Chapter 994

When the two elders flew out of the impossibly long passage, Han Li was already floating high in the air outside, gazing at the peak of the gorge and listening intently.

At this moment, the two elders realized that outside, the faint rumbling sound had grown even weaker. Had the three not all been Nascent Soul cultivators with senses far surpassing ordinary mortals, they might have mistaken the sound for nothing more than a passing breeze.

“It seems to come from above, and it’s very far away. If this place weren’t sealed off by forbidden arrays, the echo would be too powerful—we wouldn’t have heard it at all.” After listening for a moment, the elder with the surname Fu frowned and spoke.

“Since we know nothing about this place, it’s better to go and take a look first rather than blindly stumbling around. Of course, we should use concealment techniques while traveling, and avoid letting others spot us first.” Han Li turned his head to glance at the two and suggested.

The two elders of the Fu surname naturally had no objections and immediately agreed.

The elder pressed his hands together in a seal, and suddenly a large wave of green light erupted from his body, then condensed into a dim glow. His figure blurred, finally becoming a faint green shadow. Unless one came very close to inspect, his presence was nearly undetectable.

This was also due to the mountain’s strong suppression of spiritual sense. Outside this mountain, such concealment technique would be far less effective against cultivators of the same realm.

Bai Yaoyi raised her jade hand, and a flash of cold light appeared between her fingers—a translucent token, as if forged from ice crystal.

She raised the token in one hand and simultaneously uttered a melodious incantation. Instantly, a stream of silver mist burst forth from the token, swiftly engulfing her graceful figure.

Then, with a flash of light, Bai Yaoyi’s form vanished into thin air.

Seeing the two apply their concealment techniques, Han Li smiled. Without any visible motion, his spiritual aura merely flickered slightly, and his presence vanished entirely.

Even if the elder and Bai Yaoyi stood right before Han Li, relying solely on spiritual sense, they would have thought there was no one there.

This startled both elders.

Only then did Han Li calmly pull out a concealment talisman, stick it onto his body, and instantly become faint and indistinct.

“Depart!” Han Li murmured, and the three rose into the air.

In this mysterious, unfamiliar land, none of them flew quickly—moving only slightly faster than a light-body technique, they followed the sound toward the rumbling source.

As the three flew onward, every place they passed was lush and verdant, brimming with spiritual energy. Almost every spot was an ideal cultivation ground in the mortal realm. Outside, countless cultivation sects would have fought to the death for such a place.

Yet here, they were everywhere!

Half an hour later, Han Li and the others encountered no surprises, nor did they show any signs of delight.

The lifeless, utterly barren scenery along the way left them uneasy and deeply oppressed.

“Han Brother, have you noticed? The spiritual energy here is exceptional, yet after flying such a long distance, we haven’t seen a single spiritual herb or tree—only ordinary plants. This is strange.” Bai Yaoyi hesitated before speaking.

“I’ve noticed too. The spiritual energy here is decent, but it grows richer the higher we ascend—just like outside on a spiritual mountain. Probably, the original cultivators here deliberately planted spiritual herbs on the slopes for better results.” Han Li showed no surprise, speaking calmly.

“Even richer than this?” Bai Yaoyi was stunned.

After all, the spiritual energy here already struck her as an ideal cultivation ground.

“Han Brother, if the mountain’s peak truly holds a superior cultivation haven, we needn’t rush to leave. Why not stay and cultivate here for a while?” The elder with the surname Fu, hearing this, became intrigued.

“Fu Brother, you don’t actually think this place is an ordinary spiritual mountain, do you? If such a place with abundant spiritual energy could be cultivated in peace, why would the original cultivators have abandoned it? And the entire mountain is sealed by forbidden arrays—clearly, something is odd here. If I could leave, I wouldn’t stay.” Han Li chuckled coldly.

Hearing this, the elder with the surname Fu’s expression shifted several times, then he finally let out a bitter laugh.

“Han Brother is right. This place is certainly no place for quiet cultivation. I was foolish, lured by the spiritual energy here.”

“It’s no fault of yours for thinking that way. I myself just had the same thought. After all, such a cultivation ground would save us countless hours of meditation.” Bai Yaoyi also sighed regretfully.

Han Li smiled slightly, about to say more, when his gaze swept idly—and his expression changed instantly. He halted his flight.

His pupils glowed blue as he stared intently to one side.

The elder and Bai Yaoyi were puzzled and followed his gaze.

