Since he had resolved to eliminate demons and uphold the Dao, Lü Yang naturally had to make thorough preparations.
At this moment, he was not merely drawing ordinary formation patterns but was, under Cheng Xian's guidance, restoring the original formations within the [Southern Heavenly Gate].
"These formations were shattered due to the invasion of various True Persons."
"However, this doesn't imply they were weak; it was purely because the number of True Persons was overwhelming, and they shamelessly ganged up, making the formations appear feeble."
"If I can restore a corner of them and gain control—"
"Even if I can't unleash their peak power, it should be more than sufficient to trap those in the early and mid Foundation Establishment stages!"
While setting up the formation, Lü Yang did not forget to activate the [String Puppet], using the perspectives of the Yun Clan's Ancestor and True Person Xiuxin to observe the situation at the [Heavenly Capital Palace].
This also allowed him to adjust his plans according to the circumstances.
"Boom!"
Finally, as several Foundation Establishment True Persons adept in formations broke through the patterns, a burst of fragrance suddenly wafted from the previously sealed [Heavenly Capital Palace].
Just this single waft of fragrance caused several Foundation Establishment True Persons with insufficient cultivation and Dao attainment to show intoxicated expressions. Their faces flushed red, and by the time they regained their senses, they were already too weak to absorb more, forcing them to retreat in embarrassment, unable even to approach the [Heavenly Capital Palace]!
"What a potent pill fragrance!"
The Mending Heaven Peak Master took a deep breath, feeling his entire magical power increase slightly, and many new insights into his mastered spells and divine abilities emerged spontaneously.
Een lepel voor het slapengaan, en de wormen zullen binnen een dag uit het lichaam verdwijnenOpen
"This is... a pill that aids in comprehending the Dao!"
On the other side, Ye Guyue also discerned the nature of the pill. Her beautiful eyes sparkled: "This palace has a karmic connection with my Sword Pavilion."
In an instant, the two had already cast Lü Yang's matters aside.
After all, what lay before them was truly a significant event concerning their Dao path; everything else could be set aside. With this in mind, they quickly regained their calm demeanor.
"Cooperate?"
Both were no fools. They knew that a place housing such a precious treasure would undoubtedly be heavily protected. Without cooperation, obtaining the treasure would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
As for the conflict between the righteous and the demonic? For the True Persons of the Saint Sect, it was of no consequence. As long as there were sufficient benefits, any conflict could be set aside.
From the Sword Pavilion's perspective, this wasn't cooperation.
It was merely temporarily setting aside the elimination of demons and upholding the Dao to seize opportunities and increase strength. Once their strength had grown, they would be more confident in eliminating demons and upholding the Dao.
Prioritizing tasks accordingly.
Soon, the two stood before the grand gate of the [Heavenly Capital Palace]. In the next second, they simultaneously extended their hands and pressed them against the palace door before them.
"Boom!"
In an instant, a muffled sound was heard. The Mending Heaven Peak Master and Ye Guyue both frowned, feeling a sudden, immense pressure descend upon them.
"Is this testing our status?"
Ye Guyue's expression changed slightly but quickly returned to calm, as she realized this was merely a test without any substantial lethal effect.
'Strange...'
On the other side, the Mending Heaven Peak Master pondered: 'Ye Guyue is indeed at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, without any deceptive means.'
He was aware of the [Heavenly Capital Palace].
After all, the Saint Sect was the first to infiltrate the [Mystic Spirit Realm] and had already gathered much intelligence beforehand, with the [Heavenly Capital Palace] being one of the known locations.
That's why he deliberately brought Ye Guyue along—to test the cultivation of this renowned female sword cultivator from the Sword Pavilion. The result was somewhat unexpected. It wasn't that she wasn't strong—Ye Guyue was very strong, at the peak of the mid Foundation Establishment stage, and as a sword cultivator, the Mending Heaven Peak Master wasn't entirely confident he could defeat her.
The problem was, she wasn't strong enough!
