Chapter 701
It was no wonder that the Mysterious Heavenly Palace was able to make a full retreat from the Boundless Mainland during those years. Their overall strength was indeed amazing.
As they advanced inwards, even if the speed of the two attendants leading the way were not that fast, it was still the speed of an individual with a Fifth Jewel cultivation base. The scenery on both sides constantly passed them as they advanced deeper for approximately an hour. By then, they were already in the mountains.
As they were walking, the terrain in front of them suddenly became steep as it turned into a slope that was almost 70 degrees. Fortunately, there was a flight of steps already dug into the mountain wall, so it made the climb slightly easier. Of course, the easiness only pertained to a Heavenly Jewel Master. If it were an ordinary person, the climb would still prove difficult even if they used both their hands and feet.
It was only after they went up the steep mountain wall for a full thousand meters that the terrain became almost flat.
Finally, when they reached their destination, the mountain breeze began to pick up, and as the clouds blew from the mountain winds, it brought a cold and moist stream of air.
As they continued pressing forward for about seven minutes, they entered a barren clearing with no vegetation. Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing’er could not help but feel startled when they saw the scene before them.
Anyone who saw it in front of them for the first time would likely be shocked as well. The scene in front of them was truly too shocking.
There was already no proper path ahead. Below them were sheer cliffs and precipitous rock faces. In the bottomless abyss, one could only see the misty clouds floating in the valley. The bottom was definitely not visible to them. This terrain continued extending on both sides and formed an extremely huge circular terrain.
It was like a horrible crater that was made by a huge artillery shell. In that deep abyss, at the center of the sheer circular cliff, a completely upright mountain column stood erect. What was most fascinating was that there was actually a pure white castle at the peak of the mountain.
Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing’er did not expect that the headquarter of the Mysterious Heavenly Castle would actually be located at such a dangerous place at all. If one did not have the ability to fly, it would be an almost impossible mission to leave the palace from within once the roads leading out of the castle were cut off from the outside world.
After calming themselves down, Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing’er discovered that the Mysterious Heavenly Palace and the outside cliffs were connected with iron chains. There were at least a hundred iron chains connected to the cliffs on all sides. However, even if there were iron chains, if one had an inadequate cultivation base, it would still not be that easy to get through from above.
The two attendants looked at Zhou Weiqing simultaneously. Although they did not speak, it was obvious they were asking if Zhou Weiqing and his partner would have difficulty passing through the cliff. The truth was, as long as they were careful, even Heavenly Jewel Masters with a cultivation base of Three Jewels would face no problem traveling over the iron chains. However, because of the deep abyss underneath, it might be difficult to pass through if one was not mentally strong.
Zhou Weiqing smiled indifferently and answered them with his actions. He tipped his toes on the ground and in a flash, he was already on the iron chain. A faint azure light radiated from his back, and under the influence of the Heavenly Wind Attribute, his body was propelled forward as if it was sliding rapidly on the metal chains. Also, under the influence of the Heavenly Wind Attribute, the mountain winds would automatically disperse when it reached him.
To the two attendants, it seemed like Zhou Weiqing had applied his skills to achieve this. However, if they could see Zhou Weiqing’s wrists under his sleeves, they would be shocked to find that there were no Power Jewels there.
That was the power of Heavenly Dao Energy. Zhou Weiqing only used the wind element in the air to propel his own body forward. It was not his own strength at all. At that time, he was like the wind.
Generally speaking, after Heavenly Jewel Masters had broken through to the Heavenly Dao Energy, the most efficient element to control were the Atmospheric Energy which had the same attribute as their own Elemental Jewels. And once Zhou Weiqing had attained that level, the benefits were too obvious. There were six attributes in his Elemental Jewel, and he also had the powerful Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Formation. Those, combined with the ability to commune with Atmospheric Energy, made him more powerful than the average Heavenly Jewel Master.
The distance from the edge of the overhanging cliff to the Mysterious Heavenly Castle was a full kilometer, but with that kind of sliding speed, it was just a moment’s effort for them to arrive on the other side.
At the entrance of the Mysterious Heavenly Castle, two of Zhou Weiqing’s acquaintances were waiting there. There were impressive double sun emblems on their blue robes. They were Meng Xing and Nie Han, the two God Tier Master who had tested Zhou Weiqing abilities as a God Tier Master the other day.
Although it was not the first time he met Meng Xing, Zhou Weiqing was still stunned. She was also wearing the same attire and there was also a double sun emblem on her chest.
“Good day to both of you.” Zhou Weiqing greeted the two God Tier Masters. However, his eyes were mostly on Meng Xing. The love of beauty was a trait all people had, let alone the lustful Little Fatty Zhou. His pair of eyes easily revealed his salacious gaze.
Meng Xing did not seem to care that he was staring at her. She smiled faintly and said, “Congratulations, God Tier Master Zhou for becoming an Honorary Master of our Mysterious Heavenly Palace. Please enter.” The two God Tier Masters had personally welcomed Zhou Weiqing. This showed how highly the Mysterious Heavenly Palace thought of him. He was the main star of the banquet today. The two attendants retreated after they gave a respectful bow.
