The ghost king had been watching their group for a long time, but it hadn't made a move, clearly wary of the weeping soul. This creature had gained sentience and knew the little monkey before it was its natural enemy. However, it was somewhat unwilling to give up, so it simply wandered around, looking for an opportunity.
Knowing that the man in black had lowered his guard, it finally decided to make its move.
From within the black mist, a ghostly claw suddenly appeared behind the man in black robes. Although the man in black robes sensed it, the ghost king's cultivation was far superior to his own. This was another premeditated sneak attack, so much so that he didn't even have time to react.
However, at this moment, no one noticed that Lu Xuan flicked his finger lightly, and a barely perceptible stream of spiritual energy struck the ghost claw. This caused the ghost claw's sneak attack to deflect slightly.
The appearance of the Ghost King immediately threw the group into chaos. Han Li and the old man hurriedly activated their magic weapons to defend themselves, while the two Foundation Establishment cultivators also frantically summoned their own magic artifacts to protect themselves.
The surrounding ghostly mist suddenly became chaotic, as if someone had been manipulating it. A few breaths later, the group completely lost contact.
Lu Xuan ignored Han Laomo's movements and walked up to the man in black robes. He had secretly intervened earlier to help the man in black robes defend himself, thus preventing him from being killed instantly, leaving him severely wounded and on the verge of death.
Lu Xuan went over and helped the man up. Then he fed him a pill. The healing pills he prepared, given his Nascent Soul stage cultivation, were naturally extremely potent. The black-robed man's complexion immediately improved after taking the pill.
Are you feeling better?
The man in black robes spoke with difficulty.
"Thank you, fellow Daoist."
"No need to thank me. Really, you won't like what I'm about to do." As he spoke, the man in black felt a sudden dizziness and lost consciousness.
Lu Xuan originally planned to use the Soul Searching Technique directly. However, after thinking about it, he decided to use another hypnotic technique instead.
His true intention was to obtain the method for refining the Soul-Weeping Demon, and at the same time, to find its origin. He had always suspected that the origin of this Soul-Weeping Demon was definitely different from the legendary ones. After all, this guy was going to be personally guided to the Immortal Realm by a Grand Luo Golden Immortal. He simply wouldn't believe it had no powerful backing.
Unfortunately, this cultivator wasn't the original owner of the Weeping Soul. She acquired it by chance. She knew little about the Weeping Soul's creation method or origin. The only positive thing was that Lu Xuan learned the approximate location of that hidden demonic sect. It was better than nothing, after all.
Meanwhile, the wailing spirit was already engaged in combat with the ghost king beside it. This little creature was perhaps newly formed and lacked intelligence. Although it possessed top-tier supernatural powers, it was still somewhat powerless against the ghost king, whose mind had been fully awakened. After its attacks were dodged several times, it clearly began to feel fatigued.
Lu Xuan raised his hand, preparing to make a move. But at that moment, a beam of golden lightning suddenly appeared. The Ghost King, who had been concealing himself, was forced out of hiding by that inconspicuous beam of lightning.
The previously listless Crying Soul was overjoyed, and once again emitted that yellow glow from its nose and mouth.
Lu Xuan hesitated for a moment, then refrained from attacking, his figure vanishing into the ghostly mist. Countless vengeful spirits tried to intercept him, but Lu Xuan coldly snorted and surveyed his surroundings. Golden lightning crackled in his eyes. The surrounding ghosts felt an invisible pressure bearing down on them, cowering in fear and daring not to approach. It seemed that the Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning was even more powerful than the Soul-Crying Lightning.
Having passed through the ghostly mist unscathed, Lu Xuan didn't continue with the group within, but instead moved quickly forward. He knew, through the restrictions of the Void Heaven Palace, that someone had approached the Spirit Treasure Pavilion.
The Spirit Treasure Pavilion was naturally where the Void Heaven Palace stored its magical treasures, and it was also where the Void Heaven Cauldron was located. Although Lu Xuan didn't believe that anyone could quickly take the Void Heaven Cauldron, he still went ahead to do it just in case.
In truth, he wasn't particularly interested in either the Soul-Crying Weeping Orb or the Void Heaven Cauldron itself. What truly interested him was what lay inside the Void Heaven Cauldron. If he remembered correctly, there was a spiritual ancient treasure inside the Void Heaven Cauldron. And the spirit of that ancient treasure was his target this time.
This place is like a garden. Nearby, there are not only patches of exotic flowers and plants whose names I don't know, but also seven or eight exquisitely carved jade pavilions, where twenty or thirty cultivators are scattered about, some standing and some sitting.
