Chapter 773: Grand Elder Nangong Miao

In a dense black forest, Wang Ruyan and Wang Changsheng stood together as tens of thousands of black ants swarmed from all directions, a terrifying sight.

Wang Changsheng released all his Gold-Devouring Ants. They engaged in a ferocious battle with the black ants, resulting in casualties on both sides.

The black ants were known as Black Gold Ants. These spirit ants fed on spirit wood and were highly aggressive, possessing decent defenses. However, ordinary Black Gold Ants stood no chance against magic treasures.

The Black Gold Ant Queen was a mid-grade third-tier demonic insect, stronger even than the Gold-Devouring Ant Queen. However, with Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan providing assistance, she was no match.

Realizing her peril, she attempted to flee. Just then, a white light shot forth, quickly entwining her body; it was a delicate white silk thread.

The other end of the white silk was connected to a low-grade third-tier Azure-Eyed Ice Silkworm.

The Black Gold Ant Queen, tightly bound by dense white threads, quickly began to freeze.

A yellow light flashed, and a Mountain Sea Bead appeared out of thin air, rapidly expanding before crashing down.

Boom! With a loud thud, the Black Gold Ant Queen was crushed into a pulp. The Gold-Devouring Ant Queen quickly lunged forward, fiercely gnawing on the Black Gold Ant Queen's corpse.

With the death of their queen, the tens of thousands of Black Gold Ants became leaderless. Wang Changsheng directed his Gold-Devouring Ants to relentlessly attack them.

The Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada was not idle either, absorbing the souls of the dead Black Gold Ants one by one.

When the Black Gold Ants attempted to escape, a vast expanse of yellow mist appeared out of nowhere, trapping all of them.

As time passed, the Black Gold Ants, lacking their queen's command, quickly crumbled. Under Wang Changsheng's direction, the Gold-Devouring Ants divided the tens of thousands of Black Gold Ants into smaller groups and annihilated them one by one.

After a short while, all tens of thousands of Black Gold Ants had been devoured by the Gold-Devouring Ants. The Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada also consumed a large number of souls, sending a surge of divine sense into Wang Changsheng's Sea of Consciousness.

Wang Changsheng recalled the Gold-Devouring Ant Queen, and Wang Ruyan retrieved her Azure-Eyed Ice Silkworm. The two then walked forward, with the Wood Demon clearing a path ahead of them.

Soon, they emerged from the dense forest to find a tall mountain before them. The area above its halfway point was enveloped in countless white mists.

Wang Changsheng used his divine sense to investigate, but it was blocked by an invisible force.

He released two puppet beasts and sent them up the mountain.

Initially, there was nothing unusual. After the puppet beasts had walked a hundred paces, a large expanse of crimson flames suddenly erupted from the mountain, engulfing them.

Wang Changsheng was startled and quickly tried to recall the puppet beasts. However, before they could return, he lost contact with them.

After a moment, the flames dissipated, and the puppet beasts were gone.

Wang Changsheng frowned deeply, realizing there was clearly a powerful restriction on the mountain.

Wang Ruyan's slender fingers swiftly swept across her zither strings. A vast array of blue giant blades shot forth, striking the mountain and creating large craters on its surface. However, there were no other anomalies.

Clearly, the restriction was triggered only when someone attempted to ascend the mountain.

“Oh no, a Nascent Soul cultivator is approaching! Let's go, wife!”

Wang Changsheng's expression changed. He recalled the Wood Demon and quickly ascended the mountain with Wang Ruyan.

He conjured three Mountain Sea Beads, which projected layers of water screens to protect their bodies.

Soon, a large expanse of crimson flames suddenly emerged, assailing them from all directions. When the crimson flames met the blue water screens, a puff of smoke instantly rose.

Even through the layers of water screens, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan still felt an overwhelming wave of heat.

They dared not stop and quickly walked up the mountain.

A blue light flew from afar, landing at the foot of the mountain and revealing a young woman in a blue dress. Judging by her attire, she was clearly a cultivator from the Sun-Moon Palace.

“Remnants of Zhenhai Sect, you court death!”

The beautiful woman in the blue dress's face turned cold. She struck the empty air, and a white light flashed. A giant white hand, over ten zhang in size, appeared out of thin air and slammed fiercely towards Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan.

Boom! The giant white hand struck the blue water screens, and the water screens instantly froze. However, under the intense heat, the ice quickly shattered. A large gap appeared in the water screens, and a vast expanse of crimson flames surged in.

The Mountain Sea Beads spun rapidly, releasing a vast expanse of blue seawater that extinguished the flames.

Soon after, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan dashed into the white mist.

As soon as they entered the white mist, they immediately felt a powerful gravitational force, making it difficult to move even a single step.

