The moment they entered the small world of the thirty-third hall, they saw a stone tablet, on which were carved several ancient characters: Thirty-Third Heaven.
This alone was enough to show the Feathering Divine Dynasty’s ambition and purpose back then — their final sacred temple hinterland was meant to tower above the thirty-third heaven, everything here expressing their aspirations.
This place wasn’t dark; the ancient buildings in the distance emitted a gentle glow. Many people had already rushed forward — having come this far, no one wanted to fall behind others, all wanting to enter the final sacred hall.
However, this small world was too quiet. People gradually slowed their pace, able to hear even their own heartbeats — extremely eerie, as if ahead a man-eating demon had opened its great maw, waiting there.
Finally, everyone sensed a crisis, a reverence originating from the soul. No one dared rashly force their way forward anymore; everyone advanced slowly with tacit understanding, keeping some distance between each other.
People spread out, shadows flickering indistinctly, gradually approaching the central bright hall. From far away, people could already feel a sacred aura, but the tension and fear didn’t diminish at all.
It was a very strange feeling — clearly an aura of peace and harmony wafted toward them, yet it was always hard to relax, their nerves involuntarily tensing up.
Closer now, everyone finally saw clearly — before that magnificent hall was a sacrificial altar, covered all over in blood grooves, ancient in style, no telling how many years it had existed.
This was a mysterious sacrificial ground. People could even imagine the scene from years ago, when fresh blood was poured to irrigate the altar, flowing along the blood grooves, forming lines of blood.
What was the Feathering Divine Dynasty sacrificing to? The years were too distant; people had no way of knowing.
At the very top of the altar, there was something else, radiating the most splendid light — this hall’s brilliance came precisely from it, peaceful and sacred.
“A rare immortal material!” someone exclaimed, causing a stir, and many people couldn’t hold back, wanting to rush forward.
There was a bright green object there, dreamlike and illusory, with a kind of life flowing within it, crystalline and translucent, many times more beautiful than the finest jade chalcedony in the world.
Even without recognizing it, people knew it was an immortal material, flowing with an extraordinary aura, as if it didn’t belong to this mortal world — clearly a divine object at a glance, brimming with vitality, with drop after drop of tear-like beads hanging on its surface.
This was a fist-sized piece of Immortal Tears Green Gold! It was flawless and pure, fresh green, as if breathing, swallowing and spitting out the essence of heaven and earth, covered entirely in tear-tracks, like the tears of an immortal maiden.
It was sealed within a divine source, never exposed to the air, as if cut off from the mortal world — over two hundred thousand years had passed, and it hadn’t changed in the slightest; the years could not encroach upon it.
The sacrificial offering on the altar was actually a piece of material like this — this was the Emperor’s exclusive sacred treasure. Though not very large, it would be enough even for forging weapons, considered priceless.
The scene erupted into chaos, incomparably noisy — to see something like this even at the thirty-third hall, how could it not drive people mad. Some couldn’t hold back, and despite feeling that the altar was unsettling, still rushed forward.
The altar held more than just this one piece of immortal material — there were also four round stone balls, only fist-sized, sitting motionlessly, and no one could tell what they were.
Only Ye Fan’s Source Heaven Eye could see through them, and his face changed color at that moment, shouting loudly: “No one make a move!”
But who would listen to him now — everyone who had made it this far was a formidable figure in their own right, looking down upon the world, all carrying an air of supreme arrogance, especially the members of the ancient clans, even more untamed and unruly, all reaching their hands forward to grab.
“There are divine worms in there!” Ye Fan shouted directly.
However, still no one stopped, everyone scrambling for it, various lights and treasures flying over, attacking those who were about to beat them to it.
“Even if you told them there’s a ghost saint in there, they’d still fight over the immortal material — that’s just human nature.” Pang Bo said.
“We need to retreat quickly — inside the stone shells is also divine source, sealing four very special demon-slaying worms!” Ye Fan said in a deep voice, leading the group in rapid retreat.
Divine power surged mightily, shaking the altar so that it trembled. The four round stone balls on top made a “crack” sound, all fissuring — this was a layer of stone shell deliberately applied by the ancients, with divine source inside, sealing four demon-slaying worms coiled like dragons, filling the entire interior space.
One could well imagine how prosperous and powerful the Feathering Divine Dynasty had been — they possessed divine source liquid, preserving several special immortal worms, keeping them here to guard this place.
“Crack!”
All four divine sources split open, the worms coiled like a mountain of snakes instantly coming alive, unfurling their bodies, stretching out to a full foot in length!
Much longer than the demon-slaying worms seen before, like four hornless little dragons, their whole bodies radiating golden light, instantly emitting a tragic and violent aura that blanketed heaven and earth.
Just these four worms alone, the moment they moved, it was as if a million troops were charging forward. The small world of the thirty-third hall immediately erupted into massive turmoil, as if it were collapsing.
“Ah……”
Shrill screams rang out one after another, nothing able to block them. The four little ancestor-dragon-like worms were unstoppable, each strike a guaranteed kill.
