I flew on a sword at the magic academy

Soon after, Shi Daohan saw six skeletons, all of which shimmered with a crystal-clear jade-like luster, clearly indicating that they were all peerless powerhouses in life.

Shi Daohan examined them carefully and found that their causes of death were the same: a hole had been pierced through their foreheads, the force penetrating their brains, killing them instantly.

Over countless years, thirty exceptionally talented individuals came to Wuji Mountain to explore its mysteries, leaving their names on the jade steps with great pride. However, six of them died shortly after reaching the summit, demonstrating the danger of the place.

Shi Daohan examined the area carefully but did not find the remains of the ancestor of the Ge family.

Helpless, she could only continue exploring forward. After walking several hundred meters, the inexplicable evil power suddenly intensified several times, causing her mind to waver and her feet to move forward uncontrollably.

"Damn it!" Shi Daohan thought to herself that something was wrong. She kept her mental cultivation technique running continuously, but her mind was still being disturbed.

She took out a dagger and stabbed it into her arm to stay conscious, then flew back.

This road is clearly a dead end, and there is an unknown great terror at its end.

"You're safe for now, no need to run..."

The sudden sound startled Shi Daohan.

"Who is it?!" Shi Daohan scanned his surroundings. The voice came from another direction and was not that kind of inexplicable evil power; it sounded very weak.

"You're just playing tricks! Who are you?!" Shi Daohan shouted.

"Tai'an City... Jiang Guiqin..."

The other person's voice was very weak, as if they might stop breathing at any moment.

However, the six words he uttered sounded like a thunderbolt to Shi Daohan, leaving her stunned on the spot.

Jiang Guiqin, the ruler of Tai'an City?!

Shi Daohan could hardly believe it; this was one of the thirty-six people who had left their names on the jade steps!

"An ancient sage... Did I encounter one in Mount Wuji?"

If Tai'an City were to learn that their city lord is still alive, they would go mad and use all their resources to rescue him.

Judging from the carvings on the jade steps, the lord of Tai'an City should have entered Wuji Mountain 200,000 years ago.

Two hundred thousand years is an extremely ancient period, even for cultivators.

In this era, the Nascent Soul stage is the highest known combat power, an existence at the very top of the mountain. Yet even such a peak-level figure only has a lifespan of less than ten thousand years.

The lord of Tai'an City has been trapped here for more than 200,000 years, yet he has not yet passed away. It is truly unimaginable what level he has reached.

This also illustrates the terrifying nature of Wuji Mountain, where a peerless powerhouse endured over two hundred thousand years of hardship without being able to escape.

"You...come to me..."

The voice of the Lord of Tai'an City was old and weak, and each word he uttered seemed to be uttered with all his strength.

"Senior, where are you?" Shi Daohan used his divine sense to transmit his voice, carefully moving forward along the winding cave.

"It's just ahead..."

"Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Shi Daohan stopped in his tracks, but did not lower his guard.

She had heard that some powerful figures with limited lifespans would extend their lives by possessing the bodies of others.

The other party was clearly on the verge of death; if he were to possess her unexpectedly, she might not even have a chance to resist.

However, the other party fell silent, and there was no response for a long time.

It wasn't until half an hour later that the weak and aged voice rang out again.

"I... am nearing the end of my life... I can no longer... always communicate with you telepathically..."

Having been trapped for over two hundred thousand years, he was truly at his wit's end.

However, this also demonstrates his power; if it were any other cultivator, they would probably have turned to dust and vanished into nothingness long ago.

"Your realm... your cultivation level..."

"The Realm of the Illusory Gods," Shi Daohan answered truthfully.

"The Void God Realm... Are you a reincarnated cultivator?" the Lord of Tai'an City asked.

"No, I have only been cultivating for four years and am currently only at the normal Void God Realm."

After listening, a heavy sigh came, and one could feel the despair of the Lord of Tai'an City. He remained silent for a long time.

"Senior, are you alright?" Shi Daohan asked.

"You... are too weak..." The voice of the Lord of Tai'an City was desolate, sounding lifeless, and one could feel the despair in his heart.

