325: Chapter 320 Tianhai City

The cave began to shake violently.

After the phantom belonging to Ling Xin completely dissipated, the core energy maintaining the operation of this ancient altar was thoroughly drained.

The surrounding ghostly blue light dimmed at a pace visible to the naked eye, pushing this vast underground space back into bottomless darkness.

Above the dome, large chunks of rock began to peel off, crashing to the ground with dull cracking sounds, kicking up clouds of dust.

“This place is going to collapse,” Su Lin stated calmly, acknowledging the fact.

With a slight thought, the Earth Immortal Laws that had just stabilized within him emanated from his body, forming a shimmering invisible barrier over the four of them.

The heavy gravity of the Taihuang Immortal Domain, which had been weighing down on everyone's shoulders and making it hard to breathe, was now completely isolated by Su Lin's barrier.

Within his reshaped, broad Meridians, Chaos immortal essence surged with terrifying efficiency, and every breath he took produced a wondrous resonance with this world.

Su Hongling hoisted her broad black great sword onto her shoulder. There was no trace of fear in her red vertical pupils; instead, they flickered with a hint of wild excitement.

She looked up at the falling boulders and grinned. “Let it collapse! I was just worrying about having nowhere to vent my strength. Old Man, point the way, and I'll clear the path!”

Chu Weiwei naturally leaned closer to Su Lin, her purple eyes casting a cold glance at Yan Rusi in the corner before she looked up at Su Lin with her pure and harmless little face. “Revered Master, the spatial structure here has become extremely fragile.

My venom can easily melt the collapsing earth and stone, but we need a stable way out. We cannot afford to be trapped in a dead end.”

Yan Rusi stood silently to the side, her awe deepening as she watched the Revered Master and his two disciples face the collapsing ruins with such absurd composure.

She folded her hands in front of her and bowed respectfully. “Senior Su, the passage we fell through is filled with spatial traps. Now that the Formation core is destroyed, returning the way we came would likely mean certain death. We must find the physical exit of this Forbidden Demon Abyss.”

Su Lin nodded slightly, closing his eyes to extend his perception outward.

Half an hour ago, his Divine Sense would have been severely restricted by the Laws of this world. But now, having stepped into the Earth Immortal realm and with the assistance of the world tree in his inner world, his perception was like a sharpened blade, easily slicing through the chaotic energy fields around him.

He saw the structural veins of the entire underground Immortal Cave.

“North,” Su Lin opened his eyes and pointed toward a hidden crack in the darkness. “The spatial pressure there is the lightest, and it leads directly to the surface.”

The team set out immediately.

Su Hongling took the lead.

Faced with the rain of ten-thousand-ton boulders, she didn't even bother to dodge. She simply swung the no edge great sword, using pure physical power to smash every obstacle in her way into powder.

In this high-gravity environment, her explosive power as a Mahayana Stage Body Cultivator was displayed to the fullest, plowing a smooth path through the collapsing ruins.

The corridor was cold and damp, filled with the nauseating smell of rust and decay.

“Stay alert, everyone,” Su Lin reminded them in a level voice as he walked in the middle of the group. “The suppression Formation maintaining this place has failed. Those abyss creatures that were originally kept out will likely take advantage of the Chaos.”

A dozen twisted black shadows peeled themselves off the rock walls on both sides.

They were hunched with long, spindly limbs covered in barbs. They had no skin, and their exposed muscles were a sickly dark purple. Greedy, malevolent light burned in their hollow eye sockets.

“Moving targets have arrived!” Su Hongling shouted, her Battle Intent surging.

“Second Senior Sister, don't waste time,” Chu Weiwei chuckled, lightly flicking her finger.

A few drops of pale green liquid landed precisely among the monsters ahead. The moment the liquid touched the air, it vaporized into a faint poisonous mist.

The hideous abyss monsters didn't even have time to scream before their bodies dissolved into puddles of foul-smelling black water upon contact with the mist, their bones corroded clean.

“Let's go,” Su Lin said without emotion, stepping over the black water on the ground as he continued forward.

The long climb lasted for several hours. The physical toll was extreme. Had Su Lin not continuously used Chaos immortal essence to replenish their strength, Yan Rusi would have likely collapsed halfway.

Through the special bond between Chu Weiwei and Su Lin, that pure energy also continuously nourished her, keeping her complexion rosy throughout.

