The grand stone gate, with its ancient and unadorned texture, began to glow, then erupted into dazzling brilliance!
Those two characters sent a tremor through the soul, stirring the heart. They radiated sacredness, yet carried an overwhelming majesty that shook the very core of one’s spirit.
And the tremor grew increasingly terrifying—like a candle flame in the wind, flickering unsteadily, on the verge of being snuffed out at any moment!
What was happening?
Whether it was Shi Hao or the two Golden Burial Earth beings, all involuntarily stepped back, their hearts uneasy, their scalps tingling, and their hair standing on end.
This was an astonishing turn of events, as if a prehistoric beast were slowly opening its eyes. Though bathed in radiant light, it exuded boundless terror!
The ancient stone gate emitted a light that pierced through the ages—so pure, like the first ray of light after the creation of the world, leading to immortality and eternity.
Upon the gate, various imprints surfaced, revealing the secrets of creation and the enigmas of chaos. Countless primordial figures flickered into view, though too indistinct to discern clearly.
Faintly, an ethereal Daoist chant resonated, cleansing the soul, as if guiding one toward a higher evolution!
Shi Hao, San Zang, and Shen Ming all yearned to listen, to comprehend the Dao through it, and even more, to rush forward and grasp the supreme mysteries, achieving rebirth.
Yet, a radiant light flared—commanding the heavens, compelling all beings in the universe to bow and worship. It hovered high above, shaking the stone gate.
Without a doubt, this light had emerged from the figure on the straw mat. It had activated the gate and unleashed its awe-inspiring might.
Shi Hao shuddered, snapping back to reality. Just moments ago, his primordial spirit had nearly left his body, drawn into the colossal stone gate!
A terrifying sensation—though the gate was sacred, containing the roots of the Great Dao, it inexplicably left one drenched in cold sweat upon awakening.
“This gate holds immense strangeness and danger!” San Zang said gravely.
His expression was solemn, beads of sweat forming on his forehead—the first time he had ever been so tense and serious, as if facing a calamitous scourge.
Shen Ming’s face was equally grim. Had it not been for the light’s intervention, they might have fallen prey to the gate’s allure, their minds drawn inside. Who knew what would have happened then?
Looking back, countless skeletal remains—some as large as stars—floated in the void before the grand stone gate. Had all these beings perished in the same manner?
Yet, upon reflection, beings of their level wouldn’t have their spirits shattered by mere gates. They must have died in fierce battles.
The homeland of immortals—this was the domain of the Immortal Dao, the realm of true immortals, known as the Immortal Domain!
Beyond the gate lay a vast, boundless world, now severed from the outside, blocked by the stone gate, impenetrable to all.
“Roar—!”
Before the gate, a group of Thunder Spirits howled in fury, their emotions agitated. Clearly, they too had narrowly escaped disaster—had it not been for the treasure of the figure on the straw mat, they would have been doomed.
Boom!
The light suddenly intensified, shooting forth a dazzling beam that struck the stone gate, flooding the area with blinding radiance.
Then, the light retreated, vanishing into the chest of the figure on the straw mat, disappearing beneath the bloodstained, tattered robes.
But the ordeal was far from over. The stone gate trembled violently, as if on the verge of collapse, as though it might be blasted open.
San Zang was stunned. Clearly, he and Shen Ming knew many secrets about the Immortal Domain. Now, they gaped as if seeing a ghost.
In Shi Hao’s eyes, they were ghosts themselves.
“These gates should never open! They are the fortress of the Immortal Domain, the sole exit. No one should be able to breach them—yet now they’re being shaken?!”
“How is this possible? The Burial Texts state that once sealed, these gates sever all ties to the outside world, becoming impenetrable. Yet now they’re being activated—is a cataclysm about to unfold?”
The two Golden Burial Earth beings wore expressions of disbelief.
Who was that figure on the straw mat? What terrifying identity did he possess?
Suddenly, something astonishing happened. From the stone gates outward, luminous threads extended, forming intricate patterns—especially dense along the sides and above.
The Thunder Spirits hastily retreated, not daring to touch them!
What was this?
Shi Hao and the others also stepped back.
The threads stretched and intertwined rapidly, as if an invisible hand were painting, sketching a hazy scene.
