I Killed Gods and Demons in Song Dynasty

Chapter 275 The Secret of the Golden Tablet
Li Qingyun groaned, his forehead sweating from the shock of the sudden information.

He took a breath of Hongmeng true Qi and suppressed it forcefully before he could calm his mind. He only felt a dryness in his throat, as if he had swallowed a handful of sand.

He truly realized that as his strength soared, the reaction of the godhead also became stronger.

If one does not have enough willpower, one may be devoured by such secrets without leaving anything behind.

Outside the cave, the wind started to blow again, as if there were people or strange animals wandering in the distance.

Li Qingyun slowly opened his eyes and stopped trying. He quickly packed up the usable items in the cave and covered up the traces of the battle with the Demon King.

After all, he didn't want those peeping people in the prehistoric world to see too many clues.

By the time everything was done, the night was getting darker and darker, so dark that even the stars seemed to have left the sky.

The whole world seemed to have entered a quagmire of darkness. Everything was silent, yet filled with endless murderous intent.

He stroked his sleeves, his eyes calm.

The next step is to find a safer place to continue comprehending the divinity of the Lishan Mother.

Or, if you follow the clues in the golden tablet, you might be able to learn more.

But how to go on this path still needs further consideration.

Before leaving the cave, Li Qingyun stopped and looked back. The dilapidated runes in the cave looked like snakes under the flickering lights, spreading deeper into the cave, winding and twisting, as if leading to some distant unknown.

If it weren't for the dangers lurking around him, he would have liked to stay a little longer to see if these ancient monks' ruins could reveal some secret history of the ancient times.

But the current situation is changing rapidly, he can only remember these marks first, and maybe do more research when he becomes stronger in the future.

He turned and stepped onto the top of the cliff in the dark night.

He was wearing a black robe slightly stained with blood, which fluttered in the wind, and he looked solemn and cold.

Not far from his feet, the corpse of the Demon King was gradually being buried in the sand, and the pungent smell of demon blood still lingered in the air.

Looking up at the sky, the clouds are still heavy, making it difficult to see the future.

"Taiyi Immortal - I thought it was just a realm beyond demigod, but I didn't expect it to involve such a sudden change of situation."

He whispered to himself, his knuckles turning white while holding the knife, and he kept reminding himself——

The road to becoming strong is extremely difficult and dangerous. Now that he has taken this step, he cannot turn back.

A strange wind whistled past, carrying with it some vague whisper.

The voice was deep and obscure, reminiscent of an unknown monster in the deep sea, or perhaps an ancient god who was sleeping in the ancient times.

Li Qingyun felt a little palpitation, but quickly adjusted his mood.

He had to move forward. If this divine power was really the key to unlock the Four Evil Golden Tablets, it meant that he was walking on a road full of thorns and thunder.

But for the sake of the human race and himself, he must keep going.

Under the cover of night, a man with a knife on his back disappeared at the edge of the cliff; the bloodstains that flowed out from the cracks in the rocks were quickly covered by the wind and sand.

The area within dozens of miles returned to deathly silence, but invisible waves were already spreading.

Not far away, behind a twisted dead tree in the wasteland, a thin black shadow stood silently.

The dark shadow seemed to be listening attentively, his face was blurry, and only a faint flash of extremely cold light passed by.

After a moment, it uttered a soft sneer, and then disappeared into the night, without a sound.

……

Li Qingyun stood on the edge of the cliff with his feet on a huge rock. A long wind blew past, causing his white robe to tremble slightly.

It was only a few days before he broke through to the realm of "Taiyi Immortal" in a life-and-death battle.

But in this vast expanse of lush yellow sand and desolate rocks, he had managed to find a rare brief moment of peace.

The scars of that battle are still engraved on the nearby cliffs.

The shattered rock surface and bloodstains indicated a fierce fight that had taken place not long ago—a ferocious demigod-level demon king eventually fell under his sword.

After the bloody battle, even though he successfully stepped into the realm of "Taiyi Immortal", he was still left with a spiritual shock that was difficult to calm down.

"call……"

Li Qingyun let out a breath in a low voice, and the back of the knife gently touched the ground.

