Chapter 1370: Sunset Over the Western Mountains with Reflected Glow, Pan Xian Chops Wood to Prove the Saintly Venerable

Gong Yang Shan is located south of Yu Jing Cheng.

In reality, this place is no longer near the capital. It lies within one of the Zhong Yu's one hundred and thirty-two realms, specifically the Qilin Jie. This realm is named after the legendary ancient divine beast "Qilin" that is said to have been born there, and it is so far from Yu Jing Cheng that the distance exceeds ten thousand eight thousand li. One realm spans one world, and for an ordinary person, traversing even one in a lifetime is nearly impossible. Generally, to travel between realms, one must use a cross-realm teleportation array. For example, in the Dong Yu, over ninety-nine percent of people spend their entire lives knowing only the Dong Tian Jie and might never leave even a single Dong Tian Wang Cheng. The Qilin Jie is also vast. It is actually closer to the Si Ling Shan than to other places. For those who are not Zhan Dao or Tai Xu cultivators, crossing it requires strictly following the rules and going through the teleportation array. Gong Yang Shan lies right in the center of the Qilin Jie. From a bird's-eye view, the mountain's shape resembles a full moon bow, facing north and sloping eastward and westward like dragon heads, with only a gap in the south. It also looks like a wide-open maw, ready to devour everything to its south, and that single gap in the south is precisely the entrance to the Si Xiang Secret Realm. When the spatial passage opens, it emits a bright light, appearing from afar like two dragons playing with a pearl. If someone stands at the entrance to the southern Si Xiang Secret Realm and has the leisure to gaze into the distance, they can see the two most famous peaks of Gong Yang Shan: "Ling Feng" and "Jiao Feng"! Along the mountain ridge, these two peaks rise abruptly, their arcs piercing the sky, so steep that at their tips, they curve inward toward the north, forming perilous cliffs and abysses. From a giant's perspective, they look like two enormous goat horns. The work of nature is profound and miraculous, as if carved by divine hands. The mountain itself is not inherently fierce; it is the name that gives it an aura of menace. Thus, it is called Gong Yang Shan.

When Xu Xiaoshou arrived with Han Ye and Mo Mo via teleportation, looking down from above, he was shaken by the majestic mountain landscape. Lowering his head, he almost felt as if Dao Qiong Cang was pulling back a stolen evil bow from below, aiming straight at him. Through his "Perception" ability, he could see that the tips of the steep "Ling Feng" and "Jiao Feng" were just right for suspending the corpse of a rampaging giant. Xu Xiaoshou rubbed his eyes, and those illusions faded away.

"Damn, I'm just being sensitive..."

Gazing south, the entrance to the Si Xiang Secret Realm was already open, with guardians from major forces waiting around it. But not a single young trial participant was in sight—they had clearly gone in ahead. "Did they time it exactly an hour earlier..." "These people are really going all out to enter the Sheng Gong." Although Xu Xiaoshou had delayed some time going back to find people, being faster than spatial teleportation meant they must have heard the rumors early and skipped the briefing altogether, camping right at the entrance to the Si Xiang Secret Realm. As soon as the realm opened, the trial participants were sent in, giving them a head start! "The Sheng Gong is really bold..." "Is it that they don't sweat the small stuff, or they just forgot to wait for everyone before opening the secret realm?" Xu Xiaoshou watched as figures leaped into view below, with Gong Yang Shan growing lively, and he shook his head with a laugh. If he were a trial participant, he'd definitely block the entrance and argue with the Sheng Gong about that so-called "one-hour fairness," escalating it to the level of the "butterfly effect." The Sheng Gong's lack of attention to details could lead to the fall of a genius, and then, thirty years on the river east, thirty years on the west, that genius could return, blackened by revenge, to strike back at the Sheng Gong. Don't they understand such a simple truth?

"Half-saint aura..." Mo Mo suddenly spoke, interrupting his wild thoughts. She held a small bronze furnace in her left hand, with purple sandalwood incense burning gently inside, even her voice seeming to carry a faint fragrance. "There are many of them!"

