On Beiluo Lake Island, Lu Fan looked away from the Spirit Pressure Chessboard.
His wheelchair automatically changed its direction. From the terrace, it drove slowly to the rail.
Then from there, Lu Fan looked into the distance.
A gentle breeze sent ripples on the water’s surface, while a thin fog hovered over the whole island. Suddenly, the wind and clouds stopped moving. Golden sunlight streaked through the clouds, casting a sparkling reflection on the lake surface.
On the island, ten chrysanthemums facing the sky swayed in the breeze, breathing Spirit Qi in and out.
That combined with the Spirit Qi Lu Fan released earlier, the Lake Island seemed to look like an Immortal’s island in the human world.
Ni Yu poured tepid wine into the cup.
Lu Fan took it. The warm feeling spread to his palm through the bronze surface of the cup.
At the terrace, Lu Fan took a sip of the green plum wine from the cup. He told Ni Yu, “Ni, tell Nie and Sister Ning to come.”
“Yes.”
Ni Yu immediately turned around and ran lively down the stairs.
Soon, from the terrace, Lu Fan saw Ni Yu running fast down there.
Lu Fan squinted. His long beard was blowing elegantly in the wind, his white robe slightly fluttering.
On the island, Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao were cultivating, sitting cross-legged. Yi Yue, sitting in a corner, was trying very hard to feel Qi flushing due to the effort she was putting in.
Lu Fan glanced at them and then took a sip of the wine.
Things like cultivation depended on a lot on talents.
Yi Yue’s talent… It was simply not good enough, so she had to put in more effort than ordinary people.
Then he looked at the assassin Mo Liuqi.
Lu Fan could not help but feel sad for Yi Yue.
Because at this moment, Spirit Qi was clinging around Mo Liuqi. He had drawn it into his cinnabar field successfully and achieved First Stage Qi Core.
After all, he was a genius who figured out how to control his scissors using his consciousness.
Soon…
Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao arrived.
Spirit Qi was surging through their bodies. Unable to restrain their energies, they were giving off an oppressive Spirit Pressure nonstop.
“Young Master.”
Nie Changqing cupped his hands, while Ning Zhao bowed.
Sitting in the wheelchair, Lu Fan was playing with the bronze liquor cup. “Something came up. The Secret Realm of the Hidden Dragon Ridge has been opened ahead of schedule…”
Oh?
Ning Zhao and Nie Changqing frowned right away.
The Young Master required them to achieve Ninth Stage Qi Core before the Secret Realm of the Hidden Dragon Ridge was opened. So it was already impossible to achieve this task.
“Sister Ning, the Seventh Stage. Nie, Fifth Stage Qi Core Realm. Well, not too bad.”
Lu Fan said.
“I miscalculated, and the Secret Realm of the Hidden Dragon Ridge has been opened earlier than planned. Since it already happened, you two just go there ahead of schedule too.”
Nie Changqing looked at Ning Zhao. He was surprised that Ning Zhao’s Qi refining was still better than his.
However, Ning Zhao had the Ksitigarbha Sutra Lu Fan had given her, so it’s no surprise that she was not lagging behind him in Qi refining when they were both practicing profound immortal cultivation methods.
“Young Master, we will need Heaven Qi Plaque and Earth Qi Plaque to go the Secret Realm of the Hidden Dragon Ridge…”
Frowning, Ning Zhao said.
“Yeah, ordinary people do need them. But would the White Jade City’s apprentices need anything to enter the secret realm?”
At the rail of the terrace, in his wheelchair, Lu Fan showed a small smile.
Ning Zhao and Nie Changqing were dumbstruck.
“Break through the formation with Spirit Pressure and then enter the secret realm. Fetch the Condensed Core of the ancient Qi Refiner buried there. Go immediately and come back as fast as you can…”
Lu Fan told them after thinking.
“Yes.”
Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao exchanged a look. Both of them were shocked. The Young Master could see what was happening in the secret realm from miles away.
Restraining their shock, the two jumped off the terrace.
Raising the bronze liquor cup, Lu Fan squinted as he took a sip of the sour green plum wine.
“Nie, put on some white clothes.”
“From now on, the White Jade City’s apprentices will always wear white when they show up in the world.”
“Yes.”
Nie Changqing replied with a nod as soon as he landed. Then he jumped to leave the island at high speed.
They piloted a boat with Qi, making a big splash. The boat cruised across the lake, leaving a white track behind it that looked like a swimming dragon. And soon enough, it arrived at the shore of Beiluo Lake.
