319: Chapter 319 Azure Fire Thunder! Yuan Yao!

A giant building resembling a tall tower stood before Lu Qiu like a silent ancient giant, casting a massive shadow that delivered a powerful visual impact and mental shock.

The tower soared into the clouds, unimaginably massive; looking up, one could barely see the top, only seeing it pierce the heavens as if connecting the earth and the sky.

The entire tower was constructed from a dark green stone that seemed to absorb light. The surface of these giant stones was rough and covered with the traces of time, emitting a heavy, ancient, and weathered Aura, as if it had stood there for ten thousand years.

Between the giant stones of the tower, there were no traces of adhesive; it was as if they had been joined directly by some great power, seamless and tight.

Looking from afar, the tower seemed to be divided into five levels, getting thinner towards the top, presenting a pyramid-like shape.

However, the interval between each level was at least an astonishing distance of over a hundred zhang!

The green stone tower gate at the base alone was fifty or sixty zhang high, possessing an extremely imposing Aura, as if it were an entrance to a palace built for giants; standing before the gate, a Mortal would appear exceptionally small.

Above the gate, some ancient runes and patterns were carved, seemingly narrating some ancient legend.

The entire tower was shrouded in a layer of pale white light screen, emitting a hazy halo, as if it had donned a mysterious veil, making it impossible to see the scene inside clearly.

The light screen flowed slowly like water, occasionally flashing with a hint of golden light, emitting a Restriction fluctuation that made one's heart palpitate.

In the open space before the tower was a plaza paved with green stone slabs, large enough to accommodate hundreds of people.

At this moment, six or seven people were already sitting cross-legged on the plaza, scattered sparsely.

They all had their eyes closed, motionless, as if they were resting, or perhaps adjusting their states; each person was immersed in their own world.

In the center of where they were gathered, a white teleportation formation sat quietly, emitting a soft light that echoed with the tower's light screen.

That teleportation formation was clearly a transit station connecting to various Trial Grounds such as the Miaodan Pavilion.

Lu Qiu's gaze swept across, taking in the situation in front of the tower, every detail clearly reflected in his mind.

At this moment, the five Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators from the righteous and demonic paths, including Wan Tianming and Savage Beard, were all present.

They each occupied one side, maintaining a certain distance from each other, sitting cross-legged with eyes closed, their Auras restrained like sleeping volcanoes; calm on the outside, but containing astonishing energy within.

But Lu Qiu could feel that their Divine Sense were secretly observing the movements around them, especially every new person who appeared.

Wan Tianming's expression was calm, but the corners of his mouth were slightly pursed, seemingly thinking about something.

Savage Beard's brows were slightly furrowed, his face carrying a trace of impatience.

Layman Qingyi was still holding a bamboo slip, as if reading.

Tianwuzi and Mutengzi sat side by side, their Auras connected, clearly looking out for each other.

Besides these five Nascent Soul Cultivators, there were two Late Core Formation Stage Cultivators also sitting to the side, maintaining a respectful distance from the Nascent Soul Cultivators.

One of them was none other than Ling Feiyan, Alliance Leader Ling.

She was still in her white palace attire, her face gentle, but there was a hint of undisguised fatigue between her brows, with faint shadows under her eyelids; clearly, she had experienced many hardships in the previous Extreme Wonder Illusion, consuming a lot of mental energy, and had not yet fully recovered.

At this moment, she was closing her eyes to adjust her breath, trying hard to recover the consumed mental energy, her breathing long and steady, clearly executing some Cultivation Technique for recovering mana.

Seemingly sensing Lu Qiu's arrival, Ling Feiyan slowly opened her eyes.

When she saw Lu Qiu, her gaze paused slightly, and a complex light flashed in her eyes—there was gratitude, exploration, and a hint of imperceptible doubt.

Her gaze lingered on Lu Qiu for a moment, as if confirming something.

Previously in the Blood Ice Forest of the Xuanjing Path, if not for this "Senior" intervening in time, she would have long since perished in the mouth of the Silver-Horned Rat King, becoming food for those beasts.

She had always kept this life-saving grace in her heart, never daring to forget it for a moment.

Moreover, for some reason, she always felt that the posture and bearing of the person before her had a few similarities to a figure in her memory.

