Cloud Palace, your secret treasure vault has grown legs and run away.

This place called the Inverted Yang Spring was not some forsaken land of barren mountains and turbulent waters; rather, it was surrounded by verdant rivers and graceful peaks, pure yang immortal energy swirling within, casting hues of nine-fold color, presenting a scene of celestial beauty in the mortal world. And yet, amid such magnificence, there was a scarcity of living creatures—the only beings roaming freely were the insects.

Once, the ancestor at the Nascent Soul stage from the Cloud Heaven Palace had set a barrier here, deterring all creatures from approaching. But now, that mysterious and mighty Nascent Soul technique had already vanished without a trace.

From the great lake, a vaporous aura rose, billowing high into the air. When the celestial gale swept through, the vapor instantly took on form—a vague silhouette, dragon-like yet not a dragon. As the shadow twisted and turned, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged violently; from above, the power of the stars occasionally cascaded down, the energies of the heavens flickering into view—yet none could suppress this figure any longer.

For the being had concealed its true form within a large, blue-brown stone. At this moment, atop that stone stood a hazy figure. Strangely, the longer one gazed at this figure, the more one felt, in a dreamy daze, as if three great mountains were before their eyes—three mountains black as ink, covered with countless minute and cryptic symbols, holding up the sky.

That dragon-like shadow was borrowing the power of this figure’s “Phantom Mountain” to break free of its bonds, ascending at last from its prison like a dragon soaring to the heavens.

A mighty roar rang out—a dragon’s cry that seemed to echo from ancient times, shaking the very fabric of heaven and earth.

The dragon-shadow was, without doubt, overjoyed. But not everyone was so pleased.

It was Xiao Qingpei who found himself less than delighted.

At this moment, his face was blank, and only one thought echoed in his mind: Was the Inverted Yang Spring… alive?

Uncertain what lay beneath him, Xiao Qingpei hadn’t even considered stowing away his magical treasures. The system’s gifts, though their names and functions were odd, were certainly reliable in terms of substance. Thanks to the power of the Three Mountains within him, Xiao Qingpei could not move, yet he possessed the strength of the mountains themselves—weighty beyond measure.

Invulnerable as diamond!

The violent upheaval of spiritual energy around him, which could have shattered a Foundation Establishment cultivator in an instant, left Xiao Qingpei entirely unscathed. In fact, the raging energy, as it cycled through his body’s immortal power, was instead refined and absorbed, further advancing his cultivation.

So, though not exactly happy, Xiao Qingpei could still find amusement amid adversity.

“At least I’m not holding seven Honest Gold Cores in my hand,” he mused. Otherwise, if he didn’t use those seven treasures to suppress some snake or scorpion demon, it would seem a waste!

In this short span, his cultivation had risen from the first to the second level of Foundation Establishment. Were it not for this, he wouldn’t have the heart for such wry amusement. For any cultivator, rapid advancement in cultivation was always cause for joy.

Suddenly, Xiao Qingpei was seized by an intense sense of falling. Unaware of what was happening, he could only let himself plummet, the power of the three “Honest Gold Cores” still active.

With a thunderous crash, he landed face-first into the earth, so startled that he hastily withdrew his treasures—only to find, to his surprise, that he was not only unhurt, but not even scratched.

No time to marvel at the “Honest Gold Cores,” Xiao Qingpei looked around and found himself in a place where kitchen smoke curled nearby.

He had landed in a village, the surroundings fairly level, with only low hills covered in bamboo. Yet the bamboo forest seemed to have been partially severed by something—while the trunks below remained intact, all the upper branches and leaves had vanished.

Xiao Qingpei immediately realized this was the work of the passing Inverted Yang Spring.

“Did it feel the burden of the Three Mountains on its back was too much, and so threw me here?” he guessed, but soon saw the futility of such speculation. Stepping onto a cloud, he released his spiritual sense to search the area.

Xiao Qingpei’s spiritual sense was stronger than most at his level. Soon, he detected traces of a county town nearby—a place where the activities of many people left distinct marks. The overlapping trails suggested there was more than one county in the area. Xiao Qingpei chose the one with the most people.

A populous county usually meant prosperity. After all, if it were impoverished, its people would have long since fled.

Such a place would also make it easier for Xiao Qingpei to gather basic information, and with greater accuracy.

There were many dynasties in this world.

Yet all these dynasties shared one thing in common—the common people had only a fragmentary understanding of the world, knowing only what their rulers wished or allowed them to know.

For those who traveled for business or as escorts, this was enough—they needed only to know which roads were safe and what tolls to pay.

But for Xiao Qingpei, a cultivator who could traverse the skies in a few days and cross an entire dynasty, this was far from sufficient.

Descending on a cloud of gray-blue mist, Xiao Qingpei made no attempt to hide his presence. At once, the soldiers guarding the city gate were thrown into shock.

“Greetings, Immortal Master!” Near the gate, a hundred-household commander who had been resting in the shade hurried over to salute, having seen Xiao Qingpei’s descent.

The title startled Xiao Qingpei, for the post of hundred-household commander, though it sounded ordinary, was a position entitled to the support of a hundred households. This meant that in this county alone, there must be at least a thousand families.

It was, in fact, the most populous county Xiao Qingpei had ever seen.

Judging by the commander’s attire, Xiao Qingpei quickly deduced where the Inverted Yang Spring had brought him.

“The Great Zhou Dynasty?”

He was somewhat dumbfounded—for the Great Zhou was tens of thousands of miles from the Cloud Heaven Palace! As for the original location of the Inverted Yang Spring, that was even more distant!

Even a monkey would have to somersault several times to cover such a distance!

Did that thing really move so fast?

It was hard for Xiao Qingpei to believe, as he felt only a few breaths’ time had passed.

At that moment, the commander spoke: “This is indeed the Great Zhou Dynasty! May I ask what immortal resources you seek here, Immortal Master? Not long ago, several immortals passed through, so our county’s stores are somewhat depleted. But rest assured, Lord Dong has already sent word to the court; within two or three days, the supplies will be replenished!”

“Then I shall wait a few days,” Xiao Qingpei replied, following his lead—for he needed some plausible reason for his presence.

After all, the Great Zhou was under the protection of the Immortal Distant Prefecture.