172: The ancient Leap Dragon Gate, now the Dongtian Cave

The ancient land reappears today.

"These extraordinary places, once part of that world, were sealed within the Mountain and River Divine Cauldron and are now seeing the light of day again?"

"It should be more than that..."

"Compared to the reappearance of this geographical environment, the Sacrificial Spirit Hall has also changed, but the extent of the change is smaller."

"So, this Divine Light from the heavens is a combination of both; some places are a reappearance of ancient lands, while other areas have truly undergone changes themselves, becoming even more extraordinary."

Qin Jin's thoughts became clear.

"Dragon Gate Peak."

His gaze fell upon the stone tablet, and he took a few steps forward, arriving in front of it.

"An extraordinary place capable of being sealed within the Mountain and River Divine Cauldron until now must be truly exceptional."

"Here, it's highly probable that not only is the Spiritual Power more abundant, but it also contains other divine wonders."

With thoughts swirling, Qin Jin's heart stirred. Spiritual Power surged from his Spirit Ruins and tentatively landed on the stone tablet.

He prepared to make various attempts to see what made this Dragon Gate Peak so extraordinary.

The Spiritual Power fell onto the stone tablet.

Silently, Qin Jin's Spiritual Power vanished, seemingly absorbed directly by this boundary stone tablet.

"As expected, it's no ordinary object."

A serious expression appeared on his face. Qin Jin no longer hesitated; with a thought, Spiritual Power, like a tide, swept towards the stone tablet and poured into it!

Amidst the surging Spiritual Power, the three characters for Dragon Gate Peak on the previously serene stone tablet first lit up. As the light flickered, the entire stone tablet glowed, and under Qin Jin's gaze, starting from the stone tablet, a phantom image of the stone tablet appeared above it, enlarged countless times, suspended in the air.

On this magnified phantom image of the stone tablet, there were Heavenly Vault characters, not in order but scattered and engraved across various parts of the tablet.

With a single glance, Qin Jin already understood their meaning.

Those characters were names and messages.

His gaze swept over them, gathering a fair amount of information.

[Heavenly Vault's Young God, crossed the Dragon Gate here]

[Su Changqing of Jingchan Sword Sect, leaped over the Dragon Gate today, advancing further]

[Qin Feiyu of Four Symbols Holy Land, left his mark here]

[...]

The writing styles varied, and Qin Jin could faintly sense newness and age in the engraved characters. Some appeared very ancient, while others looked newer, as if left not long ago.

"This Dragon Gate Peak, from ancient times to the present, countless years have passed."

"The fact that there's still a difference between new and old writing on it can only prove that during its sealing within the Mountain and River Divine Cauldron, it was in a state of complete stillness, without any changes occurring."

Thoughts flashed through his mind.

Qin Jin's expression became increasingly solemn.

The messages were not extensive, but they revealed extremely important information.

[Dragon Gate Peak]

It truly seemed to contain a Dragon Gate that could be leaped over!

Above the illusory stone tablet, the characters flickered with faint light.

Qin Jin's gaze focused upwards, his Mental Energy spreading, sensing and investigating the specific situation.

The moment his mind touched one of the messages.

The characters burst into brilliant light. In Qin Jin's vision, that line of message characters actually detached from the stone tablet, and the characters alternated and evolved, forming an illusory screen. The screen was blank, completely devoid of any content.

"What is this?"

Qin Jin felt a doubt in his heart.

The screen hung in the air, suspended before him.

Hesitating for a moment, Qin Jin's fingertip surged with Spiritual Power, and he tapped it onto the screen.

The screen rippled.

On the screen, Qin Jin's Spiritual Power truly formed a dot, appearing on top.

Seeing this, Qin Jin's eyes narrowed slightly, and he vaguely had a guess.

Within his Spirit Ruins, the Lei Ze was activated. Qin Jin used his finger as a brush, manipulating power. With a slight thought, a Qilin shape was etched with Spiritual Power.

This was a technique contained within the Lei Ze Method.

As Qin Jin raised his hand and pointed forward, the Qilin pounced. The power contained within was not immense, but it was extremely subtle. The moment it pounced towards the screen, ripples spread, and this spiritual Qilin transformed from three-dimensional to two-dimensional, imprinting itself on the illusory screen.

The next instant.

Brilliant light bloomed, the Qilin on the screen vanished, and a new scene emerged.

The scene focused on one of the peaks of Dragon Gate Peak. Clouds swirled around the mountain, and on a giant rock at the peak, a figure with a long sword on his back sat cross-legged.

