Cao E felt as though the Land Immortal before her had eyes like deep abysses, with a brilliant purple at their core. Their gaze was hollow and lifeless, yet shot forth two-foot-long arcs of lightning. Even just seeing them left her feeling as if struck by thunder, her entire body numb and aching, unable to circulate her inner energy or connect with heaven and earth.
Could the corpse of a Land Immortal, fallen tens of thousands of years ago, truly open its eyes on its own without a Grandmaster’s primordial spirit to control it?
Was it a reanimated corpse?
Numb and aching all over, unable to move, Cao E’s mind raced with thoughts of legends about corpse kings and ghost kings.
If an entity’s lingering attachments are strong enough, under just the right circumstances, an immortal body might reanimate, even regaining a new consciousness completely severed from its previous life, becoming an entirely new being. This concept had supposedly inspired ancient great cultivators, giving rise to several techniques for continuing existence beyond death.
Of course, no one had ever succeeded—until now!
“The gate is open, the gate is open…” the Purple Thunder Land Immortal rasped out in a deep, hoarse voice, decaying and ancient, as if echoing across ten thousand years.
Was it truly driven by lingering attachments?
As the thought arose in Cao E’s mind, she saw the Purple Thunder Land Immortal suddenly sink downward, diving deep into the ice well!
…
Within the hidden treasure realm, icy water reached up to one’s chest. Beneath the surface, many peculiar plants grew, but like the surrounding structures, they had long since been destroyed, leaving only remnants.
The sky hung low. According to Meng Qi’s estimation, it was no more than a hundred zhang high, with a cold moon suspended above. Yet this moon had no tangible form—it appeared as though it were a projection cast through layers of void.
In the distance stood a massive black palace, like a silent beast waiting patiently. Its soaring eaves, interlocking beams, and carved railings seemed utterly disconnected from it.
Without delay, Meng Qi swiftly flew toward the palace. Even before getting close, he sensed a bone-chilling cold.
The water beneath had frozen into solid ice, and the deeper one gazed, the more it took on a profound, dark blue hue. At its very depths, an unnatural hole emerged, linking to some unknown realm, with eerie blue icy currents surging through it.
Upon closer inspection, Meng Qi realized the surroundings of the black hall remained unchanged. The ice was thick and impenetrable, exuding an aura of indestructibility. The biting cold was so severe that even his blood—fortified by the Eight-Nine Arcane Art and having surpassed the first celestial barrier—felt as though it might freeze solid.
Deep within the ice layer were scattered fragments—pieces that had lost their power and radiated only cold. Yet anyone with even a little discernment could tell they had once been extraordinary!
“Shattered divine weapons…” The thought instinctively flashed through Meng Qi’s mind. As he looked again at the black hall, he noticed it bore marks of thunder, fire, and ice, yet it still stood as firm and unshakable as a mountain.
An ancient cultivator who possessed a Dharmakaya once discovered this treasure vault, yet no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t break the seal. Even shattering divine weapons and piercing through heaven and earth failed to overcome the barrier.
Or perhaps, after failing to open it, they turned on each other?
Meng Qi’s thoughts churned as he speculated from the traces left behind. Unfortunately, there were few useful clues, allowing only a rough guess.
Lost in these thoughts, Meng Qi frowned slightly: “When the founders of the True Martial Sect and the Westward Sword Pavilion obtained their respective secret treasures, though they faced numerous perils, they never encountered an unbreakable seal. How could they—who didn’t even possess Dharma Bodies back then—succeed, while even Dharma Body-level experts and above in later eras failed?”
This contrast raised many doubts.
Briefly reflecting on their backgrounds, Meng Qi couldn’t help but muse to himself: “The secret treasures left by the Zhenwu Emperor have existed for twenty to thirty thousand years, yet the two discovered were found within the past five thousand years, concentrated in the recent ancient era. Could it be that after the chaos brought by the Buddha of Darkness, the world underwent significant changes, greatly weakening the seals left by the Zhenwu Emperor? That’s why the dharma bodies of the late or middle ancient eras couldn’t access them, while cultivators of the recent ancient era, even those at the External Scenery or Opening the Orifices stages, could?”
