Chapter 683 - 53: Milo Immortal Palace, Starlight Spirit Pool

As for the old Taoist in red robes, with his white hair, silver beard, and striking, ancient features, he was a Ji Jiu from an academy in Yuelang Heaven named Su Mushan. He was the most senior of the three and had always been ranked in the top five on the Immortal Ascension List.

Although the yellow-robed young woman was somewhat displeased with Fang Cheng’s tardiness, he was now on equal footing with her master, and they addressed each other as fellow Daoists. Thus, she and Ye Tuo could only show the respect of juniors, not daring to overstep their bounds in the slightest.

Moreover, the Magical Artifact prepared for the three of them to cross the Outer Void had been taken away by Jia Yin, and it was rumored that this, too, was related to the man before them.

Now that everyone had arrived, Fang Cheng exchanged a few pleasantries with the three of them, then summoned the Ten Thousand Worlds Compass and led them away from Yuelang Heaven.

...

「In the Outer Void, an unimaginable distance from Yuelang Heaven.」

A majestic Immortal Mountain, thousands of miles tall, stood imposingly. Endless Immortal Light manifested around it, converging into a dazzling ring of spiritual light that brightly illuminated the dark, cold void.

The entire Immortal Mountain was enveloped in this vast ring of Immortal Light, exuding sacred majesty.

In the darkness, a golden wheel tore through the void and hung there, motionless.

With a flash of golden light, four figures appeared beneath the golden wheel, spotting the Immortal Mountain in the distance.

’So this is the Milo Immortal Mountain!’

The records of Yuelang Heaven contained illustrations of this Immortal Mountain, which Fang Cheng had seen while browsing through books in Jia Yin’s palace.

He saw that, just as the records showed, a winding path snaked its way up from the foot of the Immortal Mountain to its peak.

The path was incredibly wide and paved entirely with jade, shimmering and glowing when seen from afar.

And midway up the path, on the mountainside, stood a grand hall brimming with an immortal aura. With its upturned eaves and ornate brackets, it had an extraordinary presence.

’The Milo Immortal Road and the Milo Treasure Hall!’

And two-thirds of the way up the Immortal Road, there was another identical hall.

The same was true at the very peak.

Three great halls in total.

According to legend, the first great hall contained three thousand Milo Talismans forged from Taixuan Immortal Copper.

The second great hall held three hundred Milo Talismans forged from Phoenix Patterned Profound Silver.

The third great hall held three Milo Talismans forged from Daluo Geng Gold.

Only by obtaining these three types of Milo Talismans could one break through the void at the peak of this Immortal Mountain and ascend, to be received by the Immortal Court.

Every ten thousand years, the Milo Immortal Court would receive at most three people.

Sometimes, no one would succeed at all.

Compared to the boundless void, this Immortal Mountain was but a drop in the ocean. The number of Tribulation Realm Cultivators who stumbled upon it by chance, without a guidance token, was likely few and far between.

Those who could truly come to tread the Milo Immortal Road were, without exception, geniuses like Ye Tuo, hailing from the Affiliated World Heavens of the Upper Realm.

After studying the Immortal Mountain for a few moments, Fang Cheng put away the Ten Thousand Worlds Compass and flew forward with Ye Tuo and the other two, arriving at the foot of the mountain.

From the mountainside down, there were numerous Cave Mansions carved out by Tribulation Realm Cultivators. There was even a small marketplace lined with over a hundred shops, its jade pavilions and grand halls rising and falling in succession, all nestled among the towering ancient trees on the Immortal Mountain.

The Milo Immortal Mountain was incomparably vast, and the Tribulation Realm Cave Mansions were scattered far and wide, ensuring none disturbed the others.

Yue Lanyin pointed with a delicate finger and said, "Elder Fang, a predecessor from my Yuelang Heaven once established a Cave Mansion on this Immortal Mountain. Will you stay there with us, Elder, or would you prefer to establish a new one?"

Fang Cheng said, "Since there’s a Cave Mansion ready, let’s stay there for now. We can explore the Profound Mechanisms of the Immortal Road another day."

Yue Lanyin smiled lightly and nodded in agreement. She then flew ahead to lead the way, and they soon arrived before a cliff face.

She raised a fair hand and activated a Secret Technique. Colorful light spilled forth as a crystal pillar, several arm spans in circumference, slowly rose. It was nearly a hundred feet tall, and inscribed upon it were the words "Yuelang Cave Heaven" in ancient seal script. Its lower half was covered in Profound Pattern Jade Talismans.

Once the pillar appeared, the surrounding restrictive spells dissipated, and a tall cave entrance materialized on the cliff face.

Yue Lanyin cast a spell to open the entrance, and the four of them entered one by one.

The cave was extremely high-ceilinged and divided into two chambers: a front and a back. The walls of the front chamber were like crystal jade, illuminating the space as bright as day. However, the furnishings were sparse. In the center stood a large cauldron, and behind it were a jade pier, a stone couch, and a few stone tables and chairs. There was nothing else.