Looking at his face, he could be described as young.

"It really is like this."

The screen evolved from the messages. Seeing this scene now, Qin Jin was completely certain.

This scene was precisely that of the ancients crossing the Dragon Gate here!

"So, this is one of the divine wonders of Dragon Gate Peak, and also a form of communication."

"One must display oneself and perform certain techniques to meet the conditions and witness the Dragon Gate scenes of predecessors."

"Then..."

"During the true Immortal Dynasty era, would the person who leaped over the Dragon Gate truly acquire these displayed techniques?"

His thoughts flowed.

Within the scene, the man with the sword on his back, dressed in a green robe, closed his eyes in meditation. After a period, he suddenly opened his eyes.

His gaze was sharp, like a keen sword. He straightened his body, and then, on Dragon Gate Peak, his Aura was unleashed without reservation, suddenly bursting forth.

A storm howled.

He stepped onto the arched bridge between the two mountain peaks. On the sky-climbing pillars at both ends of Dragon Gate Peak, brilliant light flowed upwards, and in the sky, a True Dragon Gate was formed!

Those who could leave messages on the stone tablet were all successful.

Under Qin Jin's gaze, he transformed into a divine sword and leaped over the Dragon Gate with a single strike!

The scene ended abruptly here.

The screen dissipated, returning to the tablet, becoming the characters on the tablet.

Qin Jin exhaled a long breath.

"Everything possessed by the Human Race Prodigies of the Immortal Dynasty era was truly quite good."

"Dragon Gate Peak contains the Dragon Gate."

Qin Jin turned around, looking at the arched bridge behind him, a strong interest rising in his eyes.

He already knew how to activate this Dragon Gate Peak. Now, calming his mind and heart, he stepped onto the arched bridge made of rugged rocks and cliffs once more.

Moving slowly forward.

Out of a desire to test, he didn't immediately activate his Spirit Ruins. Instead, his Original Power surged, his Aura fully displayed, and his might unleashed!

The wind howled.

The moment his Aura was revealed, under Qin Jin's gaze, light rose from the lower ends of the two mountain peaks, circling the cliffs and rapidly ascending upwards.

"Even if one doesn't cultivate the Heavenly Azure Method, they can successfully activate this Dragon Gate Peak."

"That's right..."

"This Dragon Gate Peak is most likely a divine land naturally formed by heaven and earth, a blessed land. Even during the Immortal Dynasty era, there was definitely more than just the Heavenly Azure Method for self-improvement. Heaven and earth are inherently all-encompassing."

After the attempt, Qin Jin held nothing back. His dao foundation glowed, and at this moment, the scene of his Spirit Ruins appeared behind him, with two Cave Heavens suspended in the air.

His clothes moved without wind.

The wondrous light circling upwards around the two peaks was already extremely fast, but now its speed surged even more, coiling upwards.

This phenomenon did not consume Qin Jin's power. To be precise, displaying one's Aura was more like an assessment test for Dragon Gate Peak; those who were insufficient wouldn't even have the chance to summon the Dragon Gate.

A moment later.

The wondrous light detached from the peak, like two long serpents, soaring upwards. As they flew, the serpents grew Dragon heads, flicked Dragon tails, grew long Dragon whiskers, and even extended Dragon claws from their bellies.

Divine Light transformed into Dragons.

The Dragons danced in the sky, stopping their flight directly above Dragon Gate Peak, remaining in place, and evolving into two coiling Dragon jade pillars.

The jade pillars formed, then began to extend upwards, constructing a dome, like an arched bridge connecting above Dragon Gate Peak.

Below was Dragon Gate Peak.

Above was the True Dragon Gate.

The moment it formed, brilliant light overflowed, and clouds encircled the Celestial Dragon Gate, adding a touch of mystery to it.

And just as it formed.

Qin Jin stood at the center of the upper part of the arched bridge.

He raised his head slightly, looking up at the Dragon Gate.

With a solemn expression, Qin Jin no longer hesitated. His figure rose, heading straight for the Dragon Gate.

The moment his body left the arched bridge, as if a balance was broken, pressure swept in from all directions, slowing his movement.

In Qin Jin's vision.

Everything outside was obscured; under the entire sky, it seemed only the Dragon Gate above and he remained.

To leap over the Dragon Gate, one must first endure countless hardships.

Initially, it was just pressure. As Qin Jin resisted and ascended, sharp, knife-like forces arose around him, striking towards him in countless numbers.

Those with insufficient defenses would be severely wounded at this step.

