Chapter 3554: Rainbow Cave Heaven

Tianhong Cavern, an ancient battlefield fraught with numerous restrictions, is situated in the central region of Wanlong Continent. Even Mahayana cultivators face the risk of death if they enter.

Deep within Tianhong Cavern lies a long, narrow valley. No vegetation grows inside, and the stone walls on either side are rough and uneven.

Wang Lihe, Wang Huayue, Wang Yier, and a dozen other Wang family cultivators proceeded slowly, their faces betraying a high degree of vigilance.

Earlier, Ye Yuhuan had been fleeing on the Ice Lion vessel, pursued by two Mahayana cultivators. She stayed behind to cover their retreat, allowing the others to scatter and save themselves.

As they dispersed to escape, the enemy also dispatched Integration cultivators to hunt them down.

To evade pursuit, Wang Lihe and a dozen other cultivators from the Wang family fled into Tianhong Cavern. Naturally, they left markers along their path, enabling their clan members to trace them to the cavern.

A short while later, they emerged from the valley, and a continuous expanse of lush green mountains stretched before their eyes.

The sword box on Wang Lihe's back began to shake gently, followed by Wang Huayue's. A piercing hum of swords filled the air as their lifebound flying swords flew out of their scabbards, attempting to soar in a particular direction.

Wang Lihe and Wang Huayue quickly performed hand seals. Their flying swords' spiritual radiance surged, holding them suspended mid-air, where they trembled slightly and emitted loud hums.

As Wang Lihe and Wang Huayue continued their hand seals, the flying swords reluctantly returned to their respective sword boxes, which then gently vibrated.

"Quickly retreat, there's something strange here," Wang Lihe said gravely. They promptly retreated back into the valley, and only then did their lifebound flying swords finally settle.

"What's going on?" Wang Lihe asked, a puzzled expression on his face. It was the first time he had encountered such a phenomenon.

It felt as if something was summoning his lifebound flying sword, though he couldn't identify what it was.

"I'll go check it out. You all stay here," Wang Yier stated firmly. There was certainly something unusual ahead.

Wang Yier cast several defensive spells upon himself before stepping out of the valley.

Wang Lihe and the others waited inside the valley, their expressions solemn.

Less than half a day later, Wang Yier returned.

"I found a mountain peak, similar to our family's Sword Burial Peak," Wang Yier began. "It has many flying swords."

As he spoke, Wang Yier produced a small, shimmering golden mirror. He injected spiritual power into it, and its surface illuminated with countless mysterious runes. The mirror displayed a majestic peak, bristling with numerous flying swords of diverse shapes – some reduced to only hilts, others to just blades. The area above the mountainside was shrouded in white mist, obscuring the view of what lay beyond.

"Sword Burial Peak! Is there a sword spirit there? Yier, did you manage to go up and see?" Wang Lihe pressed.

"There's a lightning-attributed restriction blocking the path; I couldn't get through," Wang Yier explained. The mirror indeed showed thick golden lightning bolts, flashing and thundering.

He then added, "It's highly probable it's a sword spirit. I've estimated it's tens of thousands of miles from here. For something to influence your lifebound flying swords from such a distance, it must be a sword spirit, or perhaps something even more advanced, but definitely related to flying swords."

"A sword spirit!" Wang Huayue's eyes blazed with fervor. As a sword cultivator, she naturally understood the immense implications of a sword spirit; subduing one could dramatically boost a sword cultivator's power.

"There are many restrictions here; let's hide for a while," Wang Lihe said gravely. "Once the danger passes, we can go out and search for our clan members."

Since they couldn't contact Wang Qingshan, their only option was to remain hidden here.

Finding a small cave within the valley, they entered it and set up warning arrays and alert puppets nearby to prevent any stealthy approach by enemies.

In the Xuanyang Realm, on Qianling Continent, within the Jiuyuan Mountain Range, a serene manor hosted a red stone pavilion. Inside, Su Jianjia, Su Xiangdong, and a dignified man in white robes sat conversing.

