Chapter 615 460: Hall 6, Platform 2

"Tulong Jian!"

He immediately released the spell in his hand, not caring about the opponent he was fighting, and with a slap on the jade pendant at his waist, a glow flew up from his body, condensing into a great shield.

But a glass-like crisp sound was heard, and the great shield was already smashed into pieces, turning into dust that disappeared without a trace. Tulong Jian casually pursued the man, and after just over a dozen exchanges, the man took a hammer blow to the chest, spat out blood, and flew into the sea of clouds, not looking back as he fled in the distance.

Li Yuanjiao remembered Tulong Jian's earlier words and did not go to assist him; instead, he started up the Mysterious Pattern Spiritual Mist, slowly moving towards the edge of the battlefield.

He had just moved a few steps closer when the woman in the Lake-colored Feather Clothing turned her head back vigilantly and called out,

"Who's there?!"

Li Yuanjiao subtly revealed the shape of the Mysterious Pattern Spiritual Mist, and Kong Tingyun was startled, asking uncertainly,

"Brother Jiao?"

"It's me."

Hearing this, Kong Tingyun's tense heart relaxed, and with a mix of joy and surprise, she hurriedly said,

"You've followed us in here! At least I have some help... but you need to be careful... this place is full of dangers..."

Li Yuanjiao paused in mid-air and said softly,

"A friend and I were gathering qi on the island, and unexpectedly found ourselves here."

"I see..."

Kong Tingyun simply took a step back, distancing herself a little from the battlefield to stand with him amongst the Cloud Peak, and after explaining for a while, she said,

"The item in the middle is 'Taiyin Moonlight,' difficult to obtain. I'm just here to watch and see who ends up with it, no matter what."

She smiled slyly, narrowing her eyes playfully, and whispered,

"No chance now... but who knows about later."

Li Yuanjiao understood her meaning and nodded lightly; the two of them chatted briefly among the clouds, while the situation on the battlefield below became increasingly clear.

The cultivator Xunyi was originally the most skilled and had the highest spells among the crowd. While he was being pressured by everyone's attacks, Tulong Jian appeared out of nowhere and fought his way through, inadvertently breaking the siege for him.

Now, these two stood guarding the jade platform, with a few cultivators unwilling to give up still lingering around the sea of clouds.

Xunyi's expression was rather ugly as he recognized Tulong Jian and also the Six Ding Combined Fire Command on his waist—a renowned Ancient Spiritual Instrument known for subduing demons but equally effective against cultivators.

Seeing Tulong Jian pinch the token and draw out the vast grey flames, the intense heat hit the faces of everyone amongst the clouds, causing them all to step back simultaneously, with Xunyi bearing the brunt and sweating profusely.

Xunyi and Tulong Jian had easily forced back the crowd by being certain that no one wanted to be seriously injured within the Cave Heaven, but now that Tulong Jian had taken out the Ancient Spiritual Instrument, it was Xunyi's turn to feel wary.

'Better to avoid his sharpness for now... and deal with the consequences later!...'

He stepped back a few steps, gritting his teeth, but in the end, he slowly retreated, disappearing into the sea of clouds as Tulong Jian expected, and Tulong Jian shook his head, infusing mana into the silvery white Spiritual Shield.

As the corners of the silvery white Spiritual Shield lit up one by one, with Tulong Jian reciting the spell, the shield shrank rapidly and fell into the palm of his hand. He then stored away the Jade Bottle, his gaze sweeping over the sea of clouds as everyone retreated.

Kong Tingyun glanced at him and quickly understood, asking,

"Is Tulong Jian your friend?"

"We have some connections."

Li Yuanjiao nodded in confirmation, and Kong Tingyun appeared somewhat worried as she quietly prodded,

"He is very powerful, likely one of the top among the Foundation Establishment Cultivators here in the Cave Heaven. Just be careful... that's all."

As they watched him put away the treasure, the Dharma Light flickered in Tulong Jian's eyes, and he quickly found them among the sea of clouds, riding the wind towards them. Upon seeing Kong Tingyun, he said indifferently,

"Greetings, Taoist Fellow."

Kong Tingyun responded with a salute, and Tulong Jian turned to Li Yuanjiao, his tone becoming much warmer:

"Senior, let's hurry to the mountain range... if we're late, we won't find anything worthwhile."

...

