The area above the halfway point was shrouded in thick clouds, obscuring the entire view; at the foot of the mountain lay a small village, Luoxing Village.
The village was surrounded by a thick white fog, which flowed slowly like a living thing, completely enveloping the village.
Not even a trace of breath could be seen; one could only vaguely make out a blank stone tablet standing at the entrance of the village.
The boat slowly descended and stopped in an open area a hundred feet away from the village.
As soon as Lin Zhou and Shen Jinhao stepped out of the boat, they saw more than twenty people already standing in the open space.
They gathered in twos and threes, and their auras were not weak.
Among the crowd, Shen Jing and Xuan Tie Laoguai were standing near the white mist, clearly having left the Youtianfang boat ahead of time and arrived here first.
Upon seeing Lin Zhou and Shen Jinhao, Shen Jing immediately walked over, brandishing his folding fan, his face full of mockery.
"Hey, Brother Jinhao, why are you so late? Were you scared and dawdled on the way here?"
The Old Monster Xuan Tie followed behind him, his gaze sweeping over Lin Zhou, his contempt growing even stronger: "When you enter Falling Star Village and encounter danger, don't beg me to let you go."
"My favors are not for good-for-nothings."
Shen Jinhao's face darkened, and he stepped forward to block Lin Zhou, coldly retorting, "Heh, it's not certain who's asking whom!"
"If your old monster can't protect you later and is used as a stepping stone by the three major forces, you, Shen Jing, might be the one begging for mercy!"
"You!" Shen Jing was choked for a moment, his face instantly turning red. He was about to lash out when he was stopped by the old monster Xuan Tie.
The Old Monster Xuan Tie glanced at Shen Jinhao with a sinister look, then looked at Lin Zhou, his tone threatening: "Young man, don't be so stubborn. The dangers inside Falling Star Village are beyond your imagination."
Lin Zhou finally raised his eyes and glanced at the Old Monster Xuan Tie. His gaze was calm and indifferent, yet it made the Old Monster Xuan Tie's heart inexplicably tighten.
As if being watched by some terrifying being, I subconsciously took a half step back.
He frowned, assuming it was just his imagination.
How could a cultivator at the early stage of the Beginningless Realm possibly give him this feeling?
Just then, footsteps suddenly came from the white mist, and an old man dressed in gray cloth walked out of the mist.
The old man had white hair and beard, and leaned on a peach wood cane. There was no trace of spiritual energy emanating from him.
But it made everyone present subconsciously fall silent.
This is one of the guardians of Falling Star Village.
The old man's gaze swept over the crowd, his voice aged yet powerful: "Everyone, the entrance to Falling Star Village will open in half an hour. After it opens, only those with invitations will be allowed to enter, and private fights are strictly prohibited within the village. Violators will be killed without exception."
As soon as he finished speaking, a low murmur arose from the crowd, but no one dared to question him.
Those who can protect Falling Star Village must be incredibly strong.
Shen Jing glared at Shen Jinhao, then turned and followed the old monster Xuan Tie to the side, ceasing his provocation.
Shen Jinhao breathed a sigh of relief and whispered to Lin Zhou, "Luckily, it didn't escalate into a big fight, otherwise it would have been troublesome if the Guardians had their eyes on us."
Lin Zhou remained silent, his gaze fixed on the depths of the white mist. He could sense several powerful auras hidden within it.
They were all cultivators, and the faint aura of innate energy emanated from deep within the village.
The half-hour wait passed quickly.
As the old man gently tapped the ground with his cane, the white mist slowly parted, revealing a path leading into the village. On both sides of the path, several blurry figures could be vaguely seen; they were the guardians of Falling Star Village.
"The entrance is open, go in," the old man said.
The crowd instantly sprang into action, with members of the three major factions taking the lead and heading towards the path.
Lu Zhizhou, dressed in a black robe with star patterns, walked with a steady gait, and his body was faintly surrounded by starlight.
Luo Yun Chu, dressed in a white dress with tiny ice crystals clinging to the hem, walked among the crowd like a fairy sculpted from ice and snow.
Huo Zheng, dressed in red, radiated a faint heat wave. As he passed by Shen Jing, he glanced at him disdainfully.
Shen Jing gritted his teeth and followed behind the old monster Xuan Tie, heading towards the path.
Shen Jinhao glanced at Lin Zhou, signaling him to follow. The two of them then entered the mist-shrouded Luoxing Village with the crowd.
After passing through the misty path, the entire view of Falling Star Village was finally revealed to everyone.
There was no ethereal mist as I had imagined, nor the grandeur of ancient ruins; all I could see were low, mud-brick houses.
Ordinary corn and vegetables grew in the fenced yard, and several villagers dressed in coarse cloth sat under the eaves.
Some were weaving cloth with their heads down, while others were slowly feeding the chickens. Even the yellow dog lying at the gate only glanced at the crowd before drooping its head and going back to sleep.
This place looks no different from any other ordinary mountain village.
None of the cultivators present dared to relax; instead, they all held their breath and suppressed their cultivation to the extreme.
The faint aura of Dao Realm that could be sensed at the village entrance just moments ago has now completely vanished.
It was as if those guardians had never existed; even the villagers under the eaves, seemingly ordinary, commanded respect.
Their aura seemed to blend into the heavens and earth; without careful examination, one might mistake them for ordinary mortals.
"Such profound concealment techniques."
Shen Jinhao whispered to Lin Zhou, his eyes full of vigilance, "These villagers are probably all experts above the Dao Realm."
Lin Zhou nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping across the depths of the village.
He could sense that the fluctuations of innate energy were becoming increasingly clear, hidden in the direction behind the village.
And that legendary celestial paradise seems to be connected to the source of primordial energy.
The elderly man in gray, who was leading the way, walked at the front. He didn't walk fast, but he always kept a few steps away from the others.
He walked through several narrow village paths and finally stopped in an open space in the center of the village.
In the center of the open space stood a stone tablet taller than a person, its entire surface dark black and smooth as a mirror.
It has no words or patterns, and is the "wordless stele" mentioned earlier.
"Gentlemen, this is the first test."
The old man in gray turned around, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, his voice remaining calm.
"Probe your divine sense into the stone tablet. If the stone tablet reacts, you may continue. If the stone tablet does not move, you have no chance with Falling Star Village and may leave on your own."
As soon as he finished speaking, a low commotion arose in the crowd.
"Use divine sense to probe? It's that simple?"
One of the cultivators asked with a doubtful tone.
They had expected a fierce battle or a challenge in a secret realm, but the first test turned out to be so "easy".
"How do I trigger the reaction with my divine sense? How much spiritual power do I need to inject, or is there a special method?"
Another cultivator pressed for an answer, his eyes filled with confusion.
Ordinary spiritual sense can only perceive the material of an object at most; how could it make a stone tablet "react"?
Everyone chimed in with their questions, eager to learn from the old man in gray. But the old man simply stood quietly to the side, his eyes slightly closed, as if he hadn't heard their questions and wouldn't utter a single unnecessary word.
"Hmph, stop pretending to be mysterious!"
Huo Zheng frowned, a slight heat emanating from his body, clearly dissatisfied with the old man's attitude.
He stepped forward first, activating the Fiery Dragon Bloodline within his body, and thrusting his burning divine sense toward the wordless stone tablet.
"Buzz—"
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