“So this means the deepest part of this ancient temple should have at least two peerless Yin Gods—one male, one female?” Everyone’s hair stood on end.
“Aside from the elixir of immortality, no life escapes decay eventually. These creatures’ bloodline power has grown this diluted—it’s certainly been an immeasurable span of time. Those two Yin Gods should have long since returned to dust.” After careful observation, Duan De made this judgment.
“Let’s hope so!” Everyone still felt uneasy in their hearts, not entirely reassured.
The ancient temple had many doors, and most of the inner small-world courtyards were interconnected. They discovered some people had already successfully pushed three or four levels deep into the temple, and this spurred them to quicken their pace.
When they pushed open the fifth courtyard, brilliant light and radiance lay ahead. Some people had stopped here—within this hall’s chambers were ancient stone carvings, self-luminous.
“Perhaps these are the scriptures and insights of ancient sages—priceless treasures. Let’s go take a look too!”
In the great hall, those carved images all radiated boundless light. Several powerful figures stood there, bodies and minds in an ethereal state, as if intoxicated, their entire beings emanating the aura of the great Dao.
“These are unprecedented ancient scriptures—could they have been carved by a Great Emperor of the human race? These people have all merged with the Dao itself—truly miraculous beyond comprehension, awe-inspiring!” Ye Fan, Duan De and the others were astonished, quickly walking forward.
However, the breeze stirred by their footsteps caused something strange to happen ahead—those few people scattered like fireworks, dissolving into a shower of light, extraordinarily brilliant and beautiful, their bodies turning into fragments of radiance.
“This… what happened?” They all froze in shock, a chill running from their heads to their feet, quickly halting their steps.
“Did they ascend into immortality!?” The group stood there in a daze, their whole bodies turning ice-cold—this ancestral temple was too bizarre.
The great hall was boundlessly vast, those ancient characters and talismans shimmering brilliantly, radiating wisps of divine glow, filling the place with a sacred atmosphere—yet it was so eerie all the same.
Several dominant rulers had simply dissolved like that, dying without a clear cause, returning to dust amid the splendid radiance, as though they had ascended—there was even the sound of Dao-chimes ringing out.
The place fell utterly silent, no one making a sound, no one stepping forward. Those brilliant stone carvings seemed to carry a demonic quality, chilling everyone to the bone.
“Creeeak”
The door to this courtyard was pushed open—more people had entered. They cried out in surprise upon seeing the array of carved images, and several elderly figures rushed forward all at once.
Five people came from two great sects; their sect leaders had not personally come, leaving these places instead to a few Grand Elders who wouldn’t have much longer to live—these were no ordinary individuals.
They rushed forward quickly, paying no attention to Ye Fan’s group, standing before the profound, mysterious hall walls, gazing at the insights left by predecessors, and in an instant all of them fell into a trance, as if sinking deep into it.
Then, ripple after ripple emanated outward, each person merging with the Dao, rapidly entering a state of unity between heaven and man, their bodies radiating chains of blood-colored divine light, like phoenix feathers.
This place was peaceful and serene to the utmost degree, not a trace of killing intent, all things coexisting in harmony, auspicious energy surging forth—yet Ye Fan and the others felt it was all too sacred, too holy. These few people were clearly extraordinarily gifted—how could they achieve unity with the Dao so instantly?
“It’s over. They’ve all dissolved too, about to become another shower of Dao-light.” Old Blind Man sighed.
Indeed, the big black dog opened its huge mouth and blew forward, and those five elders all scattered at once, turning into points of drifting light, extraordinarily brilliant, carrying a certain divine charm, making this place feel even more sacred.
They had watched this entire scene unfold from start to finish, even more shocking than before—merely a stone carving, yet it could directly turn a person into scattered points of light, vanishing from the world entirely. Utterly astonishing.
