Chapter 563: Cage

"Cultivation requires pressing forward, fearless of hardships. Look at Master; he makes enemies everywhere, and under immense pressure, his cultivation advances by leaps and bounds, making him the foremost expert of our time."

Lu Yang advised Meng Jingzhou not to think that avoiding the "dragon's inherent lust" was a good thing, as such a mindset was detrimental to cultivation.

"The greater the pressure, the greater the potential." This was a principle the Senior Sister had taught him, and she, in turn, had learned it from Daoist Silent.

Daoist Silent had personally demonstrated the correctness of his theory, and he continued to practice it, a tireless spirit that Lu Yang greatly admired.

Meng Jingzhou glanced at Lu Yang. "It's easy for you to say," he retorted, "Let's see how you'd feel if we swapped places."

The Suanni killed by the Third Senior Sister was indeed one of the heaven-blessed talents; it possessed many valuable items.

"Is this a bottle of Infant Transformation Pills?" Lu Yang found a small bottle and poured out a pill. It resembled the Infant Transformation Pills described in books, which could help cultivators break through from the Golden Core stage to the Nascent Soul stage.

Pill Cauldron Peak did not refine such pills, so Lu Yang had never seen a real one.

"All three of these bottles are Infant Transformation Pills."

"What kind of pill is this?" Meng Jingzhou found a pill in a separate small bottle. When opened, it released a strong, fragrant aroma, indicating its high value.

"This scent... it should be a Soul Condensing Pill, used for breaking through from the Nascent Soul stage to the Soul Transformation stage," the Third Senior Sister said, her nose twitching as she identified the pill's origin by scent.

Soon after, Meng Jingzhou found another Soul Condensing Pill.

Leaning against the stone wall, the Third Senior Sister explained, "The Suanni was already at the mid-Soul Transformation stage, so Soul Condensing Pills were useless to him. He must have accumulated these pills to gather subordinates."

"Within the Suanni tribe, there are many factions. To contend for the patriarch's position in the future, one needs not only the support of superiors but also the loyalty of subordinates, for tasks like gathering materials and intelligence."

"I've seen many subordinates, under the guise of collecting materials, bullying smaller tribes. I dealt with them as I saw fit, which is how I made some of my enemies."

"As for methods of gathering subordinates, there are many: some rely on pure trust, others establish life-and-death or master-servant contracts, and then there are the death warriors trained by older generations."

"By the way, Third Senior Sister, we didn't have enough time in the secret realm, so you didn't elaborate. What exactly are the Central Continent, the Demon Realm, the Buddhist Kingdom, the Eastern Sea, and the Extreme North?"

"The Senior Sister also said that if we encountered any strange phenomena at the border between the Central Continent and the Demon Realm, we could ask you directly."

Upon hearing this topic, the Third Senior Sister no longer leaned lazily against the stone wall. She sat up straight, her tone becoming serious.

"Normally, this isn't something cultivators of your level should know," she said. "However, since Senior Sister mentioned it, she must have her reasons. I'll ask one more time: are you sure you want to know?"

Both nodded simultaneously. The question was before them, and not knowing the answer left them restless.

Seeing their resolve, the Third Senior Sister sighed. With a few casual strokes of her finger in the air, she conjured an undulating continent, labeling it "Central Continent."

"Most cultivators believe the world is flat, and that we, the demon race, and the sea race all live on a single, continuous landmass."

"But that's not actually the case."

As she spoke, a continent the same size as the Central Continent appeared to its east, positioned vertically to it.

This vertical continent to the east was the vast Eastern Sea.

"This is the Eastern Sea."

To the west of the Central Continent, a desert-covered landmass rose, parallel to the Eastern Sea continent.

"This is the Buddhist Kingdom."

To the south of the Central Continent, a continent covered in mountains and forests rose vertically.

"This is our current location, the Demon Realm."

To the north of the Central Continent, a white continent rose, completing the enclosure.

"This is the desolate Extreme North."

The Third Senior Sister pinched the air, a hot, red sphere forming between her fingers. She then placed this sphere directly above the five continents.

"This is the sun and moon."

The Third Senior Sister paused, then continued.

"There's another continent, one not recorded in any books. This is a landmass known only to high-level cultivators."

The sixth continent appeared, forming a lid over the box.

It sealed the top.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou both shuddered simultaneously, their pupils constricting as expressions of disbelief crossed their faces.

"This continent is called the Spiritless Continent. As the name suggests, it is a land completely devoid of spiritual energy, utterly worthless. Not only cultivators, but even mortals are unwilling to go to such a place."

Spiritual energy has the effect of clearing meridians and strengthening the body. If mortals were to go to the Spiritless Continent, their physical health would decline.

"You must have heard the legend that three hundred thousand years ago, an ancient, nameless individual refined stars into continents."

"However, that nameless ancient individual didn't refine the stars into a single continent, but six."

"These six continents are indestructible, forming a cube that traps everyone here."

"During this time, many powerful cultivators tried to break through the continents to reach the world beyond, but without exception, all failed. Even cultivators skilled in spatial magic could not penetrate the continent's base."

"There are even rumors that not even Immortals could break through the continents."

"As for why the nameless ancient individual did this, it remains unknown."

"In reality, whether there are six continents or one, it has no impact on cultivators. The combined area of these six continents is vast enough that neither cultivation nor combat feels restricted."

"This..."

Although Lu Yang had long anticipated the existence of a sixth continent and expected that they lived within a vast, boundless box, seeing this scene truly unfold still felt like an incredible fantasy.

Lu Yang had always wondered why the nameless ancient individual would refine stars into continents. What was the purpose?

This had baffled Lu Yang for a long time, but now the answer was finally revealed: the nameless ancient individual had done it to lock something away.

Using stars as raw material and continents as barriers, a colossal, immeasurable box had been constructed, impenetrable by any divine ability.

"If you don't believe it, you can go down and see for yourselves, if you know Earth Evasion Arts," the Third Senior Sister added. Many cultivators found it difficult to accept the truth when they first heard it.

Seeing is believing, which was understandable.

"I'll go take a look." Lu Yang didn't hesitate, getting up to descend.

This was not just his intention, but also Immortal Undying's.

The continental barrier was very thick; at Lu Yang's speed, it would take days to traverse.

Fortunately, Lu Yang was already at the Golden Core stage, allowing him to circulate energy internally and go without breathing for extended periods.

The only problem was that constantly maintaining Earth Shrinking Arts would deplete his spiritual power.

This problem could be solved with Grand Restoration Pills.

He activated Earth Shrinking Arts and swiftly burrowed underground.

Three hours later, Lu Yang's spiritual energy ran out. He created a small space underground using a technique similar to drawing a prison, took a Grand Restoration Pill, rested for a moment, and then continued his descent.

This process repeated twenty times, and five days passed.

His descending body suddenly stopped, feeling as if he had stepped onto solid ground, with a distinct sense of reality.

Earth Shrinking Arts could not penetrate further.

He had reached the very bottom of the continent.