Xu Xiaoshou had "Concealment," Mo Mo had the guidance and self-seal of Feng Yu Jin as a Sheng Di, and Han Ye could vanish so completely that even a half-saint would struggle to detect it. The three of them stood in the high air, treading on light clouds, their auras faint and elusive, truly embodying the air of dark force elders surveying the world. Below, Gong Yang Shan was bustling, yet no one noticed them. "Many half-saints?" Xu Xiaoshou turned to look. "Can they sense you?"

"Absolutely not." Mo Mo rarely spoke so definitively. "A half-saint can't, but a Sheng Di can detect my presence..." The little white weasel poked its head out from Xu Xiaoshou's embrace, carefully eyeing the Mo Mo around it. This person felt familiar yet strange. After all, she had accompanied it to the Wu Yue Gray Palace and stayed for a month. But what was that voice on her? Xu Xiaoshou called her Feng Yu Jin? Was that the great elder from the Black Pulse? The little weasel shivered, not daring to ask anything. It realized it was truly a "junior" by nature, whether on the Void Island or now on the Sheng Shen Continent.

"Does the Si Xiang Secret Realm have any Sheng Di appearing? Can you sense it?" Xu Xiaoshou asked this junior sister, whose cultivation had risen even faster than his own with its enhancements. She had already achieved Zhan Dao and was just a step away from breaking through to Tai Xu. Or perhaps she had already broken through but sealed her powers, making even "Perception" unable to tell. Mo Mo lowered her eyelids, as if sensing or listening for an answer. After a while, she reached out and caught a snowflake drifting from the sky: "A Sheng Di has been here."

The little white weasel silently retracted its head into Xu Xiaoshou's embrace. The snowy weather on Gong Yang Shan was truly cold—even a Han Tian Zhi Hu felt a chill in its heart. "Can you handle it?" Xu Xiaoshou patted the creature on his chest, sensing its unusual emotions. This guy had been imprisoned in the Si Xiang Secret Realm before, so it was normal to feel fear about the place. Mo Mo turned her head and said softly: "Han Ye's Zhi Wu was personally made by the Bai Wei Palace Master, plus its bloodline talents." "As long as it doesn't directly encounter a Sheng Di, it can avoid detection."

The little white weasel perked up at the words and slowly extended its head again. "Just call me Xiao Han."

It then looked up at Xu Xiaoshou, raised a small paw in assurance, and said: "Xiao Han's got this—I'll definitely lead you to the Ran Ming ruins."

Our goal this time isn't just the Ran Ming ruins... Xu Xiaoshou smiled without speaking, not wanting to dampen Xiao Han's enthusiasm. "Let's go in!"

Xu Xiaoshou used his puppet string technique to randomly select a lucky trial participant below. He didn't control them; he just left a faint, undetectable spiritual thread in their body. Once the trial participant entered the Si Xiang Secret Realm, Xu Xiaoshou could read the spatial node of their location. Becoming a stowaway for the first time felt quite novel. While his peers below were still being checked and verified by the Sheng Gong trial officials using identity jade plaques before entering through the teleportation channel, Xu Xiaoshou scratched a void with his fingernail and stepped into the crack with a smile. He was actually a trial participant too, with his own identity jade plaque and a rather long name: "Xiao Wan Feng hurry to the east and find this young master!" But those rewards for being a Wang Cheng trial champion were probably all on Xu Xiao Ji now, and who knows where that went. Even if Xu Xiao Ji showed up, Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't dare use it. After all, that jade plaque had been confirmed as belonging to the Sheng Nu Xu Xiaoshou himself—whoever used it would be asking for death. Mo Mo followed closely, stepping into the spatial crack. This wasn't her first time traversing spatial turbulence, so she remained as calm as a still pond.

