Chapter 1054: Killing Intent Everywhere
After Ye Mo killed Fu Rong, he immediately approached the hexagonal door. There were no signs of Yu Baisheng's stealth formation, only the single word "Restriction" inscribed at the top. Disappointed at the absence of the bitter bamboo, Ye Mo examined the door but didn't enter. He produced the map given to him by the female cultivator.
However, the map began to sizzle, as if dissolving. Alarmed, Ye Mo suspected the map was damaged. Just as he was about to discard it, he discovered a complete transformation. The original surface had vanished, revealing a new map: a large black mountain with markings leading towards it, and a green stalk of crisp bamboo planted upon its peak.
"Bitter bamboo?" Ye Mo almost exclaimed, suppressing his excitement as he read the inscription on the map: "Space formation door, Truth Fall Palace forbidden grounds, bitter bamboo shows…" Bewildered, he pondered the implications. Even a master forger like Yu Baisheng couldn't have created this. Did he merely know the bamboo's location without possessing it? Or had his ancestors found it, failed to cultivate it, and relocated it to the World Mountain within the Truth Fall Palace's forbidden grounds?
Regardless, Ye Mo was thrilled. Yu Baisheng's formation had merely sealed one entrance to the forbidden grounds; the man possessed considerable skill. He'd discovered another entrance and strategically placed a formation, effectively barring access to the grounds.
At that moment, more cultivation essence waves pulsed nearby, a clear indication that others knew of the forbidden grounds and were rapidly approaching. Unwilling to be discovered, Ye Mo rushed through the door.
A sudden feeling of emptiness enveloped him; it was as if he had transitioned from solid ground to thin air. It was indeed a space formation door—a feat beyond the capabilities of an ordinary formation master like Yu Baisheng. He had reached the Truth Fall Palace forbidden grounds. Upon regaining his bearings, he found himself in a desolate gray expanse.
Black rocks, caves, and holes dominated the landscape; there was no water, let alone spirit herbs. The spiritual energy here was exceedingly impure. Was this truly the Truth Fall Palace forbidden grounds, the fabled land overflowing with treasure?
Without warning, waves of killing intent descended. Even Ye Mo's acute sixth sense failed to detect them beforehand. He reacted only upon their arrival, instantly releasing Zi Xu and unleashing his cultivation essence. Despite this, two tendrils of killing chi sliced across his back, inflicting deep wounds.
Shaken, Ye Mo realized that were it not for his half-cultivation artifact armor, the attack would have severely injured him. This was no ambush; the killing intent appeared inherent to the environment.
"Space wind blades?" Ye Mo exclaimed. Only such phenomena could inflict such silent damage. Space wind blades lacked the potency of space disposition, yet even hollow spirit state cultivators would perish against dense concentrations, let alone himself.
Instantly, two black lightning bolts struck, forcing a hasty evasion. Fortunately, unlike divine damnation, they didn't lock onto him.
Rumble rumble
Two colossal blasts erupted, creating craters where Ye Mo had stood moments before; debris rained down. He drew a deep breath – such a harsh environment. No wonder less than 5% of cultivators survived entry.
A howl of agony echoed. Ye Mo's spirit sense detected a nascent soul state level one cultivator, newly arrived, being torn apart by a space wind blade.
Becoming wary, Ye Mo consulted the map, pinpointing the approximate location of the World Mountain and set off. He occasionally encountered space wind blades and black lightning bolts, but his experience prevented further injury. He only hoped to avoid extensive fields of space wind blades, lest he be forced to retreat into the Golden Page World.
Two days passed without discovery. A light wind stirred, which Ye Mo initially ignored. He extended his spirit sense, his expression instantly shifting. He instinctively dashed into his Golden Page World.
After a considerable time, he emerged to find himself displaced from his entry point. Now truly alarmed, he realized he had encountered a space chaos flow. A slower reaction would have swept him away.
Space wind blades, space chaos flow, black lightning… how many more lethal hazards lurked? Ye Mo remained motionless, unsure how long reaching the World Mountain would take at his current speed. Would the Truth Fall Palace be closed by then?
Less than seven minutes later, several figures flew past at incredible speed, heading towards Ye Mo. Their reckless haste shocked him; did they value their lives so little?
"It's you?" The leading figure was the head nun, a Nascent Soul state level eight cultivator from Clear Dream Mosque; Ling Xiaoshuang trailed behind. Ling Xiaoshuang's surprise was evident; she hadn't expected Ye Mo's presence.
"Martial sister, let's go quickly," Ling Xiaoshuang urged, showing no interest in conversing with Ye Mo. Ye Mo intended to warn them of the space chaos flow.
Before the nun could respond, more cultivators arrived, men and women moving with similar breakneck speed. Ye Mo's astonishment grew; did these individuals court death?
The newcomers appeared to be from the Heaven Star Sect. They didn't pause, flying straight past. Seeing this, the nun immediately pursued them, as if drawn by something ahead. But she hadn't traveled far when an alluring figure unexpectedly returned – Yi Pandie.
She stopped before Ye Mo. He mirrored her halt. While ready for combat, it was apparent she sought no confrontation. She looked calmly at Ye Mo, produced a jade slip, and tossed it to him. "My apologies for my previous actions. This is for you." Then, she departed at an even faster pace.
Ye Mo examined the jade slip, scanning it with his spirit sense. The contents shocked him, instilling gratitude toward Yi Pandie. The large sects possessed remarkable knowledge, explaining their swift progress. The jade slip detailed methods for avoiding space wind blades and space chaos flows.
Simultaneously, he understood Wen Caiyi's request to collaborate. The primary method for evading space wind blades required two or more cultivators. He recalled the jade slip from Qinghan and found its contents nearly identical to Yi Pandie's.