Chapter 220: Entering the Barrier

"Anyone who obtains this 【Spear Intent Crystal】 and swallows it will receive an unparalleled inheritance!"

"With one spear in hand, you can sweep away a thousand troops!"

"But not everyone can obtain it!"

Jin Lan looked at He Pingsheng and explained softly and slowly.

He Pingsheng asked: "Do you think I can obtain it?"

"I don't know!" Jin Lan said. "I never guess. This is my test for you. If you truly are a great destiny bearer and can perceive the Nine Dragons, then you will surely obtain the Spear Intent Crystal within this Divine General Mountain!"

"Because whether you can obtain the Spear Intent here depends not on your cultivation base or your talent!"

"It depends on only one thing: destiny!"

"Do you understand?" Jin Lan asked.

"If you can obtain it, I can save your life!"

"If you can't, I'm sorry, hehehe… dear brother, even though I'll regret you, I won't be able to save you!"

He Pingsheng said nothing in response.

But if the sole criterion here is destiny, he wasn't certain he could truly obtain the Spear Intent.

After all, I was the one who saw the existence of the Nine Dragons.

Jin Lan added: "This Divine General Mountain opens once every hundred years, and for eleven consecutive cycles, no one has taken out the Spear Intent!"

"What?" He Pingsheng exclaimed. "It's been eleven hundred years?"

Jin Lan said: "It's been twelve hundred years!"

Twelve hundred years.

That means, aside from the existing Soul Transformation elders, no one has ever witnessed the Spear Intent being taken out of the Divine General Mountain.

This…

After all, a Nascent Soul cultivator's lifespan is only a thousand years.

"Fine!" He Pingsheng took a deep breath. "I'll give it a try!"

"Before I go, I need to change my appearance!"

He Pingsheng pulled out a disguise talisman and reshaped himself into the likeness of a disciple from the Beast Taming Immortal Sect whom he had slain.

At the very least, he would avoid exposing his true face.

One disguise lasted three days.

After disguising himself, He Pingsheng walked beneath the luminous membrane.

"Wait…" Jin Lan hurried after him, leaning close and whispering: "Inside this barrier, you'll see several seats. Do nothing—just sit quietly on one of them!"

"If fate favors you, you'll naturally obtain the Spear Intent!"

"Mm!"

He Pingsheng nodded.

Obtain the Spear Intent?

That's the second step.

The first step is to see whether I can even enter this barrier.

If I can't even get in, how can I hope to obtain the Spear Intent?

He Pingsheng extended his right hand and pressed his palm against the black barrier.

Jin Lan's eyes also revealed a hint of anticipation.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths!

After three breaths!

Hummm…

The section of the barrier touching He Pingsheng suddenly turned ethereal, and then, as if pulled by an invisible force, he was sucked in with a swift whoosh.

Jin Lan's lips curved into a pleasant smile: "Hehe… this kid actually made it in?"

"Looks like he's almost certainly a great destiny bearer!"

She slowly stepped back.

Countless cultivators surged forward, trying to enter the barrier at the exact spot where He Pingsheng had just vanished.

Many believed He Pingsheng had succeeded because he chose the right position.

…

He Pingsheng stepped into the barrier, and the pulling force that had drawn him in vanished.

Before him stretched a hazy, misty expanse.

This place was not much different from the outside!

Everywhere were rocks, with ancient pines and cypresses growing in their crevices.

Amid the thin mist, the pines and cypresses loomed faintly.

There was no spiritual energy here.

Yet the air carried a faint, indescribable aura—complex and layered.

It contained energy, sharp intent, and a trace of barely perceptible killing intent.

Could this be the Spear Intent?

He Pingsheng took a deep breath, and his metallic spiritual energy surged forth, flowing into the 【Seven-Clasp Dark Gold Armor】 he wore.

Filling the Seven-Clasp Dark Gold Armor allowed it to withstand seven attacks from cultivators of the same realm.

In addition, He Pingsheng held the Nine Radiance Dragon-Slaying Flag in his hand, ready for immediate use.

Thus, he walked forward step by step.

The further he went, the thinner the mist became.

After half an incense stick's time, the mist vanished entirely.

Before him, the void was clear, blue, and brilliantly bright.

Yet no sun could be seen.

But above, a faint black membrane covered the thousand-zhang expanse.

Without doubt, this was the barrier.

He Pingsheng quickened his pace, leaping forward while holding the Nine Radiance Dragon-Slaying Flag—each leap covering dozens of zhang.

After another half incense stick's time, he finally reached the location Jin Lan had described.

Not just seats.

Before He Pingsheng stood a pitch-black divine spear.

The divine spear was entirely black, planted straight into the ground.

Measured roughly, it was a zhang thick and a hundred zhang tall.

A terrifying aura surged from the divine spear, sweeping across the surroundings.

Around the great spear stood nine stone seats.

Three people already sat upon them.

A woman in red robes, a middle-aged man in a pale moon-white robe, and a boy with red hair.

He Pingsheng's arrival naturally drew the attention of the three ahead—they turned their heads toward him in unison.

But they gave no sign.

He Pingsheng said nothing, stepped forward, and chose a seat at random to sit down.

Three powerful spiritual senses swept over him without restraint.

He Pingsheng did not hold back—he returned their spiritual sense in kind.

His expression turned wry.

How to put it?

None were Foundation Establishment Level Twelve.

The woman was Foundation Establishment Level Eight!

The man in the pale moon-white robe was only Foundation Establishment Level Four!

The highest cultivator was the red-haired boy—Foundation Establishment Level Nine.

Clearly, it wasn't cultivation base that determined entry here.

"Brother Daoist!" The man in the pale moon-white robe bowed to He Pingsheng. "I am Guan Changsheng from Tianhe Commandery. May I ask your origin?"

He Pingsheng smiled. "I am Shi Yuan from Dingxiang Commandery, Beast Taming Immortal Sect."

Since he was disguised, he naturally used a false name.

Perhaps this false identity will cause some trouble for the Beast Taming Immortal Sect.

Muddying the waters might even lead the white-haired cultivator to the Beast Taming Immortal Sect.

He Pingsheng did not know that because of this false name, a Nascent Soul Elder of the Beast Taming Immortal Sect would die, and the sect would nearly be wiped out.

Of course, that was another story.

"I am Huo Haichao from Yunzhong Commandery," said the red-haired boy, bowing to He Pingsheng.

Across from He Pingsheng, seated opposite him with the black divine spear between them, was the woman in red robes. She spoke coolly: "I am Jiang Qingyu, from the Great Qi Imperial Capital."

He Pingsheng noted the name with slight interest.

From the Great Qi Imperial Capital, and surnamed Jiang—likely royalty.