His soul and the power of his Divine Sense suddenly increased slightly, and he quickly regained control over the Escape Light, halting his fall.
Yet the icy pain within his soul still lingered.
But for Gu Yuan, as long as his thinking wasn’t impaired, a little pain was inconsequential.
"Swish, swish, swish!"
His Escape Light continued unabated, his mana surged, and within just a few breaths, he collected all the Snow Petals above the Great Lake.
"Whew!"
As the Snow Petals vanished, all the Snow Lotuses instantly withered, losing their source of vitality.
In the distance, fissures flickered between light and darkness, growing wider and more frequent, hastening the collapse of the entire Secret Land.
"At this rate, in just a few dozen years, the Secret Land will likely collapse more than half; these Snow Petals may never mature again..."
Witnessing this curious scene, Gu Yuan sighed inwardly.
For an ordinary cultivator collecting Snow Petals for an Ascendant, they would not think much, rely assuming the Ascendant enjoyed the taste or had other uses. But Gu Yuan’s mind inexplicably wandered.
Yet now was not the ti to ponder these things; Gu Yuan shook his head, dispelling his distractions, activated the Token, and left the Secret Land.
Within the Secret Land, the extre coldness was pervasive; even though Gu Yuan had exited, traces of snowlight lingered on his hair and brows, stubbornly refusing to dissipate, leaving his complexion pale and rigid.
However, he did not care, bearing these "scars," and swiftly flew toward Jade Pot Peak.
In just a brief mont, Jade Pot Peak was in sight.
...
...
On Jade Pot Peak, snow fell year-round, the cold wind howled, a scene of northern beauty, the Spirit Springs on the mountain froze, all vegetation covered in white frost, blanketed in silver, remarkably picturesque.
But the entire Spirit Peak was sheltered by a Grand Array; not even Foundation Establishnt Cultivators or Golden Core Cultivators could step foot here without the Peak Master’s permission.
It was one of the seven main peaks of the Daoist School presided over by the Golden Core, strictly prohibiting unauthorized entry.
And at this mont, a figure stood before the Spirit Peak, bowing in salute, loudly declaring: "Disciple Gu Yuan returns with harvested Cold Soul Ice Lotus Snow Petals, dedicated to the Ascendant!"
"Swish!"
As soon as Gu Yuan’s voice fell, he felt an unstoppable force enveloping him, whisking him away.
Although he had established his Dao Foundation, greatly increasing his strength, before this power he was still as naive as a child, powerless to resist.
And this power ca swiftly, departed swiftly.
In the blink of an eye, Gu Yuan arrived at a new landscape, his feet grounded once more.
He lifted his gaze to find himself before a cold pool, with a Jade Platform beyond.
On the Jade Platform, a blurred figure caressed a zither, the music lodious and pleasing, seemingly filled with grace, but in an instant, the tunes surged rapidly, fierce and sonorous, resounding like clashing tal.
The zither’s sound transford into swords, making the void tremble, as if countless Sword Qi rose upward, cleaving through heaven and earth.
After a while, the zither’s music gradually faded, and the figure slowly turned around.
Yet, the face remained indistinct, hard to discern.
"It’s you again..."
A voice echoed by Gu Yuan’s ear, simultaneously, a sharp gaze swept from the Jade Platform, penetrating all of Gu Yuan’s secrets, as if standing bare under the snowy sky, he felt a twinge of apprehension.
"Disciple completes the Jieyuan Dharma Hall task, returning with Snow Petals for the Ascendant."
Gu Yuan took a deep breath, suppressing his anxiety, and presented several jade boxes.
But that figure did not imdiately accept the Snow Petals, rely asking indifferently: "You have achieved Foundation Establishnt?"
It was an unnecessary question, but Gu Yuan did not dare be remiss, respectfully replying: "Thanks to the Ascendant’s grace, guiding into the sect, gifting a Dharma Artifact, I have today’s accomplishnt. In future tasks, however arduous, disciple will not shirk at a thousand deaths."
"You sure know how to curry favor."
The figure chuckled lightly, seeming to shake his head.
But Gu Yuan sensed opportunity; during Qi Refining, the Ascendant never laughed before him, barely exchanged words, yet now the attitude seed gentler, seizing this chance without hesitating:
"Disciple at the Flowing Cloud Banquet fortuitously received nine strands of Spiritual Qi; under now are several Foundation Establishnt Cultivators ready to serve, all awaiting the Ascendant’s commands."
"Your prominence has been heard even on Jade Pot Peak; however, all are but epheral illusions, and when the campaign begins, all will vanish at the first flas of battle..."
The figure on the Jade Platform shook his head slightly, seeming to utter a sigh.
Seeing Gu Yuan’s apparent confusion, the figure flicked a finger, and a streak of cyan light, like a teor, instantaneously approached, heading towards Gu Yuan.
Gu Yuan seed to have an epiphany, his mana surged, invoking nurous Dharma Seals within him, transforming into various techniques, confronting the cyan light.
It was a cyan Simurgh, four wings and cyan tail, eyes like flas, its whole being carrying a dreadful cyan true fire; in an instant, it decimated all Dharma Seals Gu Yuan manifested, carrying a fierce might, assaulting Gu Yuan.
But just as it neared Gu Yuan, it vanished like an illusion.
"You have established Foundation; can you refine a Spiritual Artifact?"
The figure on the Jade Platform asked again.
"Disciple has obtained a Golden Bamboo Sword yet has not refined a Sword Seal and thus lacks a Spiritual Artifact."
Gu Yuan bowed and answered.
"The Su Clan holds a Spiritual Artifact called the True Simurgh Mirror, sealing a Cyan Simurgh Essence at the Earth Demon Peak Realm; what you encountered was a sliver of its power. Should you forge the Sword Seal, would you be confident facing this Simurgh?"
Gu Yuan instantly fell silent.
Then he bowed deeply, pleading: "Please, Ascendant, have rcy, save !"
The Earth Demon Realm corresponds to the Foundation Establishnt Realm for Human Race Cultivators; Earth Demon Perfection equals Foundation Establishnt Perfection. A Spiritual Artifact attacking in its full capacity would be like a Foundation Establishnt Perfection cultivator waging war against Gu Yuan, far beyond what he could withstand currently.
And hearing Sword Fox Immortal’s words, it seed the Su Family intended harm?
"When the tree towered in the forest, wind must break it!"
"Though the Flowing Cloud Banquet is a convention of our making, not everyone has an ocean’s capacity; rember, it was ant for their own scheming of Spiritual Grain..."
"Even with thorough study of the sect’s laws, it’s hard to dodge covert arrows."
"Red Moon River spans millennia of majestic power; how many life-saving cards do you currently possess?"
The figure on the Jade Platform asked softly.
Gu Yuan remained silent, bowing in supplication once again.
"Your planning wasn’t wrong; six Foundation Establishnt Cultivators each have their uses, but looking only to the future without covering the present is fruitless. On the battlefield, they can be assistance, but not your assurance."
With those words, a flash of light on the Jade Platform, a jade-colored Treasure Tower quietly appeared, landing in Gu Yuan’s palm.
"For one claiming Foundation Establishnt Peak, lacking even an upper-class Protective Spiritual Artifact, how do you command others?"
"This treasure is called ’Seven-Phase Exquisite Tower,’ capable of attack and defense, its tower constructed from Forbidden Spirit Jade, as long as your mana isn’t exhausted, it offers an effect of invulnerability to a thousand thods, even against a top-grade Spiritual Artifact, it can hold montarily."
"Moreover, this tower can capture Earth Demon Essences, imprisoning them inside for you to wield; however, the essences within the tower are deceased, thus requiring your own capture and fulfillnt."
The cool voice entered Gu Yuan’s ears, and simultaneously, the Jade Bottle once holding the Snow Petals vanished silently.
"Thank you, Ascendant!"
Gu Yuan rejoiced, saluting in gratitude.
"Just a reward for collecting Snow Petals."
The figure on the Jade Platform spoke indifferently, then asked: "On your recent visit to the Cold Moon Secret Land, did you observe signs of collapse, and how much longer will the Secret Land last?"
Gu Yuan quickly replied: "Not to hide from the Ascendant, it may not endure beyond a cycle of sixty years..."
A sigh emanated from the Jade Platform, followed by a stream of light descending, landing in Gu Yuan’s hands.
It was a booklet as thin as cicada wings, inscribed with elegant small characters.
"Boundless Sword Seal!"
"This is the Sword Seal of my cultivation; its profundity rivals the Golden Brilliance Sword Seal within the Daoist School, differing only in the caster."
"Your encounters are peculiar; perhaps you can cultivate this seal."
"However, there’s a task you must accomplish for ."
"By the Ascendant’s command, Gu Yuan will certainly strive with all his might!"
"Wage war against Red Moon River, you must seize ’Heart-breaking Island’."
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