Starting at the Nascent Soul stage, a rogue cultivator is incredibly poor.

On the Tide-Watching Platform

"Fellow Daoist Qingyou."

A call came from afar.

Qingyouzi looked up and saw that Seven Fiends True Man was flying towards him, followed by a burly man with a black beard.

The burly man was tall and strong, with bulging muscles and vigorous blood and energy. He was clearly a body cultivator and his cultivation level was at the early stage of the Nascent Soul stage.

Qi Sha landed in front of Qing Youzi and nodded slightly: "I didn't expect you to arrive so early, fellow Daoist."

He turned to the burly man beside him and said, "This is Fellow Daoist Hong Kaishan, the island master of Kaishan Island. His body-refining techniques have already reached the Nascent Soul stage."

He then said to Hong Kaishan, "This is Fellow Daoist Qingyou."

Hong Kaishan looked Qing Youzi up and down, then chuckled, "You're the one who reached Nascent Soul stage two years ago?"

His tone was filled with undisguised contempt.

A rogue cultivator who had only formed his Nascent Soul two years ago was indeed no match for a seasoned Nascent Soul cultivator like Hong Kaishan, who had both a sect's lineage and many years of cultivation.

"Him?" Hong Kaishan turned to look at Qi Sha. "For something this important, you brought in someone like this to help?"

Qingyouzi's expression remained unchanged, but he sighed inwardly.

Independent cultivators ultimately lack prestige.

He glanced at Qing Youzi, then at Hong Kaishan, and quickly tried to smooth things over:

"Fellow Daoist Hong, you can't say that. Although Fellow Daoist Qingyou has only recently formed his Nascent Soul, his cultivation method is special and his strength is not weak."

As he spoke, he pointed to the other side of the platform.

There stood four Nascent Soul cultivators.

They were all dressed in righteous attire, their robes clean and their aura pure. At this moment, they were coldly watching them, their gazes sweeping over the three of them with a scrutinizing look.

"After entering the Celestial Immortal Cave, our biggest opponents will still be those few righteous Nascent Soul cultivators," Seven Fiends said in a low voice. "If our own people start to fall out and are then picked off one by one, it would be a huge loss."

Hong Kaishan snorted coldly, walked to the side and stood still, his face full of displeasure.

Qingyouzi remained silent and retreated to a corner.

He remained expressionless, but in his heart he had already cursed Hong Kaishan's ancestors for eighteen generations.

Qi Sha looked somewhat embarrassed and gave Hong Kaishan a resentful look.

On the other side, the four righteous Nascent Soul cultivators exchanged glances, their eyes revealing a hint of mockery.

Another half incense stick's time passed.

In the distance, a powerful Nascent Soul aura rapidly approached from the horizon.

Mid-stage Nascent Soul!

Qi Sha's eyes lit up, and his brows finally relaxed.

A white streak of light shot through the air and landed on the platform. The newcomer was dressed in a white robe, looked to be around thirty years old, and had a refined and scholarly demeanor, completely unlike someone from the demonic path.

"Thank you, fellow Daoist, you've finally arrived!" Seven Fiends greeted him.

The man in white nodded slightly: "There was a slight delay on the way, I apologize for keeping you all waiting."

The four righteous Nascent Soul cultivators opposite him all frowned and looked solemn when they saw this person.

Hong Kaishan also toned down his previous arrogance, clearly recognizing the man.

The man surnamed Xie's gaze swept over the crowd, finally landing on Qing Youzi, the only face he didn't recognize.

"This must be Fellow Daoist Qingyou?" he asked politely.

"It is indeed I," Qingyouzi said, bowing.

"Elder of the Yin Xuan Sect, Xie Changyuan."

"Qingyouzi, a rogue cultivator, greets Fellow Daoist Xie."

The two introduced themselves briefly.

When the two greeted each other, Qingyouzi noticed that Xie Changyuan was followed by a young man with a mid-stage Golden Core cultivation.

He glanced at it but didn't ask any further questions.

Hong Kaishan raised an eyebrow: "Thank you, Fellow Daoist. Why did you bring a Golden Core cultivator along?"

Xie Changyuan smiled slightly: "This is my disciple. I brought him here to broaden his horizons. Don't worry, everyone. Although he is only at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, his strength is no weaker than that of the late stage. He won't be a burden."

Qingyouzi looked at the young man.

The young man looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a handsome face and a calm, composed gaze. Upon seeing Qingyouzi looking at him, he bowed slightly in proper etiquette.

"A young talent indeed, thank you for your discerning eye, fellow Daoist," Qingyouzi praised.

"Fellow Daoist, you flatter me."

As everyone was talking, a figure in a gray robe slowly walked out from the high platform.

The moment that person appeared, the entire viewing platform fell silent.

The overwhelming pressure from the peak mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator spread out without any concealment, as deep and majestic as a mountain, enveloping the entire area. Those with weaker cultivation levels even found their breathing momentarily halted.

It was none other than Jiang Taiyuan, the Grand Elder of Tianxian City.

The old man in the gray robe surveyed the entire room, his voice calm yet resonating throughout every corner:

"The time has come."

The sound was calm, yet it clearly reached every corner.

"Please present your Celestial Decree."

As soon as the words were spoken, hundreds of cultivators on the platform raised their tokens.

Qingyouzi also held his Celestial Token in his palm. As if summoned, the token floated up on its own and transformed into a stream of light, flying towards the high platform.

