The right head of the bizarre snake spoke in human tongue: "We're too far away, and your speed is too slow. By the time you reach the Land of No Elders, the feast will be long over."
"But…" Qu Huashang held her head in frustration. "You're just too ugly."
She sighed inwardly. Other people's Sacred Spirits were either imposing and majestic or stunningly beautiful. Why did hers have to look like this wretched thing — an eyesore one could hardly bear to look at?
The bizarre snake flew into a rage: "Ugly? Ugly?! You blind little wench, you dare call me ugly? You're the ugly one here!"
Qu Huashang kept a dark expression and refused to argue.
Millions of miles away, someone was riding atop a human-faced, leopard-patterned spirit beast, laughing and shouting: "Faster, faster! I can't wait to meet all the heroes of this world and see whether they're truly formidable or if I'm the one who reigns supreme!"
The human-faced leopard Sacred Spirit snarled: "You brat, I'm your Path Guardian, not your mount! Stop ordering me around. One more word and I'll throw you off!"
The rider laughed: "Go ahead and try! Throw me off and no one will be snatching that Innate Spirit Fruit for you!"
The human-faced leopard Sacred Spirit seethed with fury.
…
One after another, Sacred Spirits set out at this moment, each carrying the vessel they had chosen, heading for the Land of No Elders. Spiritual energy churned between heaven and earth, and the cultivators scattered throughout the Taixu Realm finally realized that so many terrifyingly powerful beings existed in this world. They couldn't help but tremble with fear.
They had lived here for over a decade, yet hardly anyone had ever encountered a Sacred Spirit. They had never known the Taixu Realm was this dangerous.
Fortunately, most of these Sacred Spirits had been content to stay in their own territories and had never troubled anyone in the past. Otherwise, how could anyone still be alive? Any single Sacred Spirit here was far beyond what they could hope to contend with.
The Land of No Elders was about to open. Celestial phenomena manifested, and the Taixu Realm was thrown into turmoil. Countless cultivators from every direction converged upon the Land of No Elders.
In just ten days, no fewer than three thousand people had gathered at the outskirts of the Land of No Elders — and this was only the first wave. As time passed, more would continue to arrive.
A month later, at least two hundred thousand people had gathered outside the Land of No Elders. By that point, there were no more newcomers to speak of — those who still came trickled in only in small numbers.
In other words, nearly every cultivator still alive in the Taixu Realm had assembled here.
Yet when Star City had been swallowed by the Taixu Mist, there had been far more than two hundred thousand — two, three, even four times that number, perhaps approaching a million. After more than a decade, only this many remained. The danger of the Taixu Realm was plain for all to see.
And this time, with the Land of No Elders opening, how many would return unscathed?
Outside the Land of No Elders, cultivators gathered in groups, setting up their encampments. The Sacred Spirits, meanwhile, made no pretense of restraint, unleashing their formidable auras and claiming their own territories — a sight that kept everyone at a wary distance, awe and fear written on their faces.
All of them stared up at the sky, gazing at the ever-shifting radiance of seven-colored light. This light, it was said, was the gateway to the Land of No Elders. It had not yet fully opened, so no one could enter. The moment the light stabilized completely would be the day this hidden realm was revealed.
Qu Huashang, Gu Pan, Lin Feng, Xu Zhen, and Ning Daoran had all arrived and now stood together in a group, chatting and laughing as they shared stories of their experiences over the past few years.
Behind the five of them, five Sacred Spirits watched from afar — not only guarding the safety of their respective vessels, but also eyeing the lives of the other vessels with covetous gazes.
If they could eliminate a few more vessels here, it would reduce the competition for them.
A faint, almost imperceptible hostility hung in the air, but with all parties wary of one another, no one dared to make the first move.
The two-headed bizarre snake lay coiled on the ground. Its long tongue flickered out in silence, curled through the air, then snapped back.
Qu Huashang whirled around in fury: "If you dare eat him, I'm leaving right now!"
The left head of the snake spoke: "Eat what? What am I eating?"
Qu Huashang said through gritted teeth: "Open the mouth on your right side."
The right head glanced away, its triangular snake eyes pointed toward the sky.
"I'm leaving!" Qu Huashang stood up abruptly.
"Fine, fine, I won't eat anyone!" the left head shouted. The right mouth opened, and from within it tumbled a drenched cultivator. The man hit the ground with a confused look on his face, having no idea when he'd been scooped into the Sacred Spirit's mouth. The moment he realized what had happened, his face drained of color. With a terrified cry, he transformed into a streak of light and fled into the distance.
The bizarre snake snorted coldly: "Nosy little wretch. There are so many people here — what's the harm in snacking on one or two?"
The nearby cultivators all turned ashen and scrambled away from the bizarre snake.
"You behave yourself! I'm watching you!" Qu Huashang poked a finger toward her own eyes and shot the snake a vicious glare.
Xu Zhen's mouth twitched: "Uh… Senior Feiyi is quite the character."
The two-headed bizarre snake was none other than the Sacred Spirit Feiyi. Seeing that Qu Huashang had him thoroughly subdued, Xu Zhen couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. His own Zhu Yan was nowhere near so agreeable. In the years he had spent alongside Zhu Yan, he'd been beaten more times than he cared to count.