Chapter 689: The Black Gourd

The temple was simple and unadorned, constructed from ordinary stones.

Yet, upon stepping past the threshold, the oppressive aura reached an entirely new level. Dongbo Xueying swept his gaze across the hall before him—a space spanning roughly ten miles. A pathway paved with dark green stone stretched from the threshold all the way to the far end of the hall, where a stone gate stood.

*”According to the legends of this world, the Ancient God Temple descended at the dawn of countless epochs. Judging by the sheer intensity of its oppressive aura alone, it truly seems capable of withstanding the destruction of the universe,”* Dongbo Xueying mused inwardly. Places like the Six Paths Heavenly Wheel, the Heartlake Island Ruins, and the Land of Beginnings had all endured the cataclysmic end of the universe. Even the ‘Three-Headed Divine Mountain,’ formed from the corpse of an ancient demon, had survived—further testament to the terrifying might of that ancient demon’s remains.

Dongbo Xueying strode forward step by step.

The threshold’s oppressive force alone was enough to crush someone of Patriarch Chong’s level, so the Ancient God Temple had no guards—only an outermost defensive formation. The Xu Emperor Venerable was supremely confident. He believed that aside from the ‘Shadowfiend Mansion Master,’ no other Venerable could infiltrate undetected. Any who entered would inevitably trigger the formation and be exposed.

Yet, Dongbo Xueying had slipped in just as silently.

The dark green stone pathway was only about ten miles long. Though he walked slowly, it took him only a few breaths to reach the end.

*”The pressure here would probably flatten even an ordinary Venerable,”* Dongbo Xueying thought, feeling the weight pressing down on him. *”If I hadn’t cultivated the Ten Thousand Demons True Body, standing upright would be a struggle. But right now, it’s still manageable.”*

*”This stone gate…”*

He studied the gate before him.

It was a single, solid slab—a portcullis. To enter, one had to lift it.

*”Hmm?”* After determining its nature, Dongbo Xueying released a pulse of soul energy to inspect it. *”It really is a portcullis, the simplest kind of mechanical mechanism. Just lift it, and the gate opens.”*

*”But must it be lifted?”* He reached out, fingers brushing the gap at the gate’s edge, attempting to shift into mist and slip through. Yet, as his form dissolved and tried to force its way past, an invisible resistance blocked him.

*Whoosh.*

The mist coalesced back into Dongbo Xueying.

*”No shortcuts, it seems,”* he sighed. With no other choice, he extended both hands, gripping the lowest edge of the stone gate, and heaved with all his might! The gate trembled faintly.

*”What?”*

Dongbo Xueying was stunned. Ever since mastering the first volume of the Ten Thousand Demons True Body, he had believed his strength to be monstrous. Only the body-refining Protectors of the Mother Goddess Sect from another universe could surpass him—and even then, only the very best among them! In the cultivator’s universe, his physical power was already absurd. Perhaps only a few, like the ‘Ascetic Monks’ who had also mastered the Ten Thousand Demons True Body, could rival him in raw strength.

Yet now, even half his strength failed to lift the gate.

*”Seventy percent!”* He increased his exertion.

*”Eighty!”*

*”Ninety!”*

His arms visibly thickened as the stone gate finally began to rise—agonizingly slowly. The terrifying aura radiating from his body surged outward like shockwaves, crashing against the distant hall walls and shaking the entire structure with thunderous booms. Despite the overwhelming force, the Ancient God Temple remained utterly unscathed. But with the pervasive suppression in this place—even the Void World was stifled—Dongbo Xueying couldn’t conceal the violent tremors caused by his unleashed power.

*”I’ll probably be exposed now,”* he frowned, but there was no turning back. He poured everything into lifting the gate.

As the stone slab ascended, an intangible ripple of space appeared beneath it.

Dongbo Xueying realized this was what had blocked his mist-form earlier. Though the spatial ripple seemed unremarkable, even his full strength couldn’t pierce through it.

*”Up!”*

With a roar, he lifted the gate higher, his body expanding in size to accommodate the increasing burden.

—

The Xu Emperor’s domain had two Venerables—master and disciple. The Xu Emperor Venerable stood supreme, being the first Venerable of this epoch in this vast world. His strength was unfathomable, and his knowledge of the Ancient God Temple far surpassed that of Patriarch Chong. He knew the legends were true. And so, his desire to claim the temple burned fiercer than ever.

Yet…

To his frustration, even he had failed to lift that stone gate.

*”Enter the temple, walk to the stone gate, lift it, and only then will the legendary staircase be revealed… At its peak lies the ultimate representation of all things—the black gourd,”* the Xu Emperor Venerable murmured, standing on a palace balcony, gazing at the Ancient God Temple within his royal grounds. His eyes burned with longing. *”Only by obtaining that black gourd can one attain ultimate power—and truly leave this world for the boundless universe beyond.”*

At his level, he understood all too well.

The vast world they inhabited was but a hidden corner of the greater cosmos.

*”But our epoch is too weak. So far, not a single one of us has managed to lift the gate, let alone ascend the staircase,”* he thought, shaking his head ruefully.

*”BOOM—”*

A deafening roar erupted from the distant Ancient God Temple.

The Xu Emperor Venerable’s senses were razor-sharp. The vibrations in the void alerted him instantly, and his expression darkened. *”What’s happening? What’s going on in the temple?”*

*Whoosh!*

Transforming into a streak of light, he shot toward the temple gates mere miles away—his residence was conveniently close.

*”This—”* He froze at the sight before him.

A black-clad youth, a divine sword strapped to his back, had grown into a giant. His hands braced against the stone gate as it rose with a thunderous rumble. The sheer force radiating from his body sent shockwaves rippling through the hall, crashing against the walls in a relentless cacophony.

The Xu Emperor Venerable’s pupils contracted. The aura emanating from the youth’s physique was beyond comprehension—absolutely monstrous!

And…

*”He’s lifting the gate?!”* The Xu Emperor Venerable was stunned. In this entire epoch, no one had achieved such a feat. The gate was impossibly heavy.

*”That’s… Guest Elder Feixue?”* He had long received intelligence on ‘Guest Elder Feixue’ and recognized him immediately.

—

As Dongbo Xueying lifted the gate overhead, his eyes pierced through the spatial ripples, finally beholding what lay beyond.

A grander, more expansive hall stretched before him. At its center stood a flight of stone steps, ascending toward a lofty summit where a black gourd rested.

The gourd was only about a foot tall.

Yet, at this moment, it pulsed with a sinister crimson glow. Waves of terrifying heat radiated outward, distorting the void around it. Further out, white mist churned violently, filling most of the gray hall—except near the gourd itself, where space twisted unnaturally.

Though shielded by the spatial ripples, Dongbo Xueying felt no direct assault. Yet, the mere sight of the black gourd sent an instinctive, bone-deep terror surging through him.

Fear sprouted uncontrollably.

This was the terror of facing something far beyond his level.

*”What in the world is that thing?”* He knew, without a doubt, that this was the most horrifying object he had ever encountered.

Despite his focus on the gourd, Dongbo Xueying remained vigilant. When the Xu Emperor Venerable descended upon the temple entrance in a streak of light, he sensed the disturbance instantly. His head turned slightly, confirming the presence of a silver-haired elder now standing at the threshold, his face a mask of shock.

*”CRACK—”*

With a final heave, Dongbo Xueying fully raised the stone gate, locking it into place at its zenith.

The spatial ripples dissipated.

*”Whoosh!”*

A torrent of white mist exploded outward from the vast inner hall, staggering Dongbo Xueying slightly. The temperature around him skyrocketed instantly—reaching levels comparable to the surface of a sun.