Half an incense stick later, all the tokens had been checked.

Jiang Taiyuan waved his sleeve.

The enormous rift between the sea and the sky suddenly expanded, transforming into a circular entrance with a diameter of a hundred feet. Inside the entrance, light shimmered, and the faint outlines of mountains and rivers could be seen, while extremely pure spiritual energy surged forth.

"The Celestial Cave is now open."

Jiang Taiyuan's voice rang out again.

"Please, everyone."

On the platform, the monks looked at each other in bewilderment.

Nobody made the first move.

Qingyouzi stood in the corner, his gaze sweeping over the four righteous Nascent Soul cultivators opposite him, and then looking at Qi Sha and the others beside him.

Seven Fiends said in a low voice, "Thank you, fellow Daoist. Look..."

Xie Changyuan nodded slightly: "Go in."

As soon as he finished speaking, he transformed into a white rainbow and plunged into the circular entrance. His disciple followed closely behind.

Qi Sha glanced at Qing Youzi and Hong Kaishan: "Please, gentlemen."

Hong Kaishan snorted, his blood and qi surging, transforming into a streak of crimson light that rushed in.

Qingyouzi nodded to Qi Sha, his figure flickered, turned into green smoke and disappeared, and the next moment he appeared in front of the entrance.

He glanced back.

On the other side, the four righteous Nascent Soul cultivators also made a move.

"Walk."

Qingyouzi no longer hesitated and stepped in.

The world spun around.

The scenery before him changed rapidly, and when he regained his footing, he found himself in an unfamiliar world.

The sky was a pale blue, the sun and moon were nowhere to be seen, yet a soft light shone down. Beneath my feet lay a grassland, the grass reaching my knees, and in the distance, I could see rolling mountains shrouded in mist.

What's even more striking is the spiritual energy permeating the air—pure, rich, and at least three times stronger than that of the outside world!

Qingyouzi took a deep breath, feeling as if every pore on her body was opening up.

"It really is a great place."

He muttered to himself.

Behind them, Qi Sha, Hong Kaishan, Xie Changyuan and his disciples appeared one after another.

"This is the Celestial Cave..." Hong Kaishan looked around, his eyes burning with desire.

Xie Changyuan remained calm as he looked at Qing Youzi: "Fellow Daoist Qing You, do you have any ideas on how to proceed next?"

Qingyouzi pondered for a moment.

"Fellow Daoist Xie is at the mid-stage of cultivation and possesses extensive knowledge. Why don't you make the decision?"

He spoke politely, giving Xie Changyuan face while also putting himself in a safe position and avoiding being the first to speak out.

Xie Changyuan glanced at him and smiled slightly.

"In that case, I, Xie, have overstepped my bounds."

He took out a jade slip and probed it with his divine sense.

"According to previous records, the Celestial Immortal Cave is divided into three levels," he said slowly. "We are currently on the outermost level, where there are relatively fewer opportunities, but also less danger. The middle level contains ancient ruins and a garden of spiritual herbs, offering the most opportunities, but also the strongest demonic beasts and restrictions."

He paused for a moment.

"The inner layer... is said to contain ancient heritage and the legendary Heavenly Immortal Herb."

Upon hearing the words "Heavenly Immortal Grass," both Hong Kaishan and Qi Sha's eyes gleamed.

Qingyouzi's heart stirred slightly.

He had never heard of this thing.

However, judging from the changes in Hong Kaishan and Qi Sha's expressions, this grass was no ordinary plant.

"Heavenly Immortal Grass?" he asked casually.

Xie Changyuan glanced at him and explained, "It's an ancient spiritual herb that's said to help Nascent Soul cultivators break through bottlenecks and even has some effect on prolonging life. However, it's just a rumor, and it's hard to tell if it's true or not."

Qingyouzi nodded, but made a mental note of it.

"Xie suggested that we explore the outer layer first to familiarize ourselves with the environment before deciding whether to enter the middle layer."

Qi Sha nodded: "Thank you for your thoughtful consideration, Fellow Daoist."

Although Hong Kaishan was arrogant, he had no choice but to nod in the face of Xie Changyuan, who was in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

Qingyouzi naturally had no objections.

"Then let's set off."

Xie Changyuan put away the jade slip, chose a direction, and flew off first.

The crowd followed closely behind.

Qingyouzi flew at the back, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings.

The grassland stretched as far as the eye could see, with only a few scattered trees occasionally visible. In the distance, the mountains rose and fell, appearing tranquil and mysterious against the pale blue sky.

He quietly extended his divine sense, but it only covered an area of ​​several dozen miles. It seemed that the Heavenly Immortal Cave suppressed his divine sense.

While they were flying, a beast's roar suddenly came from ahead.

Xie Changyuan stopped.

Looking over, everyone saw a lion-like beast with wings on its back roaring towards the sky on the distant grassland. It possessed the aura of a late-stage third-tier demon king, and was likely the demon king of this place.

"Winged Lion Beast," Xie Changyuan said calmly. "A common demonic beast in the outer layer, its strength is considerable."

He looked at his apprentice: "Ziyu, why don't you give it a try?"

"Yes, Master."

The young man responded and, with a swift movement, charged towards a demonic beast.

Qingyouzi's eyes flickered slightly.

Mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, fighting a late-stage third-tier demonic beast alone?

interesting.