The Gate to the Wasteland

Standing atop the clouds and peering down, one could faintly make out Immortal estates scattered among the undulating mountain ranges. Occasionally, they could even spot a few cultivators riding flying treasures in the distance, most likely members of the Yinglong Guard.

Just as Ji Ning, Mu Northson, and the rest of the cultivators were curiously observing their surroundings, the clouds suddenly dove downwards.

"That's..." Ji Ning spotted it with a single glance. On a distant peak below, a massive, complex pagoda-shaped formation stood erect.

Boom!

The clouds descended. Ji Ning and the other cultivators all stared at the pagoda formation before them. The entire structure was shrouded in a hazy gray light, standing roughly eight hundred zhang tall. Its base was about one hundred zhang in diameter, arranged in the shape of the Nine Palaces. The skeleton of the entire pagoda-shaped formation was forged from some rare, refined metal, covered densely with countless carved runes and symbols... runes covering the entire eight hundred-zhang tall structure.

The pagoda formation emanated a hazy gray light along its entire body, except for its tip, which emitted a faint white light.

Beside the formation, ten elderly men in simple robes stood watch, maintaining it.

"So this is a teleportation array?" Mu Northson's eyes lit up. "It should be," Ji Ning replied, equally curious.

He had long heard of teleportation arrays but never used one. In the entire Anchan Commandery, only the Yinglong Guard and the Marquis of Anchan were authorized to use teleportation arrays—along with any spirit-beast servants they might bring. This opportunity to ride one came as an exception for Ji Ning and the others because they were candidates hoping to join the Yinglong Guard.

"A teleportation array?" "An eight hundred-zhang tall teleportation array? There's one in my hometown's garrison city, but it's only a hundred zhang tall. Much smaller." "I've never seen one before."

Although these cultivators were generally well-traveled, they were all astonished by such a massive teleportation array.

The ten elderly men respectfully bowed to the silver-haired, black-robed elder.

"Prepare it," the silver-haired elder ordered directly. "This group of one hundred cultivators will be sent directly to the Mount Yujue Wasteland." "Yes," the ten elderly men replied, immediately entering the formation to make some minor adjustments.

The silver-haired elder looked at the hundred people, including Ji Ning, and spoke in a booming voice. "This teleportation array is of the highest tier. It can even teleport one directly to the royal capital of the Grand Xia Dynasty! Any commandery across this endless land can be reached instantly through this formation." "Mount Yujue Wasteland is two million li away from here, but you'll be there in an instant," the silver-haired elder said.

"Hm?" The silver-haired elder's expression suddenly shifted slightly. Whoosh! He vanished on the spot.

The sudden departure left Ji Ning and the others somewhat baffled.

"Why did he suddenly disappear?" "Something important must have come up." "An Immortal is truly extraordinary. Vanishing in an instant—I wonder what escape technique that was." The assembled cultivators began murmuring amongst themselves.

The ten elderly men maintaining the formation were also puzzled. Why had he left? Changing the array to set the teleportation destination was a simple and quick task.

"Senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning," Mu Northson said in a low voice. "Although I've known about Mount Yujue Wasteland for a long time, I'm not sure exactly how dangerous it is." "With its reputation... it's one of the top-ranked dangerous places in our Anchan Commandery. I've heard that space itself is shattered in many areas there, directly connected to other broken spaces. Many monsters lurk there, and there are even rumors of Fiendgods hiding within," Ji Ning replied.

The endless lands ruled by the Grand Xia Dynasty were far too vast. Aside from relatively safe areas like Swallow Mountain, there were also mysterious zones, special territories, and dangerous places!

On Earth in his past life, vast stretches of land spanning ten thousand li held many mysteries, let alone this expansive world ruled by the Grand Xia Dynasty... Within the Anchan Commandery, there were several strange and eerie places. Even zones distorted by battles from the Fiendgod Era still existed, along with Immortal estates and ruins left by mighty figures.

Among the top ten dangerous places in the Anchan Commandery was Mount Yujue Wasteland! And these dangerous zones also held endless opportunities.

"I've heard about the Fiendgods too." A handsome man in a white robe suddenly stepped closer.

Ji Ning and Mu Northson looked over.

"Daoist Ji Ning, Daoist Mu Northson." The handsome man in white chuckled. "I am Donghe Feiyun, my Daoist name is Feiyun." "My Daoist name is Twinwood," Mu Northson said bluntly. Then he glanced at Ji Ning before adding, "My senior apprentice-brother is Ji Ning. His Daoist name is Darknorth! By the way, you mentioned Fiendgods... Are there really Fiendgods in Mount Yujue Wasteland?"

The handsome man in white replied eagerly, "Have the two of you never heard the legend of 'Mount Yujue'?" "The legend of Mount Yujue?" Ji Ning and Mu Northson exchanged a glance and shook their heads.

"Legend says that in the distant past, right after the Fiendgod Era ended," Donghe Feiyun began slowly, "a group of powerful Immortals who founded the Grand Xia Dynasty used a mighty magic treasure to directly suppress a group of Fiendgods! That treasure was called 'Mount Yujue.' Killing those Fiendgods was extremely difficult, and likely would have cost the lives of some Immortals. So the Immortals simply left Mount Yujue to suppress them. Cut off from the outside world and unable to absorb external power, the Fiendgods would only grow weaker over time. After a few hundred thousand years, they would eventually become utterly enfeebled."

