Soon, Ye Yunfei, Ba Yizhou, and the others also arrived before the mountain at the very center. By now, many young people had already gathered around this great mountain.
"This mountain has special flight-restricting formations. Even a Void God can't fly upon it," Hun Lao spoke up the moment they reached the base of the mountain.
"Yes, I can sense it too. No wonder everyone is standing at the foot of the mountain; no one is flying up," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm also said.
Both Hun Lao and the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm possessed high attainments in spatial matters, surpassing Ye Yunfei in certain aspects. The Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, in particular, was especially sensitive to all kinds of formations and restrictions in the world.
"Look! There really is a cave dwelling on the mountain peak!
Could that be the cave where the Yangming King cultivated?" someone suddenly exclaimed with surprise, pointing towards a spot high up on the mountain ahead.
Everyone's gaze followed, and indeed, they could vaguely make out a cave dwelling there, radiating rolling divine light.
"Let's hurry up and take a look," members of a nearby force immediately began to act collectively, charging up the mountain peak together. Seeing this, the people from other forces nearby refused to be left behind and unleashed their movement techniques, rushing up the mountain.
"What's going on?
Why is there suddenly such immense pressure?"
The next moment, the speed of those who had rushed up the mountain first abruptly slowed. Astonished expressions appeared on their faces, and someone cried out loudly.
"I'm also suddenly being suppressed by an invisible pressure. Moving has become difficult. What on earth is this?"
"Same here. It seems this mountain peak is strange. Everyone, be careful."
Every person who stepped onto the mountain began to move and slow down. Some of the weaker individuals even found walking extremely difficult.
"Everyone, be careful! This mountain has mysterious formations that generate powerful suppressing energy," someone shouted.
"Brother Ye, let's also go up and take a look," Lu Shi, who had long been itching to try, took a step forward and entered the mountain's range, then began climbing upward. However, he soon began to feel the pressure, and the speed of his movement technique slowed down.
"Alright, let's go up and see then," Ye Yunfei nodded and followed, stepping onto the mountain peak. Qin Xiaoyu followed closely behind Ye Yunfei, but after just a few steps, her face paled slightly.
"This mountain peak has truly terrifying invisible pressure. I definitely don't have the ability to climb it.
Forget it, I won't go up," Qin Xiaoyu, feeling quite strained, said to Ye Yunfei.
Feeling this exhausted just at the start of the climb, she knew she definitely couldn't persist to the top.
"Alright, you can wait for me here, or enter my spatial treasure," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"I'll enter your spatial treasure. When you reach the top, if there are any benefits, you can call me out to share them," Qin Xiaoyu said with a smile. Having followed Ye Yunfei back from the Eighth Void to the Sixth Void, she was somewhat familiar with his temperament and knew he was quite easygoing with his own people. So, despite Ye Yunfei's formidable strength, she wasn't afraid of him at all.
"Alright then!" Ye Yunfei nodded and directly teleported Qin Xiaoyu into the Phantom Shadow Tower. Then he strode towards the mountain.
Ba Yizhou, having spotted other members of Lingxiao Sect by now, went over to join them, and they stepped onto the mountain together.
Ye Yunfei caught up to Lu Shi in a few steps and walked alongside him, advancing shoulder-to-shoulder towards the peak.
Boom...
At this moment, Ye Yunfei also felt an immense, invisible pressure descending from above, bearing down on his body.
This pressure not only suppressed the physical body but also exerted a suppressive effect on the divine energy within. However, for Ye Yunfei, pressure of this level was insignificant and couldn't affect his current speed in the slightest.
Both Ye Yunfei and Lu Shi strode boldly towards the mountain peak.
"Can we really not fly here?"
Some people at the mountain's base, unwilling to believe it, soared into the air, trying to fly directly to the location of the cave dwelling on the peak. But shortly after taking off, they were slammed back down to the ground by an utterly terrifying invisible pressure, even vomiting several mouthfuls of blood.
Over a dozen consecutive people who attempted to fly were slapped back down by the invisible pressure, all injured. After that, no one dared to try flying again and had to honestly start climbing the mountain from the base.
"Not good! Why do I feel the pressure increases the higher I climb?
Just now I could barely withstand it, but now that I've climbed to this point, I'm about to reach my limit," someone suddenly cried out unwillingly.
By now, everyone had realized that the invisible pressure endured on this mountain became more terrifying the higher one climbed. Some of the relatively weaker individuals had only climbed a short distance before they were almost overwhelmed. Their forward speed grew slower and slower, their faces flushing red from the strain.
However, those with relatively stronger strength could still stride boldly upward.
Ye Yunfei and Lu Shi walked side-by-side.
"It's true. The higher you climb, the greater the pressure," Lu Shi couldn't help remarking.
"Brother Lu, given your strength, you should be able to continue climbing," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
The pressure Ye Yunfei felt was also steadily increasing, but for the time being, it wouldn't affect his forward speed.
"Of course! Brother Ye, although my strength is far from yours, among my peers, I'm definitely no weakling," Lu Shi replied.
