141: The Five Elements Palace Gate! Why are the floor tiles in this main hall so shiny?

In the heart of the Central Region, the sea of clouds churned.

As the Heavenly Phoenix Sect's white flying boat crossed the 'Mid-Heaven Spine' mountain range that spanned tens of thousands of miles, the previously steady deck suddenly emitted a series of ear-piercing creaks from the pressure.

Gu Yang was sitting boldly on the terrace of the top deck, munching on a thousand-year-old 'Ink Jade Ginseng' provided by Saintess Feng Ni as a snack. The moment the flying boat crossed the boundary, he felt as if an invisible mountain had suddenly collapsed onto his shoulders.

"Hmm?" The ginseng in Gu Yang's hand snapped into two pieces under the sudden, immense force.

The gravity here was actually fifty times that of Qing Province, and five thousand times that of the Savage Domain!

It felt as if every wisp of air was filled with lead. If an ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivator were to land here, their heart would likely be crushed by the weight of their own Physical Body before they even touched the ground.

Saintess Feng Ni also had to take out a jade pendant engraved with gravity-warding patterns and hang it at her waist. Even so, her slender back appeared somewhat tense. She glanced at Gu Yang, who remained unperturbed—not even his heartbeat had quickened—and was even studying the texture of the broken ginseng. A trace of numbness appeared in her eyes.

"Fellow Daoist, once we pass this mountain range, we will be in the airspace of 'Five Elements City'. The Laws here were reinforced by ancient Mahayana predecessors, making them indestructible. Here, the consumption for any movement technique or teleportation is more than ten times that of the outside world."

...Gu Yang stood up, and as his feet pressed against the deck, he actually left two clear footprints.

He closed his eyes, carefully feeling this terrifying pressure. To him, this environment was like a natural 'sauna'. After fusing with the fragment of the Ultimate Path, every one of his cells was like a miniature black hole, greedily absorbing this high-dimensional pressure and converting it into the power to solidify his Foundation.

"Not bad. Even the air here tastes like rust when you chew it. I like it." Gu Yang chuckled and put on the signature honest Face of 'Tie Niu', though the occasional glint in his dark-gold pupils made the surrounding attendants lower their heads.

In the distance, at the edge of the horizon, a giant city shrouded in five-colored divine light slowly emerged.

Rather than a city, it was more like a divine miracle spanning the earth. The city walls towered into the clouds, and every brick radiated the Origin aura of the five elements: gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. Most striking was the black divine tower in the center of the city that pierced the heavens—the myriad phenomena pagoda, the core of the Five Elements Mansion's power.

At the city gates, hundreds of massive flying boats from various Holy Lands and ancient clans were lined up in neat rows, undergoing inspection in turn... "The Saintess of the Heavenly Phoenix Sect has arrived! Clear the way!"

Saintess Feng Ni set aside the gentleness she showed before Gu Yang and donned her cold, holy mask once more. The flying boat slowly landed at the eastern gate of Five Elements City—'Azure Dragon Pass'.

The guards here were all at the Early Spirit Transformation Stage, and even the patrol beasts they rode were 'Bixie', which possessed thin traces of True Dragon Bloodline.

A commander clad in dark-green heavy armor stepped forward; his cultivation had reached the Late-stage Spirit Transformation. He coldly scanned the Heavenly Phoenix emblem on the flying boat, then his gaze landed on Gu Yang behind Feng Ni.

"Halt. The rules for this year's Great Sacrifice have changed. All accompanying Protectors must undergo a 'Combat Power Stone' test to prevent any Demonic Path scum from infiltrating."

The commander's voice buzzed within the terrifying gravity field, causing the Faces of some Disciples from smaller Sects to turn pale... Saintess Feng Ni frowned and was about to speak.

But Gu Yang had already jumped down from the flying boat.

Boom!!

The moment he landed, the floor paved with refined gold rock was actually crushed into a spiderweb of cracks, and he sank half an inch deep into the ground.

The guards and officers all looked over; this weight and density simply didn't seem human.

"Old brother, are you talking about this stone?"

Gu Yang pointed to a giant stone standing at the city gate, thirty feet high, dark purple in color, and covered in strength-testing runes.

That was the 'Demon Suppressing Stone', specifically used to test combat power below the Peak God Transformation Stage. It contained Formations within; if power was insufficient or the aura was mixed, the stone would emit a red light as a warning. If combat power was formidable, the higher the purple light rose, the higher the rating.

"Correct. As long as you can make this Demon Suppressing Stone rise with three feet of purple light, you are qualified to enter the city." The commander's tone was cold; he clearly didn't think much of this coarse-looking, 'simple' big fellow... Gu Yang walked up to the giant stone, scratched his head, and gave an extremely honest, silly smile.