The handle of the knife was slightly damaged due to the bloody battle, but it was this knife that accompanied him through the critical moment of life and death.

Now, although his cultivation has greatly improved, he still feels a sense of instability and restlessness in his chest.

That was the aftermath of the goddess of Mount Li, and it was also the call of the dark shadow deep in the palace.

Ever since he obtained the goddess status of the Old Mother of Mount Li, the "mysterious palace" in his body has been moving from time to time.

Initially, he only used it as a soul shelter during his training to suppress the soul of killing.

Later, as his cultivation became more advanced, he became more aware that this palace was far more than just one space.

I also vaguely remember that when I broke free from the shackles at the critical moment of life and death, there seemed to be bursts of low and distorted strange noises coming from the palace, like a monster that had awakened and was lurking.

These days, he was consolidating the power of "Taiyi Immortal" in a secluded place on the cliff, while trying to merge with the divine nature in order to spy on deeper secrets.

The result was an unprecedented backlash: during several meditations, he saw a gray shadow lurking in the deepest part of the palace. Once it approached, he would have a severe headache and even a feeling of heart and soul being torn apart.

If it weren't for the "Law of Nirvana" that was created by nature, he would probably have gone crazy on the spot.

Li Qingyun put the knife back into the sheath, looked back and looked into the distance.

Below the cliff is a vast expanse of yellow sand and broken walls. Occasionally, the silhouette of a monster flashes among the sand dunes, and then disappears in a flash.

The ancient land is still full of disasters.

If the human race wants to truly rise, it will need even greater power.

The ancient secrets revealed in the goddess of Mount Li's mother made him vaguely guess that he was related to the "Ancient God Seal" and the "Lifeline of Mount Buzhou".

"That's all."

He thought to himself, "Since the palace is shaking again, maybe I should go deeper into it to check. In any case, I can't stay ignorant forever."

He leaped lightly and rolled down from the top of the cliff, using the protruding rocks on the mountain wall for leverage several times, and in a flash he landed on the slightly flatter area on the mountainside.

There is a small cave here, which is dry and waterless, but far away from the activity range of monsters and beasts, making it perfect for retreat.

He had been recuperating here a few days ago and had gotten used to the howling wind at night.

After entering the cave, he placed a few rocks as a barrier, and took out half a broken stele and some firewood so that he could make a fire for lighting at night.

After doing all this, he sat cross-legged in the center, closed his eyes and calmed his mind, gradually sinking his thoughts into the sea of ​​consciousness.

He felt a darkness coming like a tide, and when he "opened his eyes" again, he was standing in a magnificent and shadowy palace.

What was different from usual was that when I looked around the palace at this moment, the four walls were no longer the familiar wide stone corridors, but at the end there appeared a half-open black door, with a hint of gray and cold air coming through the gap.

Li Qingyun knew that was the entrance to the "second floor" of the palace.

"This palace is truly unfathomable... When I first awakened, I was only active in the outer layer, but I didn't expect there to be an even deeper inner palace."

Li Qingyun pondered and walked towards the door. With every step he took, he could feel his heart getting warmer, as if the divinity of the Mother of Mount Li was urging him to move forward.

The half-open black door looked simple and ancient, but it was carved with mysterious patterns: four hideous monsters surrounded a halberd; on top of the halberd stood a towering human figure, like a pillar of heaven, pressing the four beasts so that they could not move.

The scene made Li Qingyun's heart tremble slightly: it looked like some kind of seal.

He stretched out his hand and lightly touched the door, and suddenly a bone-chilling breath penetrated into his palm.

A long, hoarse howl came from inside the door, as if countless ghosts were crying.

"What is coming will eventually come."

He gritted his teeth, focused his consciousness on the "Law of Nirvana", pushed hard with both palms, and the black door creaked and slowly opened. Gray fog rolled out, like a poisonous snake dancing in the night, and instantly enveloped him.

Li Qingyun felt dazed and it seemed as if he was in a rather desolate corridor.

The dome is high above my head, so I can't see the whole picture. I can only vaguely catch a glimpse of the carvings on the wall.

Blood-red grooves crisscrossed the stone walls like veins; broken stone pillars lay in all directions, with worm-eaten holes vaguely visible on their surfaces.

The space here is wider than the first floor, but it is shrouded in a cold and evil atmosphere.

He walked forward cautiously, and soon a circular hall appeared at the end of the corridor with a gray altar in the center.

The ground around the altar cracked into bottomless cracks, and ghostly blue lights flickered in the cracks, as if mocking the intruder's recklessness.

What’s even more horrifying is that there are four strange beasts carved on the wall, some with wings, some with sharp horns, and looking ferocious and aggressive.

It is similar to the pattern on the door, except that the depiction here is more violent and ominous.

"That is... the four fierce beasts that the old mother of Mount Li hinted at in her memory?"

Li Qingyun remembered that in the memory fragments of her divine nature, it was mentioned that the four ferocious beasts were not ordinary monsters, but so-called "sub-gods" who were sealed in the depths of Mount Buzhou by a "Supreme God" who surpassed the true God.

Today, the second floor of the palace seems to retain some sacrifices or hints of that seal.

As he was thinking, a barely audible sigh suddenly sounded in his ears. It was extremely faint, but it seemed to penetrate the layers of gray fog, carrying a sense of sadness and expectation.

Li Qingyun's heart trembled. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a hazy shadow emerging behind the altar: it was the figure of the Old Mother of Mount Li.

She was dressed in a blue dress with torn sleeves and a blurred face. All one could tell was that she was a woman with a noble and desolate temperament.

The phantom was looming in the gray fog. When it saw Li Qingyun, it slowly stretched out its hand towards him. The hand had no substance, but it seemed to be calling from a distance:
"Sir... you are here after all."

Li Qingyun suppressed his inner excitement, walked over quickly, and bowed:
"Senior, are you really the Mother of Mount Li? I have obtained your godhood, but I don't know why you chose me? And these four fierce beasts, can they really destroy mountains and split the world?"

The shadow of the old mother of Mount Li seemed to have a helpless smile, and her voice was as light as floating cotton:
"It's not that I chose you, but when the divine nature was scattered, your human destiny and the 'Law of Nirvana' were in harmony, allowing my last bit of will to be preserved. Perhaps, there is a will of heaven in this."

She turned slightly and pointed at the four ferocious beast carvings on the wall:
"In the past, the 'God of War' suppressed all the gods, slashed the pillars of heaven with his might, and sealed the four fierce beasts in Mount Buzhou. The four beasts are actually 'sub-gods', with part of the will of the God of War integrated into their bodies. Once unsealed or detonated, the divine power they release is enough to shake the heaven and earth, loosen the foundation of Mount Buzhou, and even completely collapse it."

Li Qingyun frowned upon hearing this:
"If Mount Buzhou is destroyed, wouldn't all the creatures in the ancient world also suffer a devastating disaster? You wanted to use this to help the human race turn things around... but is the price too terrible?"

The old mother of Mount Li sighed softly:

"Yes, I was also hesitant for a while. However, the human race is too miserable, and the gods and demons of the ancient times regard our race as lowly ants. If we only rely on begging and obedience, there will be no hope for eternity. Only by taking this shocking gamble and letting the will of the God of War and the power of the four evils explode, can we break the pillar of heaven and make the gods and demons no longer have absolute pressure. If the operation is done properly, it may only shake Buzhou Mountain without completely destroying it, leaving a glimmer of hope. But I... failed in the end..."

Her voice was filled with regret and helplessness. After a moment of silence, she said:

"Back then, Emperor Yan and Emperor Huang and I secretly planned to sneak into the deepest seal of Mount Buzhou, summon the golden tablets of the four sub-gods, and detonate them at the most appropriate time. But the Lord of the Underworld had already prepared for it. When I was in a desperate situation, I could only throw out the godhead and take the opportunity to avoid the soul-searching technique. But I didn't expect that the godhead would fall into your hands after being lost for thousands of years."

Li Qingyun's mind was filled with thousands of thoughts. He had seen some of them in the afterimage of the fusion of the Lishan Old Mother's divine nature before, and now that he heard her describe it in person, he felt that the matter was even more serious.

The so-called "sub-god" contains the residual will of the God of War, which can shake the mountains and the earth at the least, and collapse Mount Buzhou at the worst. Is this the key to the survival of the human race, or the magic core of world destruction?

