Chapter 356

"Lord Ding, I'm under Wu Zhanxia's control—I can't make my own decisions. For the sake of our many years of friendship, spare me this once."

Seeing Ding Huan slay Wu Zhanxia, Mu Chengzi grew terrified.

Ding Huan coldly said: "After you schemed against Xun Daoist and Ji Daoist, we had no more friendship."

"You knew?" Mu Chengzi stared blankly at Ding Huan.

He had sensed something was off before, but for Ding Huan to know all this seemed unlikely.

He quickly realized now was not the time to dwell on this—his priority was saving his own life.

"Lord Ding, I know where Wu Zhanxia's immortal artifact is…"

Before Mu Chengzi could finish, Ding Huan slashed a blade of light through Mu Chengzi's forehead and hurled a burst of flame at him.

"Ding Huan, spare me once more…" Mu Chengzi screamed desperately—he truly did not want to die.

He had believed that if Wu Zhanxia activated the immortal artifact's domain to lock the space, combined with his own ambush, Ding Huan would be certain to die.

Who could have guessed that Ding Huan not only survived, but killed Wu Zhanxia?

No matter how much Mu Chengzi did not wish to die, his soul and spirit were obliterated beneath Ding Huan's flames.

"Greetings, Lord Ding…" The earth immortals who had not attacked now approached Ding Huan, bowing respectfully after seeing him kill Wu Zhanxia here.

In their minds, the Immortal-Mortal Valley would now have a new valley lord.

Ding Huan's spiritual sense swept outward: besides the nine already slain, only fifty-four Earth Immortal Perfects and three Human Immortals remained.

"Baihe, first absorb your poison," Ding Huan gestured to Jia Baihe.

Jia Baihe had no objection to Ding Huan's words; she raised her hand and drew back the myriad poison dao principles she had released.

Only now did the earth immortals who had narrowly escaped gaze at Jia Baihe in terror.

They had been poisoned—and had not noticed.

This method of poisoning was simply too terrifying; some who had arrived later had already guessed who she was.

She was Jia Baihe, the First Poison Demon of the Threefold Heaven Starlands, whose name could stop children from crying at night.

If Ding Huan had not spared them, they would all be dead now.

"Why are only these people left? I remember there were over ninety when I left."

A thin man stepped forward: "Deep within the Immortal-Mortal Valley is a misty entrance. Wu Zhanxia claimed it was a passage to the Immortal World."

"Every year he took two cultivators inside, but those he brought in rarely ever came out."

"Senior Ji Gu, lead the way—we'll go see it," Ding Huan said to Senior Ji Gu beside him.

Earlier, while he fought Wu Zhanxia, Mu Chengzi had had the chance to strike him a second time.

But as Mu Chengzi awoke from the dusk drum's sound and prepared to act, Senior Ji Gu moved first—striking Mu Chengzi down before he could act.

Though all in this group were Earth Immortal Perfects, Ding Huan most admired Senior Ji Gu.

She had brains, decisiveness, and knew when to cut losses.

"Alright," Senior Ji Gu said. She had sneaked in secretly several times before, but this was her first time coming openly.

Senior Ji Gu led them to the deepest part of Wu Zhanxia's Daoist territory.

This was Wu Zhanxia's forbidden zone—no one could approach without his permission.

That Senior Ji Gu had managed to enter several times and even recorded images with a crystal ball showed real ability.

After a stick of incense burned, Senior Ji Gu stopped before a mist-shrouded entrance:

"Here it is. This mist only dissipates once a month, on the night of the full moon, revealing a bamboo grove. My crystal ball recorded it during that time."

Wu Zhanxia had once forbidden anyone from approaching here—but Ding Huan had no such restriction.

So when Ding Huan and the others arrived, nearly everyone still in the valley came over.

After hearing Senior Ji Gu's words, Ding Huan addressed the crowd:

"Everyone, this mist is strange. I intend to observe it for a while—the full moon is only days away."

"After the full moon, return here. Those willing to enter may join me. Those who aren't, may go their own way."

"Thank you, Lord Ding!" Several earth immortals quickly bowed in gratitude.

Having lived here so long, many had guessed this place might hold an immortal connection—but it was Wu Zhanxia's territory, and none could approach without his approval.

In the past decade or two, Wu Zhanxia had occasionally brought one or two people here each year, but none who entered ever survived, nor did anyone ever reveal what lay inside.

Ding Huan set up a defensive array at the mist's entrance; he could only vaguely sense Wu Zhanxia's immortal artifact here—he still needed to locate its exact position.

As for whether the artifact truly belonged to Wu Zhanxia, Ding Huan now had doubts. If it were his, he would surely keep it close at hand.

Even if not on his person, he should be able to summon it instantly.

Yet when Ding Huan killed Wu Zhanxia, he never managed to summon the artifact for aid.

To enter this misty bamboo grove, one must first find the artifact.

Senior Ji Gu and the others did not disturb Ding Huan, though Senior Ji Gu, worried for him, closed her eyes in meditation nearby.

The rest chose spots around the bamboo grove, waiting for the full moon.

