Chapter 2213: Sacred Mountain Stone Platform

Human World

As the Dharmakaya flew out from the mountaintop, a talisman hovered above its head. The talisman itself was as light as a feather and as soft as water. Its surface shimmered with mysterious symbols, emitting a greenish aura.

This talisman was a gift from True Immortal Ning, and it concealed the fluctuations emanating from Qin Sang and Mount Daiyu. Unexpectedly, this location had become the center of a disturbance. Qin Sang worried that it might attract the attention of the Alien Race's powerful beings, so he activated the talisman's power in advance to avoid detection.

At this point, Qin Sang had no other option but to trust True Immortal Ning. Alien Race cultivators were gathering in increasing numbers outside the illusionary realm. Under these circumstances, a major upheaval was inevitable. Once chaos erupted, it would undoubtedly worsen the situation for this illusionary realm, potentially destroying it entirely! If he didn't absorb the immortal mountain's essence quickly, he might not get another chance later.

The talisman's light enveloped Qin Sang's Dharmakaya like a thin veil, rippling gently. As he flew further, he remained constantly vigilant. If any powerful Alien Race being saw through the talisman and attempted to seize Mount Daiyu, he would have no choice but to surrender it to protect himself. Fortunately, this situation did not occur. Meanwhile, Qin Sang's Dharmakaya was also guarding against the power of the illusionary realm. He wondered if the Jade Buddha had shielded him from its effects, as he felt nothing unusual here.

After flying over countless mountain peaks, Qin Sang's Dharmakaya assumed he had entered the depths of the illusionary realm. Looking around, he saw a landscape of birdsong and fragrant flowers, no different from the realm's edge. Suddenly, Qin Sang's Dharmakaya's gaze flickered, and he stopped before a mountain. This was the location Mount Daiyu had sensed—the place where the immortal mountain's essence was hidden!

This mountain was slightly taller than the surrounding peaks, but otherwise quite ordinary within the illusionary realm. It stood tall, covered in ancient pines and cypress trees, with a striped tiger patrolling its slopes. This was its territory; other birds and beasts were noticeably scarce. On the rocks, a half-eaten goat carcass lay, and the mountain breeze carried a faint scent of blood. It appeared the mountain had nothing special about it, and the immortal mountain's essence had not affected this place.

Qin Sang's Dharmakaya's gaze shifted, and he spotted a stone cave between two cliff faces on the mountainside. He then flashed inside. The cave was a mess, littered with broken bones, clearly once serving as the tiger's den. Inside, it was pitch black and unfathomably deep, but it gradually narrowed, and traces of the tiger's activity disappeared. Qin Sang's Dharmakaya continued deeper, reaching the end of the stone cave. Ahead, the space suddenly opened up, revealing numerous stalactites of various shapes, transforming into a karst cave.

'Drip!' A drop of stalactite milk fell in front of Qin Sang, its sound remarkably clear in the quiet cave. Faint white mist swirled within the cave. Qin Sang's Dharmakaya seemed to sense something, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, and he swiftly moved through the stalactites to the center of the cave. This karst cave was likely located at the base of the mountain, possibly even wider than the peaks above. He saw a circular underground stone lake. It didn't contain water, but rather a layer of stalactite milk and white mist condensed within it. The surrounding white mist seemed to emanate from this very spot.

Surprisingly, the aura emanating from the lake was identical to the immortal mountain's essence described by True Immortal Ning! It was hard to imagine that the immortal mountain's essence had accumulated so openly here! Qin Sang's Dharmakaya had not detected any fluctuations from formations or restrictions along the way. However, before entering the cave, he hadn't sensed any unusual aura. It seemed the immortal mountain's essence could automatically gather in one place without dissipating outwards.

It was unexpectedly smooth to find the immortal mountain's essence. After a careful inspection to confirm, Qin Sang subtly willed the talisman above his head to slowly rise and merge into the mountain. 'Crack!' The mountain peak silently transformed. Its core was almost hollowed out, leaving only a thin layer of rock, just enough to accommodate Mount Daiyu. The talisman's power covered the entire mountain, isolating it from the outside. The tiger outside remained completely unaware, sleeping soundly.

Immediately after, Qin Sang's Dharmakaya summoned Mount Daiyu and directed it to descend above the stone lake. 'Hum!' The immortal mountain vibrated slightly. Immediately, Qin Sang's Dharmakaya saw the white mist in the lake being drawn towards it, swirling and surging. As the mist touched Mount Daiyu, it instantly merged into the mountain, consumed by it. Mount Daiyu was like a person who had been hungry for years, finally finding food, devouring it eagerly and ravenously.

It was visible to the naked eye how the white mist flowed upwards against the current, continuously being drawn from the lake, while Mount Daiyu acted as a bottomless pit. As the master of Mount Daiyu, Qin Sang's Dharmakaya could also sense that the mountain was slowly recovering with the infusion of this mysterious power!