That upright back, that composed pace, that indifferent temperament—all were identical to that person.

She shook her head, casting this somewhat absurd thought out of her mind, thinking it was probably her own illusion.

Lu Qiu also noticed Ling Feiyan's gaze, but he did not step forward to greet her, nor did he show any abnormality.

He just nodded slightly as a response, his gaze calm as water, as if it were just a polite greeting to an ordinary Cultivator.

Then, he followed the others' example, walked to an empty corner, brushed the dust off the ground, sat down cross-legged, and began to close his eyes to rest, adjusting his breathing to bring his state to the best.

"I hope more people will arrive next."

Lu Qiu thought to himself, a faint, imperceptible smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

He had killed a large number of the Silver-Horned Rat swarm in the Xuanjing Path, allowing many Core Formation Cultivators to survive, all for this very moment.

Once they entered the inner palace later, the more people there were, the more chaotic the situation would be, with various forces checking each other, making it easier for him to fish in troubled waters and seize the final treasure while taking advantage of the chaos.

He closed his eyes and began to adjust his breathing silently, maintaining his state at its Peak.

The mana in his body flowed slowly through his Meridians like a gentle river, and the Chixiao True Fire also quietly laid dormant in his Dantian, ready to erupt with astonishing power at any moment.

He knew that the real main event was about to unfold.

The most critical moment of this trip to the Void Heaven Palace was about to arrive.

Time passed slowly in silence and waiting. The atmosphere on the open space before the high tower was heavy and oppressive, like the calm before a storm.

Every Cultivator was immersed in their own world, adjusting their breathing and accumulating mana, preparing to meet the coming challenge.

Lu Qiu sat cross-legged in the corner, adjusting his breath with eyes closed, seemingly no different from the others, but his Divine Sense was like an invisible tentacle, quietly covering the entire plaza, capturing every subtle movement.

He could feel that the Aura of every Cultivator present was fluctuating slightly; some were because of nervousness, some because of anticipation, and some because they were calculating ulterior motives.

A moment later, the teleportation formation in the center of the plaza lit up with soft white light again.

After the light dissipated, the figures of several Core Formation Cultivators appeared.

They were clearly teleported over from the Miaodan Pavilion or other Trial Grounds, and each person's face carried a different expression.

Some showed joy, clearly having gained much; some were calm, with no joy or anger visible; others carried a trace of regret, seemingly not very satisfied with their gains.

Lu Qiu's gaze swept slowly over these newly appeared Cultivators, like an experienced hunter scrutinizing his prey.

When his gaze landed on one of them, his brows lifted slightly, and a trace of imperceptible strangeness flashed in his eyes.

That was a Cultivator entirely shrouded in a wide black robe.

The black robe was made of an unknown material, and its surface seemed to absorb light, causing the person's figure and face to be shrouded in a hazy shadow, making it impossible to see clearly. The person lowered his head, walked silently to a corner at the edge of the plaza, sat down cross-legged, and said nothing, as if incompatible with the surrounding environment.

His Aura was restrained extremely well; if not for Lu Qiu's Divine Sense far exceeding ordinary people, he might have even overlooked his existence.

"This person... is not simple." Lu Qiu thought to himself, keeping an extra eye on that Black-Robed Cultivator.

In such a place, the more low-key and mysterious a person is, the more likely they are to be a hidden expert, or they possess some secret.

After another moment, the teleportation formation lit up again. This time, what walked out was a young Cultivator wearing an ordinary green robe with an ordinary face—it was Han Li.

After Han Li appeared, his gaze quickly swept around the plaza, paused imperceptibly when he saw Lu Qiu, then moved his gaze away as if nothing had happened, and also found an inconspicuous corner, sat down silently cross-legged, and began to adjust his breath and recover.

The Aura on his body was still maintained at around the Early Core Formation Stage, but Lu Qiu could feel that the circulation of the mana in his body seemed to be a bit smoother than before, clearly having gained something in the Miaodan Pavilion as well.

As time passed minute by minute, more and more Cultivators gathered on the plaza, about twenty or so people.

But everyone knew that the real protagonists were those few Nascent Soul Old Monsters, as well as the two Star Palace Elders who had not yet appeared.

