Deep within the Qiling Relic was a ten-thousand-foot-tall mountain, hidden in the clouds and mist.
Ji You and Yuan Chen reached the mountainside, where they found thunder rumbling in the sky and the Evil Qi in the mountain swaying even more violently; yet, it was precisely in this direction that the light from the treasure-seeking jade plate shone brightly.
"Brother-in-law, I'll give you more money..."
"You're truly sensible."
Ji You held his sword horizontally, led Yuan Chen over the small mountain in front of them, and followed the winding mountain path towards the tall peak.
This was their original plan.
Bypass all easy paths to avoid encountering malicious Immortal Sect Disciples, then find the person and quickly withdraw through the mine shaft.
However, what they didn't expect was that this rugged path brought them an unexpected surprise.
At this moment, on the winding mountain road ahead, where withered vines hung from the cliff, several carriages were clearly visible.
Everything in the Relic consisted of items from the Lasting Peace Race of that era; this was the first time they had seen something familiar.
Yuan Chen stumbled over to the carriages, examining them for a while, but ultimately felt a bit disappointed.
He had thought these would be the Dan Sect's carriages for transporting Medicinal Pills, but it turned out they weren't.
However, Ji You picked up a flag from one of the carriages, and after looking at it for a long time, his heart sank.
It was a carriage from the Yanhang Post Station.
If Luo You's wife hadn't lied, this should be the carriage that transported the infants here.
But even now, Ji You couldn't understand why they brought so many infants here; most of those infants were abandoned by poor households who couldn't afford to raise them, and had no connection to the Immortal Sect.
"Brother-in-law, there are Cultivators fighting below."
"?"
Ji You turned his head to look, his eyes slightly dazed.
A chaotic battle had indeed erupted at the foot of the mountain not far away, fighting extremely fiercely, with constant sword hums whistling, causing Spiritual Qi to scatter everywhere.
Upon careful distinction, one could tell that two Immortal Sect Disciples were jointly besieging another Immortal Sect's Disciple.
What astonished Ji You was that the ones being besieged were none other than Tianshu Academy Disciples; Ban Yangshu and Bai Rulong were among them, led by Wen Zhengxin, a group of dozens of people with serious expressions.
What surprised him even more was that Outer Courtyard Chief Pei Ruyi was also among them, now covered in wounds, with blood overflowing from her lips.
"Hand over the item!"
"The Vermillion Fruit has already been handed over, what else do you want? How can Lingjian Mountain be so deceitful!"
"Spirit Stones! Hand over your reserves of Spirit Stones!"
The Tianshu Academy Disciples were beaten back step by step, then surrounded by twice as many Cultivators.
Half of them wore blue robes, clearly from Asked the Dao Sect, and the other half were more familiar, being Lingjian Mountain Disciples.
Ding Yao stood in front at this moment, looking down from above, her eyes full of coldness.
She was not the highest Realm in Lingjian Mountain, but because she grew up with the young Master Jian, even the Rongdao Realm Disciple behind her had to obey her.
And because Asked the Dao Sect's direct lineage had always been devoted to Lingjian Mountain's young Master Jian, the people from Asked the Dao Sect were willing to give her Face.
So the group traveled together and encountered the Tianshu Academy Disciples at the foot of the mountain.
The Evil Qi here was unusually dense, making it very difficult for many Cultivators' Spirit Origin to circulate; to enter the mountain and seize the Immortal Opportunity, a large quantity of Spirit Stones was needed for replenishment and recovery.
Therefore, not only the heaven and earth treasure within the Relic, but even Spirit Stones had become a scarce resource.
Pei Ruyi, after hearing Cao Jinsong's words, prepared many Spirit Stones, but revealed her wealth on the way, so it was not strange that she was now being besieged.
Meanwhile, Disciples from other Immortal Sects, such as the Mountain and Sea Pavilion and the Chen Clan, were also recovering their Spiritual Qi in front of the mountain, preparing to enter that final mountain.
At this moment, seeing this scene, they couldn't help but discuss amongst themselves.
"Tianshu Academy only has one Rongdao Realm, the other side... has three!"
"Is Lingjian Mountain going to tear Face with Tianshu Academy?"
