After some thought, Ji Yuan and Lin Yubai nodded in agreement with Ji Wenwen's proposal.
Having refined the death qi from several individuals, their previously expended spiritual power had fully recovered, even showing slight improvement.
Moreover, after several hours, with the aid of various pills, their injuries had also significantly healed, even without deliberate cultivation.
While not in their peak condition, they could now unleash seventy to eighty percent of their strength if danger arose. They were confident that against those whose cultivation realms were stripped away, leaving only physical strength and spiritual energy, they could at least escape safely even if they couldn't win.
Thus, Ji Yuan, using the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Tower, contained Zhu Wudang within it and followed Ji Wenwen and the others as they traversed the ruins.
Along the way, whenever they encountered a place where even the slightest spiritual light flickered, the leading group would act without hesitation. Their physical bodies, as sturdy as top-grade magical artifacts, allowed them to disregard various formations and restrictions.
In just half an hour, their pouches were enriched with several spiritual items. Though not powerful treasures, they were extremely precious materials.
Any single one of these materials was sufficient to be a core component, easily allowing the refinement of magical artifacts with excellent quality, possessing at least four or five layers of post-natal restrictions.
As for the goodwill shown by Ji Wenwen and the others, the two naturally couldn't pretend not to see it, their feelings becoming somewhat complex.
After another hour, the group finally stopped before a mountain peak.
"This is where Fusheng Hall is located," Ji Wenwen stated, pointing at the mountain before them.
Looking around, the mountain was only a few dozen feet high, its surface bare and devoid of any vegetation.
On the exposed rock face, various figures sat cross-legged, all exuding a grayish-white death qi.
As Ji Yuan and his companion ascended with Ji Wenwen, they drew many gazes, causing the people who had been sitting there for years to stand up one by one.
"In thousands of years, you are the first outsiders to appear here," Ji Wenwen whispered, explaining to the two behind her.
Since the end of the blood sacrifice battle, they had not only been confined to their physical bodies and unable to leave Xuanhuang City, but outsiders had also never set foot in this place.
Suddenly seeing outsiders untainted by death qi, they naturally couldn't control their excitement. It was only a testament to their honed mental fortitude that they hadn't immediately rushed forward to investigate.
Furthermore, with Ji Wenwen and the others leading the way, they were not too conspicuous.
"During the blood sacrifice back then, so many people were turned into... 'living dead'?" Ji Yuan couldn't help but ask, feeling the gazes from all around.
Upon hearing this, the five figures before them did not immediately respond. Whether it was an illusion or not, their retreating figures seemed somewhat desolate.
"In the battles of thousands of years ago, the vast majority of people had already died," Ji Wenwen finally spoke after a long pause. "Only those whose physical bodies were relatively intact, and whose three souls and seven spirits remained, evolved into their current state."
Through the long passage of time, they had cried out in agony countless times, wondering why they hadn't perished completely, thus avoiding such torment and suffering.
What was once the death they most feared had become the thing they most yearned for.
As the group reached the summit, they saw five people sitting opposite each other outside a collapsed house, with more than a dozen people gathered behind them.
Those who could ascend to the peak and sit here were all individuals of immense power. In their 'previous lives,' the weakest among them were cultivators of the third realm, and the strongest had even reached the Golden Core realm.
Even in their 'afterlife,' their physical strength and spiritual energy far surpassed those of their kind, allowing them to establish Fusheng Hall in the vast Xuanhuang City, a place free from the infringement of others.
Regarding the situation within the city, Ji Wenwen had already given Ji Yuan and his companion a general overview on their way here.
Currently, Xuanhuang City was divided into five parts. The inner city in the center was a forbidden zone, still containing extremely dense heavenly punishment power. If they dared to enter, they would transform into mindless beasts.
The four districts in the southeast, northwest, and south were occupied by various factions, except for the west district, which was the domain of the Reincarnation Hall.
Although due to the influence of heavenly punishment power, it was extremely difficult for anyone in the city to be killed, it had not been without exceptions over the millennia.
Moreover, even if their physical bodies were as durable as magical artifacts and hard to kill, they could still be suppressed through various means.
The Reincarnation Hall often engaged in such practices, suppressing individuals from other factions and using them as a source to increase their own death qi.
"This is my father—Ji Changlin," Ji Wenwen stepped forward, introducing both sides to each other, and simultaneously informing the dozen or so people present of her recent experiences.
Among the five people originally sitting in the center, one was her father, a master alchemist of the peak third realm in his 'previous life,' just a step away from becoming a grandmaster.
As for the other four, three were peak third-realm existences, and one was a powerful cultivator of the Golden Core realm, a formidable figure who could contend with Daoist Master Chixin during the blood sacrifice battle thousands of years ago.
The more than a dozen people surrounding them, in their 'previous lives,' had at least the cultivation of the late Spirit Realm. However, now transformed into 'living dead,' their cultivation and realms had been stripped away.
Currently, among everyone, only the five could exert power comparable to the early third realm through their physical bodies and spiritual energy. The remaining strength was only around the mid-second realm.
Compared to spiritual power, even stronger spiritual energy could only manifest a power one minor realm lower than their own.
For instance, Ji Wenwen's spiritual energy, comparable to the late Spirit Realm, could only exert power equivalent to the mid-Spirit Realm.
"They can eliminate death qi and strip away heavenly punishment power?" The middle-aged man, who was a former Golden Core cultivator, couldn't help but speak after hearing Ji Wenwen's account.
Even with his extraordinary composure, his heart was stirred. Despite trusting his companions, he couldn't help but feel a sense of disbelief.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan tossed out the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Tower. As the tower spun, a black shadow fell out and quickly resumed its normal size.
