Two mountain peaks, touching the sky and the earth, appeared before the crowd.
The two peaks had steep slopes, a straight line, equal height, and a flat interior. They converged together, possessing the might to split the sky. They truly resembled a colossal mountain.
"One day, when I can reach the Purple Mansion or Divine Transformation realm and ascend to the pinnacle of the cultivation world, what would that scene be like?"
Facing the Two Realms Mountain, which stood between heaven and earth, Wu Tao's ambition surged, and he clenched his fists tightly.
"We cannot enter the Two Realms Mountain. We will take a detour through the sand sea beside it."
Every time they passed this place, the elders of the Puppet God Crystal Sect would remind the disciples in charge of steering. This time was no exception.
"Rest assured, elders. We don't wish to die yet."
The Puppet God Crystal Sect disciple controlling the direction of the sand skiff chuckled.
Hearing this, Wu Tao could no longer restrain himself and asked, "Sirs, what is special about the Two Realms Mountain? Why can't we pass through it?"
A Puppet God Crystal Sect disciple nearby heard him and replied, "Hehe, you'll know soon enough."
The vast yellow sand passed in a flash. The sand skiff moved through the sand at a speed that could even break the sound barrier.
As the sand skiff got closer to the Two Realms Mountain, they could feel the immensity, height, and grandeur of the colossal mountain that pierced the clouds, like a chasm in the sky.
Compared to it, the sand skiff was smaller than an ant. That strong contrast made the passengers, who were here for the first time, feel disoriented, and a trace of fear arose in their hearts.
Buzz!
When the sand skiff was still a hundred miles from the Two Realms Mountain, a terrifying and sharp aura suddenly permeated from the direction of the mountain without any reason, enveloping the sand skiff.
Inside the sand skiff, all cultivators, whether in the Core Formation, Foundation Establishment, or Qi Refining stages, turned pale simultaneously, suffering repercussions of varying degrees.
Pfft!
Unexpectedly, Wu Tao fared even worse than those who had a superficial understanding of cultivation, the Qi Refining stage cultivators. He spat out a mouthful of blood, which splattered onto the deck.
The people around looked at Wu Tao with surprise. He was clearly a cultivator in the late Foundation Establishment stage, yet he couldn't withstand the aura emanating from the Two Realms Mountain. This had never happened before!
Moreover, they were still a short distance away from the Two Realms Mountain, so the backlash was not very significant.
The reason one couldn't pass through the Two Realms Mountain was that the residual powerful sword intent from when that Purple Mansion cultivator had cleaved the sky-piercing peak had not dissipated for over a hundred thousand years, continuously shrouding the interior of the mountain.
If one rashly entered, they would surely have their soul crushed by that terrifying sword intent and die without any possibility of survival.
It was said that a cultivator in the late Core Formation stage had entered and was never seen again, most likely having perished.
"Sword intent that hasn't dissipated for over a hundred thousand years?"
Truly terrifying!
Wu Tao immediately recognized the sharp and domineering aura that had emanated earlier as sword intent. After all, he himself possessed an ancient sword cultivator's heritage and had his own sword intent, making him more knowledgeable than others.
It was precisely because of this that under the confrontation of the two sword intents, Wu Tao's sword intent was instantly shattered, and the backlash was heavier than for others, causing him to involuntarily spit out a mouthful of blood.
In that instant, Wu Tao saw a world-piercing sword energy, which destroyed everything. The sword energy shimmered with a magnificent, multicolored radiance.
The sky-piercing sword energy erupted, dividing heaven and earth. How magnificent!
"It is truly terrifying to be a cultivator in the Purple Mansion realm. If the sword intent of the Two Realms Mountain were at its peak, who below the Nascent Soul stage could resist it!"
Wiping the blood from his lips, Wu Tao sighed, a strange feeling rising in his heart!
...
As the sand skiff passed by the Two Realms Mountain, it was enveloped by the sky-splitting sword energy, and its hull suffered some damage.
The hull kept swaying during the voyage.
However, this was only temporary. As the sand skiff moved further away from the Two Realms Mountain, the frequency of the sword energy impacting the skiff gradually decreased.
Finally, the sand skiff passed through the Two Realms Mountain safely and soundly.
Wu Tao, who had been standing on the deck, gazing at the Two Realms Mountain, took a deep breath and thought to himself, "I don't have the strength to enter the Two Realms Mountain yet. Perhaps when I do, I can go in and explore, see what opportunities or inheritances there might be."
The final destination of the sand skiff was Baishatan City, the largest trading city in the Aden Kingdom of Liangzhou.
The dock was bustling with people. Various special vessels capable of sailing on the sand were moored nearby, including cargo ships, passenger ships, and warships. There were no less than ten thousand of them, forming a dense expanse.
...
"Everyone, the Aden Kingdom is one of the many kingdoms in Liangzhou. This is the final stop, so please disembark!"
As the sand skiff docked at the pier, a disciple of the Puppet God Crystal Sect stood on the deck and announced to the passengers.
