: Deity Transformation Level Existence

Sun Lingtong maneuvered the Endless Wandering Dragon, tailing a group of suspicious hooded, black-robed cultivators.

The Endless Wandering Dragon had shrunk to its smallest form and vanished from sight, moving through the mountain forests without a single sound.

Sun Lingtong gradually delved deeper into this colossal Sky Pillar Giant Tree.

The surface of the giant tree was covered in thick layers of rock, overgrown with countless plants, creating a dense and lush vegetation.

The howling wind constantly whistled, like the wailing of ghosts.

In the shadows woven by the intertwined plants, ghostly figures seemed to flicker, or perhaps ambushing demon beasts lay hidden, keeping Sun Lingtong on high alert.

Throughout the journey, none of the hooded, black-robed cultivators detected the Endless Wandering Dragon.

This came as no surprise to Sun Lingtong.

It was because their cultivation levels were relatively low; the leaders had Foundation Establishment cultivation, while the rest were mostly Qi Refining cultivators.

"Another cave... this must be the fiftieth or sixtieth one?"

"The number of caves in this Giant Tree Mountain is unusually high."

Having just looked down from above, Sun Lingtong now explored one of the Sky Pillar Giant Trees in detail, discovering more intricacies.

The Giant Tree Mountain was riddled with caves of all sizes, like dark mouths silently watching passersby.

Oddly enough, at regular intervals, strong gusts of Yin wind blew out from the caves, producing various sounds. Some were low, mournful sobs that sent chills down the spine; others roared like tidal waves, so loud that one had to cover their ears.

The hooded, black-robed figures moved swiftly and lightly, like phantoms in the night, advancing in complete silence.

When they reached the mountainside, they stopped for the first time.

Several leaders took out maps or tokens, compared them, and together chose a nearby cave.

The black-robed figures filed in one by one.

Sun Lingtong followed closely behind.

The cave entrance was pitch black, with only faint light emanating from the magical tools in the hands of the black-robed figures, barely illuminating the path ahead.

Initially, the cave walls were thick with moss, emitting a damp, decaying odor, and the air was heavy with a suffocating sense of oppression.

But as they ventured deeper, the stone walls of the tunnel became smooth and barren.

A profound silence enveloped the entire passage.

Suddenly, one of the black-robed figures ahead stepped on scattered stones, making a faint noise.

In an instant, all the black-robed cultivators halted, standing as still as statues.

They glared angrily at the one who had made the noise, some even revealing clear killing intent.

The offending black-robed cultivator began to tremble slightly.

Witnessing this, Sun Lingtong grew even more curious: "What exactly are these people trying to do? They seem terrified, as if afraid of waking someone."

The tunnel's structure was unusually complex, branching out in all directions like a massive labyrinth. Sun Lingtong focused, silently memorizing the appearance of every fork in the path.

He imprinted a detailed mental map of the route. His ability to judge and remember paths and directions had been cultivated since childhood and was quite exceptional.

A sense of familiarity washed over Sun Lingtong; this intricate terrain reminded him of the days he had spent in the Fire Persimmon Mountain.

"Compared to the tunnels in Fire Persimmon Mountain, this place is at least ten times more complex and winding."

"However, although these tunnels intertwine, the terrain doesn't change drastically. Unlike the Fire Persimmon Mountain tunnels, which would shift and alter massively with every eruption or earth tremor."

"In a place like this, a few more trips would eventually allow a thorough exploration."

The deeper they went, the wider the tunnels became, with no stalactites or stalagmites in sight.

This abnormal geological feature also caught Sun Lingtong's attention.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the hooded, black-robed figures arrived at a vast cavern.

The cavern's ceiling soared high, and the surrounding stone walls were smooth.

Only the leaders held magical tools that emitted a faint light, allowing them to see just enough. This was clearly intentional.

At the other end of the cavern was an enormous cave opening, unlike any they had seen before.

The entrance was pitch black, like the gaping maw of an ancient beast waiting for prey to walk in, giving off a sense of hidden, immense danger.

The black-robed cultivators began setting up a formation.

A large circular array was carved into the ground, and everyone took their positions at the various nodes of the array.

The black-robed figures chanted low incantations, their spiritual energy fluctuations growing stronger, causing the entire cavern to tremble slightly.

Sun Lingtong tried to identify the formation but failed.

He found that the structure of this formation differed greatly from mainstream formations, filled with numerous divine scripts that twisted and turned, making it impossible to decipher.

Sun Lingtong waited patiently.

The formation reached its peak, emitting an eerie glow.

The glow drifted like smoke into the massive cave opening ahead.

But as time passed, there was no movement or change.

Some of the Qi Refining cultivators at the nodes began to falter, growing anxious.

Not daring to speak aloud, they used the formation to communicate via divine sense, expressing their inability to hold on and their need to pause and rest.

However, the Foundation Establishment leaders ignored them.

Realizing something was wrong, the Qi Refining cultivators tried to break free, but their struggles were restrained by the formation's core.

Seeing this, Sun Lingtong immediately understood that this formation had, at the very least, sacrificial capabilities.

Sure enough, the next moment, the Qi Refining cultivators withered away, eventually collapsing into piles of skin, flesh, and organs on the ground, their bones extracted entirely, becoming sacrificial offerings.

Yet the cave entrance remained unchanged.

The remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators exchanged glances, then each took out a dagger and stabbed themselves forcefully.

They committed suicide simultaneously, their cultivation and bones transforming into offerings, pushing the formation's power to its highest level.

Still, it had no effect!

The last four cultivators had no choice but to gradually halt the formation, communicating with each other via divine sense.

Sun Lingtong, unable to eavesdrop, grew increasingly restless.

He speculated, "These demonic cultivators probably came here to communicate with some powerful entity."

But what exactly was this entity?

Sun Lingtong's eyes gleamed with excitement. While his mind hesitated, his hands had already begun to act.

He controlled the Endless Wandering Dragon, stealthily slipping into the massive cave opening.

This tunnel was quite wide, but much shorter than Sun Lingtong had imagined.

It was entirely peaceful, with no dangers—just dark and dim.

At the end of the tunnel lay a stone, about the size of a house.

The stone was perfectly spherical, its surface smooth, with traces of residual vitality and an aura that surpassed the Nascent Soul level.

Sun Lingtong's heart raced: "Surpassing the Nascent Soul level... could this be a Deity Transformation level expert?"

He felt a thrill.

If it were Ning Zhuo, he would never risk entering the cave to investigate. But Sun Lingtong was naturally adventurous and sought excitement.

However, this was a bit too thrilling.

Cold sweat beaded on Sun Lingtong's forehead as he cautiously urged the Endless Wandering Dragon to retreat slowly.

The Endless Wandering Dragon was only at the Nascent Soul level; the chances of being detected under the gaze of a Deity Transformation level expert were high.

Yet, when Sun Lingtong had retreated halfway, he stopped on his own.

"Wait a minute... it seems... perhaps... as if..."

"This Deity Transformation expert is already dead?"

He observed more carefully, using the detection methods within the Endless Wandering Dragon.

After a moment, Sun Lingtong's expression turned complex and peculiar.

He confirmed that this Deity Transformation expert had indeed died!

(End of )