However... Qin Jin's physique had long been tempered a thousand times. After breaking through to the Martial Dao Grandmaster, he even formed a Field, protecting himself at all times!

The sharp forces struck, but upon approaching his Field, they were shattered by the Original Power circulating within. Qin Jin ascended step by step, drawing closer to the Dragon Gate.

Immediately after... the threats in the real world did not diminish, and on the spiritual level, pressure and attacks also occurred.

To leap over the Dragon Gate, one must undergo a comprehensive test.

Both his body and spirit were impacted. As Qin Jin's will surged, the phantom images of his Cave Heavens hung high above, protecting him, his brows firm.

His height increased further.

The scene of the Dragon Gate became increasingly close.

Just then, under Qin Jin's gaze, above the Dragon Gate, the coiling Dragons on the two jade pillars actually left the pillars at this moment. Their Dragon bodies stretched out, striking directly towards Qin Jin, attempting to block him.

Qin Jin's eyes were serious. Without knowing the opponent's strength, he held nothing back. Original Power surged within him, and within his Spirit Ruins, the Second Cave Heaven vibrated!

Divine Advent Treasure Technique!

The Divine Advent Cave Heaven stood high above behind Qin Jin. Divine Light now shot out from within the Cave Heaven, faintly reflecting the figure of a Divine Being, striking horizontally towards one of the coiling Dragons.

At the same time!

Within the Spirit Ruins, the Fire God opened its eyes!

The moment it opened its eyes, flames ignited around Qin Jin, and brilliant Spiritual Power surged out, actually forming the shape of a melting pot in mid-air, appearing in the Void Realm, blocking the other coiling Dragon.

These two coiling Dragons were not truly real, but rather a means evolved from the Dragon Gate to intercept challengers.

Divine Light struck the coiling Dragon. The moment of contact, the power contained within erupted. The figure of the Divine Being within the Divine Light seemed to reach out a hand, grasping the coiling Dragon and crushing it.

On the other side... the Fire God's Melting Pot blocked the way. The coiling Dragon did not dodge or evade, going straight into the furnace.

Once inside, it could not escape.

Scorching flames burned within, and violent rumbling sounds echoed, refining the Dragon in the furnace!

All happened in an instant.

The next instant, Qin Jin's figure had already swept past, advancing further.

The pressure intensified, the environment became harsher, and within the Dragon Gate, various phantoms flew out, blocking his path.

But... when soldiers come, generals block; when water comes, earth covers. It was nothing more than breaking them one by one.

Having ascended to the Martial Dao Grandmaster, and having taken every step of the Heavenly Azure Method extremely solidly, he was already different from ordinary mortals. On this Dragon Gate Peak, which was aimed at Prodigies, he was instead in his element.

Ascending step by step to the heavens.

After taking one more step, the pressure abruptly decreased, and all the illusory shadows before him shattered, as if they had never existed.

The Celestial Dragon Gate was right in front of him.

Qin Jin took a step forward and thus leaped over the Dragon Gate.

The moment he leaped over the Dragon Gate, the Celestial Dragon Gate behind him shattered with a roar, turning into countless minuscule specks of light containing pure power, suspended in the air.

With a true Dragon present, how could the Dragon Gate still stand in the way?

Those minuscule specks of light hovered for a moment, then surged toward Qin Jin like a torrent.

The torrent flowed into his body, merging with his dao foundation and entering his Spirit Ruins. In that instant, Qin Jin clearly perceived a feeling of enhancement!

Leaping the Dragon Gate once, he was henceforth different from before.

His physique was strengthening, the might of his Original Power was increasing, the fortitude of his Spirit Ruins was growing, his Cave Heaven was maturing, and his spirit was being cleansed.

This was an extremely comprehensive enhancement.

Since it could be sealed by the Mountain and River Divine Cauldron until today, how could this place be ordinary? During the prosperous era of the Immortal Dynasty, this must have also been an extremely important location.

The Divine Advent Cave Heaven, having undergone Qin Jin's continuous refinement and consolidation, was already steadily growing and nearing Perfection. At this very moment... with the aid and blessing of the Dragon Gate's Divine Phenomena, Qin Jin clearly perceived at a certain moment that his Cave Heaven held the intent of Perfection!

This meant... he could now begin the next stage of cultivation.

The Dragon Gate shattered, and the torrent flowed into his body.

The Dragon Gate Peak below also emitted brilliant light at this moment, illuminating the sky, surrounding Qin Jin at the center, providing both protection and blessing.

Qin Jin's thoughts flickered for an instant.

