With the flow of the *Huo Dou Seal Method* in his heart, Jiang Wang simultaneously gripped the core blood of the *Huo Dou* in his right hand. With his left fingertip ignited by a crimson flame, he lightly traced a square shape onto the mountain wall.

His attempts to excavate treasures with his sword had already clashed with the protective radiance covering this mountain wall several times. Though unable to breach it, these power confrontations had yielded a certain familiarity. And the successive transmission methods of the *Bi Fang Seal* and *Huo Dou Seal* were akin to opening the door and inviting a thief, granting him a deeper understanding of this mountain god wall, the creation of Chen Yun Bone.

Understanding its three mysteries allowed him to dissect and overcome it.

The fingertip, burning with the *Three Mysteries True Fire*, was like the morning sun melting snow, instantly dissolving into the snow-colored radiance. A piece of Chen Yun Bone, nearly two feet long and two feet wide, was severed, leaving a vast concave pit on this mountain god wall.

“Zheng!”

As expected, this mountain god wall of Zhang E Mountain was not so easily breached. Almost concurrently with the contact between the *Three Mysteries True Fire* and the Chen Yun Bone, the roar of that five-tailed malevolent leopard once again approached. Another mountain god of Zhang E Mountain was rushing towards him with terrifying speed.

Jiang Wang was well-prepared. With a flick of his hand, he collected the melted piece of Chen Yun Bone into his storage box. His *Gan Yang Red Pupils* swept across the mountain god wall, leaving behind dozens of sparks to provide that other mountain god with a chance to extinguish the flames and protect the wall.

He himself, however, continuously twisted and dashed, rushing into the stone forest without looking back.

His *Red Makeup Mirror* divided into a mirror image, which flew rapidly in another direction. Within a fifty-li range, this mirror image could be freely commanded. Although it possessed no actual combat power, its momentum was certainly impressive. Simultaneously, he raised his hand again and released several hundred flame sparrows, letting them fly erratically across the mountain, creating a distraction.

Only by erasing the sound of his own flight did he stop his movements. This time, without pause, he followed his predetermined route, running madly all the way, directly leaving Zhang E Mountain.

A green-clothed figure descended upon Floating Mountain, a person like a drifting feather skimming the green tide.

Retreating from the massive shadow of Zhang E Mountain, Jiang Wang fell with a relaxed posture, like a wingless bird. The wind whistled, yet it did not disturb his thoughts.

He had only approached with the mindset of giving it a try, never expecting to actually penetrate the mountain god wall of Zhang E Mountain and receive the inheritance of the *Huo Dou Seal*.

Was it because the one who killed the Bi Fang was none other than San Cha, thus concealing his divine authority? Or was it because this mountain god wall was not originally limited to Zhang E Mountain, only manifesting after the Bi Fang’s demise in battle? After all, that sentence, “Forever reside in this residence, heaven bestows the god name,” seemed to hint at a vacant position waiting, as if summoning a god. Perhaps every Floating Mountain, every sea island, every sea area, all possessed such a god wall, which would manifest and grant the inheritance of Huang Wei Zhen after fulfilling the corresponding conditions. And among all the ways to open it, undoubtedly, killing the guarding strange beast was the most direct, and also the most difficult.

As Jiang Wang pondered this, he couldn’t help but think again… what was the exact purpose of the key to entering the Mountain Sea Realm left behind by Huang Wei Zhen before his passing? If it was merely to test later generations and pass on his accumulated knowledge, such a grand gesture was truly astonishing.

The tradition of opening the Mountain Sea Realm had continued in the Chu Realm for nine hundred years. This question was not originally his to consider. But after nine hundred years, had no one truly found the answer? At this moment, immersed in it, Jiang Wang couldn’t help but give it more thought.

“Scared me to death.” Having flown a considerable distance from Zhang E Mountain, White Cloud Boy slumped onto the ground amidst the ruins of the Immortal Palace, patting his chest, a wave of lingering fear washing over him.

This little fat boy was always timid, and Jiang Wang didn’t blame him. He simply said, “You must watch carefully. If you encounter any other materials again, let me know immediately.”

If he had the opportunity, Jiang Wang still wanted to gather all the materials for the Immortal Palace Warrior within the Mountain Sea Realm. After all, one piece of Chen Yun Bone required a god to perish before it could transform. Other materials like Liu Sha Wood, who knew how complex they would be to obtain. Moreover, the core Balanced Blood of the Immortal Palace Warrior had already been collected by him. Only, White Cloud Boy had yet to come up with a method to repair Ling Kong Hall, making it impossible to extract the blood through it. But this time, within the Mountain Sea Realm, he had comprehended the true principle of the three mysteries. With such divine ability, separating the Balanced Blood was only a matter of time.

Thus, the Immortal Palace Warrior, which had originally made no progress, unexpectedly saw the dawn of achievement. Of course, he was unwilling to give up. In this era, an Immortal Palace Warrior, inherited from Cloud Top Immortal Palace, could completely become his unique reliance. In the world of cultivation, this kind of uniqueness was a value in itself.

White Cloud Boy, claiming merit, his tone lazy, said, “Alright then.”

