This question weighed heavily, touching upon the grand tides of the future. Many held their breath, gazing at the mist-wreathed cliff and the few elders perched atop it, awaiting their answer.
Upon the cliff, an elder sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, enveloped in immortal mist. A sigh escaped him as a gentle breeze brushed past, revealing his aged and sorrowful face.
The young cultivators present felt their hearts sink. Was there truly no hope for the future under such overwhelming odds?
“Indeed, the Otherworld is so powerful—how can we triumph? Many believe we stand no chance at all. A single undying being could annihilate us all,” the elder, an Otherworldly being himself, spoke bluntly, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
The reality was stark. Even with the barriers of the world and the rejection of heavenly laws, these defenses were temporary at best. When the great cosmos of the Otherworld merged with this realm, neither barriers nor laws would hold.
“I know many are pessimistic, even despairing, seeing not even a glimmer of victory’s dawn,” the elder paused, then strengthened his tone. “But that is not the truth. I tell you now—the Borderlands can be held!”
Shock rippled through the crowd. All eyes fixed on the elders. Did this world still hold a trump card? A hidden means to turn the tide?
“Senior, please enlighten us!” the Banished Immortal spoke, urging the elder to reveal the truth.
The Otherworldly elder nodded. “Our world is also shrouded in mystery, with many unsolved enigmas. Take the forbidden zones, for instance—they have existed since the dawn of the Immortal Ancient Era, or even earlier, and remain standing to this day, untouchable by any of us. But that is not what I speak of.” His gaze deepened, stretching toward the horizon as if piercing through the Borderlands. “What I speak of is an ancient city in the Borderlands.”
“Hmm?” Everyone was stunned, confusion evident.
Only Shi Hao felt his heart pound violently—he had an inkling of what this might mean.
“An ancient city, existing for untold ages, its origins lost to time. It stands beyond the great fortress of the Borderlands, weathering the rise and fall of eras, eternally standing guard,” the elder continued.
The crowd was dumbfounded. Some knew of the great fortress—a colossal structure towering into the cosmos, its walls built from stars, hailed as the strongest border fortress in history!
That was an Imperial City, unbreakable!
But the elder spoke of another city, one beyond even that.
“Beyond that invincible Imperial City, in the void, amidst chaos, upon blood-soaked demonic soil—there stands another ancient city!”
It suppressed all, barring the Otherworld’s iron hooves from this realm!
This city was shrouded in endless mystery. Some called it cursed, a city of misfortune, its history too distant to trace, forever steeped in blood and suffering.
Others claimed it was the greatest of all cities, defending the Borderlands and protecting this world.
Still others whispered that once, the most dazzling ancestors of geniuses had garrisoned there, only to fall in battle, turning it into a city of the dead. Yet, in their final moments, they had left behind a legacy that shook the ages, sealing the primordial chasm between the two worlds.
The elder sighed, leaving the truth of these tales untold.
He only revealed that this ancient city played a pivotal role, striking fear into the undying and barring their advance!
And this city was but one of the many mysteries of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths—not the sole trump card, for other unfathomable forces lurked in the Borderlands!
The crowd was stunned.
Beyond the Borderlands, another city—an ancient one—seemed to harbor figures and events of unimaginable significance.
“Using misfortune against the bizarre, calamity against the enemy—the bleeding ancient city!” The elder sighed again, his sorrow deepening.
Many youths could not fathom his emotions. Why such grief? What hidden pain lay behind his words?
But not all were ignorant.
At the very least, Shi Hao clenched his fists, his body tense, breath quickening—for he had thought of a possibility.
In his mind, towering figures emerged—the Seven Kings of the Borderlands!
Was it that city?
How could he forget? Years ago, in pursuit of the bizarre, he had boarded a bloodstained black ship and witnessed visions upon an altar—a lone city beyond the Borderlands, where beings fought desperately, the Seven Kings spilling their blood.
Time was merciless. Some of the Seven Kings had withered, others fallen. Did that city and its people still exist?
After endless years, what remained? Was it truly just a city of death, steeped in misfortune?
Shi Hao’s heart ached as he recalled the scenes—elders and children standing upon the battlements, fighting with blood and life to defend and resist.
Was that the so-called ancient city?
How could it hold back the Otherworld? Did it hold secrets? Clearly, the elder spoke in riddles, hinting at tragedies within.
Once, Shi Hao had thought the Seven Kings guarded the Imperial Pass—but he had dismissed that idea after visiting it himself.
The Imperial Pass was not the same.
“The Seven Kings of the Borderlands, the ancient city—I must go there. My ancestors fought there. The Sinful Blood is not sin—it is glory, splendor, blood, and tears!” Shi Hao murmured.
Beyond him, Shi Yi and Qin Hao also gleamed with determination.
Meanwhile, the Six Crowned King Ning Chuan frowned, lost in thought.
“Beyond this, there is also the Celestial Abyss guarding our world,” the elder on the cliff continued.
Unlike ordinary abysses, this one did not plunge into the earth but inverted—stretching into the heavens, bottomless even to the stars.
“The Borderlands—what kind of place is it, to hold so many mysteries?” someone asked in bewilderment.
“It is a land of enigmas, many beyond even our understanding. How else could it divide our world from the Otherworld? Beyond what I’ve mentioned, there are greater fortunes—and greater dangers!” the elder replied.
“What fortunes?”
“Forests of enlightenment steles, boundless immortal ruins, vast divine herb mountains, the terrifying Heavenly Beast Forest, and even the Burial Domain…”
These places held supreme opportunities, capable of shaking history.
But fortune and peril walked hand in hand. The greater the opportunity, the deadlier the risk—many who ventured there never returned.
Even the Otherworld’s iron cavalry dared not tread lightly. Once, an entire army vanished into the Heavenly Beast Forest.
Another tale spoke of a mighty ancient family from the Otherworld sending forth legions, only to disappear without a trace in a mysterious gorge.
Thick fog had swallowed them whole—only their weapons and tents remained, the soldiers gone without explanation.
Even the undying of the Otherworld had investigated for years, yet no answers were found.
“In short, it is a land of lost wonders and deadly perils. Whether you survive and return depends on your own strength,” the elder stated plainly.
He did not mince words—out of a hundred geniuses who ventured there, only a handful might live.
A collective chill ran through the crowd. Such terror lay ahead!
“Precisely because the Borderlands are so mysterious, so inscrutable, they can hold back the Otherworld, slowing their advance.”
“Take time to reflect. Decide whether you truly wish to go. To rise from a mere soldier guarding the Borderlands to a Supreme Being, to touch immortality—it is no easy path. Be prepared to sacrifice at any moment!”
With these words, the elders concluded, leaving the youths to ponder their choices.
Today, no scriptures were taught—only the secrets of the Borderlands were revealed.
As the assembly dispersed, the disciples of the Three Thousand Dao Provinces gathered around Shi Hao.
“Will you go?” Qing Yi, Cao Yusheng, and others asked.
“I will. Once I’ve prepared fully, I’ll set out for the Borderlands!” Shi Hao answered firmly.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage