"It seems that the only way for us to find a way out is to try to make contact with those powerful forces."
Lu Qing sighed.
If he had a choice, he wouldn't really want to get involved with these powerful forces.
After all, his identity is still somewhat sensitive. Whether it's the Gongshu family or the Hehuan Sect, there are people who hate him to the bone.
Once their true identity is exposed, they will likely face a significant crisis.
So unless absolutely necessary, he really doesn't want to get involved with those powerful forces.
But right now, they are trapped in the secret realm and can't find a way out.
Most importantly, even in this secret realm, Lu Qing could still feel the "mountain energy" in his soul continuously accumulating.
Although it hasn't affected him yet, it definitely won't work in the long run.
Therefore, there are some risks involved in contacting those powerful forces.
However, there are no powerful beings with the primordial spirit in the current secret realm, so if he is careful, there shouldn't be any major problems.
Even if something is discovered, he can simply change his identity after he leaves.
"If even those major powers don't know how to get out, then we can only try the last resort: using the Void Flying Boat," Lu Qing thought to himself.
The Void Flying Boat has the ability to traverse the void. Before entering the secret realm, he had already prepared the spatial coordinates in the outside world.
However, the Heavenly Pivot Divine Mountain was too mysterious, and he was not sure whether the Void Flying Boat could penetrate the secret realm it had nurtured.
Furthermore, the Void Flying Boat is one of his most powerful trump cards, and he does not want to reveal it unless it is absolutely necessary.
Otherwise, if the news that he possesses a high-grade spiritual weapon gets out, the consequences would be far more terrible than his true identity being exposed.
Regardless of the various forces or the powerful figures among the independent cultivators, they all regard him, a mere Golden Core cultivator, as a piece of fat meat on the chopping block and will try every means to seize him.
After making the decision, Lu Qing put away the jade talisman on the ground, and the two began to head towards the mountains ahead.
When the two of them transformed into streaks of light and entered the mountains.
On the other side, the seven or six rogue cultivators at the Golden Core stage who had been released by Lu Qing earlier gathered together again.
Seeing the two streaks of light disappear into the mountains, they all showed expressions of awe.
"Who exactly is this person? So powerful, probably not much less than the Daoist disciples and saintesses of those major powers. How come I've never heard of them before?"
"There's nothing surprising about that. The world is vast, and there are countless geniuses. It's perfectly normal for some to be unknown to us. Perhaps this person is the true disciple of some secret force, or even a peerless genius."
"In any case, we've escaped with our lives this time. It's just a pity for Fellow Daoist Gu. I don't know what he did to upset him, but he actually crushed him."
"Hmph, that guy surnamed Gu was always gloomy and sullen, like a poisonous snake. He made people uncomfortable just looking at him. I wonder what he did before. Maybe that person just didn't like him, so they killed him."
"Compared to Liu Hui and his group, we are already lucky enough; at least we weren't completely wiped out."
"That's right. Liu Hui and his group managed to escape from us by chance, but they never expected to run into such a jinx in the blink of an eye. They deserve their bad luck."
"In my opinion, they weren't unlucky, but greedy! Liu Hui and his group must have seen that person who was alone and protecting his companion during their escape, so they had malicious intentions and wanted to rob him. As a result, they ran into a brick wall and got themselves into trouble."
"Now that such a powerful outsider has entered the mountains, I wonder if he will have some kind of clash with those Daoist disciples and saintesses."
"Even if we were there, we wouldn't be able to see it. Do you still want to go into the mountains to watch the excitement?"
"Of course we don't want to. We finally got out of that hellhole. If we go back in and encounter one or two strange beasts, we'll probably all perish inside."
...
"The sense of stagnation in this deep mountain is even stronger than that in the grasslands outside."
After Lu Qing and the Five Treasures Taoist entered the mountains, they immediately noticed something amiss.
Once inside the mountains, they needed to expend even more magical energy to fly.
In these deep mountains, not only is the space heavier than outside, but it is also filled with a sense of wildness.
Powerful auras surged and flickered from below from time to time, and their senses detected many strange beasts in motion.
Although most of them were still at the Foundation Establishment stage, their auras were stronger than those of the Xuanlin Black Rat.
Lu Qing also sensed the presence of human beings.
However, neither he nor the Five Treasures Taoist priest intended to communicate with them; they simply swept past.
They already knew this from the people who had spoken before.
Due to the scarcity of spirit stones and elixirs, distrust has permeated the cultivators in these deep mountains.
