Netherworld, a place that cannot be described.
A gloomy and eerie palace hall floated silently beside the vast and boundless river of souls. It revealed not a trace of aura, resembling a piece of rotten wood that had long since perished.
"Hmm."
Suddenly, inside the hall, a figure completely shrouded in smoke moved slightly. The smoke parted, revealing a pair of eyes filled with astonishment.
"Hong Yun... broke my [Knowledge-Perception Barrier]?"
"How did he do it?"
The sudden change surprised [Sky-Shrouding] somewhat, but he didn't panic. For his grand plan, he had so many backup plans that he could almost lose count.
Among them, [Hong Yun seeing through the Knowledge-Perception Barrier] was already within his margin for error.
Rather, the fact that Hong Yun, who once controlled [Overturned Lamp Flame], only saw through the [Knowledge-Perception Barrier] now was already very surprising to him. At this point, it wasn't a big deal, at most making him feel slightly surprised.
Of course, having said that, what needed to be taken seriously still had to be taken seriously.
[Sky-Shrouding] frowned slightly, falling into thought: "Wind does not come from an empty cave; there must be a reason. Suddenly seeing through the [Knowledge-Perception Barrier]... Someone is helping Hong Yun?"
But who could help Hong Yun?
[Sky-Shrouding] had full confidence in his own [Knowledge-Perception Barrier], especially this one that deceived the world. It wasn't just a simple divine wonder of a Dao Fruit.
To completely conceal the matter of [Chen Earth], he had wagered his entire fortune. Through a super-massive ritual, combined with [Great Forest Wood] and even some of his own special methods... he finally achieved the current effect, capable of deceiving even Grand Perfected Lords!
Thinking of this, [Sky-Shrouding] instantly grew suspicious:
"Could it be that sword-maniac from the Sword Pavilion? He is at the late Golden Core stage... No, with his shallow Dao comprehension, he can barely take care of himself. How would he have the mind to meddle with me?"
But besides [Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao], who else could it be?
Are there any other late Golden Core cultivators in the [Immortal Nexus] today?
Or could it be... that woman?
[Sky-Shrouding]'s thoughts raced, subconsciously thinking of the woman he caught a glimpse of in the Saint Sect five thousand years ago. Her cultivation should also be at the late Golden Core stage.
"It was that woman appearing back then who triggered the changes in the [False History], leading to that shrew Feixue... But she is definitely not a figure from five thousand years ago. She should come from an even earlier time. Her temperament is somewhat like the first Peak Master of Heaven-Mending Peak, but upon careful identification, there seem to be some differences..."
[Sky-Shrouding] considered himself part of the older generation.
In the world today, aside from the four Dao Lords and that old Dragon Lord overseas, he was the most ancient Golden Core Perfected Lord, having survived for tens of thousands of years.
And the other late Golden Core cultivator, [Perfected Lord Gangxing Budao], hadn't even lived a fraction of his age.
But even he had never seen the four first generation Peak Masters.
After all, they were the Saint Sect Ancestor's confidants back then and were extremely mysterious. Even their titles were rarely circulated. The only certainty was that they were very strong.
This could be glimpsed from the direct lineage cultivation methods of the four peaks.
For example, the Heaven-Mending True Scripture.
This cultivation method directly broke the iron rule that Foundation Establishment Perfected Ones couldn't be soul-searched after sealing their consciousness sea. Relying on dual cultivation to forge a new path, it had the ability to investigate everyone under heaven.
The other three peaks naturally weren't far behind.
"Take myself for example. I was a disciple of Pill Cauldron Peak back then. Pill Cauldron Peak's Essentials of Complete Elixir is similarly a top-tier Third Grade True Art."
Besides this, there was another very important point.
That was, unlike other Third Grade True Arts, the cultivation methods of the four inner peaks all possessed universality. In other words, they were not limited to a single Dao Fruit.
This point seemed ordinary, but was actually extremely special.