Judging from the divine weapons’ complete depletion of energy, Meng Qi inferred that a deity had entered this place at least tens of thousands of years ago.
“Or is the item hidden here more precious than the other two?” Without hesitation, Meng Qi landed at the entrance of the black hall, silently reciting the incantation taught by the Zhenwu Emperor, forming hand seals, and circulating his energy.
He stretched out both palms, pressing them against the seams of the door on either side.
A faint light flickered, coalescing into the forms of a Black Tortoise and a Vermilion Bird. They intertwined in the pattern of a Yin-Yang Taiji, merging into the sacred Xuanwu—unyielding and immovable, as though even the end of the world could not force it open.
Sensing no abnormalities around, Meng Qi twisted his palms, releasing black and white light. Xuanwu dissolved, and the great door silently slid backward!
With direct guidance from the Zhenwu Emperor, the seal posed no difficulty for Meng Qi!
The door slowly opened, revealing black floor tiles that seemed to be condensed from mysterious water, appearing inch by inch.
Further ahead stood three tables—one horizontal and two vertical. On the upper table was a small tree with three branches and nine green leaves. Its vitality was concealed inward, its glow contained, exuding a Daoist aura that felt oddly familiar to Meng Qi. He immediately recognized it as the object bearing the fifth technique of the Seven Sword Cuts of Severing the Heavens—”Transmission Across the Universe.”
Turning his gaze to the left, he saw three items placed on the table, each sealed in a jade box, though unable to completely block his perception.
The first item nearly blinded Meng Qi, for it resembled a miniature sun, constantly gathering and releasing energy. Though bound by restrictions, its contained heat and storm nearly obliterated Meng Qi’s probing consciousness.
“The Heart of the Solar Flame?” Meng Qi suddenly thought of a famous divine weapon core.
The second item was a small blue ice crystal. It appeared fluid, continuously emitting icy currents as if inexhaustible. Even through the seal, Meng Qi’s mind was nearly frozen, his thoughts slowing down.
“The Ice Eye Crystal Core…” Another divine weapon core!
Got it, got it… Struggling to contain his excitement, Meng Qi withdrew his perception and turned to the third item.
It was a pitch-black talisman, covered in dizzying patterns. Below were two ancient seal script characters:
“Breaking Void!”
An escape talisman? Meng Qi roughly judged, then turned his gaze to the right.
On the right table, the first item was a golden-red gourd, seemingly unremarkable, though its value likely lay within the elixir it contained.
The second item remained sealed in a jade box. It was a sword, dark and heavy, naturally cracked like a tortoise shell, seemingly self-shielding against further probing.
“A top-grade treasure weapon.” Meng Qi nodded, then turned to the third item.
It was also a sword, its blade shimmering like rippling water, each glimmering point as clear and bright as stars. The entire sword seemed like a river of countless stars.
“The Milky Way Sword?” Meng Qi vaguely saw the stars forming the sword’s name.
Another top-grade treasure weapon!
Two top-grade precious weapons, two divine weapon cores, a life-saving talisman, a gourd of elixirs, and the inheritance artifact of one of the Seven Heaven-Severing Swords—this was undoubtedly a tremendous haul. Yet, Meng Qi’s initial elation faded as his brows furrowed slightly in confusion.
The secret treasures opened by the Xijian Pavilion and Zhenwu Sect had both contained divine weapons!
Why was he being discriminated against?
According to the Zhenwu Emperor’s habits, there should be at least one divine-level item here—even if not of the highest quality, there should be one. After all, a cunning rabbit has three burrows!
As his thoughts churned, Meng Qi recalled earlier moments, trying to find clues.
With his Eight-Nine Marvelous Art’s precognitive ability, unless the divine weapon was deliberately concealing itself, he should have noticed it first.
What had drawn his attention most upon entering?
Meng Qi suddenly shivered, turning his gaze back to the upper table.
