Chapter 392: Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm

"Senior Brother..."

Xu Tian knelt three zhang away, his gaze trembling as he stared at the profound halo of light circulating around Xu Yunfan.

With every breath, he drew in the Sun and Moon Essence. Every movement was in subtle harmony with the rhythm of the heavens and earth. Though he had not obtained a True Scripture and True Method, his majestic aura was as deep as a chasm and as steady as a mountain, not the least bit inferior to even the direct disciples of the Primordial Sect.

Even the direct disciples of the various Foundation Establishment Daoist Masters—those at the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining Stage—could at most muster such a presence.

His voice trembled. "Tomorrow is the new moon. The Boundary Gate will open. The time of return has come."

Xu Yunfan slowly withdrew his power, the starlight in his eyes gradually fading.

For the past three months, he had studied the *True Martial Demon Devouring True Scripture* day and night. Although he had yet to master the basics because the meridians in his body were vastly different from those of an Upper Realm Cultivator, he had already grasped the key principles.

With a single Meridian Opening Pill and the aid of the *Hundred Bone Profundity Technique* to reshape his meridians, he could instantly break through the initial barrier, master the basics of this Scripture, and quickly advance to the Minor Achievement Realm.

This was the confidence born from his lifetime of accumulation.

"Let’s go. After today, we are Senior and Junior Brothers of the Primordial Sect."

On the night of the new moon, a purplish-black fissure split open the sky of the Divine Martial Realm Heaven.

Xu Yunfan stood before the Boundary Gate with his hands clasped behind his back. Kneeling behind him were Xu Tian and seven other Primordial Sect disciples from whom Xu Yunfan had forced out their Divine Soul Thoughts.

These unlucky souls, who had been found one after another over the past several days, now served as the perfect cover for their identities.

The sky on the night of the new moon split open with a purplish-black fissure, like a wound sliced by an invisible blade.

Xu Yunfan stood before the Boundary Gate with his hands clasped behind his back, his robes whipping about in the turbulent void.

Behind him, the seven Primordial Sect disciples, whose Divine Soul Thoughts had been forced out, knelt on the ground, their faces as white as paper.

"Remember your identities."

Xu Yunfan didn’t turn around, his voice as cold as ice. "If you reveal the slightest flaw..."

"Rest assured, Senior Brother!"

Xu Tian kowtowed hastily, pressing his forehead against the cold rock. "Our Divine Souls are in your hands. We would never dare to have any dissent!"

The corner of Xu Yunfan’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

Over the past few days, under the guise of interrogating them, he had already gotten a crystal-clear understanding of the Primordial Sect’s basic situation.

Hundred Desires Peak, Hundred Peaks Mount, Microdust Peak... The open and secret struggles between the various factions were his best cover.

Most importantly, the Divine Martial Realm Heaven was not particularly prominent within the Primordial Sect. It served merely as a place to harvest Blood Food. Although it had once produced a Divine Martial Daoist Master, that was several thousand years ago.

Without exception, all the disciples before him had been confirmed—through their mutual accusations—to be peripheral disciples from the very bottom of the Primordial Sect’s hierarchy.

Most of them had entered this realm only after taking on massive debts.

This borrowed "Boundary Gate passage fee" had to be repaid by hunting the Ninth Realm Qi Cultivation Martial Artists of the Divine Martial Realm.

If they could successfully harvest the flesh and blood essence of three to five Nine Realms Qi Cultivation Supreme Grandmasters, they could not only clear their debts but also make a handsome profit.

Unfortunately for them, they had run into Xu Yunfan. It was just their bad luck.

The space at the Boundary Gate suddenly distorted, and a pink, rosy light surged out from the fissure.

A woman stepped out from the light. She wore a translucent, crimson silk dress, and a Cinnabar dot adorned the spot between her eyebrows. Her flowing gaze seemed to hold a thousand charms. With every movement, she revealed her graceful figure, yet the crucial parts were obscured as if by clouds and mist, impossible to see clearly. A single thought flashed through the minds of the disciples who dared to glance up.

’I want to go deeper.’

But before them stood a Foundation Establishment Daoist Master. Though their minds were racing, none dared to let the slightest emotion show on their faces.

"Bai Hua of Hundred Desires Peak... Greetings, Daoist Master."

Xu Tian and the others immediately prostrated themselves, their voices trembling.

