Ti flew by, and in the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.
During this half-year, Qi Yun, under the guise of "Zhang Mazi," had traversed the nurous mountains and rivers, secluded valleys, and deep ravines of the Northwest.
Guided by the Secret Manual of the Northwest Celestial Spirits and Earthly Fiends, he successfully located and absorbed the power from fifty-three Earth Evil Points, opening the corresponding fifty-three crucial acupoints within his body one by one.
He had already completed nearly half of the path to achieving Hundred Acupoints Spirit Communication.
The True Essence in his body beca more vigorous and condensed, and his connection to Heaven and Earth grew clearer. With every move, the range and intensity of the Power of Heaven and Earth he could stir far surpassed that of an ordinary Qi Refining Seventh Layer Cultivator.
anwhile, during this half-year, the conflicts in the distant Pot Valley had not ceased, but rely changed form.
The initial frenzy of bloody battles and chaos gradually subsided.
Through clashes of power and a weighing of interests, the situation had settled into a fragile equilibrium.
The entire Pot Valley region was now jointly controlled by the four most powerful behemoths of the Northwest Cultivation Realm—the Wuji Holy Sect, the Yellow Springs Netherworld, the Cyan Sect, and Fengduo.
The four powers joined hands to draw boundaries and set rules.
Only the disciples of these Four Major Sects could, by relying on their identity Tokens, enter and exit Pot Valley with relative freedom, approach the "Yin Ruins" rift, and attempt to absorb the pure Earth Evil Qi emanating from the Earth Temple.
As for the other small and dium-sized Sects and Cultivation Families, if they wanted a piece of the pie, they had to pass a review by the "Managent Departnt" jointly established by the Four Sects and pay what could be called an exorbitant "Managent Fee."
Only then could they obtain temporary access, and their permitted ti and areas were strictly limited.
This seemingly "reasonable" arrangent maintained order on the surface and prevented endless slaughter.
The higher-ups of the Four Sects all seed "satisfied" with this result. When disciples of the Wuji Holy Sect, Cyan Sect, and Fengduo were active on the outskirts of Pot Valley, one could even see cheerful expressions on their faces.
However, anyone with a discerning eye knew that the Yellow Springs Netherworld was the only one forced to stomach its losses, its suffering unspoken.
The reason was simple.
Pot Valley’s geographical location was simply too close to the Yellow Springs Netherworld’s core territory!
It was practically right on the border of its sphere of influence.
Now, the other Three Sects, under the pretext of "jointly managing" the Pot Valley Earth Temple, had legitimately stationed a large number of elite disciples here, with even Foundation Establishnt Masters presiding over them.
This was tantamount to three heavily ard brutes sleeping soundly right beside the Yellow Springs Netherworld’s bed!
For now, everyone was still playing by the rules on the surface, maintaining a cooperative relationship.
But if the situation were to change in the future, and the alliance of the Three Sects were to tacitly "nudge" forward, pushing their control zone into the Yellow Springs Netherworld’s heartland...
...then the Yellow Springs Netherworld truly wouldn’t even have a place to cry, forced to swallow its own broken teeth.
To them, this Earth Temple was like letting a wolf into the house, a poisoned thorn stuck in their throat!
’Just as I thought. After the Pot Valley Yin Ruins opened, it went through a massive, bloody battle with countless cultivators dead or injured. In the end, the Four Sects used their absolute strength to secure the situation and take joint control of the Earth Temple.’
Qi Yun compiled the intelligence he had gathered from various channels during this period, unsurprised by the turn of events.
He shook the Soul Refining Banner in his hand, its aura growing ever more sinister, and a glint of resolve flashed in his eyes.
’The situation has stabilized. It’s about ti I went to ’appreciate’ this legendary Dao Soil.’
He spoke lightly, but his heart was filled with helplessness.
Over the past six months, as he opened more and more acupoints in his body, the number of unoccupied, decent-quality Earth Evil Points he could find had dwindled.
The Northwest Territory was vast, but there were even more cultivators.
This was especially true for Evil Points suitable for Qi Refining Late Stage cultivation; nearly every single one was already claid.
Moreover, the cultivators occupying these Evil Points were rarely alone. They often had fellow sect mbers, clansn, or even elders standing guard.
To seize one by force would require a vicious fight.
The outco would be uncertain, and it would be all too easy to make a mortal enemy and expose himself.
In the last two months, Qi Yun had followed the manual’s guidance to seek out three marked Earth Evil Points in a row, but he had failed every ti.
They were either already occupied, or the environnt had changed drastically and the Evil Qi had dissipated.
The investnt of ti was already exceeding his initial calculations.
His thodical approach to cultivation had hit a bottleneck.
’I can’t keep wasting ti like this.’ Qi Yun took a deep breath.
Although the rules in Pot Valley, under the control of the Four Sects, were strict...
...at least on the surface, Foundation Establishnt Cultivators were forbidden from attacking Qi Refining Disciples.
As long as he was careful, with his current abilities and the disguise of "Zhang Mazi," he could find a sliver of opportunity there.
...
Even before he truly neared Pot Valley, a complex aura rushed to greet him—a mixture of Earth Evil Qi and the faint, lingering scent of blood.
In the distant sky, flickers of Dharma Light appeared and vanished, Escape Lights crisscrossed like a tapestry, and the air was filled with a hubbub of voices.
It was a completely different scene from the dead silence of the razed landscape six months ago.
Qi Yun restrained his aura and, maintaining the low-key, gloomy appearance of "Zhang Mazi," blended into the bustling crowd, approaching the outskirts of Pot Valley.
He saw that the natural boundary of Pot Valley was now enveloped by a huge curtain of light, jointly erected by the Four Major Sects.
