Starlight Quenches Blade and Mountain Rain Approaches

The arrival of Yun Ji, an envoy from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, was like dropping a stone into a calm lake (at least on the surface), sending ripples quietly spreading. She was slender, her plain white Daoist robe immaculate. Though her face was veiled in a faint mist, making it impossible to see clearly, her eyes, clear as a star lake, capable of reflecting the turbulence in one's heart, were impossible to ignore. Her aura was restrained and profound, unlike the vastness of Elder Xingyan; it carried a sense of ethereal destiny.

"Fellow Daoist Yun Ji," Su Yan suppressed the turmoil in his heart and cupped his fists in greeting. Mo Hen and Bai Zhi also bowed, their eyes filled with scrutiny and curiosity.

Yun Ji nodded slightly, her voice clear, ethereal, and devoid of worldly dust, "Fellow Daoist Su, everyone. I am here by the Pavilion Master's command to lend you a hand in facing the impending catastrophe." Her gaze lingered on Su Yan for a moment, pausing slightly on the Compass at his waist, a subtle gleam flashing in her eyes. "Time is short, so let's dispense with pleasantries. What are your plans?"

Su Yan briefly explained their plan to "maximize their cultivation and consolidate their strength," as discussed by the three of them, and mentioned the resources provided by Elder Xingyan.

Yun Ji listened quietly and said softly, "Your approach is sound. Level and strength are the foundation. While the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion is not skilled in combat, we have some expertise in deduction, formations, and... avoiding certain death traps." Her words were plain, yet carried a convincing power. "I can set up the 'Minor Heavenly Secrets Array' here to gather spiritual energy, accelerate cultivation, and obscure some heavenly secrets, making it difficult for the outside world to probe our situation for a short time, thus buying you valuable growth time."

As she spoke, without any visible action, several jade talismans inscribed with profound star patterns flew from her sleeve, landing precisely around the small courtyard and merging into the void. Instantly, the spiritual energy within the courtyard became visibly denser, and a hazy sensation appeared, as if a thin veil separated it from the outside world.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Yun Ji," Su Yan said sincerely. The methods of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion were indeed wondrous.

"It is my duty," Yun Ji's tone remained calm. "Furthermore, regarding rapid strength improvement, I have a place to recommend—'Mount War God'."

"Mount War God?" Mo Hen raised an eyebrow. "That's a high-level area for players level 45 and above. Legend has it that it's where an ancient War God fell, filled with immense malevolent energy, and its monsters are incredibly ferocious and its terrain complex. Currently, almost no player team can venture deep into it."

"Risk and opportunity coexist," Yun Ji explained. "In the depths of Mount War God, ancient battle souls linger. Defeating them offers a chance to obtain pure 'Essence of Battle Intent.' Absorbing it can significantly increase experience and potentially grant special passive combat-related skills. More importantly, fragments of the ancient War God's will remain there. If you can gain its recognition, you might receive a 'Will Baptism,' which is immensely beneficial for breaking through bottlenecks and solidifying your foundation. With your current strength and potential, acting cautiously in the outer areas is not without opportunity."

She looked at Su Yan, "Moreover, Fellow Daoist Su's Compass might be able to sense anomalies related to the 'End' there. According to the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's observations, the malevolent energy on Mount War God has been unusual recently, possibly related to the spread of 'anchor point' energy."

Upon hearing this, Su Yan immediately deployed his Compass. Indeed, in the Mount War God area indicated on the Star Map, besides the deep red dots representing dense malevolent energy and high-level monsters, faint black wisps similar to the Breath of the End could be seen flickering.

"There is indeed an anomaly," Su Yan said in a deep voice. "Although faint, it exists."

The risks were immense, but the rewards were equally enticing. Essence of Battle Intent, Will Baptism, potential clues to the End... these were all highly attractive to them.

"I think we can go," Su Yan looked at Mo Hen and Bai Zhi. "With Fellow Daoist Yun Ji's Heavenly Secrets Array providing cover, we can cultivate more safely for a few days, adjust our states to their best, and then attempt to head to the outer reaches of Mount War God. We won't aim to go deep, just to find isolated battle souls and potential anomaly points in the outer areas."

Mo Hen pondered for a moment and nodded, "We can give it a try. My mechanical arts can also play a role in complex terrain." Bai Zhi also agreed, "The malevolent energy of Mount War God is a great test for the mind, but also a form of tempering. My purification spells should be effective."

With the plan set, the four wasted no time. Utilizing the Minor Heavenly Secrets Array set up by Yun Ji and the resources provided by the Star Pavilion, they began several days of intense closed-door cultivation.