Li Xuanfeng and his two companions left the courtyard and made their way up the mountain, using their movement techniques. The cave mansions they encountered were all empty, clearly indicating that the cultivators had already explored their own footholds and were now heading towards the mountain peak.

Along the way, they saw more than a dozen people standing before a grand hall at the mountain's summit, silently observing the formation on the hall, with not a single person speaking.

Li Xuanfeng narrowed his eyes slightly and soon found a figure in a golden robe among the group. The man was strikingly handsome, standing with his hands behind his back, two longswords sheathed behind him, and a swirl of black flames around his body.

Having followed Situ Chen all the way here, his presence was not surprising. Li Xuanfeng's gaze didn't dwell on him for too long to avoid drawing attention and instead turned toward the grand hall.

The grand hall, built primarily in shades of blue and white, was magnificent. The floor was paved with white jade-like stone bricks, engraved with simple patterns, and several huge jade pillars stood on both sides. At the front of the hall was an Immortal Throne, flanked by six jade platforms.

On each of these six jade platforms rested a jade box, five of which sat quietly on the platforms, faintly glowing. The last platform, however, was quite peculiar.

Next to this platform were two individuals, one seated cross-legged with a slightly flushed face, one hand braced on a knee and the other pressing against the chest. A gleaming longsword pierced through his chest, emerging from the back.

The other person knelt in front of the platform, gesturing as if grasping something, with one hand braced on the ground. The jade box from the platform had fallen to the floor, with one corner shattered open.

The expressions of the two figures were lifelike, their complexions even slightly flushed, as if they had just relaxed from an intense battle. It seemed as though time within the grand hall had been frozen at that moment, ready to resume its flow at any time.

From Li Xuanfeng's perspective, he could clearly see the inside of the jade box; it was emptied, leaving only a ring-shaped groove about as thick as a little finger, indicating that it once contained a ring-shaped magical treasure.

In the center of the grand hall was a large bell, cast in copper and engraved with two strange patterns, silently hanging in the heart of the hall.

Underneath the bell were six neatly arranged meditation cushions, with many items on top, most of them half-read ancient tomes and some small portable magic artifacts.

These items, whether placed on the cushions or beside them, were in quantity but not in disarray.

The formation in the hall flickered on and off, while the people stationed at the front of the hall dared not step inside. Instead, they stood with longing eyes, each waiting for someone else to test the grounds.

Lin Chensheng glanced over and quietly transmitted his voice with mana:

"The two individuals in the grand hall... do you recognize them, Taoist Fellow?"

Li Xuanfeng squinted and looked over, feeling that the attire of the man pierced by the sword was somewhat familiar. Upon closer scrutiny, it resembled the attire from Green Pond but was not entirely the same.

Bi Yuzhuang whispered:

"Could that be... Yu Xiuxian? Isn't he the senior brother from Yuanwu Peak of the past?"

"It should be... yes..."

Lin Chensheng took a closer look and whispered:

"In the past, Yu Xiuxian was killed by Guo Er; Yuanwu made quite a disturbance in the East Sea, forcing Guo Shentong to apologize profusely... I would never have thought that he really died at sea, and even here within this Cave Heaven!"

After a brief conversation, they looked at the other cultivator's body but couldn't recognize the person immediately, so they gave up. Then they saw a streak of golden light ascending from a distance, following the jade-colored pathway all the way up, finally landing in front of the hall.

The golden light slowly settled, revealing the shapes of two figures. One had a grim expression, dressed in a black and golden Taoist robe, holding a long halberd, his cultivation level at late Foundation Establishment. He stared blankly at the figures inside the grand hall, and his robe bore a strong resemblance to the robes of the skeletal remains within.

The other also had a late Foundation Establishment level, clad in white garments that gave him an ethereal quality, cradling a Dharma Sword in his arms, with a crystal-clear jade clasp fastened around his waist, his black hair loose and eyes indifferent as he surveyed the Great Formation.

Lin Chensheng and the other onlooker exchanged glances with the man in the black and golden robe, their suspicions growing. In a low voice, he added:

"This is Tang Shedou from Yuanwu Peak! Judging by his attire, the person inside must indeed be Yu Xiuxian... As for this man in white... I've never seen him before."

Li Xuanfeng kept silent, his gaze casually sweeping over the jade clasp on the waist of the man in white, and thought quietly:

'Yu Muxian...!'