The Qingyun Great World was divided into four regions, beyond which stretched endless oceans. Rivers, streams, and lakes lay within each region, but the Wudang Sea Region was exceptional: a desolate sea situated between the four great regions.
Countless enormous demon beasts lived there, along with several isolated deserted islands, each claimed as a den by different beasts.
The center of the sea was so dangerous, and the four regions were not wholly disconnected by land, that cultivators crossing from one region to another generally preferred a long detour to a sea passage.
Now, however, the Tianlan Secret Trove was emerging on one of those remote islands. It had attracted not only cultivators from all four regions but also countless demon beasts.
When Xuan Ze’s party arrived on flying lights, overwhelming pressure rushed toward them from beyond the island. Innumerable auras surged amid demonic waves and immortal clouds, shaking the heavens and earth with roaring wind and surf.
The sky was filled with cultivators from every faction, chiefly the great powers and major sects. Innumerable carriages, spirit birds, and spirit beasts concealed vast auras that seemed poised to erupt at the slightest contact.
Against this gathering, the people from Prince Tiancheng’s residence were little more than a handful of ants. Even Nascent Soul old monsters were mere drops in the ocean.
Xuan Ze remained composed. He narrowed his eyes at the sky, produced an object, and tossed it outward.
An ancient bronze carriage appeared before everyone, its surface engraved with formations and runes and radiating the aura of remote antiquity.
After all, a prince of the Great Yan Empire possessed treasures worth keeping in reserve.
Xuan Ze was not finished. He cast out a beast-control token, and two enormous pythons appeared in white light. Each bore a pair of fleshy wings upon its back and looked exceptionally fierce.
As they turned to attack him, Xuan Ze sent out a talisman that split in two and entered their heads. Gradually the creatures grew docile, slithered to the carriage, and caught its reins.
Without further discussion, everyone sprang into the carriage. Inside, they discovered a spacious compartment large enough to accommodate them all.
Xu Ziqing had seen something similar at the Independent Cultivators’ Alliance, but it paled beside Xuan Ze’s conveyance. Leaving aside the carriage’s grade, each of the winged giant pythons drawing it was at least sixth rank!
More people continued to arrive.
Every part of the sky was crowded with cultivators. In the sea, countless beasts surfaced, spouting water and demonic qi until it resembled a paradise for demon beasts.
Large numbers of fierce beasts from the mountains gathered on the backs of gigantic spirit turtles, aggressive and domineering.
Demonic cultivators, beast cultivators, and immortal cultivators occupied separate areas of the sky. The higher a person’s cultivation and status, the closer they could approach the island. Some could even glimpse something taking shape within the void above it, growing stronger and gradually acquiring a clear outline.
Everyone waited.
Five years had passed since the island first displayed this strange phenomenon.
Its appearance had changed every day, but the secret trove remained closed.
After investigations by powerful diviners and numerous factions, they had finally calculated that the secret trove would fully manifest today!
Xu Ziqing had witnessed great gatherings before, but never so many factions and powerful cultivators assembled at once. He extended his spiritual sense and found that even at its limit, innumerable cultivators still hovered farther away, above and below him.
There are as many people here as ants…
Who knew how many would obtain what they desired when the trove opened, and how many would perish along the way?
After a faint inward sigh, Xu Ziqing’s spiritual sense settled on a point a hundred li away, the utmost limit of its reach.
A colossal sword stretched north to south there, its unbounded sword qi dominating every direction.
The Myriad Swords Immortal Sect!
Xu Ziqing recognized it at a glance.
Only the legendary sacred sect of the Sword Dao could assemble so many formidable sword cultivators.
Without probing deeper, he could already see more than twenty male and female sword cultivators standing proudly, sword intent rising behind them like a forest of blades and piercing the nine heavens!
Only the Myriad Swords Immortal Sect could bring so many people who had comprehended sword intent.
Xuan Ze had plainly noticed the sect too. It was one of his chief rivals on this expedition.
He turned to Xi Lin. “How do you assess them?”
Xi Lin understood his prince’s intention. He answered solemnly, “Your Highness, there are twenty-six sword cultivators. None are at the first realm of sword intent; fifteen have attained the second, eight the third, and two the fourth.”
Xuan Ze’s eyes shifted. “And great perfection?”
Xi Lin shook his head. “My own realm isn’t sufficient to determine that. I can only tell that two of them certainly surpass me.”
Xuan Ze frowned but did not blame him. Instead he turned to Yun Lie, his tone gentler. “Fellow Daoist Yun, have either of those two in the fourth realm reached great perfection?”
Yun Lie glanced at them. “No.”
Xuan Ze relaxed. “Then with Fellow Daoist Yun here, we need not worry about this expedition.”
Yun Lie half closed his eyes. “There is another who remains concealed. He may have reached great perfection.”