Suddenly, the karst cave shook. 'Crack!' Several stalactites broke off, crashing to the ground and startling Qin Sang's Dharmakaya. He frowned, repeatedly gesturing to control the rate at which Mount Daiyu absorbed the immortal mountain's essence. It now seemed that too rapid a loss of the immortal mountain's essence would significantly impact the surroundings. If it disturbed the entire illusionary realm beyond the talisman's concealed area, there was a risk of exposure. True Immortal Ning had also warned him about this.

Furthermore, Qin Sang noticed Mount Daiyu itself was acting strangely. It had been severely damaged and was on the verge of disintegration. Administering a strong "medicine" to a critically ill patient was ill-advised, as it might completely destroy the immortal mountain. Qin Sang needed to find a balance between the two. As he continued to adjust, the white mist surging towards the immortal mountain began to contract, eventually maintaining a steady flow, connecting the immortal mountain and the stone lake like a stream of silk.

"Whoosh!" Qin Sang let out a long breath and rose, looking at Mount Daiyu. Both the stalactite milk and the white mist were manifestations of the immortal mountain's essence. He wasn't sure if this was all of it, but Qin Sang didn't hope to restore Mount Daiyu to its original state. He would be content if consuming all this immortal mountain essence merely allowed Mount Daiyu to regain some of its former ethereal appearance!

On the other side.

Qin Sang's main body sensed the Dharmakaya's situation and felt greatly relieved. He sat cross-legged on the mountaintop, his gaze sweeping across the distance. Qin Sang tried to find the Spring Autumn Sundial, but the treasure had completely vanished without a trace. "What is the connection between the Spring Autumn Sundial, the illusionary realm, and the 'seed'?" he wondered. "Could the 'seed' that Hongtian is searching for have grown from within this illusionary realm and be related to the Spring Autumn Sundial?" Qin Sang mused to himself, then glanced towards the area outside the illusionary realm.

A group of Alien Race cultivators had already gathered there. Unlike Qin Sang and Liuli, they did not understand the realm's rules and dared not rush in, instead observing from the outside. Another reason was that they not only had to be wary of potential dangers within but also of each other. The Ancestor's tokens and talismans all pointed here, indicating that a conflict between the two sides was inevitable. However, this situation couldn't last long; someone would soon enter to scout ahead. "I only hope it doesn't plunge the world into chaos..." Qin Sang sighed inwardly, thinking of Mount Daiyu absorbing the immortal mountain's essence and Liuli, who had already begun her seclusion.

After establishing her cave dwelling, Liuli immediately began her seclusion for breakthrough. Ordinarily, for a cultivator to break through from the Nascent Soul stage to the Void Refinement stage, they would need to diligently seek an opportunity, often spending decades or even centuries in seclusion. Missing this opportunity could mean being forever trapped before the threshold. Yet, Liuli had forcefully suppressed her breakthrough opportunity after finding it, delaying it until now. Moreover, according to True Immortal Ning, she would soon break through and usher in a heavenly tribulation, which seemed unbelievable! However, Qin Sang felt a sense of relief when he recalled his own Void Refinement breakthrough process.

The patterns within the illusionary realm could be deduced from celestial phenomena. Qin Sang observed the sky and began setting up formations around Liuli's location to prevent any disturbance during her heavenly tribulation. As time passed, more and more Alien Race cultivators gathered outside. They finally couldn't hold back and began entering the illusionary realm in batches to investigate. Qin Sang's main body and Dharmakaya were stationed on two separate sides, secretly vigilant. Liuli's cave dwelling was protected by an isolating formation he had set up, which should not be easily detected.

Just as Qin Sang watched the streaks of light darting in, and this thought crossed his mind, a deafening roar suddenly erupted from deep within the illusionary realm, instantly drawing everyone's attention. 'Swish!' Qin Sang abruptly stood up and activated his spiritual eyes. He saw the depths of the illusionary realm shaking intensely, with clouds appearing on the horizon. Multicolored clouds spread out, and within them, there seemed to be a shadowy mass. As the shadow gradually became clearer, everyone finally distinguished its outline and was filled with astonishment.

"Is that... a mountain?""A mountain growing out of the ground!"

Everyone discussed animatedly. Within the clouds was indeed a mountain peak. Its height already surpassed most surrounding peaks, and it was still growing. The vibrations extended outwards, causing many mountains to sway and birds and beasts to panic. "This mountain must be the place our Ancestors guided us to!""Yes, quickly! Don't let others get ahead!""Be careful. Outside, storms rage, yet here it is peaceful and serene. Don't you find that strange?"

