He Yiming met his gaze calmly. He nodded slightly and said, "I have heard mention of this place during your conversation with Brother Yu, but as for its exact location, I am completely in the dark."

Jin Zhanyi let out a wry smile. "It's no surprise that Brother He is unaware of this place. In fact, very few people under heaven even know of its existence. Aside from the most powerful sects from both the East and the West, and the most deeply hidden, longest-inherited families, no one else knows about the existence of Ghost Cry Ridge."

For some unknown reason, a sudden chill ran down He Yiming's spine. He vaguely felt that Ghost Cry Ridge must be closely connected to the great wars that erupted between East and West every few decades, but precisely what that connection entailed, he would have to glean from Jin Zhanyi's words.

After a moment of consideration, Jin Zhanyi spoke, "Brother He, according to ancient texts, in the primordial era, cultivators honed their skills on the Martial Path. Once they ascended to the Divine Path, they immediately possessed formidable divine abilities capable of overturning seas and summoning wind and rain."

A flicker of envy appeared in He Yiming's eyes. Although he had never met a true Divine Path master, he had heard many legends concerning them. Furthermore, he possessed a genuine divine artifact in his possession, so he never doubted the veracity of the Divine Path myths.

The Nine Dragon Furnace was such a powerful artifact; who else but a legendary Divine Path expert could have forged and wielded it?

However, since Jin Zhanyi brought up the topic of Divine Path masters at this juncture, He Yiming's mind immediately became active.

"Brother Jin, could it be that Ghost Cry Ridge is related to Divine Path masters?"

"Indeed. Legend holds that this area was not always a plain, but rather, like the mountain range that bisects the entire Northwest, it was a colossal barrier separating East and West," Jin Zhanyi stated gravely.

He Yiming's expression immediately became quite fascinating; the muscles in his face twitched slightly. "Brother Jin, were the mountains here torn asunder by Divine Path masters?"

Jin Zhanyi nodded solemnly. "I know you find this hard to believe. If Divine Path masters could truly flatten an entire mountain range into an open plain, then they would truly be gods among men. However…" He paused, drawing out his words. "Brother He, if the Eight Hundred Li Flame Mountain truly resulted from a battle between Divine Path masters and divine beasts, then the appearance of this vast plain might not be impossible after all."

He Yiming parted his lips, finally nodding. "Why would they open the passage between East and West? Was it merely to ensure these two sides fight endlessly until death?"

Jin Zhanyi shook his head faintly. "Perhaps that was the intention."

He Yiming felt a creeping coldness in his heart; the motives of these Divine Path figures were truly inscrutable.

"Actually, the Divine Path experts who opened this road were all masters of the Path of Ruthlessness," Jin Zhanyi suddenly said in a measured tone.

He Yiming's eyebrows rose slightly. He had heard numerous tales of the divine feats performed by Divine Path masters, but he remained utterly ignorant regarding their methods of cultivation.

Even the Celestial Palace had locked away those secret manuals, keeping them from his sight.

Of course, He Yiming believed that if he were to humble himself and plead, he might be allowed to view some related texts. But currently, he hadn't even reached the Venerable Realm, and to seek out books on the Divine Path would surely see him branded as an overreaching fool if the news ever got out.

"Brother Jin, what is the Path of Ruthlessness?"

"The Path of Ruthlessness is a collective term. Anyone who cultivates this doctrine must sever all emotional attachments and desires, becoming entirely devoid of feeling and craving, dedicating themselves wholly to the Martial Path. To advance their martial cultivation, they would rather destroy everything…" Jin Zhanyi’s expression grew intensely serious, articulating each word deliberately. "Including life itself!"

He Yiming stared intently at Jin Zhanyi. When he uttered that last sentence, an aura of extreme solemnity permeated the air; the sheer coldness of it made the hairs on the back of He Yiming's neck stand up involuntarily.

He managed a strained smile. "Brother Jin, how does all this relate to Ghost Cry Ridge?"

"It is deeply related, of course," Jin Zhanyi said grimly. "This Central Great Plain and Ghost Cry Ridge were jointly forged by more than a dozen masters of the Path of Ruthlessness from both East and West, according to legend."

He Yiming gasped sharply; if the legend were true, it was utterly staggering.

There were no traces of Divine Path masters in the current age, so the shock he felt upon hearing that so many of them had labored together for a single purpose was immense.

"Brother He, do you know where Ghost Cry Ridge lies?" Jin Zhanyi suddenly inquired.

He Yiming slowly shook his head, but unknowingly, his hands had begun to grow faintly cold.

"The Central Great Plain borders Ghost Cry Ridge. At the southern end of the plain lies Ghost Cry Ridge, where daylight never penetrates," Jin Zhanyi's voice seemed to take on a faint, ghostly resonance—a rarity for him, suggesting that even speaking of this place caused him considerable internal unease.

"What exactly is their connection?" He Yiming finally could not restrain himself and asked in a low voice.