All kinds of treasures thrown at them proved useless, all shattered by the golden light. The four worms were swift as lightning, piercing through people’s skulls every single time, no weapon able to block them.
Everyone fled rapidly backward — this was nearly unwinnable. These four worms’ rank was impossible to determine, killing like flax being cut down, ruining a group of top experts, blood pooling on the ground.
“Boom!”
People retreated like a tide, some bringing out heirloom sacred weapons, otherwise certain death — a screen of light rose up, protecting their own people.
People saw it was the Wind Clan — a phoenix figure within the light screen, holding up a five-colored sacred tree, sweeping out wave after wave of divine radiance, blocking one worm charging at them.
“These few worms’ blood is very pure — perhaps semi-divine worms.” Qi Luo said in a deep voice.
“Boom!”
On the other side, the Ancient Hua Dynasty also had people bring out sacred weapons for protection, quickly retreating, the situation extremely critical. They had brought in many people, and with two worms charging at them, they nearly suffered a great loss.
At this moment, everyone stopped hiding anything — all Four Divine Dynasties had people doing this, violating the original agreement, no longer caring about consequences, unafraid of the whole world condemning them together.
Previously used in secret, now those with sacred weapons all revealed them openly. In the blink of an eye, seven or eight sacred weapons blazed with boundless light, resisting those worms!
“Damn it, they’re all people from the divine dynasties and sacred grounds — sure enough they all had backup plans, bringing sacred weapons in. I bet there are even people who brought Emperor-weapons in!” Duan De said angrily, forgetting that he himself carried an Emperor-weapon on his person.
“Let’s reveal a sacred weapon too!” Ye Fan gestured.
Dongfang Ye brought out his Wolf Fang Great Club, suspending it above his head, releasing a wilderness-like aura, blocking an approaching worm.
“This worm’s body is even more formidable than a saint’s — it can pierce through any flesh and blood!” Qi Luo’s expression showed alarm, reminding everyone that these four worms had nearly stepped one foot into the sacred realm, possessing half-saint Dao cultivation, while their physical bodies were even more formidable than a saint’s, because they devoured everything, their destructive power extremely potent.
The group gasped — one worm’s Dao cultivation alone was comparable to Qi Luo’s, and combined with their bodies comparable to essence-gold, even the old assassin chief might not necessarily be able to handle them.
“Boom!”
In the distance, a beam of blue light swept over, leaping past everyone, colliding with one of the worms, producing a clanging sound, extremely piercing to the ears.
“That’s a sacred weapon!”
People were astonished to discover someone clad in blue-gold battle robes quickly closing in — that was a legendary sacred robe, protecting his body, and his own strength was formidable enough too, a Grand Accomplishment king.
Relying on the divine robe, he skillfully dodged that worm that wouldn’t stop pursuing him, bringing out a treasure, its brilliance flourishing greatly, swallowing and spitting out the world’s essence, radiating streams of auspicious color.
On the other side, likewise there was someone holding a legendary sacred weapon helping him, aiding him in blocking that worm, the weapon gushing out thousands upon thousands of streams of divine radiance.
“Those are the two Grand Accomplishment kings from the Mortal Realm and Hell — probably the strongest people outside the Sacred Slayer. Two of their chiefs have actually come here.” Qi Luo said grimly, a crack splitting open at his brow, a killing weapon flickering, ready to be brought out at any moment.
Duan De was so angry he jumped, saying: “Damn it, that old bastard’s treasure in his hand — that’s the Treasure-Gathering Basin, not much inferior to the one I carry. The Immortal Tears Green Gold is going to fall into their hands.”
Sure enough, that piece of bright green immortal material rose up from the altar, transforming into a beam of green radiance heading toward the Treasure-Gathering Basin. At this moment many people grew anxious, rushing to make their moves one after another.
“All of you help me — pour all your Dao cultivation and mana into me, I’ll perform a technique!” Ye Fan murmured in a low voice.
While everyone else fought the worms with one hand and contested for the immortal material with the other, Ye Fan and his group didn’t move. Qi Luo, the Monkey, Duan De and the others circulated their full mana, channeling it all into Ye Fan’s body. He let out a soft cry and unleashed the Word-of-Soldiers Secret Technique.
This time, with everyone’s assistance, he displayed this secret technique to its fullest. In the distance, the Treasure-Gathering Basin successfully collected the Immortal Tears Green Gold, but before the two assassin chiefs could put it away, there was a clanging sound — the basin, uncontrolled, fell and sank into the ground.
The two assassin chiefs went mad, quickly digging into the earth, others also rushing over to kill, directly smashing the ground apart. Several sacred weapons crashed down toward this spot, and the worms were startled up into the high heavens.
The two assassin chiefs retreated while lifting their sacred weapons, others fleeing for their lives as well — no one dared block the revived heirloom sacred weapons, especially when five or six struck down at once, truly slashing down — everyone present wouldn’t even have ashes left.
“Bang!”
