Chapter 143: Overwhelming Pressure

“What should we do?” Chen Yuan asked.

Many cultivators atop the mountain peak had already begun to slowly disperse, heading toward other areas shrouded by the formation to seek opportunities.

Since the War God Tomb had opened, this place had been enveloped by a protective formation. Within this enveloped area, there were bound to be numerous spiritual herbs and medicinal plants, and perhaps even a rare holy herb!

Wang Changsheng furrowed his brow, pondering for a moment. He looked at Chen Yuan and asked in a low voice, “Chen Yuan, do you find anything strange about the peak we’re standing on?”

“Very strange!” Chen Yuan replied immediately. “This definitely isn’t an ordinary mountain peak!”

Everyone from the Corpse Refining Sect nodded in agreement. The ability to vary gravity based on cultivation levels was definitely beyond what a normal mountain could achieve.

“There’s no trace of any formation here!” Chen Yuan continued. “I suspect that either a hidden natural grand formation conceals this place, or there is a powerful treasure here!”

It wasn’t just Chen Yuan who had noticed this; among all the cultivators present, anyone with some experience could tell. This was why some were reluctant to leave.

“Look around; maybe we’ll find something!” Wang Changsheng said.

Anyone could see that this mountain was indeed peculiar. The gravity alone revealed its strangeness.

Due to the immense gravity on War God Mountain, movement was somewhat difficult. Even after searching the highest peak, a considerable amount of time had passed.

“There’s really nothing here!”

“Not necessarily. Let’s check the slightly lower areas; maybe we’ll have some luck!”

“Places that can be covered by a formation like this must be extraordinary. Besides, War God Mountain is so strange!”

“I think it must be a powerful treasure. If we get it, then…”

Many cultivators whispered among themselves, exchanging the information they had gathered.

“Let’s go and check other places!” Wang Changsheng said in a low voice.

With that, he led the disciples of the Corpse Refining Sect away from the highest peak.

After searching War God Mountain for several days with no results—not even a single spiritual herb—many sects chose to withdraw and seek elsewhere.

Wang Changsheng was also preparing to leave War God Mountain with his disciples.

“Steward Wang!”

Just as Wang Changsheng was about to leave, a faint voice entered his mind. He stopped and saw a figure slowly emerging from a nearby dense forest.

Wang Changsheng recognized the figure—it was the same person from the Wanderer Pavilion who had delivered news not long ago.

Due to the heavy gravity, the person had not concealed their presence.

“What’s the matter?” Wang Changsheng asked.

“There’s been a discovery,” the Wanderer Pavilion cultivator whispered. “At Cloud Palace Peak, a place with dense spiritual energy has been found. It’s very likely where the upper spiritual vein is located!”

“Hm?”

Wang Changsheng’s brow immediately furrowed, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.

Seeing that Wang Changsheng did not respond, the Wanderer Pavilion cultivator took out a jade slip and said, “The location is marked on the jade slip. If you’re interested, Steward Wang, you could join in the excitement!”

The cultivator then slowly left.

“Steward Wang, be cautious. This could be a trap!” Zhang Yi warned.

Wang Changsheng nodded lightly.

At a time like this, caution was indeed necessary. After all, Wang Changsheng had not made any agreement with the Wanderer Pavilion, and this was the second time Zhang Mingyuan had brought news. As Wang Changsheng put it, “No good deed goes unpunished.”

Wang Changsheng immediately examined the jade slip. Indeed, it marked a location not far from where they were.

He passed the jade slip around, and all the disciples of the Corpse Refining Sect saw the contents.

“This could be a lure!” Chen Yuan said after some thought. “If we go there, we might fall into Cloud Palace Peak’s ambush!”

Wang Changsheng nodded. “That’s a possibility we can’t rule out.”

With no gains so far, it was time to do what was often done in the War God Tomb—eliminate outstanding disciples from rival sects.

The Corpse Refining Sect and Cloud Palace Peak were not allies; they were enemies. It wouldn’t be impossible for Cloud Palace Peak to use the Wanderer Pavilion’s hand to trap and kill Corpse Refining Sect disciples at this moment.

After all, the strength of the Corpse Refining Sect put considerable pressure on Cloud Palace Peak.

“Let’s go take a look,” Wang Changsheng said gravely. “The location marked on the jade slip is within the range of the great gravity. Even if Cloud Palace Peak has a scheme, we have the strength to resist!”

Everyone nodded and hurried toward the marked location.

When Wang Changsheng arrived, he immediately saw a cave nestled in a mountain hollow. Before the cave, many people had already gathered. Wang Changsheng even spotted He Feng among them.

“Looks like it’s not a trap set by Cloud Palace Peak!” Wang Changsheng said.

