At this moment, almost everyone had entered the plaza, turning the originally silent and desolate space into a lively scene.
All eyes were fixed on the three stone tables, or more accurately, on the treasures piled upon them.
One by one, their eyes lit up as they strode purposefully towards those treasures.
Everyone wanted to be the first to get their hands on them, but within just a few breaths…
“Aah!” “Aah!”…
One miserable scream after another rang out as many people, unable to withstand the terrifying pressure within the plaza, were blasted away one after another, flung out to land at the plaza’s edges.
The pressure inside this plaza was not something an ordinary person could bear.
Simply climbing to this height had already subjected everyone to significant pressure, and once they entered the plaza, it became even harder to endure.
Those with slightly weaker strength couldn't last more than a few breaths inside the plaza and were sent flying out like dumplings thrown into boiling water.
After a few breaths, only a few dozen people remained within the plaza—all of them either powerful, of high cultivation realm, or possessed of monstrous talent.
Ye Yunfei, Meng Wu, Lu Jun, and Li Ming were all still there. Ye Yunfei noticed that most of the others who remained in the plaza hailed from famous major powers.
Individuals born as lowly as himself were scarce.
“All of these items belong to me! Who among you dares vie for them need not blame me for being impolite,” said a pale-faced youth dressed in black-and-white robes, his words carrying a sinister undertone, as his figure drifted and flickered towards the three stone tables.
“Hehe… A mere Yao Crown Prince dares dream of swallowing these treasures all alone? Do you truly think that’s possible?” A tall, handsome youth as fair as polished jade gave a light laugh. His movement speed was not slow in the slightest, advancing almost simultaneously with the one in black-and-white robes.
The other experts, unwilling to fall behind, also surged forward towards the three stone tables.
Naturally, Ye Yunfei and his group would not lag behind. Everyone gave their all, fighting against the pressure as they strode towards the three stone tables.
Dozens of people surrounded the area together, each possessing extraordinary skill, none willing to give way.
Soon, they all began to approach the three stone tables. By now, everyone had realized that the closer they got to the tables, the greater the pressure they had to endure.
Everyone had been subjected to the restriction energy of this peak from the moment they set foot on it, without a moment’s respite. Now, they were suddenly subjected to even greater pressure.
While every one of the few dozen who remained in the plaza were no ordinary characters, facing this terrifying pressure that continually intensified, some finally began to falter.
The closer they got to the three stone tables, the slower their steps became.
“Not good! I can’t move any further!” Finally, someone was completely unable to take another step. He stood there, enduring the terrifying pressure, his face flushing red, his words even becoming slurred.
“I can’t move anymore either. The pressure here is too terrifying.” Then, several more people became unable to move, halting where they stood. At this moment, they were about ten or so meters from the three stone tables—they could already clearly see the various treasures piled on the tabletops.
But there were still some who kept moving towards the stone tables, getting closer and closer.
Ye Yunfei and the other three felt the pressure growing ever greater but could still manage to slowly inch forward step by step.
As time slowly passed, more and more of the several dozen people came to a halt, unable to advance further.
“Not good! I’m starting to be unable to move!” At a position roughly five or six meters from the three stone tables, Li Ming suddenly wore an unwilling expression and sighed as he spoke.
Then he stood there, seeming to struggle greatly, unable to shift forward half a step for a long time.
The speed of Ye Yunfei, Meng Wu, and Lu Jun also grew slower and slower; each step forward required tremendous effort.
Ye Yunfei glanced around and discovered that, at this point, only about fifteen or sixteen people were still able to move forward.
More than half of these fifteen or sixteen were Perfected Heavenly Immortals; the rest were Advanced Heavenly Immortals. Not a single Intermediate or Primary Heavenly Immortal remained.
And the most conspicuous among them was Ye Yunfei, for he was only at the Golden Immortal realm.
“A mere Golden Immortal can hold out and make it this far like us. It seems the legends are not wrong. Although the Three Thousand Worlds cluster is lagging behind now, in ancient times it was the birthplace of deities. Its legacy runs deep. The world may have underestimated the heritage of that world cluster,” a man remarked after sizing up Ye Yunfei.
During this period, Ye Yunfei had gained quite a reputation, so everyone recognized him.