That small green tree bearing the inheritance!
Could it itself be extraordinary, rivaling divine weapons in some way?
Focusing, one green leaf expanded in his vision, and Meng Qi seemed to see a vast universe, filled with planets, suns, galaxies, nebulae, and the boundless darkness of space.
Another leaf expanded, revealing a round heaven and square earth, with golden crows and jade rabbits. Tiny worlds floated like bubbles in the surrounding void.
Each leaf stretched outward, and Meng Qi saw different universes. Every three leaves shared a branch, all growing from the main trunk, almost exactly like the cosmic structure he had once imagined!
Sword light flashed, flowing from the trunk into the branches, dividing endlessly, shooting into every leaf, every universe, every world—reaching everywhere!
The fifth technique of the Seven Sword Cuts of Severing the Heavens—”Transmission Across the Universe!”
Meng Qi shivered, withdrawing from the sensation. He felt increasingly that this small tree was no ordinary object, seemingly containing profound cosmic secrets!
Could it be that this inheritance item wasn’t crafted by the Zhenwu Emperor himself, but rather obtained directly from the Dao Venerable?
As these thoughts surfaced, Meng Qi stepped forward, attempting to claim it.
At that moment, a cold sweat broke out on his back, and an extreme sense of danger flashed through his mind—far more intense than the feeling of having a thorn in one’s back.
Without hesitation, Meng Qi drew his saber with one hand and the Mystic Water Demon-Dispelling Banner with the other, instantly sidestepping in a flash.
At the entrance stood a man wearing an ancient high crown and robe, his expression solemn, with arcs of lightning flashing in his eyes. A layer of eerie blue ice crystals hovered around his body.
To Meng Qi’s perception, his flesh was full and powerful, radiating energy like a blazing sun, emitting incomparable light and heat!
At his peak, even a drop of blood or a single hair could kill me! Just as this thought arose, Meng Qi heard the man muttering:
“The gate is open, the gate is open…”
His right hand extended outward, turning entirely purple, as though condensed from countless thunderbolts. The terrifying pressure sent Meng Qi’s mind reeling, his body trembling involuntarily.
A Land Immortal corpse? Witnessing the man abruptly closing in to seize the small tree, which couldn’t be retrieved remotely, Meng Qi decisively activated the Mystic Water Demon-Dispelling Banner!
The profound water condensed, crimson mist spread, and aqueous radiance filled the heavens, surging toward the man and engulfing the countless bolts of lightning!
Drawn by this energy, the small tree emitted a hazy green glow. Mysterious and profound energy gathered into a beam, shooting upward, breaking through this world, breaking through the Cao family’s restricted formation, as if nothing could stop it!
The green light and energy exploded midair like fireworks!
…
Inside the Cao family’s ancestral home, the “Demon Sage” Han Guang’s eyes, calm yet smiling, reflected the green light.
He paused briefly, then turned his gaze to Gao Lan with a faint smile: “This power rivals the Buddha’s Infinite Palm. It must be either the Seven Swords of Heaven-Severing or the first three techniques of the Nine Primordial Seals. Aren’t you going to compete for it?”
How many people in the world wouldn’t covet such a treasure?
Gao Lan stood up, hands behind his back, his expression still cold:
“If you can’t resist temptation, you can’t achieve great things!”
He remained unmoved!
Han Guang clapped his hands and laughed: “Well said! Once it appears, all schemes will vanish.”
He picked up his tea, savoring it, ignoring the green light outside!
…
Deep in the Eastern Sea, waves rippled gently. A small boat carried a young Taoist with disheveled hair, swiftly sailing toward the horizon.
His black hair covered his face. He kept his head lowered, muttering softly:
“Who am I, who am I…”
Suddenly, he turned his head. His hair fell away, revealing a handsome, otherworldly face, his eyes full of confusion:
“I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before…”
…
In the depths of the Great Snow Mountains, a sudden tremor shook the land, rocks tumbling, cliffs cracking.
Nine ancient tombs suddenly blazed with light, linking together, gradually calming the tremors.
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