Just as he was about to ask a question, he felt the gray fog around him suddenly surge, as if an invisible strange hand was approaching them.

The old mother of Mount Li looked solemn:

"There is another will deep in the palace, and the godhead I inhabit is incompatible with it. Ahem... let's go!"

Before she finished her words, a dark wave surged out from under the altar steps, and fang-like cracks appeared in the shadows, ready to tear the phantom apart.

Seeing this, Li Qingyun shouted in a deep voice, urged the power of his sea of ​​consciousness, and stretched out his palms together to form a white light barrier to try to block it. But the dark wave was too strong, and the moment it collided with his barrier, it shook his chest and almost made his consciousness collapse.

The shadow of the Old Mother of Mount Li quickly dimmed under the impact of the darkness.

She gritted her teeth and passed the last of her strength to Li Qingyun:
"Hold on for now... I still need to tell you more details about the War God Battle..."

The will of the Old Mother of Mount Li suddenly rose, and a silver-white light appeared around her, breaking through the dark waves and turning into thousands of fragments of light, wrapping Li Qingyun in them.

Li Qingyun suddenly felt dizzy, and when he regained his vision, he seemed to be in an ancient illusion - the gloomy palace was no longer under his feet, but a vast and majestic mountain range, shrouded in mist and lined with palaces.

The peak of the mountain pierces the sky, as if supporting the sky.

"here……"

Li Qingyun stopped. It was as if the world was silent. He saw hundreds of rivers converging at the foot of the mountain, countless gods surrounding the mountain, and a towering figure standing on the top of the mountain, a man holding a halberd, his divine appearance like the sun, moon and stars.

The next moment, four huge beast shapes rose into the sky, and their roars shook the sky.

Some of them have sharp horns on their backs, some have wings that cover the clouds, some swallow thunder and fire, and some are as cold as the abyss. Amid their roars, the endless wilderness seems to be about to collapse.

A loud and deep voice echoed in the sky:
"The four fierce beasts, since they have caused rebellion, they must suppress it!"

The shadow holding the halberd swung the magic weapon violently, and thunder and fire fell from the sky, hitting the four villains, causing an earth-shaking collision.

Li Qingyun only felt the roar of his spiritual altar, as if he was personally present at that shocking battle.

The man holding the halberd was none other than the "God of War" - the most famous supreme god in the ancient world.

It is said that he once fought against the Heaven alone and split the ancient world apart, and was the leader among the ancient gods.

Back then, he used his supreme divine power to forcibly seal the four ferocious beasts into a golden tablet, and then used Mount Buzhou as a base to cast a thunder seal to suppress the four directions.

Since then, the four evil figures have completely disappeared and no one has seen them since.

The scene before my eyes flashed by like a kaleidoscope.

The four evil beasts were bombarded continuously by the might of the formation and the long spears, wailing loudly, but they could not break free from the power of the God of War.

Finally, they were all put into the golden scroll and each was locked in an independent space.

The God of War sneered and suppressed the golden tablet in the belly of Mount Buzhou. The gods at the foot of the mountain set up various restrictions there according to his orders.

From then on, the Four Evils were defined as the biggest hidden danger in the prehistoric world. If they were ever unleashed, there would be a bloody storm.

"This is the ancient seal."

The voice of the Old Mother of Mount Li whispered in the illusion, "At that time, the 'God of War' encountered a powerful enemy and was severely injured. It is said that he fell in another battle between gods not long after.

"But a trace of his will still lingers in the golden tablet, so no one has been able to easily awaken the four fierce beasts. Only the power of the golden tablet containing the will of the God of War can reverse the fate of the human race at the critical moment..."

The illusion came to an abrupt end, and Li Qingyun suddenly felt a pull, his feet were empty, and he returned to the altar hall before.

This time, he gasped for breath, feeling as if a heavy stone was pressing on his chest and abdomen. Even the power of "Taiyi Immortal" could not function fully.

Looking at the Old Mother of Mount Li again, her shadow has become vague, like a candle in the wind.

The dark wave swept in again, and the gloomy will deep in the palace seemed to go crazy, making a sharp howling sound.