"Alas, I need to go to the Xinlin Kingdom. It seems I'll have to fly by myself."
"This young lady is going to the Tianlang Kingdom, but it's a bit far. I'll rest in Baishatan City for a few days first."
"This old man needs to go to the Ziqi Kingdom. I'm in a hurry and will leave now. I won't chat with you all."
"Hehe, this young master is going to the Ruili Kingdom to see what the legendary land of romantic encounters is like!"
...
After disembarking from the sand skiff, the passengers scattered in all directions.
Wu Tao planned to train in Liangzhou for two to three years, so he wasn't in a hurry.
He clasped his hands in farewell with Bai Li, Gao Chang, and Ai Chen, and left alone.
Baishatan City was built grandly.
A massive river flowed beneath Baishatan City. The cultivators of Baishatan diverted the river into the city, forming canals.
The canals were divided into several channels, clearly planned.
Some canals became drinking water for the cultivators, while others served as waterways for ships to travel back and forth.
The interior of Baishatan City was also very prosperous, and its streets were also very crowded.
Walking down the street, Wu Tao saw crowds of people as far as the eye could see.
Shaking his head, Wu Tao turned away, looking for a place to stay.
However, after a while, Wu Tao was met with rejection.
...
"Esteemed cultivator, we are very sorry, but our inn's rules prohibit us from hosting cultivators from the cultivation world. Perhaps you could try another inn."
"Esteemed cultivator, our inn also has rules against hosting cultivators from the cultivation world. Other inns might still have rooms."
"We are truly sorry, esteemed cultivator. To be frank, Baishatan City has its own rules."
"Cultivators from the cultivation world are not allowed to stay in the outer city for extended periods. You can try looking in the inner city. The inns there should be able to accommodate cultivators."
After entering seven or eight inns consecutively, each one stating that they could not accept cultivators from the cultivation world due to regulations, Wu Tao couldn't help but smile wryly. What kind of absurd rule was this? He had never encountered such a thing, and they refused money.
The population density of Baishatan City was truly astonishing. Of course, from this, one could see the prosperity and thriving nature of Baishatan City.
"Fine, fine, I'll go and have a look in the inner city."
Generally, in large cities with a significant presence of cultivators, there would be a distinction between the inner and outer city.
The main reason for this division was that cultivators in the cultivation world wielded immense power, and killing a mortal was as simple as crushing an ant.
To protect the balance between the cultivation world and the mortal world, the cultivation world had established several rules to limit certain behaviors of cultivators.
Once any cultivator violated these rules, they would inevitably be punished.
Holding his breath and paying a spirit stone, Wu Tao entered the inner city alone.
Compared to the outer city, the streets in the inner city were wider, and the population density was much lower, at least not to the point of shoulders rubbing together.
"Heh, Daoist friend Wu, please wait!"
A somewhat familiar voice came from behind.
Wu Tao turned his head and saw Lan Yingxiang catching up. His brow furrowed slightly.
He then smiled and teased, "Fairy Lan, I truly admire you. From Qingzhou to Liangzhou, you've been relentlessly pursuing me!"
Lan Yingxiang's face flushed upon hearing this. She then said, "I should be asking you! Have you forgotten? You still owe me a favor!"
"I haven't forgotten. What is it, my Fairy Lan? Do you want to use up this favor so quickly?"
Wu Tao retorted.
"Hehe, that's not it. I'm here to invite you to a gathering. You can be considered a genius, so you're qualified to attend this gathering."
Wu Tao was completely bewildered and asked doubtfully, "What kind of gathering is Fairy referring to?"
"I'm talking about a small, recurring gathering held by the Heavenly Mystery Divination Sect, a large cultivation sect in the Heavenly Mystery Kingdom of Liangzhou that is friendly with our Puppet God Crystal Sect."
"They always invite the young generation's top experts from the surrounding kingdoms. The Heavenly Mystery Kingdom is conveniently located next to the Aden Kingdom."
"And I happen to have a few friends in the Heavenly Mystery Divination Sect. They knew I was coming, so they invited me."
...
"I still won't go. They didn't invite me, so it's not appropriate."
Even with Lan Yingxiang's words, Wu Tao still shook his head and refused.
"What's inappropriate about it? People often come uninvited. Others will definitely come this time as well. Just come with me and lend me some support."
Lan Yingxiang grabbed Wu Tao's arm and kept shaking it, looking as if she wouldn't let go unless he agreed.
Helplessly, Wu Tao agreed.
...
Five days later!
Wu Tao and Lan Yingxiang flew on their artifacts to a magnificent, towering palace.
Above the palace, there was a plaque with four large characters: "Heavenly Mystery Immortal Pavilion."
Lan Yingxiang beckoned to Wu Tao and then said, "Brother Wu, let's go in. The gathering location is set at the square behind the main hall."
"Alright!"
Wu Tao nodded upon hearing this.
Entering the main hall, they crossed the central part and arrived at the large square behind the hall.
"Please come in."
A waiter greeted them outside the square.
Lan Yingxiang nodded and led Wu Tao directly inside.
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