Gui Luo, hearing Bai Zhi mention reinforcements, shook his head and smiled, saying, “Daoist Bai, there's no need to worry. The Southern Wilderness Ancient Plains lies at the intersection of the three kingdoms. Right now, the righteous sects are shrinking their forces, retreating from the Southern Wilderness. Even if they send a request for help, the righteous cultivators won’t receive it. Even if they do, they will be too far away to intervene.”
The Southern Wilderness Ancient Plains spanned thousands of miles. To send a talisman over that distance would require at least a fourth-tier talisman.
Over a year ago, when Wei Tu was trapped in the Blood Mirage Cave, the “Flying Shadow Talisman” he sent out was a fourth-tier talisman, which Gui Luo had purchased at great cost.
Even so, the “Flying Shadow Talisman” took a year to reach Gui Luo.
Thus, Gui Luo was confident that Wei Tu and the others lacked the strength to send out a fourth-tier talisman like the “Flying Shadow Talisman.” Even if they did, he didn’t believe that their reinforcements would arrive in time to block them.
However, not long after Gui Luo spoke these words, just a month after he had broken through the “Flame Crystal Desert,” he saw, just a few miles behind him, a group of four Golden Core cultivators led by True Monarch Wanhai.
...
Meanwhile, in front of the “Xieshan Ridge” passage, Wei Tu and Bao Siyan, who were struggling forward, were also shocked when they saw the arrival of True Monarch Wanhai and his group.
They never expected that, in addition to Gui Luo’s group, another group of Golden Core cultivators had made their way into the Great Void Realm.
But after the initial shock, Wei Tu and Bao Siyan exchanged a look, their faces showing a hint of joy.After cultivating for hundreds of years, they were not foolish enough to think that True Monarch Wanhai and his companions had come to help them out of kindness. Instead, they were happy because with True Monarch Wanhai’s group joining the fray, the balance of power in the Great Void Realm had shifted. It was no longer dominated solely by Gui Luo’s group. This gave them more room to maneuver.
...
Xieshan Ridge was the fifth trial of the Great Void Realm. The passage beneath Xieshan Ridge led to the sixth trial, the Blood Slaughter Sea.
However, unlike the previous trials that had dangerous beasts or poisonous mists, this one had no such threats. The only difficulty lay in the gravitational restrictions that were present everywhere.
Moreover, the deeper one went into Xieshan Ridge, the stronger the gravitational restrictions became.
After advancing further, it felt as though one was carrying a massive mountain on their back.
This characteristic was also the origin of the trial’s name, “Xieshan Ridge.”
At the same time, the gravitational restrictions of Xieshan Ridge adjusted according to the cultivator’s level.
Cultivators at higher levels faced stronger gravitational restrictions.
Therefore, passing through this trial had no shortcuts—either a cultivator used overwhelming physical strength to cross, or they carefully advanced step by step according to their own cultivation level.
This process could take anywhere from three to four months, to as long as two to three years.
This was also the reason why, back in the Blood Mirage Cave, Lady Lan had boldly stated that with Xieshan Ridge in place, being a month behind Gui Luo’s group was not a problem.
Thanks to the “Daoist Sword-Wielding Map,” Wei Tu and Bao Siyan had saved a lot of time in the Blood Mirage Cave, getting a three to four day lead over Gui Luo’s group.
Additionally, they hadn’t wasted too much time in the Five Poison Swamp.
So by the time they reached the fifth trial, “Xieshan Ridge,” Wei Tu and Bao Siyan were already a few days ahead of Gui Luo’s group.
The two groups were now separated by about three miles in Xieshan Ridge.
In the outside world, three miles was a distance that a Golden Core cultivator could cross in the blink of an eye, but in Xieshan Ridge, it would take several days to traverse.
Originally, Gui Luo had no intention of killing Wei Tu and Bao Siyan immediately.
To him, the distance between them was gradually shrinking. Even if he couldn’t kill them in Xieshan Ridge, once they reached the Blood Slaughter Sea and the “Cold Crystal Platform” beyond, he would have plenty of chances to kill them.
However, at this moment, True Monarch Wanhai, Jia Tianlong, the sword-browed cultivator, and Lady Lan arrived.
“Daoist Bai, quickly go ahead and eliminate those two early Golden Core righteous cultivators. Don’t let them team up, or the situation will drag on,” Gui Luo’s eyes glinted with a sinister light. He turned to Bai Zhi and said in a low voice.
Bai Zhi, being from the Heavenly Maiden Sect, was skilled in both the body and the Dao. Traversing Xieshan Ridge would be much easier for her than for Gui Luo or the venerable Nengyan.
If she exerted her full strength, catching up with Wei Tu and Bao Siyan in a short time wouldn’t be difficult.