Su Yan consumed the [Star Marrow] like candy, a surge of immense starlight power flowing into his limbs and bones, his experience bar skyrocketing at an unprecedented rate. Simultaneously, he practiced the Star Contemplation Method, sinking his consciousness into a vast starry sky to condense his soul and strengthen his mental power. The mental trauma from the previous premonition gradually healed under the nourishment of the [Soul Jade] and the effects of the contemplation method, even becoming more resilient. He felt his perception becoming sharper, his connection with the Compass growing closer, and his "Star Track Deduction" ability seemed to solidify slightly.

He also attempted to further integrate the power of the [Ice Devouring Origin] into himself. The process was still perilous, but under the suppression of his powerful mental strength and starlight power, he managed to refine a trace of it. When he cast [Starlight Bodyguard], a faint ice-blue halo shimmered on the surface of the shield, significantly increasing its defense and his resistance to ice and corrosive attributes.

Little Big Dipper, meanwhile, fully absorbed the medicinal effects of the [Dragon Heart Pill] and the [Blood of Frenzy]. Its size did not increase further, but its muscles became more fluid and robust, its carapace's purple deepened to an almost inky hue, and the star patterns on it no longer merely flickered but pulsed as if breathing, faintly forming the outline of a star map. The golden sharpness at the tips of its fangs and claws had almost become tangible; a gentle swing could produce a piercing sound through the air. Su Yan could feel that the power accumulated within the little guy had reached a critical point, only needing a catalyst to achieve a qualitative leap.

Mo Hen, using the resources, further enhanced his mechanical creations. His mechanical spiders became more agile, with added basic ice and dark resistance runes. He also developed a new type of [Stealth Reconnaissance Bee], smaller and more concealed, suitable for preliminary reconnaissance in dangerous areas. Bai Zhi's spiritual power became purer and more abundant, her [Heart Calming Incantation] more potent. She also combined the secret techniques of Mount Putuo with some of the spirit-stabilizing talismans provided by Yun Ji to develop a more effective [Spirit Soothing Incense], which had miraculous effects in resisting malevolent energy, resentment, and other negative mental influences.

Yun Ji did not participate in the cultivation during this period. She mostly sat quietly in a corner of the courtyard, occasionally forming hand seals to deduce something. Her aura merged with the entire Minor Heavenly Secrets Array, as if she were constantly adjusting the array's operation to ensure its concealment and spirit-gathering effects were optimal. Her presence was like a stabilizing needle, allowing everyone to focus on their improvement without distraction.

Several days later, the closed-door cultivation ended.

Su Yan's level had impressively risen to 28! A leap of three consecutive levels made him feel his internal spiritual power had multiplied several times. The Star Refining Body Art had also successfully broken through to the second layer, greatly increasing his physical strength. Mo Hen and Bai Zhi had also risen to levels 27 and 26 respectively. Although Little Big Dipper's level remained at 25 (as pets required more experience to level up), its aura was far more condensed than that of ordinary pets of the same level, and its actual combat power was likely comparable to that of a level 30 ordinary pet.

The four individuals and one pet were all in peak condition.

"It's time," Su Yan felt the surging power within him, his eyes gleaming.

They quietly left Chang'an City without alerting anyone. Yun Ji's Minor Heavenly Secrets Array not only concealed their cultivation fluctuations but also obscured their departure.

Mount War God was located in the far west, outside the Great Tang, separated from the prosperous central lands by a stretch of desolate Gobi Desert. The closer they got, the heavier the killing intent in the air became, as if they could hear the sounds of ancient battles. As far as the eye could see, a range of red mountains, like sharp swords piercing the sky, sparsely vegetated with only drought-resistant thorny bushes and strange rocks that seemed stained with blood.

Before even entering the mountains, an invisible pressure descended, weighing down their hearts and making their blood flow sluggish. This was a natural domain formed by the accumulation of ancient battle intent and malevolent energy over countless years.

"Such heavy malevolent energy," Bai Zhi frowned slightly and immediately lit a stick of [Spirit Soothing Incense]. The faint, elegant aroma spread, dispelling much of the irritating malevolent aura. Little Big Dipper, however, seemed quite excited. It let out a low growl, its star patterns flowing, and actively began to absorb the sparse battle intent floating in the air, appearing to be in its element.

"The outer areas are mainly populated by 'Battle Soul Guards,' '煞气 Condensates,' and 'Corrupted Gobi Beasts'," Mo Hen explained based on the intelligence gathered earlier. "Their levels are between 35 and 40, they are generally aggressive, and they fear no death."

