The Fate of Eternal Life

Chapter 137 Exploring the Temple
The stone statue is over a hundred feet tall and is engraved with dozens of Dao runes. Each one is extremely complex, composed of hundreds or thousands of interwoven lines, and can resonate directly with the Dao of heaven and earth, making it mysterious and unpredictable.

The Heavenly Emperor's son stood before the stone statue, silently contemplating, his entire body radiating divine light, resonating with the Dao, accompanied by the wondrous phenomenon of a divine phoenix.

"This kid actually arrived even faster than us!" Black Emperor was somewhat surprised.

"Your Highness..." The Holy Prince stared at the Emperor with his golden eyes, a different kind of light in them.

Since the events deep within the Immortal Abode of Central Continent spread to the mortal world, coupled with several secrets revealed by the Fighting Saint King, he was quite certain that his father, Wan Nian, had been ambushed by the Undying Emperor, forcing him to forcibly transform into a Battle Immortal.

Now, with his enemy's son in front of him, he desperately wanted to take action, but he was unwilling to bully the weak.

While everyone was silently observing, the Heavenly Prince finished his meditation. He glanced coldly at everyone and was about to say a few words when he discovered that the world had changed.

"boom!"

Ning Qing made his move, and tens of thousands of divine runes extended from behind him, covering the sky and forming a great array that trapped the Heavenly Emperor's son within it.

"Ning Qingyi!"

The Heavenly Emperor's son let out a low growl, his eyes filled with intense hatred. He had not forgotten that Yuan Gu had lost his life at Ning Qingyi's hands because of protecting him.

Everyone was astonished, never expecting Ning Qingyi to take the initiative to attack the Crown Prince. Since his debut, he had never attacked a young talent whose cultivation level was lower than his own; he usually turned the tables.

Now, contrary to his usual behavior, he has taken the initiative to attack. Why is the Emperor's son putting so much pressure on him?

"Have you been to Shengya?" Ning Qingyi asked calmly.

The Emperor's son glanced around and sneered, "What's it to you?"

Ning Qing stared at him without saying a word, but the next moment, the great formation revived, divine patterns intertwined, and a murderous aura shook the heavens.

One after another, peerless sword energies were gathering, seemingly capable of cleaving through the heavens and the earth, constantly accumulating.

"This is the One-Corner Emperor Killing Formation!" Black Emperor, with his sharp eyes, exclaimed from the side.

The Emperor's son's expression immediately turned serious, sensing the terrifying power emanating from the killing array's patterns. He unleashed his profound magic, causing large swaths of five-colored patterns to spread beneath his feet, covering the entire temple.

"brush!"

The Emperor's son transformed into a beam of light and vanished in a flash. When he reappeared, he had already arrived at the entrance of the fourteenth-level temple.

"Ning Qingyi, wait until I've mastered my profound skills, then I'll come back to kill you!" He sneered and left the thirteenth-level ancient temple without looking back.

Ning Qingyi remained silent, her expression thoughtful.

"What kind of escape technique is this? It can even break through the Great Emperor's Killing Formation?" The Black Emperor's expression was solemn.

The Holy Prince said, "It is said that the Undying Emperor's true form is a divine phoenix. It is not surprising that this clan possesses the secret technique of extreme speed of heaven and earth."

Himeko suddenly spoke up, saying, "No, I feel like I've seen this kind of secret technique in some ancient book before."

“This is the ‘Xing’ character secret of the Nine Secrets, and he really got it!” Ning Qingyi said.

"The Nine Supreme Secrets of Taoism in the Mythological Era." Yan Ruyu exclaimed in surprise.

The Nine Secrets, each encompassing a unique domain, are insurmountable milestones in the history of cultivation. The Secret of "Travel" represents the ultimate in worldly travel, possessing not only the world's fastest speed but also the ability to ascend to the heavens and descend to the netherworld, allowing one to go anywhere.

