215: Chapter 215 Nine-Aperture Stone Forest

"That is the operating Law of the Heaven and Earth Law itself. The moment the Xuanhuang Fortress opens, the ley lines of the Five Regions will erupt simultaneously, and the concentration of Spiritual Qi will soar in a short period."

"High Grade Spirit Medicines, rare mineral veins, and even some ruins that are usually buried deep underground will appear one after another during that time."

"For the major factions, it is a feast of Opportunity that lasts for several years. I remember that when the Xuanhuang Fortress opened last time, an Ancient Cave Abode in the Southern Wilderness, which had been under a Seal for who knows how many tens of thousands of years, emerged from the ground, causing the Seven Great Factions to fight over it for a full three years."

Jiang Changge listened and nodded slowly.

Venerable Hantian was truly an old monster who had lived through an era; his understanding of the Xuanhuang World was far beyond what could be compared to those Sect records.

He distilled several noteworthy places from this account. As for those unexplored Secret Realms, as long as he could enter and sign in, he could trigger the System's hundredfold reward.

Especially those ancient ruins mentioned by Venerable Hantian; if he was lucky, he might even be able to follow the clues and find a few secret places that even Venerable Hantian did not know about.

Jiang Changge took the Opportunity to ask a few detailed questions: the specific location of the Ancient City of Loulan in the Endless Sea of Sand of the Western Regions, who had set the ancient Restriction deep in the Extreme Cold Ice Abyss, the characteristics of the Immortal Sword in the Sword Tomb, and to what extent the Dragon Ruins were currently being blockaded by the East Sea Dragon Clan.

These questions seemed scattered, but in reality, he was marking his own "Sign-in Map."

Each time he confirmed the location and entry conditions of a Secret Realm, another coordinate that could trigger a hundredfold reward was added to his mind.

Venerable Hantian answered them one by one, occasionally adding a few words about his own personal experiences.

For example, when he went to the Extreme Cold Ice Abyss back then, he almost lost half his life to the cold, and another time he had seen a primordial Vicious Beast eroded by Devilish Qi from afar on the outskirts of the Ancient City of Loulan; that aura alone made even a Red Dust Immortal like him feel a bit wary.

When the last detailed question was asked, Jiang Changge picked up his teacup, drank the now slightly cool tea in one gulp, leaned back in his chair, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

For this trip to the Central Province, just the information provided by Venerable Hantian was already worth the piece of Immortal Dao Origin.

What he had been lacking was this detailed understanding of the distribution of Secret Realms across the entire Xuanhuang World. Now that he had this base map, he would have a clear direction when traveling in the future.

Seeing that he was no longer asking questions, Venerable Hantian raised his hand and put away the five floating treasures on the stone table.

He gripped the gray-black Immortal Dao Origin in his palm again, gently rubbing the surface of the stone with his fingers, feeling the ancient and pure Immortal power fluctuation surge into his Meridians through his fingertips. A subtle, imperceptible relaxation appeared on that face covered with the traces of time.

With this Immortal Dao Origin, there was hope for healing the hidden injury in his body.

Although it would not be possible for him to return to his prime, at least he would not have to worry about his Immortal Foundation continuing to decay for the next tens of thousands of years.

He carefully put the Immortal Dao Origin back into his sleeve and was about to say something else when he suddenly paused.

His gaze fell on Jiang Changge, and he examined him carefully.

From that face that was a bit excessively young, to that calm and unhurried demeanor, and then to the tone he used when asking questions just now—which, although very methodical, faintly revealed a hint of someone who had just arrived.

Venerable Hantian suddenly spoke: "Fellow Daoist, did you come to the Central Province this time because the Xuanhuang Fortress is about to open?"

Jiang Changge put down his teacup, nodded, and said in a casual tone: "You could say that. Two of my Kunlun Disciples obtained a xuanhuang key and will enter the fortress in three months to compete for the command flags."

"I had nothing better to do, so I came to the Central Province to take a look first."

Upon hearing this, Venerable Hantian stroked his beard and pondered for a moment. He suddenly looked up at Jiang Changge, a meaningful smile flashing in his eyes: "Since Fellow Daoist has nothing better to do, I actually know of a place that might interest you."

Jiang Changge leaned back in his chair and asked: "Oh? What place?"

"Nine-Orifice Stone Forest."

Venerable Hantian slowly uttered these four words. His tone carried a hint of mystique, but even more so, a sincere joy of sharing.

"This stone forest is not on the map of any region, nor is it recorded in any classic book. I stumbled into it by accident years ago, on the eve of a Xuanhuang Fortress opening, while in a desolate mountain area in the south of the Central Province."

"The place is usually covered by a layer of natural Restriction. Divine Sense cannot penetrate it, and to the naked eye, it looks like just an ordinary rocky mountain with nothing special about it. Only about a month before the Xuanhuang Fortress opens does the Restriction loosen, revealing the entrance."

He picked up his teacup and took another sip to moisten his throat before continuing: "The reason the Stone Forest is called Nine-Orifice is that every stone pillar in the forest has nine natural orifices."

"When the wind blows through the orifices, it makes different sounds—some like bells ringing, some like the sound of a zither, and some like low human whispers. Years ago, I dug out a fist-sized High Grade Heaven Rank Stone Gall from the orifice of one of the stone pillars. The earth-attribute Origin power contained in that Stone Gall was extremely pure. I used it to refine a defensive Magical Artifact that has accompanied me for most of my life."

He put down his teacup, his eyes filled with an eager interest: "Since then, I have visited the Nine-Orifice Stone Forest every time before the fortress opens, but it seems I am the only one who knows about that place."

"Since Fellow Daoist can see through the raw stones of the Bafang Pavilion at a glance, I imagine you also have some interest in those treasures hidden inside stones. How about it? Would you like to go with me?"

After listening, Jiang Changge quickly turned a few thoughts over in his mind.

Venerable Hantian said that the place had a layer of natural Restriction that Divine Sense could not probe. This meant that if he could enter, it would be a brand-new Secret Realm, meeting the conditions to trigger the System's hundredfold sign-in reward.

Based on this point alone, it was enough for him to make this trip.

What's more, even Venerable Hantian could dig out a High Grade Heaven Rank Stone Gall from it, so the things inside would likely not be too bad.

"When do we set off?" Jiang Changge asked straightforwardly.

Venerable Hantian laughed: "Naturally, now. Although I estimate that the Restriction outside the Stone Forest has not completely dissipated, counting the days, it should be within a day or two. It is better to go early, so as not to miss it."

As his voice fell, he raised his right hand and gently swiped his fingertips through the Void Realm.

A pale golden formation talisman appeared out of thin air. As the talisman patterns flowed, ripples spread across space.

The ripples spread in all directions, slowly opening a light gate about the height of a person in the center of the Immortal Cave. Inside the light gate, the outline of a desolate mountain range could be vaguely seen, which was completely different from the verdant hills outside Huaiyang City.