"Senior…"
Liu Chengxue spoke softly as she saw Li Yun waking up. "What just happened…?"
"Uh…"
Li Yun's face froze, and he asked stiffly, "You saw everything?"
Liu Chengxue nodded.
"It's over," Li Yun thought, his vision going dark for a moment.
If he had known this would happen, he would've sent Liu Chengxue away first.
Moments earlier, he had exchanged all his Heavenly Mechanism Points for power without considering her presence. The resulting surge of power, while not weak, wasn't overwhelming enough to match the pretense of a worldly hermit.
If his guess was right, the mysterious and lofty image he'd cultivated was now shattered.
Liu Chengxue wasn't a fool. How could she not suspect something after witnessing that display of power?
Unexpectedly, Liu Chengxue's expression grew even more reverent. She hesitated, then cautiously asked:
"Senior… could you be an Emperor?"
"Hm?"
Li Yun's eyes lit up. Was there still hope?
"Ahem."
Li Yun cleared his throat and replied in a calm tone, "I am not an Emperor, just an ordinary tower master of the Heavenly Mechanism Tower."
"Ordinary…"
Liu Chengxue was speechless.
Could someone ordinary unleash such an awe-inspiring aura? Could someone ordinary command the reverence of a Saint Lord-level figure?
Even now, her heart trembled at the memory of what she had witnessed. It was as if she had been facing a sovereign who looked down upon all of creation and ruled over countless worlds.
The overwhelming pressure had extinguished any thought of resistance. A single glance from him would've been enough to obliterate her.
Seeing Li Yun casually pick up a and remain silent, Liu Chengxue wisely refrained from asking further questions. She understood that knowing too much might not be in her best interest.
At the same time, Li Yun quietly exhaled in relief.
It seemed his secret wasn't exposed.
Whatever Liu Chengxue had witnessed was clearly different from what he'd thought she might see.
But now the question lingered: what exactly had she seen?
Millions of miles away from Great Wasteland City, a streak of light tore across the skies at incredible speed.
Before long, the light stopped mid-air, dissipating to reveal an elderly man in black robes. His imposing aura and sharp eyes reflected his strength and experience.
"Finally," Yang Qiu murmured, standing with his hands clasped behind his back.
Traveling millions of miles had taken him nearly two hours. If he still had his Demonic Cloud Boots, which he'd traded to the Heavenly Mechanism Tower, he could've arrived even faster.
"So, this is the Hundred Severed Mountains?"
Yang Qiu looked down.
What he saw made his eyes widen in shock. As he took in the scene below, his face turned pale, and he almost spat out blood.
Everywhere he looked was barren and desolate. Yellow sand filled the air, creating an unrelenting wasteland where spiritual energy was almost nonexistent. For thousands of miles around, there wasn't a single soul in sight—not even a ghost.
The endless expanse of dirt hills stretched all the way to the horizon.
The phrase "barren land and treacherous waters" didn't even begin to describe it.
"This… this…"
Yang Qiu staggered backward, clutching his chest.
"Damn it! DAMN IT!"
He let out a miserable cry as his body trembled. His breathing grew erratic, each gasp like a bellow of air, and a terrifying aura erupted from him, shattering nearby mountains.
I was scammed!
Completely scammed!
He had traded his entire fortune for what turned out to be false information. And now, like a fool, he had come here in person, only to find… this.
How could such a desolate wasteland, devoid of even the slightest spiritual energy, hold any opportunities?
Even a child could tell that nothing, not even a single blade of grass, could survive here!
"My entire fortune…"
Yang Qiu's vision darkened, and he almost fell from the sky.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. The more he tried to let it go, the more it gnawed at him. Just as he turned to head back to the Heavenly Mechanism Tower, he froze.
Fear held him back.
The Heavenly Mechanism Tower Lord was far too terrifying.
Not only was Yang Qiu no match for him, but even the entire Nine Nether Demon Sect wouldn't dare provoke such a figure.
If he returned, not only would he fail to retrieve his resources, but he might also endanger himself and his sect.
"Damn it all!"
Yang Qiu roared in frustration, clenching his fist and punching the air. His strike was powerful enough to shatter mountains and split the ground.
But instead of destruction, the void began to twist and warp.
"What's going on?"
Yang Qiu's expression changed as he stared intently at the sky.
Before him, countless symbols emerged, resembling brilliant stars that hung suspended in the air. They sparkled and filled the heavens, illuminating the world.
"Could it be…"
Yang Qiu's eyes lit up with disbelief as he muttered, "The Heavenly Mechanism Tower Lord… didn't lie to me?"
Before he could process what was happening, the scene around him transformed. The stars turned crimson, and a terrifying aura engulfed the area, pressing down with overwhelming force.
The pressure was immense.
Even Yang Qiu couldn't withstand it and was forced to the ground.
"Crack!"
The earth beneath him shattered.
Looking down, Yang Qiu's pupils shrank in shock.
The ground around him, stretching for thousands of miles, was littered with white bones. Countless corpses lay scattered, their numbers immeasurable.
Some bones had weathered with time, reduced to little more than dust, while others appeared eerily lifelike, as if the deceased had only just fallen.
Judging from the corpses, many of these individuals had been as powerful as he was in life, at least at the Saint Lord level.
This was a death trap—a place where all who entered perished.
No wonder no news of this place had ever spread. Few had survived to tell the tale.
For most, the sight would've been utterly terrifying. But Yang Qiu was different.
Instead of fear, he was filled with exhilaration.
"This is it!"
Yang Qiu's body trembled with excitement. He took out a jade slip and quickly compared its contents to the formation before him.
"It's exactly as described!"
"Senior truly is a Senior!"
"He didn't lie to me!"
"It's all true—this place really holds the secret to sainthood!"
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。