"Finally reached the middle stage of the Golden Core!"

Jia Ren walked out of the Cultivation Room, his cultivation progress complete, the breakthrough came naturally.

More than four months had passed since the Insect External Incarnation headed to the Qunxing Archipelago, and trouble had not found its way to his door.

The Yin Moon Palace Master was a late Nascent Soul stage cultivator, a cause for constant trepidation.

Over the past four months, the Insect External Incarnation had been cultivating far from the Cave, never approaching it.

My contingency plans were useful; trouble hasn't come knocking.

Either the Yin Moon Palace Master has lost track of me or has entered the illusory world created by the Mirage Sea Bizarre.

「Two days later.」

The Insect External Incarnation returned to the Cave.

"Where is Zhang Pengpeng?"

The refined corpse Zhang Pengpeng had transformed into flew out, a Talisman suppressing it on its head, appearing like a puppet.

"I will find a way to revive you. Thank you for guarding the path for me."

"If we can't find the secret technique, I will help you become... a Corpse Immortal!"

Unable to revive Zhang Pengpeng, becoming a Corpse Immortal was a suitable path.

The Demon-Sealing Tower Treasure held infinite potential; becoming an Immortal Artifact was not an issue.

Transforming the Wicked Flame into Corpse-Ritual Fire, the advancement of the refined corpse Zhang Pengpeng had transformed into was not difficult; who knows, in the future, it might even become a Corpse Immortal.

"SPIT!"

Five Flying Corpse Demons flew out from the Demon-Sealing Tower Treasure; one reached the late Third Rank, and the other three advanced to the middle Third Rank.

The strongest had reached the peak of the Third Rank and, with a little push, could evolve into a Yaksha.

In less than half a year, their strength had all improved by one level—incredibly rapid progress.

"Corpse Control Seal!" Jia Ren cast a corpse-controlling spell, using it to control the refined corpse Zhang Pengpeng had transformed into.

"Retrieve!"

Sudden suction from the Demon-Sealing Tower Treasure drew the refined corpse Zhang Pengpeng had transformed into into the tower, exclusively enjoying the Corpse-Ritual Fire.

Her strength was increasing at an astonishing rate. During Jia Ren's time at the same stage, even consuming high-quality Elixirs did not match one-tenth of this speed.

Catching up to my Cultivation Level will not be a problem for her.

In life, she had no chance of catching up; in death, she has actually achieved it...

The Demon-Sealing Tower Treasure disappeared from sight, and Jia Ren took the treasures handed over by the Insect External Incarnation.

The spoils of war, four months late.

From the seven cultivators, a total of eleven Magical Treasures were found: four Yin Moon Magic Beads, five Yin Moon Fire Swords, one Yin Fire Palace Lantern, and one Purple Gold Gong.

The last item was a Compass Pointer, suspected to be an ancient Magical Treasure. After testing, it was confirmed to be a special Magical Treasure for tracking.

The Insect External Incarnation had tested this item. If it was touched by an object carrying even a hint of a target's aura, and the target's soul signature appeared anywhere within ten thousand miles, the Compass Pointer would point to that location.

How can there be such a terrifying tracking Magical Treasure in the world?

Jia Ren couldn't help feeling relieved. If the Yin Moon Palace Master had gotten their hands on this, the consequences would be unimaginable.

It's time to leave this place!

I can't guarantee that this is the only tracking Magical Treasure...

The Mirage Sea Bizarre cannot take care of a late Nascent Soul stage cultivator. For caution's sake, it's better to leave sooner rather than later.

The Insect External Incarnation went to pack up the Cave; Spirit Insects, Spirit Beasts, and Spirit Fish were collected into the Mountain and River Pearl and the River Mountain Bag.

The original body continued to inventory the treasures from the Yin Moon Palace.

Elixirs, Spirit Stones, Spiritual Medicine, Ore Stones... a vast quantity of various treasures.

The lost Spiritual Medicine was returned to its rightful owner, and its quantity and quality were even better than before.

Most exciting were the Superior Grade Spirit Stones; a total of 54 were found on the seven Golden Core Cultivators.

Together with the Superior Grade Spirit Stones obtained earlier, there was a total of 84.

There was still a significant gap from the 360 Superior Grade Spirit Stones required for the Xuanling Cha Infant Secret Array.