Shi Daohan was speechless. The other party was a peerless powerhouse who had surpassed the Nascent Soul level, and was more likely a Quasi-Saint. Compared to such an existence, she was truly as insignificant as an ant.

"Your cultivation level is so weak... how did you get here?" The Lord of Tai'an City was very puzzled.

"Just lucky," Shi Daohan replied. To be honest, even she herself felt it was unrealistic. So many peerless experts had perished on this path, while she, a mere Void God Realm cultivator, had made it here unscathed.

"Just like that young man from the Ge family back then..."

"Senior, have you seen that person? Which direction did he go?" Shi Daohan hurriedly asked. She knew that the Ge family boy mentioned by the Lord of Tai'an City was the ancestor of the Ge family.

"Dead...died deep in Wuji Mountain..." The Lord of Tai'an City was extremely weak at the moment, his life was intermittent, and it was difficult for him to have a normal conversation.

"Deep within Wuji Mountain...can I get there?" Shi Daohan asked.

The Lord of Tai'an City did not respond. Every word he spoke now would consume some of his life essence. He did not want to waste his energy on questions that were meaningless and did not help him.

"Four years of cultivation...Void God Realm...He is indeed a promising talent..." The Lord of Tai'an City muttered to himself, but his divine sense fluctuations were transmitted outwards.

Shi Daohan's heart stirred, and he said, "In fact, if I had powerful cultivation techniques and mental methods, my progress would be even greater."

To avoid being recognized, the main body of the body did not pass on the cultivation techniques and mental cultivation methods of Mount Shu to her. The mental cultivation methods she currently uses are the ones she bought from a street stall before.

She entered the Void God Realm in less than four years of cultivation. This was the achievement of the main god's main body alone, while she only inherited it directly from the main body and it had nothing to do with her.

However, she did not reveal these things, fearing that the Lord of Tai'an City would refuse to pass on the magic to her once he knew she was just a spirit.

Aside from her existing Void Realm cultivation level, the main body of the body gave her nothing else. She had to earn all the cultivation techniques, mental cultivation methods, and other resources on her own.

This is also one of the reasons why she ventured into Wuji Mountain. The secret of growth, the inheritance of immortals, and the Dragon Seeking Scripture—whichever of these three she obtained could lay the foundation for her future cultivation path, making the risk entirely worthwhile.

However, the weakened Lord of Tai'an City did not respond in time, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep, and no sound came out.

This time, a full three hours passed before the Lord of Tai'an City spoke again, saying, "Come forward... I will pass on my mantle to you..."

These words seemed to have drained his last bit of life force, and he fell silent once more after speaking them.

Under normal circumstances, anyone would lose patience, because such a conversation is just too exhausting.

However, Shi Daohan knew this was an opportunity, so he was not in a hurry and was very patient. After receiving a response from the Lord of Tai'an City, he began to stride forward.

She searched through the winding caves until she finally came to the end of one, where a smooth stone wall, like a glass mirror, clearly reflected her image.

"Lord Jiang, are you here?" Shi Daohan looked carefully, but found nothing.

When she looked up at the smooth, mirror-like stone wall again, her expression froze, and she felt a chill run down her spine.

In the reflection of that creature in the mirror, besides her, there was a tall, ferocious-looking being with skin covered in fine scales and protruding fangs more than three inches long, like blood-red steel knives.

Shi Daohan quickly looked behind him, but there was nothing there.

"Logically speaking... you shouldn't be able to see it..." came the voice of the Lord of Tai'an City.

"That is a creature formed from evil and malevolent energy... invisible to the naked eye... it is already asleep... there is no need to worry." The Lord of Tai'an City needed to rest for a long time after each word before he could speak again.

Shi Daohan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Where are you, senior?"

"I am sealed in stone... Look closely at the stone wall in front of you... I will teach you a move and see how you understand it." The voice of the Lord of Tai'an City grew weaker and weaker.

Shi Daohan waited patiently, and half an hour later, a withered figure appeared on the smooth, mirror-like stone wall in front of her.

The figure was very blurry, skin and bones, emaciated and barely better than a skeleton.

"Just you wait and see..."

The Lord of Tai'an City spoke, and he drew lines in the air in front of him with his hand, as if he were writing something. Shi Daohan focused intently on every trace of his finger's movement, and then quickly copied it onto the ground.