Wan Tianming sat upright on a flat piece of bluestone, wearing purple robes and a jade belt, his face square and his bearing impressive.

He frowned slightly, his gaze frequently sweeping toward the massive, tightly shut stone door of the high tower, then toward the now-dimmed teleportation array in the center of the plaza, and he began to feel a sense of unease.

"The time for the Inner Palace to open is drawing ever closer. Why have those two Star Palace Elders not appeared yet? Could it be they truly do not intend to show themselves? Or do they have some other scheme?" Thoughts raced through Wan Tianming's mind as various possibilities flashed across his consciousness.

He pondered for a moment, then turned his head to look at Savage Beard, who was also resting with his eyes closed not far away, and asked, "Fellow Daoist Savage Beard, with the opening of the Inner Palace imminent, those two Fellow Daoists from the Star Palace have yet to arrive. I wonder what your thoughts are on this?"

Savage Beard slowly opened his eyes, a flicker of mockery and a cold sneer crossing his copper bell-like eyes. He snorted and said in a rough voice, "Thoughts? What kind of thoughts could I have? Those two old foxes have always been cunning; who knows what kind of medicine is in their gourd? However, in my opinion, they likely won't be coming.

Or rather, they want to wait for us to go in first, wait for us to fight until our heads are broken and we are both heavily injured competing for that void heaven cauldron, and then appear to reap the rewards! Hmph! I've seen this trick of the fisherman benefiting from the conflict between the snipe and the clam plenty of times!"

Wan Tianming nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this, feeling that although Savage Beard's speech was crude, his speculation did hold some water. "Fellow Daoist Savage Beard speaks reasonably. If that is indeed the case, we certainly need to be on our guard. However, the opening of the Inner Palace passage has a time limit. If we continue to wait, I fear we will miss our opportunity."

Savage Beard grinned, revealing a mouthful of stark white teeth. "So what? Do you really think that with the two of us joining forces, we should fear those two cowardly old geezers? In my opinion, let's stop waiting and just break in! Once we have the void heaven cauldron, we can settle this account with those two old geezers properly!"

Lu Qiu stood to the side, listening to the conversation between these two Nascent Soul Old Monsters, and sneered inwardly.

"These two guys think the Star Palace Elders are waiting for them to get injured so they can swoop in and reap the benefits. Little do they know, those people have already entered the Inner Palace directly through another secret route. The Star Palace has managed this Void Heaven Palace for so many years; how could they not have left behind some back doors and secret passages known only to them? I fear that at this very moment, those two Star Palace Elders are already lurking in some corner of the Inner Palace, just waiting to see how you 'outsiders' will risk your lives for them to break the powerful Restriction surrounding that void heaven cauldron."

Although Lu Qiu was clear about all this, he naturally wouldn't be foolish enough to go and warn Wan Tianming and Savage Beard.

He was still counting on these people to scout the path for him and help him draw fire.

An hour of suffocating waiting finally passed by slowly.

Just as everyone was becoming somewhat impatient—suddenly!

The entire earth began to shake violently without warning! The vibration was so intense that the Cultivators sitting on the ground felt a wave of swaying, as if a dragon were turning over beneath the earth!

Immediately after, that massive, tightly shut bluestone tower door began to slowly rise upward amidst a deafening, rumbling roar!

The stone door was incomparably heavy; each inch it rose was accompanied by a tremendous sound and tremors in the ground, as if thousands of troops and horses were galloping behind the door. A large amount of dust and rubble fell from the cracks of the door.

As the stone door rose, a towering, extremely wide, deep, and dark bluestone passage, leading to who knows where, slowly revealed itself before everyone.

The passage seemed like the maw of a giant beast, waiting to devour any living creature that dared to enter.

An Aura that was even more ancient, weathered, and mysterious, mixed with the faint scent of dust, rushed out from the depths of the passage.

At the same time, the teleportation array in the center of the plaza, which had originally been emitting a soft white light, suddenly dimmed, becoming completely lusterless, as if it had completed its mission and fallen into silence.

The passage to the Inner Palace had finally opened!

In an instant, everyone's gaze was fixed on that deep, dark passage! The tense atmosphere permeating the air instantly climbed to its Peak!