Su Yan deployed his Compass, its silver light appearing somewhat eerie against the backdrop of the red mountains. On the Star Map, the deep red dots representing monsters were dense, and between these dots, those faint black wisps still existed, like clinging bone spurs, winding towards the depths of the mountain range.

"According to the plan, we'll operate in the outer areas, looking for isolated targets and prioritizing the elimination of anomaly points with the Breath of the End," Su Yan ordered.

The four cautiously stepped into the range of Mount War God. The ground beneath their feet was dark red, as if soaked in dried blood. Not long after, a patrol (three of them) of [Battle Soul Guards] (level 36), shrouded in dark red mist and wielding broken weapons, discovered them, letting out silent roars and charging forward! They had no physical form, making physical attacks half as effective, but their attacks carried strong mental shock and battle intent suppression.

"I'll take the main aggro! Armor Break!" Su Yan charged forward, activating [Starlight Bodyguard] (with the ice-blue halo) to take the first wave of impact. Simultaneously, a yellow light shot out from the [Armor Shattering Talisman], weakening their defense. These Battle Soul Guards had relatively low magic defense.

Little Big Dipper let out a long hiss and pounced like a purple shadow. Its claws and fangs were now incredibly powerful, and combined with the effect of the [Armor Shattering Talisman], they could inflict considerable physical damage on the spirit-form Battle Soul Guards! [Starfire] was spewed forth, its silver-white ice flames burning the dark red mist, emitting a "hissing" sound and effectively dispelling their battle intent buffs.

Mo Hen's mechanical spiders harassed from the flank, spitting paralyzing poison needles. Bai Zhi remained at the rear, using [Heart Calming Incantation] to resist mental shock and [Universal Salvation] to maintain their health, occasionally providing magical support with [Five Elements Incantation].

Yun Ji did not directly participate in the attacks. She simply stood quietly to the side, but whenever a Battle Soul Guard attempted to unleash a powerful skill, or the team was about to face a fatal danger, she would give a brief warning a moment in advance in her clear, cold voice:

"Three steps left, evade."

"Focus, kill the low-health one on the right."

"Retreat, area attack incoming."

Her predictions were astonishingly accurate, always allowing the team to make the most correct choices at the last moment, minimizing losses. With a descendant of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion by their side, the team's combat fault tolerance increased by more than just a little!

The battle ended, and the three Battle Soul Guards transformed into pure [Essence of Battle Intent], which Su Yan and Little Big Dipper absorbed. The experience gained was indeed substantial. Su Yan felt that his combat skills and his application of power had improved imperceptibly after absorbing the Essence of Battle Intent.

"It truly is a good place!" Su Yan's spirits lifted.

They continued to delve deeper, specifically targeting isolated or small groups of enemies. Although the monsters on Mount War God were formidable, under the coordinated efforts of the four individuals and one pet, and with Yun Ji's divine predictions, they passed through each encounter without incident. Their experience points soared, and Essence of Battle Intent was continuously absorbed. Su Yan even felt that his use of [Star Radiance Evil-Breaking Fist] had become more proficient.

During this time, they also discovered and cleared several minor anomaly points. These locations were usually occupied by monsters slightly corrupted by the Breath of the End, making them stronger. After defeating them, in addition to Essence of Battle Intent, they also obtained a small amount of [Tainted Battle Soul Fragment]. After absorbing these fragments, the Compass's repair progress slowly but steadily advanced towards 54%.

One day, following the Compass's guidance, they arrived at a relatively hidden mountain hollow. Deep within the hollow was an inconspicuous small altar, upon which rested a broken, cracked stone tablet engraved with an ancient War God totem. At this moment, a clear black Breath of the End permeated the area around the altar. Several unusually large [Corrupted Battle Soul Elite] (level 38) were guarding it, continuously injecting the Breath of the End into the stone tablet.

"Found a decent one," Mo Hen whispered, releasing his reconnaissance bee.

"They are polluting this ancient altar," Bai Zhi said with concern. "We must stop them!"

Su Yan's gaze sharpened. "Prepare for battle! Fellow Daoist Yun Ji, we may need your help more this time."

Yun Ji nodded slightly, her gaze from behind the mist seeming to pierce through the obstacles of the mountain hollow and land on the altar's stone tablet. "This stone tablet retains a trace of the War God's will. If the pollution can be purified, there may be an opportunity."

Her words invigorated everyone.

A greater challenge lay before them. And opportunity, as always, was intertwined with danger.