An Miao shook her head. “My mother never spoke of it. By the time I came into being, she was only a spiritual form.”
“But even as a spiritual form, even knowing my father has truly fallen, she would never give up. She’d surely go to the Divine Demon Graveyard. In fact, from then until now, she’s always wanted to go there. But the Divine Demon Graveyard vanished over a thousand years ago. Who knows how long she’ll have to wait?”
An Miao sighed, as if murmuring to herself.
Lin Xiao’s heart trembled deeply.
Ancient texts recorded that the Tianyuan Continent held several forbidden zones, some saying seven, others nine.
These zones were rumored to be the tombs of Martial Emperors, so perilous that even emperors would perish within. Another theory held that all Martial Emperors ultimately fell in these zones, their final resting place, explaining why no emperors walked the world.
The forbidden zones held great terrors.
Yet, they were also said to contain immense opportunities and profound secrets, drawing countless experts despite the risks.
These zones were shrouded in mystery, their locations unknown.
Legends claimed they existed in separate spatial realms, like the Mysterious Domain Battlefield, hidden within the continent. Every thousand years, one would appear briefly before vanishing, reemerging after seven or nine thousand years, or even longer.
The ambiguity in ancient records stemmed from one fact: no one had ever returned alive from a forbidden zone.
The Devouring Heaven Spirit Emperor proved this.
A thousand years ago, as the continent’s foremost ninth-grade spirit controller, he discovered the Divine Demon Graveyard in a hidden location. Leading a group of experts, he ventured in secretly—only to fall.
A single strand of his consciousness escaped, but its memories of the graveyard were lost. If even he couldn’t retain them, others stood no chance.
Recording the secrets of a forbidden zone was impossible.
Moreover, with their millennial appearances known only to the continent’s top figures, few were aware of them.
Knowledge of the forbidden zones was mostly speculative.
If the legends held true, and the same zone reappeared only after seven or nine thousand years, would Miao Ling’s spiritual form have to wait that long?
Could a spiritual form endure such ages?
Lin Xiao was puzzled, but it remained an enigma unless he faced her spiritual form.
An Miao reluctantly asked about the Divine Demon Graveyard, but Lin Xiao could only shake his head. The Emperor’s memories of it had vanished.
This, at least, was no lie. Beyond the Eternal Heaven Spirit Art, all the Emperor’s memories of the graveyard were gone.
Finally, An Miao waved her hand dejectedly. “So be it. Without clear records, a place where even my father fell can’t be simple. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a forbidden zone…”
“After the Mysterious Domain Battlefield, come with me to a place,” she added, looking at Lin Xiao.
“Where?” Lin Xiao’s heart chilled, a sense of foreboding rising.
“You’ll find out if you survive the battlefield,” An Miao said lightly.
Lin Xiao’s brows furrowed, already plotting excuses to slip away after the battlefield.
If he met Miao Ling, with her once-heaven-defying cultivation, she’d likely see through him instantly or outright dismiss his story, possibly even probing his memories.
Spirit controllers lacked no methods.
Facing a top-tier spirit controller, even a spiritual form, was incredibly dangerous.
“Right, to ensure I don’t fall in the Mysterious Domain Battlefield, shouldn’t you, Master An Miao, give me some life-saving means?” Lin Xiao asked cheekily.
“If you fall in a place like that, you’re not worthy of going there. No life-saving trump cards for you,” An Miao snapped, her demeanor shifting.
“And your spiritual force just broke through. Using elixirs now would be like forcing growth, harming your future. So, no breakthrough elixirs either.”
Lin Xiao opened his mouth, but An Miao cut him off, her subtle pressure radiating again, forcing him to shut up.
It seemed getting anything from An Miao was impossible. The Vice Dean’s suggestion had misfired—her mindset differed sharply.
Perhaps her high expectations, tied to the Emperor, made her withhold aid. Otherwise, she might have given a few elixirs.
An Miao then questioned him about spiritual energies, but Lin Xiao brushed it off as luck, avoiding mention of the Eternal Heaven Spirit Art.
After about an hour, Lin Xiao left her residence.
“With his spiritual energies, my strength can’t directly probe his memories to confirm. It seems only Mother can act,” An Miao sighed, watching him leave.
Lin Xiao was unaware of her thoughts but felt confident. With spiritual energies in his mind, even a low-tier sixth-grade spirit controller probing his memories would face resistance.
Against higher tiers, though, he knew he’d be defenseless, another reason to avoid Miao Ling.
From An Miao’s reactions, he sensed she mostly trusted him, given how few knew the Emperor’s and Miao Ling’s secrets.
Soon, Lin Xiao flew off the island, but as he left, he faintly felt someone watching him.
The sensation was unsettling.
It vanished quickly.
“That kid stayed with An Miao for a full hour?” On a misty peak, a striking young man stood, hands behind his back, his tone indifferent.
“Yes, Young Master Lin Mu. That kid, Lin Xiao, is the new ranking champion, with third-grade advanced spiritual force and spiritual energies. He’s likely to become Master An Miao’s disciple,” another young man replied respectfully.
“An Miao’s disciple?” A faint chill crept into the young man’s indifferent tone. “Find some weaker disciples. In the Mysterious Domain Battlefield, take him out quietly. I don’t want other men near An Miao.”
“Understood. That so-called ranking champion, with all his talents, is a joke before Young Master,” the other nodded, retreating respectfully.
…
Back at the new disciples’ courtyard, the Tianmen disciples buzzed with excitement. Yu Jingge visited, and Ma Bi and Niu Bi brought Drunken Dream Spirit Wine from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion to celebrate with Lin Xiao. The group drank into a stupor.
Many others wanted to build ties with Lin Xiao but hesitated due to threats from the Xiahou family and Mo Jiutian.
With the Vice Dean’s warning and Baili He’s oversight, no one dared touch him.
The next day, Lin Xiao gave the Mist Seven Kills technique to Hu Yue, and the group headed to their quiet cultivation zone cave dwellings.
Lin Xiao, Hu Yue, Ma Bi, and Niu Bi each received one.
In the zone, they were safe from attacks.
Entering his cave, Lin Xiao felt as if he’d stepped into an immortal’s abode. Jagged rocks lined the interior, a spiritual pool shimmered with mist, and lotuses bloomed, soothing the mind.
Most crucially, an array isolated internal and external energies, hiding breakthroughs from the outside and withstanding a low-tier Martial Venerable’s strike.
The cave was rich in Yuan force, likely infused with special materials.
It could also slowly release a Martial King Yuan Pill’s energy, avoiding the intense surge of direct consumption while ensuring ample Yuan force for long-term cultivation and comprehension.
“No wonder it’s worth 10,000 points. This cave has serious perks,” Lin Xiao muttered, impressed.
With an array for releasing Yuan Pills and defending against low-tier Martial Venerables, plus absolute protection, it was worth the cost for those needing seclusion.
Of course, top disciples received them as rewards…
“Let’s try the Yin Cold Stone!”
Opening his storage ring, Lin Xiao summoned the Green Corpse Puppet and commanded it to refine the stone.
The puppet swallowed the Yin Cold Stone, and chilling energy began emanating, so intense Lin Xiao warily confined it to a small stone chamber.
As the month passed, Lin Xiao neared a breakthrough but ran out of time. He focused entirely on mastering the Reverse Chaos Three Forms.
The third form unleashed the true might of a heaven-tier technique, barely usable at the Martial King realm.
Now, he met that threshold.
Thanks to the Emperor’s experience, mastering it in a month was feasible. It was like relearning a familiar technique, adapting his body to it.
The Emperor had stopped developing the Reverse Chaos Three Forms, having many techniques and not focusing on Yuan force.
With further progress, Lin Xiao could refine it further.
Hope gleamed in his eyes as he opened the puppet’s chamber. The puppet was in a deep slumber.
Its surface changes thrilled Lin Xiao. It was close to Martial Venerable level and would reach it once the stone was fully refined.
But it would take two to three months to complete, he estimated.
With the Mysterious Domain Battlefield looming, he stored the puppet in a separate ring.
Its chilling aura was now contained, not affecting the ring’s space.
He used a dedicated ring, as an unexpected awakening or energy surge could destroy a shared one.
Finished, Lin Xiao gazed at the cave entrance, battle intent radiating.
“Mysterious Domain Battlefield, here I come!”
With that, he strode out of the cultivation cave.
