Zixiao Sect, the Sect Master’s Hall.

"What's the result?" Sect Master Bai, who was sitting at the head of the table, asked the disciple who came to report the news with a serious expression.

"Master, because we reported it in time, all the major sects have completed the thorough investigation and caught some monsters. Basically, no monsters were missed. However,..." The messenger hesitated.

Sect Leader Bai's expression froze, "You can say whatever you want."

"There has been no news from Ningsong City so far. I heard that the city gates have been sealed and outsiders and people inside cannot get out. If the gates continue to be sealed, I'm afraid it will cause panic among the people in the city and lead to a major incident."

Sect Master Bai pondered for a moment, then smiled bitterly, "Sixth Elder is really good at finding tasks for this Sect Master. If City Master Ning's father doesn't show up, I'm afraid Zixiao Sect will have to intervene in this matter. Now I just hope that Ning Songcheng doesn't get into any big trouble."

"I'm afraid it's too late." Qinglan walked in from outside the hall.

Sect Leader Bai was surprised and asked, "Didn't you just go there two days ago? You're back so soon. What do you mean it's too late?"

Qing Lan sat down as soon as he came in and said calmly, "After Ning Hongtian received the news, he may have been very hostile to me because of the matter of the Holy Saliva Fragrance Tree. He actually didn't believe what I said and drove me away."

After the Zixiao Sect found out the location of the Holy Fragrance Tree from Ning Songzhen and stole a part of it, they deliberately leaked some traces to other people who had been looking for the location of the Holy Fragrance Tree. As a result, the news somehow leaked out again, causing many strong men to rush to snatch the Holy Fragrance Tree. The strong men sent by Ning Hongtian to guard the town were not enough to protect it, and when everyone was fighting, the Holy Fragrance Tree was destroyed to death.

After Ning Hongtian returned to Ningsong City, he learned about these things. No matter how much he doted on Ning Songzhen, he almost beat her half to death.

When Ning Hongtian learned that someone from Zixiao Sect wanted to see him, he was still angry and didn't even want to meet them, so he asked his men to drive him away.

For the sake of Lingtian Continent, Qinglan had no choice but to break in by force and told Ning Hongtian about it. Coincidentally, his subordinate Meng Yuan was also there.

Originally, he only needed to check to know whether it was a human or a demon. However, Ning Hongtian was unwilling and asked two powerful gods to "send" Qinglan away. He had no choice but to leave.

Qinglan had no choice but to guard outside the city, and as a result, the aftermath of a battle broke out in the City Lord's Mansion that day.

This concerns the safety of the people in Ningsong City, and even more so his own safety. Ning Hongtian said he didn't bother, but as soon as he left, he immediately wanted to investigate Meng Yuan.

Meng Yuan naturally understood this logic, so he took the initiative and captured Ning Songzhen as a hostage.

"What's the result?" Sect Master Bai asked with a frown.

"Ning Hongtian, the old man, naturally suffered a great loss. His daughter Ning Songzhen died. Except for the demon spirit that possessed Meng Yuan and escaped, all the others have been dealt with." Qinglan said sarcastically.

"Ning Hongtian vowed to find the demon. In order to prevent him from escaping Ningsong City, he sealed the city gates and did not allow anyone to go out. He was not afraid of arousing public anger."

"If the blockade continues, it will definitely cause public outrage." Sect Leader Bai pondered for a moment, "City Leader Ning's father should also come forward."

"This matter has nothing to do with us, there is no need to worry about them." Qinglan said indifferently.

Sect Leader Bai shook his head. "Why do you think the demons went to so much trouble to arrange such a big show in Yizhang Ridge? Do they really dare to go to war with Lingtian Continent? Why at this time?"

Qing Lan sat up straight after hearing this, "Is it for the Wanxian Dao?"

Sect Leader Bai nodded, "Nine out of ten, it's probably true. Otherwise, they wouldn't have to go to such great lengths. The Wanxian Dao must not allow demons to enter. Once they gather information from inside, it will be very disadvantageous to the Lingtian Continent."

"I remember that the cultivation methods of cultivators possessed by demons are different from those of human cultivators. We will know whether it is a demon or not after a battle."

Sect Leader Bai smiled and said, "Don't think that others can't do what we can't think of. Some things are just what you can't think of, not what others can't do."

Qing Lan shrugged, "Okay, my mission is completed, there is nothing for me to do next, right?"

"Well, go do your thing."

