Chapter 2215: Flying Spirit Waterfall

As the female cultivator collected the Skywind Tree, meteors also descended onto the two stone platforms beside her.

On the stone platform to her left, a longsword appeared; it had no scabbard, and a subtle aura emanated from it, indicating it was a spirit treasure, though its power was unknown.

On the stone platform to her right, a bamboo scroll descended, revealing its beginning section, inscribed with four small golden characters: 'Misty Moon Frostbloom'.

None of the cultivators present lacked spirit treasures. Most looked towards the bamboo scroll, discerning the characters, and several showed signs of interest.

'Misty Moon Frostbloom' was a secret art that once flourished among the Water Department tribes. What made it most remarkable was that many tribes could practice this secret art and integrate it into their innate divine abilities.

It was said that the creator of this secret art later became a Saint Realm mighty figure. This secret art was their magnum opus before breaking through to the Saint Realm. It was not merely an offensive secret art; if one could comprehend its profound mysteries, there was a possibility of understanding the mighty figure's mindset at that time.

However, this secret art later vanished without a trace, and people of the current era had only heard its name but never seen it.

Swish!

From the array of the Ancestor's disciples, a white rainbow shot forth, transforming into a roll of white silk mid-air, which slowly unfurled, extending all the way to the stone platform.

A youth with rosy lips and white teeth gracefully floated onto the white silk, walking casually. His robes fluttered, and he exuded an excellent demeanor. Using the white silk as a staircase, he easily ascended the stone platform and bowed to the person already there.

"I am Bai Bo. May I know your name, fellow Daoist?"

"Cang Hao!"

The person on the stone platform also appeared to be a youth, but his cheeks resembled fish gills. In terms of appearance alone, he was clearly inferior to his opponent.

This individual hailed from the Mist Sea.

The two factions had established rules: there were no other restrictions, and anyone could step forward first to choose a stone platform.

"Years ago, I heard tell of this secret art and sought to comprehend it, but regrettably, I never had the chance to see it. Now that I do, my heart is filled with joy. Forgive my offense!" Bai Bo cupped his hands.

Cang Hao frowned, "Are Immortal-born also qualified to participate in the trials?"

"We'll only know by trying."

Bai Bo glanced skyward, then pointed beyond the mountain, "This place is too confined. Let's fight outside!"

Crack!

The white silk shattered instantly, its fragments scattering wildly, and strange transformations immediately appeared in the void.

The sound of crashing waves was ceaseless. The white silk had, astonishingly, transformed the void into a vast expanse of water, deep and dark blue.

No sooner had Bai Bo and Cang Hao flown off the stone platform than the water spread, submerging them.

Cang Hao did not resist. But before entering the water, he opened his gills, emitting a whistling sound comparable to wind and thunder, immediately causing the water to churn ceaselessly.

Splash!

Soon after they submerged into the water, massive waves suddenly rose on the surface, and a giant unicorn whale emerged. Its head alone was as large as a small mountain.

Half of the giant whale's body leaped out of the water, then immediately plunged down.

Boom!

All the cultivators outside the battlefield could feel the terrifying impact brought by the giant whale. If struck by its long horn, few would likely escape unscathed.

The next moment, the water surface suddenly began to spin rapidly, instantly forming a vortex that nearly covered the entire body of water.

The water currents rotated at high speed, and the figure of the unicorn whale appeared at the center of the vortex, seemingly trapped within it.

The water expanse, which Bai Bo had conjured with his own treasure, was instead exploited by his opponent.

The unicorn whale and the vortex collided, creating an earth-shattering commotion.

Thrust!

After a stalemate, the unicorn whale's long horn fiercely pierced the center of the vortex. The vortex abruptly halted, then with a 'boom,' it shattered into pieces, and the water currents transformed back into fragments of white silk.

At the same time, Cang Hao tumbled out from the fragments, the giant whale's long horn pointing directly at him, almost piercing his chest.

Cang Hao retreated repeatedly, shouting, "Fellow Daoist, your skill is superior; I admit defeat!"

