Chapter 758: Entering

"Fellow Daoist Tian, is this the location of the ruin?" Huang Yuxu asked, a frown creasing his brow. He had already extended his spiritual sense and thoroughly searched the area, but detected no signs of any magical restrictions. They had encountered countless coral reefs like this one. How could Tian Jiong be so certain that this was the ruin's exact location?

"It should be," Tian Jiong replied. "This is a contingency left by the Zhenhai Sect's Grand Elder. Our ancestor acquired a magic treasure that can supposedly pinpoint the ruin's exact location. However, it can only be activated by cultivators at the Core Formation stage who practice our sect's three main cultivation techniques." As he spoke, Tian Jiong produced a metal sphere about the size of a watermelon. The sphere was half crimson and half azure, covered in intricate, mysterious runes.

"Fairy Li, Fellow Daoist Wei, please join Great-Uncle Zeng and me. By channeling the secret techniques from your cultivation methods into this Spirit-Seeking Pearl, we should be able to locate the ruin." Tian Jiong was the first to place his right hand on the bicolored sphere. After exchanging a glance, Wang Changsheng and Li Xin followed suit, placing their own right hands on it. Tian Jiong's right hand erupted with a mass of crimson flames, emitting scorching heat. Wang Changsheng's right hand crackled with countless blue electric arcs, while Li Xin's right hand glowed with a dazzling blue aura. The three distinct spiritual lights intertwined, merging together.

The Spirit-Seeking Pearl instantly blazed with intense light, and the two golden characters "Zhenhai" materialized on its surface before it shot off into the distance. As the Spirit-Seeking Pearl moved, intricate patterns of red and blue runes flickered across its surface. The surrounding seawater began to churn violently, forming a vortex. Initially small, the vortex expanded steadily as time passed.

Witnessing this phenomenon, Wang Changsheng's brows furrowed slightly. Such a large disturbance would easily attract other cultivators. However, he was well aware that breaking through the restriction later would create an even greater commotion. Entering discreetly was utterly impossible, given that the ruin was located deep underwater. The vortex continued to expand, its powerful currents dragging numerous demonic beasts into its maw. They were instantly pulverized into a bloody mist, and large quantities of coral were also torn from the seafloor.

"This much commotion will certainly draw other cultivators!" Huang Yuxu said with a frown, primarily not wanting other cultivators to join them inside.

"Once we are inside, the entrance will seal itself," Tian Jiong explained with a slight smile. "It would be impossible for anyone to follow us, unless they possess a secret treasure or a great divine ability." Thousands of feet beneath the sea, perhaps only a few demon cultivators might manage to follow them in, but certainly not many. The true purpose of their expedition was to claim the Zhenhai Sect's legacy treasures, and without a map, anyone else who managed to enter would be unable to locate them. Wang Changsheng and Li Xin only possessed a partial map of the Zhenhai Sect. While it correctly indicated the location of the Scripture Depository, only Tian Jiong and Fairy Ziyue knew the whereabouts of the sect's main treasure vault. Indeed, every person fends for themselves.

Tian Jiong's lifespan was dwindling, and his chances of advancing to the Nascent Soul stage were slim. His primary objective for this expedition was to secure spirit materials for Fairy Ziyue to achieve Nascent Soul formation. The Zhenhai Sect, at its zenith, had the power to resist the Sun-Moon Palace, so it was almost certain to possess such valuable resources.

The vortex continued to grow, reaching a hundred zhang in diameter. The six of them, including Wang Changsheng, quickly moved far away to avoid being sucked in. Numerous demonic beasts and large quantities of coral were dragged into the swirling abyss, leaving the seafloor uneven and scarred. The Spirit-Seeking Pearl spun rapidly, emitting blinding light and astonishing spiritual energy.

A thunderous roar erupted! A tremendous rumbling sound filled the water, and the seafloor shook violently, as if about to crack open. The coral reef parted in two, revealing a massive, funnel-shaped pit hundreds of zhang deep, with a circular indentation at its base. With a whoosh, the Spirit-Seeking Pearl shot directly into the indentation. The ground began to shake violently once more, accompanied by the appearance of a powerful current. The seawater churned fiercely, and within a five-hundred-zhang radius centered on the colossal pit, the water rapidly receded, leaving a large, open space.

The ethereal form of a colossal blue cauldron abruptly materialized above the cleared space. A flood of blue light intensified its outline, making the phantom cauldron appear as solid and real as if it were truly there.

"The Zhenhai Cauldron!" Tian Jiong murmured to himself, his expression one of profound solemnity.