Jin Zhanyi abruptly questioned, "Brother He, have you ever heard of the Way of Formations?"

He Yiming hesitated for a moment. "I have heard of it, but I have never encountered one."

Jin Zhanyi let out a dry chuckle. "In truth, you have encountered them many times; you were simply unaware."

He Yiming was greatly perplexed. "Where are these formations?"

"Both our Celestial Palace's alchemy sector and the peak of your Heavenly Pool are shrouded by formations. However, because these formations are left unattended, they possess no power to harm anyone, which is why few people are aware of them."

He Yiming suddenly understood. It explained the peculiar sensation he always felt when visiting those two locations—his intuition had not been mistaken.

Jin Zhanyi suddenly extended his hand, pointing towards the ground. "Those two formations are merely trivial tricks. One of the greatest formations created by us humans lies right beneath our feet here."

He Yiming paused slightly, looking down. The ground beneath him was perfectly flat, revealing nothing unusual. He truly could not imagine how the greatest of formations could exist down there.

Jin Zhanyi grinned wryly. "Brother He, do you disbelieve me?"

He Yiming offered a wry smile. "If I did not witness it with my own eyes, I truly would find it hard to accept."

Jin Zhanyi was not offended, merely smiling in amusement. "The divine abilities possessed by Divine Path masters are unfathomably mysterious; how could the formations they lay be something you and I could easily perceive?"

Although He Yiming knew his logic was sound, a core of doubt remained within him.

Jin Zhanyi's voice lowered slightly. "Brother He, when you encounter a bottleneck in your martial cultivation, what do you do?"

He Yiming's heart skipped a beat. Why would Jin Zhanyi suddenly ask this? Did he harbor doubts about his rate of progress?

In that instant, a sheen of cold sweat broke out across his back.

Comparatively, He Yiming would rather Jin Zhanyi know about the Nine Dragon Furnace and the pagoda's power than share this most critical secret with anyone.

Seeing the troubled look on He Yiming's face, Jin Zhanyi said testily, "If one meets a barrier, naturally one must strive by any means necessary to break through. And the most effective method for this is to find a place where the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is most abundant to cultivate. Cultivating in such a location often yields unexpected divine efficacy; perhaps in the very next moment, you could shatter the realm that has plagued you for so long and advance directly to the higher level you dream of."

He Yiming realized he had been needlessly alarmed. He gave a sheepish smile. "Brother Jin is right, but finding such a place is quite difficult."

Jin Zhanyi seemed to see through something. "Brother He, there is no need to hide it. I can assert with certainty that in your hometown, there must be a location exceptionally rich in the energy of heaven and earth, and you are the only one who discovered it, cultivating there to break through bottlenecks until the event at Yixiantian. Is that correct?"

He Yiming was instantly filled with astonishment. However, his surprise wasn't that Jin Zhanyi had stumbled upon the truth, but rather, he couldn't fathom why this thought had suddenly occurred to him.

Seeing He Yiming's expression, Jin Zhanyi assumed he had hit upon the right idea and smiled. "Though your talent is unparalleled throughout history, maintaining continuous breakthroughs still requires an optimal cultivation environment. Therefore, Senior Uncle Hao and the others long ago concluded that you discovered an enviable Feng Shui treasure spot brimming with potent celestial energy."

He Yiming opened his mouth, and suddenly, his gratitude toward Venerable Hao poured forth like the ceaseless flow of a great river. He spoke with genuine sincerity, "Venerable Hao possesses eyes like lightning, divine foresight, boundless might, and is… divinely inspired, divinely distracted, divinely elusive…"

"Enough." Jin Zhanyi waved his hand, stopping He Yiming's rambling nonsense. "If you wish to flatter someone, find Senior Uncle Hao later. But you need not worry. We do not covet your treasure spot. In truth, whether it is the Celestial Palace, your Heavenly Pool, or those powerful sects and families, they all possess similar treasure spots. The most famous among them are the Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands."

He Yiming nodded repeatedly; since the other party assumed this, he was naturally pleased.

Jin Zhanyi suddenly dropped his smile, his expression turning grim once more. "However, even the blessed spots found in Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands cannot compare to Ghost Cry Ridge. During every war between East and West, the spiritual energy within Ghost Cry Ridge intensifies to an unbelievable degree, and within it lie endless illusions. If one can withstand the trial of these illusions, coupled with cultivation in an environment permeated by such celestial energy, the possibility of surpassing one's limits increases manifold."

He Yiming was first momentarily stunned. He slowly savored the meaning of the words. Slowly, his expression began to turn extremely troubled.

He slowly raised his head, looking at Jin Zhanyi with an intensely serious gaze, as if silently questioning him about something.

At that moment, Jin Zhanyi’s expression was equally solemn. Though He Yiming had not spoken a word, Jin Zhanyi seemed to grasp the meaning in his eyes. He nodded back with equal gravity.

In an instant, all color drained from He Yiming's face, leaving him ashen and spectral.

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