While climbing upward, Tian Fangfang said, “I once heard someone say that Laojun taught people to use wooden drills to bore stone discs. After drilling for forty-seven years, the stone was finally worn through, and he achieved enlightenment and ascended to immortality. If we keep climbing up like this, might we become immortals along the way?”

Zanxing laughed: “What beautiful thoughts. Besides, if we became immortals, what would happen to Duzhou’s flood disaster? Don’t forget we didn’t come here to become immortals.”

Tian Fangfang thought for a moment and asked tentatively: “Then, how about you take the immortal method back while I stay here to become an immortal? Maybe when I reach the upper realm, I could even request to stay as an immortal official, looking after our people in daily affairs.”

Zanxing almost laughed out loud: “Why don’t you talk about returning home in glory while you’re at it?”

“Then the saint statue at the Taiyan Sect’s gate would have to be replaced,” Tian Fangfang dared to dream, paying no mind to what expression Shaoyang Zhenren might have upon hearing this.

While joking, everyone’s pace slowed slightly.

The higher up Jianmu they climbed, the denser the branches and leaves became, making the ascent increasingly difficult. Looking up, the vast sky seemed endless, as if they could climb for thousands of years without reaching the end. At first, everyone was in the mood to talk, but eventually, to preserve their elemental power, they rarely spoke to conserve their strength.

Some disciples with insufficient cultivation gradually fell behind. Jianmu’s tree shade was deep, concealing everything around them.

After an unknown amount of time, Mimi at the very front let out a roar.

The tree branches shook, rustling from the beast’s cry. Zanxing pushed aside the green shade before her eyes and saw endless pale-colored clouds and mist.

Countless clouds flowed, misty and ethereal, gathering and dispersing beneath their feet in endless swirls. Within the clouds and mist, connecting to Jianmu’s crown, was a gray-white stone bridge.

This stone bridge was very long, hidden in the sea of clouds, making everything around seem like a floating immortal realm. At the bridge’s end, a corner of the palace halls was faintly visible.

“This is…” Zanxing looked at the palace halls appearing and disappearing in the clouds and mist. “The real Golden Gate Ruins?”

“This is the Golden Gate Ruins?” Mendong’s eyes lit up. His cultivation wasn’t as high as the others, and despite Shaoyang Zhenren’s help, he was still panting heavily. He looked ahead and hesitated: “Should we cross the bridge?”

As soon as he finished speaking, a silver shadow had already darted onto the stone bridge. Mimi ran to the very front, seemingly dissatisfied that everyone hadn’t immediately followed. It stood on the stone bridge, looking back at Zanxing’s group, letting out urging low growls.

“Let’s cross the bridge,” Shaoyang Zhenren said.

The group then got on the bridge.

This stone bridge was very strange, with no support around it anywhere, as if floating above the sea of clouds. Walking on it felt like being in the ninth heaven, naturally giving an ethereal, unreal sensation.

Zanxing walked behind, looking toward the palace halls ahead.

It wasn’t her imagination – that aura identical to the Xiaoyuan Pearl was becoming increasingly intense, like a drop of stream water encountering a vast ocean, eager to merge into it.

Bujiang’s steps paused slightly as she looked at Zanxing with concern and asked: “Are you feeling unwell?”

Gu Baiying looked toward her.

Zanxing shook her head: “No. Perhaps I’m just tired from fighting Gui Yansheng earlier.”

Bujiang nodded and reminded her, “When we enter the halls later, don’t act rashly. Let those old things scout ahead.” She snorted: “That bunch of bastards who only know how to follow behind others and pick up scraps should finally contribute some effort.”

Zanxing: “…Alright.”

After walking for about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the stone bridge reached its end. Mu Cengxiao, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped. Zanxing heard his voice calling out: “There’s something here!”

Something? Zanxing walked forward and saw that Mu Cengxiao was looking at the end of the stone bridge.

At the end of the stone bridge sat a huge boulder. This stone was a large black square rock that looked like it had been randomly moved from some village entrance – ugly and completely out of place with the ethereal sea of clouds.

On that Heishi, carved forcefully with a sword, was a line of large characters:

“Duzhou’s First Handsome Invincible Sword Cultivator, Taiyan Sect Leader, Yushan Great Hero was here.” Next to it was drawn a comical old man’s face.

The person who carved these characters probably very much wanted to make the writing appear elegant and extraordinary, but unfortunately, their ability was truly limited. The characters were crooked and twisted, yet seemed familiar. When Zanxing saw the old man’s face drawn beside it, she was stunned.

This… wasn’t this the old man’s face from the “Peerless Heart Sutra”!

Zanxing wasn’t the only one shocked – everyone around looked equally incredulous. Rongshuang frowned: “Shengren…”

The identity of the person who carved these characters was written clearly and plainly: “Taiyan Sect Leader Yushan Great Hero.” The Taiyan Sect had only one Yushan Shengren.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

Fu Ronghua instinctively looked at Shaoyang Zhenren: “Zhenren, this is your sage’s relic?”

Shaoyang Zhenren remained silent, which essentially meant he acknowledged it.

Mendong stroked his chin: “I heard my master say that the sage in his youth was frivolous and extremely fond of leaving calligraphy and paintings everywhere. So it was true.”

“This can be called calligraphy and painting?” Lingxin Daoren blurted out. “Even chicken claws dipped in ink and scratched a few times would write better than this!”

Shaoyang Zhenren glanced at him indifferently.

Bujiang spoke with confusion: “Shaoyang, didn’t Yushan Shengren ascend to immortality a hundred years ago? Why are there also his relics here? Could it be he came to the Golden Gate Ruins before ascending? If he came here, why does no one in your Taiyan Sect know the location of the Golden Gate Ruins?”

If the Taiyan Sect had even the slightest bit of information about the Golden Gate Ruins, they wouldn’t have traveled thousands of miles to Heishi City to humble themselves.

Shaoyang Zhenren said, “I don’t know about the sage’s affairs.”

“How can you not know?” Rongshuang stared into his eyes. “When Yushan Shengren ascended, only you were present.”

When Yushan Shengren ascended, no one else saw it, but there were indeed strange phenomena in the sky above Gufeng Mountain at that time. The only witness was Shaoyang Zhenren.

Zanxing also looked at Shaoyang Zhenren. She truly hadn’t expected that the “Peerless Heart Sutra” she had obtained by accident in the treasure land was written by Yushan Shengren. To be fair, Yushan Shengren was indeed a remarkable person. For an ordinary person to create their cultivation method marked them as a once-in-a-millennium genius in the cultivation world. His “Peerless Heart Sutra” had brought her out of the Extreme Ice Abyss, awakened her Heavenly Demon bloodline, and allowed her to restart on a new path that no one else had walked. In some ways, it was truly unprecedented and unrepeatable.

Perhaps Duzhou would never again have such a person, nor would there be a second “Peerless Heart Sutra.”

However, at the time, Zanxing had felt that as a “destined person,” obtaining that cultivation method with Mimi’s help and thus finding a path to life in a desperate situation was truly fortunate in misfortune – the luckiest coincidence since she had come to this place.

But now, learning that this cultivation method was written by Yushan Shengren, Zanxing suddenly wasn’t so certain.

Was this just a coincidence?