154 An Unacceptable Fact

“This is the highest point in this world. It’s also the closest to that place.” Ling Qingyun didn’t reply to the Heavenly Star Institute’s sect leader’s question but mumbled to herself instead.

The other five sect leaders were all confused. They didn’t understand why Ling Qingyun had suddenly issued an emergency gathering order after returning to Spirit Valley, asking them to bring all the elite disciples to gather here!

Although the five sects’ emergency gathering order did not sound as impressive as the other crusade tokens, the sect leaders of the five sects only knew that this token had a history of a thousand years or even longer. It had already existed when the five sects had just been established.

This token had only appeared twice in the history of the five sects. The first time was when they destroyed the ancient demon sect, the Soul Guide Sect, a thousand years ago!

And the second time was now!

“Ling Qingyun, you didn’t state any reason for us to gather here in the gathering order. After I left a seed for the sect, all the disciples of the five sects are those you see here.” The sect leader of the Autumn Path School said, shaking his head. Just what was this world like? The reappearance of the demonic cultivators, the tragic death of direct disciples and their turning into zombies, the flood of spiritual corpses, and even the five sects’ gathering order. Was the world going to be destroyed?

Ling Qingyun raised her eyes. Her originally clear pupils were tainted with a bit of haze.

Nine thousand foundation establishment disciples stood in a dense formation in the air, while two hundred golden core disciples’ eyes were filled with determination as they waited for the five sect leaders’ orders. They were already all the living forces that the five sects could bring out.

With this power, just by standing there, all the arrogant little ones in the five sects’ territory would involuntarily shrink back and not dare to show their faces.

However, Ling Qingyun only shook her head, and the haze in her eyes grew denser!

“Ling Qingyun, tell me. What exactly made you, a person who is not afraid of anything, become like this? Back then, we were all beaten up by you while becoming the current sect leaders. I’ve never seen you like this.” The sect leader of the Autumn Path School said.

“That’s right. What exactly is in the Heavenly Star Institute’s forbidden ground? You said that it is the highest point in the world and the place closest to it. What is it?” The sect leader of the Heavenly Star Institute finally asked. Although he was powerful, he had no interest in anything other than studying astronomical phenomena. Even annihilating the heretic cultivators was because of the sect’s rules that he, the sect leader, had to go.

But now, the Heavenly Star Institute’s sect leader couldn’t help but feel uneasy about the matter of the Heavenly Star Institute’s forbidden grounds. Why was this forbidden ground the highest point in the world? If that were the case, then wouldn’t one be the closest to comprehending celestial phenomena by looking up from here?

The Heavenly Star Institute’s sect leader’s head was filled with all sorts of heavenly phenomena. At the same time, he looked at Ling Qingyun with even more anxiety!

“Ling Qingyun, go ahead. Since we’re here, that means we’re ready to accept it.” The sect leader of the Autumn Path School said. Although he was also very worried, he also felt a bit of relief. Could there be something even more terrifying than the ancient Heretic Sect from a thousand years ago?

One had to know that because of that great battle, the seniors of the five sects had either died or been injured. Not a single one had survived, and that was why their five sects had slowly weakened!

What disaster could be more terrifying than this? It did not exist. The sect leader of the Autumn Path School stared at Ling Qingyun. He felt that he had already made sufficient preparations to welcome Ling Qingyun’s words.

Seeing that the other five sect leaders were all looking at her, Ling Qingyun sighed. She knew that she had to say it out.

“Do you still remember a disciple from Spirit Valley named Qiao’er?” Ling Qingyun said slowly.

“Qiao’er? The one who had walked out of the spiritually deprived ground and was comparable to an ancient heaven’s favorite? Hahahaha, Ling Qingyun, did you ask us to come out to show off your disciple? No, Qiao’er also seemed to have disappeared during that crusade. Why do you ask?” The sect leader of the Autumn Path School laughed. But then he thought, didn’t Qiao’er disappear?

“What is the spiritually deprived ground? A thousand years ago, no heaven’s favorite expert had been able to pass this trial. That place should be something from more ancient times. Does Spirit Valley not know what is inside?” When the Heavenly Star Institute’s sect leader was interested, his thoughts were extremely sharp, and he hit the nail on the head!

“That’s right. Even I, the sect leader of Spirit Valley, don’t know what’s inside. Even the sect leader of Spirit Valley from a thousand years ago might only know a little. All I know is that the only thing we can do in this dangerous place is to throw spiritual items in. However, in this world that is lacking in spiritual energy, how can we possibly put spiritual items in? I also wanted to see what was inside and see if I could take some insights from it for Spirit Valley to use. But I can’t get in.” Ling Qingyun said, shaking her head.

“Now that Qiao’er has come out from there, does that mean that you know what’s in the spiritually deprived ground? Who set up this trial that lasted for a thousand years? Even you, the late-stage golden core sect leader of Spirit Valley, can’t enter!” As he spoke, the Heavenly Star Institute’s sect leader’s heart skipped a beat. An impossible guess appeared in his mind.

“What is the realm above the golden core?” At the same time, the other four sect leaders asked. There was only one possibility for a trial that was more powerful than the golden core and could last for thousands of years, and that was the realm above the golden core!

“I didn’t expect that there would be an existence above the golden core stage in Spirit Valley’s trial ground! This was a surprise! It might be the key for us to break through the golden core stage. Why do you still have such an expression?” The sect leader of the Autumn Path School was puzzled.

“Is it difficult to break through? Or is it that those above the golden core stage need a large amount of spiritual energy? This is a difficult problem.” The sect leader of Myriad Flower School chimed in.

“Hmph, if it was really because of cultivation, why would Ling Qingyun have gathered us here and even asked us to bring out all the elite disciples of the sect!” The Heavenly Star Institute’s sect leader said in disdain. After a series of guesses, he looked at Ling Qingyun’s gloomy expression and had a bad feeling.

“Then why? Ling Qingyun, can’t you just say everything in one breath? What did you find in the trial grounds?” The sect leader of the Autumn Path School asked. At the same time, the others couldn’t hold it in any longer. They were very curious about what was in the trial grounds. It was something that was worth the five sects gathering together to resist even if they had to face the risk of extinction.

Ling Qingyun looked at the crowd and finally opened her mouth to speak the truth that she was most unwilling to face.

“This world will never produce cultivators above the golden core stage. In other words, these are nascent soul cultivators! No matter how talented you are or how many spiritual items you’ve eaten, it’s impossible.”

“Because this is a fake world. Everything is fake. We’re just birds in a cage, an existence that has been locked up in a cage covered with cloth and has never truly experienced the laws of heaven and earth.”