Path to Heaven

“Wakao! What sect is that?” Observing those swelling flying rays, Wei Suo instantly emitted cold sweat.

At present, Wei Suo was heading towards Sky Valley from the southeast direction. After witnessing those golden chariots flying towards the east, Wei Suo heaved a sigh of relief.

After advancing forward for a brief period, Wei Suo suddenly heard fighting clamour towards his left.

Wei Suo’s heart fluttered slightly. After affirming there wasn’t anyone around, a silver mantle robe appeared in his hands.

After putting it on and directing true energy in, Wei Suo mysteriously vanished from the forest.

This was the concealment artifact robe that Murong Chen crafted for Wei Suo. Prior to heading out, Wei Suo had already smeared the daylight obstruction fluid. Indeed, it made him fully invisible.

Without a sound or aura, Wei Suo wore this concealment robe as he crept towards the source of the noise.

Very quickly, a sight of 2 Divine Sea stage level 5 cultivators led by a Heavenly Circuit stage cultivator appeared. They were currently indulged in a fierce battle with two Heavenly Circuit stage cultivators. Wei Suo had never seen these 5 before; they all struck forth with half-spirit class or above artifacts, and on hindsight, it seemed a victor could not be determined.

After a brief while, Wei Suo finally revealed himself at a place exceedingly far from that battle. His face exposed a bitter smile.

Those 5 had viciously cunning expressions; it was obvious that at least one side was murdering to pillage, and thus instigated a conflict.

It seemed like mutual plotting, killing and plundering between cultivators had now utterly unfolded even outside of Sky Valley.

Currently, Wei Suo wanted to avoid any needless trouble. After muttering resolutely to himself, he wore his concealment robe again and headed towards the southeast region of the Sky Valley without a trace nor sound.

Approximately 50 li away from Sky Valley, Wei Suo seized an unoccupied sky extending archaic tree. At the peak of this tree, he gazed towards Sky Valley. Instantly, Wei Suo felt a sense of inhaling cold breath.

The enshrouding five-colored venomous miasma had completely dispersed from Sky Valley, revealing the full scenery of Sky Valley.

The entire Sky Valley, could only be described as vast and exceedingly desolate.

From Wei Suo’s perspective, he could only see the southeastern portion and was simply impossible to encompass the entire Sky Valley. Within Sky Valley were several erected lofty mountains. Lingering around these mountains, one could see many areas where the five-colored venomous miasma had not dispersed; it appeared gaudy, shocking the eyes and astonishing the hearts.

Probably due to prolonged exposure by the five-colored venomous miasma, every tree and vegetation in Sky Valley exuberated a gloomy and depressed luster. Many had droopy and hindering long vines intertwined around it, where those longer ones even gave one a delusion of miniature plants.

This place even released an impression of a devil’s domain, only heard of in legends.

At present, cultivators that had entered didn’t amount to a thousand, but at least 7-8 hundred. Yet when Wei Suo observed the place, he couldn’t see a single human figure. Scattered inside such a broad and gigantuous Sky Valley, those cultivators were like a plankton in the ocean. Only occasionally, flashes of brilliance could be spotted in some areas, indicating that some cultivators had started making a move.

……

At a south-east entrance of Sky Valley, a yellow robed, fair-faced scholar and an apricot robed, ‘thin as a bamboo’ cultivator flew inwards.

With just a few li distance from Sky Valley ahead, the fair-faced scholar and the skinny bamboo cultivator halted.

5 other young cultivators that appeared to be within their twenties, presented themselves in front of the two.

The five cultivators were all wearing ‘Moonlight-Ripples robes’, and two characters announcing the words ‘Heaven’s First’. They were shockingly inner sect disciples from the Heaven’s First Sect!

灵岳城中，天一门的外门弟子也人数众多，但是外门弟子在天一门中的地位就相当于杂务、劳役，根本得不到门内的重视，也得不到天一门真正的传承。但是一旦成为内门弟子，身份和地位就是截然不同，不仅每日会有一定的灵石配给，而且有可能会天一门中的厉害修士收入门下，不仅可以得到厉害的功法，而且还得到天一门的保护。

In Spirit Peak City, the amount of outer sect disciples of the Heaven’s First Sect were numerous. Yet these outer sect disciples had statuses equivalent to low-grade labourers, completely not worthy of the sect’s supervision, and wasn’t genuinely acknowledged by Heaven’s First Sect. But when one becomes an inner sect disciple, one’s status and position was a stark contrast. Not only would one receive a fix allocation of spiritual stones, powerful cultivators of the Heaven’s First Sect may take them in and impart formidable cultivation techniques to them. Moreover, they would earn the protection of the Heaven’s First Sect.

If one battled and killed several outer sect disciples of the Heaven’s First Sect daily, the Heaven’s First sect may not even pursue it. But once an inner sect disciple was slain, the exact same terrifying situation of that devilish cultivator Wei Suo faced, and incur the wrath of the Heaven’s First Sect.

Besides, for any major sects, inner sect disciples and elite disciples were all treated vastly differently. Every sect harbored hopes of receiving great remunerations from these disciples in the future. If they couldn’t even protect these disciples, then their prestige as a major sect could be discarded.