"My dad said I'm heavy-handed. If I break it, I don't have the money to pay for it."

A burst of laughter erupted from the surroundings.

"Where did this barbarian come from? This Demon Suppressing Stone is made from Black Tortoise Cold Iron Essence; even a full-strength strike from a Peak God Transformation Stage might not leave a mark, yet he's afraid of breaking it?" a Holy Land Disciple mocked.

On the flying boat, Saintess Feng Ni's eyelids twitched wildly. She had seen how Gu Yang had 'torn apart' Lei Lingzi.

Gu Yang took a deep breath. He didn't use any Dharmic power, nor did he even stir his God-Fiend blood and Qi much.

He just wanted to test exactly how heavy the pure physical mass of this body was after fusing with that fragment of the Ultimate Path.

He slowly raised that large hand covered in dark-gold patterns and struck the giant stone with a plain, unremarkable palm... Silence.

A deathly silence.

In the ten-thousandth of a second that his palm touched the stone's surface, the originally complex strength-testing runes didn't even have time to light up before they went dark.

Immediately following.

Buzz—Crack!!!

A crisp sound of shattering that made everyone's Soul tremble suddenly rang out at the Azure Dragon Pass city gate.

Under the commander's horrified gaze, that indestructible Demon Suppressing Stone, which had been passed down for thousands of years, actually crumbled into countless fine pieces of powder starting from the point of contact with Gu Yang's palm, like a piece of low-quality tofu!

There was no purple light, and no red light.

There was only absolute, violent destruction!

..."Oh no, I told you I was heavy-handed."

Gu Yang withdrew his hand and looked at the pile of purple stone fragments on the ground, then looked at the commander with a pained expression. "Old brother, is this thing expensive? I don't have Spirit Crystals. Can I use that half-piece of radish (Ink Jade Ginseng) from earlier to pay the debt?"

The commander's mouth hung open, and the spear in his hand nearly slipped.

The hundreds of guards behind him all took a step back in unison, as if facing a great enemy.

That palm strike didn't have any fluctuations of Law, which meant the opponent relied purely on physical collision to forcibly turn the Formation core—which could withstand a strike from a Peak God Transformation Stage—into... dust?

"This... what kind of terrifying material density is this..."

Several elders from hidden ancient clans on the distant flying boats snapped their eyes open, staring intently at Gu Yang. In their eyes, that honest-looking big man was clearly a walking humanoid stellar core in the Central Region... "Cough... The stone tablet was in disrepair. It's fine. Saintess and Protector, please enter the city!"

The commander finally regained his senses, wiped a handful of cold sweat from his forehead, and hurriedly cleared the way.

Even if such a freak were truly a Demonic Path spy, he wasn't someone a mere gate-guarding commander could stop.

Gu Yang led Er Gou and swaggered through the city gate.

Er Gou even picked up a fragment of the Demon Suppressing Stone along the way, crunched it twice, and swallowed it.

"Big brother, this stone tastes authentic; there's Earth-Core Iron Essence inside."

Gu Yang patted its head and whispered, "Keep it steady. There will be plenty of good stuff at the banquet later. Don't embarrass us here."

...After entering the city, the real shock began.

The Spiritual Qi density inside Five Elements City had already liquefied, and the buildings lining the streets were actually carved directly from Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

The vendors at the roadside stalls were selling fourth and fifth-tier Spirit Medicines that were rarely seen in Qing Province.

Gu Yang looked at those treasures priced at tens or hundreds of thousands of Mid-grade Spirit Crystals and once again felt the pain of being 'violently broke'.

"Sister Feng Ni, when does our ceremony start? My stomach is already starting to growl."

Gu Yang stared at a stall selling 'Fire Flood Dragon Eggs', and his throat involuntarily moved.

"The ceremony is in three days. Tonight, the Five Elements Mansion is holding an 'Immortal Welcoming Banquet'. Descendants from almost all the top Holy Lands of the Three Thousand Dao Provinces will be there."

Saintess Feng Ni walked ahead with a graceful figure. She looked back at Gu Yang, a deep meaning flashing in her eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Gu, tonight's banquet isn't just for socializing; it's also for 'seating'. The higher you sit at the banquet, the more core resources you'll be allocated upon entering the Illusion Realm. So..."

"I get it." Gu Yang grinned, revealing pearly white teeth.

"Whoever stops me from eating, I'll turn them into dinner."

...Night fell.

Five Elements Mansion, Star Plucking Tower.

This was the highest point in the entire Central Region. Standing here, it felt as if one could pluck the stars with their hands.

The hall was brilliantly lit. The floor was covered in deep-sea flood dragon skin, and the lights were fueled by ten-thousand-year-old mermaid oil.