“Is this a sacred ancestral temple, or do I feel like it’s actually some kind of demonic hall?” Pang Bo was uncertain, cradling the Divine Maiden Furnace in his hands, itching to blast it.
The brilliant great hall was this eerie—that wall alone was enough to terrify anyone; none of them dared approach. Only Duan De glanced sideways, holding the Heaven-Devouring Demon Lid above his head, observing from a distance for a few moments, then quickly sketched several symbols on the ground, all copied directly from the stone wall.
“This is… some kind of great Dao talisman!” The Black Emperor, being well-traveled and knowledgeable, recognized it at a glance, then perked up its large black ears and said: “But it’s strange—doesn’t seem like anything good.”
Just at this moment, several more people rushed in, likewise renowned elders from great sects, formidable in power, heading straight for the stone carvings.
“Danger!” Ye Fan’s group loudly warned them this time, but those people merely glanced back at them once and did not leave.
“Ah, no!” Only one old man let out a final scream, but it was too late—half his body turned into a shower of light, his primordial spirit turned to light, evaporated completely.
“Did you all notice? The light-rain all sank into the stone wall—it seems to be absorbing their cultivation.” the Monkey suddenly spoke up.
Ye Fan nodded, saying: “That’s right. The wall has grooves running through it, and the light-rain travels along these channels, sinking into the shrine at the very center.”
At the center of the great hall was enshrined a stone figure, no more than half a foot tall, sitting cross-legged there, resembling a Buddha, yet also resembling an old farmer—very crude in craftsmanship, its true appearance difficult to discern.
“This place is truly sinister. That stone figure won’t come alive, will it?!” Even the big black dog kept muttering under its breath. It had lived through countless endless ages, but had never witnessed anything this bizarre.
This couldn’t possibly be the insights of predecessors—though it seemed peaceful, the more they thought about it, the more it seemed like anything but a benevolent place. They didn’t linger, carving the word “danger” on the ground before continuing onward.
However, from this point on, every level of the temple hall thereafter had a glowing shrine, enshrining a half-foot-tall stone statue, crudely carved, always depicting the same divine image, and no small number of people perished there as well.
“This is bad—this time, who knows how many people will die inside, all absorbed by whatever is in the shrine.”
They grew a bit uneasy—could there truly be a divine spirit? It was all too bizarre.
“It’s fine. Once a batch of people die, those who come after will eventually figure it out sooner or later—it won’t turn into a major disaster.” Old Blind Man said. Anyone able to make it this far was no pushover; in fact, many were more calculating than ghosts themselves.
“I feel uneasy about this. Setting aside whether a Yin God actually exists, this stone figure in the shrine alone unsettles me. What if it comes alive at some point, what do you all think?” Pang Bo spoke up.
Ji Zi’s cheeks were smooth as white jade, her long lashes trembling, bright light flickering in her eyes, and she said: “I saw some records in my clan’s ancient texts—the stone figure seems to be the founding ancestor of the Ascension Divine Dynasty, possibly a Human Race Great Emperor. But it’s been so long since it existed, it’s hard to say for certain whether it ever truly appeared.”
Ye Fan had only just returned from the Western Desert not long ago, and hearing her words, his heart suddenly trembled—anything involving an ancient Great Emperor would surely carry deep mystery. He thought of how everyone in the Western Desert chanted “Amitabha Buddha,” accumulating boundless mind-power!
And this stone figure seemed to be forcibly seizing everything from a person—not just their mind-power, but their vital essence, spirit, and flesh and blood as well. Two hundred thousand years ago, such shrines were likely scattered across most of the Central Prefecture.
He shook his head hard—was the Ascension Divine Dynasty trying to ascend to immortality themselves, or trying to make countless living beings ascend in order to fulfill a single person? The more he thought about it, the more his head spun.
Old Blind Man said: “This place holds the highest secrets of the Ascension Divine Dynasty, their supreme sacred temple—perhaps many hidden truths will be revealed here, but it’s likely filled with danger. Even though they perished over two hundred thousand years ago, we must still proceed with utmost caution!”
