Two days later, everyone had arrived at the Cloud Wasteland Great Marsh.
Ning Fa was very familiar with this place. It was during the Huayu Sect's southern expansion into the Cloud Wasteland Great Marsh that he began to stand out and rise step by step.
Now, Ning Fa keenly sensed that the Cloud Wasteland Great Marsh was different. He found that the water-attribute spiritual energy within it was very unusual.
It wasn't that it was particularly dense, but rather very active.
Ning Fa could feel that this water spiritual energy seemed to be cheering and leaping. The deeper they went into the marsh, the more so it was.
The other cultivators had clearly noticed this as well, and their faces were filled with excitement.
This was because the more it was like this, the more it indicated the extraordinary nature of the Abyssal Heavenly Pool.
Another day passed, and everyone had reached the depths of the great marsh.
At this point, everyone's faces were filled with shock.
Because at the end of their line of sight, the phantom image of a vast, endless lake was quietly suspended in the air.
The lake's surface shimmered with a glaze-like luster, reflecting the hazy sun, moon, and stars. Its edges were enveloped by a faint blue light barrier.
Outside the barrier, clouds condensed from water vapor drifted like veils, dividing this world into two.
And along the edge of this great lake, approximately every ten miles, a white giant tower about a hundred feet tall was also suspended.
Looking around, there were at least a hundred such white giant towers. In the unseen distances further away, who knew how many more there were.
The bodies of these giant towers were covered in flowing star patterns.
The platform at the top of each tower was surrounded by a hazy starlight. Hundreds of beams of starlight were drawn from the tower tops, connecting to form a vast star net that enveloped the entire lake's phantom image, appearing quite magnificent.
Venerable Ling Jun, standing on the deck of the large ship, couldn't help but show a look of wonder when he saw this.
The excitement in his eyes flashed and disappeared, then he sneered, "To think they would try to use this Thousand Star Yuan Concealment Technique to hide the celestial phenomena emanating from the Abyssal Heavenly Pool. It's truly wishful thinking.
However, to be able to set up this ancient great formation is quite an effort on their part."
But after speaking, he seemed to sense something, and his eyes suddenly flashed with a strange light.
He took another careful look at these white giant towers, and his expression immediately changed. He murmured, "This isn't the simple Thousand Star Yuan Concealment Technique. It seems to have been cleverly modified, and it's not just about concealing the phenomena of the Abyssal Heavenly Pool."
Venerable Ling Jun, a Spirit Transformation Cultivator, frowned deeply, appearing confused and surprised.
Then, with a light step, the樓船 (lou chuan) they were on immediately changed direction and flew towards one of the white giant towers that appeared significantly larger. The golden giant bird carrying the group of high-level demons followed suit.
Before long, everyone had arrived in front of the white giant tower.
Before they even got close, a defensive light shield formed by a faint blue starlight blocked their path.
Venerable Ling Jun flicked his finger, and a point of spiritual light exploded. Immediately, this defensive light shield peeled off layer by layer like glazed fragments.
Just then, a sound of breaking wind could be heard, and a group of people flew out from the white giant tower.
These were cultivators from the Tianli, Sea Race, and Rakshasa factions, all of them Nascent Soul Cultivators. There were over a hundred of them in total, and their overall strength was not inferior to Ning Fa's side.
The Sea Race cultivator at the forefront was escorting the Blue Robe Youth, who was the Sea Race Spirit Transformation Cultivator Kailandir.
The Tianli faction was led by three Holy Witches and Moon Lord Ling Yuqing.
And in front of dozens of Demonic Cultivators exuding rolling Demonic Qi stood a man in his sixties.
He was wearing a special star-blue robe, and on the front of the robe was a pattern of a skull holding a star scepter.
This person's skin also had a strange indigo hue, and his face was covered in sand-like protrusions that faintly shimmered with starlight.
Ning Fa stared intently at the old man, and his heart stirred.
This was definitely another Spirit Transformation Cultivator.
And he appeared to be a Spirit Transformation Cultivator from the Rakshasa Immortal Realm, which was truly remarkable.
There were now four Spirit Transformation Cultivators gathered in this area, clearly showing the immense attraction of the Abyssal Heavenly Pool.
The other cultivators had also clearly noticed this, and their expressions were all shaken.
Venerable Ling Jun, as well as the demon cultivator Yuan Ming, immediately looked at the Rakshasa Spirit Transformation Cultivator.
Their expressions changed instantly. Venerable Ling Jun, in particular, frowned, and unconcealed disgust flashed in his eyes.
Yuan Ming's cloudy eyes cleared, revealing sharp brilliance as he stared at the Blue Robe old man and boomed with a smile:
"Old Ghost Star Remains, you actually crawled out of your coffin. I didn't expect to see you again before my seated meditation."
Although the demon cultivator's words seemed impolite, everyone could hear a hint of pleasant surprise in his tone.
The blue-skinned old man, who seemed to be named Old Ghost Star Remains, let out a cackle like an old owl.
"Old Monster Yuan, it's been a full four hundred years since we parted ways at Wucang Sea. It seems your method didn't succeed, and you're still in the early stage."
A flicker of surprise flashed in Yuan Ming's eyes, and then he moved his lips, transmitting a message.
Old Ghost Star Remains' expression shifted as he looked at him, and then he nodded slightly.