Magic Patterns flowed across the light curtain, emitting a heart-palpitating pressure.
Only a few specific entrances were guarded by disciples.
Outside the light curtain, a large temporary settlent had already ford, packed with tents and simple shacks.
Countless cultivators from all over the Northwest and even more distant regions loitered here, observing, and trading. The place was abuzz with activity.
It had effectively beco a new Marketplace.
Most of them wore expressions of longing and anxiety, their gazes fixed fervently on the area within the light curtain. That was the entrance to the "Yin Ruins" where the Earth Temple lay—their hope for breaking through their bottlenecks.
However, the rules set by the Four Major Sects were like an insurmountable barrier, keeping the vast majority of people out.
To enter, one either had to be a disciple of the Four Sects...
...or pay a painfully high "Managent Fee" and undergo a strict review.
Qi Yun didn’t linger on the outskirts. He headed straight for an entrance managed by the Holy Sect.
There was a moderately long line there, comprised almost entirely of Inner Mansion Disciples from the Holy Sect, all of them with impressive auras.
When it was Qi Yun’s turn, the guard on duty was a stern-faced Qi Refining Eighth Layer Steward.
He glanced at Qi Yun’s worn-out Daoist Robe and the Soul Refining Banner in his hand, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. He didn’t say much, just held out his hand in a business-like manner:
"Taixu Jade Order."
Qi Yun took out his Taixu Jade Order, but instead of handing it over, he simply flashed it in front of the man.
Upon seeing the erald-green Inner Mansion True Cultivation Jade Order, the Holy Sect Steward’s expression changed slightly. He quickly took out a Jade Talisman that emitted faint spatial fluctuations and handed it to Qi Yun:
"This is a temporary access pass, valid for thirty days.
With this Talisman, you can enter the light curtain and approach the Yin Ruins rift area.
Rember, no private fighting is allowed inside, and you must not damage the environnt around the Earth Temple.
Violators will be punished by all Four Sects!"
"Thank you, Steward," Qi Yun replied in a hoarse voice, accepting the Jade Talisman. His heart settled a little.
He put away the Jade Talisman and was about to follow a few other sect mbers through the entrance of the light curtain.
Just then, a middle-aged Daoist with an ethereal bearing, a lean face, and a Duster in his hand, seed to glance over Qi Yun unintentionally.
The gaze seed casual, yet it felt as if it carried so kind of piercing power.
It made Qi Yun’s heart skip a beat; he felt as though his disguise had been partially seen through.
What made Qi Yun even more wary was that the Daoist’s gaze lingered on him for a mont before a profound, sowhat amused smile appeared on his face. Yet, he didn’t speak up to stop or question him.
Qi Yun remained impassive, pretending not to have noticed. He quickened his pace, and his figure quickly vanished into the light curtain, disappearing into the strictly controlled area.
Only after Qi Yun’s figure had vanished did the ethereal-looking Daoist withdraw his gaze. He gently flicked his Duster, looked at the entrance of the light curtain, and muttered to himself in a nearly inaudible voice:
"’After waiting for half a year, the boy has finally arrived...
This child is steady-minded, able to restrain his greed. He’s been running all over the place, but he’s down-to-earth.
No wonder soone like Senior Brother Deng took a liking to him. He’s good material.
Now let’s see what kind of storm he can stir up here in the Yin Ruins.’"
His words carried a hint of admiration, and even more so, a certainty that ca from foresight, as if Qi Yun’s arrival was exactly what he had expected.
...
The mont he passed through the light curtain, the Cosmic Jade wavered slightly, and the scene before his eyes suddenly opened up.
But what followed was a sense of oppression—heavy, grim, yet filled with imnse energy.
As far as the eye could see, there was only devastation.
The ground was a dark, reddish-brown, as if it had been soaked in blood and left to dry countless tis over.
Everywhere, there were bottomless ravines, fragnts of collapsed mountains, and vitrified craters, ford where so terrifying power had lted the earth before it solidified again.
The air was saturated with a pure yet volatile Yin Sha Qi, along with a sense of desolate stillness that seed to hail from a prival, barbaric age.
The sky was a hazy gray, with no sun or moon in sight.
Only chaotic streaks of Flowing Light would occasionally slash across it, accompanied by piercing shrieks.
And in the center of this ruined, dead world...
...a massive, pitch-black rift hung exposed in the void. Its edges constantly twisted and writhed, emitting unstable Cosmic Jade fluctuations.
Within the rift, dark and profound, one could faintly make out the silhouette of a temple—ancient, faded yellow, and condensed from endless Earth Evil Qi.
That was the legendary [Dao Soil—the Earth Temple].
Even from such a great distance, Qi Yun could feel the imnse and heart-palpitatingly pure Earth Evil Power emanating from the Earth Temple.
The area dozens of miles around the rift was enveloped by an invisible force field.
The closer one got to the rift, the denser the Earth Evil Qi beca, but its aura also grew more unstable.
At tis, tiny rifts in the Cosmic Jade would appear out of thin air only to vanish monts later, making it exceptionally dangerous.
By now, many disciples from the Four Major Sects, as well as so from other Sects and Noble Families, were already seated cross-legged at varying distances from the rift.
Faint light flickered around their bodies as they did their utmost to absorb the pure Earth Evil Qi, every face a mask of solemn focus.
Having gained entry into this [Dao Soil], they dared not waste a single second.
Taking a deep breath of the unique air in the Yin Ruins, Qi Yun felt a faint sense of excitent from the nineteen still-unopened acupoints in his body.
’The realm of the Dao Soil is truly extraordinary.’ Gripping his Soul Refining Banner, Qi Yun delayed no longer.
He strode quickly toward the rift, searching for a spot to begin opening his acupoints.
...
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