In the distance, white mist swirled, slightly obscuring the view. But such misty conditions were common along their path—they had seen them many times and paid them no mind. They couldn’t possibly investigate every patch of fog.

“Go take a look. Something’s there. Might be useful to us.” Han Li’s eyes flashed, and his flight suddenly shifted, shooting straight into the white mist.

The elder and Bai Yaoyi were puzzled, but knew Han Li wouldn’t act without reason, so they followed without hesitation.

But when they stepped into the mist, they froze.

Before them stretched a broad white stone staircase, ascending and descending the mountain, vanishing into the distance. Beside the staircase, standing in the mist, was a pale, foggy stone tablet—over ten zhang tall and three zhang wide.

Han Li stood before the tablet, hands clasped behind his back, staring blankly at something upon it.

“What is it, Han Brother? Have you found something?” The elder landed on the platform and asked curiously.

“Now I finally know what this mountain is. Come take a look. This tablet bears the mountain’s origin.” Han Li turned his head, speaking gravely.

“Oh? Let me see!”

The elder immediately stepped forward, energized. Bai Yaoyi followed with light steps.

Their eyes swept the tablet—and instantly understood.

For the tablet bore only two ancient characters, written in bold, swirling golden script.

“Kunwu! So this is the legendary Mount Kunwu!” The elder with the surname Fu exclaimed aloud, then cried out again in shock.

Bai Yaoyi covered her lips with one hand, her beautiful eyes filled with astonishment.

“Yes, it must be Mount Kunwu. In ancient times, this mountain was called a celestial mountain, a gathering place for ancient cultivators. Given its size and the density of spiritual energy, it’s undoubtedly Kunwu. But legends say it was taken to the Spirit Realm by ancient cultivators—or sank beneath the Yellow Springs after a battle. How could it appear here?” Bai Yaoyi murmured, staring at the tablet, still struggling to believe it.

“White Daoist, those are just legends. The truth is likely that this mountain was sealed for some unknown reason—and we three accidentally triggered an ancient transmission array, teleporting here! Given this mountain’s reputation, there must be countless ancient cultivator caves. If we can find even a few, we’ll gain great rewards.” The elder with the surname Fu quickly recovered, his voice brimming with excitement.

“Perhaps. But given how this mountain was sealed, the ancient cultivators must have left with preparation. I doubt their caves hold much of value. This stone tablet, though crudely forged, has stood here for tens of thousands of years, absorbing heaven and earth’s spiritual energy—it has become a rare treasure.” Han Li shook his head, then stepped forward, gently tapping the tablet several times, his eyes gleaming.

“What? This tablet is a treasure?” The elder and Bai Yaoyi froze, then stared again at the tablet in shock—and fell silent.

To all appearances, the tablet was merely an ordinary green stone tablet. Though it carried some spiritual energy, it couldn’t even compare to the lowest-grade alchemical material!

They exchanged a strange glance at Han Li.

“Heh, I see you two don’t believe me. But I’m convinced.” Han Li’s lips curled slightly, his expression calm—but inside, he was deeply puzzled.

For neither the others nor even he himself could discern anything unusual. He said this because the Earth Armor Dragon, which had been calmly resting in his spirit beast pouch, suddenly became agitated the moment he approached the tablet.

It kept transmitting frantic cries, signaling that this object was extraordinary.

Han Li had even scanned the tablet with his Ming Qing Spiritual Eyes—and still found nothing special. He was naturally skeptical.

But driven by the mindset of “better safe than sorry,” Han Li hesitated, then forced himself to speak these cryptic words.

With that excuse, his hand pressed against the tablet, releasing a pale green aura.

The tablet trembled violently, shrinking rapidly within the aura.

As it shrank to half its original size, Han Li’s brows twitched. He curled his aura around it, ready to lift it into his storage pouch.

But just as the tablet rose a foot off the ground, an anomaly erupted.

The seemingly ordinary green stone tablet suddenly emitted a deep hum, then unleashed ten thousand beams of white light.

Simultaneously, Han Li felt it grow impossibly heavy—the aura could no longer restrain it. With a thunderous “boom,” it crashed back to its original spot, shaking the ground like a ten-thousand-jin weight falling.

The shock reverberated through Han Li and the others, ringing their ears. Dozens of zhang around the tablet’s base cracked inch by inch.

“What is this?” Han Li’s heart leapt. His eyes narrowed sharply.

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