As he entered the Mysterious Heavenly Castle, Zhou Weiqing’s eyes brightened. The Mysterious Heavenly Castle was not considered luxurious. However, the interior decor and architecture seemed to have been carved from some kind of jade that he had never seen before. However, they seemed to have the ability to gather Atmospheric Energy.
As he followed Meng Xing and Nie Han in, he smiled and asked, “The Atmospheric Energy here is indeed dense. Do the both of you usually live here?”
Meng Xing nodded and said, “We usually cultivate inside the Mysterious Heavenly Castle. However, when we’re researching and making scrolls, we’ll go to the valley where Master Zhou previously resided at. After all, it is quieter and more suitable for us there. In the future, we’ll be fellow associates. So, Master Zhou, you can just address me by my name.”
As she spoke, she turned her head towards Zhou Weiqing and revealed a stunningly beautiful smile. Her pair of beautiful watery blue eyes seemed to be capable of speaking. They seduced Zhou Weiqing, making his heart thump rapidly.
Suddenly, he felt a sharp sensation on his back. It was Shangguan Bing’er lightly pricking his back with her fingernail. Only then did Zhou Weiqing snap out from the shock. He smiled and said, “Then, the two of you should also address me by my name in the future.”
As they conversed, they arrived at the second floor. The huge arched door was open inwardly, leading into an extremely spacious hall.
Many people had already gathered in the hall. When they saw Zhou Weiqing and company entered, the people inside stood up. Aside for the innermost four people who remained silent, the rest bowed to them.
“Greetings, Honorary Masters.”
Zhou Weiqing was one who could handle himself during such occasions. He smiled faintly and nodded. Meng Xing and Nie Han did not express anything. They just led him and Shangguan Bing’er to continue walking inward.
Zhou Weiqing looked around casually, but he was secretly in shock.
There were at least a few hundred people gathered in the spacious hall at the moment. Most of the people were seated at the back, and there were only about twenty seats in the center. From the emblems on their chests, one could see that those who sat at the center were at least Elders. The four innermost elderly men who stood up but had not bowed, all possessed extremely amazing Heavenly Energy fluctuations. Without a doubt, these four were the Supreme Elders.
However, those who were not Elders should not be underestimated. Those present had at least two crescent emblems on their chest. Despite there were more than a hundred people in the hall, there was not a single person that was lower than Zong Tier. Even those at the edge who had the lowest cultivation base were Seventh Jewel Masters at the Lower Heavenly Zong Stage. The fact was that these people were all Heavenly Jewel Masters!
What an enormous and terrifying force! If these people were to go all out, it would not be a problem for them to swiftly sweep across a small country. This was especially so for the four Heavenly Emperor Tier Supreme Elders who gave Zhou Weiqing a considerable amount of pressure.
Under the guidance of Meng Xing and Nie Han, Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing’er were taken to the innermost position. They were even seated in front of the four Supreme Elders.
There were still four seats left inside. Meng Xing allowed Zhou Weiqing to take the first seat on the left while Shangguan Bing’er took the second seat next to him. As for Meng Xing and Nie Han, they sat down on the two seats opposite them.
From the arrangement of the seats, it could be seen that the God Tier Masters’ ranking in the Mysterious Heavenly Palace were actually higher than that of the Supreme Elders. Of course, that might be just what could be seen on the surface. The Supreme Elders still had more say when it came to internal affairs of the Mysterious Heavenly Palace. However, that was also enough to show the importance of God Tier Masters to the Mysterious Heavenly Palace.
“The Palace Master has arrived.”
Upon hearing the announcement, the powerhouses of the Mysterious Heavenly Palace who were originally seated stood up once again. From the side door, with four attendants by his side, Dongfang, the Palace Master of the Mysterious Heavenly Palace, walked out from the back until he reached the main seat where he stopped.
“Greetings, Palace Master.” Everyone, including the four Supreme Elders in the Mysterious Heavenly Palace paid homage to him loudly.
At this moment, the difference in status became evident. In the outer circle, all the experts of the Mysterious Heavenly Palace who ranked below the rank of Elder kneeled on the ground. However, the Elders at the core only bowed. The only difference with the Supreme Elders was that they did not bow as low. The God Tier Master, Nie Han also bowed slightly. What mildly surprised Zhou Weiqing was the fact that although Meng Xing stood up, she did not show any intention to bow. She just stood there quietly.
“Everyone, please stand up.” The Palace Master of Mysterious Heavenly Palace, Dongfang, waved his hands as he spoke with his usual neutral voice.
For an unknown reason, despite it being the second time he had heard this voice, Zhou Weiqing still had doubts as he felt that this time. The voice seemed somewhat different. However, he could not seem to nail down what exactly was different.
Dong Fang did not sit down. He continued standing as he said with a smile, “Today is a day of celebration for our Mysterious Heavenly Palace. All these years, although the two Honorary Masters, Meng Xing and Niehan, have spared no effort, our Palace’s High Level Consolidated Equipment Scrolls remain rather scarce.”