Hopefully, the Xuan Shui Sect's Secret Trove won't be disappointing.

No information on the World-Devouring Sentinel was found in the Yin Moon Palace's Jade Slip, but an unexpected discovery was made.

Yin Moon Devil Corpse Great Array!

This was a Secret Technique uniquely created by the Yin Moon Palace, which could utilize Yin Moon Demon Corpses to lay out a unique Yin Moon Devil Corpse Great Array.

The Yin Moon Devil Corpse Great Array could gather the power of all Yin Moon Demon Corpses within the formation into one body; the greater the number of Yin Moon Demon Corpses gathered by the formation, the more terrifying its power.

Who would have thought the Yin Moon Palace had such a formation? It's indeed extraordinary; no wonder they look down on the Corpse Demon Sect.

This formation's secret technique has come to benefit me out of the blue.

The Demon-Sealing Tower Treasure could rapidly improve the strength of refined corpses. Setting aside the possibility of them advancing to Yaksha, thousands of Flying Stiffs forming the Yin Moon Devil Corpse Great Array would represent an immensely terrifying combat power.

The collective strength of thousands of Flying Stiffs focused on a single Yin Moon Demon Corpse would provide unparalleled power, easily slaying Nascent Soul Cultivators across stages.

The Yin Moon Palace's foundation was extraordinary; both the Yin Moon Nine Palaces Formation and the Yin Moon Demon Corpse Formation were top-tier formations, each possessing the power to triumph against stronger forces.

It's time to leave!

Having emptied the Cave of Spirit Insects and collected all the Bizarre Objects from the Bizarre Garden, Jia Ren made sure nothing was left behind before he rode the wind away on his sword.

He had changed his appearance and aura, transforming into a completely different person as he headed for Linyuan, as recorded by the Xuan Shui Sect.

「Years ago.」

Besides collecting information on the Profound Realm Key, the Insect External Incarnation had also been gathering intelligence on Linyuan.

Linyuan, known to the cultivators of the Western Wasteland Domain as the Demon Abyss Land, was located at the intersection of the territories of the Seven Seas Tower, the Profound Heaven Sword Sect, and the True Fire Palace.

One thousand years ago, a special Bizarre Demon known as the Black Demon Bizarre emerged from this place. It had the ability to corrupt nature's spiritual energy into a special Bizarre Demon Qi.

The influence of the Black Demon Bizarre was far-reaching; if the Bizarre Demon Qi were allowed to spread, the living space for cultivators would inevitably shrink.

The Great Sects of the Western Wasteland Domain were the first to face the consequences.

The Immortal True Sect and the Upper Nine Sects recognized the trouble and, at great cost, finally managed to seal this Bizarre Demon.

Even though the Bizarre Demon was sealed, the Bizarre Demon Qi continued to affect the surrounding areas.

Many Sects set up Black Abyss Wells in Linyuan, and it took 100 years to seal all the polluted Bizarre Demon Qi into these wells.

Spiritual Power ceased to exist in Linyuan, all Spirit Veins vanished, and it became a desolate wasteland.

Apart from some lunatics who wanted to release the Bizarre Demon Qi to "transform the world," no one paid any attention to this place.

In the recent 100 years, more and more Loose Cultivators had gathered here.

The name of Linyuan gradually spread, and a city named Lingyuan City emerged within Linyuan.

This was also Jia Ren's destination: the location of the Xuan Shui Sect's Secret Trove.

Jia Ren flew continuously without encountering any danger. After flying for more than ten days and crossing tens of thousands of miles, he finally entered the Linyuan region.

Such weak Spiritual Energy? It's far worse than the Barren Extreme Land...

Just stepping into the Linyuan region felt like entering a world devoid of spirit. One could clearly feel a drop in nature's spiritual energy, far inferior even to that of the Barren Extreme Land.

Nature's spiritual energy is the source of power for Cultivators; casting Spells and flying on magical treasures all consume Spiritual Power.

With the scarcity of nature's spiritual energy in Linyuan, it was difficult to recover Spiritual Power through meditation; one could only rely on Elixirs, Spirit Stones, and other treasures, which was extremely costly.

No matter how many treasures one had, they wouldn't be squandered recklessly.

Cultivators would surely abandon such a region as if it were a pair of worn-out shoes, never setting foot in what they considered... a Dharma-Ending Land.

To maximize utility, such places would normally only be settled by mortals.