Xu Yunfan’s heart tightened. He immediately copied their bow, careful not to draw any attention, while pushing his Dragon and Tiger Hibernation Skill, which he had cultivated to its absolute peak, to its limits.

Daoist Master Bai Hua’s gaze was like a knife, sweeping over each person one by one.

When her eyes landed on Xu Yunfan, he felt a chill run through him, as if he had been stripped of all his disguises, seen through right to the marrow of his bones.

’The Dragon and Tiger Hibernation Skill is useless!’

’Then again, how could a Martial Art from the mere Divine Martial Realm possibly escape the notice of a Foundation Establishment Daoist Master?’

A thought stirred in his mind. The *Ten Extremes Martial Arts* began to circulate wildly within him, ten completely different types of True Qi weaving and transforming throughout his flesh and blood.

The balance of hardness and softness from the Dragon and Tiger Pill Qi, the searing heat of the Pure Yang True Qi, the majesty of the Nine Luminaries Swallowing Qi...

The essences of these Martial Arts, gathered from the various sects of the Divine Martial Realm, now became his best disguise.

"Hm?"

Daoist Master Bai Hua let out a soft sound of surprise, her gaze lingering on Xu Yunfan for an extra moment.

Cold sweat instantly soaked Xu Yunfan’s back.

He could feel a Divine Sense roaming through his body, probing every inch of his meridians like a venomous snake.

The only saving grace was that his Martial Dao Profound Crystal had concealed itself. It possessed its own mysteries, and she hadn’t detected it at all.

"Interesting."

Daoist Master Bai Hua suddenly chuckled, her red lips curling into a playful arc. "Since when did Hundred Peaks Mount produce such a disciple?"

"This disciple was just about to enter a master’s tutelage!"

Xu Yunfan immediately took the Primordial Order from his waist.

Daoist Master Bai Hua’s eyes shifted as she sized up Xu Yunfan.

"Since you haven’t taken a master, and your constitution is quite good, you shall join my Hundred Desires Peak."

Before her voice had even faded, she had already turned and walked toward the depths of the Boundary Gate, leaving behind only a faint, lingering fragrance.

What else could Xu Yunfan do? She gave him no room to refuse.

"...Thank you, Daoist Master, for your favor!"

Xu Yunfan slowly exhaled a breath of Dirt Qi, only then realizing that his fingers were trembling slightly.

’The pressure from a Foundation Establishment Daoist Master is this terrifying!’

"Such good luck, Senior Brother."

Xu Tian sidled up to him, his expression envious. "Hundred Desires Peak follows the path of Dual Cultivation, replenishing Yin and Yang. Without exception, everyone on Hundred Desires Peak is handsome or beautiful. Since you major in the Martial Dao, your physique and vitality are strong. You’ll definitely be in high demand..."

"Shut up."

Xu Yunfan cut him off coldly and strode toward the Boundary Gate.

Right now, he just wanted to get out of this dangerous woman’s sight as quickly as possible.

Staring at the fissure before him, Xu Yunfan took a deep breath. He glanced back at the mountains and rivers of the Divine Martial Realm. In the far distance, he could still faintly make out the shadow of the Taoist Sect’s Qingwei Mountain. After one last, deep look back, he stepped through the Boundary Gate without turning again.

In an instant, Xu Yunfan felt the world spin around him.

When he opened his eyes again, the sight before him took his breath away.

The vast sky was as if freshly washed, so blue it was almost transparent.

In the distance, rolling mountains were capped with snow that glittered like diamonds in the sunlight.

The most shocking thing was the Spiritual Qi that filled the air. It was so dense it nearly condensed into a mist, and every breath felt like drinking a divine nectar.

"So this is... the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm?"

Xu Yunfan muttered to himself.

Compared to the murky and thin Spiritual Qi of the Divine Martial Realm, the Spiritual Qi here was so pure it was astounding.

The True Qi in his body began to boil uncontrollably, every pore greedily absorbing the dense Spiritual Qi from his surroundings.

"Senior Brother, be careful!"

Xu Tian suddenly cried out in alarm, his voice feigning concern. "You must adapt slowly when first exposed to pure Spiritual Qi! If your body can’t handle it, you’ll explode and die!"

’Hurry up and die! Just die!’

Xu Tian roared inwardly. He knew exactly how greedy natives from a lower World Heaven like this would be when they first entered the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm.