I forge immortality with a pagoda.

Deep within the suspended dojo, atop a solitary, towering divine peak.

Clouds and mist, like ribbons, swirl around the mountainside, while the summit remains remarkably clear.

A female sage dressed in white robes closed her eyes and meditated, sitting cross-legged on a blue stone.

Her skin was like ice and jade, and her features were exquisitely crafted. At first glance, she seemed aloof, but upon closer inspection, one could discover her charming and alluring beauty.

However, at this moment, her face, which could outshine all the flowers, was deathly pale, devoid of any color. Her breathing was intermittent, clearly indicating that she had suffered internal injuries.

"call--"

After a long while, Yue Ling exhaled a breath of turbid air, slowly opened her eyes, reached into her bosom, took out a communication jade talisman, and with great effort, gathered the little true qi left in her body and transferred it into the talisman.

"Buzzing..."

The jade talisman trembled slightly, and the inscriptions on it gradually lit up, emitting a hazy glow.

Just as the spiritual light was about to stabilize and break through the air, a cracking sound rang out, and cracks suddenly appeared on the jade talisman. The spiritual light surged and then completely disappeared.

The jade talisman lost all its luster, turning into several fragments that slipped from her palm, clattering onto the bluestone before falling silent.

Yue Ling frowned deeply as she stared at the shards on the ground. Her heart sank to the bottom, and her last hope was completely shattered.

She forced her weak body to stand up and looked down into the forest below, where several figures were lingering.

"The Void Annihilation Lock... is truly vicious..." she muttered to herself.

If the other party hadn't used this secret technique to seal off the void, she wouldn't have been trapped here to die.

Her true qi was almost exhausted. She had used up the last bottle of Rejuvenation Pill while healing her injuries. Now she was at her limit. Not to mention fighting with others, even maintaining this state of concealment was quite difficult for her.

"I wonder if Junior Brother Gu received the message I sent earlier."

The weariness between her brows deepened, and Yue Ling sighed softly.

At the very beginning of their attack, she sent out a distress signal, but in her haste, she was unable to use the Thousand-Mile Transmission Talisman bestowed upon her by the sect. Later, when she tried to use this treasure again, she discovered that the area was firmly sealed off and no message could be transmitted.

Her brows furrowed with exhaustion. She took a deep breath, turned, and headed deeper into the mountains, hoping to use the complex terrain to buy herself some more time.

......

At the foot of the sacred peak, mist lingered.

A group of nine people were gathered in an open area. The leader was a young cultivator with a strong and robust build, a bronze complexion, and a fitted short shirt that revealed his muscle definition.

His face was resolute and strong, but his lips were extremely thin, and there was a hint of lewdness between his brows, making it impossible for people to feel close to him.

"Old man Mu, is your Void Annihilation Lock really effective? Don't tell me it's just empty boasting. If that woman secretly calls for backup and ruins my plans, I'll hold you responsible!"

Mu Qinhu smiled broadly and bowed, replying, "Young Master, please rest assured. My Void Annihilation Lock is a unique secret technique passed down through generations, specializing in sealing off the void and isolating internal and external communications. Let alone that girl who is only at the Qi Refining stage, even a Golden Core cultivator would have to go through considerable trouble to send a message out."

"Just now, Young Master witnessed with his own eyes that the girl tried to activate the Thousand-Mile Transmission Jade Talisman. What was the result? Not only did the jade talisman fail to transmit any information, but it was also backfired by the power of the void and shattered! This is enough to prove that my skills are unfathomable."

Recalling what had happened earlier, Deng Xiyang's doubts lessened slightly, but were not completely dispelled.

Muqinhu's eyes darted around, as if he had seen through Deng Xiyang's thoughts, and he continued speaking.

"Moreover, young master, you are now at the peak of Qi Refining, and with the help of three Foundation Establishment cultivators, dealing with an injured girl is a piece of cake. If it weren't for her escape treasure, which would have fallen into our hands long ago, she would have made us chase her for several days. Now she is exhausted and it's only a matter of time before we capture her."

Upon hearing this, Deng Xiyang's brows finally relaxed, his doubts vanished, and what replaced them was a surge of lustful desire.

He remembered clearly that he was immediately struck by Yue Ling's beauty and confidently went up to strike up a conversation, only to find that she didn't even glance at him.

Normally in the Qushan area, many female cultivators would try every means to get close to him, hoping to climb the social ladder. They had never been treated so coldly before.

But the more this happened, the more Deng Xiyang felt itchy to get back to work.

The woman's aloof and stunning beauty, and her unapproachable demeanor, were like a feather, constantly stirring his heart.

He constantly dreamed of capturing this proud woman, tearing off her clothes, and watching her fall from grace, humiliated and subservient to him.

"Hmph, you're asking for trouble. In the end, you're just a Qi Refining cultivator from a minor sect. Do you really think you're some pure and immaculate fairy?"

Deng Xiyang sneered, his eyes burning with lust and malice. He could no longer contain himself. "Search the mountain! Search it inch by inch! Today she will know the consequences of offending this young master!"

......

Shen Yu, along with Xiao Er and Xiao Wu, spent almost half a day trying to find a way through the many restrictions outside the suspended dojo, and finally stepped into this ancient ruin.

Only by experiencing it firsthand can one realize how vast this place is, far exceeding any imagination.

Looking out, one sees endless rows of magnificent buildings and pavilions, with medicinal gardens and sacred springs scattered among them, representing past glories.

As the beautiful female cultivator had said, there were significantly more cultivators in the dojo. The three of them had only been wandering around for an hour when they discovered no fewer than three groups of cultivators.

"The ruins of this temple are so vast, where should we even begin our search?"

Looking at the vast palace complex before him, Shen Yu couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.

Just when they were at their wits' end, they suddenly saw a pure light burst forth from a palace several miles to their right.

"The seed of the Way has appeared in the world!"

Several low shouts echoed from the nearby darkness.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Immediately afterwards, three or four figures who had been lying in wait suddenly leaped up and flew towards the source of the spiritual light!

Amidst shouts, flashes of light and the clash of weapons erupted, an intense battle instantly unfolding and stirring up the winds and clouds.

After only a few breaths, the battle was decided. One cultivator, holding a ball of pure and flawless light, burrowed into the hole in the ground, clearly having obtained a powerful Dao Seed and wanting to escape quickly.

The other figures were not about to give up. They roared and swooped down, disappearing into the crevice. The sounds of battle quickly faded into the distance.

Unwilling to get involved, Shen Yu distanced himself and hid behind a side hall.

"The battles in this suspended arena are indeed much fiercer than those below. Fortunately, most of them are Qi Refining cultivators, and the occasional Foundation Establishment cultivator won't be paying attention to me."

......

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