Chapter 558: All Heroes Gather

Dongyang Bo readily agreed and led his people to the other end of the jade ruyi.

Once everyone was seated, Daoist Chongyi activated the jade ruyi. The white jade ruyi was instantly enveloped by a dense blue light, which continued to expand until it encased everyone within.

Immediately, the jade ruyi trembled slightly and shot towards the restrictive barrier.

Daoist Chongyi shouted, "Open!"

A gap appeared in the barrier, and chaotic spiritual energy surged in. Without hesitation, Daoist Chongyi commanded the jade ruyi and boldly charged into the spiritual tide.

A colossal wave crashed towards them.

The jade ruyi dodged with remarkable agility, only getting brushed by the aftershock of the giant wave. Even so, it shook violently, its blue light dimming slightly. Qin Sang and the others were caught in the crossfire, swaying precariously.

"Steady!"

Daoist Chongyi and Dongyang Bo acted in unison, finally stabilizing the wobbling jade ruyi.

The jade ruyi then moved like a carp wagging its tail, effortlessly evading another spiritual tide. Its speed abruptly increased, and it darted straight into the depths of the spiritual tide.

The winds were fierce, and the waves were high.

The jade ruyi resembled a lone boat in a hurricane, appearing incredibly fragile, as if it could capsize at any moment.

Everyone's faces turned pale, astonished and terrified by the formidable power of heaven and earth.

It was said that this was not even the spiritual tide's most violent phase, yet even with two Nascent Soul grand cultivators present, their expressions were solemn, showing no trace of carelessness.

Qin Sang knew that leaving the jade ruyi's protection now would lead to certain annihilation. He remained quietly cross-legged, not daring to move.

Next to him were Qiu Mubai and others, five people forming a circle at the very center.

Chen Yan, Tie Guanzi, Feng Ming, and others stood on the outer perimeter, forming a protective stance. Dongyang Bo stood independently at the tail end of the jade ruyi, perfectly still regardless of how much it swayed.

Chen Yan sat very discreetly not far from Qin Sang, showing no signs of spiritual energy fluctuations. Even Daoist Chongyi couldn't discern Chen Yan's true cultivation level.

Qin Sang recalled what Granny Jing had said: Chen Yan had already passed the Nascent Soul tribulation and was a true Nascent Soul grand cultivator, yet she deliberately concealed her identity, likely harboring ulterior motives.

After flying for some distance, the jade ruyi became increasingly stable, its blue light steadfastly protecting them. Everyone gradually relaxed, some even finding leisure to observe their surroundings, including Qin Sang.

As far as the eye could see, the world was filled with extremely turbulent spiritual tides. Some of these chaotic spiritual energies gathered into clumps, while others resembled giant pythons, roaming unbridled.

Even the smaller masses of spiritual energy were the size of giant whales, while the larger ones were boundless, their full extent impossible to see.

They were highly restless, constantly changing form, gathering and dispersing unpredictably. Yet, their speed was incredibly fast, able to cross hundreds of feet in the blink of an eye. Perfect evasion within such chaos was simply impossible.

The maneuvering space was minimal; even with two Nascent Soul cultivators jointly controlling the jade ruyi, impacts from the spiritual tides were unavoidable. Fortunately, the jade ruyi was extremely sturdy, making their journey perilous but ultimately safe.

"Oh? Look there!"

Someone exclaimed, pointing into the distance.

Following the direction of the finger, everyone looked and saw a peculiar fiery red light soaring into the sky from the distant northeast. The red pillar of light, like a sharp sword piercing the heavens, remained clearly visible amidst the chaotic spiritual tide.

"A secret realm!"

Everyone's spirits lifted significantly.

Such a light pillar appearing out of nowhere could only mean one thing: the secret realm's barrier had been triggered by the spiritual tide.

After quick discussions among cultivators from several major sects, they learned that this location didn't belong to any of them. It was highly likely that a new secret realm had just emerged!