Two horses had been waiting for them at the shore. After disembarking off the boat, Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao immediately got onto their respective horses and then galloped away.
Lu Fan watched Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao leaving.
He touched the bronze liquor cup lightly.
“It’s almost time to wind this up…
“When this is over, the first cultivation realm should be announced to the public. As to how to announce it…”
Lu Fan ran his fingers around the cup’s surface.
“Astrology Sect’s messenger pigeons are a good choice.”
*****
In the Secret Realm of the Hidden Dragon Ridge…
With Mo Ju holding him up, Tantai Xuan was shivering. At the moment, he was as pale as a sheet of paper. His eyes were filled with fear.
He used to wear luxury clothes and ride strong horses, looking extremely valiant. He used to be high-spirited and vigorous, pointing at the Immortal from far away.
He used to be so arrogant, claiming he could even have the Immortal killed by sending 100,000 soldiers with a wave of the flag. However, at the moment when tens of thousands of people disappeared before him like melted ice, as if they had been erased from the world, Tantai Xuan lost his edge. To him, it was such a big blow.
Mo Ju let out a sigh.
Holding the silk kerchief above his eyes, he looked up at the Immortal Gate of the underground palace, which was shrouded in a seven-colored glow. In his eyes, there was awe for the unknown and the unspeakable.
*****
In the middle chamber of the Immortal Palace…
Li Sansi was panting. He felt he was not strong enough to confront the ghost general that could be compared to a Grandmaster. He had suffered terribly.
And there were still so many small ghosts around him. If he were careless, he would be torn into pieces.
When Xiang Shaoyun was sent flying, their hearts dropped to the ground.
Xiang Shaoyun, in the peak of martial arts, was a Grandmaster.
Even before giants from the Hundred Schools, he was as cool as a cucumber and was never at a disadvantage.
However, right then and there, with a single move by the skinny Daoist priest in the coffin, he was sent flying.
Gravels tumbling down…
Xiang Shaoyu got to his feet.
He was staring at the skinny Daoist priest Jiang Chao.
“Qi Core Realm in Great Completeness… Refined twelve wisps of Qi.”
Xiang Shaoyun stood up, grasping the ax and the shield. In his muscular body, his Qi and blood were violently surging.
“Does the upper limit of everyone’s cinnabar field capacity differ?”
Frowning, Xiang Shaoyu was thinking.
“My cinnabar field can hold fifteen wisps of Spirit Qi… Despite this Qi Refiner’s Great Completeness, he only has twelve wisps. Maybe that’s the gap of our talents.”
Xiang Shaoyu looked back into the distance at Li Sansi, who was retreating from the giant knife of the ghost general. He asked, “Li Sansi, have you ever sensed how many wisps of Spirit Qi can your cinnabar field hold at most?”
In the distance…
Li Sansi’s face went blank.
“Why are you asking this? Shouldn’t you be worried about breaking through the formation now?”
“Answer me.”
“Sixteen wisps!”
Gnashing his teeth, Li Sansi replied. However, as soon as he replied, he was sent flying by the ghost general’s knife and hit stone wall.
Kong Nanfei was very pale. His mouth was dry. However, the small ghosts were still approaching him.
Mo Shougui was injured. Blood continued running from the long, narrow knife wound on his back. He struggled to stand up and supported himself with his sword; he was hanging by a thread.
They… They probably would all be eliminated.
It was true that an immortal encounter was only an immortal encounter when you were alive. If you were dead, it would be a doomed encounter instead!
A few rustling sounds came from outside of the stone chamber.
The other three candidates who had survived saw what was happening from afar.
Seeing the dreadful ghost generals and the skinny Daoist priest floating in the air…
Those three turned pale.
They turned around to flee right away.
The three of them had refined one wisp of Spirit Qi in the desperate situation they had run into. It was kind of a big gain for them. If they were so greedy that they refused to give up the opportunity to have the immortal encounter in the stone chamber, they probably would not be able to walk out of this Immortal Palace alive.
Didn’t they see how desperate Xiang Shaoyun, Li Sansi, Mo Shougui, and Kong Nanfei, all the best of the best, were?
Waving his shield and ax, Xiang Shaoyun looked into the skinny Daoist priest’s eyes.
“The Immortal planned this and released Spirit Qi into the world. Is the Immortal going to change the world?”
In a trance, Xiang Shaoyun felt he could see an Immortal hiding in the immortal energy surrounding him, playing with the creatures in the world through chess pieces.
“Immortal!”
Phew.
