Chapter 4738: The Test of the Strong in the Age of Chaos

In a particular sea area of the Fenglei Immortal Realm, hurricanes periodically swept across the surface. Dark clouds hung heavy in the sky, accompanied by impressive flashes of lightning and rumbling thunder.

On a barren island, a hundred *li* in circumference with sparse vegetation, Wang Qingshan and Bai Ling'er stood atop a high peak. Wang Qingshan held an azure animal skin, on which the characters "Fenglei Ruins" were inscribed.

The Wang Family maintained a peripheral organization in the Fenglei Immortal Realm. Wang Qingshan and Bai Ling'er located their clansmen, inquired thoroughly about the situation of the Fenglei Ruins, and acquired numerous maps of the area before entering.

Deep within the Fenglei Ruins lay ancient Thunder-Binding Wood, protected by extremely powerful restrictions. Over a century ago, more than ten Grand Unity Golden Immortals ventured into the Fenglei Ruins in search of treasure, but all of them perished, their fates unknown.

Since the Fenglei Ruins emerged, many high-level immortals had entered to seek treasure, but survivors were rare. The few who did survive had never ventured deep into the ruins.

Some claimed the Fenglei Ruins were a battlefield left over from the Immortal-Chaos War. Others suggested it was a Dao Ancestor's sanctuary, while still more news indicated it might be the headquarters of an ancient major sect. Theories abounded.

One thing was certain: the Fenglei Ruins were extremely dangerous. Even a Grand Luo Golden Immortal who dared to enter risked perishing.

"No one who has entered the depths of the Fenglei Ruins has ever survived," Bai Ling'er stated, "We must be careful."

Wang Qingshan nodded. "According to the map, the Thunder-Binding Wood is deep within the Fenglei Ruins. We'll have to pass through an area filled with many thunder-attributed restrictions."

"We've made some preparations, so it shouldn't be an issue." Bai Ling'er's face was full of confidence.

After so many years, the power of the restrictions must have weakened. If they were careful, there shouldn't be any major problems.

Wang Qingshan put away the azure animal skin, and the two flew northwest.

After flying fifty trillion *li*, they arrived at a sea area where lightning and thunder intertwined. Immensely thick bolts of immortal lightning rent the sky, striking down towards them.

Wang Qingshan's right hand released a golden aura, blocking the falling immortal lightning.

With a flip of his right hand, Wang Qingshan revealed a round bead shimmering with azure light. As he infused it with immortal power, the bead emitted a dazzling azure glow.

"No spatial restrictions detected! We can proceed," Wang Qingshan said.

They flew onward. The deeper they ventured into the Fenglei Ruins, the more numerous and powerful the bolts of immortal lightning became. Fierce winds also swept towards them, but Wang Qingshan blocked them all using the Law of Time.

More than an hour later, they arrived at a tranquil sea surface. A gentle sea breeze rustled, and in the distance, a vast island was visible, where they could faintly discern a colossal, sky-reaching tree.

Behind them, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and fierce winds howled. Yet here, the sea was calm and quiet, as if they had entered a completely different world, which struck them as highly peculiar.

Wang Qingshan and Bai Ling'er spread their divine senses wide, carefully scanning the island, but found nothing unusual.

They then activated their supreme-grade immortal artifacts to probe the area, still finding no abnormalities.

"Could it be that there are only thunder-attributed restrictions on the outside? This seems far too easy to obtain the Thunder-Binding Wood!" Bai Ling'er wondered aloud.

If it were that simple, she found it hard to believe that no high-level immortals had left this place alive over the years.

"Let's be careful. First, I'll use the Immortal Transmission Mirror to contact our clansmen and inform them about this," Wang Qingshan said.

Wang Qingshan took out an Immortal Transmission Mirror shimmering with azure light and cast a spell into it.

Over half a *ke* of time passed, but the Immortal Transmission Mirror showed no response. Bai Ling'er took out other communication treasures, only to find the same result. Clearly, there were special restrictions here that rendered all communication artifacts useless.

"Let's retreat first, inform our clansmen about the situation here, and then return to investigate thoroughly," Wang Qingshan said.