They pushed through ten levels of the ancient temple, formally arriving at the eleventh level, completely different from before—it had become a genuine temple-small-world, boundless in scope starting from this point.
From outside it looked like nothing but a stretch of halls, but once inside, they discovered this ancient place seemed to have no end, pairs of eyes flickering in the darkness.
“What is that thing!” Pang Bo was startled.
“Ancient beasts, massive ancient beasts!” The Wild Man had lived in dense forests his whole life, extremely sensitive to the presence of various ferocious beasts.
The eleventh-level temple small-world contained ancient trees, mountain terrain, and grasslands as well, with no sunlight, yet it was unclear how these things managed to grow. Ye Fan and the others spotted several massive ferocious beasts, their bodies covered entirely in scales, resembling qilins, yet also resembling divine hounds, strange and ferocious in appearance.
“These are descendants of the temple-guarding divine beasts—they’ve managed to survive generation after generation. Each one of them is quite formidable.” Old Blind Man said.
This temple small-world was vast and open, providing an environment suitable for their survival. Several of them let out roars, charging forward with a wave of bloody stench, possessing the power to split mountains and rend the heavens.
“Black Emperor, go bite them!” Duan De had a loose mouth, and ended up getting bitten by the Black Emperor first for his trouble.
“Boom!”
The Monkey swung his massive iron staff in a horizontal sweep, instantly beating two of them into bloody pulp on the spot, bones shattering—these were two ancient beasts at the second level of the Immortal Platform, quite formidable indeed.
“Rooaarrr…”
Ahead, the dense forest erupted with beastly roars, and dozens of pairs of eyes lit up one after another, among them several particularly brilliant ones, dazzling like divine lanterns, exuding a kingly aura.
“I’m cursing—there are a few beast kings here, at the Immortal Third Severance level.” Duan De shook his hand to free himself from the Black Emperor, while breaking into a sprint, saying: “Better not provoke them—might stir up something even worse. Let’s hurry through.”
In the darkness, the stench of blood assaulted their noses, ferocious beasts charging wildly, this temple world resounding with roar after thunderous roar of beasts, the ground shaking everywhere—who knew how many wild beasts were charging, forming a torrential flood.
“This temple-world is truly massive—this is a beast tide, endless to kill through. Let’s get out of here quickly!” Dongfang Ye shouted loudly. He sensed danger—countless ferocious beasts were charging out from the forest, a black mass stretching beyond sight.
“Ahh…”
Screams from human cultivators rang out—amid this flood-like army of wild beasts, some experts were torn apart. This area had become a forbidden zone; people had no choice but to detour, passing through other temple small-worlds instead.
Ye Fan and the others pushed through the eleventh level of the hall, heavily shutting the iron door behind them, all letting out a long breath—this place was nothing like what they had imagined; no ghost soldiers had been seen, only living creatures.
The twelfth level of the hall remained just as vast, stretching beyond sight in every direction. They had not walked far when the cauldron above Ye Fan’s head shook violently, spilling out a burst of nine-colored flame, burning through the void.
Someone had launched a sneak attack. Ye Fan protected himself with the All-Things Mother Qi Cauldron, unleashing the divine flame he had gathered from the Fire Domain in retaliation. This was a truly formidable enemy—one who had clearly cut off from the Dao many years ago, a terrifying ancient king. A massive hand had very nearly snatched the Holy Cauldron from above his head; had the flame’s power not been boundless, Ye Fan would likely have been in grave danger—this person was extremely skilled at concealment.
Qi Luo vanished in an instant, a flash of cold light bursting through the darkness, killing intent piercing bone-deep, spreading through the whole temple-world, bolt after bolt of lightning illuminating the pitch-black void.