Behind Venerable Nengyan, Fu Lin, heard this and his expression remained unchanged, with not even the slightest shift.
He didn’t know that the young man in green ahead was actually Wei Tu, who had disguised himself.
Of course, before encountering Gui Luo and the others, Wei Tu also hadn’t realized that Fu Lin, whom he hadn’t seen for over a hundred years, was now following Gui Luo's group and was particularly close to the female cultivator “Leng Yuyuan.”
Fu Lin didn’t know Wei Tu’s identity.
Bai Zhi also didn’t know.
Upon hearing Gui Luo’s words, Bai Zhi immediately shook her head and refused, “I could catch up with those two early Golden Core righteous cultivators in a short time, but once I catch up, I can't guarantee that I’ll be able to handle their combined strength. If something goes wrong, I will regret it.”
She smiled gently.
Compared to “Wei Tu,” Gui Luo was the one she was truly wary of, and she wasn’t going to expend her strength to assist him at this moment.
However, if Bai Zhi had known that the young cultivator in green ahead was Wei Tu, she wouldn’t need Gui Luo's urging to pursue him and try to kill him herself.
— At this moment, Wei Tu was already identified by the Heavenly Maiden Sect as the killer of Si Qing, because only the “Illusion Crystal Bag” could conceal the Golden Core spiritual item Wei Tu had obtained in the Cloud Ze Secret Realm.
Without that opportunity, how could Wei Tu have broken through to the Golden Core realm in just a century?
As Bai Zhi finished speaking, Gui Luo’s expression immediately turned cold. He fixed a deep, calculating look on Bai Zhi, and some suspicion stirred in his mind. However, it seemed he recalled something and didn’t react further, staying silent.
...
On the other side.
When True Monarch Wanhai saw Wei Tu and Bao Siyan and realized they were unfamiliar cultivators, his brow furrowed slightly.
If it had been just Wei Tu, a newly advanced Golden Core cultivator, that he didn’t recognize, that would have been fine. But Bao Siyan, he had no recollection of her either, which was strange.
Golden Core cultivators were not insignificant. No matter which faction they belonged to, they were always at the top, wielding significant authority.
Moreover, with the borders being tightly sealed, it was unlikely that righteous Golden Core cultivators from other countries had entered the area.
“It must be disguise,” True Monarch Wanhai thought for a moment and came to a conclusion.
“We can lure them into an alliance, then strike together to eliminate Gui Luo and Venerable Nengyan.”
After a little more thought, True Monarch Wanhai and Lady Lan began discussing in private.
Once Gui Luo and Venerable Nengyan were eliminated, the Great Void Realm would be theirs alone.
...
Wei Tu had no idea that both factions behind him had their own hidden agendas. At this moment, he was completely focused on his cultivation.
Much like the Five Poison Swamp, Xieshan Ridge, as the legacy site of the Stone Demon Sect, was not only a trial in the Great Void Realm but also greatly beneficial for the cultivation of the Stone Demon Sect disciples.
Of course, this secret was not unknown to Gui Luo and others, but the enhancement to their cultivation was minimal, so they didn't care much and were focused on breaking through the trial.
But for Wei Tu, the Five Poison Swamp and Xieshan Ridge were entirely different.
His body cultivation was stuck at the peak of the second stage, just one step away from breaking into the third stage, the realm of body refining cultivators.
The gravitational restrictions of Xieshan Ridge were perfect for his training. With every step he took, Wei Tu felt his body refining strength steadily improving.
Moreover, with the poison from the three-legged monster toad, his progress was accelerated.
“Once I finish crossing Xieshan Ridge, I should be able to bring the 'True Demonic Refinement Art' to a minor achievement,” Wei Tu thought.
After reaching the “minor achievement” level in the “True Demonic Refinement Art,” when he breaks through to the third stage of body cultivation, it would increase his success rate by 20%.
This was the advantage of cultivating a third-stage technique.
— At present, he had the peak second-stage body refining cultivation. However, this cultivation level was based on the completion of the “Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art.”
For the third-stage technique “True Demonic Refinement Art,” his body refining cultivation hadn’t truly reached the peak of the second stage. Thus, his physical strength still had room for improvement.
However, while cultivating the “True Demonic Refinement Art,” Wei Tu maintained a very fast pace, not wasting much time in Xieshan Ridge.
In fact—
After one or two months, the distance between Wei Tu and Gui Luo's group had grown even greater.
Of course, this was due to the unique gravitational restrictions of Xieshan Ridge.
— According to the rules, after a cultivator’s body refining strength increases, the gravitational restrictions of Xieshan Ridge would remain unchanged for one day.
As his physical strength increased, the gravitational restrictions stayed the same, so within this day, Wei Tu’s pace was much faster than before.