Immediately after, he made a decision.

With the aid of this divine land and his own enhancement, when could there be a better time to Break the Realm? A better time to advance further?

He always had a plan and had long selected the Divine Item for his Third Cave Heaven. At this moment, through mental communication, an item was taken out and suspended before him.

It was a gift from the Judgment Corps, a scale that emitted astonishing coldness.

Its source was precisely a Divine Spirit that the Judgment Corps had once hunted!

Items related to Divine Spirits are extremely dangerous, but this scale had been neutralized through many methods. Furthermore, it was not the first time Qin Jin had done such a thing; he possessed sufficient foundation to support all of this.

After all... when he embarked on the cultivation path of the Heavenly Azure Method, the initial fuel for his dao foundation was bestowed by a Divine Spirit.

The moment the scale was taken out.

Astonishing coldness spread outward in the high altitude, and ice crystals appeared in the air. In Qin Jin's perception, the rapid environmental change also affected the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power; ice-attribute Spiritual Power rapidly increased in a very short time.

With a spiritual connection, Qin Jin's thought moved.

The scale transformed into a streak of Escaping Light and escaped into the Spirit Ruins!

The moment it fell into the Spirit Ruins, Spiritual Power transformed into chains, tightly binding and restraining it to prevent its escape.

However... it seemed this scale had no intention of escaping. The moment it entered the Spirit Ruins, it obediently remained stationary, not moving at all.

Coldness radiated outwards.

Qin Jin's heart stirred slightly.

"Divine Items often contain Spirituality."

"That is because the origins and backgrounds of such items can be described as extraordinary."

"Could the [Spirituality] that this scale might have originally contained have been completely annihilated by the Judgment Corps' neutralization?"

"After all, if any Spirituality remained, since it comes from a Divine Spirit, gifting it to me would instead put me in danger."

Thoughts flowed.

Just then, under Qin Jin's observation, cracks appeared on the surface of the scale, accompanied by the sound of shattering echoing throughout the Spirit Ruins.

"This is..."

"Only pure power remains inside this scale. Now that it has entered the Spirit Ruins, influenced by external forces, its external balance was broken, and the internal power actively revealed itself?"

This was undoubtedly a shortcut.

When Forging a Cave Heaven, one must first shatter the Divine Item; only then can it truly integrate into the Spirit Ruins and become the Foundation of the Cave Heaven.

The appearance of this step now... actually saved Qin Jin effort.

The shattering sound continued, and the cracks on the surface increased. As time passed, accompanied by the most violent shattering noise, this Divine Being's Scale suddenly broke apart!

The power contained within instantly erupted!

Extreme coldness spread in all directions, even attempting to freeze the Spiritual Power.

And at the center where the scale broke.

As the power condensed, a figure appeared within the Spirit Ruins.

The figure was illusory, silver-white all over, possessing Dragon horns and dancing Dragon whiskers, with dense white scales layered upon its body, reflecting a mysterious radiance.

That was a White Dragon!

The moment he saw this figure, Qin Jin's expression suddenly became solemn.

Venerable Observer had endowed him with the ability to look directly at Divine Spirits. Now, seeing this White Dragon, a faint feeling of looking directly at a Divine Spirit spontaneously arose in his heart.

"This is..."

"The Divine Being's True Body!"

"The true appearance of that Divine Being, White Frost Breath."

Extremely serious in his heart, he activated his Cave Heaven, ready to strike at any moment, as Qin Jin conducted a more detailed observation.

The White Dragon had formed, but it remained stationary, its power spreading unconsciously without any action.

Qin Jin sensed carefully and made a judgment in his heart.

"The Judgment Corps is indeed reliable."

"Their neutralization truly completed the clearance in all aspects."

"The power evolving into a Divine Being's form is because this power ultimately originated from It. After exceeding a certain limit, it spontaneously changed, evolving into Its form."

Thoughts flashed.

Doubt arose in Qin Jin's heart.

"This divine scale is actually a Dragon scale? Could the true body of a Divine Spirit in the Star Sea actually resemble the Ancient Eastern Dragon from myths and legends?"

"Why?"

While doubt arose.

Qin Jin acutely noticed that the White Dragon illusion, which had stabilized within the Spirit Ruins, was now fluctuating violently. Its appearance changed, shifting from the look of an Eastern Dragon to the form of a Western Dragon, then fluctuating again, transforming into other scaled transcendent forms, not fixed, but constantly changing.

"This is..."

"It is constantly changing based on the thoughts in my heart."

"I understand."