Ji Ning and the others nodded.

Once cultivators and Fiendgods reached a certain level, they could go without food or drink. However, they still needed to absorb power from the outside world. Ki Refiners absorbed natural elemental energy... Fiendgods and Fiendgod Body Refiners absorbed other forces, such as the Five Elements, Starlight, Lunar Power, or Solar Power.

If they couldn't absorb external power, they would naturally grow weaker.

"But later..." "One extremely powerful Fiendgod among the suppressed group actually broke through Mount Yujue and escaped the prison! A cataclysmic battle ensued—a war between Immortals and Fiendgods that shattered heaven and earth. The outcome of that battle is unknown, but what remains is the Mount Yujue Wasteland we have today," Donghe Feiyun finished.

Ji Ning smiled. "As expected of the Donghe clan, to know such hidden secrets." "I just happened to read some books recording legends and came across this story. Who knows if it's true or false," Donghe Feiyun laughed. "I've heard that during the Fiendgod Era, Fiendgods ruled this land," Ji Ning said. "Now, it is our human race that rules this endless land. The demon race is slightly secondary... Fiendgods are almost nowhere to be seen." "I'm extremely curious about the Fiendgod Era too," Mu Northson's eyes lit up. "The stronger we become, the more we will naturally know," Donghe Feiyun smiled.

...

"This matter must be investigated thoroughly!" High in the air, the silver-haired elder's voice was cold and stern.

Beside him, a massive black-furred, three-eyed dog stood floating, and replied, "Understood. If the Marquis of Anchan, the Beishan clan, obstructs us..." "Kill them all," the silver-haired elder said coldly. "Do not act under the authority of the Yinglong Guard. Kill anyone who obstructs you. The investigation must be thorough." "Yes." The black-furred, three-eyed dog replied respectfully.

"These feudal lords have been acting like kings in their own territories for too long. They're all getting restless and need to be beaten into line from time to time," the silver-haired elder said coldly. "It seems a batch of the Marquis of Anchan's Beishan clan will have to die again. Go!" "Yes."

With a flicker, the black-furred, three-eyed dog vanished.

Only then did the silver-haired elder ride his clouds back down, drifting unhurriedly... He soon arrived at the peak where the teleportation array stood. Ji Ning, Mu Northson, and the other hundred cultivators had been waiting for some time.

Whoosh! The silver-haired elder landed, and the area immediately fell silent. The ten elderly men also watched respectfully.

"Listen carefully," the silver-haired elder announced. "Your assessment to join the Yinglong Guard will take place in Mount Yujue Wasteland! Mount Yujue Wasteland... is one of the most famous dangerous locations in our Anchan Commandery. Your task is this: survive for three months in the Mount Yujue Wasteland, and bring back the severed head of a Wanxiang-level great demon. "Those who survive three months and return with the head of a Wanxiang great demon may enter the Yinglong Guard. "Those who die in the wasteland, or return without a Wanxiang great demon's head, or have the head but did not stay for the full three months—all will be considered failures. "Do you understand?" The silver-haired elder swept his gaze across the group.

The hundred-odd cultivators all nodded without hesitation. There were many types of assessments for entering the Yinglong Guard, and this one was fairly standard. Since they had dared to come, all of them believed they had a certain level of confidence.

"Good." The silver-haired elder nodded. "Then set out. I hope to see you return in three months bearing the heads of great demons. Remember... don't underestimate those great demons. You want to hunt them, but they want to hunt you just as much. The hatred built up over endless time means they will show you no mercy."

The hundred-odd cultivators all understood. Even the youngest, Mu Northson, had a resolute look in his eyes.

"Everyone inside." "Don't step out of the formation's base." The ten elderly men began directing them.

Ji Ning and the others walked into the massive teleportation array. The formation was so large it could teleport several thousand people at once.

"Senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning, my master warned me... once we go to Mount Yujue Wasteland, we not only have to watch out for monsters, but also for other cultivators," Mu Northson transmitted. "They all know we're from the Black-White College now. Our Black-White College has very few disciples, and every one of us carries valuable treasures. Encirclement and murder of Black-White College disciples happens from time to time. We're not Yinglong Guard yet, so there's no ban on killing each other."

Ji Ning smiled, glancing at Mu Northson. The human heart was unpredictable. Having lived in an age of information overload in his past life... the sheer volume of information he had been exposed to far surpassed that of most people in this relatively isolated, wild world.

Even so, Ji Ning replied, "I know. Junior apprentice-brother, you must also be careful." "Mm. Us two brothers in arms, working together? Hmph! If one comes, we'll kill one. If ten come, we'll kill ten," Mu Northson transmitted back.

Suddenly— The entire teleportation array lit up! The hazy gray light on the surface of the pagoda formation flared brightly, enveloping the entire structure. From the outside, Ji Ning and the other hundred cultivators inside could no longer be seen.

Whoosh! The white light at the pagoda's tip suddenly flared a thousand, ten thousand times brighter, blazing as brilliantly as the Golden Crow in the sky.

When the white light faded and the hazy gray light returned to its normal state, Ji Ning, Mu Northson, and the other hundred cultivators who had been inside the formation had all vanished. They had already arrived at the Mount Yujue Wasteland.