Bai Ling'er nodded. Just as they were about to leave, ripples appeared in space, and a powerful spatial force emerged, pulling them uncontrollably towards the island.

Wang Qingshan was greatly alarmed. He hurriedly released a golden aura, hoping to block the spatial force, but it was of no use.

"A fifth-order immortal formation! A Dao Ancestor?" Wang Qingshan exclaimed in surprise.

A Grand Luo Golden Immortal could not possibly disregard the Law of Time; only a Dao Ancestor or a fifth-order immortal formation could achieve such a feat.

They reappeared on the giant island. All the vegetation transformed into flying swords and shot directly towards them.

Wang Qingshan and Bai Ling'er hurriedly activated the Law of Swords to defend against these attacks.

Both had opened ten apertures, and with the enhancement of the Aperture Fusion Art, they easily blocked the incoming flying swords.

"Aperture Fusion Art! Sword cultivators! Interesting. Pass the assessment, and you live. Fail, and you die." A cold male voice echoed.

"Assessment? Who are you?" Wang Qingshan asked.

"Only when you pass the assessment will you be qualified to know my name." The man's voice was cold and indifferent.

As soon as the words fell, the ground violently shook. Shattered rocks, vegetation, fallen leaves, and countless water droplets shot skyward. After a blur, they transformed into flying swords, so numerous they blotted out the sky and sun, creating an immense display of power.

Wang Qingshan and Bai Ling'er both summoned their innate flying swords and activated them to meet the onslaught.

The densely packed flying swords collided, erupting in powerful shockwaves that tore through the void; however, the tears quickly healed.

"What exactly is this assessment?" Bai Ling'er asked.

Her only answer was silence. The other party clearly had no intention of giving them the answer; rather, they would only survive if they figured out the answer themselves.

Wang Qingshan performed a hand seal, and a golden aura swept out, meeting the incoming flying swords.

As the incoming flying swords touched the golden aura, they all stopped mid-air, motionless, as if frozen in place.

Wang Qingshan and Bai Ling'er leaped towards the Thunder-Binding Wood. They hadn't flown far when an enormously huge, sky-reaching sword light swept towards them.

Dazzling azure light bloomed from Wang Qingshan's right palm, while bright white light radiated from Bai Ling'er's. They each slashed at the void, sending out a massive sword light to meet the incoming attack.

The three sword lights collided and neutralized each other.

Wang Qingshan and Bai Ling'er were both stunned. Had they only barely managed to block it even with the Aperture Fusion Art? Was their opponent a Dao Ancestor?

They continued flying towards the Thunder-Binding Wood. A vast number of flying swords swarmed from all directions, mostly ethereal, but some were physical, and among them were quite a few supreme-grade immortal artifacts.

A golden aura emanated from Wang Qingshan's body as he activated the Law of Time, blocking all incoming flying swords. Bai Ling'er, in turn, activated the Law of Swords to defend against the onslaught.

On the island, sword lights crisscrossed, sword energy surged like a tide, and various immortal lights collided high in the sky.

Less than half an hour later, they appeared near the Thunder-Binding Wood.

"Who exactly are you, Your Excellency? Would you be willing to show yourself?" Wang Qingshan asked.

The Thunder-Binding Wood glowed with a silver light, revealing a tall, thin, silver-robed elder.

"A soul body! No, a remnant soul!" Bai Ling'er exclaimed in surprise.

"Indeed, this old man is a remnant soul!" the silver-robed elder said.

"This junior is Wang Qingshan, and this is my wife, Bai Ling'er. May we ask for your esteemed name, Senior?" Wang Qingshan asked politely.

Although the silver-robed elder was merely a wisp of a remnant soul, Wang Qingshan felt he could annihilate them.

"Jian Er!" The silver-robed elder's voice was clear and resonant, his face filled with pride.

"Jian Er? Senior, are you a Dao Ancestor? We've never heard of you before," Bai Ling'er asked in confusion.

"It's perfectly normal that you haven't heard of me," Jian Er explained. "This old man is from the Chaos Era. There's a historical void in between, so naturally, it's impossible for you to know."