Unfortunately, the secret realm appeared very far away. The two Nascent Soul cultivators dared not navigate freely through the spiritual tide, and the Ziwei Palace was their top priority, so changing course to explore was impossible.

Those with foresight noted the secret realm's location, agreeing to explore it after returning from the Ziwei Palace. Given the unusual light pillar, they knew this secret realm was certainly not simple and might contain valuable treasures.

Unexpectedly, before they could finalize their plans, the light pillar suddenly rippled, then collapsed with a roar.

In an instant, the red light dissipated, and all signs of the anomaly vanished.

"Alas!"

Everyone was deeply disappointed, sighing repeatedly.

There was a ninety percent chance that the secret realm's protective barrier couldn't withstand the spiritual tide and had been breached.

Even if the secret realm wasn't completely destroyed by the spiritual tide, not many treasures would remain.

Such occurrences were not uncommon in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, and they could do nothing about it.

However, this incident served as a reminder to Qin Sang. He stopped meditating and looked around with wide eyes, hoping to encounter another such secret realm.

After forming his Golden Core, he had begun a new journey. If he could scour one or two unexplored secret realms, he was sure to gain significant rewards.

While Nascent Soul grand cultivators might disdain such finds, Qin Sang coveted them.

Even amidst the spiritual tides, where they couldn't travel at full speed and often had to detour and evade, the evasion speed of the Nascent Soul grand cultivators was still astonishing.

Qin Sang heard Granny Jing say that they needed to reach a pre-arranged location first to meet up with others.

This was because the deeper one went into the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, the stronger the spiritual tide became. Only by all Nascent Soul cultivators joining forces would they dare to venture into the inner layers of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield and enter the Ziwei Palace.

At this point, the Ancient Immortal Battlefield's sky was illuminated by the spiritual tide's radiance, making it hard to distinguish day from night. They had been flying for an unknown duration; the jade ruyi hadn't stopped for a moment. Even the powerful Nascent Soul cultivators showed signs of fatigue on their faces.

They shook off another entanglement of spiritual energy.

Suddenly, a massive dark silhouette appeared ahead.

The silhouette stretched from east to west, its ends unseen, looming across their line of sight like a colossal dragon prostrate on the ground. A closer look revealed it to be a majestic mountain range, resembling a natural barrier.

Even stranger, three peaks within this range were glowing with lights of different colors.

On the easternmost peak, black demonic energy billowed, obscuring the sky and sun, making it impossible to see anything within.

On the central peak stood a resplendent golden palace, where faint human figures could be seen moving about.

The western peak was covered by a red cloud, completely enveloping its summit.

The three peaks formed a 'pin' (品) shape, distinctly separate yet mutually supportive, jointly resisting the spiritual tide's impact. Among them, the demonic energy and the red cloud emanated the strongest aura, while the golden light appeared somewhat dimmer.

The jade ruyi had just arrived before the mountains.

Suddenly, four figures flew out from the red jade. The leader was none other than the Crimson-Haired Patriarch, sect master of the Pure Yang Sect.

"Haha, fellow Daoists, you've finally arrived! We've been waiting for so long."

The Crimson-Haired Patriarch's laughter boomed like thunder, carrying from a distance.

On the jade ruyi, Dongyang Bo and Daoist Chongyi exchanged a glance, then declared loudly, "We were delayed on the way, making you all wait. Have the other fellow Daoists already arrived?"

The Crimson-Haired Patriarch replied, "That's right, the Demonic Sect and the rogue cultivators from Yinshan Pass have all gathered. Now we're just waiting to meet up with our fellow Daoists from Heavenly Demon Hill, and then we'll send word to those old fogies from the Heavenly Alliance!"

Dongyang Bo's eyes narrowed slightly. "Have you fellow Daoists been investigating for so long and still haven't located the Heavenly Alliance's ancient teleportation array?"

"No!"

The Crimson-Haired Patriarch grumbled, "That old Daoist is very wary. He only uses it when the Ziwei Palace opens, making it impossible to trace."