"It's such a secret technique. No wonder he was able to break through a corner of the Emperor's Formation." The Black Emperor's eyes showed a solemn expression: "It seems that the Undying Emperor left him with many supreme secret techniques."

Without a doubt, this is an absolutely terrifying enemy.

Only Ning Qingyi understood the source.

Several years ago, after the Undying Heavenly Blade appeared, it took the unborn Heavenly Emperor's son to the Sacred Cliff. Now, it also possesses the "Travel" secret, the origin of which is self-evident.

“The Immortal Daoist.” Ning Qingyi smiled.

Everyone was quite surprised and didn't understand Ning Qingyi's meaning.

Only Black Emperor muttered, "I feel like I've heard this name somewhere before..."

Ning Qingyi didn't say much, but stepped forward to study the stone statue. Seeing this, the others also stepped forward to study it.

The ancestral temple of the Feathered God Dynasty is extraordinary, with many precious stone carvings, all of which have been carefully imprinted into the sea of ​​consciousness.

At the same time, someone else rushed in and quickly followed.

"Let's go, to the fourteenth floor!"

The group rushed into the fourteenth-level temple, and after they left, someone discovered the secret in the slightly open mouth of the statue, which provoked the God-Slaying Insects and triggered a bloodbath.

The fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth... When they stepped into the twenty-eighth temple world, the void silently shattered, and a golden divine sword cleaved down, pointing directly at Ning Qingyi's brow. The sky collapsed and the earth cracked, its power astonishing, and its speed was extreme.

Legendary weapons!

Some people couldn't contain themselves any longer, believing that Ning Qingyi had fallen deep enough to use such a terrifying weapon to launch an attack, and that there had been no prior disturbances, almost completely evading everyone's spiritual senses.

"boom!"

The Primordial Azure Pagoda soared into the sky, its divine light illuminating a small world. The pagoda's body, composed of Feathered Azure and Eternal Blue Gold, possessed immense power and was indestructible, blocking the golden divine sword.

"You ambushed me?" Ning Qingyi sneered.

He stepped forward, and the character "组" (group) evolved into a corner of the Emperor's Killing Array in the void, blasting towards an empty space. It instantly tore the small world apart, and the peerless sword energy slashed out a large amount of blood.

"A near-master-level assassin!" Everyone was moved.

The king-level assassin, having failed in his first attack, was about to flee when he was trapped and killed by the killing formation.

He looked at Ning Qingyi with icy eyes, drew his killing sword, and unleashed a powerful holy aura that resonated with a clanging sound that sent chills down everyone's spine.

"Did you think you could defy the heavens just by having a wisp of the Saint's primordial spirit?" Ning Qingyi said coldly.

He activated the Primordial Azure Pagoda in his hand with all his might, and the Divine Source Lake burned inexhaustibly, forcefully suppressing the King Killer completely.

"Zheng!"

The swords clashed, but they were no match for the tower, and under the terrifying pressure, they were on the verge of shattering.

"brush!"

In the end, the God of Slaughter revived, broke through the void, and disappeared.

The group set off again, encountering several ambushes along the way, by both ancient and human races, with a clear objective: to attack Ning Qingyi.

"Ning boy, you're not only envied by the heavens, but also by people!" Although Black Emperor was joking, it was clear that his eyes were very serious.

"The Desolate Tower is indeed incredibly alluring." Himeko couldn't help but marvel at Ning Qingyi's extraordinary fortune.

"If you're so capable, just come and take it," Ning Qingyi chuckled.

Finally, the group reached an entrance to the thirty-first floor.

The stone gate was tightly closed, yet it exuded a strange aura, as if it connected to the underworld and harbored primordial beasts.

"Be careful, something is moving inside." Ning Qingyi's expression turned serious.

Along the way, everyone had witnessed Ning Qingyi's terrifying divination skills, and upon hearing this, they became serious. They pushed open the door and looked inside. Ahead, there was only darkness, yet the sound of rain could be heard, like a real, vast world, with blurry figures moving in the night rain.

