In this void, there was fundamentally no distinction between up, down, east, west, or north. Zong Shou deployed a talisman, then followed the brilliant trajectory left by the spiritual light it generated as he flew forward.

Zong Yuan followed closely behind. He had not yet broken through to the Celestial rank, but here, one naturally floated in the void; even without the ability to command the air, one could still tread upon this emptiness.

Only moments later, a distinct 'swish-swish' sound suddenly reached their ears.

It was as if a river were truly flowing just ahead of them.

As they drew closer, Zong Shou and Zong Yuan froze in place.

Before them, more than ten torrents of spiritual energy, varying in size, converged at this spot. Even the smallest one was tens of thousands of zhang wide and long, transforming this space entirely into an ocean of spiritual energy, incomparably grand.

The spiritual essence of the heavens and earth was indeed dense enough to almost be touched by hand. However, it was not the multicolored hue Zong Shou had imagined, but rather a deep, water-like blue, emitting a faint, ethereal glow.

Some of these spiritual tides seeped into the void and vanished. Others shifted direction, flowing toward another side.

Looking into the distance, one could make out over two hundred figures already present, each occupying a distinct area within this spiritual energy ocean. Most were at the peak of the Sixth Rank, though there were also more than a dozen Seventh Rank powerhouses, their auras formidable and unfathomable. They glanced briefly at Zong Shou, seemingly accustomed to the comings and goings of disciples from the Cangsheng Dao here. They were only slightly surprised by the two unfamiliar faces, yet gave them little thought.

"This is the Spirit River?"

Zong Yuan frowned slightly, masking the shock in his eyes. Back in Qiantian Mountain City, he had never imagined such a marvelous and magnificent place existed within the Cloud Realm.

Zong Shou sank into deep thought, recalling the legends he had heard about the Dome Realms.

It was rumored that the Five Great Dome Realms were not naturally formed but were single-handedly created by the Supremacy Realm experts of the Barren Cloud Era, each established in the most perilous locations of the Cloud Realm to suppress the Spiritual Sea. While drawing upon the vast spiritual energy here to sustain the spatial domes, they simultaneously faced immense dangers almost every moment, serving as the five pillars maintaining the Cloud Realm.

At that time, however, few people in the Divine Sovereign game could enter the Dome Realms. Even those qualified to enter or exit remained tight-lipped about the conditions within. In reality, the Five Domes and Three Caves existed on a lofty plane, never communicating with the outside world, preserving their mystery.

From the looks of it now, those rumors were likely true. This immense blue 'ocean' before them was most likely the Spiritual Sea.

Looking closely, the blue 'seawater' indeed contained many mixed creatures.

Many were things never seen or heard of. The surrounding Cangsheng Dao disciples paid no mind to whether these creatures were evil entities or threats; as long as they held some value, they would strike to slay or capture them.

Those that were too powerful, they tried their best not to provoke. If a creature chose to drift along the Spirit River, it was left alone. If it showed intent to linger, it was often besieged and killed by the combined force of the Seventh Rank experts.

Near this 'Spiritual Sea,' there was clearly an unseen, invisible barrier, not only confining all this immense spiritual energy in one place but also preventing the creatures within the sea from entering.

Sometimes, dark fissures would flash. If nothing else was nearby, it was of no concern. But if a spirit beast or an evil phantom happened to pass by, their bodies would be silently cleaved apart, almost always resulting in instant death.

Zong Shou narrowed his eyes and looked around, noting that the positioning of the hundred-plus Cangsheng Dao disciples within the Spiritual Sea was extremely clever. They were precisely situated at the whirlpools formed where the Spirit Rivers converged.

Any creature within the Spirit River, be it a spirit beast or a demonic entity, would be drawn to these whirlpools upon entering the ocean. This was the optimal time to kill these spirit beasts and demonic entities.

These prime locations were already claimed. Zong Shou pondered for a moment, then, unwilling to mix with these fellow sect members, directly selected a Spirit River of moderate size and started traveling upstream against the current.

This action once again drew the curious gazes of the many Cangsheng Dao disciples. While disciples had occasionally chosen to hunt in the upper reaches of the Spirit River before, those were generally experts at the Seventh Rank or higher.

Although Eighth and Ninth Rank experts of the Cangsheng Dao, and even Elders who had attained the Immortal Path, were stationed near this Spiritual Sea at all times to guard against the onslaught of ferocious evil entities, the situation remained incredibly perilous. Those who came to hunt in the Spiritual Sea to earn merit usually traveled in groups, relying on mutual support.

