Yellow Court Daoist

"This is—"

Lu Qingfeng suddenly opened his eyes and looked out over the river beyond the Soldier Book and Treasure Sword Gorge.

A sweeping frost had overtaken the area; the river had frozen over and a mountainous wave surged forward. Behind this mountainous wave, thousands of frosty ripples rose up into the sky, a truly terrifying sight.

Upon closer inspection, what appeared to be a mountain was actually a colossal black turtle. Its massive body, no less than hundreds of meters in length, was covered with concrete and overgrown with moss and aquatic plants, indistinguishable from a true mountain.

Wherever it traveled, Mystic Ice followed.

"What kind of demon dares to run wild on the Ten Thousand Beasts Immortal Mountain!"

Lu Qingfeng dashed out, alighting atop the gorge, confronting the ancient turtle from across the Chengyang River.

"Xuan Venerate!"

"Greetings to Xuan Venerate!"

"Elder Changqing, this is the guardian of our sect, the Ancestor Master Xuan Venerate."

The river had frozen, and Lu Qingfeng's loud roar had startled the cultivators secluded in the Soldier Book and Treasure Sword Gorge, who quickly rushed to explain the situation to him.

"So, it's Fellow Daoist Xuan Venerate."

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingfeng finally understood.

He had been puzzled before, recalling that the Ten Thousand Beast Immortal Mountain was renowned for beast taming rather than its use of the mystical Sword Dao, as displayed by the Bing Yi Daoist and Ancestor Guyue. Only now did he realize that the mountain housed a Great Demon at the Primordial Spirit Level among its exotic beasts.

According to the disciples in the gorge—

The dark turtle in front of him was one of the most powerful demons of the Ten Thousand Beasts Immortal Mountain, known as the 'Cold Jade Turtle,' revered as 'Xuan Venerate' by the sect's cultivators and served as a divine beast protector. Normally it cultivated in seclusion within the Chengyang River, guarding the southern stretch of the Ten Thousand Beasts Immortal Mountain, deterring demons and miscreants.

It was unclear why it had come to the Soldier Book and Treasure Sword Gorge today.

"Cold Jade Turtle."

Lu Qingfeng had his suspicions.

He listened as the Cold Jade Turtle spoke, its voice reaching his ears, "I heard that Fellow Daoist Changqing possesses a Snow Soul Pearl. I wonder if you would be willing to part with it, as this old turtle is willing to exchange all my treasures for it."

As these words echoed,

Mountains of gold and silver, agate and jade, Spirit Stones, Spiritual Pearls, and Spiritual Medicines, and minerals formed over a dozen treasure peaks flashed through Lu Qingfeng's mind.

The depths of the Chengyang River hid untold treasures.

Having guarded the Xiling Gorge section of the Chengyang River for countless years, the Cold Jade Turtle had amassed numerous treasures.

Lu Qingfeng counted.

There were nineteen treasure peaks.

Combined, their value was immeasurable.

Even if one were willing to spend the time, it might take a Primordial Spirit Practitioner hundreds or thousands of years to amass such treasures.

The effort needed was not insignificant, requiring substantial power.

Although the Snow Soul Pearl was invaluable,

It could only be found in the deep and cold depths of the North Pole Snow Domain, deep underground in snow caves. Snow Mountain Ancestor Wei Fengniang had searched the domain for over a thousand years and had only found two Snow Soul Pearls.

But in this world, as long as something exists, it has its price.

It all depends on one's own assessment.

For the Cold Jade Turtle, whose attributes matched, even trading all its treasures was more than worthwhile.

"Xuan Venerate."

"Junior Brother."

Knowing the purpose of the Cold Jade Turtle's visit, before Lu Qingfeng could respond, a sudden streak of Xuan Light came from the sky and landed before him—it was Bing Yi Daoist.

"Xuan Venerate is mild-mannered, and if Junior Brother finds it difficult, you can just say so."

Bing Yi Daoist settled down, transmitting his voice into Lu Qingfeng's ear.

Obviously,

Bing Yi Daoist worried that Lu Qingfeng might feel obligated and also concerned that he might think that the Cold Jade Turtle's action was instigated by him and Ancestor Guyue, so he quickly made his stance clear.

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Lu Qingfeng nodded slightly to Bing Yi Daoist, spreading his palm open to reveal an ice-cold pearl shrouded in misty air, indistinct to see.

It was indeed the Snow Soul Pearl!

Upon seeing it, the Cold Jade Turtle's eyes, as large as lakes, immediately brightened.