However, it was unclear what was being seen; it seemed as if divine chains of order were densely covering the void, and even the Heavenly Eye was being suppressed.
"boom!"

The rain poured down, and several streaks of blood-red lightning flashed across the night sky, illuminating everything inside. Everyone's expression changed.

In the night rain illuminated by crimson lightning, soldiers clad in ancient armor patrolled, wielding black iron halberds and spears.

"Be careful, these should be celestial soldiers from the Feathered Divine Dynasty!" Ning Qingyi said, "They've been temporarily resurrected using a secret technique... but killing them will solve everything!"

He took the initiative and engaged in battle with a group of heavenly soldiers.

"boom!"

Crimson lightning flashed and danced, and the rain poured down harder and harder. Ning Qing remembered the equality of all living beings, and the Buddha's light of the Namo Fist shone on the faces of the Feathered Gods and Heavenly Soldiers, making them radiant.

"boom!"

Several heavenly soldiers were blasted away, spraying blood, and one of them was even killed instantly.

"puff!"

The Holy Prince was equally decisive, swinging his large iron rod and smashing a heavenly soldier's right arm into a bloody pulp, displaying unstoppable courage.

Ji Zi, Yan Ruyu, and Hei Huang all made their moves, but Ye Fan stood still without moving.

In the end, the heavenly soldiers were no match for them. They left behind several corpses and decisively retreated quickly, disappearing into the rain, without pursuing them to the death.

"Let's go!"

Ning Qingyi didn't intend to stay any longer and led everyone forward, but they bumped into a figure right in front of them.

He was clad in black armor and wielded a broadsword, clearly different from the heavenly soldiers, and his divine might was awe-inspiring.

“Ancient Gods of Heaven!” Yan Ruyu said.

"Very strong, almost a Grandmaster," Himeko muttered to herself.

Nevertheless, he was not afraid. Once the Void Killing Technique was unleashed, even a powerful expert at the Dao Severing Realm could be killed.

This battle was very swift; the Heavenly General was killed by Himeko in just a few rounds. However, it was also extremely dangerous, as a slight misstep could easily result in serious injury.

They didn't stop, continuing their journey through the rain, rushing into the depths like a bolt of lightning. Just as they found the temple corpse in this small world, they smelled a pungent stench of blood.

Ahead, there were hundreds of corpses everywhere, including members of both the ancient and human races.

Looking up, one could see a celestial army formation in the distance, a full five hundred strong, sweeping across the land like a torrent of steel, making the earth tremble!

"This is impossible! How could a destroyed divine dynasty still have so many powerful beings?" The Black Emperor was stunned.

Ning Qingyi looked at the cultivators fighting bloodily with the formation and said, "These are all resurrected people from past generations. Alright, let's go quickly. If we get entangled, we might have to use our trump cards to get away. It's not worth it."

They continued to approach the glowing palace through the rain. There were many heavenly soldiers here, but more and more cultivators were rushing in from outside, gradually gaining the upper hand, and a large number of them stormed in.

Ning Qingyi and the others rushed into the thirty-second level of the small world. It was a dark area. The rain had stopped and the ground was dry, but it was even more dangerous.

As soon as they entered, a demonic figure turned around in the darkness, revealing a pair of cold and merciless eyes, like two will-o'-the-wisps.

"boom!"

Another celestial general, still wielding a black broadsword, exuding unparalleled domineering aura.

The Holy Prince swung his massive iron rod to meet the attack. A deafening clang resounded throughout the surrounding area, and chains of divine laws shot up, their crimson color resembling blood.

"As expected of a Heavenly General! Come again!" The Holy Prince exclaimed with delight and continued the fight.

A fierce battle began, and in the end, the Holy Prince smashed the king's head with a single blow, but this also consumed a lot of his energy. However, another heavenly general soon appeared.