After walking a few hundred feet, they reached the end of the front chamber where a doorway appeared in the Crystal Wall. Inside was a tall, straight corridor built from thousands upon thousands of precious jades and bright crystals. The walls looked smooth and warm, reflecting a myriad of colors and forming concentric rings of rainbows. The sight was incomparably magnificent.

The corridor’s exit was a half-moon-shaped archway. Beyond it lay the second chamber, which was even brighter, filled with a strange, dazzling radiance.

This second Cave Mansion was much larger than the first, spanning several acres. The entire cavern was shaped like an overturned bowl with a domed ceiling. In its walls were seven doorways, each leading to a Quiet Chamber for meditation.

This Cave Mansion was also more furnished. Scattered about were stone tables, stone stools, Pill Furnaces, and items for scholarly pursuits like chess, music, and painting. There were also many strange flowers and exotic plants, adding a fresh and natural charm to the place.

However, there was little of any real value.

The place had been left by past cultivators from Yuelang Heaven who came to challenge the Immortal Road, and one could faintly see the traces of their lives here, both of cultivation and leisure.

Each of the four was lost in their own thoughts and said little. They each chose a Quiet Chamber and went inside to sit in meditation and regulate their breathing.

There was no day or night on the Immortal Mountain. Twenty hours later, the four of them emerged from their Quiet Chambers and set out for the Milo Immortal Road together.

As they traveled by cloud, they scanned the area with their Divine Senses. From the foot of the mountain to its waist, they detected no fewer than tens of thousands of Cave Mansions belonging to various Tribulation Realm Cultivators. Of these, nearly ten thousand were still radiant and held dormant auras, indicating they were occupied.

’What an astonishing number!’

According to legend, three thousand lesser World Heavens corresponded to a single Spiritual Sky Realm.

That meant three thousand Spiritual Sky Realms would correspond to over nine million lesser World Heavens.

The phrase "All Heavens and Myriads of Realms" was no exaggeration.

And the term "three thousand Spiritual Sky Realms" wasn’t just a figurative number; the actual count could be even greater.

The sheer vastness of the cosmos far exceeded Fang Cheng’s imagination.

’Perhaps the Milo Immortal Court has sent down more than just this one Immortal Mountain...’

Fang Cheng took out his Immortal Road guidance token and successfully set foot upon the Immortal Road.

A wide, winding jade staircase stretched out from beneath his feet, leading all the way to the summit.

The powerful Spiritual Pressure he had imagined never appeared.

The four of them could even fly easily along this Immortal Road.

However, out of reverence for the Immortal Court, the four of them dutifully proceeded on foot.

With their level of Cultivation, their walking speed was still much faster than the Escape Light of an ordinary Dharma Cultivator.

Before long, the four of them arrived before the Milo Treasure Hall on the mountainside.

This majestic hall covered hundreds of acres. It was magnificent and tall, exuding a dignified and imposing air. Immortal energy permeated the structure, which held hidden Profound Mechanisms that were exceedingly obscure and deep.

The hall’s main doors were wide open, and a number of cultivators with extraordinary bearings had gathered inside.

As the four of them walked into the hall, they drew many watchful eyes, but that was all.

In the center of the hall was a Spirit Pool constructed from white jade. Immortal Mist swirled within the pool, and at its center, countless brilliant motes of starlight flickered.

From time to time, people would enter the Spirit Pool and disappear.

Others would emerge from the pool, their faces etched with frustration and dejection, or with lingering fear, as if they had just survived a brush with death.

At the front of the hall, a white jade relief carving, over a hundred feet tall, was clearly visible.

This relief had three tiers, one above the other.

The bottom tier was carved with three thousand Taiyuan Immortal Copper Talismans. Of these, over a hundred were lit up, while the rest remained dim.

The middle tier depicted three hundred Phoenix Patterned Profound Silver Talismans, with just over thirty of them lit.

The top tier showed three Daluo Geng Gold Talismans, one of which was lit.

Seeing this, Fang Cheng knew that someone had already succeeded on this Immortal Road.

This Milo Immortal Road had only been open for a little over three hundred years, yet someone had already succeeded.

’Truly, the world is vast and never lacks for experts.’

Yue Lanyin pointed to the Spirit Pool in the center of the hall and said softly, "According to our predecessors’ records, one only needs to step into the Spirit Pool to begin the Immortal Court’s trial. If you succeed, you’ll receive a Milo Talisman. There are also various immortal opportunities to be found within, each one extraordinary."

"Unfortunately, the trial is different for everyone, and it changes each time one enters the Spirit Pool. Therefore, the records left by those before us are of little practical use."

Fang Cheng smiled. "Fellow Daoists, I shall enter the Spirit Pool first to investigate. Why don’t you all wait here? After I come out, you’ll have a better idea of the difficulty of this hall’s trial."

The three of them nodded and thanked him.

Among the four, Fang Cheng was the most powerful and was considered the leader of their group for this trip. This arrangement couldn’t have been better.

With a composed expression, Fang Cheng stepped into the Spirit Pool.

The next moment.

His figure abruptly vanished into the starlit Immortal Mist.

...