For Zong Shou and his companion, both only at the peak of the Sixth Rank, to dare venture upstream felt like fearless ignorance, or, to put it less kindly, a death wish. However, before their figures even entered the Spirit River, a woman clad in a red robe suddenly flashed before them. Her appearance, by the standards of the Cangsheng Dome Realm, was merely average, yet she exuded a heroic spirit. She raised a hand to stop them: "I am Xuan Ye, a fourth-generation disciple of the Taixuan Sect. Are you two junior brothers new to the Cangsheng Dome Realm? The upper reaches are far too dangerous. Without rare treasures, resisting the spiritual pressure is even harder. If you two are willing, you can join us—"

Hearing the name 'Xuan Ye,' Zong Shou, who had been cautiously defensive, wondered if she knew about the female disciples of the Seven Spirit Sect and intended to cause trouble for him.

Hearing the following sentences, however, he was taken aback. This Xuan Ye didn't recognize him. Did that mean the woman named Yong Qin acted entirely on her own initiative when she plotted against him?

The confusion cleared, and the ill feeling he held towards this woman dissipated substantially.

He considered that the three most outstanding disciples of the Cangsheng Dao—their breadth of character could hardly be matched by ordinary people.

Looking in the direction Xuan Ye pointed, he saw a gathering consisting entirely of women, almost all of them youthful and beautiful. While none possessed the peerless beauty of someone like Zhao Yanran, they were still rare sights.

Among these dozen or so people, although there were no Seventh Rank cultivators, they had formed a formation. They jointly occupied a 'Sea Eye' and were managing to cope with ease.

Zong Shou’s heart immediately stirred with desire. Hunting demonic spirit beasts alongside such beauties, chatting and passing the time, seemed quite pleasant.

But upon closer thought, Zong Shou sighed again, cupped his fists towards Xuan Ye, and brushed past her, continuing his ascent upstream.

Thirty-five thousand merits—hunting even one Seventh Rank evil phantom only yielded three hundred merits. Mixing with these women, he feared it might take a year or two to accumulate that amount. To obtain the Vajra Realm Great Sun Tathagata Heart Mantra quickly, he could only take risks and fight for it.

Xuan Ye, over there, was once again stunned. She didn't try to obstruct them, only watching as Zong Shou and his companion entered the upper river currents.

Frowning deeply, she wondered if the two were seeking death. Just then, two figures were seen approaching in the distance, walking through the air. The young woman in the red dress was her junior sister, Chen Rou. The other was Yong Qin, the junior martial aunt from the Seven Spirit Sect. It was unclear what had transpired, but Yong Qin’s face was currently flushed with shy embarrassment, and her eyes were filled with indignation.

Stepping into that Spirit River, Zong Shou finally understood what was meant by 'spiritual pressure.'

The further upstream they went, the denser the spiritual energy became. It pressed in from all directions, attempting to force its way into his body. The burden on his frame increased—one hundred thousand jin, three hundred thousand jin, one million jin, mounting steadily.

It felt as though his physical body was about to be completely crushed!

His Martial Dao cultivation was only at the Martial Sect realm, having merged five spiritual meridians. His physical body had been reinforced to near perfection at Julong Mountain.

Yet, under this spiritual pressure, he still felt immense strain; his limbs were constrained, unable to move freely. Zong Yuan beside him also wore a solemn expression.

"This world actually holds such a place. If it weren't for these evil creatures and spirit beasts, it would be an excellent environment for cultivation—"

As he spoke, a dark shadow swimming nearby suddenly lunged, shaped like an octopus. As its large eyes opened, countless jade-green filaments immediately began coiling towards them from all directions.

Before it could get close, Zong Yuan’s spear shadows erupted simultaneously. Thousands of purple blade shadows, carrying vast thunderous power, shredded those filaments into dust.

With a soft hum, he drew a short spear from his spatial pouch and hurled it forth! With a flash of electric light, the short spear, accelerated by immense magnetic storm energy, was so fast that even Zong Shou could barely see it, directly impaling the octopus-like shadow!

As the purple lightning contained within the short spear exploded again and surged outward, the dark shadow let out an incomparably sharp shriek, its massive body immediately disintegrating.

Zong Shou raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes. He knew that Zong Yuan had acquired many good things at Julong Mountain two months prior, and added to the rewards and salary he received from Zong Shou over the last two years, his wealth was considerable among those of the same rank.

Yet, he never suspected that this fellow had secretly forged such a short spear. A Third Rank spiritual artifact, driven by the thunderous power he possessed, could instantly kill even some peak Sixth Rank spirit beasts.

Waving his sleeve, he collected the remnants of the dark shadow. Recalling carefully, he recognized the origin of the item.

"It should be a Sixth Rank Evil Spirit: Thousand-Silk Dark Shade—"

What he held in his hand was a Sixth Rank Evil Crystal. Cultivators could use them too, though unless they were cultivators of the Demonic Path, they required purification first, likely making their value slightly less than a beast crystal. Turning this item over to the sect could yield fifty merits.

To reach thirty-five thousand merits, he would need seven thousand evil spirits of this rank.

Sighing again, Zong Shou waved his hand and summoned the Seven-Star Altar. The two stepped onto it together and continued moving further upstream.