Ding Huan did not immediately use the Great Cosmic Art to trace the artifact's location—he began with the Great Calculation Art.

Soon, he realized he could calculate nothing—his calculations yielded only blankness.

This meant the object he sought was of too high a level for him to calculate.

It was undoubtedly at least an immortal artifact—only something superior to an immortal artifact could evade his calculation.

Since calculation failed, Ding Huan turned to refining the dusk drum.

At first, Ding Huan had paid no mind to the dusk drum, but after it saved him multiple times, its status in his heart soared.

Five days later, after refining the twelfth seal of the dusk drum, it could now remain within his spiritual sea.

Like an iron pot, it orbited among the great dao cosmos, like a star within the cosmic dao.

Ding Huan understood: the dusk drum's rank was certainly not low—at least higher than an immortal artifact.

He already has a divine artifact—the Feiyuan Sword.

He has fully subjugated the Feiyuan Sword, yet cannot bring it into his consciousness sea.

Artifacts that can enter the consciousness sea, like an iron pot or evening drum, are all entities imbued with inherent Dao principles.

On the Third Heaven Star Continent, two moons are visible, and these two moons are strangely synchronized, both reaching fullness at the exact same moment.

At the bottom of the Fourth Sea Pass, the moon cannot be seen, but moonlight during the full moon night can still reflect in.

On the night of the full moon, Ding Huan lowered his defensive array.

At this moment, not only Senior Ji Gu, Cang Yongqian, and others had arrived, but every single person within this pass stood at the entrance of this bamboo grove.

Those who came here, besides a few who wandered in by accident, were mostly Earth Immortals at the peak of their cultivation seeking divine fortune.

As for those with lower cultivation, none had survived.

Ding Huan was the first to enter the bamboo grove; Senior Ji Gu, Jia Baihe, Cang Yongqian, and others closely followed behind him.

A few of the original cultivators here hesitated briefly, then followed Ding Huan into the bamboo grove.

Once someone took the lead and followed Ding Huan in, the rest quickly followed suit, and in an instant, all the cultivators in the pass entered the bamboo grove behind Ding Huan and his group.

"Is this Immortal Qi?" One cultivator cried out excitedly upon entering the bamboo grove.

Not just him—all of them felt a peculiar spiritual energy, one clearly superior in rank to the Dao rhythm qi outside, though it was far too faint.

This superiority was not in density, but in the Dao rhythm's tier being one level higher.

"Indeed, it's Immortal Qi. If there's Immortal Qi here, then Wu Zhanxia, who has stayed so long without advancing to the Immortal-Fanqiao realm, is truly a stupid pig," Qi Qi Yonghan couldn't help cursing.

He had lingered here for hundreds of years; Wu Zhanxia was far too selfish. If he could sense Immortal Qi inside this bamboo grove, why didn't he let them in?

With Immortal Qi of this tier, if Wu Zhanxia can't perceive the Immortal-Fanqiao, someone else might be able to.

The bamboo grove seemed vast, yet spiritual sense could not penetrate beyond it.

Even Ding Huan's powerful spiritual sense could only extend ten zhang.

The deeper they walked, the more an inexplicable sense of unease settled over them.

Yet not a single person chose to retreat.

They had come this far—no one wanted to fall behind.

An hour later, Ding Huan stopped.

It wasn't that he didn't want to go further—there was simply no path ahead.

Before everyone's eyes lay a pile of insect corpses, like a small mountain.

Before the corpses was a massive black hole vortex.

This black hole vortex resembled a cosmic vortex, but Ding Huan knew it was not.

Cosmic vortices contain the boundless aura of the cosmos and starry heavens; this vortex contained the very Immortal Qi they had just spoken of.

It was a type of heavenly primordial energy higher in rank than spiritual energy.

Its only flaw was that it was extremely faint—unless you paid close attention, you couldn't sense it at all.

Ding Huan's gaze fell upon the insect corpses; his eyelid twitched slightly—he had seen these insects for the third time.

These insects had hard carapaces, six legs, and ranged in color from gray-white to black. They bore antennae and hardened mouthparts.

He first encountered this insect in the Spirit Source Valley of the Opening Heaven Battlefield; the second time was at Zangjian Mountain.

That insect from Zangjian Mountain was enormous, and it still rested in his ring.

And now here lay a pile of these insects.

"Ding Huan, this vortex is likely the divine fortune Wu Zhanxia mentioned. Wu Zhanxia didn't enter because he knew entering would mean certain death," Senior Ji Gu said slowly.

Ding Huan threw out dozens of array flags, and soon a mist-wreathed Dahe River appeared beneath the massive vortex.

Those unfamiliar with Ding Huan instinctively moved farther away from him.

Since arriving here, they had only seen the massive vortex and piles of insect corpses—they had never noticed the mist-wreathed Dahe River beneath the vortex.

Ding Huan not only knew the mist-wreathed Dahe River was here, he had used an array to expose it.

"What is that thing?" Someone pointed to a massive gray cauldron in the center of the river beneath the vortex.