Approaching rashly could very well lead to a conflict.
To avoid any unforeseen complications, they did not intend to contact these independent monks.
Similarly, the two of them flying so ostentatiously as they transformed into streaks of light naturally attracted the attention of many cultivators in the mountains below.
They were immediately surprised and astonished.
"Who is so arrogant as to waste their magical power like this?"
"At a time like this, they still dare to travel by flying. These two must have brought a lot of spirit stones with them when they came in."
"Should we take action and shoot them down?"
"Don't make any rash moves. These two dare to fly around in such a blatant manner as if they have something to rely on. If we provoke someone we shouldn't, we'll really be doomed here."
"Let's see how things go first. Anyone who doesn't care about the consumption of magical power at a time like this is no ordinary person."
Deep within the mountains below, numerous spirits communicated and plotted among themselves.
But even after Lu Qing and his companion disappeared, no one dared to stop them.
Those who have survived to this day in the secret realm are all shrewd and resourceful.
Those two people in the sky must have some confidence to act so ostentatiously.
Making a move without understanding anything can easily lead to trouble.
Therefore, no one dares to act rashly without being certain of success.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, did you sense that someone down below was trying to attack us just now?"
"From the sky above, the Five Treasures Taoist asked."
"They probably think that since we dare to expend our magic power to fly, we must have a lot of spirit stones and pills on us, and they want to rob us," Lu Qing said calmly. "Since they haven't really attacked us, we don't need to pay them any attention."
He naturally sensed the covetous intent emanating from below.
However, as long as those people don't make a move, he won't pay them any attention.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, shall we go find Fellow Daoist Ye and the others first?" Wu Bao Daoist asked again.
"Let's give it a try first. This mountain range is vast and deep, and it may not be easy to find Miss Ye and the others."
Indeed, when Lu Qing questioned those rogue cultivators earlier, he unexpectedly discovered that the disciples of the Qiankun Sect were also in this deep mountain.
Therefore, he planned to first contact Ye Qingzhu and the others to see if he could get some useful information from them.
"If you're looking for Fellow Daoist Ye and the others, I might try casting a divination," said the Five Treasures Daoist.
Lu Qing paused, "Taoist Master, you can divine it?"
"I can't say I'm 100% certain, but we've known Fellow Daoist Ye and the others for a while, and we're connected by karma. We're all in the same secret realm, so it shouldn't be difficult to divine their location," the Five Treasures Daoist explained.
"The Taoist priest's divination skills are truly miraculous," Lu Qing praised.
From the information he gleaned from the note using his supernatural abilities, he learned that the Five Treasures Taoist's divination skills had an extraordinary origin.
But this is indeed far too convenient.
No matter what the matter is, you can cast a divination, and the accuracy rate is extremely high, which is truly miraculous.
After expressing his feelings, Lu Qing channeled his magical power, which condensed into a cloud of auspiciousness in the sky.
"Then I'll trouble you, Taoist priest, to perform the divination again."
"It's nothing."
Without any ceremony, the Five Treasures Taoist walked up to the auspicious cloud, sat down cross-legged, and took out his black tortoise shell magic weapon.
After shaking it for a while, the copper coins were spat out from the tortoise shell, and the Five Treasures Taoist priest carefully examined them.
Then, his brows furrowed slightly.
"Master, how is it?" Lu Qing asked.
"The divination indicates that Fellow Daoist Ye and the others are deep within these mountains, not too far from here, however..."
"But what?"
"However, this divination also indicates that Fellow Daoist Ye and the others seem to be in a dangerous situation and are facing some kind of crisis. If they are not careful, they may be seriously injured at best, and at worst, they may even perish on the spot," said the Five Treasures Daoist with a serious expression.
Lu Qing was shocked: "It's that serious? Could it be that they went in to explore the ancient ruins?"
Lu Qing had learned from those rogue cultivators at the Golden Core stage that the ancient ruins deep in the mountains were fraught with danger.
Those who were not at the powerful Golden Core stage all perished there.
Even among the major powers, there have been losses of manpower.
The divination indicated that Ye Qingzhu and the others were in danger, and that was the first thing Lu Qing thought of.
"The divination indicates that the dangers encountered by Fellow Daoist Ye and the others are due to both natural hazards and man-made disasters, but we will only know the specific reasons after we see it with our own eyes."
Lu Qing paused for a moment before saying, "No matter what, let's go and take a look first."
