Chapter 1028: Planning

The Inner Hall.

The Nascent Soul cultivators entering the Inner Hall this time, apart from those qualified to participate in the trial, all walked with Lingzhuzi through the left gate of the Seven Killings Hall.

After passing through a long, narrow passage, a faint light appeared ahead. An already opened stone gate stood before everyone. Outside the gate was a high platform, where fierce winds howled, making it extremely cold. Surprisingly, facing what seemed like mere chilling winds, these Nascent Soul cultivators quickly activated their True Essence or the protective energy shields of their enchanted robes to resist. It seemed the chilling winds here were extraordinary.

Lingzhuzi was the first to step outside, standing at the edge of the high platform and gazing into the distance. The rest followed in single file. At this point, the various factions remained distinctly separate. Cultivators from both the righteous and demonic paths gathered around Lingzhuzi and the Demon Lord, respectively. The people from the three major trade alliances huddled together, their three leaders pointing towards the Inner Hall and communicating secretly via telepathy. Other smaller factions did not approach these three groups, instead forming their own clusters. They were observing the movements of the righteous and demonic paths and the trade alliances, not daring to act rashly.

“A hundred years have passed, and the Inner Hall remains unchanged,” Lingzhuzi said, standing with his hands behind his back. The high platform where they stood was built on a sheer cliff. This smooth, mirror-like cliff had only this one cave and platform serving as the entrance to the Inner Hall. Below the cliff was a bottomless abyss, pitch-black, from which chilling winds continuously surged upwards, sounding like ghostly wails and striking fear into one's heart.

Looking out, immortal restrictions shimmered in the air. Ahead lay thousands of mountains and valleys; some areas shimmered with strange lights, appearing extraordinary and hinting at ancient ruins, but also concealing dangers. However, there was no beautiful immortal scenery here. The entire Inner Hall had a dim, somber tone. Chilling winds swept through every corner, continuous eerie ‘whooshing’ sounds echoed, and faint black mists, like ghostly aura, drifted everywhere. Broken walls and dilapidated ruins were visible everywhere, riverbeds were dry, devoid of any life. Some mountain peaks had even completely collapsed, with rubble filling the valleys, presenting a desolate scene. Coupled with the ubiquitous dangerous restrictions, the entire Inner Hall resembled a ghost realm. Anyone entering here would instinctively become extremely vigilant.

“This place hasn't changed since the Four Sages discovered the Seven Killings Hall! One day, I will surely uncover all its secrets and find out what truly happened in the ancient cultivation world that severed the path to immortality for my descendants!” the Demon Lord declared, raising an eyebrow defiantly. His words resonated powerfully. Among the Nascent Soul cultivators present, some felt a strong sense of empathy, and sighs could be heard. Their ability to stand out in this dilapidated era and achieve the Nascent Soul stage meant that, in ancient times, they would undoubtedly have been paragons among cultivators, with limitless futures. Especially grand cultivators like the Demon Lord and Lingzhuzi. Yet now, due to being born at the wrong time, they saw no hope for the immortal path, not even daring to aspire to the Soul Transformation stage, merely struggling to survive under the constant threat of heavenly tribulations. How was this different from a dry skeleton in a tomb?

Having spoken, the Demon Lord floated away, and the other Nascent Soul cultivators also snapped back to reality and began to move. Lingzhuzi sighed faintly, then turned and said, “Once the immortal restrictions fluctuate, it means the Inner Hall is about to close. Time is limited, fellow daoists. Whatever you wish to do, make haste.” With that, Lingzhuzi also led his people away. Immediately, streaks of escape light soared from the high platform, heading in various directions. Among them, the people from the three major trade alliances remained together. Led by their three leaders, the group did not head directly into the depths of the Inner Hall, but instead flew to the left of the high platform, landing shortly on a mountain filled with dilapidated structures.

After the Nascent Soul cultivators had left, a barely perceptible fluctuation appeared in the immortal restrictions at the top of the sheer cliff. An old woman, hidden within the shimmering light of the restrictions, scanned over the Nascent Soul cultivators, then observed the surrounding prohibitions. “The immortal restrictions here are normal, and the prohibitions left by our ancestors haven’t changed. Why would it appear early…” The old woman, full of doubts, tapped her staff and flashed away.

On the mountain, the cultivators from the three major trade alliances landed. Looking up, they could only see the lower half of the mountain; its summit was entirely shrouded by immortal restrictions, making it impossible to discern the scenery within. The others waited quietly in place, while the three leaders stealthily moved to the edge of the immortal restrictions. The red-faced old man, who was the North Star Alliance leader, casually set up an isolation restriction. Then he formed a hand seal, and after a moment of silence, said, “No one is around.”

The East Pole Alliance leader nodded, looking up at the mountain peak. “This is the true location of the trial realm, entirely hidden within the immortal restrictions. After setting up the formation, we will split up as agreed. I will stay here to unlock the divine platform hidden within the trial realm, while the two of you should quickly leave for other locations. Unlock all the divine platforms as soon as possible. Do not miss this opportunity; success or failure hinges on this!” The North Star Alliance leader nodded slightly, and the Gloomy West Alliance leader remained silent but offered no objection. The three leaders consulted briefly, then each took out exceptionally precious treasures from their storage bags and collaborated to set up a peculiar grand formation. The formation's location was extremely secret, and it exhibited no fluctuations whatsoever, making its purpose indiscernible. It was surprising that it required the combined effort of all three leaders to set it up.

“We'll leave this place to you, fellow daoist. Let’s go.” The North Star Alliance leader called out to the Gloomy West Alliance leader and led their people away from the mountain. After the others had departed, the East Pole Alliance leader looked up, stared at the immortal restrictions for a moment, then sat cross-legged on the altar in the center of the grand formation, closing his eyes in meditation.

Time passed, though how much was unknown. The East Pole Alliance leader suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them. He then raised his hands, his fingers moving like a spinning wheel, rapidly forming seals and sending streams of hand seals towards various points of the grand formation.

‘Om…’

The divine platform vibrated softly. However, the grand formation itself remained very calm, showing no obvious activity. Even if someone were right next to the mountain, they would find it difficult to detect anything unusual. Finally, the East Pole Alliance leader activated the grand formation. At once, within the grand formation, there appeared to be countless indistinct, dark circular mirrors. In the center of each mirror, a faint, misty green aura flickered into and out of existence, seemingly ethereal.

The East Pole Alliance leader did not stop, focusing intensely on casting the spell. The fluctuations of the circular mirrors grew stronger, and the auras, like trapped fish, were unable to escape the formation's confines, beginning to converge towards the center. As the East Pole Alliance leader neared the end of his spell, the form of these auras dramatically changed. They resembled numerous flying swords without handles, or rather, illusory blades with no physical substance. The illusory blades pointed towards the grand formation in the air, their sharpness fully revealed.

After completing this step, the East Pole Alliance leader temporarily paused, seeming to feel somewhat strained. After taking a few spiritual pills, he resumed casting the spell. The blades' forms changed again. What was initially a faint green color finally transformed into truly transparent, illusory blades, invisible to the naked eye.

“Phew!” The East Pole Alliance leader let out a long breath. Opening his eyes, he looked at the illusory blades floating around him, a hint of joy appearing on his face. He then took out a token from his storage pouch, grasped it in his hand, and made no further movements. The illusory blades floated beneath the restrictions. The East Pole Alliance leader seemed to be waiting for a certain moment.