“Pfft,” “Pfft”…
Finally, three faint sounds rang out, and three blood-drenched human heads were tossed onto the ground, each with a hole punched through the brow—their primordial spirits pierced through. Qi Luo’s expression remained unchanged, as if he had merely done something utterly trivial.
There had been more than one assailant—three ancient beings, all having cut off from the Dao for many years, all old kings, had been swiftly decapitated by Qi Luo.
Ye Fan and the others were all startled—this old assassin chief truly was unfathomably deep, dispatching these three terrifying old kings as easily as chopping vegetables.
“Be careful—not only does the ancestral temple hold mysterious, unknown dangers, but now various hidden enemies are becoming restless too. We absolutely must stay vigilant!”
They entered the thirteenth hall, and this place was no longer dark—instead it was filled with light, sacred and peaceful, as though they had entered a world of radiance.
Ahead stood a massive stone statue, fully a hundred zhang tall, radiating a soft glow, its surface carved with dozens of talismans, each one able to resonate with the Dao.
Clusters of small-world halls were all interconnected, and quite a few people had already arrived here via other paths, all watching intently, silently memorizing these ancient talismans.
“Heavenly Imperial Son!” the Monkey shouted loudly, swinging his massive staff and smashing it forward—the jet-black iron staff instantly swelled to several hundred zhang in length, shattering the void, arriving in an instant.
The Heavenly Imperial Son let out a cold laugh and walked away without even turning his head, vanishing into the temple small-world ahead in the blink of an eye, leaving the thirteenth level of the ancient temple.
“Even that bastard is lingering here—the ancient talismans on this statue must be extraordinary indeed.” Pang Bo said.
“Watch your mouth, kid, or this Emperor will get worked up at you!” the Black Emperor shouted from the side.
“These symbols are quite special—they seem like spirit-binding talismans, capable of commanding various strange beasts.” Qi Luo’s expression shifted, and he began memorizing them.
Dozens of symbols, each extremely intricate, formed from hundreds upon thousands of interwoven lines, capable of resonating directly with heaven and earth’s Dao—mysterious and unfathomable.
The Ascension Divine Dynasty’s ancestral temple was truly extraordinary, containing many precious stone carvings. Ye Fan and the others didn’t want to miss the chance, all calming their minds to imprint each symbol into their sea of consciousness.
Several figures flew up, arriving at the statue’s slightly parted mouth, and one person spotted something hidden inside, quickly reaching in to retrieve it. The others, realizing what was happening, all made their move at once, and in an instant a great battle erupted.
“There’s something inside the stone figure’s mouth!”
The moment the object was pulled out, auspicious light burst forth, colorful radiance scattering everywhere, dazzling everyone’s eyes. It turned out to be a treasure chest, one chi square, stunning everyone present—it was forged from Five-Colored Iron Essence, a divine material of the same rank as Great Luo Silver Essence.
“A real treasure’s actually appeared—just the box alone is a rare, world-shaking treasure, enough to move even a Sage to fight for it. What could be inside—could it possibly be the Ascension Immortal Scripture?”
Everyone went wild, rushing forward, all making their move to seize it together. The first person to grab it let out an immediate scream, cut down by someone else, turning into a mist of blood.
“Buzz!”
The void trembled, and a black divine vase appeared, devouring both heaven and earth, instantly swallowing the treasure chest whole, claiming it as its own.
“Hua Yunfei, Li Xiaoman!” Pang Bo shouted, his brows shooting upward. Ye Fan leaped into the air, about to make his move. However, at that moment Hua Yunfei, as if avoiding a viper, quickly discarded the chest, fleeing at top speed. The others scrambled to seize it, prying the lid open.
“Boom!”
A brilliant shower of golden rain burst forth, dense and countless, filling every inch of the temple small-world’s space.
“This… what is this?” Many people gasped in shock.
The Black Emperor’s fur instantly stood on end, its whole body bristling with terror, and it broke into a sprint, howling loudly: “Woof, woof, woof, run now!”