This is a rune, containing an indescribable Daoist charm.

"How much you can understand depends on your own comprehension..."

After saying this, the figure of the Lord of Tai'an City disappeared from the stone wall.

Shi Daohan sat cross-legged on the ground, staring intently at the rune she had replicated, and began to study it carefully.

The Lord of Tai'an City was unable to pass on his teachings, so he condensed all his life's knowledge into a rune, which, in modern mortal terms, would be a compressed file.

In a short while, her mind was completely captivated; this was a powerful offensive technique!

In the days that followed, she became completely absorbed in it, silently comprehending and evolving within her mind, finding it increasingly profound the more she studied it.

"This is a primordial truth, capable of evolving into countless powerful offensive techniques!"

Shi Daohan was shocked. This was an extremely abnormal secret technique with endless potential, capable of evolving all kinds of offensive and defensive methods in the world.

"This seems to be only part of the truth, and there are still significant flaws..."

After several days of contemplation, Shi Daohan discovered that the rune was incomplete and that there must be another part of it.

"What kind of secret technique is this? Did City Lord Jiang create it himself? It can replicate all great offensive techniques, and at the same time, it can turn the rotten into the miraculous. Even the most basic method can be evolved to its ultimate sublimation under the blessing of this technique!"

Shi Daohan was incredibly excited, thinking of the Lesser Formless Skill from martial arts novels, which allowed him to directly execute someone else's moves simply by glancing at them.

She meditated for seven consecutive days, but the Lord of Tai'an City seemed to have run out of oil and died, with no sound coming out. She tried to call out to him, but received no response.

On the ninth day, Shi Daohan had completely taken control, but the Lord of Tai'an City remained silent.

Meanwhile, the malevolent power deep within Wuji Mountain grew stronger and stronger, constantly trying to seize her mind. She had lost count of how many times she had stabbed herself in the thigh, yet she was still almost summoned away by that power several times.

Half a month passed, and the Lord of Tai'an City made no move, while Shi Daohan had already comprehended the profound meaning contained in the runes.

On the nineteenth day, the Lord of Tai'an City finally awoke, his weak voice asking, "How... is your comprehension progressing?"

"City Lord, you're finally awake!" Shi Daohan breathed a sigh of relief. She was already preparing to leave when she said, "I've grasped the basics of this method."

"Demonstrate...I want to see..." The Lord of Tai'an City wanted to see her learning results.

Shi Daohan held nothing back, using profound techniques to create a unique seal. A blazing sun and a bright moon appeared in her hands, illuminating the ancient rock cave. At the same time, a powerful fighting spirit emanated from her body.

The Sun and Moon Seal she used was a simple, beginner-level seal technique, but under the evolution and enhancement of the method passed down by the Lord of Tai'an City, it was transformed from something rotten into something magical, becoming an incomparably powerful divine technique.

"Very good...comprehension...indeed quite impressive." The Lord of Tai'an City was very satisfied to see that Shi Daohan could control his boiling battle intent at will.

"Lord Jiang, how can I help you escape this predicament?" Shi Daohan asked.

The Lord of Tai'an City sighed heavily, filled with regret, and said, "I can't help it... you're too weak..."

Shi Daohan felt a pang of sorrow. The other party had passed on their lineage to her, yet she was powerless to help them and could only watch as they were trapped here, slowly dying of old age.

"I will impart the complete Dharma to you... Please watch carefully..."

The gaunt figure of the Lord of Tai'an City reappeared on the smooth, mirror-like stone wall. He struggled to raise one thin, bony arm, and slowly traced his fingers in the air in front of him, completely completing the previously incomplete rune.

Shi Daohan watched intently, afraid of missing even the slightest detail. Despite the absence of any divine power fluctuations, she still felt a terrifying pressure.

The Lord of Tai'an City moved slowly, also wanting Shi Daohan to remember the rune completely.

The complete rune was like a war god wielding a weapon, invincible in battle, exuding an unparalleled aura of supreme dominance. That incomparable fighting spirit made Shi Daohan feel his blood boiling.

(End of this chapter)