This was a desolate world.

The sky was a dull gray, devoid of stars, sun, or moon. An aura of profound desolation permeated everything. The Spiritual Energy here was vast, but it was not pure. All sorts of chaotic energies filled the space between heaven and earth, not all of which could be utilized by Cultivators. They were incredibly variegated, and rashly absorbing them into one's body could lead to great disaster.

This was no treasured land for cultivation. In fact, for a Cultivator, it was not a place to linger for long.

Standing on a barren mountainside, Wang Xiu surveyed his surroundings and came to this conclusion.

This was easy enough to understand. The Void Ancient Path wasn't a closed world; it was closely connected to the Fourth Layer of the Void, where the Holy Realm was located. The Void was filled with impurities and surging undercurrents, hiding terrifying dangers. Furthermore, without the restrictions of worldly rules, many things unseen in the Holy Realm could appear here.

He was the only one here; the others from Sanqing who had entered with him were nowhere to be found. The Spiritual Imprints they had left on each other before entering were very weak. He could only faintly sense the direction of the others, suggesting they were a considerable distance apart. This type of teleportation was random, though those who entered together were likely to land within a small radius. Still, exceptions could happen. Like now.

However, their luck wasn't too bad. At least their Spiritual Imprints could still be sensed, so the connection wasn't completely severed. As long as they moved toward each other, they would eventually reunite.

Wang Xiu took out the Black Tortoise Mirror and sat upon it. The mirror began to glow, flying close to the ground at an incredible speed.

Before long, a violent roar suddenly echoed nearby.

Are people fighting? Has someone already found an opponent so quickly?

A glint in his eye, Wang Xiu willed the Black Tortoise Mirror toward the source of the sound. He cast a Green Lotus Sky-covering Array over the mirror to conceal his aura completely, arriving at the site of the fierce battle to observe in secret.

By the lakeside, a young man in blue robes glowed, his aura powerful as he wielded a long saber with a fierce battle intent. His presence was formidable, and his Cultivation Level had already reached the fourth heaven of the Nascent Soul realm. He could truly be called a prodigy.

However, his opponent was not human. It was a beast resembling a tiger, its body composed entirely of a peculiar crystal. Emitting a faint, ethereal light, it towered over ten feet tall. The beast's aura was astonishing. Its gaze was cold and ferocious, and the very void seemed to freeze wherever it looked. Its battle with the blue-robed youth was incredibly intense, unleashing waves of energy like a raging sea.

The youth swung his saber, unleashing a domineering and violent blade light that stretched for thousands of feet. Yet, when it struck the beast's body, it only produced the sound of metal clashing.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The creature staggered slightly but was otherwise unharmed and continued its attack. A single swipe of its paw was world-shaking, collapsing mountains and splitting the earth—it was utterly terrifying. The unimaginable shockwave forced the youth to dodge repeatedly, leaving him in a pathetic state.

A Void Beast! Wang Xiu stared at the creature, a gleam in his eyes.

These were creatures unique to the Void Ancient Path. The environment of the Void was harsh; in the pure Fourth Layer of the Void, it was nearly impossible for any living thing to survive. But within the ancient path, worlds overlapped and rules intermingled, which happened to create the conditions for certain creatures to be born. These beings absorbed energy from the Void since birth. Their spiritual nature was chaotic and they lacked emotion, but their physical bodies were absurdly powerful, capable of withstanding the corrosive, variegated energies of the Void. This made them incredibly difficult for the average Cultivator to handle.

Void Beasts were the primary danger within the world of the ancient path. However, they also represented great opportunities.

This was because every Void Beast possessed a Void Crystal Core—its heart and source of life. A Void Crystal Core was extremely valuable and served as the key component for crafting spatial Magical Treasures. For example, the Space Rings and Storage Bags commonly used by Cultivators often required only a minuscule fragment of a Void Crystal Core, yet they sold for astronomical prices.

Moreover, there was another way Void Beasts could be born. Powerful spiritual items scattered throughout the void for one reason or another could spontaneously gather void energy, with a minuscule chance of forming into a Void Beast. These items could be ancient Holy Artifacts, the corpse or a wisp of spirit from a supreme expert, unique treasures from the myriad realms, or powerful inheritances from worlds beyond. Void Beasts born this way were typically far more powerful than ordinary ones and could not be challenged by a single person. They could only be defeated if numerous prodigies banded together to fight them. But the rewards for slaying one were often astonishing!

…

RUMBLE!

The prolonged battle between the blue-robed prodigy and the Void Beast had created a huge disturbance, attracting other lurking Void Beasts from the surroundings. Over a dozen of them converged, their approach shaking the very heavens and earth. Seeing the situation turn grim, the blue-robed prodigy immediately withdrew. He erupted in a brilliant light, using some secret technique to flee. The pack of Void Beasts gave chase, forcing him to flee for his life, but he ultimately managed to escape at the cost of one arm.

The group of Void Beasts returned, growling low with unabated fury, clearly resentful that their prey had escaped.

Such ferocious Void Beasts! Wang Xiu sighed inwardly. Luo Hongyi wasn't exaggerating. The dangers in the Void Ancient Path are very real. For all the prodigies who come here to train, sticking together is the best choice. At this stage, very few of them could independently face two or three Void Beasts. These things are just too resilient; their physical bodies are incredibly strong, and they possess a high resistance to spiritual techniques.

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