After the spatial crack healed, it wasn't until some time later that a handsome man in a red robe, casually draped over his shoulders and leaving his chest exposed, leaped down from the Ling Feng of Gong Yang Shan. His eyes were slightly narrowed, long and narrow. He held two illusory blue crescents in his hands, with sacred patterns flowing over them. "The seventeenth batch of stowaways... looks like this one's not mine..." He landed near where Xu Xiaoshou had entered the spatial crack. After pausing for a while, he gently sniffed the air, a glint flashing in his eyes as a satisfied smile appeared. "The scent of a ghost beast..." "It seems this is my prey!" As if sensing something, Yue Gong Li stopped tracing the scent and looked up at the distant sky. For a moment, the world before him seemed to turn crimson. He blinked, and the orange and black figures he thought he saw vanished like an illusion. He tried to recall, but nothing came to mind. "Interesting!" Yue Gong Li spun the illusory blue crescents on his fingertips, then pressed a finger to his forehead and muttered to himself: "Is this the power of the Xue Shi Zhu?" "Have I been cursed?"

In the Xuan Wu Pulse, atop the seventy-two-story Xuan Wu Jin Ta, a burly man with a full beard sat hugging his knees, chin resting on them, staring ahead in a ball of tension. This was the new Zhan Bu Head's first time on such a high-intensity "Tian Zu Mission," and he looked extremely on edge. Even though his eyes were dry and sore, he didn't blink, afraid of missing any important information: "Array eye three six five, Hong Yi Chang in position." "Array eye four eight four, Bai Yi Hong Jing in position." "Array eye seven, Bai Yi Zhao Chang in position." "Qing Long Pulse, Ao Sheng in position." "Bai Hu Pulse, Xi in position." "Zhu Que Pulse, Yu Zhi Wen in position." The Tian Zu exclusive communication device kept relaying various check-in reports. Red Yi and Bai Yi, even in the outside world, were team captains or vice-captains in various places, but here, they only reported their positions, hearing nothing else. The Liu Bu Heads were different—they could hear the reports from the Red Yi, Bai Yi, and between the six pulses. Above that, perhaps there was another level? That would be where the Er Zhu, San Di, and Si Shen Shi could hear everyone's voices? Or maybe even higher? Fang Fang didn't know. He only knew that this "someone in position" was a strict rule set by the Dao Dian Zhu. Everyone had to report in on time, just in case. Rumor had it that Xu Xiaoshou had all sorts of weird abilities to manipulate spirits and seize bodies, like the incarnation of a Nan Yu evil god. Fang Fang was quite afraid of the Sheng Nu master. The quieter the surroundings, the more his fear grew, so he made small talk: "Da Chui predecessor, why is it that everyone else has one person per position, but we need two here?" "I don't know! But if you're going to call me that, can't you say Wang predecessor, or Wang Da Chui predecessor?" Wang Da Chui was squeezed into the corner of the Xuan Wu Jin Ta, looking at that ball of solid muscle curled up and feeling increasingly disgusted, he scolded: "You only grew muscles, not brains. Can't you think for yourself?" Fang Fang's palms were sweaty. He scratched his head awkwardly and guessed: "Is it because... the chance of that master appearing here is higher, so the Dao Dian Zhu had us guard together to prevent being taken out in one hit and not even able to report?" "Shut your crow's mouth—your way of talking makes people want to vomit!" Wang Da Chui dry-heaved. Fang Fang had been here for a while and was used to Wang Da Chui's "scolding as affection" style. He shifted his waist and turned his head, blinking curiously: "Da Chui—er, Wang predecessor, I heard you've seen that master before and even blew him up?" "How strong is he? Does he have three heads and six arms, like the gods of Xiu Luo Dao?" I didn't blow him up! I almost ended up like your former head, barely surviving by sheer luck! Wang Da Chui muttered some incomprehensible curses—anyway, they were all foul language that Fang Fang couldn't understand. The communication device rang out clearly