The others also gave Ye Yunfei a look. Although they didn’t say anything, they were secretly astonished in their hearts.
There was no doubt about it—anyone who could make it here was either of high realm and great strength or possessed astonishing talent.
Ye Yunfei was merely a Golden Immortal, yet he had walked all the way here alongside these Advanced and Perfected Heavenly Immortals. This proved that his talent was shockingly prodigious.
In fact, high talent was more frightening than a temporarily high realm and strong power, because high talent meant greater achievements in the future!
Therefore, all these experts in the plaza took note of Ye Yunfei.
Of course, among them, many from major powers harbored intense killing intent towards Ye Yunfei.
They felt that with talent like his, if he weren’t eliminated early, he would definitely become a serious future threat.
However, at a moment like this, no one paid too much attention to Ye Yunfei beyond a sweeping glance, their focus returning to the treasures on the three stone tables.
“Haha… These treasures shall belong to me!” At this moment, a Demon Crown Prince suddenly accelerated, summoning every ounce of strength to swiftly take several steps in a row, reaching a spot before the three stone tables. He was now only about two steps away.
“Not good!” The others were greatly alarmed to see this demon prince so close to the tables.
But very soon, the demon prince discovered he could no longer shift forward even half a step.
The full-force sprint just now seemed to have exhausted all his energy!
“Aah…!” The demon prince, seeing the treasures on the tables nearly within arm’s reach, summoned all his strength. Yet, he could not advance any further. Veins bulged all over his body; his face flushed deep red and contorted into an extremely ferocious expression. Finally, he roared out loud in rage.
“Dammit! I can’t move either!” A Black Crown Prince from the Dark Faction, also about two steps away from the three stone tables, found himself unable to advance any further and cried out in unwillingness.
Then, the others also discovered that when they exhausted their strength and reached a point roughly two steps away from the tables, the pressure suddenly increased dramatically, after which they could no longer move forward.
Next, Ye Yunfei and Meng Wu also arrived at the two-step distance. They felt endless restrictive pressure bearing down on them from all sides, pinning their bodies firmly in place. Not only could they not move, it felt as if they were about to be crushed into dust, their bodies smashed to pieces.
“Aah…!” A youth who had pushed to a position about three steps from the tables was directly blasted away by the horrifying pressure, vomiting blood continuously. He finally landed outside the plaza, his face instantly turning as pale as paper.
In the end, roughly ten people reached positions about two steps from the stone tables. They all stood there, each trying their utmost to advance further but utterly unable to do so.
Before them, on the three stone tables, piled treasures emitted dazzling divine light; the energy aura radiating from them made everyone feel exceptionally comfortable.
Behind the three stone tables stood a stone hut with its wooden door slightly ajar, making it impossible to see clearly what lay inside.
“I refuse to believe it! Since I’ve come this far, with my strength, I must be able to take these last two steps and claim these treasures! These treasures must have been left behind by the Xuwu Deity! Treasures left by a Deity—only I am worthy of possessing them!” A Demon Crown Prince from the Demon Capital flew into a mad rage and roared.
He then took out large quantities of energy crystals and various heavenly treasures, continuously stuffing them into his mouth. Then he began to circulate his energy, regulating his breathing and activating the cultivation technique he practiced within his body.
He was actually cultivating publicly, trying to enhance his strength right here!
The Demon Race possessed particularly robust physiques, capable of boosting their strength by consuming large amounts of cultivation resources. Therefore, after devouring one batch and cultivating for a short while, this demon prince took out another large batch and began devouring it voraciously.
The other experts either cultivated or replenished their energy. No one was willing to give up so easily.
“Brother Ye, let’s both replenish our energy too; we can’t give up so easily!” Meng Wu transmitted to Ye Yunfei.
Meng Wu then took out a spatial ring, sat down cross-legged on the ground, placed his palms in a peculiar gesture, and began to cultivate.
“Alright, I’ll also rest and cultivate for a bit. We must never give up easily. If nothing else, just those Divine Crystals alone have unimaginable value!” Ye Yunfei glanced at the various treasures on the three tables almost within reach, his gaze burning hotly.
