Chapter 555: The Western Ling Realm

The Primordial Truth was of immense significance to Shi Hao. He had been introduced to it since childhood, laying the most solid foundation within Stone Village—it was precisely through this sacred bone book that he began his cultivation path.

However, according to the words of the Willow God, the Divine Introduction Chapter he obtained was incomplete. It only recorded bone glyphs and simple images; there should be another bone—The Chart of Ten Thousand Spirits.

He already possessed a fragment of this Chart of Ten Thousand Spirits, but one final corner remained missing—never had he managed to complete it.

Shi Hao took out the bones, piecing them together. They appeared like translucent jade, faintly trembling as they radiated a soft, white glow.

“Could the missing piece be here?” Shi Hao’s heart pounded with excitement. This bone was of great importance, for the Primordial Truth held extraordinary power over him.

He had used it for foundation building, and he distinctly felt its wondrous, transformative energy. Yet, it still fell short of the tremendous potential he had imagined. The Willow God had once told him that the only reason was due to the absence of the Chart of Ten Thousand Spirits.

Was this the moment of opportunity? Shi Hao pondered. Within this Western Mausoleum, many bones of ancient ferocious beasts and divine birds were buried. If anywhere, the missing piece of the Primordial Truth was likely here.

“You seem distracted,” Xue You Yu inquired, seeing him staring blankly at the jade-like bone fragment resting in his palm, puzzled.

“Nothing,” Shi Hao snapped out of his daze. Now was not the time to lose focus.

“You said this place has evolved into its own world… how exactly did that happen?” Shi Hao questioned the Black Turtle.

Nearby, a gluttonous beast roared, a Qiong Qi howled, raising its head to the heavens—an utterly terrifying scene unfolded.

“According to what you’ve said,” said San He, his expression uneasy, “this place is the burial ground of ancient demonic beasts and divine birds, including divine kings and sky gods. Such a formidable assemblage should be unimaginably strong…”

He glanced warily around, fearful that those powerful beings might suddenly charge forth. Though he was a Venerable, he still felt a chill of fear deep within his heart.

According to the Black Turtle, for such a concentration of mighty beings to be buried in one place was bound to lead to catastrophe—whether deliberately arranged or unintentionally left by ancients, no one could say.

“These beings all start their cultivation at the level of a god, each one a regional overlord, an elite of their race. At the very least, their kindling of divine flames meant that even in death, their wills would not easily dissipate.”

Zhou Yu Hao’s hair stood on end as he gazed at the surrounding wilderness and the looming silhouettes of colossal beasts. If any one of these beings charged forth, it would be deadly.

“I’ve heard your Eight Realms have the Virtual Divine Realm,” said the Black Turtle. “It was constructed by the deities’ mental energy and evolved into a unique world.”

“What are you getting at?”

“This place may well resemble the Virtual Divine Realm, having naturally formed its own world,” the Black Turtle explained.

“What!? Impossible!” Xiao Tian gasped in shock.

The Virtual Divine Realm, composed purely of spiritual energy and governed by cosmic laws, was intricate and wondrous beyond comprehension. How could a mere burial ground become something similar?

“This kind of spiritually-formed world is not unique—the one beyond my own world is even more extraordinary. By observing it carefully, one might cautiously access unknown regions of the higher realms,” the Black Turtle muttered.

According to its explanation, beasts like the Zhen Hou, Qiong Qi, Bai Hu, Thousand-Armed Spirits, and Taowu were all buried here—each one a divine king or celestial deity. In death, their wills had not vanished, instead giving rise to heroic spirits.

“In other words, they’ve all become vengeful ghosts?”

“No, not vengeful spirits—heroic spirits. Powerful wills nurtured in places thick with yin energy, retaining their former characteristics,” the Black Turtle corrected.

It was these mighty heroic spirits—similar to the gathered wills of gods—that interlaced and shaped this strange world. This place was highly comparable to the construction of the Virtual Divine Realm.

“This self-contained world… how eerie!” Even the War Goddess was unsettled, feeling a sense of dread.

All that was visible here were beings of unfathomable strength from the ancient world. Even one of them springing forth could crush a Venerable.

“Fortunately, it is still thick with yin energy, making this world seem more like a realm of the dead, rather than one of the living. Under normal circumstances, they are unlikely to sense us,” the Black Turtle explained.

Moreover, these heroic spirits only retained instinct, lacking any knowledge of their former lives, and were incapable of rational thought like the living.

“Immortal beings missed this place…”

“Such places can’t truly be discovered unless one steps into them. Like the Virtual Divine Realm, if you don’t enter, it’s intangible and impossible to locate.”

Additionally, according to the Black Turtle’s estimation, this world hadn’t existed for a very long time, otherwise some traces would have surfaced already.

“This place is extremely dangerous. Let me send you out,” Shi Hao declared. Xiao Tian had only been grazed by a fire serpent and was already critically wounded.

If they ventured deeper and truly encountered these beings, survival would be near impossible.

“We’ve already come this far—let’s explore it together. Perhaps it’s a grand opportunity,” Xue You Yu interjected. None of them were willing to retreat.

Unlike the Virtual Divine Realm, though still shaped by heroic spirits, this place was limited in scope, yet highly refined. They had partially materialized into physical forms.

After advancing about a mile, they encountered a stele carved with three words: Western Mausoleum Boundary.

“So it does have its own world, even bearing a name,” the Black Turtle cried out, unease filling its heart as it glanced warily around.

“Be extra cautious. Don’t know whether this stele was left by denizens of the Beast Mountain or by a heroic spirit advanced enough to think like a human.”

Suddenly, golden light flashed—a leopard swooped down at incredible speed, becoming a golden bolt of lightning, impossible to evade.