Savage Beard stood up from the ground with a sudden motion, his massive body like an iron tower. He stared intently at the passage, then turned to look at Wan Tianming, grinning as he said, "Fellow Daoist Wan! The passage has opened! In my opinion, why don't we decide the victor right here? Only the winner will have the qualifications to enter this Inner Palace and take that void heaven cauldron! How about it?"

Once these words were out, the expressions of many Cultivators present changed.

If these two Nascent Soul Old Monsters were to really fight here, those Core Formation Cultivators would likely suffer; just the shockwaves alone would be enough to injure or even kill them.

However, Wan Tianming shook his head, rejecting Savage Beard's proposal.

He looked at the passage with a calm gaze and said slowly, "Fellow Daoist Savage Beard, calm your impatience. That void heaven cauldron is an ancient treasure; there must be extremely powerful Restrictions set up around it, and it is by no means easy to take. Even if we go in now, we might not be able to take out the void heaven cauldron immediately. In my opinion, we should enter the Inner Palace first, and wait until we have seen the void heaven cauldron with our own eyes before deciding what to do. At that time, if Fellow Daoist Savage Beard is truly interested, I will certainly accompany you!"

Upon hearing this, although Savage Beard felt somewhat disappointed, Wan Tianming's words did indeed make sense. He snorted and did not insist further.

Just at this moment—a black figure, without any warning, suddenly darted out from the crowd!

The speed was as fast as lightning, like an arrow leaving the bow, rushing toward the entrance of the newly opened passage!

It was that mysterious Cultivator completely shrouded in a black robe!

"Bold!" "Insolent!" "A mere Core Formation Cultivator dares to cut in line?!"

Savage Beard was the first to react and was instantly furious!

He roared, his voice like thunder, shaking the entire plaza until it buzzed!

He suddenly raised a large hand, fingers spread open, and a terrifying suction force instantly erupted, like an invisible giant hand, grabbing fiercely toward the black-robed figure!

In his view, a junior at the Core Formation Stage daring to enter the Inner Palace before him, a Nascent Soul Old Monster, was simply an insult and a provocation to him!

The Black-Robed Cultivator clearly felt the terrifying suction force coming from behind, yet showed no intention of slowing down at all!

Just at the moment when Savage Beard's terrifying suction was about to reach him, he suddenly threw something backward with a backhand motion!

Only to see a fist-sized, jet-black sphere, covered with silver runes on its surface and emitting a heart-palpitating Aura of destruction, thrown toward Savage Beard!

"Azure Fire Thunder?!"

The moment Savage Beard saw that black sphere, his pupils suddenly constricted, and his expression changed violently! He recognized this object at a glance!

This Azure Fire Thunder was a one-time consumable treasure with immense power; once detonated, the power it unleashed was enough to severely injure or even kill a Nascent Soul Early Stage Cultivator! And as for who refined this Azure Fire Thunder, in the entire Chaotic Star Sea, there was only one person.

That mysterious and unfathomable Sanyang Old Demon!

"This kid... actually has a connection to the Sanyang Old Demon?!" Savage Beard was shocked, subconsciously withdrawing his palm that was reaching for the Black-Robed Cultivator, and instead struck a palm at the incoming Azure Fire Thunder, while his body retreated rapidly, not daring to be the slightest bit careless!

Just in the brief moment Savage Beard was dealing with the Azure Fire Thunder, the Black-Robed Cultivator's figure had already, like a phantom, flashed in and disappeared into that deep, dark passage!

Lu Qiu had been keeping a close watch on the Black-Robed Cultivator's movements. When he saw the opponent throw the Azure Fire Thunder, and that Savage Beard recognized the object as being related to the Sanyang Old Demon, two rays of sharp light suddenly burst from his eyes!

"Azure Fire Thunder... Sanyang Old Demon... So it was her!" Lu Qiu instantly understood the identity of the Black-Robed Cultivator in his heart, "Yuan Yao! It was actually her!"

He took a deep breath and no longer hesitated. Taking advantage of the moment when everyone's attention was drawn by the Black-Robed Cultivator and the Azure Fire Thunder, his figure flickered, and he also quietly and swiftly dashed toward the entrance of the passage!

The gate of the Inner Palace had already swung open, and the true contest was about to begin!