After a short while, Ye Yunfei and Lu Shi had reached the halfway point up the mountain. Less than half of the people were able to persist to this spot. Many, unable to bear the terrifying pressure, had stopped to rest or simply given up and turned back downhill. There were also some who, stubbornly pushing themselves to climb, ended up constantly vomiting blood from the unbearable invisible pressure and were directly injured.
"Brother Ye, reaching this point, the pressure I'm enduring is already quite substantial," Lu Shi stopped at the halfway point, sweat beading on his face, and said to Ye Yunfei.
"So you're here."
Suddenly, a person not far away shot a piercing gaze towards Ye Yunfei, his eyes sharp as blades.
"It's that Yuan Yidao kid!
What about it? We're right here! Not happy? Not happy, then come fight!" Lu Shi immediately recognized the person as none other than Yuan Yidao.
"So you're here, Young Master. I've been looking for you all this time.
My offer from before still stands. If you yield the inner elixir of the Three-Legged Golden Crow, I will definitely present you with a reward that satisfies you.
Moreover, during this time, I have acquired even more good items in this Yangming Secret Realm, so the reward I can offer you now is even more generous than last time."
A voice floated up from below. Then Ye Yunfei saw a man and a woman walking side-by-side: Sun Ruyu and Princess Taiping.
"Cousin, look!
It's that guy."
Right at that moment, another voice rang out. Five or six youths walked up step by step from below, three of whom Ye Yunfei had seen before: Sima Hao, Sima Jie, and Sima Xuan.
The other two or three were presumably also young scions of the Sima Family.
The location where Ye Yunfei and Lu Shi now stood was already halfway up the mountain. Anyone who could make it this far was no ordinary individual; they were all outstanding talents among the younger generation.
"Our Gongsun Family is very interested in the inner elixir of the Three-Legged Golden Crow. As long as you are willing to yield it to our Gongsun Family, the compensation we pay will certainly not disappoint you," a purple-robed youth strode up and said directly to Ye Yunfei.
"The inner elixir of the Three-Legged Golden Crow?
So that means the inner elixir has already fallen into this young man's hands? That's a treasure indeed!
Legend says that back in the day, the Three-Legged Golden Crow traveled all over with the Yangming King, a figure that shook the world. The inner elixir it left behind must be priceless."
The others who had climbed to the halfway point all looked at Ye Yunfei with astonished eyes.
"If the Three-Legged Golden Crow's inner elixir is really in this guy's possession, then we'd better keep a close eye on him."
Right then and there, many people cast ill-intentioned glances at Ye Yunfei, secretly discussing via sound transmission.
"Kid, hand over the Three-Legged Golden Crow's inner elixir right now, or don't blame me for being impolite," a short-statured man, upon seeing Ye Yunfei, suddenly quickened his pace and charged towards him, then threw a punch.
Ye Yunfei neither dodged nor avoided it. He directly threw a punch back. With a boom, a terrifying imperial majesty erupted, directly shaking the short man's body and sending him flying downwards.
"How is this possible?
Last time he didn't seem this strong!"
The short man vomited several mouthfuls of blood in succession, his face pale, his aura instantly becoming much weaker.
During their previous encounter, Ye Yunfei hadn't yet cultivated the Nine-Yang Ancient Scripture to the fifth level. Later, after refining the Three-Legged Golden Crow's inner elixir, Ye Yunfei had advanced the Nine-Yang Ancient Scripture to the fifth level, multiplying his internal divine energy by at least over tenfold. The Imperial Dao Divine Fist he now unleashed was, of course, far more powerful.
"This kid is actually this strong!"
The others who witnessed this were all greatly shocked. Some who had just targeted Ye Yunfei, looking for an opportunity to seize the inner elixir, began to have second thoughts upon seeing the combat prowess Ye Yunfei displayed. Many recognized the short man; among the younger generation, he was a somewhat renowned young expert. Yet he had been defeated with a single punch.
"So you've come too!"
Just then, a hemp-clothed youth strode up from below. Seeing Ye Yunfei, he first paused, then said coldly.
However, he didn't attack Ye Yunfei. Instead, he directly circled around and continued upwards.
He was precisely the same hemp-clothed youth Ye Yunfei had encountered earlier in the Ancient Medicinal Garden.
"Let's go up first," Princess Taiping had been watching Ye Yunfei all along but hadn't spoken a word until now, when she suddenly said to Sun Ruyu. Then she strode boldly upwards.
"Young Master, please give careful consideration to my proposal. I am very sincere," Sun Ruyu said to Ye Yunfei before hurriedly following her.
"Just what is your relationship with the Golden Wheel Imperial Dynasty?
The fist technique you just used—is it the Imperial Dao Divine Fist of the Golden Wheel Imperial Dynasty? How did you obtain such a technique?"
Ye Yunfei suddenly received a sound transmission from Princess Taiping.
The fist technique Ye Yunfei had used to send the short man flying was precisely the Imperial Dao Divine Fist of the Golden Wheel Imperial Dynasty. Sensing the imperial majesty contained within the energy of Ye Yunfei's fist technique, Princess Taiping became even more certain that what Ye Yunfei had used was a legacy of the Golden Wheel Imperial Dynasty, as she herself had connections to the dynasty and also cultivated some of its legacies.
However, Ye Yunfei offered no response whatsoever to Princess Taiping's inquiry.