Jiang Wang didn’t bother to chastise him at this moment. With a sweep of his robe sleeve, he directly turned north, following the position imprinted in his mind. The instant he erected the Kai Yang Star Tower, he had at least briefly grasped the direction. Zuo Guang Shu was heading towards the North Pole Heaven Pillar Mountain; going in this direction was absolutely correct. Whether out of consideration for needing the Nine Chapters Jade Wall to ensure his harvest, or following his original plan to enter the Mountain Sea Realm, he would make this choice.

He just didn’t know how many days had passed, and whether Zuo Guang Shu and the others had completed their predetermined goal and were still within the Mountain Sea Realm. Even more so, he didn’t know who the remaining two groups of people were in the so-called collection of Nine Chapters. Strange newcomers always brought a certain unease.

Swift wind, sudden rain, startling thunder rolled.

The sky darkened and sank.

The weather within the Mountain Sea Realm changed in an instant.

In the midst of the torrential rain, like a waterfall, Fang He Ling wiped his face, looking towards the front with eyes that held an unmaskable reverence. Not far ahead, Wang Chang Ji was strolling leisurely in the wind and rain high in the sky. His long hair hung loose, his large sleeves fluttered. No special movements were made, nor were there any particular light or shadow effects. Yet, when the mad wind and sudden rain approached his body, they all gently yielded.

This man, this man…

If his earlier effortless evasion of the arrival of a strong figure from the Wu Sheng Sect had truly subdued him and made him deeply realize the gap between mortals and geniuses, then the battle with that Kui Niu not long ago had completely overturned his understanding of the Outer Building layer.

This realm of Outer Building actually had such vast imaginative space!

He couldn’t achieve Wang Chang Ji’s ethereal quality, nor did he want to waste precious Dao Yuan on such aspects. Resisting the complex Heavy Profound environment of the Mountain Sea Realm was already taxing enough; he simply let the wind and rain stain his clothes.

“Speaking of which, I haven’t asked yet. How did you get this chapter of the jade wall?”

He heard the voice ahead ask. He walked behind this person, with no time for deep thought, simply saying whatever came to mind: “This world always has some people who proclaim themselves extraordinary. They are self-aware of where righteousness lies and believe that a thousand armies can be destroyed. They are self-conceited geniuses who believe there is no obstacle in the world they cannot overcome. To the world, they always have seven points of defiance, eight points of indignation, speak four sentences of reason, carry three points of responsibility, seek two words of fairness, and obtain one heart of innocence. Where they hear of injustice, they go. Where they see the unbearable, they go.

The one who left this piece of jade wall was just such a person. According to what is said, he was a noble of some small country, not young, but still very vigorous. He didn’t live a good life, chasing the traces of the Uncovered Face for a pile of extermination cases unrelated to himself, tracking for a full four months… Finally, he successfully became Uncovered Face.”

He said, his face wearing a somewhat strange expression, and continued, “The so-called story of a hero succeeding in breaking the long night is ultimately a performance in storybooks. More stories end silently, more people quietly fall silent. What I see is only those rich and varied human faces, accumulated as Swallow’s collection. Swallow didn’t care about any resources, so he took this jade wall in exchange for me doing several things.”

He stopped there. He was also somewhat surprised at why he had said so much.

He had watched that person become Uncovered Face. That face, innocent yet stubborn, twisted in pain, was slowly peeled off in Swallow’s hand. That person’s painful howl was no different from others.

What was different?

Wang Chang Ji didn’t ask Fang He Ling what things Swallow had made him do in exchange for the jade wall. Although, as long as he asked, he would certainly get an answer, no matter how much Fang He Ling didn’t want to say.

“How do you view this person?” He only asked this.

Under the influence of the Heavy Profound power a hundred times stronger than in the present world, raindrops hitting his body caused a sense of pain. This degree of pain, Fang He Ling only treated as a scratch. Facing someone like Wang Chang Ji, he said without concealment or hesitation, “Say he seeks fame, or say he guards the Dao, so be it. An anger that draws a sword for commoners’ hatred, taking ignorance of one’s own strength as solitary courage. In reality, his relatives mourn his stubbornness, his enemies are angered by his obstinacy, and onlookers laugh at his foolishness!”

Wang Chang Ji’s steps remained steady, and he asked again, “You have been in a human-demon organization for so long, are there many such people?”

“People who like to seek death are always not too many.” Fang He Ling said, also with a hint of confusion, “But the strange thing is, there are actually not few. I hear them say that every few years, there are always some such people who appear, shouting words like ‘exterminate demons and guard the Dao,’ dying in waves, one after another.” This “them,” of course, referred to those human demons belonging to No Return Valley.

Wang Chang Ji’s tone was unchanged, and he said lightly, “Actually, if you really think about it, your persistence in pursuing Zhang Lin Chuan, that single-minded bravery, all the way forward, also counts as this kind of person.”

Fang He Ling grinned in the rain, letting the rainwater splash into his mouth. He swallowed, and it tasted somewhat astringent.

“I only hate, not for any justice.” He said, very clearly, “That kind of thing, only children will believe. This world has none.”