Finally, the terrain ahead leveled out. Two towering bronze gates covered in ancient sealing runes blocked their path. These gates were distinctly different from those they had seen before; the Formations on them were not meant to keep outsiders out, but to lock down the abyss below.

“This is the outermost Seal,” Yan Rusi recognized the patterns on the door. “Once forced open, it will inevitably cause a massive disturbance.”

Su Lin walked to the gate and placed his palm lightly against the cold bronze surface.

He could feel the howling cold wind behind the door. He didn't bother to analyze the complex runes; instead, he closed his right hand, and the dark gold destiny longsword instantly condensed in his palm.

He raised the longsword and delivered a steady downward strike.

There was no blinding radiance, only the purest cutting force. The indestructible bronze gates, along with the ancient Seals upon them, were sliced smoothly in two. The two heavy metal door panels collapsed outward, letting out a world-shaking boom.

Violent cold winds mixed with black miasma instantly poured in.

They walked out of the gates.

Beneath their feet were the steep, treacherous black cliffs of the Forbidden Demon Abyss; above them was the eternally gloomy and oppressive purple sky of the Taihuang Immortal Domain. The gale shrieked piercingly in their ears, making their clothes flutter loudly.

“We're finally out.” Su Hongling took a deep breath of the dust-laden air and slammed her great sword heavily onto the ground.

Su Lin looked around at the vast, barren, and deathly silent plain, his expression gradually turning grim.

“We shouldn't stay here long. The commotion underground was too great and will surely attract various forces to investigate. We need to find an absolutely hidden place to consolidate our intelligence and plan our next move.”

“Senior, three thousand miles to the east, there is a chaotic region called Xiaofeng Ridge,” Yan Rusi suggested respectfully. “It is surrounded by spatial cracks and astral winds year-round. The Inspectors from the main cities rarely visit. Many Loose Cultivators struggling at the bottom and black market merchants are entrenched there; it's a good place to hide.”

“Three thousand miles...” Su Lin calculated. In the Lower Realm, this would be a distance covered in the blink of an eye, but in this Taihuang Immortal Domain with its powerful Law suppression, it would take a considerable amount of time.

“Fine, we'll go to Xiaofeng Ridge.”

The group identified the direction and began to speed across the wasteland.

The living environment of the Taihuang Immortal Domain was nothing short of cruel. The daytime sandstorms could easily tear through a half-Immortal's protective light, while the nighttime cold snaps could completely freeze one's Meridians.

Su Lin walked at the very front, his body acting like an insurmountable wall, blocking the fiercest of the storms.

On the evening of the third day, a range of rolling, jagged mountains finally appeared at the edge of their vision. Grey tornadoes circled above the mountains, letting out shrieks like wailing ghosts—this was the origin of the name Xiaofeng Ridge.

They found a relatively dry, hidden cave halfway up a mountain.

Chu Weiwei immediately set up several colorless and odorless poison powder barriers at the entrance. Any living creature attempting to approach would lose its ability to move instantly.

A smokeless campfire was lit inside the cave. The faint warmth of the firelight reflected on the faces of the four.

Su Lin sat cross-legged, his gaze falling on Yan Rusi, who was kneeling to the side.

“Tell me in detail about the power structure of the Taihuang Immortal Domain,” Su Lin's voice echoed in the quiet cave. “We cannot remain blind forever.”

Yan Rusi organized her thoughts, her expression becoming exceptionally solemn.

“Senior, the Taihuang Immortal Domain is vast and boundless, divided into thirty-six Great Domains. We are currently at the very edge of the Qingyun Domain.

The hierarchy of this world is strict to the extreme. At the very bottom are those of us known as half-Immortal ascenders.

Without having condensed a true Immortal body or being issued an immortal registry by a main city, one can only work as hard labor in peripheral towns like weeds or barely survive in the wilderness.”

She paused, a flicker of fear crossing her eyes.

“Above that are the Earth Immortals. They possess an immortal registry, are protected by the Laws of the main cities, and manage the lower-level towns and resource extraction. Further up are the Heavenly Immortals who reside within the various floating main cities. They are the true rulers of these thirty-six domains, controlling all top-grade Spiritual Veins and Cultivation Technique Legacies.

And above the Heavenly Immortals, there are the legendary Golden Immortals and the ‘Heavenly Court’ that governs the entire core of the Immortal Realm. It is they who cut off the normal path of Ascension from the Lower Realm and established that cruel set of harvesting Laws.”