…

A few days later, Gao Han came out of seclusion. His cultivation had been almost consolidated, and the next step was to find an opportunity to break through. He did not look for Master Tian Dao, but went directly to find Sect Leader Bai after leaving Wuming Peak.

His face was already a credential on the main peak, and no one stopped him along the way, but no one dared to get close to him. After he left, they whispered and discussed his identity.

The gatekeeper knew him and immediately went in to inform the sect leader.

"Uncle Gao, why did you come out of seclusion today? Yuanran said that you were preparing to break through in seclusion." Sect Master Bai asked with a smile when he saw Gao Han come in.

Gao Han nodded slightly, "I came to see the Sect Master for a breakthrough. I want to go to the spirit cave."

As a large sect, Zixiao Sect naturally would not be without a spiritual cave. In fact, Yuanran and his companions had at least one opportunity every year to go to a spiritual cave to practice.

Their cultivation level increased too quickly, and they gained a lot from going out several times. With their cultivation level increasing so quickly, there was no need to go to the spirit cave to cultivate, so no one mentioned the spirit cave to them. Sect Master Bai did not agree immediately, but just asked: "I remember that you only reached the Great Perfection a month ago. Are you going to break through so soon?"

"The Wanxian Road is just around the corner, I can't wait." Gao Han must go. He wants to see if he can find the white essence that Zhongli Tingzhou needs in it to resolve the threat to him.

But he can't reach the end with only the early or middle stage of Nascent Soul, so he must at least make his cultivation reach the late stage of Nascent Soul or the great perfection before the arrival of the Ten Thousand Immortals.

If others knew that he wanted to advance from the Golden Core stage to the late Nascent Soul stage within half a year, they would definitely not believe it. However, Sect Master Bai, who knew the speed of his cultivation, did not think so and just sighed.

What he was more worried about was that his realm would become unstable due to his rapid breakthrough in cultivation. In this case, he might be able to deal with ordinary cultivators of the same level, but it would be quite difficult for him to win among the group of geniuses.

"Are you sure you want to be so anxious and not reconsider it? Does Senior Tian Dao know about this?"

"I have already thought about it, so there is no need to persuade me, Sect Master." Gao Han did not directly answer the second question.

Sect Leader Bai already knew the answer. "Well, Yuan Ran is very busy lately, I'll let someone else take you there."

"Not everyone has the opportunity to practice in the spirit cave. You need to make contributions to the sect, or win some activities or competitions to get a place, but you are not restricted in this regard at present."

Not to mention their identities, their contributions to Zixiao Sect alone are enough for them to go to the spirit cave to practice many times.

"Thank you, Sect Master." Gao Han bowed and thanked him.

Sect Master Bai waved his hand indifferently. "Oh, there is one more thing. Regarding the demon clues you provided earlier, most of the threatening demons have been dealt with. The rest have escaped. As for Ning Songcheng, Ning Songzhen, who offended you before, is dead. However, Ning Hongtian may anger Zixiao Sect. As the source, you may be on his mind. Remember to be careful when you go out in the future."

Gao Han replied: "Thank you for the reminder, Master. I will."

After leaving the main hall, he met Luo Fan who was assigned to take him to the spirit cave. Gao Han recognized Luo Fan and remembered that he was a disciple of Qian Pang's father, Qian Fengzhu. He didn't know why he came, as they had only met when they broke through the formation in the back mountain.

Perhaps knowing what he was thinking, Luo Fan shrugged, "I just happened to be passing by. The Sect Master probably thought that people of the same age would be easier to talk to."

As he spoke, he looked at Gao Han's expressionless face and complained in his heart, wondering how the sect leader could see that they could have a conversation.

"Then thank you for your help." Gao Han nodded, not caring about his gaze.

"It's just a piece of cake. Let's go." Luo Fan walked to the front to lead the way and explained the situation of the spirit cave to him.

