Chapter 1530: The Sea and the Cave
Near the edge of one side of the island, there was a small mountain about seventy-odd zhang high.
The mountain occupied an area of about three to four hundred zhang. On top of this mountain was where Elder Hao and Elder Tang used to spend their time, meditating daily to recover their cultivation.
Soon, the three of them landed at the foot of this mountain peak.
Li Yan was also sizing up this mountain. The entire mountain was grayish-white, and not a single blade of grass grew on it; it appeared very smooth.
Except for some relatively flat areas on the summit, the entire mountain was a bald mountain with a somewhat rounded curve.
In addition, this mountain had another characteristic. On the side facing Li Yan and the others, the entire mountain wall, except for a narrow edge, was a large cave where lights of various colors were constantly intertwining and flashing.
Amidst the chaotic and disorderly intertwining of those lights, one could not see the scene behind them clearly. It gave one the impression of both a large mouth opened towards the sea and a passage hung with various curtains.
It was as if by passing through here, one could enter a mysterious and unknown space.
The moment Li Yan arrived here, his expression changed. This was because the entire island was filled with a complex and mixed power.
And these powers were mainly emanating from the mountain cave before him.
They gave off a feeling that was clearly different from the power of heaven and earth in the other places Li Yan had passed through before.
This place felt like a large rock had suddenly been added to the world, somewhat out of place with its surroundings.
And after these mixed powers left this island, they only spread for a certain distance before completely disappearing.
Li Yan could clearly sense that these powers did not truly disappear. Rather, after they appeared and spread, once they left the island, they would sink into the surrounding sea.
Following the direction where those powers fell, Li Yan’s eyes couldn’t help but look towards the sea.
“You’ve also sensed those powers entering the sea. After these powers enter the sea, they will disperse at an even faster rate, and in the end, no one knows where they go.”
“But in the end, some of the power should reconverge somewhere in the Earth-True Domain. When it encounters the drifting Divine Sense of the Dream Return Ant, it will form a one-way traction channel, pulling people from the outside in!”
“The Third Elder and I have entered the seabed below countless times, but we can’t find the true bottom at all. We only sense these powers scattering in all directions, without any discernible pattern!”
“You can also go into the seabed to have a look. There’s no danger, but remember not to dive beyond one hundred thousand zhang, otherwise you might get lost.”
“But I don’t recommend you do so. If you get lost inside, it will be very difficult for me to find you.”
“Actually, if you explore the surrounding area, you can see a lot of things. But you must remember not to try to enter the mountain cave ahead.”
“You can use your soul power or magical power to investigate, but once you enter, even I might not be able to save you. Those chaotic powers will instantly grind you into nothingness!”
“Li Yan, you must remember what I’ve said. In the time to come, I need to cooperate with Lan Feng to construct the formation, and it’s impossible for me to look after you at all times,” Elder Hao said.
He knew that once someone sensed where those powers emanating from here disappeared, they would definitely want to investigate further.
So he directly stated the result and gave a warning at the same time.
“This junior understands. Thank you for the reminder, Senior!”
Li Yan quickly bowed.
After Great Master Lan landed at the foot of the mountain, a green formation compass appeared in her hand. The moment the compass appeared, the pointer on it began to spin ceaselessly.
Great Master Lan paid no attention to the two of them. She then took the compass and began to search around, from time to time flying up into the air and stopping at a certain spot in front of the cave to observe carefully.
After Elder Hao had reminded and warned Li Yan, and seeing that Li Yan had taken it to heart, he then turned his attention to Great Master Lan’s side.
Li Yan, after acknowledging, stood where he was and also looked at the mountain cave ahead.
He was clear about his responsibility, which was to ensure that those who entered could return safely. His other abilities were probably of no help here.
If they needed other experts to help, a single Body Integration cultivator would be enough. In terms of cultivation, formations, experience, and so on, he couldn’t even hope to catch up.
If that wasn’t enough, there were still many Void Refining Realm experts in the sect. Breaking through restrictions was not his turn.
However, since Li Yan had come, he naturally had to take a good look at the location of the greatest secret in the Soul-Suppression Palace.
Li Yan stood at the foot of the mountain, about a hundred zhang away from the cave ahead, and did not move forward casually.
Standing here, he could already feel that the intertwining lights of various colors at the mouth of the cave ahead were like sharp blades that could cut through heaven and earth.
It seemed that if anyone were to touch them, they would likely be killed in an instant, and probably not even their soul would be spared.
In fact, without Elder Hao’s warning, the moment Li Yan saw this cave entrance, one dangerous feeling after another arose in the bottom of his heart.
At the same time, from the depths of his heart, a voice repeated over and over again.
“Leave, leave this place, quick! Quickly…”
This was a sharp, instinctive reaction to danger that he had developed after experiencing countless life-and-death situations.
Li Yan endured the various uneasy feelings and the violent palpitations in his heart. He stood amidst a pile of rubble, and without any visible movement, an invisible, cold soul power formed between his eyebrows and, in the next moment, shot towards the cave entrance ahead.
“Tss!”
At a certain spot among the flashing lights of various colors in front of the cave entrance, a puff of white smoke suddenly appeared. At the same time, Li Yan’s figure in the distance trembled violently, followed by a violent shake.
A violent turmoil appeared in his Divine Soul. He had wanted to use his soul power to investigate what was behind those lights, to see what was inside the cave.
So, he had used his strongest soul power, the Power of the Cold Moon, right from the start.
However, the soul power he shot out was like hitting a thick wall the moment it came into contact with those flashing lights. It was instantly crushed to pieces by the power on them.
His “Saintly Soul Transformation Art” had already been cultivated to the Spirit Transformation Realm, and his power was one to two times stronger than that of an ordinary Spirit Transformation Realm soul cultivator, but it was like an ant trying to shake a tree—weak and pitifully so.
The commotion here attracted Elder Hao’s attention. He only glanced at Li Yan, and a slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Then, he turned his attention back to Great Master Lan’s side.
He didn’t mean to laugh at Li Yan. Even if a Qi Condensation stage cultivator were standing here, if they knew that this place might be a passage to the outside world…
…they would definitely try to use their own methods to investigate. Curiosity and instinct—all sentient beings would do so.
After his attack failed, Li Yan only pondered for a moment. Then, he immediately raised a hand again and waved it forward forcefully.
Immediately, a large black broadsword with rings appeared in the void. A cold, chilling light flashed on the blade, and the broadsword, with a sound of breaking air, chopped towards the cave entrance ahead.
Of course, in order not to affect Great Master Lan, who was also investigating at the cave entrance, Li Yan chose to attack the edge of the cave entrance.
Moreover, this cave entrance was more than three hundred zhang wide, which seemed big enough.
Most importantly, what Elder Hao had just said was that he could investigate as he pleased. He naturally felt that as long as Li Yan himself did not approach the mountain cave, he could do as he pleased.
Elder Hao could be said to be very familiar with this place. He was fully aware of the power of the forces at the cave entrance. Even if he and Elder Tang attacked the mountain cave together, they would not be able to completely break the restriction and force their way in.