The sacred weapons didn’t fall, but they shook open the deep soil layer, exposing that Treasure-Gathering Basin. A terrifying aura permeated the air, the legendary sacred weapons in a standoff, neither side willing to yield.
Far away, light flashed in Ye Fan’s palm — using the Word-of-Soldiers Secret Technique, he had secretly transferred the immortal material over, collecting it into his body. The big black dog was so excited it almost barked aloud, forcibly holding back — this was absolutely not the moment to reveal the truth.
In the end, the assassin chiefs used a secret technique to reclaim their Treasure-Gathering Basin, rushing off toward the distance without looking back, several sacred weapons thundering down behind them, chasing after.
Golden light flickering, the four foot-plus-long demon-slaying worms also chased after them, each one equivalent to a half-saint, boundlessly terrifying.
Others who had been eager to move stopped in their tracks at this sight — the Dao cultivation and physical bodies of these four worms were truly formidable; without heirloom sacred weapons on hand, chasing after them would be nearly suicidal.
In the distance came the assassin chief’s furious roar, clearly having discovered the immortal material was gone, but no one would listen to his explanation, especially not those four worms.
“If those four worms torment those two old immortals to death, that would truly be wonderful.” Duan De chuckled, looking rather sly.
Everyone felt pleased at heart — this outcome felt even more satisfying than personally killing those two assassin chiefs, and they all exchanged glances and laughed.
“None of the sacred grounds followed the rules — they all brought sacred weapons in. Fortunately the Heaven-Swallowing Demon Jar fused together, otherwise there would have been big trouble. Let’s save it for the critical moment.” The old blind man said.
At this point, those who hadn’t chased after the fleeing assassins started moving, running toward the altar, wanting to see if there were any other divine materials, all unwilling to give up.
Quite a few people had died beside the altar, blood flowing along those grooves, making the entire altar look extremely eerie, lines of blood bringing the whole altar to life, with many carved marks upon it, all true dragons, or rather demon-slaying worms, lifelike and vivid.
“Something’s off, what’s this altar for? This blood seems to be flowing into the interior of the altar — could there be something even more precious inside?” Many people were uncertain and alarmed.
More people showed fear, deeply worried, afraid something bad might happen. Some among them were very decisive, saying they should immediately destroy this sacrificial altar, lest some accident occur.
“Boom!”
This eerie altar was extremely sturdy, but it was still shattered by the various weapons people brought out, dust and smoke rising, collapsing to the ground.
These blood grooves indeed led to the altar’s interior — inside was already soaked in blood, damp and glistening, somewhat shocking to look at. And the stone walls were a patch of blackish-red, waves of ominous energy pervading the air. People couldn’t help but shudder, imagining that in the endless years past, fresh blood had been poured in here regularly, conducting living sacrifices.
“Eh, there’s a stone palace below this stone slab — why is it sealed shut? No wait, blood can drip into the stone palace.” Many people were shocked, backing away.
The stone palace beneath the altar was very small, specific yet miniature, just over a meter tall, as if built as a sacred hall for dwarves, uncannily exquisite craftsmanship.
“Bang!”
Someone kicked the stone palace open, and a burst of intense golden light immediately surged up. In that instant, everyone’s hearts and gallbladders turned to ice, many crying out, then fleeing for their lives.
Ye Fan immediately shook the cauldron atop his head, and a sheet of nine-colored flame descended, shielding their whole group within it — this flame could even kill saints.
“Heavens, such a massive demon-slaying worm — it must be a pure-blood ancestor worm!”
“Run quickly!”
Everyone was terrified beyond measure, rushing toward the distance.
Within the meter-tall stone palace were two living beings, each over a meter long, coiled like dragons, several times larger than the four just seen.
Without even thinking about it, they clearly possessed ancient saint-level Dao cultivation at the very least — even if not pure-blood ancestor worms, they weren’t far off. A single one would be enough to destroy everyone present.
The blood-lines left on the altar’s grooves would ultimately all drip down into the stone palace — the living sacrifices had been for them all along, offerings made to them. This sent chills down everyone’s spines — who would dare linger?
Ye Fan and the others were also fleeing backward. If these two demon-slaying worms revived and charged out, it was estimated that not a single person who had entered the ancestral temple would survive — it made everyone’s hair stand on end, not daring to stop.
“I say, did you all see it? Those two divine worms slept intertwined, neck to neck, jointly guarding a mysterious stone box.” Duan De said while fleeing.
“You dead fatty, truly incorrigible greed for treasure. What time is this, and you’re still thinking about treasures.” Qi Luo cursed.
The big black dog shared Duan De’s disposition, saying: “I saw it too — that stone box’s design was ancient, carved with dragons and phoenixes, feels like there’s something world-shaking inside. Otherwise why would the Feathering Divine Dynasty expend divine source liquid to keep several ancient saint-level worms alive, guarding it endlessly?”
Everyone had seen that stone box, knowing there must be something world-defying inside, but at this moment who would dare go grab it — how could they possibly get their hands on it?