Chapter 591

Chapter 591

I Can See Through Everything

“It seems that if we want to find a way out, we’ll have to try contacting those major sects.”

Lu Qing let out a sigh.

If he had a choice, he really didn’t want to get involved with any of those powerful factions.

After all, his identity was still a sensitive issue. Whether it was the Gongshu Clan or the Hehuan Sect, there were people in both who hated him to the bone.

If his true identity were exposed, he’d likely be plunged into a serious crisis.

Unless absolutely necessary, he truly didn’t want any entanglement with those forces.

But right now, they were all trapped within this secret realm, unable to find an exit.

More importantly, even here in the secret realm, Lu Qing could still sense that the “mountain aura” within his Divine Soul was continuing to accumulate.

Though it hadn’t affected him yet, over time, it certainly would.

Therefore, even though contacting those major sects came with risk…

There were no Nascent Soul cultivators in this secret realm. If he acted cautiously, there shouldn’t be a major problem.

And even if something were discovered, worst case, he could just assume a new identity once he got out.

“If even those major sects don’t know the way out, then I’ll have to try the last resort—using the Void Flying Boat,” Lu Qing thought silently.

The Void Flying Boat had the ability to traverse the void. Before entering the secret realm, he had already set up spatial coordinates in the outside world.

However, the Sacred Tianxu Mountain was far too mysterious. He wasn’t sure if the secret realm born of it could even be pierced by the Void Flying Boat.

Moreover, the Flying Boat was one of his strongest trump cards. Unless it was absolutely necessary, he didn’t want to expose it.

Otherwise, if word got out that he possessed a top-grade spiritual artifact, the consequences could be even more terrifying than his identity being exposed.

All sorts of sects and powerful rogue cultivators would treat him—just a mere Golden Core cultivator—as a fat piece of meat on the chopping block, doing whatever they could to seize it.

Having made his decision, Lu Qing stowed away the jade talisman from the ground. The two of them began heading toward the mountains ahead.

As their figures turned into streams of light and entered the mountainous terrain...

Elsewhere, the six or seven rogue Golden Core cultivators Lu Qing had previously released had regrouped once more.

Seeing the two beams of light vanish into the mountains, they all wore expressions of awe.

“Just who is that guy? With strength like that, he’s probably no weaker than the Dao Heirs and Holy Maidens of those major sects. How have we never heard of him?”

“That’s not strange. The world’s a vast place, and geniuses are countless. It’s perfectly normal for us to not know them all. Maybe he’s the true disciple of some hidden power—possibly even an unmatched prodigy.”

“In any case, we were lucky to keep our lives. It’s just a pity about Fellow Daoist Gu. Who knows what he did to displease that one—he was crushed to death on the spot.”

“Hmph, that Gu guy always gave off a sinister vibe—like a venomous snake. Just looking at him made people uncomfortable. Who knows what kind of background he had. Maybe that senior just found him irritating and killed him.”

“Compared to Liu Hui and the others, we were fortunate enough. At least we weren’t wiped out.”

“Exactly. Liu Hui and his group barely escaped from us, only to run straight into that monster. They got what they deserved.”

“If you ask me, it wasn’t bad luck—it was greed. They probably saw that guy traveling alone while protecting his companion and figured he’d be easy to rob. In the end, they kicked an iron plate and paid with their lives.”

“Speaking of which, now that such a powerhouse has entered the mountains, I wonder if there’ll be any clash with the Dao Heirs and Holy Maidens.”

“Even if there is, it’s none of our business. You planning to go back and watch the show?”

“Of course not. We barely made it out of that ghost place. If we run into even one or two Savage Beasts, we’re finished.”

…

“The spatial heaviness in these deep mountains is even stronger than in the outer grasslands.”

As soon as Lu Qing and Daoist Wubao entered the mountainous region, they immediately sensed something unusual.

Flying now required even more spiritual power than before.

Not only was the space here heavier, it was also suffused with a savage, primal aura.

Powerful energies occasionally surged from below. Even just from sensing, they could tell many Savage Beasts were active.

Though most of them were still at the Foundation Establishment level, their auras were clearly stronger than that of the Blackscale Venomrat.

Lu Qing even sensed human cultivators active in the area.

But neither he nor Daoist Wubao had any intention of interacting with them. They simply flew past.

From what they’d gathered earlier, they already knew…

Because of the scarcity of spirit stones and pills, cultivators in the deep mountains no longer trusted each other.

Approaching others recklessly could easily lead to conflict.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, they had no plans to engage with these rogue cultivators.

Of course, flying so openly in streaks of light naturally attracted a lot of attention from the cultivators below.

Many were immediately shocked and bewildered.

“Who are they? So arrogant, daring to waste spiritual power like this?”

“At a time like this, flying like that… they must be carrying a lot of spirit stones.”

“Should we make a move and knock them down?”

“Don’t act rashly. For them to fly so blatantly, they must have strong backing. Offending the wrong person could mean our end.”

“Let’s wait and see. Anyone who doesn’t care about spiritual power in times like these isn’t ordinary.”

Voices echoed among the deep mountains—Divine Soul Transmissions buzzing as the cultivators communicated and plotted.

Yet even as Lu Qing and Daoist Wubao disappeared from sight, no one dared to act.

Anyone who had survived in the secret realm this long was no fool.

Those two dared to flaunt themselves so openly—they clearly had their reasons.

Making a move without understanding the situation was asking to kick an iron plate.

So without certainty, none of them dared act rashly.

“Fellow Daoist Chen, did you feel that? Some of those people down there seemed to be considering attacking us.”

High above, Daoist Wubao asked.

“They saw us flying and assumed we had plenty of spirit stones and pills. Probably wanted to rob us,” Lu Qing replied calmly. “Since they didn’t actually do anything, there’s no need to worry about it.”

