Before him stood a divine mountain that towered into the clouds.
A massive mountain pass gate stood at the base of the mountain, covered in countless obscure and mystical runes. These runes were not the script of the current era, but they emitted a unique aura that was especially mysterious in its own right. On one side of the mountain pass gate, there was a large stone slab about the height of a person, bearing a few large words.
These words were also not written in the script of the current age, but they could be vaguely recognized.
Rongshan Sect.
Turns out that this ancient ruin was the location of the sect once known as the Rongshan Sect.
Chen Chao looked up, and from the mountain pass gate, a stone-paved path extended into the mountain, disappearing into the clouds and mist, vanishing without a trace.
In the distant mountains, colorful clouds enveloped the scenery, countless pavilions hidden within the mist, appearing and disappearing. One could even faintly hear the melody of Great Dao echoing in this place.
It was as if this was a true immortal realm, or even a divine kingdom.
Compared to the places surrounded by white mist he had seen earlier, the mountain pass gate of this Rongshan Sect was truly in a league of its own.
Looking at the colossal divine mountain before him, Chen Chao recalled the cemetery he had visited before, with the skeletons he had seen. If this was indeed the true mountain pass gate of the Rongshan Sect, then whether was it the cemetery earlier, or the lakes and plains he had walked through, they were all clearly a part of this sect. However, they must have been the outermost regions.
Just these areas alone were already enormous, making the Rongshan Sect's sect territory vast; even larger than any sect in the current age. This might indirectly prove that the Rongshan Sect had been a major sect of its time, perhaps producing numerous powerhouses that were renowned throughout the world.
But, since this ancient sect was so powerful, why would it be destroyed?
Judging from the mountain pass gate, it was still considered well-preserved. It did not have any connection with sudden destruction.
Chen Chao was filled with questions. He had originally thought that he was being guided here to see the young girl again, but he had not expected to arrive in front of this mountain pass gate.
This was not where the young girl was.
Chen Chao fell into silence for a moment, then exhaled a mouthful of white mist. The white mist instantly dissipated here, leaving no trace.
It was as if the white mist could not exist in this place at all.
After a moment of silence, Chen Chao walked towards the mountain pass gate.
Since he had come all this way, he naturally had to take a look.
As he stepped into the mountain pass gate, Chen Chao's expression suddenly turned somewhat ugly. If the white mist was only suppressing his cultivation before, it was much more than that now that he had entered this mountain pass gate. He even felt as if a massive boulder had been placed on his shoulders, making every step he took more difficult than usual.
But fortunately, apart from this, he did not feel any other discomfort.
Chen Chao furrowed his brow slightly. The pressure on his body was not a major issue for him. He had tempered his body countless times, how could his body be destroyed by this bit of pressure?
Walking along the mountain path, he really wanted to take a good look at this divine mountain's true appearance.
On both sides of the mountain path, there were countless flowers and plants emitting incredible fragrances. Just a whiff of these fragrances made one feel incredibly comfortable all over their body.
These should be some kind of medicinal herbs, but because they had existed for far too long, they had already become as valuable as immortal herbs.
Chen Chao wanted to bend down and pick some to take with him, but after some thought, he decided to do that on his way down the mountain later.
He kept walking towards the mountain. After an unknown amount of time, an ancient spring suddenly appeared before him. It was a tiny mountain spring to the side of the mountain path. It was incredibly clear, with some fallen leaves floating on the spring water.
"What kind of spring is this? Why is there such a strong fragrance?"
Previously, he had smelled those medicinal herbs and felt incredibly comfortable all over his body. Now, smelling the fragrance of this spring water, Chen Chao knew that this spring water must be extraordinary too.
This was where the Rongshan Sect's mountain pass gate was located, this ancient spring must be extraordinary.
Without hesitation, Chen Chao bent down and started taking large gulps.
This ancient spring had existed for who knows how many years. At this moment, Chen Chao prone on the ground and quickly consumed all of its water.
It was very difficult for cultivators to be poisoned to death, especially someone like Chen Chao with such a tough body. He practically feared no toxins. Faced with this ancient spring at this moment, Chen Chao was not afraid either.
After drinking the spring water with large gulps, Chen Chao felt no different. He only felt a somewhat warm sensation throughout his body, and his spirit became even more vibrant.
Glancing at this ancient spring, Chen Chao noticed that water was still bubbling up at the spring's source non-stop. He furrowed his brow but realized it was not anything special. But, he was not too disappointed either. After a moment, he continued on his way toward the mountain.
As he traveled along the mountain path, it grew steeper, but the pressure on his body remained unchanged. The medicinal herbs lining the sides of the path were truly too fragrant that they made him forget his fatigue. Before long, Chen Chao arrived at the end of the stone steps.
He found himself standing in an immensely vast square. At the far end of the square, there stood a magnificent palace. The palace was tall and grand, constructed from massive stone blocks. It exuded the weight of history and antiquity. Because it was so tall, the upper half of the palace was shrouded in colorful clouds, making it look like a palace built in the heavens.
What left Chen Chao most stunned was that countless cultivators were sitting cross-legged on that plaza.
Yes, Chen Chao could tell with one glance that these people were cultivators.
Countless cultivators were seated on the square, all of them with their eyes tightly shut. There was no sign of life flowing from their bodies. They seem to have already died many years ago, yet at the same time, it seemed like they had not died. Instead, they had sunk into bitter cultivation. When a gentle breeze passed by, their hair even swayed gently, and some of their robes even moved slightly too.
But the entire square was incredibly silent, devoid of any vitality.
Chen Chao felt a very bizarre atmosphere.
Everything before his eyes seemed to convey that on some day in the distant past, these cultivators gathered here for meditation. However, as they entered meditation, they never woke up again.
What kind of existence could silently cause the deaths of so many people without them being prepared at all?
It was as if, at that time, someone merely glanced over here, waved their hand, and all the cultivators perished. That was why these structures had remained unchanged over the years.
Standing there, Chen Chao felt a bone-chilling coldness that penetrated deep into his bones.
This silent oppression was more terrifying than any Nepenthe Realm cultivator in the world. As for the powerful beings who had transcended the Nepenthe Realm, how could they be ordinary cultivators?
He recalled one of the legends from the eleventh year of Tian Jian, it was said that an immortal appeared in the Ying Prefecture. Although no one had witnessed the true appearance of the immortal afterward, the mere existence of this legend indicated the possibility.
Could it be that immortals truly existed in this world?
How else could one explain this situation?