The colossal phantom cauldron erupted with blinding blue light, forcing all six, including Wang Changsheng, to shut their eyes. A moment later, the blue light faded, and the colossal phantom cauldron disappeared, replaced by a blue light gate over ten zhang high. Behind the shimmering portal, scenes of pavilions, palaces, strange birds, and exotic beasts were vaguely visible.

"This is the restriction," Tian Jiong said, his voice grave and tinged with excitement. "We must combine our efforts and cast spiritual arts to open a breach." He was the first to fly towards the blue light gate, with Wang Changsheng and Li Xin quickly following. All three placed their palms on the blue light gate. In succession, crimson fire, azure aura, and bolts of blue lightning emerged from their hands. Ripples spread across the surface of the blue light gate, and numerous runes flickered into existence. Wang Changsheng felt as though the blue light gate was a vampiric entity, drawing his spiritual power uncontrollably from his body.

After a quarter of an hour, the blue light gate began to shake violently, and concentric ripples formed on its surface. A blue pillar of light, approximately a zhang in diameter, shot forth, rapidly ascending towards the ocean surface. The blue light pillar burst from the ocean, soaring directly into the sky and disappearing beyond the horizon. This spectacle was witnessed by cultivators tens of thousands of li in every direction.

Wang Changsheng's brows furrowed tightly; such a display would undoubtedly attract a large number of cultivators.

"Don't concern yourselves with that," Tian Jiong interjected. "Once we're inside, the breach will automatically seal itself." As Tian Jiong spoke, the flame in his palm surged. Soon after, a fist-sized opening abruptly appeared in the light gate. This opening rapidly expanded, growing to about a zhang in size before finally stopping.

"The three of you should enter first," Fairy Ziyue instructed. "The teleportation point is random. You might be sent to the Zhenhai Sect's forbidden zone or to the spiritual herb garden. Exercise extreme caution." Fairy Ziyue applied a protective shield to herself, then transformed into a streak of light and darted into the blue light gate, vanishing from sight. Huang Yuxu entered second, with Wang Ruyan following immediately behind him.

"Fellow Daoist Wei, please go in first," Wang Changsheng said. "Our spiritual power is more abundant, so we can afford to enter a little later." Wang Changsheng paused for a moment, then nodded. He transformed into a streak of blue light and flew into the blue light gate. No sooner had he entered than Tian Jiong and Li Xin followed him in. Once all six had passed through, the breach in the blue light gate slowly began to close, though the gate itself remained.

On a remote, desolate island, a tall man in yellow robes and a stout, round-faced man were engaged in a fierce battle against a lean man in green robes with a prominent nose. The man in green possessed a pair of sharp, black claws and a set of black feathered wings on his back, clearly identifying him as a member of the demon race. The ground nearby was riddled with dozens of large craters, the peaks of two small hills had been completely leveled, and most of the trees lay toppled.

They all witnessed the blue pillar of light shooting directly into the sky.

"Is that a secret treasure appearing?""A secret realm? Or perhaps the Immortal-Suppressing Pagoda?" The three exchanged astonished glances and exclaimed.

The man in green robes' eyes darted, and he spoke sincerely: "Fellow Daoists, though your strength is considerable, a secret treasure has appeared, and it's very likely the Immortal-Suppressing Pagoda! I propose we cease our fight here. What are your thoughts?" The man in yellow and the round-faced man exchanged glances, then nodded in agreement. They also had no confidence in quickly defeating their opponent.

"Very well then, we shall settle our contest another day." The man in green robes powerfully flapped the wings on his back, transforming into a streak of green light that swiftly cut through the air and sped away.

"He got off too easily," the round-faced man grumbled. "If it weren't for the secret treasure appearing, I would have insisted on continuing our fight."

"That fellow isn't weak; he wouldn't be easy to finish off," the yellow-robed man analyzed calmly, stroking his chin. "Judging by the appearance, it doesn't seem like the Immortal-Suppressing Pagoda has appeared. If we calculate the timing, it shouldn't be manifesting yet, and its usual phenomena are quite different from this. It's more likely the emergence of some other secret treasure."

"Hehe, whether it's a secret treasure or something else, why don't we go take a look?" the round-faced man chuckled. "We're both at the seventh level of Core Formation; even if we encounter Nascent Soul cultivators, we two brothers can always make a clean escape." The two transformed into streaks of light and sped towards the location where the blue pillar had appeared.

Similar scenes unfolded across the sea within a radius of tens of thousands of li. Other cultivators either gathered their companions and rushed towards the blue light pillar's location or reported the sighting to their sect elders. For a period, the skies above the ocean were filled with various colored streaks of light, presenting a bustling spectacle. Before long, news of a rare treasure appearing in the vicinity quickly spread.