71: Chapter 71 Arrival at the Kunyuan Mountains!

In the blink of an eye, the three-month period had passed.

On the day of departure, it was not yet dawn.

Immortal Master Daoist Yun Du stood atop the mountain peak, his sleeves billowing despite the lack of wind. A streak of spiritual light flew from his palm and rapidly expanded in mid-air!

A silver-white flying boat Magic Treasure broke through the clouds and mist, hovering above the mountain peak.

The hull was nine zhang long, narrow and slender, its bottom covered in dense, flowing light runes. On each side hung three Formation Flags, with spiritual light circulating endlessly.

The prow rose like a crane's neck, and a fist-sized pearl was embedded at the tip, translucent and warm, its radiance restrained—definitely no ordinary item.

This was the Magic Treasure left to Immortal Master Daoist Yun Du after Zhao Qing's fall, a sect-protecting treasure that had been part of White Cloud Temple's Legacy for hundreds of years.

Medium Grade flying Magic Treasure: silver feather boat!

Its speed was far beyond what flying on a sword could compare to, covering ten thousand li in just a single day.

Sun Yao was the first to board, her white Daoist robe rustling in the wind. Shi Pan followed closely behind, his massive body stepping onto the deck, causing the flying boat to sink slightly before stabilizing.

Yun Che stood at the stern, sword in hand.

This person was in his early thirties, with a thin face and extremely high brow bones. His eyes were narrow and long, like two willow-leaf saber cuts.

A green-sheathed longsword hung at his waist; even though the blade was not drawn, a cold aura was already leaking out.

A Late Foundation Establishment Stage Sword Cultivator, possessing infinite killing power.

He glanced at Sun Yao and gave a slight nod as a greeting, but his gaze did not linger when it passed over Shi Pan.

After all, it was just a small Yao Beast at Qi Refining Perfection; he could kill it with a casual sword strike.

The last to board was Shi Jian.

The thunder-covering mysterious armor was already on his body, its mysterious black plates layered over his frame. The purple equipment patterns were dark and restrained, and the shoulder armor flared out, making his already broad shoulders look even more magnificent.

As the armored Black Bear stepped onto the flying boat, the hull suddenly sank by more than half a foot. The Formation runes abruptly lit up in a circle before it finally managed to stabilize.

Immortal Master Daoist Yun Du looked back with a hint of surprise in his eyes, but he said nothing and performed a hand seal.

With a hum, the silver feather boat shot through the air!

The sea of clouds churned, and the earth receded rapidly.

Mountains and rivers were like a chessboard, rivers like silk threads, and towns like chess pieces. From the perspective of high-speed flight, everything seemed too small to be real.

Shi Jian lay at the prow, his eyes half-squinted, letting the astral winds pour through the gaps in his armor plates, blowing his fur tight against his body.

This was the first time he had traveled in such a manner.

Before, he always ran on four legs or at most rode a Yao cloud for a while. When had he ever seen such a grand display of lying flat for the whole journey, traveling ten thousand li a day?

Comfortable.

Truly comfortable!

Immortal Master Daoist Yun Du stood in the boat, continuously pouring in spiritual energy. The silver feather boat's speed grew faster and faster, trailing a long silver wake that cut through the sky like a shining meteor.

Three days later.

At the border of the three states, the Kunyuan Mountain Range.

Shi Jian felt it from afar.

It wasn't seen, but felt—an overwhelming Spiritual Pressure coming from deep within the mountains ahead, thick and complex, as if thousands of Spiritual Veins were pulsing simultaneously.

The silver feather boat slowed down and passed through the final layer of the sea of clouds.

The field of vision suddenly opened up.

Shi Jian opened his eyes slightly, his pupils contracting for a moment...

The Kunyuan Mountain Range stretched across heaven and earth, its Main Peak towering into the clouds. The summit was covered year-round by purple thunderclouds, with thunder snakes occasionally slithering through the clouds, their light flickering.

And below the Main Peak, in a massive basin spanning dozens of li—

Flying boats were like locusts!

Densely packed flying boats, Flying Swords, Yao clouds, and spiritual lights converged from all directions, circling and landing above the basin.

On the ground, flags of various colors stood like a forest, spiritual lights interlaced, and Formations crisscrossed.

The voices of people, roars of beasts, humming of Magical Artifacts, and fluctuations of spiritual energy merged into a noisy torrent. Countless Cultivators had gathered together!

Shi Jian took a rough glance and made a quick calculation.

From the fluctuations of aura on the ground, there were at least three thousand Foundation Establishment Cultivator. As for the auras of Golden Core Masters, there were no less than three hundred that he could sense!

In the very center of the basin, three high platforms stood side by side.

On each platform, several unfathomably terrifying auras resided.

Nascent Soul.

Shi Jian's fur instinctively bristled slightly, but he forced it back down.

Any one of those auras could be picked out to crush him into powder; it would be no different from crushing an ant.

This was the true top-tier power in the Xuanling cultivation world!

The silver feather boat slowly descended, stopping in an area to the northeast of the basin.

More than ten white flags with green patterns were planted here, their surfaces embroidered with a horsetail whisk—the insignia of the Shangqing Sect.

The Shangqing Sect's camp was already set up, with more than ten flying boat Magic Treasures parked. Cultivators moved to and fro in an orderly fashion...

