Chapter 466: Pure Land

Jing Po-po seemed oblivious to Qin Sang's warning, her gaze fixed on the depths of the canyon. Her eyes, unusually bright and holding a deep, mysterious starry expanse, indicated she was employing a secret technique that affected her pupils.

Resigned, Qin Sang did his best to conceal his aura, moving silently through the black mist.

As he drew nearer, Qin Sang finally sensed a faint aura, a look of delight spreading across his face. He paused, unable to resist sending another telepathic reminder to Jing Po-po.

"Senior, I don't think it's one of our own from the Minor Cold Domain. It's someone from the Heaven's Path Alliance..."

All the cultivators who had entered from the Minor Cold Domain were familiar to him. Qin Sang could generally identify them by their aura, much like the Wei-surnamed cultivator from the Ancient Intent Sect he had just encountered.

The aura of the person ahead was unfamiliar. Qin Sang had been dealing with the Heaven's Path Alliance for three years, engaging with most of their experts, though a few remained less familiar to him.

This was only the second person they had encountered since entering Skyward Peak. The fact that they had traveled such a long distance with Jing Po-po and only met two individuals indicated the immense size of Skyward Peak.

As this person was an adversary of the Heaven's Path Alliance, Qin Sang naturally didn't want to miss this opportunity. However, it depended on Jing Po-po's wishes.

Qin Sang pointed forward, looking at Jing Po-po with an inquiring gaze.

To his surprise, Jing Po-po remained focused on the deep valley, not even glancing in the direction Qin Sang indicated. She stated definitively, "Go around."

This was different from the last time.

Last time, the Wei-surnamed cultivator was from their own Minor Cold Domain, and Jing Po-po had been unwilling to engage in infighting.

This time, her reason was clearly different.

As each served their own master, Jing Po-po harbored no mercy for Heaven's Path Alliance cultivators. Rather, she simply didn't want to waste time on this individual.

Qin Sang guessed her reasoning and sighed inwardly, having no choice but to obey.

"Understood!"

After a few more steps, Qin Sang's expression subtly shifted, a flicker of hesitation appearing on his face. "Forgive my presumption, Senior," he ventured. "But may I ask... how much further are we from our destination?"

Jing Po-po finally withdrew her gaze, looking deeply at Qin Sang. After a moment's thought, she replied tersely, "Soon!"

Qin Sang inwardly thought, "Just as I suspected." He immediately followed up with a sincere tone, "I have an impudent request, Senior... When we encounter the next restriction, would you be able to help me conceal my spiritual energy fluctuations so that he doesn't detect my presence?"

Jing Po-po was unwilling to directly intervene, but Qin Sang didn't want to miss this rare opportunity.

Within Skyward Peak, he wasn't concerned about attracting the attention of powerful beings. Both the Ebony Sword and the Ten Directions Yama Banner could be used without restraint, and he had three years of accumulated combat experience from his trials.

Even without Jing Po-po's direct assistance, Qin Sang was ninety percent confident he could defeat the opponent.

Jing Po-po had promised that once they reached their destination, he would be free to leave, and his assistance would no longer be needed for anything that followed.

Qin Sang intended to return alone, so it was crucial not to alert the opponent to his presence. If they discovered him, they might become vigilant or even decide to leave the area immediately.

The area was riddled with dense restrictions, some of which were incredibly potent. Even with Jing Po-po's warnings, Qin Sang had to remain fully focused, making it almost inevitable that his presence would be detected. Therefore, he needed Jing Po-po's assistance to conceal his spiritual energy fluctuations.

Qin Sang had merely asked tentatively, surprised when Jing Po-po agreed so readily.

"Very well."

"Thank you for your assistance, Senior!"

Qin Sang felt a surge of quiet delight. Dispelling all distracting thoughts, he focused on navigating the canyon, following Jing Po-po's instructions precisely.