“I apologize. Our sect’s elders have deployed a strict restriction over the area ahead. May I request the two gentlemen to find another passage into Sky Valley.

After obstructing the fair-faced scholar and bamboo thin cultivator, a graceful Heaven’s First Sect disciple faintly smiled and spoke with an elegant demeanor.

An awkward expression appeared on the fair-faced cultivator and bamboo thin cultivator as they glanced at each other. Without replying, they flew towards the south instead.

After separating a great distance from those 5 Heaven’s First Sect disciples, and affirming that they were out of listening range, the skinny bamboo cultivator raged out furiously. “That Heaven’s First Sect is obviously bullying others with force; relying on their personal influence and manpower to colonize this region, they prevent others from entering. Allowing only their people to harvest spirit medicines first.”

The fair-faced scholar helplessly shook his head, smiling bitterly and exhorted. “There’s nothing we can do. Every major sect has occupied those easier to enter entrances. Loose cultivators like us cannot dare to refute them. Instead, that mightier Thunder Heaven Sect had simply stuttered in with swag from the top, but those sects didn’t even dare hinder them. What’s the point of fuming now, we just need to find another safer entrance to avoid colliding with any decaying aurora right when we enter. If we can peacefully extract some spirit medicines, that would be great bliss already.

The skinny bamboo cultivator’s face seemed to have lightened a little, but still squeezed out noticeably infuriated words, “Just because of the Heaven’s First Sect’s deeds today, if I, Zhu Daren, ever encounters a stroke of luck in the future and makes it big, I will definitely serve Heaven’s First Sect a cold dish. At that time, disciples of the Heaven’s First Sect wouldn’t even be able to exit from Spirit Peak City’s north, south, east, and west entrances. I’ll leave them a doggy hole, either they don’t leave the city or they squeeze out from the doggy hole.

As they conversed, the two disappeared into the southern region of the forest.

After a brief period, a silver glow flickered. Wei Suo suddenly revealed his figure behind a tree, not too far from them.

“Seems like with this concealment robe and the ‘Secret-Concealment Art’; as long as I don’t release any true energy, I can even encroach inside a 15 metre radius of a Heavenly Circuit cultivator. The opposing wouldn’t even sense me.”

After muttering to himself while gazing at his robe on hand with satisfaction, Wei Suo grudgingly glanced towards the entrance the Heaven’s First Sect had sealed off. Then, he directly shot straight towards a nearby bushy tree, quietly shutting his eyes and probing the aura.

Near the region where the Heaven’s First Sect had sealed off, it was possibly the nearest growth area of the Amethyst-fox rose. Yet those 5 Heaven’s First sect disciples were all Heavenly Circuit stage level 1 experts, and that was excluding anyone who could disguise their powerful cultivation. Hence, he only mimicked the two previous Heavenly Circuit cultivators, and detoured to another entrance.

As far as possible, other cultivators only entered during the daytime. Yet Wei Suo was now in possession of that ‘Truesight magic liquid’ that specialized in nightvision which the green gowned old man had bought previously. Moreover, at night, the old man could come out and assist Wei Suo in Divine Sense interaction; as compared to an average cultivator, Wei Suo was like an enhanced cultivator at night.

The current Heaven’s First Sect had already colonized the southeast territory of the Sky Valley, causing Wei Suo to resolve to detouring and enter while it was still night. Besides, if the Amethyst-fox rose was so easy to find, then it most likely had already landed in with the Heaven’s First Sect. If it was a tough find, then when the Heaven’s First sect headed deeper into Sky Valley, Wei Suo would still have his chances.

Moreover, based on Wei Suo’s conjuncture, the possibility of the Heaven’s First Sect using this region as a springboard to advance deeper into Sky Valley later on was above 80 percent. Because as bygone years lifted the ban from Sky Valley, the deeper it was, the lesser cultivators dared to venture in. Therefore, good fortunes and treasures were more sparse at the outskirts, while an abundance of treasures awaited deeper in.

For a major sect like the Heaven’s First Sect with countless disciples wholeheartedly seeking meritorious achievements, they definitely wouldn’t act like loose cultivators like Wei Suo; slipping away after reaping some good fortunes.

Not long after Wei Suo just concealed himself within ordinary trees near the Sky Valley, an enormous black figure suddenly descended from the south. As it swooped down, it unleashed a pressure that could stun the heavens; causing Wei Suo, who was over a hundred li distance away, to feel fear and trepidation.

That black figure was clearly not a flying artifact, but was a demonic beast that was several folds mightier than the upper-tier level 5 Twin-Headed canine!

Right now inside Sky Valley, many deadly demonic beasts had entered!

This caused Wei Suo to become even more prudent and cautious.

As time trickled away, the horizon of Sky Valley had finally and gradually dimmed.

Finally, the last trace of sunset faded from the horizon. Wei Suo leapt down from the tree as he surged towards the south.

Nearing several hundreds of metres from Sky Valley, Wei Suo stored his concealment robe; because employing it during this period, would leave a transparent afterimage consequence of travelling too fast in the concealment robe.

In addition to its intrinsic quality that doesn’t completely mask a cultivator’s aura, it could be very easily spotted when moving.

Thus, this robe was best utilized in crucial circumstances, complementing the ‘Secret-Concealment Art’ and his invisible bone-spur artifact to ambush others.