Seeing this, Li Qingyun drew his sword and slashed out a deep arc of light in the air, using the "Law of Nirvana" to temporarily block the invasion of shadows.

Cracks flew everywhere, the knife light and darkness collided violently, and sparks flew everywhere.

But the power of that shadow was unfathomable, and the sword light was annihilated in the gray fog several times.

Seeing that he insisted, the old mother of Mount Li seemed to be relieved and said in a weak and hurried voice:

"My soul is running out of time. The Four Evil Golden Tablets can indeed destroy mountains and split the world, leaving gods and demons with nothing to rely on. But whether the human race can be reborn on the brink of destruction depends entirely on how you and the two emperors Yan and Huang make decisions.

"If you see them, please feel sorry for me... I failed to fulfill my vow back then..."

"senior!"

Li Qingyun raised his sword again, desperately protecting her phantom, "What else do you want to say? How can I find the golden tablet? Buzhou Mountain is full of dangers, I..."

The old mother of Mount Li moved her lips slightly, as if she wanted to speak again, but she was too weak to do so.

A scarlet crack tore from behind her shadow, distorting her image almost out of shape.

She gritted her teeth and transformed the last ray of her will into a point of light, injecting it into Li Qingyun's chest:
"The Four Evils... the God of War... Mount Buzhou... the human race... Qingyun... never forget..."

Before he could finish his words, the phantom suddenly shattered into silver flakes all over the sky, and was immediately submerged by the surging darkness.

Li Qingyun was startled and chopped back the oncoming wave of shadows with a knife, but his body lost balance due to the huge impact.

He only felt his soul roaring and his chest burning frighteningly, as if it was about to burn to ashes.

The darkness roared and swallowed up the remaining thoughts of the Mother of Mount Li, then transformed into countless tentacle-like shapes, trying to sweep Li Qingyun away.

At the critical moment of life and death, countless images flashed through his mind.

The sigh of the old mother of Mount Li, the wind and clouds of Mount Buzhou, the legend of Emperor Yan and Emperor Huang, and the struggle of the human race in the prehistoric times...

Finally, his face turned cold and he uttered one word:

"cut!"

The power of "Law of Nirvana" and "Taiyi Immortal" surged at the same time, like a river bursting its banks.

A beam of pure white sword light surged around him, forming a vortex of destruction and vitality.

The tentacles of the gray fog were shattered into pieces, and the dark waves wailed as they dissipated in the vortex. The walls of the palace also shook, and cracks spread like a spider web.

In a trance, Li Qingyun felt the world spinning and heard a sound like breaking crystal in his ears. Then he was thrown out of the second floor of the palace by an invisible force.

When he came to his senses, he was sitting in the middle of the desolate cave again, with cold sweat on his forehead and body aches.

There were still dark stone walls and thin air all around, but my heart was beating like a drum.

"The Old Mother of Mount Li...disappeared."

He subconsciously pressed his chest, vaguely feeling that the breath connected to the godhead had been completely severed.

Only a faint light lingered in his body, and from time to time the last instructions of the Old Mother of Mount Li flashed in his mind.

He sat cross-legged for a while before he finally suppressed the turmoil in his lungs.

The dark shadow retreated from the palace, but he could clearly feel that it had not really left - it was still lurking somewhere deep in his body, like a sleeping monster.

But this time, the will of the Lishan Mother completely disappeared, and the two could no longer compete with each other.

Li Qingyun knew that if he entered the "second level" of the mysterious palace again in the future, he must be more cautious.

After an incense stick of time, he slowly stood up and used a flint to light a small pile of firewood, bringing some light into the cave.

The cold wind was blowing around him, and he was troubled by his thoughts.

The Old Mother of Mount Li said, "The will of the martial gods in the bodies of the four sub-gods can both shake Mount Buzhou and bring about devastating disasters. If humans can use it properly, they may be able to reverse the order of gods and demons; but if there is a slight mistake, Mount Buzhou will collapse, the wilderness will be in turmoil, and billions of lives will not be able to escape the catastrophe."

In addition, Emperor Yan and Emperor Huang were obviously key figures. They joined forces with the Old Mother of Mount Li back then, but were obstructed by the Lord of the Underworld and failed halfway.

