Chapter 876: Chapter 872 Xuanyue Palace Upheaval
Around the mountain gate of the Lihuo Sect at Heavenly Peak Mountain, it’s not like the volcanic scorched earth of the western region of the Great Sorrow Domain, but rather peaks with lush trees. Heavenly Peak Mountain stands almost vertically, resembling a sharp blade inserted into the ground, and the mountain gate is built on the “hilt” of the sword.
“This place is more than four thousand kilometers away from the nearest human settlement, and beasts run rampant around. No one would come here, and even if they did, they couldn’t ascend the mountain. The biggest difference between our Lihuo Sect and other sects is the presence of a spiritual energy net around our mountain gate, providing us protection.” Shen Biancheng said this while steering his magical sword to a somewhat dilapidated temple at the mountain top.
The hall has been constructed for thousands of years, which compared to the lifespan of a cultivator, often several centuries, is equivalent to just a few generations.
The main entrance plaque of the grand hall has two characters in seal script that say “Lihuo”, written by the founding patriarch of the sect. Due to a great battle that occurred, many records of the Lihuo Sect’s patriarch were lost. Since that battle, there has been a break in the cultivation practice of the Lihuo Sect, separating into ancient and orthodox cultivation, with differing methodologies.
Shen Biancheng brought Ye Fan and Bai He to the mountain gate entrance, sending a message inside, but received no response, causing him to notice something amiss. He turned to Ye Fan and said, “Master and the two senior brothers should have returned ahead of us, but why does it seem like no one is here?”
Upon entering the great hall, the empty hall held some spiritual tablets, all being the ancestors of the Lihuo Sect. Ye Fan had only heard Zhuo Junwu mention a few individuals, but otherwise, he recognized few.
Shen Biancheng left Ye Fan waiting in the outer hall while he searched in the back. When he returned, he held a note left by Zhuo Junwu and said, “Master instructed us to go to Xuanyue Palace, as he and the senior brother have gone ahead to meet the second senior brother.”
Ye Fan asked, “Why didn’t Master wait for us to return and go together?”
“Master’s actions are always mysterious and unpredictable. As juniors, it’s best we follow orders.” Shen Biancheng noticed Ye Fan’s troubled expression and added, “Maybe Master wants to help you find your desired person sooner.”
Ye Fan came to the Pan Gu Secret Realm specifically to find Li Zhaojun, and since they were headed to Xuanyue Palace, the thought of seeing Li Zhaojun filled him with anticipation.
However, their gaze soon fell on Bai He. They originally planned to send her to a human habitation, letting her live as a mortal, but now that they were headed to Xuanyue Palace, it would take over ten hours to make the round trip.
“Never mind, let’s take her along for now. She can’t cause any trouble, and we can decide what to do with her after seeing Master.” Shen Biancheng said.
Ye Fan nodded, for now, his mind was solely focused on Li Zhaojun; as for Bai He, even if left to fend for herself, he didn’t care. Having her along didn’t matter either.
The two brothers came out and ascended their flying swords again. Bai He, fearing being left behind, hurriedly followed but dared not get too close to Ye Fan’s body, so she shrunk to the back of the flying sword. With her current cultivation, she couldn’t control a flying sword. A careless mistake could lead to her falling to her death.
Ye Fan said coldly, “If you don’t want to fall and die so that not even your body feeds the beasts, stay closer.”
Bai He first showed a frightened expression, nodding slightly, and moved a little closer to Ye Fan. With her remnant cultivation, even a direct strike couldn’t penetrate Ye Fan’s protective spiritual energy shield.
Before, Ye Fan had heard from Zhuo Junwu that Xuanyue Palace was several thousand miles from the Lihuo Sect. Both sects remained in the northern region of the Great Sorrow Domain, but over time, both sects declined in talent, making the Great Sorrow Domain almost a region solely for independent practitioners.
Even if sect-cultivators came to the Great Sorrow Domain, it was usually for the beasts in the dense forests.
While Ye Fan pondered, a sudden thunderclap resounded through the sky. The clear sky quickly turned cloudy and then instantly into darkness. Gigantic flashes of lightning divided the sky into sections like a grid, with thunder so loud it pained the ears.
“It seems someone is trying to enter the Pan Gu Secret Realm, and they’re above the Transcendence level.” Shen Biancheng explained, “Anyone with high cultivation trying to enter will face huge rejection from the Pan Gu Secret Realm. Anyone who remains here after reaching Transcendence will face certain death.”
Ye Fan showed no fear of the sudden thunder, but Bai He, covering her ears, appeared filled with terror.
Zhuo Junwu had said that every cultivator has a weakness, and perhaps thunder had left Bai He with some kind of shadow.
Even amidst the claps of thunder, the flying sword still sped quickly, but as the thunder grew stronger, forcing the sky downwards, Shen Biancheng had to lower the sword. Thus, the surrounding dense forest ecology came into view.
Occasionally, disturbances in the forest were visible, clearly due to the beasts’ fear of the thunder. Flying beasts fluttered away in panic. Consequently, Shen Biancheng had to create a spear-like spiritual energy defense device at the front of the flying sword to prevent obstruction by these beasts.
“It seems more than one person is forcing their way into the Pan Gu Secret Realm this time. It’s said that such continuous thunderclaps only happened during the war, and typically there would be just one or two claps at most.”
Saying this, Shen Biancheng’s gaze fell upon a range of mountains stretching out in the distance, resembling bowls placed together, radiating a gentle beauty, unlike Heavenly Peak Mountain’s piercing majesty.
“This is the mountain gate of Xuanyue Palace, Yingyue Mountain. I’ve only been here once with Master and had seen it from afar. Not sure on which mountain peak their gate is located, so we’ll have to search.”
With the thunder continuing, Shen Biancheng also slowed the flying sword’s speed to search for Xuanyue Palace’s gate among the many peaks.
After searching for about an hour, they found a site of ruins on a rather low mountain, seemingly scorched by fire.
After landing, Ye Fan looked up at the untouched metal plaque that read “Xuanyue Wuji”, the mark of the Xuanyue Palace’s main hall.
With a careful examination of the surroundings, Shen Biancheng said, “The main hall has been burned down for years, but there seems to have been a recent battle here. I can still sense the remaining spiritual energy in the air.”
Both Shen Biancheng and Ye Fan heightened their vigilance, cautiously following the lingering spiritual energy in the air to enter the burnt hall.
There lay a charred figure at the center of the hall. Shen Biancheng didn’t approach immediately; he first probed the person’s spiritual energy before stepping up quickly to support him, “Senior Brother?”
The person was none other than the Lihuo Sect’s eldest disciple Zhou Xianyang, whom Ye Fan had met once.
Shen Biancheng quickly checked Zhou Xianyang’s body, then, with a heavy face, shook his head at Ye Fan, indicating the person was dead and beyond saving.
Zhuo Junwu, who had accompanied Ye Fan, and the second disciple Luo Jianxiong they were to meet were nowhere to be seen.