"This is—"

Bing Yi Daoist also looked at Lu Qingfeng, with a slight start of surprise.

But he saw Lu Qingfeng lightly push his palm forward, sending the Snow Soul Pearl to land in front of the Cold Jade Turtle. Lu Qingfeng's voice resounded through the Soldier Book and Treasure Sword Gorge, "Fellow Daoist Xuan Venerate is more suited to this Snow Soul Pearl than I am. Please, feel free to take it. It's only unfortunate that I wasn't aware earlier and used it in refining for three months, which has somewhat diminished its potency. Also, the Snow Soul Pearl had been used as a formation base in Qingluo Valley for hundreds of years and does not compare to the original Snow Soul Pearl."

Indeed—

Bing Yi Daoist's eyes flickered, surprised by Lu Qingfeng's unexpected willingness to give the Snow Soul Pearl away so readily.

"That's enough!"

The Cold Jade Turtle nodded incessantly, its mild nature unable to hide its boundless joy. It excitedly said to Lu Qingfeng, "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Changqing. Please accept these treasures."

"Very well."

"I shall not stand on ceremony."

Lu Qingfeng smiled, sweeping his long sleeves to gather up the nineteen treasure peaks hidden by the Cold Jade Turtle. Far from feeling any regret, the turtle was overjoyed. As soon as Lu Qingfeng had taken the treasure peaks, it hurriedly swallowed the Snow Soul Pearl and, after bidding farewell to Lu Qingfeng, turned and disappeared into the depths of the Chengyang River.

Dedicated to refining the Snow Soul Pearl.

"Junior brother's righteousness is admirable!"

Bing Yi Daoist, upon seeing this, had myriad thoughts in his heart and finally couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration towards Lu Qingfeng. He questioned himself; if placed in the same situation, he feared he wouldn't be able to part so freely with a treasure like the Snow Soul Pearl.

After all, the Snow Soul Pearl was indeed a rare find.

Not only could it significantly advance a Primordial Spirit Practitioner's cultivation level, but it could also develop into a top-notch Great Method, offering more variability during combat to protect the Dao.

Lu Qingfeng waved his hand and said, "Xuan Venerate is more suited to the Snow Soul Pearl than I. I cannot bear to let such an artifact gather dust with me. Moreover, Xuan Venerate's generosity is truly moving, who would not be tempted?"

Contrary to what Bing Yi Daoist thought.

Indeed, the Snow Soul Pearl was a rare treasure for Primordial Spirit Practitioners. However, for Lu Qingfeng, who was only at the Initial Stage of Core Formation, the nineteen treasured peaks offered by Xuan Venerate were far more substantial and real than the Snow Soul Pearl, enough for Lu Qingfeng, Qing Shan, and Qing Yu to cultivate for a long time.

Regarding the top-notch Great Method.

Lu Qingfeng had plenty of Divine Skills and Great Divine Powers, absolutely not needing them. To exchange mere Snow Soul Pearl for an entity like the Cold Jade Turtle was truly a bargain.

"And moreover."

"In three months, I have refined almost half of the Snow Soul Pearl, which greatly benefited the Shebi Corpse Demon God, even enhancing the power of the 'Ice Sealing Water Technique' and elevating it to the Small Success Realm."

"That is enough."

Bing Yi Daoist thought Lu Qingfeng was at a disadvantage, but Lu Qingfeng had his own calculations.

…

"Junior brother surpasses me greatly!"

Bing Yi Daoist sighed emotionally and returned to the cave dwelling with Lu Qingfeng. Only then did he explain his reason for coming, "...Slaying the Qingluo Eight Demons was all thanks to Junior Brother's efforts. To monopolize them and seek Master Zhen Hui from the Six Dust Temple alone is truly shameful. My senior uncle and I agreed, and this 'Bai Geng Ring' will be managed by Junior Brother for a hundred years. During these years, you may freely enter and cultivate in the Heavenly Stele Secret Realm by holding the 'Bai Geng Ring'."

After three months.

Bing Yi Daoist finally made a decision to go to the Six Dust Temple, seeking Master Zhen Hui's display of the 'Buddhist Sect Little Wheel Three Ride Marvelous Forms Transformation Birth Method' to help in cultivation.

The 'Bai Geng Ring,' 'Heavenly Stele Secret Realm,' both are compensations to Lu Qingfeng.

"Heavenly Stele Secret Realm?"

