Chapter 1012: Heavenly Spiritual Root

The leaders of the three major merchant alliances arrived together.

All the Golden Core cultivators remained silent, curiously watching the powerful figures in the front row, anticipating a good show.

To their disappointment, they merely exchanged greetings and then ceased further communication.

The mottled gate of the Seven Kills Hall seemed to possess a magical allure, drawing the gaze of all the Nascent Soul grandmasters, who stared at it in silence.

Qin Sang covertly observed the leaders of the three major merchant alliances.

Having been a member of the East Pole Alliance for so long, he was finally seeing the leader in person – the elegant scholar.

The leaders of the three major merchant alliances were extremely reclusive, rarely making public appearances, leading to numerous speculations among outsiders.

Even their cultivation levels remained a subject of debate.

Some claimed their cultivation was no less formidable than that of the Demonic Lord and Spirit Pearl, deeming them grand cultivators, otherwise the righteous and demonic factions would never tolerate the merchant alliances' existence.

Other rumors suggested they were somewhat weaker, necessitating their alliance.

Although the leaders of the three major merchant alliances were close by, they did not display their auras, making it difficult for Qin Sang to ascertain their true cultivation realms.

A recent remark from the Demonic Lord had given Qin Sang a few hints.

The leaders of the three major merchant alliances were akin to cultivators whose valuable possessions put them at risk, hence their reluctance to easily leave their cave dwellings. Their cultivation might be slightly inferior to that of the Demonic Lord and Spirit Pearl.

Of course, these were merely Qin Sang's speculations.

He harbored a faint worry, surprised that various human overlords had converged here. The situation within the Seven Kills Hall was exceedingly complex, and he only hoped it wouldn't impact him.

Shortly after the arrival of the three major merchant alliance leaders, several more groups of cultivators, all alliance members, appeared in succession.

To Qin Sang's surprise, he spotted a familiar face among them.

It was Su Nu!

Decades prior, during the turmoil of the Demonic Sea, Qin Sang had ventured deep into its depths with Immortal Yue to rescue a woman named Su Nu. He had done so to acquire the Maoshan Vine and qualify for return to the Inner Sea.

Since then, Qin Sang hadn't visited Immortal Yue, and consequently, hadn't seen Su Nu again.

He never expected to encounter her here.

Su Nu, accompanied by several Golden Core cultivators, followed closely behind the East Pole Alliance's Nascent Soul grandmaster. She walked straight into the plaza, her gaze fixed forward, and positioned herself behind the alliance leader.

Immortal Yue was nowhere to be seen.

"To follow the leader into the Seven Kills Hall... she actually holds such a high position in the East Pole Alliance! Could it be that she isn't Immortal Yue's disciple after all?"

Qin Sang pondered this in secret.

He had suspected the nature of Immortal Yue's relationship with Su Nu back then, and now it seemed his suspicions were confirmed.

"Huh? Her cultivation level..."

Qin Sang gasped, a look of shock suddenly flickering in his eyes.

Su Nu's cultivation had astonishingly reached the Late Golden Core stage!

When they had rescued her, she was merely at the Foundation Establishment stage.

In just a few short decades, Su Nu had remarkably progressed through several cultivation realms, including overcoming the difficult Golden Core bottleneck, to reach the Late Golden Core stage – a level no weaker than his own. This utterly astonished Qin Sang.

It was worth noting that Qin Sang himself was already at the Mid Golden Core stage back then.

Compared to her, Qin Sang felt as though his years of cultivation had been utterly wasted.

Such astounding cultivation speed was likely only possible for someone with a Heavenly Spiritual Root, unhindered by the Golden Core bottleneck.

"He had certainly overlooked a cultivation prodigy."

Qin Sang sighed inwardly.

No wonder she had caught the East Pole Alliance leader's attention and why Immortal Yue had gone to such lengths to save her.

Beyond the rare elixirs and cultivation techniques available in the current world, the East Pole Alliance offered resources far superior to those of Shaohua Mountain, making Su Nu's rapid breakthrough quite understandable.

Chen Yan, Su Nu.