With Jing Po-po's help concealing him, the Heaven's Path Alliance cultivator indeed remained oblivious. A person passed by him, still diligently focused on collecting Star Essence Stones.

After bypassing the individual, Qin Sang accelerated his pace at Jing Po-po's urging.

Jing Po-po also did not hesitate to act now; whenever powerful restriction fragments blocked their path, she would help Qin Sang break through them.

The deeper they went, the denser and more perilous the restrictions became, making every step a challenge. Without Jing Po-po, Qin Sang would never have been able to reach this point alone.

As he proceeded, Qin Sang committed the route firmly to memory, lest he be unable to find his way out later.

Jing Po-po's objective was clear, and she proceeded directly forward.

The deeper they ventured into the canyon, the colder it grew. The black mist thinned slightly, yet paradoxically, the darkness intensified beyond what it had been before. Even with Qin Sang's cultivation, he couldn't see very far with his naked eye.

While breaking through the restrictions, Qin Sang observed his surroundings with his peripheral vision.

Earlier, with scattered rocks and black weeds ubiquitous along the path, he had assumed this was merely a desolate, secluded valley.

To his surprise, just moments ago, a stone path paved with flagstones suddenly appeared beneath his feet. Though the path was so severely damaged it was almost unrecognizable, with every flagstone shattered, it was still evident that it had been deliberately constructed by hand.

Jing Po-po instructed Qin Sang to follow the stone path, her destination apparently lying at its end.

What lay ahead?

Though curious, Qin Sang kept his expression neutral, obediently following Jing Po-po's commands.

Simultaneously, a tempest brewed within his nascent soul space. He secretly mobilized his divine sense, and at the same time, the Ebony Sword quietly detached from his primordial spirit, its blade trembling slightly, poised for action.

He wouldn't — and dared not — proactively attack Jing Po-po.

Given Jing Po-po's character, she likely wouldn't betray her promise or discard him once his use was over.

However, caution was always wise. If Jing Po-po's previous behavior had been a disguise, he might have to accept his fate, but he wouldn't simply offer himself for slaughter; he would fight back with all his might.

He was confident the Ebony Sword would leave a lasting impression on her!

The stone path stretched on for an unexpectedly long distance.

Finally, two broken stone pillars appeared ahead, standing on either side of the path.

The pillars were incredibly thick, like two colossal columns supporting the sky. One could imagine that when they were intact, they must have been immensely tall, perhaps even extending beyond the canyon and touching the heavens.

Unfortunately, they were now almost entirely broken off at the base, with only their remnants remaining.

Large, scattered stone blocks lay haphazardly around the pillars. Further ahead, the view was less clear, but it appeared to be a plaza paved with stones.

Qin Sang's figure paused slightly. Receiving no new command from Jing Po-po, he continued forward, soon reaching the two pillars. A colossal plaza then emerged into their view.

It was hard to imagine such a vast space, complete with the ruins of a magnificent plaza, existing at the bottom of the canyon.

Standing at the edge of the plaza, Qin Sang felt dwarfed by its scale.

The circular plaza was constructed from countless identical, massive stone blocks, each over ten zhang in length and width. These blocks were arranged in concentric circles, forming a peculiar shape.

It was higher at the periphery and lower in the center, creating a funnel shape.

If the inverse were true—higher in the middle and lower at the periphery—it would resemble an altar for worshipping the heavens.

Given its unusual shape, Qin Sang found it difficult to discern the plaza's true purpose.

At the outermost edge of the plaza stood several similar pillars, also broken off at their bases. The plaza itself was littered with large and small stone fragments—the remnants of those very pillars.

The shattered remnants had crashed into the plaza, causing extensive damage and leaving behind a scene of utter decay.

Even more remarkably, Qin Sang scanned the area and found not a single restriction fragment within the entire plaza.

The entire canyon was riddled with restrictions, with danger seemingly lurking every few steps, yet this plaza was the sole exception.

The plaza seemed to be the canyon's only sanctuary.