Xiang Shaoyun breathed out. He suddenly moved backward.
“Li Sansi, Mo Shougui, Kong Nanfei, protect me from the skinny Daoist priest. Leave all the others to me!”
Xiang Shaoyun snarled.
He came up to Li Sansi in an instant and raised his ax to strike the ghost general’s giant knife.
Deafening noises were echoing in the stone chamber.
Li Sansi trembled. He immediately realized what Xiang Shaoyun was going to do.
With the tip of the wooden sword pressed against the ground, he jumped out toward the skinny Daoist priest. Mo Shougui was very pale. Despite the painful wound, he rushed out with his sword as well. Kong Nanfei diverted his attention. After licking his dry lips, he opened his mouth to gather the Righteousness Qi.
With his priest robe ragged, the skinny Daoist priest Jiang Chao floated out of the coffin, his eyes emitting a dark green light.
He waved his chapped bony hands. A Spirit Pressure befell upon the four.
Li Sansi and the other two were sent flying immediately.
Xiang Shaoyun did not divert his attention to them. Waving his shield and ax, the Overlord ran right toward the ghost general. His eyes were wide open in anger. His messy hair blowing in the wind, he felt his muscles tense and bulged.
Tong! Tong! Tong
As if he could shock the heaven, Xiang Shaoyun’s Qi and blood were as vigorous as a dragon’s. He deflected the attack of Spirit Qi and threw his shield over. The ghost general—more than six feet five inches tall—was sent flying right away. Then Xiang Shaoyun raised his ax and struck again, three times in a row.
Every ax attack was stronger than the previous.
It was the Overlord’s unique skill, Three Axe Strikes!
The ghost general was brutally killed.
Bang!
As soon as he was killed, the ghost general turned into ten wisps of Spirit Qi that went on clinging around Xiang Shaoyun.
Xiang Shaoyun used his Qi Core to take in Spirit Qi like crazy. He almost felt his body was exploding. His strength was soaring.
Waving his shield and ax, he rushed at the skinny Daoist priest.
The skinny Daoist priest was floating in the air, his priest robe fluttering.
With a wave of his hand, immediately an oppressive Spirit Qi flowed down.
A press and a push…
Xiang Shaoyun charged toward the priest with an abundance of Spirit Qi surrounding him. Just then, the skinny Daoist priest slapped him, which sent him flying. And he was slapped a few more times before falling to the ground.
It was a terrible defeat.
Even Xiang Shaoyun was dumbstruck.
Why is this cultivator so strong?!
In the stone chamber…
The small ghosts and the other ghost general all turned into Spirit Qi. It flowed into the skinny Daoist priest’s body, thus strengthening him.
Floating in the air, the Daoist priest pressed his hands down with his palms facing downward.
Bang!
Suddenly, the ground in the stone chamber exploded into pieces.
*****
Four miles away from the Hidden Dragon Ridge…
Clip-clop! Clip-clop! The sounds of horses trotting were deafening.
Mo Ju had a hunch. He turned his head immediately.
In the distance, two horse riders were approaching, a man in a white robe and a woman in a white dress.
“It’s her!”
Mo Ju’s pupils contracted. He recognized Ning Zhao. She was the pretty woman standing on the horseback alone outside of Beiluo City.
This woman was a maid of Young Master Lu from Beiluo!
That meant… Young Master Lu from Beiluo was finally meddling in this immortal encounter?!
At the same moment, the two spurred their horses, and the horses never stopped galloping.
They galloped toward the four-mile boundary of the Hidden Dragon Ridge.
Mo Ju sprang to his feet.
“Everyone without Heaven Qi Plaque and Earth Qi Plaque, stay at least four miles away from the Immortal Palace!”
However, Ning Zhao ignored his warning. She jumped from the horseback. After tapping her tiptoes on horseback, she jumped forward, crossing the four-mile boundary of the Immortal Palace. The Spirit Pressure from her extended. As the Young Master had told her, the Spirit Pressure from the Immortal Palace was offset by her Spirit Pressure.
Nie Changqing followed her. The two executed some acrobatic skills and flew across the four-mile boundary like two Immortals.
They landed before the gate of the Immortal Palace.
When they slapped against the Immortal Gate, a long, loud creak came.
The Immortal Gate was open!
Standing in front of the open Immortal Gate, Ning Zhao turned her head and threw Mo Ju a cold glance, her black hair blowing in the wind.
That glance…
Mo Ju was deeply attracted. Absorbed in that glance, there he stood still, petrified.