"We shouldn't have any overlap," Cheng Jin stated.
"Then your statement is contradictory. If there's no overlap, how can we say we've met and are familiar with each other?" Ye Qingcheng countered.
"Alright, alright, dwelling on this now is meaningless. We need to consider how to enter the main peak," Ye Bufan said to Cheng Jin.
Cheng Jin nodded and asked Ye Bufan, "Do you have any findings?"
"I can't be certain yet," Ye Bufan replied.
Cheng Jin looked at Ye Bufan with confusion, then seemingly remembered something and asked, "What are you here for?"
"We accidentally obtained a map of this place. We discovered that among the Eight Gates of Qimen Dunjia, this location represents the Gate of Life, and it's also near a vital energy point. We suspected there might be something unusual here," Ye Bufan explained.
"A map?" Cheng Jin looked at Ye Bufan, while Ye Qingcheng clenched her fists, becoming instantly vigilant.
Ye Bufan waved his hand, and his true energy traced the shape of a map in the air before Cheng Jin.
"Don't worry, I'm not interested in your map. As for that Qimen Dunjia you mentioned, I don't understand it at all. Even if I had the map, I wouldn't know how to read it," Cheng Jin told Ye Bufan. "Just tell me directly, is this location a passage to the main peak?"
"It's still just a guess. We'll know for sure when we get there," Ye Bufan said.
"Alright, then I'll go with you," Cheng Jin agreed.
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingcheng's expression turned grim. Ye Qingyi gently patted Ye Qingcheng's shoulder and gave her a subtle shake of her head, a signal that made Ye Qingcheng's expression slightly better.
"We welcome Senior's joining us," Ye Bufan smiled faintly, and the group immediately set off.
The team of five became a team of six, and the atmosphere on the scene became somewhat heavy.
Cheng Jin walked at the front, side by side with Ye Bufan. Soon, they arrived at a ruin. The ground was littered with weapons, and they could even see some incomplete structures, vaguely resembling the shape of a gateway.
"It seems a great battle took place here in the past," Cheng Jin remarked, observing the scene.
Ye Bufan scanned the surroundings. He could tell that this place must have been magnificent in its prime, with ponds, bridges, and even massive stone drums.
"Is this it?" Cheng Jin asked.
Ye Bufan performed a series of deductions based on the先天八卦 (Xian Tian Ba Gua) of Qimen Dunjia. Finally, he nodded and said, "According to Feng Shui, this is the location of the main gate. It's definitely here."
"Then how do we get to the main peak from here?"
Cheng Jin's tone became excited. Ye Bufan took out a scroll and tried to activate it, but it remained inert. At this location, the teleportation portal between the nine peaks had failed?
"Even after so many years, the water in this pond is still so clear. Truly worthy of an ancient sect; even the ponds are protected by formations," Ye Qingcheng said as she walked to the edge of the pond and slowly squatted down, preparing to scoop up some water.
"Stop!" Ye Bufan turned and shouted sternly at Ye Qingcheng. At that moment, a giant python surged from the pond, appearing before them.
Ye Qingcheng was startled. She looked at the giant python above and realized it seemed somewhat different from those she had seen before. Its eyes emitted a red glow, like two lanterns. However, this python was different. Firstly, its scales looked crystal clear and very sharp. It even had two horns on its head and four legs beneath its body.
"Could this... could this be a python that's about to transform into a dragon?" Ye Qingcheng realized as she saw its appearance. She recalled an ancient text that stated a snake cultivates for a hundred years to become a python, a python for three hundred years to become a rǎn, a rǎn for five hundred years to become a jiāo, a jiāo for five hundred years to become a chī, a chī for five hundred years to become a qiú, and a qiú for five hundred years to become a dragon.
"Judging by the horns on its head, it's one step away from transforming into a dragon," Ye Qingyi analyzed, looking at the horns.
"So, it's a qiú?" Ye Qingcheng exclaimed in surprise. "My heavens, I never thought I'd see a living, quasi-dragon in my lifetime."
"Greetings, senior quasi-dragon," Ye Bufan bowed with his fists clasped. "We are here to seek the inheritance of the Taiyi Divine Sect and are on our way to the main peak. We implore you to show us the way."
The qiú remained silent for a second, then spoke human words: "I detest it when people call me a quasi-dragon."
As soon as it finished speaking, its body bowed, and Ye Bufan felt an incredibly strong force surging from all directions, rendering everyone present immobile.
"So strong?" Ye Bufan's face turned ashen. For a moment, he felt the threat of death. Clearly, the qiú intended to kill them.
Whether it was Ye Bufan, Cheng Jin, Ye Qingyi, or Ye Qingcheng, everyone was helpless against this power.
Precisely because of this energy, Ye Bufan discovered that the Dragon Emperor Token within him had stirred. The Dragon Emperor Token instantly flew out of his spatial jade pendant, and the energy of the Dragon Emperor Token within Ye Bufan activated two Dragon Emperor Tokens.
With a flash of golden light, the two Dragon Emperor Tokens merged into one, and a golden dragon appeared in mid-air.
"Roar—"
The golden dragon let out a mighty roar at the qiú, and the pressure the qiú had exerted on them instantly dissipated.
The qiú, which had intended to kill, was startled by this sudden turn of events. A suppression stemming from their bloodline forced the qiú to cease its attack. It stood before the golden dragon and performed a deep bow.
Cheng Jin looked at the golden dragon in the sky, then glanced back at Ye Bufan, blinking a few times.
"Kid, you have a Dragon Emperor Token on you?" Cheng Jin asked Ye Bufan.
"I obtained it by chance," Ye Bufan replied with a slight smile, saying no more.
After the qiú retracted its attack, the golden dragon also vanished. The two Dragon Emperor Tokens returned to Ye Bufan's spatial jade pendant. However, unlike before, the energy of the Dragon Emperor Token within Ye Bufan seemed exceptionally agitated, as if he had encountered a long-lost family member.
"To reach the main peak, you must pass a trial," the qiú said, looking down at Ye Bufan and the others. "Those who pass the trial will proceed to the main peak."
As soon as it finished speaking, the qiú lightly clawed at the air with its four limbs. Water from the pond surged out, forming a massive curtain of water.
Immediately after, everything around them began to change. The dilapidated buildings slowly repaired themselves, eventually returning to their appearance before the destruction of this place.
Ye Bufan looked back and found that Ye Qingyi and the others had disappeared. He turned back to see a middle-aged man in a green robe appearing before him without a sound.
"Don't worry, your friends have also entered an environment similar to yours," the person explained to Ye Bufan with a stern face.
Hearing this voice, Ye Bufan realized it was the same voice as the qiú, but the tone was no longer dismissive and disdainful, but rather respectful.
"This is my human form," the person stated.
"What is the trial?"
Ye Bufan cut to the chase, wasting no more words.