Master of Strange Dao

Having left the boundaries of the Jinlan Mountain Forbidden Land, they traveled southwest towards the Wilderness.

This time, they did not board a Flying Boat but walked across the land.

Yu Ziqing donned a long robe and a large hat, and ever since they left home, Old Yang's once dazzling white wool had turned black.

With their disguise, a fourth-tier Body Cultivation practitioner and a Black Mountain Sheep capable of speech claimed to be from the Seventh Floor, an identity that would not easily be revealed.

Once, after the death of No.7, who controlled the Outer Seventh Floor,

and No.3, the High Priest of the White Sun Evil Cult,

the Seventh Floor, in the eyes of outsiders, had completely vanished, with every member in hiding.

Yu Ziqing did indeed possess what seemed to be a roster, but he had no desire to get involved with the Outer Seventh Floor.

All Outer Seventh Floor members, if killed on the spot, might unjustly die; yet if he hesitated, many would surely escape.

That place, filled with Human Traffickers and members of the Evil Dao, was nothing short of a cesspool.

Yu Ziqing wanted nothing to do with it.

Once he had some free time, he would decipher what appeared to be a roster and examine what sort of people it contained.

His Refining God had reached the latter stage of the fourth tier, making it ideal to test his Divine Skills on those weaker yet abounding in malevolence.

The first experimentation of the Divine Skills came with enhancements, holding a meaning only in envisioning the future, offering little in practical reference, though his current strength meant he would not be nearly as powerful when using retribution.

Portraying the Seventh Floor duo, Yu Ziqing and Old Yang restrained their powers, relying purely on the strength of their physical bodies to sprint across the earth.

After several days, the surrounding snow became less and less, with patches of bare ground emerging, starting to become muddy.

As they ventured onward, the snow vanished, but the ground grew increasingly sodden, revealing corpses of animals from time to time protruding from the mire.

The stench of decay mingled with the heavy vapor, over time turning into poisonous miasma, hovering above the swamp.

Massive clouds of fog mixed with the miasma, making it difficult to see far even in broad daylight.

"This place is already nearing the outer edge of the Silver Lake Forbidden Land; to avoid detection, we must travel on the ground."

Old Yang offered this reminder, dispatching a concealed demon in the swamp with a single stomp.

Seeing it, Yu Ziqing noted the demon appeared crocodilian, yet with a decayed human head.

"I understand."

The deeper they went, the more demons they encountered, and all these demons seemed afflicted with both toxic and radiative damage.

Of lesser grade, merely one or two-tier little demons, yet each appeared grislier than the last.

Crossing another small lake, upon landing, Yu Ziqing sensed something underground.

Two withered hands reached out from the moist soil, grabbing Yu Ziqing's leg.

Their sharp nails exerted pressure, seemingly attempting to break his skin and slice his flesh.

Yu Ziqing frowned slightly, then gently stomped his foot, breaking the two hands into a dozen pieces, a zombie covered in white fur surfaced from below, its bones shattered.

The undead still attempted an attack.

Old Yang emitted a cloud of Evil Qi, spraying it over the white-haired zombie's face, which quivered a few times before growing still.

"Three-tier demons have already appeared, so we're almost at the outer perimeter of the Silver Lake Forbidden Land."

"Isn't there a clear boundary here?"

"Where would one find a clear boundary? Did you assume even the Jinlan Mountain Forbidden Land had defined limits?

According to their delineation, anywhere within a hundred to two hundred miles from the outer locust forest is considered within the Jinlan Mountain Forbidden Land.

Our unique circumstances made the boundaries appear distinct.

Other forbidden lands lack clear boundaries altogether."

Yu Ziqing smacked his lips, realizing he'd asked a somewhat silly question; no one in this desolate place would undertake surveying.

Encountering third-tier demons served as a convenient enough boundary to mark entry into the Silver Lake Forbidden Land's perimeter.

"Let's keep moving forward; there's no waiting around for that old fellow here."

In this miasma-filled, demon-tainted swamp, they continued onward for two more days until they reached an area littered with disorderly stones, where they waited.

After one day.

Feng Buju arrived, standing three feet off the ground on a green plantain leaf, drifting in from outside.

His eyes were covered with black cloth, and when he passed the stone heap where Yu Ziqing and Old Yang were, he paid them no mind and drifted further inside.

Yu Ziqing fell silent, realizing this guy genuinely acted blind; claiming not to see, he truly saw nothing.

He couldn't understand what restrictions back then allowed Feng Buju such loophole exploitation.

Yu Ziqing, with Old Yang in tow, discreetly followed behind.

The green plantain leaf under Feng Buju's feet emitted an aura that made nearby demons avoid them from afar, allowing an untroubled passage.

Reaching a pond, Feng Buju created a protective shield before gradually descending into its waters.

Down at the pond's bottom, following the tunnel to a cavern, they saw a Big Array functioning normally.

A Divine Light chain, as thick as a human waist, shot out from within the Big Array, extending into the mountain wall.

Feng Buju examined the Big Array and then flew out again, spending two to three days checking the remaining three hidden Big Arrays one by one.

After completing this, he turned and left, not sparing a glance or word for Yu Ziqing.

Leaving Yu Ziqing and Old Yang gazing at each other in bewilderment.

"What curse do you think they cast back then to force him into such compliance?"

"There are many methods; never underestimate those spells. Exploiting loopholes may come easy, but triggering them has serious consequences, and he's already taking big risks."

"Shall we get started?"

"No rush, I glanced at the arrays; the core must be in Silver Lake. For him to act so freely, I wager it's securely sealed, suppressed beneath the lake.

Let's use this environment for cultivation first; I need to pass a Heavenly Tribulation here."

"Are you going to transform?" Yu Ziqing considered this the only possibility.

"It's somewhat different; you'll know when the time comes, and you can tag along too.

Now that you've reached the Blood Sea Realm, with Qi-Blood stable and solid foundation, your basic Body Refining Cultivation is no problem anymore. Take this opportunity to cultivate a Dharma Method based on your current Body Refinement level.

Given your present Body Refinement, sharing in the Heavenly Tribulation will not kill you, offering huge benefits."

"..."

Yu Ziqing furrowed his brow, looking exasperated.

Since when could one merely share in a Heavenly Tribulation?

Hadn't they said before that tribulations here were especially easy to trigger and extremely dangerous?

So Old Yang's plan was purposely to induce a Heavenly Tribulation here?

Couldn't these bigshots behave a little more normally?