Mortal: My name is Ma Liang, and I also possess a magic brush.

Ma Liang took out a miasma-repelling talisman from his storage bag and waved it in his hand.

"I'm not good at fighting and don't want to fight with those people outside. I've prepared a lot of miasma-repelling talismans, and I plan to go into the second level early to collect some spiritual herbs. Once I've collected enough, I'll find a place to rest and go out when the time comes."

Xiang Zhili caught the strong smell of blood on him, stroked his short beard and said, "You brat, you're not good at fighting? I'm almost choking on the smell of blood on you."

Upon hearing this, Ma Liang sniffed and indeed smelled a faint scent of blood on his body.

He quickly made a hand seal, and a misty spiritual energy enveloped his body, instantly cleansing away the stench of blood.

He touched his nose somewhat awkwardly. "Hehe, you're joking, senior. Perhaps I accidentally got it on myself when I passed by a place full of corpses when I entered the gate."

Xiang Zhili, however, did not respond to this remark.

"Alright, kid, you called me over specifically, didn't you just come to exchange pleasantries with this old man?"

The moment Ma Liang called out to Xiang Zhili, countless thoughts raced through his mind.

He didn't keep the other person in suspense any longer and looked at them.

"Senior, you've entered this blood-red forbidden land this time, surely for the pagoda deep within it?"

Xiang Zhili looked Ma Liang up and down with great interest. "Oh? You found out again, kid?"

Ma Liang scratched his head. "I wouldn't say I'm familiar with it; I've only heard some rumors, nothing concrete."

Upon hearing this, the playful look in Xiang Zhili's eyes vanished instantly. "Stop beating around the bush. What's the origin of that tower? What's hidden inside?"

Ma Liang pointed downwards: "Senior, let's not chat while flying. The flat area on that mountaintop looks peaceful. Why don't we land and talk in detail?"

Xiang Zhili nodded slightly: "Alright."

The two of them vanished, their escape light disappearing beneath their feet, and landed on the flat rocky outcrop.

Ma Liang then spoke up: "That pagoda doesn't actually have a specific name. It's a dwelling left behind by an ancient cultivator, and it contains the legacy of that powerful being."

Before he could finish speaking, Xiang Zhili frowned. "That's all? You think you can fob me off with this obvious nonsense?"

Obviously, this information was of no use to him.

Just as Xiang Zhili was about to leave, Ma Liang abruptly changed the subject, drawing out his words: "But—"

The moment the word left his lips, Xiang Zhili paused, his drooping eyelids snapped open, and his entire demeanor brightened.

Ma Liang changed the subject, shrugged, and said, "But I haven't been there myself, so I don't know what's hidden inside."

"You little brat, you're asking for a beating, aren't you!" Xiang Zhili immediately frowned and raised his hand as if to slap him.

Ma Liang quickly shrank back, waving his hands in apology: "Alright, alright, senior, I was just joking! I really haven't been there before, that's true. Why don't we go take a look at the pagoda first? Senior, this isn't your first time in this forbidden area, you must have figured it out by now."

Ma Liang knew perfectly well that the matter of the key to the box must never be mentioned to Xiang Zhili.

There are some things that he can say, such as coded records, the location of spatial nodes, or general clues about the abode of powerful beings. In fact, it is in line with his identity as a "visitor from another world who accidentally obtained rumors".

But it would be too unusual to reveal even the smallest details, like where the key is.

How could an outsider know so much about the secrets of the Forbidden Pagoda? It would only arouse Xiang Zhili's suspicion.

He was eagerly accompanying Xiang Zhili to see the pagoda, but he had no intention of going inside. He simply wanted to use this opportunity to get closer to the powerful figure and gain more support in the future.

Xiang Zhili pondered for a moment, thinking about the strange things about this kid, and realized that he might actually be able to help him.

He abruptly changed the subject, "Aren't you busy gathering medicinal herbs anymore?"