A flight of green stone steps stretched from halfway up the mountain to its summit. At the top, a magnificent blue palace was visible.

“A gravity restriction!”

Wang Changsheng frowned. As a body cultivator, he could still move, but Wang Ruyan could not. The problem was that the Nascent Soul cultivator was also ascending the mountain, and it was only a matter of time before she caught up.

“Wife, try using the spiritual light from our cultivation techniques; it might help.”

Wang Changsheng recalled that some restrictions could only be opened by Core Formation cultivators who practiced the three great sect-suppressing techniques. Perhaps the restriction here was similar.

Wang Changsheng's left hand grasped Wang Ruyan's right hand. Both their palms shone with a dazzling blue light, accompanied by ethereal music.

An astonishing scene unfolded: the gravitational force suddenly vanished.

Wang Changsheng withdrew his magic power, and the gravity reappeared. He was overjoyed.

“Husband, you were right! The spiritual light from our sect-suppressing techniques can indeed break the restriction.” Wang Ruyan said, her face filled with delight.

Wang Changsheng tightly held Wang Ruyan's hand. Numerous blue electrical arcs appeared on Wang Changsheng's body, while blue musical notes materialized around Wang Ruyan.

The two strode quickly towards the mountain summit, their speed remarkable.

By the time they reached the summit, the young woman in the blue dress had only reached halfway up the mountain.

The young woman in the blue dress found it difficult to move even a single step, let alone confront Wang Changsheng and his wife.

The blue palace's entrance was covered by a blue light screen, upon which Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan placed their hands.

A loud thunderous roar erupted. A vast array of blue electrical arcs surged from Wang Changsheng's hands, while a large expanse of blue musical notes emerged from Wang Ruyan's hands.

The blue light screen violently trembled, flashed wildly, and then vanished.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan exchanged a glance, overjoyed, and stepped inside.

No sooner had they stepped inside than the blue light screen reappeared, blocking the entrance.

The main hall was spacious. On the stone walls of both the left and right sides were carved murals depicting scenes of resisting foreign invasion. The hall seemed to have no other passages, as if it were a dead space.

Wang Changsheng released his divine sense, sweeping it across the entire hall. Finding nothing unusual, his gaze fell upon the stone walls on both sides.

He and Wang Ruyan walked to the left stone wall. They placed their hands on the wall, and countless blue electrical arcs and blue musical notes emerged.

Boom! The stone wall emitted a tremendous roar and then burst forth with a brilliant blue light.

A blue light flew out from the stone wall. Wang Changsheng was startled and pulled Wang Ruyan back, his face filled with vigilance.

The blue light flashed, revealing an elderly man in a blue robe, seemingly in his early fifties. The blue-robed elder's gaze was stern, instantly conveying that he was not to be trifled with. However, he was not a physical entity.

For some reason, in the presence of the blue-robed elder, Wang Changsheng felt as though he had no secrets at all.

“Junior Wang Changsheng greets you. May I ask who you are, senior?” Wang Changsheng asked calmly, his face still showing vigilance.

The Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada seemed somewhat excited, appearing to have sensed the scent of food.

“Wang Changsheng? I am Nangong Miao, the Grand Elder of Zhenhai Sect. Are you cultivating our sect's 'True Scripture of Kui Water' and 'Heavenly Sound Overturning Sea Technique'?” the blue-robed elder asked in a deep voice, exuding an aura of authority without needing to express anger.

Wang Changsheng inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He bowed respectfully and said, “Precisely, senior. My ancestor was Wang Yuangang, a disciple of the Zhenhai Sect. I greet you, Grand Elder.”

“Junior Wang Ruyan greets you, Grand Elder,” Wang Ruyan added.

The blue-robed elder showed a thoughtful expression and nodded, saying, “Wang Yuangang, I remember him. He was originally a scripture-keeping disciple and disappeared during the sect's internal strife. The upper halves of the three sect-suppressing techniques also vanished then. Fortunately, we had backups.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Changsheng's expression became somewhat awkward.

“I am merely a wisp of a remnant soul. Someone has now triggered the restriction I set up during my lifetime, and after a while, everyone will be teleported out. So, I will be brief with you. Do you know why our sect was destroyed by the Sun-Moon Palace?”

“It seems like internal strife?” Wang Changsheng replied somewhat cautiously.

“Internal strife was only one reason. Our sect's Sixth Grand Elder was overly conceited and, despite the objections of others, led a large number of disciples into the Heavenly Void Grotto-heaven to seek treasures. As a result, most of our elites were lost, and our sect suffered a severe blow. However, our sect also acquired a partial inheritance from Immortal Monarch Bingyue, which included a precious technique. The Sun-Moon Palace coveted this technique, which is why they sought to destroy our Zhenhai Sect.”