Chapter 143

At night, the Supreme Council's underwater city of the Zhengdaoda Sect alliance.

Moonlight flowed like a silken ribbon, silver radiance spilling across the mortal world.

Above the heavens, a full moon hung high, pure and bright as a flawless jade plate, stars scattered around it, flickering on and off.

Though beneath the sea, its night scenery was indistinguishable from that of the land.

And this was no mere decoration—cultivators at the ninth level of Qi Condensation could directly draw in starlight for the third stage of the Cultivation Method.

Planets like the Young Qilin Star and the Juvenile Dragon Star, used for nurturing talent, employed this same method.

After all, the solar essence and lunar radiance required for the third stage of the Cultivation Method specifically referred to the sun and moon of the Central Continent; the essence of stars in the sky had no such effect.

The dark-golden Council Tower glowed with intricate patterns, appearing even more mysterious under the moonlight.

As the grandest and most mysterious structure in the entire underwater city of the Supreme Council, every member of the Zhengdaoda Sect alliance dreamed of one day residing within it.

Many outsiders had tried to sneak in to glimpse its true form, but aside from the Demon Path Ancestor, dubbed the "Greatest Muddy Stick of the Tai Xuan Realm," who had succeeded once, no one else had ever succeeded.

It was said that after that, the cultivator who coined the nickname was abducted by the Demon Path Ancestor and granted a "Divine Transformation."

The Zhengdaoda Sect alliance did not press the matter further against that Demon Path Ancestor.

Not only because they weren't sure they could defeat him, but if the Demon Path Ancestor was the "Muddy Stick," then what did that make the Zhengdaoda Sect alliance…?

In any case, after that man was taken by the Demon Path Ancestor, no one ever saw the fool again.

But the Zhengdaoda Sect alliance did strengthen the defenses around the Council Tower afterward.

"Indeed, excellent defenses."

Beside the dark-golden Council Tower, there were no guards, nor any visible entrance.

Around the first floor of the Tower, slow-spinning arrays rotated—only the Council Leader possessed the authority to activate them.

The Tower's defenses were so tight that even Xu Xing's Sword Sect's Sword Ancestor Hall paled in comparison.

None of his disciples could enter without triggering the defenses.

"But…"

Xu Xing took one step forward, as if no obstacle existed before him, directly ignoring the tight defenses and entering the Tower.

At advanced cultivation stages, a single thread's difference is heaven and earth—let alone a gap greater than that.

…

…

The interior space was vastly larger than what appeared from outside.

The towering hall's ceiling bore exquisite murals, as if unfolding the scroll of history before one's eyes; a One Unit, Three Layers Celestial Globe hung upside down, its mechanisms turning.

The walls were lined with fine-textured Spirit Jade, its patterns flowing smoothly, its hue warm and lustrous; the floor was engraved with intricate array patterns, dizzying to behold.

At the hall's end stood a massive bronze cauldron, stout and imposing, its bronze hue ancient and unadorned.

Its belly was round and full, adorned with elaborate, exquisite engravings—dragon patterns, phoenix motifs, and cloud designs intertwined, lifelike.

It was a high-grade treasure.

But Xu Xing glanced at it briefly, then took one step forward, his figure vanishing from the first-floor hall.

He was here only for the relics left by Yuan; he had no interest in anything else.

When his form reappeared, Xu Xing stood inside a secret chamber of the Tower—more accurately, a treasure vault.

Its layout resembled the grand hall he had seen: display platforms arranged neatly, each holding treasures collected by the Zhengdaoda Sect alliance.

Interestingly, many of the tokens Yuan had exchanged with various Zhengdaoda Sects, previously displayed in the grand hall, were identical here.

Undoubtedly, those displayed publicly were forgeries.

"Didn't expect so many remained."

As he walked and observed, everything was present except the mask of the Tower of Listening Rain's master, marked "missing."

Finally, Xu Xing stopped before one display platform.

