs to either side, enormous waterfalls poured down like the heavens themselves cascading to earth. Runes of Spiritual Qi were carried within the falling water, like scroll after scroll of heavenly scripture descending from above. Overhead, layers of cloud seas rolled ceaselessly, like mountain ranges hanging upside down in midair, blotting out the sky and sun. The roar of water mingled with waves of clouds, and Qin Yu's group felt as though they stood in an illusory realm where heaven and earth converged. Yang Zheng said quietly, "If we could sit and cultivate here, one day would be worth several months outside."
Yet the most astonishing sight awaited them at the end. After reaching the canyon's far end, they saw a desolate altar. The earth was cracked, sand and stones churned, and broken stone pillars jutted diagonally into the ground. An ancient statue stood silently upon the raised platform at the center. Half its body had already collapsed, with only its head still remaining intact. Its eyes were tightly closed, yet it radiated pressure powerful enough to crush soul sense. More terrifying still, an enormous mass of dark clouds churned above the altar. Those clouds were no ordinary thing, but a condensation of lightning and chaos. Lightning intertwined like countless enraged dragons rolling within, and every thunderclap seemed about to tear the heavens apart.
Qin Yu stood at the altar's edge, his chest heaving. He could even feel his Fate Soul primordium trembling. Zhao Xinyu's gaze was deep as she tightened her grip on her sword. "These ruins... are by no means merely a trial ground for the White Cloud Sect. What's buried here is probably an existence beyond the Yuan Transformation Realm."
The entire Immortal Vein Ruins resembled a world abandoned by the gods, ruined yet still radiating power that overawed heaven and earth. For the first time, the three felt just how insignificant they were.