Hundreds of Prodigies dressed in various Holy Land robes and possessing formidable auras were clinking glasses. The Spiritual Pressure here was even heavier than outside; those with slightly weaker cultivation found even lifting a cup to be a burden.

At the very head of the hall, several noble seats were currently empty.

The moment Saintess Feng Ni led Gu Yang through the hall doors, the noisy hall instantly went quiet for a second.

Countless Divine Senses swept over the two of them like blades and swords.

"Feng Ni of the Heavenly Phoenix Sect? Why did she bring an attendant in?"

"Looking at that build, he's probably some remnant from a fallen Body Cultivator Sect."

"What can Body Cultivators do nowadays besides being meat shields? The Five Elements Mansion of the Central Region is, in the end, the world of Spell Cultivators."

Amidst the whispers, Saintess Feng Ni remained unperturbed and led Gu Yang straight toward a seat in the front row...

"Wait."

A frivolous yet chillingly authoritative voice drifted out from a side hall. A young man wearing a dark-gold robe with a vertical mark on his brow stepped out slowly. He was followed by two elders at the Early Void Refinement Stage, and his entourage instantly overshadowed the entire room.

"Golden Dragon Heir!"

Someone cried out in surprise. This was the heir of the Golden Dragon Clan, an Immemorial Imperial Clan. His Bloodline was so noble that he could practically walk sideways through the Central Region.

The Golden Dragon Heir blocked Feng Ni's path. His gaze bypassed the Saintess and fixed directly on Gu Yang, the 'Tie Niu'.

He extended a finger and waved it dismissively.

"Feng Ni, the Star Plucking Tower is a place of elegance. Bringing in such a barbarian reeking of sweat—do you intend to spoil everyone's mood?"

He glanced at the straw sandals on Gu Yang's feet, which were still stained with stone dust from the city gate, and sneered.

"Kneel down before this Heir and crawl out. Out of respect for the Heavenly Phoenix Sect, this Heir can choose not to pursue your insolence in damaging the city gate stone."

...The previously noisy hall instantly became deathly silent.

All the Prodigies put down their wine cups, wearing playful smiles.

They wanted to see if this barbarian, who dared to shatter the Demon Suppressing Stone, could still stand when facing the Bloodline pressure of the Golden Dragon Clan.

At this moment, Gu Yang was staring at a plate of 'Emerald Jade Dragon Meat' on the table that emitted a strange fragrance, completely ignoring the Golden Dragon Heir's provocation.

"Sister Feng Ni, this meat... can I eat it?" Gu Yang turned and asked with a serious Face.

The Golden Dragon Heir's Face instantly turned the color of pig liver.

He, the dignified heir of the Dragon Clan, was actually being treated as thin air by a barbarian?

"Vile creature! This Heir is speaking to you!"

The Golden Dragon Heir suddenly stepped forward, and a terrifying Immemorial Dragon Might erupted like a tsunami. The air in the hall was instantly frozen into substance by this Divine Sense pressure.

He wanted to use his Divine Sense to directly crush Gu Yang's knees and make him kneel in public to humiliate him... However.

Within that Dragon Might, which was sufficient to crush gold and stone.

Gu Yang moved.

He didn't erupt with Divine Sense, nor did he even look up.

Just as the Dragon Might descended, his right hand slammed onto the table, and his left hand shot out like lightning, accurately seizing the Golden Dragon Heir by the throat.

"My dad said I'm heavy-handed."

Gu Yang looked up. Beneath that honest Face, an extremely brutal and fierce light flashed in his deep-purple pupils.

"But my dad didn't say I couldn't swat a fly while I'm eating."

In the instant before those two Void Refinement Stage elders could react.

Gu Yang's large hand slammed down, and the material gravity erupting from his fingers directly tore through the Golden Dragon Heir's protective divine light.

BANG————!!!

A massive sound shook the entire Star Plucking Tower.

Under the horrified gazes of all the Prodigies, that noble head of the insufferable Golden Dragon Heir was directly slammed into the marble banquet table by that barbarian with one hand!

The marble table instantly exploded, and half of the Golden Dragon Heir's body was embedded into the floor.

"Sorry about that, everyone."

Gu Yang casually picked up the plate of 'Emerald Jade Dragon Meat' that hadn't been knocked over and stuffed a piece into his mouth, smiling indistinctly at the petrified Saints and Saintesses.

"My way of saying hello is a bit enthusiastic. So... is the banquet starting? Can I start eating?"

Only now did the Spell fluctuations of those two Void Refinement Stage elders belatedly explode within the hall.

But Gu Yang had already begun studying the pot of 'Three-Thousand-Year Fire Spring' on the neighboring table.