For example, Lu Yang's Nine Transformations Dragon Art—once cultivated, the Dao Foundation could only follow [City Rampart Earth]. Following other Dao Fruits would only yield half the result with twice the effort and achieve nothing.
However, the Heaven-Mending True Scripture was different.
It could follow [Pomegranate Wood] or other Dao Fruits, not limited to one place. This universality was the foundation for the unending inheritance of the four inner peaks.
Thinking of this, [Sky-Shrouding]'s expression became increasingly serious.
"This matter is significant; I cannot fail to guard against it."
"If it's truly related to the first generation Peak Masters, it's possible the Ancestor has made new arrangements. But if so, it's very likely to disrupt my setup."
Undeniably, the variable brought by Hong Yun seeing through the [Knowledge-Perception Barrier] made him feel a trace of unease.
Although [Sky-Shrouding] considered himself the Ancestor's favorite cub, compared to the first generation Peak Masters who conquered the world with the Ancestor back then, he still felt a bit diffident.
Thinking of this, he immediately made a decision:
He couldn't ignore it!
Fortunately, he had long prepared contingency plans for similar situations. To ensure he could intervene in the present world while residing in the Netherworld when necessary, he had quite a few backup plans.
With this thought, [Sky-Shrouding] immediately formed a hand seal.
Jiangnan, Gantang Channel.
[Sea-Farer Li Clan]. The only Foundation Establishment Perfected One of this small Jiangnan clan, Perfected One Xiao Hai, suddenly startled awake from seclusion. An inexplicable thought arose in his heart:
Alas... I should go to the Grotto-Heaven fragment at the bottom of the [Gantang Channel] seabed to scout the way!
No, it might be dangerous... No, that's not right either. My Li Clan has been rooted in [Gantang Channel] for so many years. What danger could there be? Impossible to be dangerous.
Not a big problem!
As soon as this thought arose, it crawled all over Perfected One Xiao Hai's mind like poisonous insects, making it hard for him to suppress. After a brief struggle, he followed the flow.
Soon, he rode a streak of light into the seabed of Gantang Channel. After some maneuvering, he silently walked into the Grotto-Heaven fragment at the bottom of the sea. This was a fragment of Hong Yun's former [Eternal Brilliance Precious-Light Grotto-Heaven], and also bait deliberately placed here by [Sky-Shrouding] to catch Hong Yun.
Of course, it was useless now.
Since Hong Yun had already seen through the [Knowledge-Perception Barrier], he would definitely be clear about the problem with this Grotto-Heaven fragment and recall the backup plans prepared back then.
Since that was the case, this bait was meaningless.
Might as well use it for something else.
A moment later, Perfected One Xiao Hai walked out of the Grotto-Heaven. The initial struggle on his face was gone, replaced by a calm smile.
"Not bad, not bad..."
The next second, he turned around and beckoned with his hand, actually taking the entire Grotto-Heaven fragment into his sleeve directly. In an instant, he refined it into a piece of jade.
However, as Perfected One Xiao Hai uncovered the jade, its true appearance was revealed to be a jade pot. At this moment, the mouth of the pot opened like a Taotie, instantly swallowing the seawater of [Gantang Channel]. In just a moment, the entire [Gantang Channel] was sucked dry, turning from a sea port into a deep valley basin.
As for the [Sea-Farer Li Clan] originally situated here, they were naturally swept away as well.
After all, looking at the entire [Sea-Farer Li Clan], only Perfected One Xiao Hai could barely be counted as a person. The rest were all consumables, and consumables naturally had to be used.
Using them at this moment was just right.
"Using the [Eternal Brilliance Precious-Light Grotto-Heaven] as a base, first taking in the water of a lake, then sacrificing the materials of a clan... finally barely refined something presentable."
"From now on, I'll call you the [Sea-Faring Bright Light Pot]."
After saying this, Perfected One Xiao Hai—or rather, [Sky-Shrouding] wearing this skin—laughed heartily. Then he put away the treasure and rode a streak of light far away.