Wang Chang Ji continued to walk forward, without any special emotion. In this world, very few things could make him feel emotion anymore. He didn’t feel that what Fang He Ling said was right, nor did he feel that it was wrong. This world sometimes had no reason to speak of. Right or not right, who could say clearly?

“Obtain one heart of innocence…” He only murmured this sentence, and then lost interest in talking. Because he suddenly remembered that person, the one with “one heart of innocence.”

Walking behind him, Fang He Ling also fell silent in the rain. He didn’t know why, but a figure suddenly came to Fang He Ling’s mind. He actually very much wanted to know how that person would answer if another ten years passed. He thought the answer would certainly change, and then felt that if it was that person, perhaps it wouldn’t change either. Who knew?

Hong long long.

The wind grew more urgent. The rain fell harder. The mad wind was like a knife, the sudden rain like arrows. They struck the outside of the Bright Mantra, like a great army attacking a city, fighting fiercely.

And the sound was like the sound of a pipa.

Within the coverage of the Bright Mantra, on the back of the Mechanical Garuda, it was warm and peaceful. Qu Shun Hua, good at playing the pipa, sat cross-legged listening to the rain, smilingly asking Zuo Guang Shu if he remembered last year’s Mid-Autumn lantern festival. They had hidden inside the largest lantern in Ying City at that time, also listening to the noise outside, sitting so peacefully. They knew the world’s noise; the world didn’t know their peace.

Moon Zen Master sat in meditation at the very front. Looking at her calm posture, she seemed ready to take out a wooden fish and knock on it at any moment. This made Zuo Guang Shu unable to laugh freely.

After so many days, the three of them acting together, each with their own methods and tacit cooperation, had, of course, yielded results. They had joined hands to visit Tian Mountain, and Qu Shun Hua had already achieved the purpose of her journey to the Mountain Sea Realm. This was undoubtedly a good start, and they would continue in this manner.

This wind and rain were not the influence of some strange beast, but a change in the heavenly phenomena of the Mountain Sea Realm itself.

The Mechanical Garuda, with extreme speed, broke through the rain curtain. The Bright Mantra covering the three people on its back was like a lone lamp in the rain.

Suddenly.

The “lone lamp” flickered, seeming to extinguish. The Mechanical Garuda abruptly stopped flapping its wings, and the three people on its back stood up together!

In the dim wind and rain ahead, a figure wearing red-bottomed, gold-edged martial clothes, stepping through the distance, stepped into view, walking closer and closer. There were no other actions. But merely the momentum emanating from his body was almost enough to crush this Bright Mantra!

Looking across the entire Mountain Sea Realm, besides Dou Zhao, who else could it be?

Behind Qu Shun Hua, the virtual shadow of a heavenly woman had already appeared. Beside Zuo Guang Shu, the sound of the sea roaring was heard. Moon Zen Master, wearing a hood and a gray robe, had an unreadable expression, but the Mechanical Garuda she was manipulating had already restrained its flight posture and assumed a fighting stance.

Three rarely seen genius figures, each accumulating power, ready to strike.

And Dou Zhao just walked towards them without shaking, as if nothing had happened. He regarded everyone’s guard and vigilance as nothing. He so casually penetrated the rain curtain, walked to the front of the Mechanical Garuda, and said in a matter-of-fact tone, “Zhu Yan has disappeared, completely disappeared. The Mountain Sea Realm has undergone some changes that I do not know of, and my harvest cannot be guaranteed. Now I need to collect jade walls. After I have chosen, you will still have opportunities.”

He calmly stretched out his hand: “All are talents of my Great Chu. Give me the jade walls, and no harm will come to you.”

Those who understood Dou Zhao knew that his willingness to explain so much to you was already a kind of respect. It was just that at this moment, this share of respect from Dou Zhao, was it given to whom? Zuo Guang Shu? Qu Shun Hua? Or Moon Zen Master?

But some people might feel flattered by this share of “respect.” Some people, harboring the same pride, would only view this as a humiliation.

“At least you should also bring Dou Mian with you. Just walking over by yourself like this, grandiosely reaching out… Dou Zhao!” Qu Shun Hua’s beautiful eyes held anger, her voice cold as a blade: “Should I say you are arrogant, or should I say you are foolish?”

Indeed, in a situation of similar talent, the gap in cultivation was difficult to overcome. But they still had Moon Heaven Slave on their side, whose realm was not inferior! Indeed, Dou Zhao had swept away all opponents of the same generation, and was recognized as the greatest young prodigy in Great Chu. But now, they had three people on their side! Dou Zhao actually dared to be so arrogant; who exactly was he looking down on?

Towards Qu Shun Hua’s attitude, Dou Zhao was not angry. He only looked expressionlessly at Zuo Guang Shu: “Guang Shu, because of that figure who ignited the Divine Xiao Phoenix Flag, I am willing to give you another opportunity. You are an adult. Now tell me, what do you think?”

Zuo Guang Shu calmly looked at him, and only said, “You can kill me, then take it from my corpse… but you cannot reach out and ask me for it.”