“紫霄宗的灵穴分为四等，分别是上中下和顶级灵穴，鉴于高师叔祖对紫霄宗的贡献，可以去顶级的灵穴修炼一次，顶级灵穴极其稀少，一般只有对宗门做出过大贡献的弟子或长老才能去。”

罗凡带着高寒七拐八绕，走了将近两刻钟，才来到后山峰上。

作为主峰，主峰的面积是其他峰的数倍大，后山全被列为禁地，两人经过身份验证才走上去。

“主峰很多地方都有阵法和禁制，来的话最好不要随意乱走，如果无意触碰到，引起反应，很可能会被不认识你的长老直接赶下山，你连辩驳一句都没机会。”罗凡叮嘱道。

“赶走？”高寒诧异道。

“你不知道吗？”罗凡也回以诧异，他还以为多少会有一点了解，“后山的阵法，是我师尊的父亲钱师祖钱长老亲自布下的，这种阵法虽然耗费大，但是一旦发现有异物入侵，可以集齐全阵之力，把入侵者瞬间抛出主峰。”

“这种阵法构建极其复杂，需要一环扣一环，若运用得好，还能释放出强大的攻击力。”说罢，罗凡又用极其骄傲的语气说道，“整个紫霄宗，没有人对阵法的钻研能够超过师祖的，就是紫霄太师叔祖，在阵法一道上，也得排在师祖之下。”

高寒笑道：“既然钱长老在阵法上的实力这般厉害，为何你当初还要去争夺宗主给予的阵法奖励？”

罗凡不以为然道：“作为一个阵法师，只有海纳百川，通过不断的学习和认识，你才能进步，就像炼器师，不与其他实力强的炼器师交流，学习或认识他们的炼器方法，你怎么知道，其他方法不行？你又怎么知道，不能用另一种镶入阵法，这都是在学习中不断累积的经验，宗主在阵法一道肯定没有师祖厉害，但是宗主走的道跟师尊师祖他们不一样，所以相互学习，能汲取到不同的经验和想法。”

“我师祖曾经就以阵会友，在灵天大陆游历了许多年，甚至闯入多个秘境，专门研究那里的阵法，最后才创出天都灭大阵，攻守皆宜，威力强大无比，据说此阵是以阵养阵，环环相扣，又不断循环，想要解开此阵，不先将基础打实到牢固无比，可能连一点头绪都摸不到，而且此阵对意志力也尤其考验。”

高寒听得有一点意动，“那天都灭大阵现在还能靠近研究吗？”

“真正的天都灭大阵自然不可以，不过我师祖曾经弄出一个简化版，虽然威力不如真正的天都灭大阵，但是若能将简化版的吃透，你就已经摸到天都灭大阵的门槛。”

高寒诧异道：“只是门槛？”

罗凡笑了，“当然，天都灭大阵其实是以守山大阵为基础，所以它其实也是守山大阵，紫霄宗的守山大阵据说是仙人留下的，想想就知道它的威力有多大。”

“那怎样才能研究简化版的天都灭大阵？”高寒问道。

一件真正的仙器，材料只是其一，想炼出真正的仙器，还要看炼器师自身的实力。

“简化版的天都灭大阵是我师祖所创，想要研究可不易，每次开启都是一次消耗。”罗凡摇摇头。

高寒笑了笑，说：“你若有办法，我把宗主的阵法奖励送于你。”

罗凡眼睛微微一亮，“可是宗主没开口，能随便送人吗？”

“既然东西已经是我的，我自然有权决定它的去留问题，不过我现在没时间，可能得往后延。”

罗凡当即摆手道：“这个不是问题，虽然我不能保证，但是我可以找师尊问问，有消息的话，我再来通知你。”

高寒：“那就麻烦你了。”

“大家互惠互利，不用说这些话。”罗凡说完就感受到一股浓郁的灵气地溢出来一般，扭头发现他们已经到了，“前面就是顶级灵穴。”

高寒举目望去，空气氤氲着一片灵气，宛如仙境，仙气缈缈，下方有一潭乳白色的灵液，正是那口顶级灵穴。

灵穴内空无一人，也没看到有某位长老守在附近，似乎无人看守，其实一走近，就能感觉到身上被数道隐晦的神识扫过，若是心怀不轨的人，恐怕已经被这些神识碾成碎沫。

“宗门只有这一口顶级灵穴，所以每个人能修炼的时间不能太长，最多不能超过一个月，除非正好面临突破关口，宗门便不会随意打断。”罗凡解释道。

高寒还没靠近，已经能感受到空气中的灵气争先恐后的钻进毛孔里。

顶级灵穴的灵气似乎更加活跃，比他们在双洞秘境发现的灵穴更好。

罗凡看着他进入的灵穴，身体浸泡在浓稠的灵液中，有点羡慕。

目前能在这口顶级灵穴中修炼的人，只有宗门的长老，弟子还未曾出现一个，就连元然师兄，也还没有机会在这里修炼过。