Soon, it grew clearer—it was a city wall, spreading outward. Though incomplete, outlined in luminous threads, it was materializing.
“Is this… the fortress of the Immortal Domain?” Shen Ming murmured, stunned by this manifestation, as if it were being drawn into existence.
“Perhaps we can charge inside?!” San Zang pondered, considering the principles of space and temporal nodes.
His expression turned cold, his eyes gleaming with intensity. Then, like a golden streak, he shot toward one side of the wall, searching for a flaw.
“According to the Bronze Texts, there might be a breach!” Shen Ming also moved, rushing toward the opposite side.
Simultaneously, the Thunder Spirits arched their bodies like divine arrows, darting toward the forming wall.
Next, the Kun fish flicked its tail, swimming forward.
Shi Hao frowned but also advanced, studying the anomaly. What deeper meaning lay behind this?
Truthfully, he wished to approach the straw mat in the void, to examine the figure—likely the source of the gate’s disturbance.
Yet he restrained himself. Shen Ming had nearly perished merely probing from afar. Approaching would be far more perilous.
Silently, a divine halo appeared behind Shi Hao’s head, transforming into a mirror that flew toward the stone gate. The long-vanished mysterious flame reappeared.
It hovered before the gate, burning gently—no larger than a fist—reflecting every texture and imprint on the stone surface.
As a result, ancient carvings surged forth, vivid and lifelike, resurrected into the world.
It was as if beings from distant epochs had awakened, stepping forth from bygone eras.
The earlier carvings were shrouded in mist, so Shi Hao focused on the middle section.
A burly, towering man with a thick beard wielded a battle-axe—a single swing seemed to cleave a universe.
A cold, aloof woman stood in the heavens, confronting a shadowy figure tearing through the world barrier, shaking the nine heavens!
An ancient war chariot, forged from immortal gold, gleamed with golden radiance—crafted entirely from Celestial Dao Immortal Gold. It rumbled like the lord of all heavens, its occupant casting a disdainful gaze across eternity.
Other carvings were equally grand, steeped in mystery.
Countless primordial beings built an altar reaching the heavens, offering sacrifices, summoning forth a pair of stone gates.
…
“These depict ancient events of great significance!”
Shi Hao suspected the gate recorded pivotal moments that had shaped the cosmos—why else would they appear here?
The flame flickered, illuminating the gate as if casting light across past and future, revealing every pattern and Dao imprint.
Many imprints were horrifying. Even with Shi Hao’s current strength, he could only glance briefly—prolonged focus was unbearable.
His brow split with pain, his head throbbing. Those ancient imprints were too terrifying to behold for long!
Finally, he saw the concluding image—a massive bell, its toll cracking the epoch, its mournful chime echoing through eternity, leaving behind a sigh.
The Bell of No End!
The end of the previous era!
Shi Hao was stunned, regretful he hadn’t grasped more. The gate’s imprints were fragments of history, and he’d only glimpsed them.
The shattered bell of the Immortal King of No End marked the close of the last epoch—a monumental event!
Only when the flame returned to his body did he snap back to reality.
Simultaneously, a city gate materialized, along with a vast stretch of wall, standing firm amidst the cosmos!
It was unimaginably colossal, towering before the sea of stars, suppressing the past, dominating the present, and overlooking the future—immovable, exuding dense immortal energy.
Yet, upon closer inspection, it was merely a gate tower, its seemingly endless wall just a fraction of its true scale.
Then, the stone gate turned crystalline, transparent.
Beings appeared—especially atop the gate tower, where voices boomed, shaking the cosmos.
At the same time, the Thunder Spirits, San Zang, Shen Ming, and the Kun fish were all expelled.
Whoosh!
Pale-faced and visibly shaken, they would have suffered greatly had it not been for the protective ripples emanating from the straw mat, shielding the Thunder Spirits.
In a way, San Zang and the others had benefited from the Thunder Spirits’ presence.
Exchanging glances, they soared upward with divine might, reaching the height of the gate tower to peer ahead.
Indeed, they saw figures.
Several young men and women, bathed in hazy light and exuding immortal energy, gazed down upon them.
They were unmistakably youthful—their eyes lacked the weight of ages, their beauty and grace undeniable.
Like exiled immortals, they stood together, exuding an air of arrogance, looking down as nobles might upon beggars.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage