Chapter 198: Celestial Phenomena

"Junior Brother Che..."

The cultivator surnamed Du nodded in greeting and glanced outside the grand hall. "Junior Brother Xuanyu will be here shortly with the others. The array has been activated, so feel free to go on ahead, Junior Brother Che."

...

Two steep cliffs framed a vast, flat stone valley. Beneath the eastern cliff lay a stone hall, its hollowed-out structure merging almost seamlessly with the dark rock, exuding an ancient aura of unknown age.

Several cultivators dressed in the robes of the Shangyuan Tranquility Palace bustled in and out of the stone hall, their expressions tense, moving with haste as if awaiting something.

Suddenly, the stone hall trembled faintly, and everyone stopped in their tracks. A Foundation Building Realm cultivator said in a low voice, "The teleportation has started. Stand ready!"

Everyone quickly lined up on either side of the hall’s entrance, standing respectfully with hands clasped, waiting in silence.

Inside, faint lights flickered, illuminating the vast hall where a single ancient teleportation array stood.

The light grew increasingly bright, nearly blinding.

Then, as the light pulsed, a person in a pale-blue Daoist robe emerged, wearing a relaxed expression and walking steadily.

Seeing the newcomer, the cultivators standing respectfully outside the hall exchanged glances. To use an ancient teleportation array and remain so at ease, this must be a Golden Core cultivator. Yet they didn’t recognize this person from their own sect’s Golden Core seniors. Could this be a newly advanced senior?

The leading Foundation Building cultivator acted quickly, bowing deeply without hesitation. "Disciple Cao You of Shangyuan Tranquility Palace greets the Senior."

The others soon followed, bowing respectfully. Whoever was capable of crossing over through the array, if not a senior of their sect, must be an esteemed ally, and calling them "Senior" couldn’t go wrong.

Che Yutao gave a slight nod and, with a flash, entered the valley to wait for the others to emerge.

Soon, more people began filing out of the hall, and upon seeing their robes, the disciples of Shangyuan Tranquility Palace realized that these were senior uncles and senior aunts from Shaohua Mountain.

Yet, as the Shaohua Mountain disciples emerged from the ancient teleportation array, it made for an almost comedic sight.

Foundation Building cultivators fared somewhat better, though they wore strained expressions and staggered slightly. Once they entered the valley, they each hurried to sit cross-legged and meditated briefly to ease the discomfort caused by the teleportation.

The Qi Refining Realm disciples, however, were worse off. Their faces were deathly pale, their eyes dazed, and they stumbled, barely able to hold themselves upright. Those managing to remain steady showed remarkable willpower.

Some found their legs giving out, collapsing to the ground with a thud, then lying there, vomiting from the sheer strain of the journey.

Qin Sang exited last, feeling better than the others. The Jade Buddha protected his soul, lessening the impact of the teleportation, though his body still ached from the spatial pressure.

Recalling the dizzying chaos of the teleportation, he felt a lingering unease.

This array had only spanned the Small Cold Domain; it was said that ancient teleportation arrays once crossed the entire Immortal Cultivation Realm, likely causing even greater discomfort.

Qin Sang walked briskly to the edge of the valley, found a clean corner, cycled through his cultivation art twice, and restored himself. Only then did he look up with curiosity.

This was the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

The ancient teleportation array of Shangyuan Tranquility Palace was positioned in a hidden realm on the outskirts of the battlefield. This realm had been fully explored, its dangers removed, and its barriers controlled by the Shangyuan Tranquility Palace.

In the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, there were numerous such hidden realms and relic sites. Many sects chose not to destroy these realms after exploring them, but instead, controlled the barriers, claiming these ancient sites as assets.

Each hidden realm offered unique benefits.

Even those with sparse spiritual power, though seemingly of little use, could serve as sanctuaries for disciples entering the battlefield.

Some hidden realms preserved the environment of the ancient Immortal Cultivation Realm. After various sects claimed these realms, they cultivated spiritual herbs within, allowing them to grow faster than they would outside.

Not to mention, many of these relic sites contained herb gardens originally tended by ancient cultivators. The Dragon Ginseng that Qin Sang had used to advance to Foundation Building was discovered in one such herb garden.

The cliffs on either side blocked his view.

Qin Sang was curious about what the Ancient Immortal Battlefield truly looked like and considered flying up for a better look. But when he saw Che Yutao standing motionless nearby, he decided against it.

Even so, the peculiar sight in that narrow strip of sky hinted at the mysteries of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

On the left side of the sky, snowflakes swirled in a vast white expanse, while on the right, yellow sandstorms raged.

The blizzards and sandstorms collided along a distinct boundary line in the sky, each surging endlessly into the other’s territory.

The clash of these forces displayed the terrifying might of nature, yet a faint barrier appeared intermittently in mid-air, holding steady under the impact of snow and sand, keeping them firmly outside and offering a sense of reassurance.

Before long, both phenomena vanished simultaneously, and the barrier flickered briefly before fading away.

In an instant, the blizzards and dust storms disappeared, replaced by a blazing sun that beat down from a cloudless blue sky, filling the air with intense heat.

This is the kind of strange and unpredictable phenomenon that characterized the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

The Shangyuan Tranquility Palace cultivators had grown accustomed to this scene, while the Shaohua Mountain disciples, experiencing it for the first time, were left awestruck.

Just then, another group emerged from the stone hall—rogue cultivators.

Qin Sang noticed that these rogue cultivators were of relatively low cultivation, most in the eighth or ninth stage of the Qi Refining Realm.

He understood their situation. Unlike Shaohua Mountain disciples, who could be assigned a Foundation Building Pill if they met the sect’s standards, rogue cultivators lacking talent had to secure a Foundation Building Pill on their own or seek out miraculous opportunities to change their fates. They had to begin planning for these from the outset.

Fortune favored the bold.

The opportunities in the Yuncang Marshlands fell short of those in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. Staying in Yuncang Marshlands meant safety, yes, but it also meant that the hope of reaching Foundation Building would be slim, left entirely to fate.

If I haven't achieved Foundation Building myself, would I too have risked everything, like these rogue cultivators?

Qin Sang sighed quietly.

These rogue cultivators fared worse than the Shaohua Mountain disciples, visibly weakened by the ancient teleportation array. The lower-level ones, in particular, looked pitiful, nearly vomiting out their insides, and a foul stench quickly filled the valley.

Che Yutao, frowning at the chaotic scene, sent a voice transmission to the highest-ranked disciple of Shangyuan Tranquility Palace, "When Daoist Xuanyu arrives, inform him that I’m going ahead without waiting."

Then, Che Yutao cast his gaze over the Shaohua Mountain disciples and said, "I will take you all to Xuanlu Stronghold. Those who wish to stay on the battlefield, step aside."

"Senior Uncle Che, we wish to remain here..."

Several Foundation Building cultivators stepped forward one after another. This wasn’t their first time here; they had come this time prepared to risk everything, with no intent to train peacefully. They had already decided to head straight into the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.