Now, can he join forces with the two emperors and use the power of "sub-god" at the right time to make the pillars of gods and demons collapse?

But once we embark on this path, it means a decisive battle with the most powerful forces in the prehistoric world, and it also means that the human race will face a life-and-death gamble.

He took a deep breath and slowly calmed down his shock.

The blade reflected a faint light in the darkness, as if asking him about his future choices.

"Since the will of the Old Mother of Mount Li has fallen upon me, it can be considered an opportunity... My first priority is to contact the two emperors Yan and Huang. Perhaps they know more details about the four sub-gods and the seal of Mount Buzhou."

Li Qingyun muttered to himself in a deep voice.

Recalling the thrilling depiction of the four beasts on the palace door, and thinking of the projection of the Martial God's seal in his sea of ​​consciousness, he has concluded that Mount Buzhou is the lifeline of the prehistoric world, and many forces will not sit idly by and watch the "sub-god" seal being broken.

The Lord of the Underworld personally captured the Old Mother of Mount Li, and he probably saw through this move.

A few tiny sparks flew out of the fire, crackling like lights in the dark night in the deserted cave.

Li Qingyun stared at the flame in silence for a long time.

Thinking back to the desolate yet resolute smile of the old mother of Mount Li, my heart was filled with emotion: she ultimately failed to see the ideal blueprint, but gave her the last hope to herself.

In this case, we should also take responsibility - we should neither blindly avoid the risk of destruction nor stand still and do nothing.

The sound of the wind outside suddenly grew stronger, carrying sand and hitting the rock wall, like the howling of a ghost.

Li Qingyun listened attentively and seemed to hear a hoarse laugh mixed in with the sand, which was hard to tell whether real or fake.

Maybe he is a spy secretly sent by gods and demons?

Maybe it's just the mountain wind?

He looked around and saw nothing but darkness outside the cave entrance.

But his intuition told him that from this moment on, more forces would keep a close eye on the clue of the "Seal of the God of War" in his hands.

"Emperors Yan and Huang... I have to leave quickly."

He had made up his mind and suddenly stamped out the fire. The cave instantly fell into a dark shadow, with only the blade reflecting a slightly cold light.

When I walked out of the cave, it was still dark, and the sky in the east was just beginning to turn pale.

On the desolate land, rugged rocks and dark green distant mountains are intertwined, like silent monsters lurking in the darkness.

Li Qingyun looked up towards the boundary between heaven and earth, as if he could see the endless horizon of Mount Buzhou from the distant sea of ​​clouds.

"If the Supreme God Martial God could have sealed the Four Evils back then, our human race would not be completely without a chance of victory."

Li Qingyun sheathed his sword and disappeared into the morning mist.

Each step is taken with determination, yet carries a heavy burden: once the four evil spirits are released, the remaining will of the God of War can destroy mountains, but can also bring disaster to all living things in the world.

How to choose?
He also had no answer.

Only by meeting the two emperors Yan and Huang can we perhaps see what to do next.

Just after his figure disappeared, a dark shadow seemed to slowly stand up behind the rugged rocks in the distance, emitting a cold, hissing laugh.

The laughter was fleeting, as if the person was extremely interested in the "key intelligence" that Li Qingyun was carrying, but he did not intend to show up and confront him immediately, but just followed him from a distance.

The sky in the wasteland gradually brightened, and the waning moon was still hanging in the sky, the moonlight was dim.

There is still a trace of decay between the broken walls, indicating the difficult situation of human survival in the wilderness.

If Mount Buzhou is hit again, will it be a new destruction or a stunning rebirth?

Every step Qingyun takes seems to determine the future direction of Honghuang.

Looking back, the mountain wind was silent, and there seemed to be no waves; but deep in Li Qingyun's mind, he could still hear the faint sigh of the old mother of Mount Li:
"The Four Evils... the God of War... destroying the mountain... the human race... Qingyun... never forget..."

The voice echoed, like an lingering sound, reminding him that the secret of Buzhou Mountain has not yet been revealed; the lifeblood of the God of War's seal is still waiting for the most critical moment...

……

(End of this chapter)