The dark and imposing peaks collapsed layer by layer, leaving only the main structure, which nearly obscured the entrance to the Heavenly Prison, leaving only a half-foot-wide gap.
The Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden had never seen the eerie Blood Peach, this “ancient evil entity,” existing within the head of the Longevity Star. Naturally, she couldn’t guess Meng Qi’s thoughts, only vaguely understanding that after her spirit and flesh separated and she fell into slumber, someone had bypassed the seals, infiltrated the upper three layers of the Immortal Realm, and discarded the Longevity Star’s corpse in the Peach Orchard. Whether it was a joint venture between the two, a sudden betrayal for personal gain, or a deliberate act with ulterior motives remained unknown.
At this moment, she gazed at the remnants of the Heavenly Prison’s entrance and, after a moment of silence, said, “The outer seals have been completely destroyed.”
If any of the ancient gods of the Nine Heavens or the ghosts of the earth had managed to escape, they could now leave this place with ease.
Meng Qi nodded almost imperceptibly, his body glowing faintly as if illusory, passing directly through the gap and stepping into the former Heavenly Prison of the Immortal Realm. Inside, the vaulted ceiling stretched high like an endless night sky, silently covering everything, its edges unseen, broader than the floating continent itself—a world unto its own.
Countless jade pillars stood here, each towering hundreds of feet high. Meng Qi stood among them like an ordinary person entering a land of giants, offering a glimpse of the immense size of the ancient gods and ghosts of that era.
The Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden followed him in, extending her divine sense to survey the surroundings when Meng Qi’s voice suddenly echoed in her ears: “I wonder when the Heavenly Emperor attained the Dao and reached the Other Shore?”
“Not long after sweeping away the ancient gods of the Nine Heavens and some ghosts of the earth, gaining the support of the Golden Emperor and the Black Emperor, and formally establishing the Heavenly Court, thereby unlocking the highest layer of the Nine Heavens,” Liu Luo replied, having personally experienced that history, her memories vivid.
Meng Qi’s heart stirred, but his tone remained calm. “In the beginning, this realm was inaccessible?”
“Correct. Only the true Heavenly Emperor could open this realm. As for whether other great figures of the Other Shore could do so before then, I do not know.” Liu Luo’s voice carried a hint of nostalgia, as if recalling the glorious days when the Heavenly Court dominated the myriad realms.
“It seems the highest layer of the Nine Heavens holds many secrets, perhaps even the key to the Heavenly Emperor’s ascension to the Other Shore…” Meng Qi couldn’t help but muse.
Liu Luo nodded slightly in agreement. The two advanced together, delving deeper into the expanse beneath the vaulted ceiling. The further they went, the more the path seemed to descend, the darker the surroundings became, with only the faint glow of jade pillars tainted by black mist illuminating their immediate vicinity.
Darkness enveloped them, still as a deep pool, heavy as the Nine Netherworlds, as if harboring countless terrifying creatures.
Fear stems from the unknown, the unknown from mystery, and mystery is born of the void.
Just as Liu Luo was about to speak, a sudden premonition struck her. She turned her gaze, combining her divine sense to peer into the deep darkness to their left, where nothing stirred, as if it had remained unchanged for millennia.
Scanning the surroundings, she felt as though something lurked within the darkness, her tone growing slightly grave. “I sense eyes watching us—from every direction, silently observing—yet it feels like an illusion, with no other traces or disturbances of energy…”
Meng Qi walked forward with his hands behind his back, smiling as he followed Liu Luo’s gaze. “I share that feeling.”
He seemed utterly unperturbed, his body faintly glowing with golden light as he strolled leisurely, as if wandering through his own Jade Void Palace. Casually, he asked, “What was the Thunder God’s true image in the Heavenly Court? Were there any peculiarities?”
As a great divine being who once led the Heavenly Court’s campaigns, Liu Luo wasn’t frightened by the eerie sensation of being watched. Her heart remained calm as she replied conversationally:
“The Thunder God was renowned for his loyalty and ferocity, with no interest in power. Aside from his love for battle, he spent his leisure time refining his own path, seeking breakthroughs in thunder techniques to transcend the limitations of his innate divine form. Honestly, when I learned he had betrayed the Heavenly Emperor and his Buddhist incarnation had forsaken the Spirit Mountain to become the Devil Buddha, I could scarcely believe it.”
“A being can feign for a time, but not forever, until the turning point. From his birth in the ancient Sea of Thunder, the Thunder God was always praised for his loyalty and righteousness, a reputation that never wavered until the fall of the Heavenly Court. None of us, his peers, ever suspected a thing.”
No—before the fall of the Heavenly Court, before the Devil Lord stormed the Immortal Realm, the Thunder God had already harbored treachery! Meng Qi was momentarily stunned. Even now, the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden remained unaware of the Thunder God’s early betrayal.
This alone showed how adept the Devil Buddha’s former self had been at deception!
Was it an innate talent?
Without explaining further, Meng Qi pressed onward through the encroaching darkness, pondering before asking, “Mystic Maiden, do you think the Thunder God’s betrayal of the Heavenly Emperor was related to the highest layer of the Nine Heavens? After all, aside from the Heavenly Emperor’s mindless guards, only he and the Heavenly Emperor could freely enter this realm.”
“Possibly,” Liu Luo replied without hesitation, her delicate chin dipping slightly. “Perhaps this realm holds secrets to reaching the Other Shore, or even clues to the Dao Fruit, which tempted the Thunder God and drew the attention of multiple great figures of the Other Shore to storm the Heavenly Court…”
This was her long-held speculation.
Before Meng Qi could ask more, a faint light appeared, revealing a grand staircase leading underground. Each step was colossal—ten feet high and a hundred and twenty feet wide—as if built for giants, remarkably well-preserved, seemingly untouched by the cataclysm.
Flying above it, Meng Qi and the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden resembled fleas descending step by step, their faint glow piercing the oppressive darkness. Yet the sensation of being watched only intensified, growing increasingly unnerving, as if unknown dangers lurked at every turn.
After an indeterminable time, ripples of golden light shimmered ahead, faintly illuminating a boundary where the staircase ended.
Before them lay a colossal figure curled at the heart of the boundary, each golden scale resembling a celestial body, shimmering with starlight and containing universes—yet all was dead and decayed, its existence long ended.
Here is the English translation:
This was an ancient and decayed true dragon, its body stretching dozens of miles yet giving Meng Qi the impression of spanning light-years. Its eyes were shut, its vitality extinguished, with only the aura of death lingering—a testament to its former might.
“The Six Heavens Ancestral Dragon—the first true dragon born in this epoch, a sentient dragon vein from the sixth layer of the Immortal Realm. It sought the Heavenly Emperor’s throne but failed, then attempted to unleash a flood to destroy the world. The Heavenly Emperor, the Thunder God, and I captured it alive. I never imagined it remained imprisoned here,” Liu Luo mused. “That battle decimated the dragon race, leaving them too weak to meddle in the affairs of heaven and earth.”
Meng Qi approached the Six Heavens Ancestral Dragon, gazing up at its mountain-like head, envisioning the Heavenly Emperor’s grand ascent to supremacy.
He had defeated countless mighty spirits born at the dawn of creation, repelled countless contenders for the throne. His support from the Primordial Heavenly Lord and the Moral Heavenly Lord was no accident—it was earned through sheer might!
Truly worthy of the title of the Heavenly Emperor, who trod upon time and dominated an era!
The Ancestral Dragon’s scales were mottled, as if stained by the dust of ages, its eyes shut, devoid of life. No matter how formidable or terrifying it once was, the erosion of time had claimed it in the end.
Just as Liu Luo sighed inwardly, a thought struck her:
Meng Qi approached unhindered, meaning the inner seals around the Ancestral Dragon were also broken. If so, why hadn’t it escaped, instead remaining here to await its demise?
The instant the thought flashed through his mind, an overwhelming, bone-chilling aura burst forth from the Ancestral Dragon, engulfing the surroundings. Its tightly shut eyes suddenly flew open, pupils blazing with two sinister, yin-green flames!
It wasn’t dead?
Had its body birthed a new consciousness?
The Ancestral Dragon’s massive jaws parted, ready to roar—when a pale golden hand materialized out of nowhere, pressing down on its head and forcing its breath back down!
Crack! Crack!
The dragon’s body creaked under the strain, unable to resist the overwhelming force, pinned like a helpless worm.
Before it now stood a towering golden figure, filling the boundary, dwarfing the Ancestral Dragon—Meng Qi, having assumed his Heavenly and Earthly Form!
Snap!
The Ancestral Dragon’s body crumbled as if long weathered, a faint, headless shadow darting from within into the depths of the darkness.
“Even an indestructible divine body can decay,” Liu Luo murmured, her expression shifting slightly.
Meng Qi reverted to his normal form, smiling faintly. “This place is indeed abnormal. Let’s proceed.”
Liu Luo hesitated. “Aren’t you afraid? What if the other imprisoned ancient gods and ghosts have undergone similar changes?”
Meng Qi walked forward, hands behind his back, his smile unwavering. “Afraid of them? After eons of erosion, even with mutations, they are doomed to wither and perish!”
“Before reaching the Legendary realm, I might have feared them. But now, as one of the great divine beings of this world, if I still cowered before these long-fallen relics, what would be the point of cultivation?”
He turned to Liu Luo, his tone serene. “Their era has passed.”
Their era has passed… then what of ours? Liu Luo suddenly fell into a daze.
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