The vast majority of Sects followed a similar approach: the Sect occupied Spirit Lands with Spirit Veins and the best cultivation resources, while lands with slightly inferior Spiritual Energy were divided among families and Loose Cultivators.

Only lands with the weakest Spiritual Energy were used to settle mortals.

Wealth, companions, dharma, and land—'land' represents the cultivation grounds and can delineate the status and class of a Cultivator.

Logically, there should be fewer Cultivators in Linyuan.

But the reality was completely different from his expectations. Jia Ren saw a massive city. All the Markets he had ever seen, even if combined, would not amount to a tenth of Lingyuan City.

This was a city beyond imagination, covering a thousand miles, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Looking out, the number of Cultivators in Lingyuan City was unimaginably high. There wasn't a single mortal in sight, and the number of Cultivators reached into the millions.

There were thousands at the Golden Core Stage!

He could sense the auras of no fewer than a hundred Nascent Soul Cultivators.

Who knew how many more Nascent Soul Cultivators were hidden within Lingyuan City?

How could this be possible?!

How could a place with such weak Spiritual Energy attract so many powerful Cultivators?

Could it be...

The Xuan Shui Sect's Secret Trove has been leaked?!

Are they all here for the Profound Realm Key?!

Otherwise, he couldn't imagine why there would be so many experts here.

Should I still enter the city?

My identity hasn't been exposed. Just entering the city shouldn't be too dangerous.

Jia Ren did not send out his Insect External Incarnation. There were many powerful Cultivators here, and he couldn't be sure if someone might see through the Insect External Incarnation Secret Art.

The matter with the Town Demon Alliance coveting his Insect External Incarnation hadn't been properly resolved, and he didn't wish to repeat his past mistakes, drawing trouble because of it.

"You stay outside to back me up."

With the Insect External Incarnation outside, if Jia Ren faced danger, he could immediately swap positions with it, escaping from peril.

It was actually safer for his true body to go in person.

The New Moon Phantom Face is quite good for disguising. Ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivators would find it hard to see through my disguise.

The Thousand Fantasies Face used Illusion Techniques and facial changes to mislead others' perception, thereby achieving the effect of altering one's appearance.

The New Moon Phantom Face was the fourth layer of Mirror Flower Water Moon, integrating techniques from the Thousand Fantasies Face and refined into a disguise secret technique.

That's right, the Mirror Flower Water Moon Divine Skill had broken through the third layer, reaching an unprecedented fourth layer.

The fourth layer was called Mirror Flower New Moon—the old shed, the new born—allowing Mirror Flower Water Moon to create a double-layered illusion.

If someone unknowingly used a secret technique to break through one layer of Mirror Flower Water Moon, there would still be the second layer, Mirror Flower New Moon.

Believing they've escaped the illusion, they're bound to die a miserable death.

The New Moon Illusory Face Technique was based on Mirror Flower New Moon, modified to have two layers of illusory disguise. If one layer was seen through, there was still another.

After confirming that his disguise and transformation were without issues, Jia Ren boldly headed toward Lingyuan City.

Cultivators entering Lingyuan City, regardless of their strength, all consciously lined up.

Those entering didn't have to pay any Spirit Stones or similar entry fees.

The Guards would give every entrant a piece of fragmented jade resembling a Taiji Yin Yang Fish, similar to the Magatama he had seen in his previous life.

Entrants had to carry this Magatama pendant to enter the city.

What did this symbolize?

Jia Ren didn't know much about Lingyuan City, only that the Xuan Shui Sect had a Secret Trove there. He had hurried over as soon as he heard the news.

The queue moved quickly, and soon it was Jia Ren's turn.

A Magatama was handed to him, emitting a faint, flickering fluorescence.

"You cannot enter the city."

"Are you unaware of the rules here?"

Why couldn't I enter?

Was it related to the Magatama?

Linyuan City had rules he was unaware of.

"Could you enlighten me?" Jia Ren took out several dozen Spirit Stones and handed them to the guard, seeking information.

"Is this your first time in Linyuan, Senior?"

"There's a rule here: those entering the city must not carry any treasures or materials that seal Bizarre Demons. Otherwise, they are not allowed to enter Lingyuan City."

"It doesn't matter what your Cultivation Level is; even if you are a Divinity Transformation Ancestor, there are no exceptions!"

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