"Zhu Wudang of the Reincarnation Hall!" Someone from the crowd exclaimed instinctively.
Clearly, those present were not unfamiliar with this individual. In fact, many of their companions had been captured by him and others from the Reincarnation Hall.
However, the once powerful Zhu Wudang now possessed no aura. The dense death qi within him was completely gone, and even the heavenly punishment power was exceedingly scarce, almost completely removed with just a sliver remaining.
Yet, this minuscule remaining amount was something Ji Yuan found himself powerless to deal with, despite his best efforts.
"How did his physical body become so frail?" An old man with a crane-like appearance and a youthful complexion among the five inquired.
In his memory, this person was a relatively powerful existence even within the Reincarnation Hall, with a physical body as sturdy as a magical artifact, comparable to theirs in this regard.
But now, Zhu Wudang's physique had weakened, only comparable to an ordinary magical artifact in quality.
"As the heavenly punishment power was stripped away repeatedly, much vital energy surged into his physical body," Ji Yuan explained.
At the same time, he pointed to the small tower before him, and a rich vital energy emerged, verifying his words.
Beside them, Ji Wenwen stiffly nodded, confirming that Ji Yuan's statement was true.
"Father, esteemed elders, may I ask if there is any method for us to remove this last trace of heavenly punishment power?" After recounting the entire ordeal in detail, she asked with some urgency.
Upon her words, the dozen or so people around also turned their gazes, even Zhu Wudang, who was sitting on the ground, looking on with hope for good news.
However, after a long silence, the five, including Ji Wenwen's father, shook their heads one after another. Sighs echoed among the group.
"To completely clear the heavenly punishment power, one must enter the inner city and resolve the issue at its source," the middle-aged man, named Su Zimu, a former Golden Core cultivator, stated. "However, to enter, one must at least possess spiritual power."
This meant that to enter the inner city, one needed at least a cultivation of the second realm or above, a condition they currently lacked.
The city's inhabitants, affected by the heavenly punishment power, possessed strength comparable to the mid- to late third realm, but this was solely reliant on their physical bodies and spiritual energy.
To enter the inner city, however, one must depend on a cultivator's spiritual power. Otherwise, it would be impossible to isolate the dense heavenly punishment power.
If people like them entered, they would immediately lose their sanity within the heavenly punishment power and become mere beasts driven by slaughter.
In a profound silence, all eyes fell upon Ji Yuan and Lin Yubai. In the past, they were powerless, but now, the most suitable individuals had appeared.
"Farewell!" Ji Yuan cupped his hands, then turned without hesitation and immediately began walking towards the foot of the mountain.
However, after only taking a step or two, a gust of wind sounded beside him, and then he saw the five figures from before blocking his path with expressionless faces.
Lin Yubai stood silently behind him. At some point, he had retrieved his natal lightning bead. With a slight movement of his mind, infinite lightning flickered incessantly, even interspersed with traces of heavenly punishment power.
Witnessing this scene, everyone on the mountaintop retreated several steps, appearing extremely wary of the heavenly punishment power, as if fearing even a trace of it might contaminate them.
After a moment of contemplation, the two had a slight guess: the reason the people in Xuanhuang City had become this way was due to the heavenly punishment power.
It was even possible that the reason people here dared not enter the inner city was because they would be affected by the heavenly punishment power, thus disrupting the balance between their life and death and turning them into beasts driven only by slaughter.
In this light, these people would naturally be wary of the traces of heavenly punishment power contained within Lin Yubai's magical artifact.
"Could it be that esteemed seniors intend to force us two into the inner city?" Ji Yuan looked around, his gaze finally settling on the five figures before him.
The true authority in this place belonged to these five, whose physical bodies and spiritual energy alone allowed them to exert power comparable to third-realm cultivators.
"Young friend, you misunderstand. We have absolutely no such intention." Ji Changlin stepped forward a few paces, a sincerity appearing in his somewhat clear eyes.
He guaranteed that they had no such plans. To speak truthfully, with their cultivation levels, merely at the Spirit Realm, even if they could enter the inner city, they would not be able to go very far.
The source of the heavenly punishment power lay at the core of the inner city, which was also the residence of Daoist Master Chixin in his past life, and the City Lord's mansion of Xuanhuang City.
Daoist Master Chixin, who had intended to blood sacrifice everyone in this place, had ultimately perished here, swallowed by the infinite heavenly punishment power, resulting in his complete annihilation.
To completely eliminate the heavenly punishment power here, not only would one need to reach the depths of the inner city, but one must also possess cultivation above the Golden Core realm and wield a rare magical artifact.
Of course, if a supreme expert were to intervene, it would be much simpler. With their boundless spiritual power, they could quell all the heavenly punishment power.
However, at that level of cultivation, the greatest desire was to be closer to the Heavenly Dao, and the greatest fear was to have too much connection with it.
To pacify the heavenly punishment power of a region would likely bring immeasurable variables to the supreme expert themselves. A slight mistake could lead to hundreds of years of arduous cultivation being undone.
"Resolving the root cause is impractical, but we do wish to ask for your assistance in two matters," Ji Changlin's voice gradually sounded, his tone betraying a slight tremor even in his composure.
As his words fell, he, along with the four beside him and everyone on the mountaintop, bowed in unison towards Ji Yuan and Lin Yubai.
Seeing this, the two quickly dodged to the side, not daring to accept such a grand gesture.
Regardless of anything, everyone present could be considered their seniors. To casually accept such a bow, beyond feeling uneasy, they feared it might, in the unseen forces, diminish their fortune.
Cultivators placed great importance on seniority, even more so than ordinary mortals, precisely because of these unseen forces. If they disrupted the natural order of things, such as filial piety and etiquette, they would be abandoned by the Heavenly Dao.