"Why don't you pick them?"

"I'll just pick a few along the way. I don't care how many spiritual herbs there are. I came to this forbidden area just for a Foundation Establishment Pill."

Upon hearing Ma Liang's words, Xiang Zhili immediately nodded: "Alright, let's go then."

Having said that, he took to the air and led the way.

Ma Liang immediately stuck the talisman on his body and followed.

The two flew for only a few miles before plunging into the thick fog that enveloped the second layer, their figures instantly swallowed up.

Xiang Zhili raised his hand and waved it, a golden light emanating from his body, forcing back all the surrounding mist.

Meanwhile, the miasma-repelling talisman on Ma Liang's body lit up, its pale green light enveloping his figure and dispelling the swirling mist.

The two flew extremely low, almost skimming along the contours of the mountains.

It seems that Xiang Zhili took Ma Liang's words about "gathering spiritual herbs on the side" to heart, which is why he deliberately slowed down.

Along the way, Xiang Zhili would occasionally extend a wisp of spiritual energy to pick up a few spiritual herbs from the mountain wall or grass and put them into his pocket.

Following his spiritual senses, Ma Liang also pulled up a few plants.

On several occasions, Xiang Zhili clearly sensed the aura of the spiritual herbs, but deliberately ignored them and left them for Ma Liang behind him.

The two flew low, and their aura inevitably leaked out, which soon attracted several demonic beasts that were entrenched there.

As soon as the demonic beasts pounced, Xiang Zhili raised his hand expressionlessly and waved it. Several condensed light blades flew out and instantly cut the demonic beasts into several pieces, before they could even scream.

The second level wasn't actually that big. The two of them flew through the air for a short time before reaching the boundary between the second and third levels.

Xiang Zhili deliberately chose a mountain with a wide view to land on, and Ma Liang followed closely behind.

Looking up, the three layers of territory were completely free of fog, clear and bright.

Looking back, the blood miasma on the second floor surged like ink, the clear boundary creating a strange scene of looking at two worlds through an invisible barrier.

Xiang Zhili pointed into the distance, "Look, that's the pagoda. But there's a barrier in front of us. See if you can find a way to get in?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he flicked his finger, and a wisp of spiritual energy lifted a millstone-sized rock at his feet and threw it into the void ahead.

With a loud "bang," the stone seemed to have hit an invisible wall and was sent flying.

"I tried to break the restriction with brute force before, but the outer restriction suppresses cultivation. I can only use the strength of the Qi Refining stage at most, and I can't break it at all."

Ma Liang also picked up a pebble and threw it forward.

The pebbles were also deflected by the invisible barrier and rolled aside.

He frowned and pondered for a moment, then took two more steps forward, getting closer to the barrier to examine it carefully, while his gaze occasionally drifted towards the pagoda in the distance.

Suddenly, he flipped his wrist, pulled out the scroll from behind his back, unrolled it, and with a low shout, summoned the Howling Wind Wolf from within.

This time, Xiang Zhili saw it clearly: the demon beast had transformed into a beam of light, leaping out of the silk as if it were a living painting.

Even with his vast experience and knowledge, he couldn't help but be deeply shocked and could no longer suppress his curiosity.

"Boy! What kind of magical artifact do you possess? It can actually capture spirit beasts and transform them into the form of a painting—truly wondrous!"

Ma Liang cupped his hands and replied, "Senior, these are just some unorthodox tricks. If you could leave this world, you would know that such miraculous methods are as numerous as hairs on a cow in the outside world, and are nothing rare."

Upon hearing this, Xiang Zhili's heart skipped a beat.

He subconsciously equated the "outside world" that Ma Liang mentioned with the spirit world, and his obsession with ascension surged up again.

He suppressed the excitement in his heart. If he could really step into the Spirit Realm, not to mention the method of capturing beasts in this painting, he would also want to see and master even more heaven-defying divine abilities!