“Boom!”

The Black Turtle was sent flying, wailing in pain. Despite its innate resilience and near-impenetrable shell, it spat blood.

This was no ordinary leopard. Its head bore a single horn, its body covered in golden scales. As it ran, divine flames erupted from its body—it was incredibly powerful.

And this was simply the result of a chance collision. If it actually attacked, even the Black Turtle’s rock-solid shell would be reduced to fragments.

In one blink, it vanished.

Behind, a roar echoed. A monstrous creature with a human head and bird’s body flapped its wings, chasing rapidly, leaping across the battlefield.

The group was stunned—what kind of place had they entered?

“Unbelievable! The spirits of buried gods are too powerful. Though this world is small, formed just by their collective wills, it is terrifying beyond comprehension!” The Black Turtle muttered, rising slowly, wiping blood from its lips, clearly frightened.

“Shall we continue forward?” Shi Hao asked them.

Now the group hesitated. The danger was real. Although those beings weren’t intentionally attacking, such sudden encounters could still place them in peril.

“Hmm, what’s this scent? There’s fragrance in the air,” noticed the Black Turtle, sniffing.

“Smells sweet. Could there be divine medicine or sacred fruit here?” All of them became excited.

After nearly considering retreat, their spirits lifted again. Once more, they advanced cautiously. Shi Hao led the way, clad in the Indestructible Golden Body Armor, using his potent divine sense to clear the path.

“Boom!”

A gigantic claw descended, shattering the giant tree beside them, rushing past with a terrifying gale.

It was a Qiong Qi, with eyes like lanterns—terrifying and fearsome. It was running through the area, then soared into the clouds.

The adventurers became doubly cautious, narrowly evading several terrifying encounters along the way. After advancing several miles, they finally reached their destination.

Before them stood a tree. Around it, no other vegetation grew; the ground was barren. Its silver-white branches and leaves radiated intense brilliance, crackling with lightning.

“Could this be… the Lightning Tree?” the Black Turtle questioned with disbelief.

The War Goddess and Xue You Yu also appeared shocked. They recalled records in the bone scripture—this rare medicinal tree bears Lightning Fruits, capable of emitting thunder and lightning.

With favorable fortune, one might even gain control of thunder and lightning principles.

“There are fruits on the tree!”

The tree wasn’t particularly tall—several zhang perhaps—its dense foliage thick with branches. Faintly visible were fruits resembling tiny suns, crackling with electricity.

However, the group’s initial elation was followed by hesitation. This wasn’t the real world—it was the Western Mausoleum Boundary. Would such things even be edible?

“Partially materialized, it possesses physical properties, rules, and energies. Likely edible.” Shi Hao reasoned, surprised that such a legendary medicinal tree existed here.

“I’ll give it a try.” The Black Turtle licked its lips, visibly thrilled. Eating this might grant it a new divine ability.

Excitedly, it rushed forward, cautiously releasing a beam of light that snatched four fruits from the tree. They radiated fragrance and crackled with electricity.

“Watch out, fall back!” Shi Hao warned urgently.

It hadn’t even finished shouting when the Black Turtle sensed the danger. Immediately, it retrieved the four Lightning Fruits and quickly retreated.

But it was already too late. A few golden worms, finger-length, shot forth from the tree. Making metallic clinking sounds, they blazed down like bolts of lightning.

“Clang!”

A sound rang out as the massive body of the Black Turtle was struck by a three-inch-long golden worm and sent flying, blood spilling from its mouth.

The group’s faces paled. What kind of creature was this? If even a Venerable couldn’t withstand it, how terrifying it was!

Were these the ancient beings from the bygone era? Even insects on the tree were astonishingly powerful. If they had lived in that age, how could they have survived?

“Swish—” Shi Hao scooped everyone up with a flick of his sleeve and quickly rescued the Black Turtle, fleeing with the speed of the Kunpeng art.

“Clang!”

Another worm lunged forward, even fiercer than before. It pierced through part of the Black Turtle’s carapace, drawing blood while emitting crackling electricity.

The Black Turtle cried out in agony as it flew backward.

Shi Hao caught it in one hand, leapt into the air, and sped away using the Kunpeng technique.

However, the third worm proved even fiercer. Surprisingly, it was able to keep up, dashing forward like a golden bolt of lightning. This worm was slightly larger—nearly palm-sized.

Undoubtedly, if this worm struck its target, not even the turtle shell would be able to withstand it.

“Swoosh!”

The golden worm charged forward. The Black Turtle had no time to dodge, and its shoulder was pierced, unable to resist.

With a plop, it cried out in pain.

“Buzz!”

A gentle sound rang out. From Shi Hao’s hair, the Royal Butterfly awakened, hovering in midair, letting out a soft hum.

Strangely, the fierce golden worm instantly trembled, then turned and fled, ceasing its pursuit.

The group, shocked, quickly retreated to a peaceful secluded place before stopping.

“Lightning Worms… truly dangerous,” sighed the War Goddess.

“Lightning Worms!?” the Black Turtle exclaimed in alarm, shuddering. Then it exhaled in relief, clearly feeling grateful for its narrow escape.

It recalled an incident—an ancient tale of several powerful gods from the upper realms who went to harvest a legendary medicinal plant. They were all devoured and reduced to skeletons by a creature known as the Lightning Worm.

“Damn, this is supposed to be the Western Mausoleum Boundary, existing between the virtual and the real. How can such a creature still exist here?” It grumbled, yet simultaneously felt relieved. The worm was still young, not fully mature. Otherwise, a single strike could have pierced its shell and exploded it with lightning.

“Can these actually be eaten?” Everyone gazed at the collected Lightning Fruits.

If edible, it would be an enormous boon—unimaginable indeed!