Xuan Ze’s smile froze. “What do you mean?”
“His sword intent is unreleased,” Yun Lie said. “His depth cannot be measured.”
Xuan Ze took a deep breath. “What is his cultivation?”
Without changing expression, Yun Lie answered, “Nascent Soul or above.”
The carriage fell silent.
If both had achieved great perfection in sword intent, the one with the higher cultivation would plainly possess greater power.
The retainers who had just begun to rejoice now looked grave.
The world was vast, and geniuses were everywhere.
While Prince Tiancheng grew uneasy, Xu Ziqing thought of his own sect.
With the atmosphere somewhat strained, he sent Yun Lie a transmission. “Senior Brother, can you see anyone from our sect?” He peered into the distance but found no familiar figures.
Yun Lie thought briefly and pointed. “Three thousand li above us.”
Xu Ziqing was startled. No wonder he could not see them; his spiritual sense reached only a hundred li. Even an ordinary Golden Core cultivator’s sense generally extended a thousand li, yet Yun Lie could see so much farther…
Understanding his confusion, Yun Lie said, “A thousand li is only a starting point. If you consistently nurture your spirit, your spiritual sense can grow stronger too.”
Xu Ziqing understood. He had neglected this aspect of cultivation and needed to devote more effort to it.
Across the heavens and earth, everyone was waiting for the auspicious instant when the trove would open. Even sworn enemies and adherents of opposing traditions held back their conflicts while preparing to enter first.
Xuan Ze’s carriage had arrived comparatively early and now hovered in its allotted region of the sky. Many others remained beneath it, unable to rise higher because of cultivation or status.
Soon two carriages swept toward them from left and right. Four spirit birds with vermilion tail feathers drew the one on the left, while a green flood dragon pulled the one on the right. Above each carriage, dragon qi formed the shadow of a golden dragon coiling upon itself, giving both a magnificent imperial bearing.
They clearly belonged to imperial princes. All four spirit birds were sixth-rank creatures wreathed in blazing flames. The green flood dragon on the right was even more formidable, a seventh-rank demon beast harnessed to a carriage, revealing the occupant’s remarkable power.
As the two carriages arrived, Xuan Ze stirred as well.
He called out in a loud voice, “Nineteenth Brother, Thirty-First Brother! You’ve come too!”
A voice from the left answered, “Twelfth Brother, we’ll have to work hard so we don’t fall behind Thirty-First Brother this time!”
Xuan Ze laughed. “We can only hope Thirty-First Brother will show us some mercy.”
Only then did a voice come from the right. “Elder Brothers, there’s no need for such talk. We shall each rely on our own abilities and certainly won’t disappoint Imperial Father!”
With that, the green flood dragon swept its giant tail and surged ahead.
The four spirit birds burst into greater flame and quickly followed.
Xuan Ze narrowed his eyes as he watched them advance, but gave no command to follow. His own carriage remained in place.
“Indeed… we shall each rely on our own abilities.”
Xu Ziqing glanced at Yun Lie, who nodded slightly.
“Was the carriage on the right Tyrant Emperor Xuanyuan?”
“It was.”
Xu Ziqing’s heart tightened. If Yun Lie encountered Tyrant Emperor Xuanyuan again within the secret trove, which man’s abilities would prevail?
Before they knew it, four hours had passed.
Suddenly layers of multicolored clouds gathered above the island and swirled into a brilliantly colored vortex.
A golden ray plunged down through the vortex, enveloping the island and sinking into the void around it.
Boom!
An earth-shaking crash rang out, as though a mighty gate had been torn open. Endless winds erupted into waves of violent energy.
Across the sea, powerful currents collided, raising immense waves.
Many demon beasts were overturned. Some waves surged straight into the sky, dragging down countless figures and swallowing them alive!
At that moment, an enormous object slowly appeared beneath the colored clouds.
Its upper portion was round and its lower portion square, like an unimaginably huge cone. Its material and construction were unknown. A terrifyingly ancient power radiated from it, as though it had cleaved time and space and existed from the earliest ages without ever vanishing.
Perhaps the currents of time and space could no longer contain it and had finally expelled it into the present world!
The colored clouds continued turning, and golden light poured down without end.
The enormous structure became clearer, its outline more distinct, inspiring awe.
It stood upon the vast island, yet the island could not contain it. The structure extended far beyond the land, deeper and deeper into the void.
At last everyone saw its true form.
It was a tomb!
An inconceivably enormous tomb that seemed capable of swallowing the void itself!
Amid countless gasps, the tomb split open.
It was as though a vast mouth had opened through its middle. No fangs lined it, but within stretched an unfathomable, dark passage whose end no one could see.
This was the road into the depths of the secret trove!
Almost immediately, despite the raging sea and the heavens still trembling, everyone moved.
All were convinced that whoever entered first would obtain the greatest rewards!