“This is the energy of the restrictions! Restrictions laid down by a Deity are truly formidable, suppressing these Heavenly Immortals until they can’t even move!” At this moment, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm suddenly appeared on Ye Yunfei’s shoulder. Sensing the continuous pressure of restriction energy bearing down from all around, he couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.
“Don’t you always boast about being able to freely enter and exit all sorts of formations, restrictions, and dire lands in the world? Go fetch the treasures from those three stone tables then. If you succeed, I’ll admire you,” Hu Miao said.
“Do you think I’m a Deity?! The restrictions here were personally laid down by a Deity. With my current strength, how could I possibly penetrate restrictions set by a Deity? I’ve always been confident, but I’m not arrogant. I’ve already sensed it—I can’t reach those three tables either,” the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm replied.
“However, the restrictions in this space are incredibly profound. This is a perfect opportunity for me to study them properly,” he continued.
“You want to study the restrictions here? Will you understand them?” Ye Yunfei’s heart stirred as he asked the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm.
“What kind of question is that? Although your formation skills are stronger than mine, don’t forget that our Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm race is born with a special sensitivity to all kinds of restrictions. Our perception is extremely keen. Very few restrictions in the world can trap our race. This is our innate racial talent!” the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm retorted.
“Mmm, that’s true. Then make haste and study. If you gain any insights, tell me immediately. I can make use of them,” Ye Yunfei nodded.
“When we acquire those treasures up ahead, I want a share too!” The Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm had been salivating over the treasures piled on the three tables.
“No problem,” Ye Yunfei chuckled.
Next, Ye Yunfei took out large amounts of various cultivation resources, including energy crystals, medicinal herbs, and all sorts of heavenly treasures. Some he teleported into his Soul Sea, others into his Heart-Refining Tower, and some he swallowed into his belly. He then sat cross-legged and began to cultivate.
Among these, the resources Ye Yunfei took out most were of the mental force energy crystal type, shoving them all into the Heart-Refining Tower.
Moreover, one of his Soul Bodies directly entered the Heart-Refining Tower to cultivate Mental Force energy.
When climbing the mountain earlier, almost half of the energy crystals Ye Yunfei obtained were of the mental force energy type. Naturally, he was not stingy with them now.
*Rumble…*
One of Ye Yunfei’s Soul Bodies sat cross-legged within the Heart-Refining Tower, piles of mental force energy crystals stacked around him, cultivating the heritage of the Heart Gate.
In fact, Ye Yunfei had previously used the Heart-Refining Tower to absorb nearly half of a city’s Mental Force energy and laws, so the concentration of Mental Force energy and laws within the Heart-Refining Tower had already reached a terrifying level. Even without those mental force energy crystals, Ye Yunfei could absorb nearly inexhaustible Mental Force energy inside the tower.
The energy crystals were just icing on the cake.
The Heart-Refining Pearl also hovered above Ye Yunfei’s head, coordinating with the Heart-Refining Tower to temper Ye Yunfei’s Mental Force energy.
*Buzz…*
A Formless Heart Sword and a Mental Force Lock simultaneously materialized, hovering on either side of Ye Yunfei’s Soul Body, absorbing the dense Mental Force energy and laws within the Heart-Refining Tower.
While cultivating Mental Force energy, Ye Yunfei’s nine Divine Channels manifested within his body, erupting with powerful suction force, devouring the energy contained within the cultivation resources he had swallowed.
Inside his Soul Sea, resources of soul power energy the size of small hills rose and fell, constantly being refined and absorbed.
“Look! Those experts stopped about two steps from the three stone tables and can’t go any further. Now they all seem to be cultivating!”
“They truly are the top batch of geniuses! To be able to cultivate in such an environment!”
“Everyone who can reach that position is undeniably a top-tier genius. Such geniuses are naturally different from ordinary people. It’s normal for them to act a little peculiarly.”
“Is that youngster surnamed Ye really from that backward Three Thousand Worlds cluster? How could such a monstrous individual be born in such a backward place?”
…
At this moment, a crowd gathered outside the plaza, watching the situation inside and buzzing with discussion.
“Hmm? I sense the aura of the Myriad Swords Return to One grand technique! That was Lord Sword Deity Child’s signature skill. Could it be that Lord Sword Deity Child’s successor has arrived?”
At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded from the stone hut behind the three stone tables.