Even within the two factions of cultivators, there was no unity. For a moment, some, impatient, rushed towards the mountain peak. Others, however, were patient, deliberately lagging behind to let others scout ahead. The suddenness of the change made Qin Sang slightly nervous. His Dharmakaya quickly returned to the karst cave, and upon seeing that the immortal mountain's essence was unaffected, he felt a little relieved.

'Swish! Swish! Swish!' Streaks of light pierced through the air, arriving and landing at the edge of the clouds. The tremors had not ceased; the mountain peak continued to grow, enveloped in thick clouds. The aura within was chaotic, and the scene unclear. Seeing this, even the most aggressive individuals stopped, preparing to enter once the situation stabilized. Seeing no immediate danger, those outside also entered one after another, gathering around the clouds and intently watching the growing mountain peak. The two sides formed distinctly separate camps.

Zhan Yan, having found no trace of the Spring Autumn Sundial, returned to the Mermaid Queen's side and was speaking to her. The various Daoist sects had explored this illusionary realm for many years, and some had even ventured inside, but this mountain had never appeared before. Zhan Yan could make no sense of it either.

'Rumble...' There was no dust or debris, only vibrant multicolored clouds. The mountain peak, shrouded in colorful clouds, was mysterious and unfathomable, like a divine mountain. At this moment, Qin Sang's Dharmakaya also left the karst cave and arrived silently, while his main body remained in place to guard Liuli. Mount Daiyu could absorb the essence on its own, so he didn't need to constantly maintain it. Qin Sang was also curious about the origin of this divine mountain. Could it be the legendary Mount Yuanqiao?

"True Immortal Qin." Patriarch Yuanxiang and others also arrived. Seeing Qin Sang, they all paid their respects. Noticing that only the Dharmakaya had arrived and Qin Sang's main body and Liuli were absent, they didn't ask further, but instead inquired about the origin of the divine mountain. "I also don't know the origin of this mountain," Qin Sang transmitted. "I only know that this is a very special illusionary realm, whose profound mysteries no one has been able to fully comprehend until now..."

"An illusionary realm? Are our surroundings all illusions?" Patriarch Yuanxiang was quite shocked; they hadn't noticed anything!

Everyone waited patiently, watching the divine mountain grow taller and taller, gradually rising into the clouds. Its majestic peaks towered above everything else in the illusionary realm. After an unknown period, as the clouds swirled, everyone finally caught glimpses of the mountain's interior. There was no vegetation; it was exceedingly perilous, covered everywhere with sheer, vertical rock faces. Between these rock faces were scattered stone platforms of varying heights, extending from the base to the summit, seemingly representing a hierarchy of seats. These platforms were very similar in size and shape, arranged in a well-ordered but staggered manner, with roughly equal spacing between them. They could not have been naturally formed.

Upon seeing these stone platforms, the disciples of the Ancestors all showed expressions of delight; this was exactly the place they had been searching for! On the other side, the Feathered Race Prince and the Mermaid Queen had gathered, taking out an object that turned out to be a white paper crane. The experts from both races sat around the paper crane. Seeing their actions, the Ancestor's disciples frowned, but even if they wished to stop them, it was too late.

Moments later, a crane's cry was heard. The paper crane came to life, spread its wings, and flew straight towards the sky. Then, its wings ignited, like a moth drawn to a flame, until it completely transformed into a ball of fire, burning out like fireworks. Qin Sang, who knew a little about the internal affairs, felt his heart sink slightly at the sight. The experts from both races were transmitting a message to the powerful beings outside the Heart Lake. The divine mountain would be the next battlefield, and they would contend for positions within it! It seemed that the seating arrangement here would influence their final contention for the 'seed'. As for what changes the divine mountain would bring to the illusionary realm, it was not yet clear.

Outside the Heart Lake.

Hongtian, sensing something, abruptly opened his eyes. At the same time, other powerful beings in the Saint Realm also sensed the signal from within the Heart Lake. "You all sensed it, didn't you?" The Mermaid Empress spoke first. Moments later, the hearty voice resonated: "The time is not yet ripe. Wait a little longer."

Within the illusionary realm, after the experts of both races activated the paper crane, no changes occurred. Everyone could only remain where they were, watching the divine mountain continue to grow taller. At this point, someone noticed that the mountain's growth rate had slowed. "It's time!" The hearty voice sounded once more.

Hongtian's gaze flickered. He raised his right hand, cupping it upwards, and a phantom image of a blue palm shot towards the horizon. Immediately afterward, several more phantom palm images appeared. Where these images converged, clusters of spiritual light floated in the void. Within these lights were treasures, not only spiritual artifacts and elixirs but also various items of unknown purpose. These were originally the final rewards for the Holy Land trials, but due to the dramatic changes in the Holy Land, they remained ownerless and had all gathered here.

'Whoosh!' All the phantom palm images overlapped, forming a massive hand that grabbed all the treasures and flew towards the Heart Lake.