The unicorn whale abandoned its pursuit. Its body, formed of water, contracted inward, and Bai Bo reappeared. He acknowledged Cang Hao's concession and raised his hand to recall the fragments of white silk.

The white silk fragments returned to their owner, but they were slow to reform into a complete piece of silk. Bai Bo frowned, then simply tucked them into his sleeve and flashed back to the stone platform.

He looked beyond the mountain and, seeing no new competitors ascend, emulated the female cultivator by first refining the stone platform. He then immediately activated a large spiritual power hand to grasp the bamboo scroll.

An unexpected scene unfolded: as the large spiritual power hand approached the bamboo scroll, it was shattered by a powerful force. Then, the bamboo scroll trembled and abruptly shot towards the sky.

In the blink of an eye, the bamboo scroll vanished from everyone's sight.

Including Bai Bo, all the Ancestor's disciples who witnessed this scene had their faces darken considerably. It was clear that the Saint Realm mighty figures behind them were deliberately excluding them.

In contrast, the Mist Sea cultivators received rewards simply by stepping onto a stone platform, naturally making them much more eager.

On the stone platform on the other side of the female cultivator, the Ancestor's disciple looked at the treasure sword before him. Sensing the approaching aura from beyond the mountain, he immediately felt a headache.

The two sides exchanged names, then immediately erupted into battle.

As the two fiercely battled, meteors continually fell from the sky, and soon the sacred mountain was illuminated by their fiery glow.

"Look, what kind of pill is that?"

"Huh? That broken spear... it seems to be the legendary Blazing Emperor Divine Spear, once used by a senior to wreak havoc everywhere."

"Look at that! It's actually a shell from a Hell Snail! The Hell Snail tribe has long vanished from the Great Thousand World. Legend has it their shells possess unique powers that led to their extinction due to human covetousness..."

The meteors brought forth various rare treasures, eliciting gasps of surprise.

Pills, spirit treasures, rare materials, cultivation methods, secret arts, and more – there was everything imaginable, and each item was extremely valuable.

These treasures were clearly manipulated artificially; their lowest landing point was no lower than halfway up the mountain, and the higher the position, the greater the value of the treasure.

"It seems Hong Tian and the others intend to drive those Ancestor's disciples to the foot of the mountain. I wonder what secrets the summit of the sacred mountain holds..."

Qin Sang mused inwardly.

Just then, another meteor descended from the sky, drawing gasps of admiration from the crowd, because this meteor's landing point was on a stone platform right next to the mountain summit.

According to the pattern, the value of this treasure should surpass all previous treasures.

And when Qin Sang clearly saw the treasure within the meteor, he inwardly confirmed his suspicion; it was indeed one of the treasures he had previously set his sights on.

The meteor brought a jade pendant. To be precise, the pendant itself was not a supreme treasure, but rather represented a qualification: obtaining the pendant granted entry to a sacred place named Flying Spirit Waterfall.

It was said that by placing a spirit treasure in the Flying Spirit Waterfall for a period of time, its spirituality could be greatly enhanced, with the potential for a spirit to be born within it in the future, transforming it into a Post-Heaven Spirit Treasure. No cultivator could resist such a temptation.

Each of the treasures Qin Sang had an eye on was highly valuable, and their estimated landing locations were also largely similar.

The situation was somewhat different from what he had expected. To compete for a high position, relying solely on individual strength was still unfeasible.

Qin Sang secretly observed the nearby cultivators; many gazed at the jade pendant within the meteor with shining eyes, and among them was the Featherfolk Prince!

If this meteor had landed at the mountain summit, he would likely have charged up without hesitation. The Featherfolk Prince himself had extremely high cultivation, and with the support of Featherfolk experts, only a handful of individuals like the Merfolk Queen could contend with him.

Even excluding the Featherfolk Prince, the strength of the other contenders should not be underestimated; they all had powerful factions backing them.