He had certainly felt the covetous intent from below.

But as long as no one made a move, he wouldn’t bother with them.

“Fellow Daoist Chen, are we going to search for Fellow Daoist Ye and the others now?” Daoist Wubao asked again.

“We’ll give it a try. These mountains are vast—it won’t be easy to find Miss Ye and her group.”

Earlier, when questioning those rogue cultivators, Lu Qing had learned that disciples of the Qiankun Sect were also in these mountains.

So he planned to get in touch with Ye Qingzhu and the others, hoping to gather some useful information.

“If that’s the case, this humble Daoist could try a divination,” Daoist Wubao offered.

Lu Qing paused mid-air. “You can divine their whereabouts?”

“I can’t promise absolute accuracy. But we’ve met Fellow Daoist Ye and the others—there’s karmic connection between us. Since we’re all in the same secret realm, finding their location through divination shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“Your divination ability truly borders on the miraculous,” Lu Qing praised.

From information gleaned through his ability, he knew that Daoist Wubao’s divination skills had a remarkable background.

But it really was too convenient.

No matter what the situation, he could cast a divination—and it had a high success rate. It was almost supernatural.

After expressing his admiration, Lu Qing activated his spiritual power and conjured a cloud in the sky.

“Then I’ll trouble you, Daoist, to divine once again.”

“It’s a small matter.”

Daoist Wubao didn’t stand on ceremony. He stepped onto the cloud, sat cross-legged, and took out his black tortoiseshell artifact.

After a few shakes, several copper coins spilled from the shell. Daoist Wubao examined them carefully.

Soon, his brows furrowed.

“How is it?” Lu Qing asked.

“The reading shows that Fellow Daoist Ye and her group are deeper in these mountains—not far from here. However…”

“However?”

“However, the divination also shows they’re in grave danger. They may be facing a crisis. If things go poorly, they could be seriously injured—or even perish,” Daoist Wubao said grimly.

Lu Qing was shocked. “That serious? Could they have entered the ancient ruin?”

He had heard from the rogue cultivators earlier that the ancient ruin in these mountains was extremely dangerous.

Even strong Golden Core cultivators had fallen there.

Even major sects had suffered losses.

Now that the divination suggested Ye Qingzhu and the others were in danger, Lu Qing’s first thought was the ruin.

“The reading shows both natural dangers and human threats. But the exact cause—we’ll only know once we see it for ourselves.”

Lu Qing fell silent for a moment before saying, “Whatever the case, we should go check it out.”

At once, the two picked up their speed.

Soon, just as Daoist Wubao had exhausted more than half his spiritual power again, they saw a towering ancient ruin in the distance.

It was a colossal, somewhat damaged tower—twelve levels tall.

Only, the top of the tower had broken off—the twelfth level was only half-complete.

Even from a distance, the moment they laid eyes on it, a powerful savage aura swept over them.

Though the tower stood only slightly taller than the surrounding mountains, it seemed to halt time and space, radiating an eternal, indestructible presence.

In fact, Lu Qing felt that compared to the Immortal Golden Bell they had seen at the auction…

This tower’s aura and presence far surpassed it.

Stunned by the ancient and primal energy of the tower, Lu Qing and Daoist Wubao took a long moment to recover.

“No wonder those rogue cultivators said the major sects are obsessed with exploring secret realms,” Daoist Wubao marveled. “This ancient tower is extraordinary—surely left behind by a great power.

It might hold unimaginable fortunes.

Even I would feel unwilling to pass it by without exploring it.”

“Indeed. Just how many years has it stood here? And it’s still this awe-inspiring,” Lu Qing agreed. “Daoist, we’re almost there—you should rest and recover.”

With that, he conjured another cloud.

“Very well,” Daoist Wubao nodded.

He sat on the cloud and began meditating with a spirit stone in hand to restore his energy.

The ancient tower ahead was drawing elites from all major sects.

And rumors said powerful Savage Beasts guarded the tower’s perimeter, preventing anyone from approaching.

Without being at full strength, Daoist Wubao dared not venture too close.

Seeing him enter meditation, Lu Qing stood watch nearby.

At the same time, he pulled out a mid-grade spirit stone and swallowed it whole.

The moment it entered his body, the Five Elements Gourd within his Qi Sea trembled slightly—then absorbed the stone inside.

Instantly, the vast spiritual essence within the stone was drawn out by the gourd, transforming rapidly into Lu Qing’s spiritual power.

This was why Lu Qing didn’t need to meditate like Daoist Wubao—he could recover his power on the go.

As his Life-bound Artifact, the Five Elements Gourd not only refined his spiritual power, but could also continuously absorb spiritual essence and restore it.

In theory, as long as his mind could endure and he had enough spirit stones…

He could keep the gourd running and maintain his strength at peak levels.

After restoring some power with the mid-grade spirit stone, Lu Qing continued to protect Daoist Wubao while gazing toward the distant tower.

This time, he activated his ability to examine it.

He wasn’t sure if his ability could analyze such a powerful structure.

The tower’s aura was too immense—even more mysterious than top-grade spiritual artifacts.

His ability had its limits. If the object was too high-grade—like the Sacred Tianxu Mountain—it might not work at all.

Even after watching the tower for a long time, no changes appeared in his vision.

But Lu Qing wasn’t discouraged. Daoist Wubao’s recovery would still take time—he could afford to wait.

So he continued staring at the ancient tower.

After a full quarter-hour passed, just as Lu Qing was about to give up, assuming the ability couldn’t decipher the tower…

Suddenly, brilliant purple light, thick enough to become visible, surged from the tower into the sky.

Multiple strips of informational text floated out from it.

“There’s movement!”

Lu Qing was startled—then overjoyed. He immediately focused on reading the information.