Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

Sure enough, just as dawn was about to break, the shattered light barrier at the entrance to the Water Palace fluctuated more violently, and it seemed about to dissipate completely—

"Buzz—!"

An indescribable, terrifying pressure, like a towering mountain, suddenly descended from the sky! It enveloped the entire circular waterway! In an instant, the wind and clouds changed color!

The once noisy water surface instantly became deathly silent! All the cultivators, regardless of their cultivation level, felt a tightness in their chests, as if an invisible hand had gripped their hearts!

Those with weaker cultivation levels turned deathly pale, their legs went weak, and they almost collapsed to their knees!

"Golden...Golden Core pressure!" someone screamed in terror, their voice filled with despair!

High in the sky, a dazzling golden sun had appeared out of nowhere! No! It wasn't the real sun, but a figure enveloped in raging golden flames!

The light was dazzling, blinding! A vast, ocean-like spiritual pressure emanated from this figure!

"It's...it's Jin Yan Zhenren from the Lieyang Sect!" In the Tianjian Sect camp, the white-robed youth's face was extremely ugly as he squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth.

"The Golden Core elder of the Blazing Sun Sect... has indeed arrived..." The cold and aloof woman from the Profound Ice Pavilion also had a solemn expression, and the chill around her body involuntarily subsided a bit.

The people of Dan Ding Pavilion were all terrified and dared not utter a sound.

Golden Core cultivators! Those are the true pinnacle of the cultivation world! All of us present combined probably wouldn't be enough to crush them with a single finger!

"Hmph!" A cold snort, like a thunderclap, exploded in everyone's ears! It made everyone's blood boil and their eardrums buzz!

The golden figure slowly descended, hovering directly above the entrance to the Water Mansion. The golden light subsided slightly, revealing a middle-aged cultivator with a magnificent golden robe, a sinister face, and sharp eyes.

He swept his gaze indifferently over the masses below, who looked like ants, and a disdainful smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"I am Jin Yan of the Blazing Sun Sect." He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet it clearly penetrated the depths of everyone's soul, carrying an undeniable majesty.

"This Flowing Cloud Water Mansion is a relic within the jurisdiction of my Blazing Sun Sect. It is opened today, and I hereby grant you permission to enter and seek opportunities."

These words caused a chill to run down the spines of everyone below. As expected! The Blazing Sun Sect was determined to forcibly seize the Water Palace!

"However—" Master Jin Yan's tone shifted abruptly, becoming chilling, "There's no such thing as a free lunch. If you want to enter, you can. Each person must pay a 'fee' of one thousand low-grade spirit stones, or equivalent treasures. Those who pay may enter. Those who don't…"

He gave a cold laugh, his gaze sweeping across the room like a knife. "Get out of here right now!"

One thousand low-grade spirit stones!

This number, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, has stirred up a huge wave!

For elite disciples of major sects like the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Profound Ice Pavilion, a thousand spirit stones might be painful, but it's not something they can't afford.

But for those small and medium-sized sects and independent cultivators, this is an astronomical figure! Many people probably don't even have a hundred spirit stones in their entire fortune!

"A thousand spirit stones! Why don't you just rob me!" A hot-tempered rogue cultivator blurted out, his face full of anger.

"Noisy." Master Jin Yan didn't even lift his eyelids, he just flicked his finger!

"Pfft!" A faint golden light flashed! The rogue cultivator who had spoken suddenly had a charred hole on his forehead, his anger froze, his eyes dimmed instantly, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud, lifeless!

Instant kill! A rogue cultivator at the late stage of Qi Refining was wiped out just like that!

The entire room fell silent! You could hear a pin drop! Everyone felt a chill run from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads! No one dared to utter the slightest dissent!

"Does anyone else have any objections?" Jin Yan Zhenren asked indifferently. Wherever his gaze fell, everyone lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.

Domineering! Powerful! Unquestionable! This is the majesty of a Golden Core cultivator!

"Heavenly Sword Sect, pay the spirit stones." The white-robed youth from the Heavenly Sword Sect gritted his teeth, stepped forward first, took out a storage bag, and respectfully presented it.

Circumstances dictate that they have no say in the matter; they simply have no bargaining power when facing a Golden Core cultivator.

"Xuanbing Pavilion, payment due."

"Dan Ding Pavilion, payment due."

With the three major sects taking the lead, other forces with some resources had no choice but to reluctantly hand over their spirit stones.

In an instant, streaks of light flew towards True Person Jin Yan in the air. Beside him, a disciple of the Blazing Sun Sect expressionlessly accepted the storage bag and counted the spirit stones.

Soon, it was the turn of the smaller sects and independent cultivators. Many looked desperate; they simply couldn't afford that many spirit stones and could only watch helplessly as others entered the Water Mansion while they were ruthlessly kept outside.

Some people tried to use their magical artifacts and elixirs as collateral, but the disciples of the Blazing Sun Sect often managed to drive the price down to an extremely low level, which was almost tantamount to robbery.

The scene was one of oppression and indignation.

Master Jin Yan watched all of this with indifference, as if he were watching a farce that had nothing to do with him. His gaze occasionally swept over the cliff where the Qingyun Sect was located, and a hint of amusement flashed across his eyes.

Finally, the disciples of the Blazing Sun Sect began collecting spirit stones from the Azure Cloud Sect. Two disciples dressed in fiery robes hovered in front of the cliff on flying magical artifacts, looking down at Shen Mo and his group of five with undisguised contempt on their faces.

"You five, five thousand low-grade spirit stones." The leader, a disciple with a horse-like face, said coldly, his tone as if he were ordering a beggar.

Shi Tie and the others turned deathly pale. Five thousand spirit stones! They wouldn't even be worth that much if they sold all of them!

Shen Mo stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Fellow Daoist, we come from the Qingyun Sect. Our sect is poor and we really cannot afford such a large sum of money."

"I wonder... if there were any exceptions? Or, could we be allowed to seek opportunities on the outskirts, without ever setting foot in the core of the Water Mansion?"

"Make an exception?" The horse-faced disciple sneered, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. "Who do you think you are? You think you're worthy of my Blazing Sun Sect making an exception for you? No money? Then get lost! Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

As he spoke, he released the spiritual pressure of the late Qi Refining stage, pressing towards Shen Mo and the other four!

Shi Tie roared and was about to step forward, but Shen Mo stopped him with a hand.