He had now encountered two cultivation prodigies possessing Heavenly Spiritual Roots, and they truly lived up to their renown. He wondered, however, if Su Nu would also find herself trapped at the Nascent Soul bottleneck, much like Chen Yan.

Qin Sang noticed Su Nu standing among the group, closely following the Nascent Soul cultivators, which clearly indicated her high status.

Su Nu stood there, head bowed, in complete silence.

She seemed to sense something, turning her head for a quick glance behind her. A flicker of doubt crossed her eyes before she refocused her gaze on the Seven Kills Hall entrance.

"Junior Sister, is something amiss?"

The handsome young man beside her leaned closer, asking with concern.

Su Nu slightly furrowed her brows and shook her head. "Nothing. Why isn't the Seven Kills Hall open yet? I heard that this time it's different from usual, with only a little over a century passing since the last opening. Will there be any unforeseen changes to the trial realm the leader spoke of?"

"As long as the Seven Kills Hall opens normally, we will certainly be able to enter the trial realm. Junior Sister, rest assured, I, your Elder Brother, will strive with all my might to acquire a bottle of Soul Cleansing Liquid for you. Furthermore, the alliance leader holds you in such high regard that even if the trial realm doesn't yield Soul Cleansing Liquid, he'll surely find a way to help you find similar spiritual medicines. With your talent, Junior Sister, there's absolutely no need to worry about forming a Nascent Soul."

The young man patted his chest, speaking with utmost certainty.

"This junior sister is unworthy, and I dare not accept such great kindness from both you, Elder Brother, and the alliance leader. I simply wish you success in acquiring the Soul Cleansing Liquid and achieving the Nascent Soul stage soon."

Su Nu's expression tightened, and she replied demurely.

No one noticed the layer of gloom that flickered deep within her beautiful eyes.

The crowd waited for a full hour in front of the Seven Kills Hall, with fewer and fewer cultivators arriving.

Suddenly, the ancient plaque of the Seven Kills Hall blazed with light.

At this sight, the cultivators' spirits soared.

The light from the plaque intensified, becoming too dazzling to behold directly.

Concurrently, the Seven Kills Hall itself, and even the entire white jade plaza, began to gently tremble.

*Bang!*

The grand gate of the Seven Kills Hall suddenly swung open on its own.

Simultaneously, the plaque's radiance retracted, instantly transforming into a pillar of light that shot down to the ground, dividing the Seven Kills Hall entrance into two halves. After this, the Seven Kills Hall fell silent once more, with no further changes.

A ripple of excitement went through the crowd, but no one dared to make a move, instead looking to the Demonic Lord and Spirit Pearl.

Spirit Pearl turned his head to look at the Demonic Lord.

The Demonic Lord waved a dismissive hand. "You go," he said. "I can't be bothered with such trivialities."

Spirit Pearl took no offense, stepping onto the stairs to reach the Seven Kills Hall entrance. He extended his hand into the pillar of light, as if touching the plaque from a distance.

After a moment, Spirit Pearl discreetly nodded, then withdrew his hand. Turning to the cultivators, he offered a slight smile. "The entrance to the trial realm is now open, and you may enter," he announced. "It appears the inner hall is functioning normally, unaffected by its premature emergence. All fellow Daoists can rest assured."

Everyone rejoiced.

Meanwhile.

At the edge of an immortal restriction, quite a distance from the Seven Kills Hall.

In a mountain hollow, several cultivators lay hidden, their auras completely restrained, betraying no presence whatsoever.

One of them was none other than King Nine Phoenix!

"Fellow Daoist Jiao-Dragon, you lured us here. Can you finally be forthright? How much longer must we wait before entering the inner hall? And do you truly have absolute confidence that we can infiltrate this human sacred ground undetected? Don't forget, you're now trapped in the Inner Sea just like us; once exposed, there'll be no escape, and we'll be at the mercy of those cultivators."

One of the burly men rumbled.

His gaze betrayed a hint of impatience, tinged with underlying worry.

Curiously, a massive black turtle shell was strapped to his back.

The burly man's question was directed at a middle-aged man with an imposing demeanor, who, upon hearing it, turned to look at King Nine Phoenix.