Chapter 1400: Peak of the Cloud Sea, Second Tier Grave Platform

Nine Cultivators stood on the nine platforms!

None of these nine people were women; all were Male Cultivators. Seven were elders, and the remaining two looked to be around forty years old. Each of them had gloomy eyes and overflowing killing intent.

A bloody stench rushed into this Sealed Land along with their appearance.

The nine platforms were almost stained red, covered in fresh blood! Even more astonishingly, numerous Souls floated above those nine platforms, each twisted and emitting shrill cries.

None of these nine individuals had weak cultivation; five of them were clearly at the Fourth Heavenly Decay stage! Two others had already reached the Five Decays cultivation, and there was one elder whose appearance was very striking—he had messy red hair like blood, and a faint Power of Incense permeated his body!

He was a half-capable individual with one foot already in the Third Step! However, due to external factors, he could only reach this stage; without a massive amount of Incense, he could not take that complete step! Simply standing there, he exuded majesty; clearly, within the Primordial Stars, he was a person of extremely high status who would not easily appear in the world!

The last person was a Middle-aged Scholar. He held a feather fan, his eyes narrowed, flickering with bursts of light. His cultivation was only at the third heavenly and mortal decay, but his ability to occupy a spot among these nine meant he must have extraordinary capabilities!

But this was not what shocked everyone the most; what truly made everyone's eyes narrow were the platforms beneath these nine people!

Almost all the broken stone platforms in the Ancient Burial Ground were a thousand *zhang* in size, but one platform beneath these nine individuals was astonishingly two thousand *zhang*, having been expanded by a full fold!

This platform belonged precisely to the elder who had one foot in the Third Step!

"You haven't even reached the Second Tier Grave Platform, yet you dare covet the Treasure of the Burial Ground…" The elder with one foot in the Third Step calmly swept his gaze over Wang Lin and the others.

Wang Lin's eyes were solemn as he stared at the platform beneath the elder, remaining silent. The Cultivators around him were also silent, clearly recognizing the elder's power. They slowly gathered together, seemingly treating Wang Lin as their leader.

The elder's gaze was like a torch, immediately landing on Wang Lin. Not only him, but the Cultivators on the other eight platforms also looked over with killing intent. A chilling sensation immediately permeated the air, as if a bloody battle was about to erupt.

Just then, the Middle-aged Scholar, whose cultivation was only at the third heavenly and mortal decay, suddenly stepped forward and whispered a few words into the elder's ear. The elder's eyes narrowed. He looked at the ground, then at the broken stone platform carried on the Ancient God's back, and finally swept his gaze over Wang Lin and the others.

"You, come over!" The elder raised his right hand and pointed at a Cultivator beside Wang Lin. This Cultivator was one of the Fierce Villains who had previously succeeded in snatching a platform. Being singled out by the elder, his face immediately turned pale.

Hesitantly, yet daring not to refuse, he silently stepped out, cupped his fist towards the elder, and respectfully said, "Junior greets Venerable Ling Dong."

"Oh? You recognize this old man!" The elder's expression betrayed no emotion.

"The name Venerable Ling Dong is illustrious in my Primordial Stars, Junior naturally recognizes it," the Cultivator quickly replied.

"Go break the Seal on the back of this Ancient God. If you can break one-tenth of it, I will spare your life!" Venerable Ling Dong spoke slowly, his words filled with an air of non-negotiation.

The Cultivator's expression immediately changed, seemingly struggling. After a long pause, he nodded, took a deep breath, performed Hand Seals with both hands, allowing his Divine Ability to permeate the air, and flew straight toward the broken stone platform on the Ancient God's back below.

In the blink of an eye, the Cultivator arrived outside the Ancient God. He stared at the platform enveloped in Red Mist a few *zhang* ahead for a long time. Gritting his teeth, he performed Hand Seals with his right hand, and a phantom image immediately materialized, pressing violently toward the mist!

With a crash, the phantom image formed by the Cultivator's right hand immediately touched the mist. But the instant it made contact, a booming roar seemed to erupt from within the mist. In a flash, the mist suddenly extended, like a massive mouth, and swallowed the Cultivator whole with unimaginable speed.

Unable to dodge at all, a horrifying scream pierced the sky. The Cultivator was instantly swallowed by the red mist, violently dragged inside. Shrill cries continuously emanated, causing alarm!

"Indeed, it is a Dao Spirit!! I wonder what grade it is!" Joy flashed in the eyes of the elder with one foot in the Third Step. He took a step forward, instantly arriving outside the mist, raising his right hand, and slamming it violently toward the mist.

Just as his palm was about to fall, the roar reappeared within the mist. The mist violently churned and transformed into a gigantic Demonic Shadow, which frantically blew a mouthful of red mist toward the elder!

The red mist shot out, heading straight for the elder. Its speed was immense, and they collided in an instant. The deafening crash shook the Sealed Land. The elder's expression immediately changed, and his body rapidly retreated, moving back dozens of *zhang* before finally stopping.

"It's at least Grade Six!! Unfortunately, there is a Restriction on it!"

"It is the Ancient Soul Restriction!" The Middle-aged Scholar, who was at the third heavenly and mortal decay, flashed his eyes and spoke slowly. Among the seven people beside him, there was an elder wearing a green robe who narrowed his eyes, seemingly also discerning some clues.

