Dragon-Clutching Mountain, legend has it that this place originally had no mountain. It was an endless plain, but one day a mighty dragon was severely wounded and fell here, and after its death, its bones remained uncorrupted and eventually transformed into Dragon-Clutching Mountain.
This mountain, although not as vast as the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range, is extremely profound.
Upon entering the mountain, itās as if stepping into a world of monstrous creatures.
A dangerous aura permeates all directions.
Ye Qingchen had a feeling.
Here.
Itās even more dangerous than Two Realms Mountain.
Ye Qingchen moved forward, his eyes scanning the surroundings, searching for any place linked to the Dragon Tail Ring.
"Sss!"
Suddenly.
A shadow shot down fiercely from the sky.
Clang!
Silver Dragon Sword unsheathed.
In an instant, the shadow was split into two halves.
The broken shadow fell to the ground with a thud, blood spurting wildly, yet still struggling.
Ye Qingchen focused his gaze and saw it was a pitch-black venomous snake. Even its blood contained frightening toxins, which sizzled upon the ground and corroded deep pits.
"If bitten, no matter how high oneās cultivation, it might seal the throat with blood!"
Ye Qingchen understood, becoming increasingly vigilant.
In Dragon-Clutching Mountain, thereās practically no path, making every step difficult. Not only do monstrous creatures appear frequently along the way, but there are also poisonous mists and tree demons. If not for Ye Qingchenās cultivation of the Nine Revolutions Star Technique, with perception several times higher than normal, casualties would have occurred.
"No wonder even cultivators are reluctant to set foot in Dragon-Clutching Mountain, this place is truly too dangerous!"
Ye Qingchen thought silently.
Meanwhile.
He was quite fortunate that upon learning of Dragon-Clutching Mountain, he didnāt rush in. Instead, he chose to explore only after enhancing his cultivation. Otherwise, chances were slim for survival!
The deeper he ventured, the darker the surroundings became.
Roar!
After several tens of miles, roars swiftly resonated.
"What is that?"
Ye Qingchenās eyes focused.
He saw.
In the distance, a giant python slithering on the ground, its enormous body traversing the forest, even squeezing nearby trees to bursting. Ye Qingchen noticed a solitary horn growing atop the pythonās head.
Such an existence could already be called a Yin Dragon!
Itās a being that has reached the Half-Step Profound Pill.
Its body spanned over ten feet in length, even its thinnest part comparable to a water tank. Its passage left deep tracks on the ground.
"Hiss!"
Upon seeing Ye Qingchen, the Yin Dragon rose upright, opening its mouth to spew a mouthful of gray-mist Yin Evil Qi. Wherever the Yin Evil Qi passed, countless flowers and trees instantly withered.
"Pursue the Thunder!"
The sword pointed like lightning across the sky, bringing forth a flash of silver.
"Squeal!"
The Yin Dragon let out a miserable cry, its body immediately cleaved into two, crashing to the ground.
Without glancing at the Yin Dragonās corpse, Ye Qingchen continued onward.
Half a day later.
After defeating a Half-Step Profound Pill realm āFire-haired Demon Apeā, Ye Qingchen directly charged into the core area of Dragon-Clutching Mountain.
Upon Ye Qingchenās entrance into the core area, the number of monstrous creatures instantly multiplied.
Among them.
There were even some Profound Pill realm monstrous creatures.
Due to their innate physique, strength, and speed far surpassing Martial Artists, even Ye Qingchen had to exert significant effort to defeat them.
Roar!
A miserable cry echoed.
A massive Two-winged Saber-toothed Tiger, wailed and finally collapsed to the ground, unable to move further.
Ye Qingchen nearly collapsed as well.
The strength of the Two-winged Saber-toothed Tiger almost reached the Peak of First Heaven in the Profound Pill Realm, and Ye Qingchen spent extensive energy to annihilate it. Now, he could barely stand.
"Five days, five whole days!"
Quietly observing the Two-winged Saber-toothed Tigerās corpse and the forest left in disarray from battle, Ye Qingchen couldnāt help but sigh deeply.
In five days, he almost explored the entire Dragon-Clutching Mountain.
Yet.
Still no trace of related information.
"Could it be my previous assumptions were wrong? Is the Dragon Tail Ring completely unrelated to Dragon-Clutching Mountain?"
"Forget it, better to return for some rest!"
Just as Ye Qingchen despaired and prepared to retreat to Qianlong City.
Suddenly.
The Dragon Tail Ring, which had been inactive, emitted a faint glow.
"What is this?"
Ye Qingchenās eyes focused.
"Could it be..."
His heart stirred, and Ye Qingchen immediately followed the Dragon Tail Ringās guidance, resuming his search in Dragon-Clutching Mountain. He discovered, the more he progressed, the brighter the Dragon Tail Ringās glow became.
It seemed to guide him constantly!
After traveling several more miles, the path unexpectedly reached its end. And here, it was Dragon-Clutching Mountainās "dragon head" position, the highest point of the entire mountain!
As he looked ahead.
Below him was a bottomless cliff, floating clouds drifting by.
"The Dragon Tail Ring points here, is it asking me to leap into the abyss?"
Ye Qingchen didnāt hastily act, instead carefully searching the surroundings.
Nearing the end of his search, his figure suddenly halted, his eyes gleamed brightly:
"Is that... a fluctuation of an array?"
Without hesitation.
The Silver Dragon Sword pointed, a swift sword light shot forth.
The sword light was dazzling, capable of splitting mountains and rocks, without hindrance, shooting straight into the sky. But suddenly, it seemed to hit an unseen barrier, crashing into a hidden void, quietly vanishing.
Meanwhile, the space ahead trembled abruptly, with ripples appearing as if a heavy object fell onto the water surface.
"It truly is here!"
Ye Qingchenās eyes gleamed with joy.
Silver Dragon Sword pointed again.
Jinghong Swordsmanship!
In that moment, he sliced over ten times, each strike landing there. The virtual space trembled intensely, as if the scene was about to be torn apart.
"Open!"
Soon.
This sphere suddenly radiated with brilliance, as if a light curtain was torn open. Amidst the dazzling light, a surge of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi burst forth.
Simultaneously.
The originally empty cliffās edge unexpectedly revealed a winding path.
Looking forward, the end of the path was a huge Bronze Gate standing in the virtual space.
Beside the Bronze Gate, there was a massive pool dozens of feet in diameter, misty white fog rising above it, evidently the purest Spiritual Qi. Gazing toward the pool, a giant willow tree, seven or eight feet tall, grew beside it, countless willow branches swaying gently.
"Could father be behind that Bronze Gate?"
Ye Qingchen widened his eyes, his gaze fixed on the tightly shut Bronze Gate.
Pop!
Just as Ye Qingchen moved his steps, ready to proceed forward.
Roar!
The monstrous creaturesā cries suddenly came forth.
Countless creatures were evidently attracted by the abundant Spiritual Qi emanating from the pool, and as soon as they appeared, rushed toward the spring ahead without restraint.
Ye Qingchen furrowed his brows.
As he worried these creatures might collide with the Bronze Gate, intending to thwart them.
Suddenly.
An unexpected change occurred.
The willow tree standing by the pool suddenly came to life!