At this point, he stopped speaking and began a lecture specifically for Golden Core cultivators.
Golden Core cultivators were already considered high-level, and their cultivation often involved sensitive and secretive techniques. To prevent prying from demons or enemies, Haoran True Monarch set up a barrier and lectured them separately.
These lectures were more interactive, with Golden Core cultivators asking questions and Haoran True Monarch providing answers.
Many of these Golden Core cultivators were his disciples, while others, even if not formally his students, had close ties with him akin to a master-disciple relationship.
The lecture lasted three days, after which Haoran True Monarch addressed the assembly:
"This lecture ends here. If you have further questions, you may return in another sixty years."
"We humbly bid farewell to the True Monarch," the crowd said, bowing respectfully as they watched him leave.
As Elian rose to his feet, the green-robed woman smiled and introduced herself, "I am Yu Qingyan. Greetings, fellow Daoist."
"I am Elian," he replied courteously, returning the greeting.
Yu Qingyan smiled warmly and asked, "Since you hail from outside the Heavenly Spine Mountain Range, are you planning to stay here or traverse the range?"
Fearing misunderstanding, she quickly added, "I plan to journey to Tianlu Continent soon. If you're heading that way, we could travel together and support each other across Ghostwind Mountain."
"Ghostwind Mountain…"
Elian's eyes flickered as he recalled what he had learned about it.
Ghostwind Mountain was a unique and perilous part of the Heavenly Spine Mountain Range, and an unavoidable passage to Tianlu Continent.
The mountain was plagued by the Nine Nether Gale, which blew day and night. Those below the Purple Mansion stage couldn't fly across it, and even Purple Mansion cultivators would expend significant mana to do so.
The mountain was also home to the Ghostwind Raptor, a ferocious beast that originated from the area. These raptors were nearly impossible to exterminate, and even Purple Mansion cultivators often found them exhausting to deal with, sometimes even risking their lives.
To traverse Ghostwind Mountain, Purple Mansion cultivators needed to be in peak condition, and most preferred to travel in groups.
Reflecting on this, Elian thought to himself, "Crossing Ghostwind Mountain alone does carry significant risk."
"Yu Qingyan seems to have a wind spirit root, and her cultivation is mid-stage Purple Mansion. If we travel together, it should ease the burden."
With this in mind, he smiled and said, "It would be my pleasure to travel with you, Fairy Yu."
Yu Qingyan's eyes lit up with joy, and she said, "I've been waiting for half a year to find a cultivator to cross Ghostwind Mountain with me."
Since Elian had already finished his preparations, the two didn't delay further and set off for Tianlu Continent the next day.
After traveling over 600,000 miles, they finally reached the edge of Ghostwind Mountain.
"The Nine Nether Gale here is fierce and will drain a lot of mana," Yu Qingyan said as she pulled out a green treasure boat.
"Let's use this boat for now and save our mana for dealing with the Ghostwind Raptors."
Elian nodded and boarded the green treasure boat with her.
The green treasure boat was a third-rank lower-grade artifact, and under normal circumstances, it could fly for over a million miles on a single charge.
However, the Nine Nether Gale was so ferocious that it consumed the boat's energy at an alarming rate, drastically slowing their speed.
After just three days, the green treasure boat ran out of energy, forcing them to disembark and prepare to continue by flying swords.
But Elian shook his head and brought out the Purple blood Boat, saying, "I brought this boat. It should be enough to cross Ghostwind Mountain."
"What a treasure!"
Yu Qingyan exclaimed in delight and boarded the Purple blood Boat with him.
The Purple blood Boat sailed through the Nine Nether Gale, covering several thousand miles before a piercing screech echoed through the skies.
Elian looked up to see a vast swarm of black birds flying toward them, blotting out the horizon.
"This is bad! Ghostwind Raptors!"
Yu Qingyan exclaimed, her face pale. There were at least tens of thousands of Ghostwind Raptors in this swarm. Even a late-stage Purple Mansion cultivator would have no choice but to retreat.
Seeing the overwhelming horde, Elian quickly maneuvered the Purple blood Boat to change course, hoping to evade the raptors by taking a detour.
However, the Ghostwind Raptors showed no intention of letting them go, swarming toward the boat.
"Foul beasts," Elian muttered coldly, summoning the Heavenly Twin Swords. They transformed into two streams of light, slicing through the raptors and creating a gap in the horde.
Yu Qingyan joined the fight, summoning her natal treasure, the Soul-Dissolving Gale Bottle. From the bottle, a gust of green wind swept out, scattering the raptors and disintegrating their flesh.
Most of the Ghostwind Raptors were weak, with only two at the Purple Mansion stage among the tens of thousands. For now, the situation wasn't overly dangerous for Elian and Yu Qingyan.
However, the Nine Nether Gale significantly hindered them, slowing even the Purple blood Boat. Meanwhile, the raptors, aided by the wind, moved effortlessly, making it difficult to shake them off.
For ordinary Purple Mansion cultivators, being dragged into a prolonged fight like this would lead to mana exhaustion and eventual death.
The pair's luck wasn't great. Swarms of Ghostwind Raptors this large were exceedingly rare and difficult to encounter.
Under normal circumstances, a Purple Mansion cultivator could handle a swarm of several thousand raptors with ease.
"Stay vigilant," Elian said grimly, his twin swords cutting down several second-rank raptors with ease.
Yu Qingyan nodded, her expression serious. "Hold on tight."
With that, she activated a wind-attribute divine ability, Clear Moon Riding Wind Escape, imbuing the Purple blood Boat with a layer of radiant light.
The boat, now shielded, not only resisted the Nine Nether Gale but also harnessed it, surging forward at a greatly increased speed.
"Impressive technique," Elian began to praise, but his expression quickly darkened.
Ahead, the two Purple Mansion Ghostwind Raptors had noticed their escape and broken away from the swarm to block their path.
"This isn't good!" Yu Qingyan exclaimed.
"Clang!"
Before she could say more, Elian was already at the bow of the boat.
In the next instant, the sound of sword energy rang through the air.
The twin swords shone brightly, illuminating the endless night as they slashed toward the Purple Mansion raptors.
The two raptors, sensing the threat, flapped their wings violently, summoning the power of the Nine Nether Gale to unleash their natal divine ability, Ghostwind Slash.
...
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