'I have cultivated the "Mending Heaven True Scripture", resonating with heaven and earth, with an incredibly keen spiritual sense. I clearly sensed an inexplicable danger here.'
If it wasn't Ye Guyue, then who could it be?
'Forget it... The great Dao lies ahead; one must strive for it. I suppose this [Heavenly Capital Palace] was once the residence of a True Person. Some danger is to be expected.'
'At least this place has already been plundered by a True Person. Now, with the world divided into four, it's both to fully claim the fruit of the position and to nurture us lower cultivators, so there certainly won't be any deadly traps. The remaining challenges can be seen as tests left by the True Person for us!'
With this thought, the Mending Heaven Peak Master immediately made up his mind.
After all, life comes only once, and the Dao path only has one route. No one in the world can redo it. If you don't fight when you should, there will be no chance to fight later!
"Swift!"
In the next second, he activated his light escape technique and entered the [Heavenly Capital Palace]. Ye Guyue followed closely behind, and other mid Foundation Establishment True Persons were not far behind.
The first thing that caught their eyes was the pill furnace located at the center of the palace.
The furnace was divided into eight trigrams, stable and balanced, with only the lid lifted. Inside, a radiant pill resided, emitting the fragrance.
'[Dao Harmony Immortal Pill]!'
Through the perspectives of the Yun Clan's Ancestor and True Person Xiuxin, Lü Yang immediately focused on the pill, but soon revealed a strange expression.
That [Dao Harmony Immortal Pill], though residing in the furnace, was not at the center but leaned against the corner, appearing like leftover scraps.
'Could it be that this pill furnace has already been looted?'
Lü Yang could almost imagine a True Person barging into the pill room, lifting the furnace lid, and sweeping away all valuable pills.
Only a single [Dao Harmony Immortal Pill] remained, perhaps of little use to a True Person, and thus was left behind.
'It must be so! Otherwise, given the habits of various True Persons, even if something had the slightest utility, they would take everything without leaving a single one.'
Even so, in Lü Yang's view, this was already a considerate act. After all, judging by himself, if it were him, he wouldn't care whether the pills were useful or not—he'd take them all first! Even if he ended up eating them like candy, he wouldn't leave a single one for those who came after.
"Crack..."
At this moment, a crisp sound startled everyone present. Following the sound, they saw a lush spiritual root immortal plant.
'[Everlasting Root Coexisting with Heaven]!'
In an instant, Lü Yang felt a chill in his heart.
The reason was naturally not this spiritual root, reputed to grant immortality, but the headless corpse leaning against it.
The corpse was petite, with an empty neck, yet no blood seeped out. It wore a Dao robe, with a Dao scripture written in gold on the robe, each character a gem. However, the most terrifying aspect was its blood-stained finger, which had written a single stroke on the ground.
'Not good!'
In an instant, the Mending Heaven Peak Master and Ye Guyue felt their bodies sink, and a voice filled with hatred, like an unending river, roared in their ears:
"[Execute]!"
Through the perspectives of the Yun Clan's Ancestor and True Person Xiuxin, Lü Yang clearly saw the changes within the palace and patted his chest with lingering fear.
"Good thing I didn't go!"
That headless corpse was evidently a terrestrial immortal in life, possibly a Dao attendant who stoked the fire for the supreme being of the [Mystic Spirit Realm], cultivating the supreme Dao lineage.
This single character was identical to the [True Word Technique] previously used by Cheng Xian.
It even further transformed into the [Heavenly Constitution True Method]!
And a terrestrial immortal, comparable to a great True Person, who left behind such a blood character in life, must have infused all his life's magical power and divine abilities into this single character.
"Though it might feel like a gentle breeze to a True Person, not even worth their attention—"
"But for those at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, it's a sure kill!"
"However, since he's dead, it only has the power of a single strike... and it will only target the strongest one or two present. If I had gone, I would have been the target!"
Fortunately, he didn't go.
Otherwise, the unlucky ones would have been Ye Guyue and the Mending Heaven Peak Master!