Many cultivators were entering the cave, but none from Cloud Palace Peak were visible. The Wanderer Pavilion cultivator who had delivered the message was hiding among the crowd. Upon seeing Wang Changsheng and company arrive, he nodded slightly.

“No one has come out yet, but I think I just heard a scream!”

“Let’s go in and see. Dead men tell no tales, but the living are immortal!”

“Let’s check it out!”

Many hesitant cultivators stepped into the cave.

Of course, some deemed it too dangerous and stayed outside. For many, even if there were great opportunities inside, the presence of Cloud Palace Peak cultivators made it difficult to gain anything. They preferred to watch the spectacle and perhaps profit from the chaos.

So far, there had been no discoveries, and the atmosphere remained calm. But everyone present was certain that once something was found, a fierce battle would surely erupt.

“Let’s go inside and see!” Wang Changsheng said.

Leading the Corpse Refining Sect disciples into the cave, Wang Changsheng immediately felt an even stronger gravity, nearly knocking him to the ground.

Once he steadied himself, Wang Changsheng looked ahead and saw the cave extending downward like a passage. The deeper they went, the heavier the pressure became.

“Phew…”

Wang Changsheng exhaled heavily and said in a low voice, “I’m almost unable to continue!”

Everyone nodded in agreement, feeling the immense pressure.

Some cultivators had already retreated, clearly unable to withstand the crushing force.

Wang Changsheng noticed the faint reddish hue seeping through his skin and said solemnly, “Thankfully, I have the Fire Phoenix Technique, or else I’d probably be crushed to death by this pressure!”

Braving the crushing gravity, Wang Changsheng calculated that, given the increasing pressure, he could only advance about three hundred more feet before risking bodily rupture.

Bang!

Just as Wang Changsheng was contemplating, a muffled explosion echoed ahead. Following the passage, a strong scent of blood filled the air.

“He was crushed by the pressure!” Chen Yuan said gravely. “His cultivation base wasn’t low, but his constitution was poor—worse than an ordinary Early Nascent Soul cultivator.”

Seeing this, Wang Changsheng’s expression grew serious.

“Let’s move on!”

Gritting his teeth, Wang Changsheng pressed forward.

After nearly two hundred feet, Wang Changsheng was struggling. The Fire Phoenix Technique was operating at full power, and dark red blood had already seeped from his skin.

“Steward Wang, if you continue, it will be very dangerous!” Chen Yuan warned.

Wang Changsheng nodded.

“I can hold on a little longer. I’ll keep going, but if I can’t, I’ll stop,” Wang Changsheng said.

It wasn’t bravado. He realized that though the pressure nearly suffocated him, fully activating the Fire Phoenix Technique was rapidly strengthening his physique. The cultivation speed of the technique rivaled that of training in the Fire Phoenix Pool.

Understanding the importance of strengthening himself, Wang Changsheng would not miss this opportunity.

“Looks like we’re almost there!”

Wang Changsheng was nearing his limit; his shoulder blades were deforming, and even raising his hand was difficult. At that moment, Chen Yuan’s faint voice came.

A faint light shone from around the corner ahead. The Corpse Refining Sect disciples cautiously approached and turned the corner, suddenly finding themselves in a vast cavern.

Not only that, but over a hundred cultivators stood inside the enormous cave.

“Let’s go take a look!” Wang Changsheng said gravely.

Braving the crushing pressure, they entered the cavern, immediately attracting the attention of all present. On seeing Wang Changsheng and his group, expressions grew inexplicably tense.

“It seems you must have trained body refinement techniques; otherwise, you couldn’t have come in here!” Cai Yun said seriously.

Before the Corpse Refining Sect arrived, the cultivator with the lowest base in the cave was only at the first stage of Nascent Core. Wang Changsheng, at the second stage of Nascent Core, stood out sharply.

“Not only have you trained body refinement, but your foundation is deep; otherwise, you couldn’t have come so far down!” He Feng said gravely, looking at Wang Changsheng with an unfriendly expression.

Wang Changsheng said nothing, instead gazing toward the center of the cavern, where he immediately saw a small mountain floating in midair—roughly the size of a person, a miniature version of War God Mountain.

Pressure radiated from the floating small mountain, making Wang Changsheng’s breathing extremely difficult.

At that moment, a figure stood before the small mountain, dressed in a purple robe, back turned to Wang Changsheng and the others, staring at the miniature mountain, lost in thought.

“What is that?” Wang Changsheng asked Cai Yun quietly.

If Wang Changsheng’s guess was correct, the tremendous pressure on War God Mountain was caused by this person-sized miniature mountain. Unfortunately, Cai Yun did not answer Wang Changsheng.