again: "Qing Long Pulse, Ao Sheng in position." "Array eye one, Ao Sheng clone in position. The first Zhan Shen Order has been inserted into one of the Ran Ming ruins' three slots... Wait, it's suddenly prompting 'searching for the second Zhan Shen Order location'—what's that? A female voice? Isn't it just me here? Is someone else alive?" The voice grew tense with a string of questions. "Zhu Que Pulse, Yu Zhi Wen in position. That's the Dao Dian Zhu's 'Sou Shen Array.' It's searching for the Zhan Shen Order locations inside the Si Xiang Secret Realm—not a living person, so don't worry." "Qing Long Pulse, I'm Ao Sheng. Why is it such a enchanting female voice? Isn't that scary... And there's another Zhan Shen Order, right? If it finds ours, what then?" "Zhu Que Pulse, Yu Zhi Wen in position. The other one is outside, so it can only be... well, Xu Xiaoshou's location." It's starting to search for the Sheng Nu master's position already? On the Xuan Wu Jin Ta, the bearded burly man Fang Fang, curled up, heard this and quickly chimed in: "Xuan Wu Pulse, Fang Fang in position." Wang Da Chui's muttering paused briefly before he hurriedly followed: "Xuan Wu Pulse, Wang Da Chui in..." Before he could finish, a spatial rift tore open in front of the Xuan Wu Jin Ta, and an old man in black clothes jumped in. Wang Da Chui froze. Fang Fang froze too. So blatant? These days, stowaways didn't even bother to hide, jumping right in front of the Liu Bu Heads? Who are they looking down on! "Oh, someone's here... Wang Da Chui? Long time no see!" The old man had graying hair, but his eyes were sharp and bright, though his face was dirty, making it hard to recognize at first. He had no extra ornaments, just a dry twig in his mouth and a small axe at his waist. His whole demeanor exuded a natural, unadorned Dao rhythm. But both could tell—this man was Tai Xu! "Even better, you can witness this—it's been ages since I've been so showy." The old man said, pulling out a crystal gem from his ring. "Xuan... Xuan... Xuan..." Fang Fang stood up on the tower top, pointing a finger at the old man in front, while his other hand fumbled out a crumpled wanted poster, but he was so stuttered he couldn't speak. "Xuan Wu Pulse! Cen Qiao Fu! Half-saint rank!" Wang Da Chui's scalp tingled as he succinctly reported all the key info, feeling cold from head to toe. He suddenly yanked out his thorny iron hammer from his back but backed away, as if he'd encountered a plague god. "Qing Long Pulse, I'm Ao Sheng. Wang Da Chui, what are you saying? Has the Sheng Nu's old woodcutter arrived? What's a half-saint rank mean? Dao Dian Zhu, can I go support?" "What else could it mean! Sealing as a saint!" Wang Da Chui roared: "You dead pretty boy, what are you waiting for?" "Dammit, if Cen Qiao Fu is sealing as a saint right in front of me, aren't you going to retreat and avoid the saint tribulation? You want to die under it?" "Someone get over here!" "Still got a communication device?" Cen Qiao Fu touched the Pan Xian axe at his waist and chuckled, not caring at all, then closed his eyes. At that moment, the teleportation channel from the Si Xiang Secret Realm to the outside world shut down. At that moment, all the trial participants had just entered the realm, hadn't started the trials yet, and hadn't even seen a single Yi Gui. The sky boomed with thunder, and the Sheng Gong trial shifted to hell mode! As the heavens shook, a sigh filled with沧桑 and solitude echoed from the nine heavens, clearly reaching every trial participant's ear: "Man must end old and welcome new spring..." "Half a life wasted, not in decline..." "Sun sets west, yet glows with color..." "Pan Xian chops wood to prove saintly honor..." Before the Xuan Wu Jin Ta, Cen Qiao Fu slapped the Pan Xian axe at his waist and spat out the blood tree yin branch from his mouth. With one axe strike, the blood tree yin branch—one of the nine great ancestral trees—split in two with a snap, unleashing surging power. At the same time, the crystal gem-like half-saint rank leaped above his head, wildly devouring that power. Cen Qiao Fu opened his tiger eyes wide and thundered: "Merge with Dao and seal as saint!"