Ning Qingyi, Ji Zi, and the Holy Prince exchanged a glance, protected the remaining people, and charged down the road.

Surprisingly, the entire thirty-second level of the small world had no celestial soldiers, only celestial generals! Not only them, but many powerful forces were also blocked, such as the Dayan Holy Land, where several living fossils who entered were all wiped out.

Finally, Ning Qingyi lost patience and used his quasi-emperor weapon to blast a path through the 33rd level of the temple's small world.

Upon entering, they saw a stone tablet with the ancient characters "Thirty-Three Heavens" engraved on it, exuding a majestic aura.

It wasn't dark here; the ancient buildings in the distance emitted a soft light. However, the closer one got, the more one felt a sense of crisis, a reverence that came from the soul. No one dared to rush in rashly, and everyone advanced slowly in tacit agreement, keeping a short distance between each other.

As they drew closer, the crowd finally saw clearly that there was an altar in front of the magnificent palace, covered with blood grooves. The style was ancient, and it was unknown how many years it had existed.

"What is being worshipped at the altar of the Feathered Divine Dynasty?" the Black Emperor muttered.
Ning Qing looked up and saw that the Immortal Tear Green Gold that should have been inside had disappeared. It was clear that the Quasi-Emperor of Yaochi had already come and taken away the Immortal Tear Green Gold.

Unaware of this, the others turned their attention to the remaining four stone spheres.

"Do it!"

“If it is enshrined on the altar, it must be a priceless treasure.”

Ning Qingyi didn't offer any warnings, but continued rushing down to the next level while they were scrambling for the item. He knew that beneath the altar lay the legendary ancient coffin of the God Emperor, but he had no intention of getting involved and continued onward.

Others made the same decision, but as soon as they entered the thirty-fourth level of the temple's small world, everyone's expression changed. They saw that the mountains and fields were full of ghosts, and the chirping of ghosts made their scalps tingle.

What kind of world is this? It's incomprehensible. Shadows are everywhere, and there are corpses everywhere, standing on every inch of land like grass and trees. Countless black ghostly hands are dancing, as endless as the wild grass. The eerie chill makes people shiver uncontrollably.

Everyone was stunned, feeling a chill run down their spines, as if they had entered the legendary underworld.

Soon, they encountered trouble. They saw one ancient corpse after another, and one fierce ghost after another, with withered bodies, skin and bones, empty eyes, jet black bodies, and fingernails as long as iron hooks, extremely ferocious.

The group had no choice but to take action and fight against the ever-emerging ancient corpses and vengeful spirits.

"Roar……"

Suddenly, a ghostly howl rang out, shrill and enormous, causing the heavens and earth to roar.

From the distant mountains, a ghost king appeared, its hair disheveled, its two eye sockets flashing like divine lamps. It stood hundreds of feet tall, far larger than the other corpse demons, and in a few steps it strode down the mountain, its foot causing the mountains and rivers to crumble.

"A Ghost King at the Great Accomplishment King level!" Someone recognized Ele's origins.

"This is a fully-fledged Ghost King, be careful!" came a cry from ahead.

"Buzz!"

A living fossil from a sacred site unleashed a sacred weapon and charged forward. However, the Great Ghost King also possessed a weapon—a white bone staff, a damaged sacred weapon that, under his control, was incredibly powerful.

"boom!"

Tens of thousands of ghosts covering the mountains and plains were shattered, and human cultivators and ancient clans also suffered heavy losses. This ghost was extremely vicious, destroying all enemies by various means without hesitation. It can be said that this ghost king was so ferocious that it made people tremble with fear.

At the same time, more than a dozen ghost kings crawled over, spewing mysterious light downwards, and the chains of order spread throughout every inch of space, strangling everyone.

"boom!"

At the most critical moment, Ning Qing made his move. The Primordial Azure Pagoda, with its boundless power, shattered the vacuum and cleaved down, utterly destroying everything.

(End of this chapter)