"Ancient Soul Restriction… This old man doesn't know much about Restrictions. How confident are you that you can break it?" Venerable Ling Dong stared at the red mist platform on the Ancient God's back and asked in a deep voice.

"This… I only have twenty percent confidence…" The Middle-aged Scholar hesitated before replying.

"Twenty percent!" Venerable Ling Dong frowned!

Wang Lin watched this scene the entire time. In fact, he had vaguely discerned the Restriction within the red mist when he first arrived here. This Restriction was indeed the Ancient Soul Restriction, but it also contained other Restriction Techniques, making it absolutely not simple for outsiders to break! He remained composed, coldly watching how the nine people would attempt to solve it.

Just as Venerable Ling Dong frowned and pondered, the green-robed elder beside him stepped forward, cupped his fist toward Venerable Ling Dong, and respectfully said, "Venerable, I have some confidence in breaking this Restriction, but after it is broken…" He stopped speaking and looked up at Venerable Ling Dong.

"If you can break it, apart from the Dao Spirit, any Magic Treasures inside will all be yours! Furthermore, you can take most of the grave treasures obtained by those Small Cultivators here!" Venerable Ling Dong said in a deep voice.

Ecstasy appeared in the green-robed elder's eyes. Hearing this, he laughed and said, "Venerable, rest assured. I have studied Restriction Techniques since childhood. I dare not boast about other things, but regarding this Restriction, there is none in the world that this old man cannot break! Even Fellow Daoist Xiao Jing cannot compare to this old man in this regard!"

He glanced at the Middle-aged Scholar, who revealed a gentle smile and cupped his fist, saying, "Senior Gao is absolutely right. Xiao is still a late learner when it comes to Restrictions."

The green-robed elder laughed heartily and said proudly, "Restriction Technique is the Dao of Formation Origin. This old man has studied it for nearly ten thousand years and believes he has already discerned the secrets of the Great Dao. Furthermore, I have created a Myriad Restriction Breaking Spell, which will surely break this mist! Moreover, the Restriction within this mist is fundamentally not some Ancient Soul Restriction. This old man has studied Restriction Techniques and has never heard the name Ancient Soul Restriction!" As he spoke, he strode toward the red mist. When he was a few *zhang* away, his eyes flashed with light, and he performed Hand Seals with his right hand, waving it in front of him. Immediately, a wave of Restriction light flickered.

In a flash, it transformed into a massive Rune. This Rune was composed of Restrictions, shining with brilliant light. Judging by its Aura, it subtly carried the momentum to resist the red mist!

The moment it appeared, the roaring within the red mist abruptly ceased, and the red mist even seemed to be blown by a strong wind, retreating slightly backward.

The elder became even more smug. With a low shout, he pointed his right hand forward, and the massive Rune immediately shot toward the red mist.

"For this old man…" The green-robed elder roared, and the Rune violently collided with the red mist. But just then, before the elder could finish his sentence, the red mist instantly transformed into a massive mouth again, rushing out with extreme speed. It swallowed the Rune in one gulp, and then completely engulfed the entire green-robed elder into the mist.

His unfinished words turned into a shrill scream, reverberating between heaven and earth.

A dark expression seemed to rise on Venerable Ling Dong's face. He hadn't expected such a result from someone who had gone forward so confidently.

A light laugh came from the mouth of a Cultivator beside Wang Lin. The one who laughed was precisely the corpulent Cultivator. His laughter immediately drew Venerable Ling Dong's sinister gaze.

This corpulent Cultivator, dressed in a Yüanwai Robe, hurriedly stepped forward a few paces, moving away from Wang Lin's group. He cupped his fist towards Venerable Ling Dong, his face covered in a forced smile, and said, "Junior Xu Fu greets Venerable. I have some confidence in breaking the Restriction within this red mist, and I have absolutely no connection with these people; we were just teleported here together by chance! Junior also has a secret to tell Senior: one of these Cultivators is a Void…"

"If you can break this red mist, this Venerable will spare your life, give you a Magic Treasure, and let you stay by my side!" Venerable Ling Dong interrupted the corpulent Cultivator. He was not interested in secrets; the only thing he wanted was the Dao Spirit within the mist!

"Venerable, rest assured. I have observed this red mist Restriction for a long time. Although I don't have absolute certainty, with Senior's cooperation, I still have seventy percent confidence in breaking it!" The corpulent Cultivator was delighted by the reply. He turned back, coldly glanced at Wang Lin, a sneer appearing on his lips, then turned and rushed toward the red mist. He stopped ten *zhang* away, his face cautious. He waved the abacus in his right hand, making continuous *pa pa* sounds. With a bang, the abacus shattered, and the beads flew out, suddenly transforming into a Restriction Vortex, which shot toward the mist as the corpulent Cultivator took a deep breath.

"Seeking death!" Wang Lin's expression was calm, but he sneered inwardly. His gaze swept over the scholar holding the feather fan among the opposing group, and he clearly saw a flicker of mockery pass across the scholar's lips.

"Although this person only has the cultivation of the third heavenly and mortal decay, being able to stand with these people means he must be deeply cunning and resourceful! Perhaps this person is also eyeing the mist…" Wang Lin's Mind Sharp as a Demon. Without showing any change in expression, a Restriction appeared beneath his feet…