Chapter 73 – Gu Hanfeng’s Secret, the Sealed Summit, and the Impenetrable Barrier
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Only after the terrifying Sky Demon vanished did beads of sweat begin to slide slowly down Yu Xian’s forehead.
It didn’t detect me…
Shrouded completely in demonic energy, Yu Xian had successfully hidden himself.
The Demon Heart Secret Manual actually worked—even a Sky Demon couldn’t detect him!
The Medicine King Valley… just how deep did its mysteries run?
But if this method was so effective, why didn’t those Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, or even Nascent Soul experts come here too?
Why send only weaklings?
Yu Xian frowned, then his expression changed. He quickly reached into his storage pouch.
It was nearly overflowing with items from the sixty-three people he had slain.
After rummaging through, he found only eight copies of the Demon Heart Secret Manual.
Only eight?
He killed sixty-three people, yet only eight had this secret technique?
Shouldn’t each person have had one?
Lifting his gaze to the sky, Yu Xian muttered to himself:
“Only Gu Hanfeng… only he gave this to his disciples. The others knew nothing. The rest of the Golden Core cultivators were merely sending in washed-up Qi Condensation disciples to die for a chance at treasure!”
This technique, then, was exclusive to Gu Hanfeng. Even other Golden Core or Nascent Soul elders of the Medicine King Valley had no knowledge of it.
But why?
And how could a secret art that actually fools a Sky Demon exist?
Who was Gu Hanfeng, really?
He couldn’t possibly be just a regular early-stage Golden Core elder.
Yu Xian didn’t know what Gu Hanfeng was truly planning, but he knew it wouldn’t be anything good.
Still, for now, this Demon Heart Manual had become his lifesaving shield.
Without it, the Sky Demon would’ve devoured him, no doubt.
Yu Xian—a living, breathing human—was the Sky Demon’s favorite prey.
Letting out a slow breath, Yu Xian finally dropped his hand from his mouth and relaxed slightly. After wiping the sweat from his brow, he remained still.
About half an hour later, a faint sliver of light broke across the distant horizon.
At last, Yu Xian could determine the cardinal directions.
Though sunlight couldn’t pierce through completely, he now knew which side the sun rose from—its light clearly being blocked by some formation or enchantment, allowing only a fraction to seep through.
With dawn breaking, the pitch-black clouds in the sky gained color, and the oppressive darkness began to recede.
Howls! Screeches! Roars!
From every direction came terrifying sounds—like a tide of shadows—all rushing toward the mountaintop, only to suddenly fall silent.
As full daylight arrived, all the ominous pressure, dread, and eerie stillness lifted.
Yu Xian exhaled deeply and emerged from his makeshift shelter.
Morning was the safest time, and he knew it.
Wasting no time, Yu Xian checked his direction and immediately began ascending the mountain.
Though he had seen countless demonic entities return to the summit, and knew the area above was filled with danger, he had to go.
He had to know what this place really was—whether escape was even possible.
If not, he’d simply stay here and cultivate until Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, or even Nascent Soul—and then force his way back through the teleportation array and return to Medicine King Valley.
But who knew how long that would take?
Decades? Centuries?
He still had to find his master.
He still had to return to White Cloud Sect’s inner court—and hunt down the disciple who looked so much like the one who killed the old Daoist under the Great Elm Tree.
He had to avenge that death.
So—he had to climb!
This mountain, long abandoned, had no path. Few of the Valley’s disciples ever made it here. Most either got stuck in the forests or wandered in other directions.
Brambles, cliffs, and crags littered the terrain.
But Yu Xian was used to this. He knew how to climb and maneuver through rough terrain. With practiced ease, he began making rapid progress.
The mountain wasn’t terribly tall—around 1,000 zhang.
Taking advantage of the morning calm, Yu Xian climbed like an old ape, moving swiftly. Within an hour, he reached midway up the slope.
At this point, he began to suppress his aura and proceed more cautiously.
Oddly enough, there were no demonic beasts along the way.
In fact, Yu Xian found five fifth-grade spirit herbs and even one sixth-grade spirit fruit, all unguarded.
That shouldn’t have been possible.
A moment of thought clarified it:
The terrifying Sky Demons at the summit were the reason.
Even frenzied, brainless demonic beasts still knew fear.
They understood that stepping onto this mountain meant certain death.
Once night fell, the Sky Demons hunted freely—those who wandered too close were quickly destroyed.
After two more hours of careful climbing, Yu Xian finally realized this truth.
And so, he stopped holding back.
Using the Demon Heart Secret Manual to cloak himself in demonic aura, he unleashed his physical strength and began ascending at full speed!
By midday—though sunlight was blocked by something—the mountain air grew warmer with noon’s yang energy, and the entire valley fell into silence.
Finally, with one last powerful leap, Yu Xian gripped the summit ledge and pulled himself up!
From the top, the landscape stretched endlessly. In the far distance, the edge of the land merged with the heavens—but not in the normal way.
Instead, it was as if a giant lid was covering the valley. A bowl-like heaven covered the entire realm.
This valley… was a sealed-off world!
Not a single beast or demon could leave.
What kind of terrifying formation could seal off an entire valley?
Yu Xian couldn’t even imagine what kind of supreme cultivator could achieve such a thing.
But that wasn’t his concern now.
His eyes widened in shock as he looked at the true summit.
There, floating in the center, was a giant black sphere, about the size of a small house.
It pulsed with swirling black mist, constantly releasing faint but sharp, oppressive screeches—full of misfortune and terror.
The sphere was encased within a massive transparent cube, roughly thirty meters wide, as if being forcibly suppressed.
Inside this cube weren’t just the sphere.
Yu Xian saw three glowing skeletons—all with brilliant jade bones, shining even more brightly than the one he found at the base of the mountain.
There was also a corpse—shrunken and skin-wrapped over bones, but still recognizable as a middle-aged man.
His face was twisted in agony, mouth wide open, skull cracked—as if something had escaped from inside.
Yet, incredibly, the body had not decayed.
This… was the corpse of a Nascent Soul cultivator—a true Dharma Body.
The higher a cultivator’s level, the stronger their body.
A Nascent Soul’s body could take thousands of years to rot.
And some even stronger beings—rumored to be truly immortal—left behind eternal remains, known as their True Body.
On the waists of the four corpses, Yu Xian spotted three high-grade purple storage pouches and one golden top-grade pouch.
His throat tightened at the sight.
Still, he forced his gaze away to continue observing inside.
Behind the black sphere, his eyes locked onto something shocking:
A teleportation array.
Though small—only about one meter in diameter—its complex sigils and eight-star formation made it unmistakable.
He had seen such arrays before.
It was definitely a teleportation array!
No one knew where it led.
But if it was a teleportation formation, then there was hope!
Yu Xian’s heartbeat accelerated wildly.
He didn’t climb in vain!
Heaven had not abandoned him!
Maybe some supreme cultivator had sealed this place with that massive teleportation gate—but this one, this smaller one, had to be the backdoor!
Unable to hold back, Yu Xian stepped forward and reached out to touch the transparent cube.
The moment he did, an intense frost surged into his palm, nearly freezing it solid!
Yu Xian recoiled in pain. His hand twisted and turned grey—the flesh necrotic from mere contact!
Such a terrifying barrier!
He quickly swallowed a healing pill and frowned deeply.
Four corpses. Four storage pouches.
And most importantly—the teleportation array.
He had to get inside!
Gritting his teeth, Yu Xian drew a Tier 2 magical short blade from a slain cultivator.
He steeled his will—and stabbed forward.
But it felt like stabbing into the hide of an immortal ox—no matter how hard he pushed, it wouldn’t budge.
Then, a wave of frost energy surged from the point of contact, rushing down the blade toward his hand!
Yu Xian quickly let go.
Crack!
The moment the short blade hit the ground, it shattered like fragile ice into dozens of shards!
His brow furrowed even more.
This barrier… was far beyond his strength.
How could he possibly enter?
Biting his lip, Yu Xian took out one of his prized possessions—a Tier 3 magic longsword.
Holding it with both hands, he activated the Bi-Ling Sword Art.
Whoosh!
The blade swelled to five times its length and slammed down with full power!
HUMMM~~
A deep, rumbling hum echoed.
The sword shook violently, buzzed… then—
BOOM!
It exploded into fragments!
Yu Xian was blasted back, arm numb, palm torn open.
He staggered back several steps, face pale.
Staring at the impenetrable cube, his eyes filled with despair.
What now?
He had no way to break the barrier.