As Immortal Master Daoist Yun Du landed with the two people and one bear, a serious-looking middle-aged Daoist came forward to meet them...

"Senior Yunxiao, this way please. The Sect Leader Immortal Master is already waiting in the main tent."

Hearing this, Daoist Yun Du nodded, then turned to the two people and the bear. "You three wait here first. Do not wander about."

After saying that, he followed the middle-aged Daoist.

Sun Yao and Yun Che stood at the edge of the camp, their gazes sweeping over the surroundings.

The Shangqing Sect's group was not small; there were over a hundred direct Foundation Establishment Disciples, and they were all at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage or Perfection!

As for the Disciples of the various subordinate forces under the Shangqing Sect, there were even more, totaling two to three hundred, though their overall strength was much weaker.

Disciples from various families gathered in small groups, conversing in low voices; the atmosphere was both tense and excited.

Shi Jian lay at Sun Yao's feet while Shi Pan lay on the other side. The two bear Yao, one large and one small, were particularly eye-catching among the crowd of human Cultivators.

Gazes quickly gathered toward them.

First were the side-glances from the Shangqing Sect's own Disciples.

Then there were the whispers from the neighboring camp.

"What's that? White Cloud Temple brought a bear?"

"A bear wearing armor? Is it a spirit pet or a Cultivator entering the Secret Realm?"

"A Level 4 Yao Beast isn't weak, but bringing a Yao Beast into the Secret Realm seems like a waste of a slot..."

The voices weren't loud, but with Shi Jian's hearing, he didn't miss a single word.

Immediately after, several people walked over from the neighboring camp.

The leader was dressed in a brocade robe, his face pale and beardless, with a hint of amusement in his eyes. A jade pendant hung at his waist, inscribed with the words 'Tianji Pavilion'.

Tianji Pavilion was one of the subordinate forces under the Shangqing Sect, with a foundation much deeper than that of White Cloud Temple.

The brocade-robed Cultivator approached, his gaze circling Shi Jian before his lips curled up.

"White Cloud Temple?"

He looked at Sun Yao, his tone polite but carrying a condescending undertone. "Looking at your attire, are you Daoist Master Yunxiao's direct Disciple?"

Sun Yao's expression remained unchanged, and she performed a courteous salute.

"Indeed. Does Senior Brother have any advice?"

"I wouldn't call it advice. I just heard that White Cloud Temple has suffered a great loss of Origin Qi in recent years, and its Foundation Establishment Cultivator have dwindled significantly..."

Saying this, the brocade-robed Cultivator shook his head and glanced at Shi Jian.

"So you brought a bear to make up the numbers?"

Hearing the mockery, the surrounding Cultivators couldn't help but laugh. None of them minded the trouble; they practically had the words 'start a fight' written on their foreheads.

Yun Che's hand moved to his sword hilt, his eyes turning cold.

Sun Yao stopped him, her tone flat. "Senior Brother, the Secret Realm hasn't opened yet. Who is here to make up the numbers will be known once we enter."

The brocade-robed Cultivator chuckled, said no more, and turned to leave.

Before leaving, he looked back at Shi Jian again, the contempt in his gaze undisguised. To him, a mere Yao Beast, a creature of fur and armor, was truly a lowly beast; being in its company was like the bright moon being covered in dust.

Shi Jian remained lying down the whole time, not even lifting an eyelid.

This kind of trash that he could slap to death with three strikes was naturally not worth wasting his attention on. He was looking at something else.

To the southwest of the basin was the camp of the Jin State demonic Cultivators.

Black flags fluttered, their surfaces embroidered with various twisted and eerie totems. The atmosphere was gloomy and oppressive, with a towering Evil Qi.

The many Cultivators in that area all had sinister expressions and eyes like hawks, their entire bodies emitting a faint scent of blood!

Shi Jian's gaze swept across that camp, and a glint deep within his pupils flashed and then vanished...

He was looking for something.

The insignia of the Blood Fiend Sect.

He didn't find it.

But in that camp, the auras of two people were very special.

The specialty lay in the fact that the blood Qi fluctuations on them were exactly the same as those of the demonic Cultivators with the Blood Refining Beads in the valley that night.

Same sect Cultivation Technique, same source of blood Qi.

Shi Jian withdrew his gaze, firmly memorizing the positions and faces of these two people. If he encountered them later, he might be able to obtain some information from them.

The sun gradually moved toward the west.

More and more Cultivators gathered in the basin, and the atmosphere grew increasingly solemn.

Suddenly—

At the peak of the Kunyuan Mountain's Main Peak, the purple thunderclouds churned violently, and a streak of golden light shot down from the clouds, crashing into the mountain!

The earth trembled.

The Spiritual Qi of the entire basin converged frantically toward the Main Peak at the same moment. In the blink of an eye, it formed a Spiritual Qi vortex towering from heaven to earth, the vortex shooting into the sky and linking to the vast and boundless expanse!

Everyone looked up.

On the three high platforms, several Nascent Soul auras were released simultaneously, suppressing the turbulent fluctuations in the vicinity and raising spiritual shields to protect the many Cultivators.

An old and resonant voice came from the direction of Kunyuan Peak, its sound echoing through the world and the universe:

"The Kunyuan Secret Realm opens now!"