bookbashuk Chapter 137 Omens of the Storm
Chapter 137 Omens of the Storm
Several hours later, most of the cultivators had arrived.
If they haven't arrived, they've mostly left the secret realm, or they've had difficulty passing the first and second barriers.
Even though the cultivators just said that the first barrier could only be passed by force, if they could not confirm Shen Tianlin's approval, they would still be trapped in the secret realm even if they were killed and scorched by him a thousand times.
As for the second pass, it is a mountain ten thousand feet high.
The various practitioners had different opinions on this.
However, they all suffered a lot from the inner demons within.
Niu Gao, seemingly having thought of something, asked Mu Shan, "By the way, young friend Mu, have you ever tried refining the Spirit Devouring Pill from that level of difficulty?"
Mu Shan looked up and met Niu Gao's gaze.
He pondered for a moment, then said, "To refine a second-tier spirit pill with only early-stage Qi Refining cultivation is utter nonsense, at least impossible for me. Do you perhaps believe that the first hurdle can actually be overcome through Dao Refining?"
Niu Gao pondered for a moment but did not reply.
The cultivators looked at each other in bewilderment, each sending a telepathic message.
"What do these seniors mean? Could it be that there is still a problem with our method of overcoming this?"
However, Mu Shan and Niu Gao did not kindly explain to them, and the matter could only remain a mystery hanging over everyone's heads.
If the first hurdle can only be overcome by refining a spiritual elixir, why are they still able to stand here by force?
If it is not possible, then why did Niu Gao ask such a question?
Only Lu Qingyun frowned upon hearing this.
He didn't know about others, but he himself did spend his life practicing Taoism and suffered a lot.
Seeing that almost all the cultivators from both the righteous and demonic paths had arrived, Mu Shan said meaningfully, "Fellow Daoist Niu, although we have different stances and belong to the righteous and demonic paths respectively, we are ultimately here for the sake of opportunity, and there is no other dispute between us."
"The design of this secret realm's passes seems to be more complex than it appears. Some of our disciples perished while crossing the Ten Thousand Ren Mountain, and their souls suffered considerable damage. Although I belong to the Qingchi Sect and not to your Yunxia Sect, this Qingmu Daoist is not as simple as he seems in the records."
"What you say is absolutely right, young friend. We are both vying for supremacy on the path of immortality, regardless of whether we are righteous or demonic. If there is a conflict that could endanger our lives, we should work together with one heart and one mind."
Niu Gao smiled broadly, seemingly unconcerned yet also appearing to be responding.
Mu Shan didn't ask any more questions, but just gave Niu Gao a deep look and said nothing more.
In fact, it's not just that towering mountain.
Even the Soul-Devouring Pill in the first pass made Mu Shan hesitate.
Although the Soul-Devouring Pill has been here for one or two hundred years, it is not well-known.
But a thousand years ago, it was a notorious demonic medicine that poisoned countless people.
Just now, Niu Gao subtly inquired whether it was possible to break through the first barrier through cultivation, but he wasn't actually asking about the method of passing through; rather, he was deliberately bringing up the matter of the Spirit Devouring Pill.
Mu Shan harbored a hidden worry.
The reason is that the Soul-Devouring Pill's function is none other than to create a talisman, which activates the pill in the form of a talisman to gradually devour the cultivator's magical power.
This pill is a second-tier spiritual pill. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would suffer a mental fog and a significant loss of magical power from it, let alone those who are only half-step Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Although he himself was on that towering mountain and his soul was unharmed, the fate of Niu Gao and the other half-step Foundation Establishment cultivators was uncertain.
Mu Shan had already inquired about this via telepathy.
His two subordinates, the Chaotic Demon Taoist and the Desolate Skull Walker, both half-step Foundation Establishment cultivators, unfortunately perished on Mount Wanren due to the influence of their inner demons.
At this moment, it was not visible on the surface, but the soul inside had been severely damaged, with about four or five layers of soul cultivation being removed.
"The first barrier, the Soul-Devouring Pill, weakens one's magical power; the second, the Ten Thousand Ren Mountain, weakens one's soul. Daoist Qingmu is clearly trying to put us in a situation where we are lambs to the slaughter."
"What exactly does this great master want to do? What is he plotting?"
Mu Shan's eyes flickered with uncertainty.
The Green Wood Daoist attained enlightenment thousands of years ago. It is rumored that his cultivation level was far beyond the Foundation Establishment stage, and that he even attained the Purple Mansion stage and secured a Golden position.
If it were just an ordinary Foundation Establishment conspiracy hidden in this secret realm, Mu Shan would naturally not be afraid.
However, if the mastermind behind this Azure Wood Secret Realm is actually a Grandmaster of the Purple Mansion or even the Golden Core stage, then he has to be cautious.
Mu Shan's gaze swept over the faces of Lu Qingyun, Bai Tianxiong, and other rogue cultivators.
If it weren't for the fact that Daoist Qingmu constantly gave him the feeling of being busy behind his back, he should have reached a consensus with Niu Gao first and cleaned up these rogue cultivators.
However, the secret realm is now treacherous and unpredictable, and Mu Shan cannot act recklessly. If Daoist Qingmu really has some plans, he may have to send these rogue cultivators to take the blame in front of him, so as not to intensify the conflict between himself and Niu Gao.
Outside the hall at this time.
Inside a palace chamber, Daoist Qingmu glanced at the dozens of bronze mirrors before him and nodded slightly.
"The cultivators who have arrived in this secret realm are all roughly equal. Those who are able to break through the third barrier are the people in front of me. Now that I have awakened at this time, it is inevitable that another great era will arrive in the outside world."
"Although this divine thought here is just a foreshadowing of mine, it still needs to find a suitable body. I can't just scatter some opportunities and create minor cultivation puppets as I did before."
Master Qingmu sighed deeply.
"If my main body perishes now, and all my other backup plans are wiped out, this place might still be my only chance."
"The original body suddenly lost contact years ago. Although most likely there was no chance of survival, why? And how did it perish? I will investigate this matter carefully after I get out."
Qingmu Daoren's gaze swept over Lu Qingyun and the others.
"Among these half-step Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Demonic Path, only this one named Mu Shan has some merit. He seems to have cultivated a branch of the Supreme Dao. His aura is strong and sharp, suggesting he has some fortuitous opportunities."
"Among the righteous path, most are filthy rats who collude with the demonic sect. Their own cultivation is nothing special. However, the leader, Niu Gao, although not as good as Mu Shan of the demonic sect, has more of the spirit of being old but still strong, with a continuous flow of fortune."
"His body even emitted the clanging sound of metal weapons, indicating that he has some talent in swordsmanship."
Those at the late stage of Qi Refining naturally wouldn't catch his eye. Even if he were to find a physical body, what he wanted would be someone at the half-step Foundation Establishment stage.
Qingmu Daoist's gaze then shifted to Lu Qingyun and the many rogue cultivators. Following Bai Tianxiong's gaze, Qingmu Daoist pondered to himself.
"This Taoist is crazy, and his aura seems to be about to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage. He seems to regard the girl around him as a resource. However, this person's aptitude is extremely poor. Even if he breaks through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he has little future. It would be better to kill him."
After commenting on Bai Tianxiong, he completely ignored the ascetic monk and the Great Red Daoist.
It seems that those people are completely beneath his notice.
"As for this kid who cultivates the idle techniques I used to release, he is quite interesting. Although his aptitude is poor, his Dao heart is exceptionally firm. If we use him as a body, it will be the safest option. Even if we don't use him as a body, he is still a top-quality medicine."
Master Qingmu raised his eyes and smiled.
"It seems my body will have to be chosen from these three. As for the others, they shouldn't be wasted either. Refining them all will allow me to take a single step back to the Foundation Establishment stage!"