It held a square, pale-green jade block the size of a thumb; beside it, a projected screen displayed its description.

【Holy Emperor's Green Jade: Found in the study, hidden by the First Council Leader in the dust between wall bricks using his famed technique, "One Grain, One World."】

【Purpose: When held, one may hear "The desolate lands of Bashan Chu Shui." Its meaning remains unclear.】

Hidden between the dust of wall cracks, sealed by a technique—and still found.

That old fellow really got screwed. Lucky there was ancient poetry encryption.

………

Beneath the Council Tower, a space barely large enough for three or four people to stand, upon a stone platform, several golden crystalline grains, resembling sand, floated silently.

Yet within them lay another world.

"My lord, what is this…?"

"Don't ask. You'll know once you enter."

Two figures approached from outside: one, white-haired and youthful-faced, clad in plain robes with a bamboo cap and straw sandals, radiating an aura of distinction—it was the current Council Leader of the Supreme Council.

Behind him followed a middle-aged man, a newly promoted He Dao cultivator of the Zhengdaoda Sect alliance.

According to the Supreme Council's rules, once a councilor's term ended, this man would assume their seat.

Councilors were part of the alliance's decision-making tier, so the Council Leader brought him here to familiarize him with certain secrets of the alliance.

"Is this… the First Council Leader's technique?"

"Correct. Myself and several elder members of the alliance studied the First Council Leader's technique and created these Sand Secret Realms." The Council Leader's tone carried unmistakable pride.

"Its internal rules mirror those of the Central Continent, and even the old ancestors of the Xian Sects struggle to peer inside."

So powerful? The middle-aged man stared at the floating crystalline grains on the stone platform, his expression filled with awe.

The Council Leader was thoroughly pleased with his reaction.

He waved his hand, and the crystalline grains emitted a faint glow.

As space twisted violently, the middle-aged He Dao merely felt his vision go black, and a powerful force violently dragged him in.

When his vision cleared again,

he saw the sky bathed in brilliant sunlight, with dense spiritual energy coalescing into mist.

In the distance, a towering spiritual mountain was hidden within drifting, ethereal clouds.

The middle-aged He Dao had not yet regained his wits.

Zhum~ As if some terrifying presence had been awakened.

Waves like a tidal surge rolled and churned through the void, as if heaven and earth had overturned, the great sun trembled, and a colossal nine-layered outer halo swept through the spiritual mist, illuminating past and present.

In an instant, he felt everything before him vanish, the eight directions of heaven and earth contracting endlessly into pure "nothingness."

In his perception, only one supreme slash of light remained — encompassing every blade technique from ancient to modern times.

The blade light revealed no malice, yet the faintest sliver of its edge seemed ready to split him open, along with the Dao he had cultivated.

Despair!

No other emotion remained.

Just as he believed he would perish and his Dao dissolve, the blade light suddenly retracted.

In less than an instant, his vision returned to the spiritual mountain hidden in drifting, ethereal clouds.

Everything that had just happened felt like an illusion.

The middle-aged He Dao was dazed; when he turned around, he saw the Council President smiling at him.

"How did it feel?"

"..." The middle-aged He Dao's lips trembled, but he could not utter a word.

"Powerful, isn't it?" The Council President was not surprised by his reaction. "This is the founder of the Desert Blade Gate — Master Blade."

"Yet even Master Blade, such a figure, remains insignificant before the likes of Hehuan Laozu, the ultimate pinnacle of the Xuan Realm."

"With intent, a single glance could cause Master Blade to perish and his Dao dissolve."

"Impossible!" The middle-aged He Dao blurted out.

"Heh." The Council President shook his head slightly. "I didn't believe it at first either — but this is the truth."

"..." The middle-aged He Dao fell silent.

"The term 'ultimate pinnacle of the Xuan Realm' is merely what later generations called them. The original name..."

The Council President looked at him, as if waiting for him to ask.

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(End of chapter)