Lu Qingfeng reached out to take the 'Bai Geng Ring' radiating golden light handed over by Bing Yi Daoist. He was curious about the affairs that Bing Yi Daoist and Ancestor Guyue had sought with the Six Dust Temple, but since Bing Yi Daoist didn't mention it, it was not appropriate for Lu Qingfeng to ask.

Therefore, he examined the 'Bai Geng Ring' in his hand and inquired with an odd tone, "What is significant about the Heavenly Stele Secret Realm?"

Three Mountains and Nine Waters contained countless large and small secret realms.

Some for heritage.

Some for cultivation.

Some hidden with various treasures.

For countless years, numerous secret realms have been unearthed. Minor ones like the Juyun Mountain Range's 'Hundred Herbs Garden' contain low-level Spiritual Medicine. Medium ones include the first secret realm of the Xuanyuan Sect, the Sky-Supporting Palm Seal encompassing the Great Method.

"The 'Heavenly Stele Secret Realm' can be ranked as a top-notch, first-rate secret realm among the numerous secret realms in the Three Mountains and Nine Waters."

Seeing Lu Qingfeng's curiosity, Bing Yi Daoist elaborated—

"Countless years ago, the Tianxing Sect of the Kongling Gorge from the Seven Gorges Immortal Sect first discovered the Heavenly Stele Secret Realm. After a fierce battle with demons, many masters were heavily injured or killed, nearly leading to the sect's demolition. It was only with the help of the other six sects that they were able to preserve it and repel the demons."

"From then on, the Tianxing Sect fell into decline, unable to monopolize the Heavenly Stele Secret Realm, and it eventually became shared property among the Seven Gorges Immortal Sect.""

Tianxing Sect.

Lu Qingfeng's heart stirred.

This was the third time he had heard about the Tianxing Sect after the Hundred Herbs Garden and the Yuu Mountain Immortal Mansion.

The Seven Gorges Immortal Sects stand independently, yet connected like branches of the same tree.

It's quite similar to the 'Five Mountains Sword Sects' in Lu Qingfeng's knowledge.

Xiling Gorge's Ten Thousand Beasts Immortal Mountain.

Yellow Maple Gorge's Green Wood Valley.

Yufu Gorge's Six Dust Temple.

All are among them.

Tianxing Sect is located between 'Yunmeng Swamp' and 'Spiritual Mountain Shell Field' in the Three Mountains and Nine Waters, situated in Kongling Gorge, and is tens of thousands of miles away from Biyang Lake.

Speaking of which, Lu Qingfeng still had three True Inheriting Tokens from the Tianxing Sect. However, with his current cultivation level and achievements, there was no need to traverse mountains and waters to seek out the Tianxing Sect.

Thinking deeply.

Lu Qingfeng did not interrupt but listened as Bing Yi Daoist continued:

"In the Heavenly Stele Secret Realm."

"There is neither heaven nor earth, there are only sixty-four steles implicitly aligning with the heavenly mechanism and constellation movements. Each stele contains ancient erosion writings of thousands of inscriptions. Concerning the steles and inscriptions, there have been two most widely accepted theories since ancient times—"

"One theory suggests that these steles were originally engraved and formulated by ancient cultivators recording the movements of celestial constellations and comprehending the mysterious path within, each containing many mysterious changes of heavenly mechanisms. However, constellations change frequently, and there are no fixed numbers of stars. Since ancient times, each cultivator has understood different contents from the sixty-four steles."

"Therefore, the steles are also called 'Star Constellation Tablets.'"

"Another theory claims that the steles were naturally formed and completed by creation. Once one fully understands the sixty-four steles, they can ascend to immortality at that moment. Among the seven sects, generations of prodigies have comprehended countless magic methods from the steles, including top-notch Great Methods. Yet historically, even the most genius individuals could barely comprehend twenty-four steles and when forcefully trying to understand the twenty-fifth stele, their energy became disordered, their heart power exhausted, leading to entering the demon path and dying."

At this point, Bing Yi Daoist's expression turned serious, and he cautioned Lu Qingfeng, "Junior brother, do not fixate on comprehending the steles when you enter the secret realm. Just cultivate earnestly with the help of the 'Bai Geng Ring.'"

"Thank you for the reminder, senior brother."

Lu Qingfeng nodded in acknowledgment and inquired more about the details within the Heavenly Stele Secret Realm from Bing Yi Daoist before sending him out of the cave dwelling.

And he turned back.

"Heavenly Stele Secret Realm."

After a moment of pondering, a True Yuan was injected into the 'Bai Geng Ring', the boundless Geng Metal Qi collided and assembled into a portal, with one step, he entered within the portal.

…