"In the Face of such an Opportunity, what if they tear Face? If they gain an Opportunity after entering the mountain, there might no longer be a saying of seven Sects standing side by side in the Qingyun World."
"Immortal Opportunity... surging!"
Everyone looked at the immortal light in the depths of the mountain range that went straight to the sky, their hearts surging with emotion.
And amidst these discussions, the Tianshu Academy Disciples had been pushed back to the point of no retreat, with most of them already covered in wounds.
The only ones still capable of fighting were Inner Courtyard Disciples like Wen Zhengxin, Ban Yangshu, and Xu Jin, as well as Pei Ruyi, the Outer Courtyard Chief who, though in the Outer Courtyard, had already touched the threshold of Integration Dao.
Wen Zhengxin was currently directly resisting a Rongdao Initial Realm from Asked the Dao Sect, and it was a fairly even match.
The lightning technique infused into his sword blade continuously roared with each strike, and as electric light scattered, it caused the rocks to crack inch by inch.
Meanwhile, Ban Yangshu and Xu Jin were jointly resisting another Rongdao, fighting with extreme difficulty.
This Rongdao Realm, nearing forty, had more abundant Spiritual Qi than them, and his techniques were even more profound; even unarmed, a single flash of spiritual light he unleashed was as sharp as a sword.
But the most disheveled was Pei Ruyi, who was single-handedly resisting a Rongdao Realm.
Her Realm was already slightly lower, and she had no helper; her ability to persevere without defeat was partly due to her strong foundation, and partly due to the restriction of the Evil Qi in this area on Cultivators, which narrowed the gap between the two.
However, this Evil Qi would clearly also take her life.
Because her Spirit Origin was not stronger than her opponent's, and her Spiritual Qi could not be replenished, the only outcome would be to be exhausted to death.
Bang!
The Rongdao fighting Pei Ruyi coldly swung his sword, a powerful Sword Intent propelled by Spiritual Qi, striking down from above.
Pei Ruyi unleashed her Spirit Origin, using her reserved Spiritual Qi to counter, but she was still sent flying, directly smashing into the cliff behind her.
"Ruyi!"
"Senior Sister!"
Ban Yangshu and Wen Zhengxin shouted in unison, and then saw the second sword arrive fiercely, cleaving down directly.
It's over, my immortal dream...
Pei Ruyi had no strength left to resist, and the sword hilt slipped from her hand.
There were no Immortal Sect Worldly Families in Feng Province; the reason she could enter Tianshu Academy was because her main lineage in Yun Province once had Cultivators.
On the day she entered the academy, her father had told her that the future of their lineage rested on her, so she diligently cultivated after entering the academy, nine hours a day, more diligently than others, wanting to support her entire family.
It was just that year she met Wen Zhengxin, a Prodigy she could never catch up to on her path of cultivation.
But even if she couldn't enter the Inner Courtyard, she had always been diligent, rising to the Tongxuan Upper Realm as an Outer Courtyard Disciple.
Logically, Outer Courtyard Disciples could only stay in the academy for five years, but to remain, she joined the Sect Affairs Department and followed Instructors everywhere to recruit new Disciples, lingering in Tianshu Academy for ten years.
That day, after seeing Fang Ruoyao in Yuyang County, she felt as if she was looking at her past self.
They were both small figures, without such high talent, without prominent family backgrounds, laughed at by classmates as small-town Cultivators, and could only work desperately hard.
She didn't lie to Fang Ruoyao, because she proved with her own experience that effort truly was useful.
But unfortunately, effort was ultimately not as useful as a Worldly Family background, so despite all her hard work, she could only be sent here to die for Tianshu Academy.
It's over.
The surrounding Cultivators couldn't help but sigh softly, until the entire group from Tianshu Academy was about to perish here.
But in that fleeting instant, the Rongdao Realm who was about to strike suddenly looked up, pulling his sword back to block in front of him.
Everyone followed his gaze and saw on the hillside, a long sword filled with Spiritual Qi flying over with killing intent, like the roar of a Dragon, its cold gleam filled with unparalleled Sword Intent!
(Seeking monthly votes, seeking continued readership... Although the story is a bit slow recently, it's a very important turning point... orz)