To participate in the struggle for such a supreme treasure, unless Qin Sang persuaded Patriarch Yuan Xiang to help him, he would have to challenge numerous opposing experts by himself.

"Wind-Grinding Copper!"

Yuan Ren suddenly spotted a treasure, his eyes gleaming. He flipped over, about to leap onto the sacred mountain.

Qin Sang looked over and saw that Yuan Ren was fixated on a grindstone-sized piece of copper, with a brass-like texture and black patterns resembling wind patterns on its surface—it was indeed the rare material, Wind-Grinding Copper.

Such a large piece of Wind-Grinding Copper was extremely valuable, but no matter how much there was, it was still just a raw material, far from comparable to things like the Flying Spirit Waterfall.

The landing point of the Wind-Grinding Copper also indicated its value; it was still some distance from the summit, yet unexpectedly, it moved Yuan Ren's heart.

"Come back!"

Patriarch Yuan Xiang was quick-eyed and quick-handed. He raised his large, hairy hand, grabbed Yuan Ren by the back of the neck, and slammed him hard onto the ground.

At this moment, everyone was shocked by the ferocity displayed by Patriarch Yuan Xiang.

"Big Brother..."

Yuan Ren was unharmed. He scrambled up from the ground, his face full of confusion.

"Are you out of your mind!" Patriarch Yuan Xiang reprimanded with a grim face. "Does our tribe's treasury not have Wind-Grinding Copper, that you must have this particular piece?"

"But I only need Wind-Grinding Copper, and the piece in the tribe's treasury is only fist-sized..."

Yuan Ren said, feeling wronged, not thinking he was at fault. No matter how good other treasures were, if they weren't what he sought, he wouldn't take them.

Patriarch Yuan Xiang sighed inwardly. Yuan Ren's state of mind was very rare, but at inconvenient times, it was quite troublesome.

"You are not to move without my command!" Patriarch Yuan Xiang roared.

"Oh," Yuan Ren rubbed his head and obediently stood to the side.

At this time, many cultivators had already charged onto the sacred mountain, carving out battlefields both inside and outside it, engaging in fierce combat.

Among these individuals, most were isolated or outnumbered; the major and powerful tribes were still observing.

Ji Xia leaned close to Patriarch Yuan Xiang's ear and whispered a few words.

Patriarch Yuan Xiang's brows furrowed. A moment later, he turned and walked towards Qin Sang.

"True Lord Qin..."

Qin Sang guessed what Patriarch Yuan Xiang wanted to say and glanced at Hong Yue beside him.

Hong Yue remained unmoved, not uttering a word.

Both Patriarch Yuan Xiang and Qin Sang sighed inwardly. It seemed Hong Tian had no intention of recruiting Patriarch Yuan Xiang. Thus, Patriarch Yuan Xiang was left with only one choice: to seek the favor of the Jiajiao Clan's patriarch.

They had pledged allegiance to different Saint Realm mighty figures. Even if their relationship was good, in this situation, it would be difficult for them to join forces.

Just then, Qin Sang heard Hong Yue's voice transmission, "True Lord Qin, I will help you contend for a position..."

He paused, then Hong Yue added, "True Lord, you can act according to your capabilities!"

Qin Sang understood. The Zhuhuai tribe was merely a vassal tribe of the Featherfolk, incomparable to the major tribes. Hong Yue was the only support Hong Tian provided him, but fortunately, Hong Tian had no unrealistic expectations of him.

The Ancestor's disciples found themselves in a very passive situation. The Mist Sea faction was vying for positions while also receiving rewards, making them all enthusiastic. In contrast, their own side could only gaze enviously at the treasures, and they were disorganized. If things continued like this, how could they compete against the other side?

If this continued, most people would likely be driven to the foot of the mountain, and positions near the summit would be utterly out of reach!

It was not uncommon for insightful individuals like Xi Rui to passionately explain the pros and cons to the crowd, urging them to unite and realize that one must give to gain. This approach did yield some results.

Just then, a palace-dressed female cultivator beside Xi Rui flew towards the sacred mountain. The stone platform she chose was, remarkably, near the summit!