Gui Luo and his group, having stabilized their realms and reached the peak, found themselves unable to advance further, naturally falling far behind Wei Tu in terms of speed.
“Breakthrough, the technique has reached minor accomplishment.”
In the fourth month, as Wei Tu neared the exit of Xieshan Ridge, his aura suddenly shifted, and demonic energy surged from his body.
At the same time, the “Goat-Horned Demon Head” phantom in front of his chest became more solid, and underneath it, scales glinted with a dark golden hue.
“This boy, could he be a demonic cultivator?” Gui Luo and his group, observing the demonic energy emanating from Wei Tu, frowned slightly, their expressions turning a bit strange.
Even True Monarch Wanhai and the others were beginning to doubt whether they should still cooperate with Wei Tu.
Compared to righteous cultivators, demonic cultivators were far harder to deceive.
...
After breaking through the “True Demonic Refinement Art.”
Wei Tu rose and glanced back at Bao Siyan, who was now more than two li behind him. He said, “Wei will leave first,” and swiftly fled towards the sixth trial, the “Blood Slaughter Sea.”
Breaking through the third stage of body cultivation, much like Golden Core cultivation, was not something that could be accomplished overnight.
At this moment, Wei Tu “abandoned” Bao Siyan and flew off towards the “Blood Slaughter Sea,” searching for an opportunity and a place to break through.
Hearing Wei Tu’s words, Bao Siyan froze in shock. She cursed Wei Tu for being heartless and also secretly regretted her decision to have abandoned him first back in the “Five Poisons Swamp.”
If she hadn’t made that first move, Wei Tu might not have done the same now.
“The Daoist Sword-Wielding Scroll.” Bao Siyan thought about the key treasure Wei Tu carried, the one that could help him escape the Great Void Realm, and her heart became anxious.
She didn’t believe that the “Daoist Sword-Wielding Scroll” was only useful for the Blood Mirage Cave.
“I’ll have to use that secret technique.”
Watching Wei Tu’s retreating back, Bao Siyan gritted her teeth. At that moment, her body suddenly burst with green light, so bright it was blinding.
Then, Bao Siyan parted her lips and released a glowing mist.
As the mist formed, her face turned pale, and several strands of white hair appeared among her black locks. Her aura weakened significantly.
The green mist transformed into a solid light shield that enveloped her body.
In the next moment, severely weakened, Bao Siyan’s speed increased dramatically, resembling a shadow as she rapidly chased after Wei Tu.
However, just as she left Xieshan Ridge and reached the shores of the “Blood Slaughter Sea,” she was shocked to see Wei Tu, who had been crossing the sea, suddenly drop into the blood waters, his life and death unknown.
Amidst the vast sea of blood, Wei Tu’s figure disappeared completely, not even a ripple was left behind.
“The blood water of the Blood Slaughter Sea is filled with killing intent and mixed with blood poison… A Golden Core cultivator could last no more than an hour. Moreover, there are unknown dangers beneath the sea surface.” Bao Siyan bent down and touched the blood-red seawater, thinking to herself.
“I’ll wait for an hour.”
Bao Siyan patiently waited, her eyes fixed on the sea’s surface, hoping for Wei Tu to reappear.
However,
An hour passed.
Wei Tu still didn’t show up on the surface of the Blood Slaughter Sea.
“Did he encounter danger and perish? Or is there another opportunity beneath the Blood Slaughter Sea?” Bao Siyan raised her brows, her expression changing slightly.
But she didn’t dare to rashly dive into the sea. After hesitating for a moment, she took out a defensive artifact and began to cross the blood sea.
...
Below the surface of the Blood Slaughter Sea.
Under the protection of the “Daoist Sword-Wielding Scroll,” Wei Tu slowly advanced, following its guidance until he arrived at a cave beneath the sea.
A quarter of an hour earlier, while crossing the Blood Slaughter Sea, Wei Tu had suddenly noticed that the sword tip of the “Daoist Sword-Wielding Scroll” was pointing towards the depths of the sea.
For the sake of survival, Wei Tu didn’t hesitate and dived directly into the Blood Slaughter Sea.
To his surprise, after entering the sea, the “Daoist Sword-Wielding Scroll” actively protected him from the corrosive blood water, guiding him to a cave.
The cave was dark grey, and the entrance was shielded by an array, preventing the seawater from flooding in. Inside, it didn’t look too different from the outside caves.
Inside the cave, there were no other chambers, only a main hall. At the far end of the hall, there was a skeleton lying on a jade bed.
The skeleton wore a high crown and a pale blue Daoist robe. Its body was nothing but skin and bones, without a shred of flesh.
“Master Shentu?” Wei Tu speculated that this skeleton might be the “lost” corpse of Master Shentu from the underground palace.