I've already become a god, and you're telling me about the ancient demon invasion?

The transparent light barrier enveloping the palace complex appeared thin, but in reality, it was impenetrable to divine sense and even repelled it; clearly, it was not something that could be easily broken through. At this moment, seven or eight Nascent Soul cultivators had already arrived, each occupying a side and maintaining a wary distance from one another.

Wang Tianlong saw Ling Yunchen, the Palace Master of the Star Palace, hovering a few feet in front of the light barrier, his body sparkling with starlight, seemingly probing the barrier's weaknesses with some kind of secret technique; not far away, the patriarch of the Five Dragon Sea Flood Dragon Clan strode forward, his demonic aura surging, and was fiercely attacking a certain point on the light barrier. Each attack caused ripples in the barrier, but he still failed to break through it; Xuan Qingzi, one of the Three Elders of Kunwu, appeared the most composed. He sat cross-legged on a floating array plate, his eyes slightly closed, his fingertips constantly calculating, seemingly conducting complex deductions.

There was also the Ice Soul Fairy from the Northern Palace. She did not approach the light barrier, but stood in the shadow of the eaves of a side hall. Her cold aura was contained, as if she had blended into the surrounding environment. However, her clear and cold eyes were also firmly locked on the light barrier.

In addition, there were two or three Nascent Soul cultivators whose auras were either sharp or obscure, whom Wang Tianlong did not recognize; they were clearly top-tier beings from other regions. Everyone was temporarily blocked by this light barrier, and no one could be the first to enter.

"It seems that the first hurdle is this protective barrier." Wang Tianlong realized. He carefully observed the movements of the crowd as they probed, and found that no matter whether they attacked forcefully or tried to probe cleverly, the light barrier remained as stable as Mount Tai, only rippling and dispersing the force of the attacks.

"Brute force seems ineffective; we need to find a method or a weak point." Wang Tianlong did not rush forward to try. He scanned the outer perimeter of the palace complex and found that the light shield was not completely uniform. At the junctions of some palaces, at the base of the pillars, or near the nodes of the spiritual veins on the ground, the flow of spiritual light in the light shield seemed slightly different, with faint runes appearing.

Just then, Xuan Qingzi, who had been deducing with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them, a look of understanding flashing in his eyes. He did not act immediately, but instead moved his lips slightly, seemingly transmitting a few words to Ling Yunchen, who was not far away.

Upon hearing this, Ling Yunchen's eyes flashed, and he nodded slightly. Then, almost simultaneously, the two of them made their movements!

Ling Yunchen flashed and appeared beside a huge dragon-carved stone pillar on the right side of the main gate of the palace complex. Half of the pillar was embedded in a light barrier, and the dragon patterns carved on the pillar seemed to echo the runes on the light barrier. Meanwhile, Xuan Qingzi gracefully landed in front of another symmetrical stone pillar on the left side of the main gate.

The two exchanged a glance and attacked simultaneously! Ling Yunchen placed his palm on the dragon's head on the right stone pillar, pouring in boundless starlight power; Xuan Qingzi, on the other hand, unleashed rays of clear light from his fingertips, pointing towards the dragon's eye on the left stone pillar.

"Buzz—!"

As the two moved, the two dragon-carved stone pillars suddenly lit up! The dragon patterns on the pillars seemed to come alive, emitting a deep dragon roar. Immediately afterwards, the huge light barrier surrounding the palace complex rippled outwards from the two stone pillars, and the light barrier at the main entrance began to thin and become transparent at a visible speed!

"So that's how it is! These two 'gate-guarding dragon pillars' are actually the key to the restriction!" someone exclaimed.

"Quick! The restriction is weakening!"

Seeing that the entrance was about to open, the cultivators who were previously probing or observing from other locations instantly became restless!

The Flood Dragon Clan Chief roared, ceasing his attack elsewhere. With a surge of demonic clouds, he charged directly towards the main gate! The Ice Soul Fairy flashed, transforming into an ice rainbow that followed closely behind! The other Nascent Soul cultivators also displayed their supernatural abilities, rushing over at breakneck speed!

Wang Tianlong's eyes narrowed, knowing that the time had come! He no longer concealed himself, and the spiritual light of his Sky-Stepping Boots flickered. He activated the Wind-Stepping Technique at full power, and his figure was like a gust of wind without warning. He arrived first despite being behind, and to everyone's astonishment, he rushed to the entrance of the rapidly thinning light barrier almost at the same time as the Flood Dragon Clan Chief and the Ice Soul Fairy!

"What speed!" someone exclaimed.

The light barrier had not completely dissipated, but the weak points were already wide enough for a person to pass through. Almost simultaneously, the three transformed into three streaks of light, instantly passing through the light barrier and disappearing into the interior of the Void Heaven Palace complex!

Immediately afterward, Ling Yunchen and Xuan Qingzi withdrew their magical power and followed suit, entering the area. Behind them, other Nascent Soul cultivators who had recovered also rushed in.

