Chapter 396: First ’Visit’ to a Qi Refining Mountain Sect, a Warm Welcome

The first order of business was to determine the background of this Mo River Forest organization—what kind of power it was, whether it was righteous or demonic, and what the conditions for joining were.

The second was to obtain the complete Three Pills Transforming Essence Breathing Technique.

The notes only contained cultivation insights, not the complete Cultivation Technique. The previous owner of the stone house had either hidden it elsewhere or never brought it inside in the first place.

Wan Ze put down the last book, lost in thought.

He scanned the stone chamber, touching every single thing he could.

He confirmed there was nothing left that could trigger Stealing Celestial Secret.

He had touched everything there was to touch, but nothing had been triggered.

“Might as well…” Wan Ze walked to the door, ready to head out.

The door was made of stone and had no handle, only a narrow seam where two slabs were pressed together. It was clearly not light; judging from the width of the seam and the thickness of the door, it had to weigh at least two or three hundred pounds.

Wan Ze had just placed his hand on the edge of the door, preparing to push it open.

But then he suddenly heard the sound of voices from outside.

The voices weren’t loud. Muffled by the stone door, he couldn’t tell if they were men or women, nor could he make out what they were saying. He could, however, discern that it was two people in conversation. They spoke at a relaxed pace and in a casual tone, as if chatting about something mundane.

Wan Ze immediately froze, not making a sound.

He pressed himself against the stone door, putting his ear to the seam. He held his breath and narrowed his eyes, intentionally suppressing any sound he might make.

Footsteps drew near.

They came from the left and went to the right. As they passed the entrance to the stone chamber, their voices grew a little clearer.

“…haven’t finished today’s tasks yet. There have been fewer and fewer new people lately. We’ve got to think of something…”

“…What’s the rush? We still have time…”

The sound of their footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Wan Ze waited for about ten more seconds. Only after confirming there were no more sounds outside did he allow his breathing to return to normal.

He placed his hands on the edge of the door again and gave it a push.

The door was heavy.

Heavier than he had anticipated.

He used about thirty percent of his Power, but the door didn’t budge an inch. He increased it to fifty percent, and it still wouldn’t move.

This was no ordinary stone door’s weight. It was either reinforced by some kind of Array, or the density of the stone was far beyond normal.

An idea suddenly struck Wan Ze. He mobilized the Qi within his body, infusing it into the muscles of both arms.

The Qi cultivated through the Taiyin Breathing Technique seemed to be unique.

The moment this Qi made contact with the stone, the force sealing it shut rapidly dissolved.

GROAN!

The stone door emitted a deep, heavy sound as it slowly moved outward, leaving a thin crack.

Wan Ze turned sideways and squeezed his body into the crack. He again channeled the Qi in his body, making himself narrower, and in a flash, he slipped through the opening. His movements were fluid and silent, the entire process completely soundless.

Then, he raised his head.

And then… he froze in astonishment.

“Holy shit!”

‘Is this the legendary entrance to a cultivation sect?’

Wan Ze was now standing halfway up a cliff face. Beneath his feet was a narrow stone path, only about a foot and a half wide, with the rock wall on one side and a precipice on the other.

The surface of the stone path was uneven.

Before him lay a vast mountain range.

But these were unlike any mountains he had ever seen. Normal mountains rise from the ground with visible gentle slopes and ridges.

But these mountains looked as if they had been yanked straight out of the earth—they shot vertically upward, as steep as walls.

The rock faces were dark and somber, as if they had been scorched by fire.

But the real reason for Wan Ze’s astonishment was that the cliffs were covered in stone houses!

One after another, they appeared every few meters, arranged densely on the cliff face like a honeycomb.

Lanterns hung at the entrance of each stone house, and a few even had various kinds of Talisman Paper affixed to them.

Across the chasm, on ancient trees that soared nearly three hundred feet into the air, there were also numerous dwellings shaped like Tree Towers, far more exquisite in design.

These Tree Towers were built in the forks of the ancient trees’ branches, constructed from wood and vines.

Draperies hung from the balconies, fluttering gently in the night wind.

In mid-air, the light of Talismans flickered.

Sheets of Talisman Paper floated in the air, arranged in some kind of formation. The Cinnabar Runes written on the paper glowed, and lights of various colors interwove to form a giant dome that covered the entire mountain range.

Wan Ze noticed that this enormous dome was actually blocking the light of the Red Moon.

‘They’re… afraid of the moon?’

Wan Ze’s heart sank.

‘If everyone else is wary of the moonlight, then what does it mean that I can absorb it directly?’

He suddenly felt… he might have underestimated the Taiyin Breathing Technique.

‘Previously, Miss Ling’s second personality told me to contact Jiao Yuheng. I never did. Looks like I’ll have to find a chance to get in touch with that incredible person who managed to escape the Tail Society’s pursuit.’

Wan Ze pulled his gaze back to his immediate surroundings.

The craftsmanship of the dwellings in this area far exceeded his imagination.

From the stone houses to the Tree Towers, and from the Tree Towers to the palaces built on the more distant mountain peaks, the residences ascended tier by tier.

The stone houses were on the lowest tier, devoid of any decoration. Even the steps before the doors were just rough, unpolished stone.

The Tree Towers were far more refined than the stone houses, with carved patterns on their staircases.

The palaces on the mountaintops were even more extravagant, with flying eaves, carved beams, painted rafters, and stone lions guarding their entrances.

The class hierarchy was obvious.

The owner of his stone house, by contrast, seemed utterly destitute.

Wan Ze took a deep breath, pulling his gaze away from the magnificent architecture to quickly scan his surroundings.

There was no one else on the stone path. The doors to the stone houses on both sides were closed; faint light seeped from the cracks of some, while others were completely dark.

The dome of Talisman light overhead emitted a low hum.

With a quick turn, he slipped into the shadows.

Wan Ze pressed against the stone wall, his body hidden in the gloom, his footsteps feather-light.

He reached out and touched the doorframe of one of the stone houses.

He paused, taken aback for a moment.

Stealing Celestial Secret successful.

[Magic Sense +3%]

He looked up and moved on to the second stone house.

He reached out and touched it.

Stealing Celestial Secret successful.

[Spiritual Form +2%]

The third stone house…

Stealing Celestial Secret successful.

[Exorcism +5%]

The fourth, the fifth, the sixth… Wan Ze made his way down the line, touching each one. Every touch was a potential trigger for Stealing Celestial Secret.

The bonuses were not large, mostly between 1% and 5%, but their strength was in their sheer number.

Just this one row offered over a hundred opportunities.

For the first time, Wan Ze was starting to love this place.

“Come on, let’s get wild!”