"Eleven..." Xiao Juezi picked up one of the broken maps and looked at it for a while.
After a moment, as if making a decision, Xiao Juezi flicked his five fingers, cast a sound-proofing spell, and a faint golden wall appeared, isolating the two from the outside world. This kind of sound-proofing spell could block the view of ordinary people, and it didn't consume much elemental power, so ordinary Qi refiners could set it up.
"Do you know the origin of these broken maps, Elder Feng?" Xiao Juezi asked in a low voice.
Elder Feng glanced at him as if he understood what he was thinking and replied, "Those people once said that these broken maps are from the City of Death."
On hearing this, Xiao Juezi smiled and said, "Correct, these broken maps are all from the City of Death. But Elder Feng, do you know the origin of the City of Death?"
"Do you know?" Feng Ling Lao Dao raised his eyebrows and asked.
Feng Ling Lao Dao was originally a cultivator of a medium-sized sect in the northern region of the cultivation world. Thirty years ago, he obtained a token to enter the mortal world. Since then, Feng Ling Lao Dao had never left, dedicating himself to cultivation in the mortal world, aiming to break through to the realm of scattered immortals.
"Exactly!" Xiao Juezi stood up and said.
"The Abandoned Death Demon City is the place where the Ninth Tribulation Scattered Immortal, Huangquan Old Immortal, passed away. It is said that it contains the cultivation methods and experience of crossing tribulations of Huangquan Old Immortal. Anyone who obtains the treasures inside will soar to the sky and become the ruler of this world!"
The Ninth Tribulation Scattered Immortal had not appeared for tens of thousands of years. Nowadays, cultivators could only learn about the rumors regarding the Ninth Tribulation Scattered Immortal from ancient records.
"The Ninth Tribulation Scattered Immortal?! Does such a being truly exist?" Feng Ling Lao Dao exclaimed.
The most formidable being he had encountered was only a Second Tribulation Scattered Immortal. Now Xiao Juezi suddenly told him a rumor about the Ninth Tribulation Scattered Immortal, how could he not be astonished.
"Surely it exists," Xiao Juezi nodded. "From ancient times to the present, after who knows how long, extraordinary and remarkable individuals are bound to appear amidst the passage of time."
Feng Ling Lao Dao remained silent, his eyes constantly flickering.
After a while, he finally asked, "How do you know?"
Xiao Juezi smiled and said, "Because my ancestors have been to that place and managed to escape from it."
"What?!"
"When the Abandoned Death Demon City appeared, countless experts entered, but almost all of them perished inside. Only three people managed to escape, and my ancestor was one of them…" Xiao Juezi's gaze flickered as he spoke.
Feng Ling Lao Dao looked at Xiao Juezi with suspicion. They had known each other for over twenty years, and only now did he realize that Xiao Juezi, whose cultivation was lower than his, was not as simple as he appeared on the surface.
"What are you trying to say?" Feng Ling Lao Dao asked directly.
"I want Feng Ling Brother to join me on a trip to the Abandoned Death Demon City!" Xiao Juezi said.
Feng Ling Lao Dao remained silent.
The cultivation methods and experience of crossing tribulations of the Ninth Tribulation Scattered Immortal were definitely tempting.
Seeing Feng Ling's reluctance, Xiao Juezi continued, "Let me tell Feng Ling Brother another piece of news…" After saying this, Xiao Juezi dropped the incomplete map in his hand and took out six more incomplete maps from his sleeve, placing them on the table. "These people told us that these maps were all drawn by people who managed to escape from the Abandoned Death Demon City alive. However, at that time, only three people escaped alive… Do you know why there are so many incomplete maps?"
Feng Ling Lao Dao's pupils contracted at the words. "Could it be…"
"Yes, these incomplete maps were all drawn by my ancestor! Each map's path is false; following these false maps will lead to a deadly end. The real maps leading to the place where Huangquan Old Immortal passed away are actually only three, and I happen to possess one of them," Xiao Juezi said.
Creating false maps to confuse others.
Taking advantage of the chaos. This was the arrangement made by Xiao Juezi's ancestors back then.
The other two survivors had obviously also made some manipulations, but Xiao Juezi did not know the details, as too much time had passed since the last appearance of the Abandoned Death Demon City.
"Why are you telling me this? If the maps in your hands are real, why not go and claim Huangquan Old Immortal's relics? With the Ninth Tribulation Scattered Immortal's cultivation methods, you could definitely breakthrough to the realm of scattered immortals, or even surpass the scattered immortal tribulations once or twice…" Feng Ling Lao Dao didn't agree but instead asked.
The relics of the Ninth Tribulation Scattered Immortal were definitely considered treasures. Xiao Juezi possessing the real map but telling him, made Feng Ling Lao Dao suspicious.
"That place is the Abandoned Death Demon City. Even with the real map, there's no guarantee of absolute safety. Moreover, there is a monstrous beast in the place where Huangquan Old Immortal passed away, one that I alone am not a match for," Xiao Juezi explained patiently, not surprised by Feng Ling Lao Dao's reaction.
"A monstrous beast?"
"A monstrous beast comparable to a scattered immortal," Xiao Juezi said. "But I have a special means to restrain it, provided there is a Qi Refinement cultivator with a similar cultivation level to lend a hand."
Feng Ling Lao Dao fell silent.
"Feng Ling Brother, what are you hesitating for? With our talents, we may never be able to ascend to the Immortal Realm in our entire lives. If we don't become scattered immortals, we will turn to dust and vanish from this world in another fifty years at most. The Abandoned Death Demon City may be dangerous, but for us, it is also an opportunity!" Xiao Juezi said.
"Alright! This poor Daoist will go with you, but… after obtaining Huangquan Old Immortal's relics, how shall we divide them?" After a long period of silence, Feng Ling Lao Dao finally made up his mind.
The cultivation methods of the Ninth Tribulation Scattered Immortal were worth risking his life for.
"The cultivation methods and tribulation experience will be shared, but the remaining items… I have six layers, while Feng Ling Brother has four. How's that?" Xiao Juezi suggested.
Originally, with the map in his hands, he should have more shares. Feng Ling Lao Dao nodded, agreeing to the proposal.
The two of them discussed for a long time until dawn, before lifting the prohibition.
"Then, three days later, I will come to the palace again and set off to the Abandoned Death Demon City with you," Feng Ling Lao Dao stood up, giving a final glance at the false maps on the table. "What about these false maps?"
"They will naturally be handed over to those people!" A hint of bloodthirst flashed in Xiao Juezi's eyes.
"In the Abandoned Death Demon City, it will be very dangerous without someone attracting those strange creatures. The main reason my ancestor was able to escape alive back then was because those things were restrained by others," Feng Ling Lao Dao nodded, and with a wave of his sleeve, he concealed the eleven false maps.
Then, he disappeared into the palace.
…
After making his decision, Ding Yan followed the records in the map and travelled west.
Half a day later, Ding Yan stopped in a small town called Heji. Along the way, Ding Yan keenly noticed that the number of cultivators in the mortal world had increased significantly. Even scattered immortals had appeared, some of whom had cultivation levels that Ding Yan couldn't even fathom.
"These people should have come in six years ago," Ding Yan bought a cloak, concealing his own aura and blending into the crowd.
Ding Yan had stayed in the mortal world for sixteen years. Six years ago was the last time the grand formation opened. These people should have entered at that time.