He then looked at the stern-faced Venerable Ling Jun and chuckled, "Fellow Daoist Ling Jun, why do you still hold such a grudge against me?
A hundred years ago in the Seven Heavens, although I took that Vast Star Origin Stone, one of my avatars was also severely injured by you. We can consider it even.
As it happens, I have an extra Vast Star Origin Stone on hand. It's not that I can't give it to you, but of course, I can't give it for free. How about you give me one of your Azure Nether Pill Hearts?"
Upon hearing this, Venerable Ling Jun's anger was instead ignited.
His face surged with killing intent, and with a flip of his right hand, the silver brush began to spin, radiating a brilliant spiritual light.
Countless ink patterns, the size of rice grains, danced around Venerable Ling Jun, and an overwhelming aura emanated from him.
He glared at Old Ghost Star Remains, his face grim as he spoke, "You have another Vast Star Origin Stone on you, that's perfect. I'll take it myself!"
Seeing this, many cultivators from Great Qin changed their expressions. Lu Caifu, also from the Qianyuan Merchant Alliance, frowned slightly, a hint of worry visible in her eyes.
As top cultivators of the Great Qin Cultivation World, their information was naturally very well-informed, especially regarding famous Spirit Transformation Cultivators.
Take, for example, this Spirit Transformation ancestor of the Myriad Bone Gate from the Rakshasa Immortal Realm, Old Ghost Star Remains.
This individual had been active in the Human Realm for nearly two thousand years. Although he was also in the early stage of Spirit Transformation, he was at the peak of that stage.
His strength was far greater than Venerable Ling Jun, who had only advanced to Spirit Transformation six hundred years ago. If the two were to fight, Venerable Ling Jun would definitely not fare well.
However, they also knew Venerable Ling Jun's temperament and understood that they absolutely could not intervene.
Old Ghost Star Remains let out a booming laugh, his previously stooped body straightening abruptly, exuding a terrifying demonic qi.
The star skull on his robe seemed to come alive, twisting and writhing.
"I'd like to see if you've improved in the past century!"
The Demon Race Spirit Transformation Cultivator Yuan Ming, his face full of wrinkles, pulled out a smile and then retreated, appearing to take neither side.
The Sea Race Spirit Transformation Cultivator Kailandir, on the other hand, crossed his arms and also looked on with amusement.
His gaze shifted towards Ning Fa. Although a smile played on his lips, the chilling killing intent in his eyes was unconcealed.
The Nascent Soul Cultivators of the Sea Race behind him also stared at Ning Fa, their auras menacing.
Among them were many unfamiliar faces, clearly high-ranking Sea Race cultivators who were new to Cangyuan. They were all in the late Nascent Soul stage.
Ning Fa frowned, but he couldn't help but worry about Venerable Ling Jun.
Although he didn't know the background of this Spirit Transformation Cultivator named Old Ghost Star Remains, he could vaguely sense that the spiritual pressure fluctuations emanating from him were subtly higher than Venerable Ling Jun's. It was likely that Venerable Ling Jun was not his match.
Just as both sides were at a standoff, a strange buzzing sound suddenly echoed.
Everyone immediately turned to look behind them, their expressions changing.
In the far distance of the sky, a white dot was hurtling towards them at an incredible speed. It was so fast that it seemed to cover several miles in an instant.
Soon, they could see a magnificent and majestic white palace flying towards them, like a shooting star.
Ning Fa had never seen such a peculiar flying artifact before, and its speed was the fastest he had ever witnessed. Such a top-tier treasure was clearly not something an ordinary cultivator could possess.
Ning Fa's heart stirred. Could this be another powerful force arriving?
At this moment, Venerable Ling Jun, Yuan Ming, Old Ghost Star Remains, and Kailandir, the four Spirit Transformation Cultivators, all changed their expressions.
Venerable Ling Jun and Old Ghost Star Remains, who had been in a tense standoff, retracted their auras and looked at the white palace with solemn expressions.
Before long, the majestic palace stopped nearby.
A ray of auspicious light emerged from it, revealing dozens of figures.
They could see that they were all human cultivators, each possessing an extremely powerful aura. All of them were Nascent Soul Cultivators, and the majority were in the middle to late stages.
At the forefront of these individuals stood a tall, middle-aged male cultivator dressed in a nine-clawed golden dragon robe and wearing a golden crown.
His face was a pale gold, and he stood with his hands behind his back, exuding an endless pressure like an emperor. His magnificent aura was like a golden sun suspended in the air, making it impossible for anyone to look directly at him.
This was clearly also a Spirit Transformation Cultivator, and definitely not an ordinary one. His aura was far more powerful than that of Venerable Ling Jun and the other three Spirit Transformation Cultivators.
The expressions of Ning Fa and the other cultivators changed drastically.
This was actually a mid-stage Spirit Transformation Cultivator!
Such cultivation could be considered the pinnacle in the current Human Realm.
Ning Fa also heard Baili Ming's exclamation.
"It's Yue Long!
This old geezer actually came in person! He's the Vice President of the Nine Immortals Association, and his status is even higher than Old Monster Tiansheng who subdued me back then!
Kid, I can't talk to you any longer, lest this old geezer discover anything unusual. In the future, neither Hei Yu nor I will be able to appear casually.
Be careful and don't let him target you!"
Baili Ming's fearful voice vanished, and Ning Fa's heart was stirred by colossal waves.