The Ancient Augury World was desolate and uninhabited, causing the vegetation to become especially lush over the years. Despite being constructed by immortals hundreds of thousands of years ago, the cities had turned to ruins and were overrun by vegetation.
It looked peaceful but the entire world was an ancient battlefield in the end. There was danger lurking all over.
“Bronze Tripod Mountain.” Qin Yun looked at a towering, damaged tripod tens of kilometers tall into the distance. It was flipped around and was taller than the surrounding mountains. Most of it was immersed amid the clouds.
“This ancient tripod is in shambles yet it still possesses such terrifying might.” Qin Yun could sense a terrifying aura surge towards him despite standing far away. “Back when it was in perfect form, it was worth at least a superior-grade Numinous Treasure Mountain! According to the intelligence, Bronze Tripod Mountain’s interior forms a Grotto-heaven of its own. After hundreds of thousands of years, it’s unknown how many trial candidates have died in there. Yet, to this day it has not been fully explored.”
“It’s too dangerous. I can’t take the risk of exploring it.” Although Qin Yun had long received general information about it, he wanted to see it with his own eyes before making a judgment.
Sou!
Qin Yun turned and left.
The Ancient Augury World was very large and had many perilous areas, so the trial candidates would make use of the ability to escape with a thought using the Transference Token when probing it. After generations of people had explored it, many dangerous areas had been completely trampled through! However, it was unknown when Bronze Tripod Mountain would have its deepest secrets revealed.
******
In a blink of an eye, Qin Yun had spent more than three months in the Ancient Augury World.
“Whoosh.”
Qin Yun sat cross-legged by the side of a lake, resting his exhausted mind. It was truly tiring to maintain the Eye of Lightning for long periods of time without rest.
And not far away.
A black mist was secretly spying on him as a face materialized in the mist.
“A Connate Golden Core mortal? All by himself? He shall be the one! Robbing someone is much faster than looking for treasure!” A sinister grin crept onto the misty face.
Sou!
The black mist rapidly billowed towards Qin Yun.
“Oh?” Qin Yun suddenly felt something as he opened his eyes to look over.
He saw the black mist stop a distance away before transforming into a black-robed elder with a gonfalon. He was looking coldly at Qin Yun as he sniggered. He gently shook the gonfalon in his hand while dense, fiendish shadows flew out amid roars. Qin Yun immediately discerned the appearance of eighty fiends.
They were all draped in black armor with black helms on their heads. Even their skin was black. However, their eyes were blood-red. Black mists lingered across their bodies as they stared intently at Qin Yun.
“Fiendish soldiers?” Qin Yun stood up. “We Daoists have Cast Beans for Soldiers but this is the first time I’m seeing fiendish soldiers.”
“That’s because you are lacking in knowledge.” The black-robed elder held the gonfalon and said with a sneer, “Each of the fiendish soldiers I rear match the power of a Connate Golden Core. With eighty of them joining forces, even a typical first Firmament Essence Soul is not my match. Punk, if you’re smart, you’ll hand over one transcendent-grade Dharma treasure and I’ll let you off. If not, I’ll have to attack.”
“Each one matches the strength of a Connate Golden Core?” Qin Yun was secretly surprised as he looked at the fiendish shadows.
The Effulgent Great World had numerous cultivators, with an extremely large number of sects. There were all kinds of techniques available. The fiendish techniques were also far greater in number than in Qin Yun’s homeworld.
“That’s pretty impressive. It’s no wonder you dare to try and rob me,” said Qin Yun.
Connate Golden Core mortals were relatively safe in the Ancient Augury World.
Over the past three months, Qin Yun had also seen numerous Essence Souls fighting each other. They were rather tragic but because of the Heavenly Dao’s limitations, Essence Souls would not attack Connate Golden Cores unless absolutely necessary!
And mortals who came to the Ancient Augury World were typically rather powerful Connate Golden Cores.
If they were not especially confident, they would not dare attempt to rob others.
This was because they might end up having everything taken from them if their heist failed!
The formation that the black-robed elder’s eighty fiend soldiers entered was indeed terrifying. It was precisely because Qin Yun was alone that he dared take action.
“Cut the crap. Quick, hand over a Dharma treasure. Don’t force my hand.” The black-robed elder urged. All he did was threaten, afraid that Qin Yun would use his Transference Token and render his efforts naught.
…
And a few hundred kilometers away.
Two men and a woman were flying together. A white-dressed woman’s eyes flashed with golden light as she looked around.
“Oh?” The woman looked in Qin Yun’s direction. “Senior Brother Lu, let’s head there.”
“What’s over there?” asked the two young men beside her.
“Among the Scenic Jade Palace cultivators that entered, weren’t there five outsiders? The one named Qin Yun is being threatened by a fiendish cultivator. Let’s rush there or it might be too late.” The white-dressed woman urged as she transformed into a stream of light and flew over rapidly.
Her fellow disciples immediately followed.
“Senior Sister, why bother with that outsider? Just let him die,” said a slightly handsome youth.
“He came in with us after all. That means he also represents the Scenic Jade Palace.” The white-dressed woman said a little irritated.
Beside her, a man in azure-colored robes said with a smile, “Yan’er is right. His performance affects our Scenic Jade Palace’s reputation after all. Besides, he has been threatened by a fiendish cultivator. We stand on the opposing side of the fiendish way, so while it would have been fine if we didn’t see it, we have seen it, so we have to deal with it.”
“Since a couple like the two of you are echoing each other’s words, it’s up to you.” The handsome youth smirked.
“What do you mean couple!?” The white-dressed woman blushed immediately and even stole a glance at the man in azure-colored robes beside her. He smiled back at her, turning her face even redder, all the way to her ears.
Whoosh.
The three traveled extremely quickly and soon arrived where Qin Yun was.
“Oh?” Qin Yun looked over when he sensed the arrival of the trio.
Whoosh.
The three streams of light streaked across the sky and appeared on the side. The two men and one woman looked rather young.
Qin Yun immediately recognized them as three of the Scenic Jade Palace disciples but they were only first Firmament Essence Souls.
“Don’t worry. With us here, he can’t do anything to you,” said the man with a smile.
“If not for Senior Sister, I wouldn’t even be bothered to rescue you.” The handsome youth grumbled.
However, the white-dressed woman bellowed coldly, “Fiendish cultivator, scram quickly or don’t blame us for being ruthless.”
“Scram.” The handsome youth shouted as well.
“Three first Firmament Essence Souls?” The black-robed elder’s eyes flashed with a nether glow. He said in a deep voice, “This is a battle between mortals but you Essence Souls want to partake in it?”
“We will not kill you, but can’t we teach you a lesson?” The handsome youth scoffed. With a wave of his hand, a black shadow flew out from his sleeves, instantly manifesting as a black snake several kilometers long. It had a terrifying might and, although the three of them were first Firmament Essence Souls, they were definitely among the best if they were chosen represent the Scenic Jade Palace.
The black-robed elder’s expression twitched when he saw this. “Very well.”
He immediately retreated and waved the gonfalon in his hand, calling the eighty fiendish shadows back into it. As they flew back, he glared at Qin Yun. “Punk, consider yourself lucky.” With that said, he escaped in the form of a black mist.
“Alright, he’s gone,” said the handsome youth. They weren’t allowed to really kill a mortal, at best they could teach him a lesson. Especially when it was a powerful Connate Golden Core mortal.
“Be more careful. We happened to be passing by and saw you, but you might not be so lucky the next time,” said the white-dressed woman to Qin Yun.
Qin Yun felt a little helpless.
He could not say anything when they had volunteered to help him.
“Boom!”
Qin Yun gave a mental command.
Immediately, with him at the center, a terrifying might enveloped the surrounding fifteen kilometers. It also repressed the black-robed elder who was floating away as a black mist.
The black-robed elder was alarmed. “A Dao domain? Fifteen kilometers?”
“We haven’t finished talking. Don’t be in such a rush to leave.” Qin Yun’s voice sounded beside the black-robed elder’s ear.
“Fifteen kilometers?” The three Scenic Jade Palace disciples that came to help were first Firmament Essence Souls. All of them were stunned. It was relatively easy to condense an Essence Soul in the Effulgent Great World but a fifteen-kilometer Dao domain was the feat of a second Firmament Essence Soul realm!