"Fellow Daoist Bai, I heard you refined a Cold Flame Stone and transformed into an Acquired Spiritual Body, the Cold Flame Body!" Su Xiangdong said with a smile.

Acquired Spiritual Bodies possess inherent divine abilities that are not necessarily inferior to those of Innate Spiritual Bodies.

When cultivators transform into an Acquired Spiritual Body using external objects, they gain a unique innate divine ability whose power grows in tandem with their cultivation level.

While this process offers significant benefits, it also entails considerable risks. Failure means death and the complete eradication of one's cultivation. With the aid of special elixirs or secret talismans, survival might be possible, but at the cost of a drastic drop in cultivation. Despite these dangers, many cultivators still aspire to transform into Acquired Spiritual Bodies.

"Fellow Daoist Su, your information is remarkably well-informed! You even know this," the white-robed man chuckled heartily, his gaze significant.

"It's not that my news is well-informed," Su Xiangdong replied with a meaningful look. "It's just that Fellow Daoist Bai sparred with other cultivators and utilized the True Cold Flame, an innate divine ability of the Cold Flame Body. With this spiritual flame, combined with the spiritual flame you've cultivated yourself, you should be able to nurture an eighth-tier spiritual flame, shouldn't you?"

The white-robed man was Bai Biao, a cultivator at the mid-Mahayana stage.

"Heh heh, Fellow Daoist Su, you are truly knowledgeable; nothing escapes your notice," Bai Biao said. "To be honest, if I hadn't coveted the True Cold Flame, I wouldn't have dared to attempt it. I'm also indebted to you for trading me a Nine Primordial Heart Protection Pill; otherwise, I might not have made it. Fellow Daoist Sun, who acquired a Qianyuan Divine Crystal earlier, also attempted to transform into an Acquired Spiritual Body and perished in the attempt." Bai Biao's expression grew solemn towards the end of his speech.

The Nine Primordial Heart Protection Pill is an eighth-tier elixir. If consumed, it can at least preserve one's life even if the spiritual body transformation fails. However, the Jiuyuan Merchant Alliance rarely sells it, primarily because its refining ingredients are exceptionally difficult to acquire.

"Qianyuan Divine Crystal? Fellow Daoist Sun truly dared to dream big," Su Xiangdong said with a tone of regret. "Qianyuan Divine Crystal is a material used for refining Profound Heaven Treasures, far more precious than Cold Flame Stone. No wonder he failed."

"There was no other way," Bai Biao said with a touch of regret. "He was about to face his fifth Grand Heavenly Tribulation and had been stuck at the mid-Mahayana stage. If successful, he would have transformed into a Qianyuan Body, mastering the Qianyuan Divine Armor ability, whose defensive power is almost comparable to the Earth Spirit Body's innate Earth Divine Radiance. This would have given him a chance to withstand the fifth Grand Heavenly Tribulation. We rogue cultivators are simply not as well-equipped as Mahayana cultivators from major powers; we don't possess as many treasures to resist such tribulations."

Su Jianjia produced a white-glowing Dharma plate, infused it with a magic seal, and made several gestures.

"Fellow Daoist Bai, you must be tired from your journey. Please stay in the Jiuyuan Mountain Range for now. When Jianjia's Mahayana celebration is held, we can have a few good drinks."

Su Xiangdong then dispatched someone to arrange lodging for Bai Biao.

Shortly after, Wang Qingcheng and Bu Zizai entered.

"I am Wang Qingcheng. Greetings, Fellow Daoist Su, Immortal Su," Wang Qingcheng said, cupping his hands and smiling. "Wang Qingshan is my elder kinsman. Upon hearing that Immortal Su had advanced to the Mahayana stage, I specifically came to partake in the celebrations."

"So it's Fellow Daoist Wang. You are very thoughtful," Su Jianjia said with a smile. She had previously dispatched people to investigate the Wang family's background and knew the identities of their high-ranking members.

Wang Qingcheng, being Wang Changsheng's son, showing up personally for her Mahayana celebration was indeed a great show of respect.

After a brief chat, Su Xiangdong instructed Bu Zizai to escort Wang Qingcheng to his quarters for rest.