Douluo: The Throne of Ice

Chapter 68 Jialing Pass Ruins

After leaving the border of the Star Dou Great Forest, the four headed north and soon crossed the border between the two countries, entering the territory of the Heavenly Soul Empire.

After studying the map for a while, Shu Yan decided to go to the Jialing Pass ruins first. The reason was simple: the group's route would take them there, while their other destination, Dragon City, was far away in the northeast of the Heavenly Soul Empire, not far from the far north. Choosing the far one was a bit unreasonable now.

After entering the territory of the Heavenly Soul Empire, the four of them were no longer as blatant as before.

After the split of the Heavenly Dou Empire, the Heavenly Soul Empire inherited most of the land and power of the original Heavenly Dou Empire, while the Douling Empire occupied most of the land along the eastern coast. Since then, wars have often occurred between the two empires. Although they have maintained a superficial peace, the relationship is actually just so-so. If it weren't for the threat from the Sun Moon Empire, the border between the two countries would probably not be peaceful at all.

The Jialing Pass ruins mentioned by Qian Gu Chaosheng happen to be located in the central area of ​​the Tianling Mountains, which is situated on the border between the two countries of Tianhun and Lingdou.

As the main battlefield of the divine war ten thousand years ago, countless lives were lost there, and even the Rakshasa god slumbered there... For a long time after the end of the divine war, the entire Jialing Pass was filled with resentment, and the aura of death and decay was solidified on this ominous land...

Later, due to changes in the political situation, the original Jialing Pass was abandoned for various reasons. The Tian Dou Emperor at that time chose to rebuild a new city behind the old Jialing Pass. Since then, the old Jialing Pass has become a mysterious place in the eyes of the world. Except for the descendants of some sects who would go there regularly to worship their ancestors, almost no one was willing to set foot there, for fear of being tainted by bad luck...

After easily evading a reconnaissance mission from the border of the Heavenly Soul Empire, Shu Yan and his companions arrived at this desolate land, now almost unrecognizable, with minimal effort.

Ten thousand years have passed, and the once towering and sturdy city walls of the old Jialing Pass have gradually collapsed and crumbled. Countless wild grasses sway with the strong winds coming from outside the pass. The once barren rocky mountains now have some vegetation, but there is still no sign of life.

Looking out from the collapsed city wall, a vast plain lay devoid of any sign of life, dotted with countless withered graves. The land itself was an ominous and profound color, as if constantly reminding the world of what had happened here ten thousand years ago.

The four stood against the howling wind on an ancient city wall that had not yet collapsed. For some reason, a sense of sorrow silently arose in their hearts. Xue Di looked at the perpetually dark clouds above this land, and then said softly:

"Many lives were lost here, and even the earth's veins and the heavens were affected. One can only imagine how terrible and bloody the war that broke out ten thousand years ago must have been..."

Hyotei tugged at Shu Yan's sleeve, then said somewhat uncomfortably:

"Shu Yan, are you sure that old man wasn't lying to you? This place doesn't look like it has any special opportunities; in fact, it gives off a bad vibe..."

Xu Jiujiu nodded in agreement. The feeling here was somewhat similar to that of the undead demiplane. Even just standing here, she felt a chilling aura seeping into her body, and even her soul power seemed to be slightly suppressed.

Shu Yan frowned, then said:

"Elder Qian has no reason to lie to me. Let's go down and take a look. Ten thousand years ago, the Rakshasa God perished here, but from Elder Qian's words, we know that her consciousness did not perish. There must be something here that we cannot perceive..."

The Snow Emperor nodded, and the group jumped off the city wall and landed among the endless rows of withered graves.

Walking deeper into the gaps between the withered graves, all I could hear was the howling wind and the sound of small soul beasts running by. The tilted and broken tombstones were engraved with countless names that had become too blurred to recognize. Some of them were soldiers of the Heaven Dou Empire ten thousand years ago, and some were powerful figures from the Spirit Hall lineage. But today, ten thousand years later, they are all just withered bones in the tombs, and no one is even willing to come and pay their respects.

After walking for about twenty minutes, the group found a tomb in the center of all the withered graves that was significantly different in size and style from the others. Around this tomb, four stone pillars, each tens of meters high, stood tall. After thousands of years of wind and rain, the surface of these stone pillars was covered with dust and various marks, but the mysterious and complex patterns on them were still clear. Shu Yan tentatively touched them and found them to be icy cold. But soon, all four of them noticed something unusual.

The surrounding space seemed to be affected by an invisible force. The sand and stones on the surrounding land were shaken and floated up. The dust and outer shell on the four stone pillars began to peel off, and a dark purple light with an eerie feel shone. The next moment, almost in the blink of an eye, everyone had arrived in another world.

Unlike the cold and eerie atmosphere of the undead demiplane, the space the four of them arrived in was filled with an indescribable evil power. Under the influence of this evil energy, even their mental power could not be used freely, and their soul power was directly sealed off.

Overall, the group seemed to be in a grand hall. The hall was dimly lit, and the various pillars and decorations all appeared somewhat eerie. Deep within the hall, a stunningly beautiful woman in a pale purple dress slowly emerged from the darkness. Almost instantly, the hairs on the Snow Empress and Ice Empress's bodies stood on end. Their subconscious told them that this noble, aloof, and otherworldly human woman possessed power far exceeding their own. Just one glance was enough to instill in them an immense sense of crisis.

After a long while, she took two steps back, instinctively turning her gaze to Shu Yan. At this moment, even the combined sense of security from the two Ice and Snow Emperors couldn't compare to that from Shu Yan alone. She always had an extraordinary trust in Shu Yan, no matter the circumstances…

Shu Yan looked at the woman before him, who, despite the passage of ten thousand years, was still breathtakingly beautiful, and a slight smile appeared on his face. He then said:

"Senior, how should I address you?"

A faint smile appeared on the beautiful woman's face, a smile with an indescribable charm. By the time the four of them came to their senses, the beautiful woman was already sitting in the main seat behind them.

A scrutinizing gaze fell upon Shu Yan and his companions. The stunningly beautiful woman crossed her long, slender legs, rested her chin on her hand, and said with a light laugh:

"Since I've fallen to this level, you can address me however you like. Besides, the reason I'm willing to see you is because I sense a familiar aura about you. It's that of the Dragon Staff Soul Master from back then. Are you his junior? Or perhaps, his disciple?"

……

……

(End of this chapter)