Su Lin listened quietly, already sketching a massive and cold-blooded pyramid structure in his mind. To survive in this airtight web and even find his scattered disciples, he had to obtain an identity that could walk in the light.

“immortal registry,” Su Lin accurately grasped the core. “How does one obtain it?”

“There are very few ways,” Yan Rusi gave a bitter smile. “First, by working like a slave in the lower towns for thousands of years to accumulate enough contribution points. Second, by participating in the centennial blood arenas of the main cities to fight for a few spots against all odds. Third...”

She lowered her voice. “Buying the identity jade plates of fallen Immortals at a high price in the black market and using secret techniques to disguise oneself. But this is extremely risky; if an Inspector sees through it, the result is total annihilation of body and soul.”

“The third method sounds the most convenient,” a trace of coldness flickered across Su Lin's face.

Su Hongling clenched her fists, her knuckles cracking, a bloodthirsty smile appearing on her face. “Why not just find a few Earth Immortals who look rich and powerful and rob them?”

Chu Weiwei leaned against Su Lin's arm, her purple eyes full of cunning. “Revered Master, we need to find Senior Sister and the others first. Once we are all together, taking over a main city would be no problem at all.”

At the mention of his other disciples, Su Lin closed his eyes, his mind sinking into his inner world.

At the center of the Myriad Heavens Star Chart, the world tree was emitting a soft chaotic light. On a branch, a special leaf representing space and bonds was flickering extremely slowly.

He concentrated all his Divine Sense to capture that weak fluctuation.

It was an extremely familiar pull of aura.

Su Lin opened his eyes and looked at the dark night sky outside the cave, his gaze becoming incomparably certain.

“Northwest,” Su Lin said in a deep voice.

“Yan Rusi, which is the nearest main city to the northwest of here?”

Yan Rusi thought for a moment and replied immediately, “Senior, about fifty thousand miles to the northwest is Tianhai City, one of the three major cities governing this peripheral region. It is an extremely prosperous trading hub, presided over by a Late Stage Heavenly Immortal powerhouse.”

“Tianhai City.”

Su Lin repeated the name under his breath.

If the world tree's sensation was correct, at least one disciple had fallen into or headed toward that city after being transported.

With their peerless beauty and personalities that refused to be subservient, they would surely become targets in such a massive city without the protection of an immortal registry.

“Rest for the night,” Su Lin stood up, radiating an undeniable authority.

“At dawn tomorrow, we'll get identities first, then bring them back.”

“Hahaha! Old Man, look what I caught!”

Su Hongling strode in carrying the no edge great sword, her bronze cheeks still stained with a few drops of wet beast blood. She stepped on the beast's corpse, her face full of pride.

“I've scouted the nearby terrain. This armored black panther was hiding in a hollow preparing to ambush me, but it couldn't even take one of my punches. We're in for a treat tonight; this meat smells chewy!”

Chu Weiwei hid behind Su Lin with a look of disgust, covering her nose and mouth as she grumbled, “Second Senior Sister, can you move that bloody thing away? This is where Revered Master is resting; you're making it all smoky and messy, it's so unrefined.”

“What do you know!” Su Hongling shot back unceremoniously. “A practitioner has to eat big chunks of meat to maintain strength. Can that bitter water in your jars and bottles fill your stomach?”

Yan Rusi shrunk quietly into the corner, watching the three of them bicker as she barely dared to breathe. She skillfully picked up some dry wood to add to the fire, trying to minimize her presence.

Watching Su Hongling's impatient look as she prepared to roast the meat, Su Lin's irritation eased somewhat.

“Clean it before roasting; don't get blood everywhere,” Su Lin instructed casually.

Having received her Revered Master's approval, Su Hongling cheered and immediately pulled out a dagger to begin skillfully skinning and gutting the beast.

Half an hour later, the tempting aroma of meat filled the entire cave. The four sat around the campfire, and even the most fastidious Chu Weiwei reluctantly ate a few small pieces of roast meat under Su Lin's gaze.

The next morning.

The sky of the Taihuang Immortal Domain was still obscured by thick, dark purple clouds. The four packed up and left the cave, heading deep into Xiaofeng Ridge.

After traveling for about three hours, a jumbled cluster of buildings appeared in the canyon ahead.

The houses here were mostly made of massive Yao Beast bones and scrap metal, looking as if they might collapse at any moment.

The streets were muddy, with stalls scattered everywhere.

The Cultivators walking among them were all wary, radiating the fierce aura of those who lived their lives on the edge of a blade.