As he passed through the thinning light barrier, Wang Tianlong felt a lightness all over his body, as if he had passed through a cool water curtain, and the scene before him suddenly changed.

He was already inside the palace complex. Beneath his feet lay a wide plaza, smooth as a mirror and paved with a warm, white jade. At the end of the plaza were several vast, deep corridors leading in different directions, their ends unknown. Each palace stood majestically, its carved beams and painted rafters, its eaves and brackets ancient and grand in style, exuding a chilling, ancient pressure. The spiritual energy in the air was so dense it was almost tangible, each breath carrying immense energy, yet it was also permeated with a heavy, ancient aura.

The Dragon Clan Chief and the Ice Soul Fairy, who had rushed in before him, did not immediately venture deeper. Instead, they hovered above the plaza, their sharp gazes scanning the entrances to the corridors with solemn expressions. Clearly, they too had sensed the extraordinary nature and potential danger of this place.

Wang Tianlong also refrained from making any rash moves. He steadied himself and cautiously extended his divine sense, only to discover that the space here seemed to possess an extremely strong suppressive force. The range of his divine sense was greatly compressed, covering only about a hundred feet around him; beyond that, everything became a blur. Moreover, each corridor entrance seemed to be shrouded in an invisible barrier, making it difficult for his divine sense to penetrate.

"My divine sense is limited, and the road ahead is unclear. I should not linger here, nor should I make any rash choices." Wang Tianlong's mind raced. He glanced at the Flood Dragon Clan Chief and the Ice Soul Fairy, and seeing that they had not moved, he moved swiftly, like a falling leaf, and silently drifted to the edge of the square behind a huge dragon-shaped stone pillar. Using the shadow, he completely concealed his presence and waited to see what would happen.

Almost the instant he hid, a series of whooshing sounds rang out from behind him.

Palace Master Ling Yunchen and Xuan Qingzi of Kunwu Mountain entered side by side. Their gazes swept across the area, taking in the Flood Dragon Clan Chief and the Ice Soul Fairy suspended in mid-air, then glancing at the several deep corridors, and they immediately understood their predicament. Ling Yunchen coldly snorted, his body flashing with starlight. He didn't choose any corridor, but instead transformed into a streak of light, speeding towards the most magnificent and imposing main hall in the north of the plaza! He seemed to have determined, through some secret technique or intuition, that the main hall was the core location.

Xuan Qingzi appeared more cautious. He did not follow Ling Yunchen, but landed on the ground and once again summoned the array plate, making hand seals as if he was deducing which path was safer or more valuable.

Immediately afterwards, other Nascent Soul cultivators rushed in one after another. Seeing the multiple forks in the road ahead, the crowd reacted in various ways.

Some, confident in their cultivation or possessing extraordinary treasures, like the rogue cultivator Tianyu Sanren from the south, laughed loudly, transformed into a fleeting shadow, casually chose a corridor, rushed in, and vanished instantly.

Some were more cautious, such as several elders from the Great Jin sect. They quickly gathered together, seemingly having reached a temporary agreement, and chose a corridor to enter together.

When the Flood Dragon Clan Chief saw Ling Yunchen heading straight for the main hall, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. He let out a low roar, and the demonic clouds surged as he also chased after the main hall, clearly unwilling to let Ling Yunchen gain the upper hand.

The Ice Soul Fairy's cold eyes swept across the corridors and the main hall. After a moment's thought, she did not follow the two people, but instead chose a side hall corridor with the coldest spiritual energy fluctuations, transforming into an icy rainbow and disappearing into it.

Soon only a few people remained in the square, including Xuan Qingzi, who was still performing the deduction, and two other Nascent Soul cultivators whose auras were obscure and who seemed to be observing as well.

Wang Tianlong hid behind the stone pillar and took in everything.

"The main hall offers the greatest opportunities, but the competition is also the fiercest. Ling Yunchen and that old dragon are both at the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm. I am not yet fully recovered, so it is not advisable for me to confront them head-on. The side halls and corridors may each hold mysteries, but the outcome is uncertain."

His eyes flickered before finally settling on Xuan Qingzi.

"This person is proficient in array deduction. Following him might lead us to a relatively safe or more valuable path."

Having made up his mind, Wang Tianlong further concealed his aura, patiently waiting like a cheetah in the shadows.

After a moment, Xuan Qingzi seemed to have made up his mind. He put away the array plate and resolutely chose a seemingly inconspicuous corridor in the southeast direction, where the spiritual energy was relatively peaceful, and stepped into it.

Just as Xuan Qingzi's figure disappeared into the darkness of the corridor, Wang Tianlong moved slightly, like a wisp of green smoke, silently following closely behind, always maintaining a safe distance from the one in front.

After him, the last two Nascent Soul cultivators who had been observing each chose a path and disappeared into the depths of the corridor.