Most of these cultivators were either pale or covered in blood, seemingly having fought their way here, yet their faces betrayed their barely concealed excitement. Some even huddled together, whispering amongst themselves.
Many of them kept glancing at the ghostly mist in the distance. They were all cultivators who had successfully passed through the mist. However, many had come in groups but had become separated within the mist, causing some of their companions to worry.
After all, unless you're a Nascent Soul cultivator, it's safer to stick together here.
At this moment, the ghostly mist parted again, and Lu Xuan stepped out. Upon seeing that he was an unfamiliar Core Formation stage cultivator, the surrounding people's faces immediately flashed with various different expressions.
Some people had gloomy expressions, while others were delighted and wanted to curry favor with them. But most people were indifferent.
Lu Xuan didn't intend to attract much attention; he simply found an open space to sit and meditate. Soon after, Han Laomo and the others arrived. At this time, the next level was about to begin.
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Chapter 506 The Ancestor of Extreme Yin
The second challenge mainly involved medicinal herbs. However, the two Star Palace Elders who controlled the restriction only gave them one day.
Most of the Core Formation stage cultivators were actually aiming for this level. They knew there were several Nascent Soul stage cultivators present. Even if there were any precious treasures later on, it wouldn't be their place to interfere. Therefore, they all walked onto a teleportation array and entered the herb area.
Lu Xuan followed him inside.
Leaving the teleportation array, Lu Xuan was also taken aback by the scene before him. A clear blue sky, fluffy white clouds, endless green grasslands all around, distant mountains faintly visible, and the scent of flowers and grass wafting in the air.
This is no longer the palace of the Void Heaven; it is clearly a beautiful place on land!
However, Lu Xuan knew that this was indeed inside the Void Heaven Palace. The Void Heaven Palace was essentially a small world. This was something that powerful cultivators of ancient times loved to do. Whether it was a cave dwelling or a sect, as long as they were strong enough, they liked to create an independent small world and place their cave dwelling within it.
This is also why most of those ancient cave dwellings are fraught with danger. They are not in the human world at all; if you are not careful, you may never be able to return. How could they not be dangerous?
Places like the Void Heaven Palace are relatively good; at least they have stable entrances and exits. Those enveloped by spatial rifts are the truly dangerous ones. Entering them is purely a gamble with one's life.
Lu Xuan didn't team up with anyone; instead, he flew alone towards a secluded corner.
He had previously consulted the oracle. It yielded some results. Regarding this particular opportunity, the divination gave a vague northeast direction. This was enough for Lu Xuan. He never expected the divination to be extremely precise. Because he knew very well that the more precise the divination, the greater the price to pay.
However, after flying for a while, he noticed that several beams of light were flying in the same direction as him.
Lu Xuan turned around and saw demonic energy soaring into the sky from the escape light. It was none other than Barbarian Beard, who was flying over with two disciples.
At the same time, the bearded man also spotted him. For some reason, he seemed to be in a very bad mood. He brushed past Lu Xuan, casually throwing a punch as if to finish him off easily. This guy, relying on his Heaven-Supporting Demonic Art, was incredibly skilled in combat. He was used to being domineering. Naturally, he didn't take a Core Formation cultivator like Lu Xuan seriously.
Lu Xuan chuckled lightly, and a flash of lightning appeared on his body. He vanished from the spot.
The bearded man's escape light abruptly stopped, and he stared at the vanished Lu Xuan with suspicion and uncertainty. His expression shifted several times. He ultimately concluded that it was some old monster in disguise. Since the other party had no desire to fight him, the bearded man ultimately didn't give chase. Mainly, he felt he couldn't catch up...
Lu Xuan and Barbarian Beard were heading in roughly the same direction, but their specific locations differed. Barbarian Beard's target was the Longevity Fruit, a spiritual fruit that, as the name suggests, could increase one's lifespan. After all, Barbarian Beard was no longer young and was already beginning to be troubled by his limited lifespan.
Lu Xuan, on the other hand, entered a remote canyon. The spiritual energy in this canyon wasn't abundant. Crucially, the vegetation was sparse, giving it a lifeless appearance. Therefore, it wasn't particularly favored by cultivators.
Lu Xuan entered the valley and searched the entire area, but ultimately found nothing. He wasn't particularly disappointed. That's how divination works. The possibility of failure not only exists, but is quite high. Getting it wrong isn't a big deal.
But just as he turned to leave, he heard a rapid burst of light. Looking back, he saw that the bearded man had plunged into the valley. Behind him, six mountain demons, almost humanoid in shape, were following closely.