The two immediately resumed their journey.
And because of this sudden information, the flight speed increased.
Finally, when the Five Treasures Taoist's magical power was almost completely depleted, they saw a towering, enormous ancient ruin in the distance.
It was a huge, somewhat dilapidated ancient tower, roughly twelve stories high.
However, the top of the tower was broken off, and the spire had vanished.
This resulted in the twelfth floor being only half a floor.
Although they were still far away, Lu Qing and his companions felt a wild and untamed aura as soon as they saw the ancient tower.
Although the ancient pagoda only has twelve stories, it doesn't look very tall, only slightly taller than the surrounding mountains.
But as it stands there, it seems to be able to freeze time and space, giving it a sense of being eternal and unchanging.
Lu Qing even had a feeling that the Immortal Golden Bell, a top-grade spiritual artifact they had seen at the auction not long ago, was similar to the one he had seen before.
In terms of the profound meaning it conveys, it is far inferior to the ancient pagoda in front of it.
Lu Qing and his companion were stunned by the ancient and wild aura of the pagoda, and it took them a while to come back to their senses.
"No wonder those rogue cultivators at the Golden Core stage said that these powerful forces are keen on exploring secret realms," the Five Treasures Taoist exclaimed. "This ancient tower is clearly extraordinary; it must have been left behind by an extremely remarkable being."
It may very well contain unimaginable opportunities.
Even I, if I encountered such ancient ruins, would feel unsatisfied if I didn't explore them.
“Indeed, this ancient pagoda is truly amazing. I wonder how many years it has existed, yet it still manages to be so awe-inspiring.” Lu Qing nodded in agreement. “Daoist Master, we’re almost there. You should take a moment to meditate.”
After saying that, he conjured up another cloud of auspiciousness.
“Alright.” Wu Bao Daoist nodded.
He then sat on the cloud, holding a spirit stone in his hand, and began to regulate his breathing to recover.
The ancient tower ahead is a gathering place for elite disciples from various factions.
Moreover, it is said that many powerful mythical beasts guard the outer perimeter of the ancient tower, preventing anyone from getting close.
Without restoring himself to his peak condition, the Five Treasures Taoist priest dared not approach him casually.
Seeing that the Five Treasures Taoist had entered into meditation and was regulating his breathing, Lu Qing stood by and protected him.
However, he also took out a mid-grade spirit stone and swallowed it in one gulp.
As soon as the spirit stone entered the body, the Five Elements Gourd in the dantian trembled slightly. The next moment, it took the spirit stone away and swallowed it into the gourd.
Immediately afterwards, the immense spiritual energy within the spirit stone was rapidly absorbed by the Five Elements Gourd and transformed into Lu Qing's magical power.
This is why Lu Qing doesn't need to enter meditation to quickly restore his magical power like the Five Treasures Taoist.
As a natal magic weapon that is closely related to oneself.
The Five Elements Gourd can not only help Lu Qing refine his magical power, but also help him absorb spiritual energy anytime and anywhere to restore his magical power.
Theoretically speaking, as long as he can mentally withstand it and has enough spirit stones.
He can keep the Five Elements Gourd running indefinitely, ensuring that his magical power remains at its peak.
After swallowing a mid-grade spirit stone to restore his mana, Lu Qing continued to gaze at the ancient pagoda in the distance while protecting the Five Treasures Taoist.
The difference this time was that he activated his supernatural ability and looked at it.
However, he wasn't sure if his supernatural abilities could actually uncover information about the ancient tower.
The ancient tower ahead exuded an aura that was far too vast, even more profound than a top-grade spiritual artifact.
His special ability, the objects he can detect, also has its limits.
If it is something of too high a rank, such as an unknown existence like the Heavenly Pivot Divine Mountain, it may not be possible to detect it.
Lu Qing stared at the ancient pagoda in front of him for quite a while, but his gaze remained unchanged.
However, he was not discouraged. Anyway, there was still some time before the Five Treasures Taoist priest could adjust his breathing, so he was not in a hurry.
And so, Lu Qing kept gazing at that ancient tower.
A full quarter of an hour passed, and just when he thought his supernatural abilities were unable to detect any information about the ancient tower and was about to give up.
Suddenly, a dense, tangible purple light of supernatural power burst forth from the ancient tower and shot into the sky.
Multiple message notes floated out from it.
"There's some movement?"
Lu Qing was first startled, then overjoyed, and quickly looked at the notes.