The Merfolk Queen and the Featherfolk Prince looked behind them.

Immediately after, a man in a green robe flew out from the crowd and laughed heartily, "I happen to be quite taken with this bottle of Spirit-Cleansing Sand. If you are wise, fellow Daoist, you should withdraw now."

The palace-dressed female cultivator snorted coldly, "It is you who should withdraw!"

No sooner had her voice fallen than several figures rushed out from the crowd, flying behind the palace-dressed female cultivator, glaring angrily at the man in green and unleashing powerful pressure.

There could only be one winner. These individuals chose to support the palace-dressed female cultivator; regardless of success or failure, they would inevitably become losers. However, the palace-dressed female cultivator had already promised to compensate them.

The man in green, on the other hand, hailed from a major tribe of the Water Department called Zhuru. Facing powerful adversaries, he showed no fear. With a single command, experts from his own tribe and vassal tribes flew into the sky one after another.

The two sides confronted each other, their auras clashing in the air.

Sensing the disturbance here, the other combatants unanimously chose to step aside, yielding the battlefield to them.

As the Zhuru tribe made their move, the struggle among the top factions slowly began.

Meteors continued to fall one after another. Qin Sang's dharma body remained motionless, staring at the sky, waiting for a new meteor.

Meanwhile, Qin Sang's true body slowly rose, gazing at the cave dwelling opened by Liu Li, his expression solemn.

He sensed a change in vital energy; Liu Li was beginning to assault her bottleneck!

Not long after, the ground suddenly began to shake, and the elemental energy of heaven and earth around the cave dwelling showed unusual activity.

Qin Sang waved his palm, and thick mist rose around them, concealing the fluctuations here.

However, as time passed, the fluctuations became increasingly intense, making them more difficult to conceal. This was actually a good sign, indicating that Liu Li's progress was very smooth.

Qin Sang's mood was mixed with joy and worry. He was pleased that True Lord Ning had not exaggerated; at this rate, Liu Li should be able to break through the barrier in one go.

His worry was that the situation had completely deviated from their expectations. The sacred mountain had drawn all the powerful members of the Yi-ren tribe here, and he didn't know what impact this would have on the Illusion Realm itself, or on Liu Li's tribulation!

Thinking of this, Qin Sang gazed into the depths of the Illusion Realm.

Everyone near the sacred mountain was drawn by the battlefields and the falling meteors, and few noticed a faint crescent moon rising on the horizon.

"The moon's shadow appears, the timing is just right..."

Qin Sang mused inwardly, the moon's shadow was a sign, meaning the moment they had been waiting for was about to arrive.

Gale-force winds raged, accompanied by thunder and lightning.

Liu Li's breakthrough triggered an astonishing celestial phenomenon. Not only that, Qin Sang faintly sensed the suppression of heavenly might; the Heavenly Dao had already turned its gaze upon them!

Qin Sang's figure flickered, and he left the mountain, lest he be caught in the crossfire.

He moved away from Liu Li's cave dwelling, standing on another mountain, quietly observing the celestial phenomenon, making no unnecessary moves, because heavenly might was extremely difficult to conceal.

"Huh? This fluctuation... it seems to be heavenly might?"

"Heavenly Tribulation! Who is undergoing tribulation!"

"How is that possible? How could someone be undergoing tribulation here?"

The heavenly might fluctuations spread to the vicinity of the sacred mountain, astonishing everyone who sensed them.

This was clearly the aura of the Three Calamities Tribulation. Could someone be attempting to break through to the Saint Realm on the spot? Who would be so audacious as to attempt a breakthrough here?

However, everyone quickly realized something was amiss, because this heavenly might was too weak; it reminded them of their own breakthroughs to the second layer of the Empty Realm.

But this also defied common sense: how could someone with only first-layer Empty Realm cultivation enter a sacred ground?

Patriarch Yuan Xiang glanced at Qin Sang. Aside from Qin Sang, he was the only one who knew the truth.