"White Frost Breath, this Divine Spirit that once appeared in the Star Sea, does not have a fixed form."

"It is truly 'a thousand faces for a thousand people.' Different life forms have different preconceptions of It, and thus the true appearance of the Divine Body they perceive is different."

"I had just seen a true Ancient Eastern Dragon on Dragon Gate Peak and formed an impression, so It initially manifested as a White Dragon. Now, doubt arose in my heart, and subconsciously influenced by that scale, I instinctively imagined It as a scaled creature, which is why all these changes are occurring."

"Perhaps..."

"This is a [Dragon of Illusion]"

As his thoughts became clear, Qin Jin no longer hesitated.

Activating the Enlightenment Treasure Art, Qin Jin calmed his mind and actively suppressed all distracting thoughts and ideas.

The constantly changing Divine Being's form subsequently shattered, transforming once again into pure power.

As Qin Jin's thought arose, Spiritual Power whistled, clearing the coldness within the Spirit Ruins. Simultaneously... he wrapped around the power contained inside the scale and began Outlining the Cave Heaven!

The action began.

Unexpectedly for Qin Jin... the reward from Dragon Gate Peak continued after leaping the Dragon Gate. Now, accompanying Qin Jin's actions, the torrent of light specks surging into the Spirit Ruins seemed guided, actively joining and integrating into the power used to outline the Spirit Ruins, even providing assistance to complete the control over the scale's power.

"There is also an unexpected gain."

Qin Jin accepted everything that came his way.

The more extraordinary the resulting Cave Heaven, the greater the future potential. Since Dragon Gate Peak was actively assisting, he naturally wouldn't refuse.

In the high altitude, thousands of meters up, the Divine Light reflected by Dragon Gate Peak enveloped Qin Jin. Amidst this comprehensive enhancement, he began outlining and shaping his Cave Heaven.

Qin Jin was already proficient in this step and proceeded steadily!

Cultivation was oblivious to time.

Time flowed by; the sky darkened, then brightened again, and finally, the sun rotated, entering darkness once more.

However... the Great Wilderness now was no longer a sight of pitch darkness the moment night fell.

The mysterious beams of light between Heaven and Earth brought soft radiance to the surroundings. In the Great Wilderness under the night sky, the Human Race here, for the first time, did not need to carry torches to travel at night.

On Dragon Gate Peak.

The blessing Divine Light had faded away at some unknown time. Qin Jin's body was suspended high in the air, radiance circulating around him.

Inside the Spirit Ruins.

Two Cave Heavens echoed each other, and in the triangular position corresponding to them, a newly born, majestic Cave Heaven rose up, standing within the Spirit Ruins.

At a certain moment.

Qin Jin's spirit halted, and the related power was completely gathered within the Cave Heaven; the Cave Heaven had formed.

He looked toward this Third Cave Heaven.

With a single glance, the appearance of this Third Cave Heaven was somewhat similar to Dragon Gate Peak, also consisting of two connected peaks. However, one side resembled a mountain range, while the other resembled a glacier, with Cold Qi condensing into clouds and mist inside, looking quite mysterious.

The moment it formed, while Qin Jin observed, the clouds and mist inside the Cave Heaven suddenly fluctuated.

A long, winding figure spiraled up from below the Cave Heaven, soaring towards the top. As it neared the zenith of the Cave Heaven, it suddenly vanished!

It reappeared.

Above Qin Jin's back.

And at this very moment, Qin Jin opened his eyes.

He did not turn his head to look behind him, but the scene behind him was reflected in his eyes.

Behind him.

There was a White Dragon, which inspired a sense of holiness upon sight, coiled high in the air.

The White Dragon appeared and immediately hid, a Dragon concealing itself in the clouds. Its body danced, returning to the Cave Heaven, traversing the clouds and mist inside the Cave Heaven, constantly circling. Occasionally, for brief moments, it would change into other forms.

This was the divine phenomenon born within the Cave Heaven.

Qin Jin stood in the air. Before he could confirm his own enhancement, he suddenly raised his head and looked upwards.

Divine Light descended from the heavens.

This time, the Naming by Heaven and Earth was much faster than when he opened the previous two Cave Heavens, descending the instant the Cave Heaven formed.

The Divine Light descended, enveloping Qin Jin and simultaneously falling upon Dragon Gate Peak. The moment of contact, Dragon Gate Peak circulated radiance, as if responding to Heaven and Earth.

Above Qin Jin's Third Cave Heaven.

The script fluctuated and changed, finally settling on a name.

[True Dragon Cave Heaven]