A Strange Upheaval, A Land Cursed by the Will of the Heavenly Path
A Strange Upheaval, A Land Cursed by the Will of the Heavenly Path
“According to our investigations, buried within Mirror Lake lies the Sword City that once sank into the depths. That place is the origin of all the sects and factions of the Profound Sword World today.”
Another True Daoist spoke softly at this moment, his gaze slowly sweeping over the ruins ahead, which were wreathed in thread-like mists.
Even at their level of cultivation, it was difficult to see through the many restrictions within at a single glance, which showed just how mysterious and strange this place was.
And what was most heart-palpitating was that the heavenly secrets here were in utter chaos, filled with all manner of ominous auras.
Gu Changge’s gaze was unreadable. Hearing this, he shook his head and said, “I’ve only just heard about this place myself. I don’t know much about it.”
The real reason he had appeared under the pretext of aiding Princess Xuan Die was, in fact, to have everyone help him locate the entrance to Mirror Lake.
That way, when the time came, he would have the opportunity to slip inside in secret.
After all, no matter what, if the World Source were to fall into his hands, returning to the Beyond would inevitably cause enormous waves.
Although Gu Changge was not afraid of trouble, adhering to the principle of “the fewer problems, the better,” he still planned to scheme for the World Source from the shadows.
For beings who had already reached the True Daoist Realm, the temptation of the World Source went without saying—it was enough to drive them mad, enough to make them fight for it with their lives.
“In that case, why don’t we join forces with Young Master Changge to break open this place and see if we can find the entrance to Mirror Lake?”
The old Imperial Ancestor of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty’s eyes flickered slightly at these words as he made the suggestion.
As he spoke, Princess Yu Feiya and the others who had been following behind the old Imperial Ancestor of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty all disembarked from the Ancient Battleship and arrived at this spot.
Yu Feiya gave Gu Changge a slight bow as a greeting.
Although she and Gu Changge were fairly acquainted, in a setting like this, it was not appropriate for her to approach him too familiarly.
In truth, Yu Feiya had quite a few doubts in her heart that she wanted to ask Gu Changge about—whether he knew of Tuo Ba Xiaoyao’s whereabouts.
After learning of Tuo Ba Xiaoyao’s death, she had sent people to investigate, but they had come up with nothing.
Though she did not know why, a strange intuition had arisen in her heart, telling her that Gu Changge might know something about the matter.
“I won’t be participating in this. I’m just here to join in the excitement.”
Gu Changge waved his hand and smiled faintly, declining the request of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty’s old Imperial Ancestor.
Hearing this, the True Daoists of the other powers and orthodoxies all showed disappointed expressions on their faces, but inwardly they breathed sighs of relief.
They had all been worried that Gu Changge would want to interfere.
With his strength and background, there was truly no one here who dared provoke him.
If the World Source really were discovered, they feared they would be unable to resist the temptation in their hearts and would move against him.
In that case, they would inevitably offend Gu Changge to the death.
“With Young Master Changge’s strength, it truly is a pity.”
The old Imperial Ancestor of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty shook his head with seeming regret, though inwardly he was just as relieved as everyone else.
Gu Changge smiled faintly and said nothing more. Ah Da stood at his side like a terrifying Devil Mountain, and together they remained on the periphery, not choosing to enter the ruins.
The Ancient Arcane Ruins were vast, spanning tens of thousands of kilometers in every direction.
Apart from the many broken, toppled mountains, there were collapsed ruins and rubble, where one could make out former palace complexes and numerous murals and pillars.
With the so-called Otherworldly Sky Demons descending upon this place, the experts of the many powers and sects that had rushed here earlier all dared not act rashly, nor dared they send disciples to search for Mirror Lake’s whereabouts.
At the outermost edge of the Ancient Arcane Ruins, virtually everyone from the Profound Sword World who had come had gathered.
The Abundance Sword Immortal, the Snow Sword Immortal, and the many other Earth Sword Immortals also stood silently in place, watching the numerous Beyond experts not far away employ various secret arts to probe the ominous strangeness of this place.
“If they get to Mirror Lake’s location before us, the consequences are simply unimaginable.”
The Abundance Sword Immortal spoke softly, his gaze filled with worry.
The Snow Sword Immortal beside him, meanwhile, looked toward Gu Changge, who was conversing with the many True Daoists of the Beyond not far away, her heart far from calm.
“Tell me, if Young Master Gu were to speak up and put a stop to all this, how great would the chance of success be?” she asked the Abundance Sword Immortal.
The Abundance Sword Immortal had not expected her to suddenly say such a thing and was somewhat taken aback for a moment.
“Although Young Master Gu bears no malice toward our world, how could he possibly intervene to save our world?”
He then shook his head, feeling the possibility was essentially zero.
The Snow Sword Immortal also gave a bitter smile, feeling she had been indulging in a fantasy. On what grounds did they deserve for Gu Changge to save them like this?
Before this, they had even kept things from Gu Changge, never telling him the news about Mirror Lake.
And just as the crowd around the Ancient Arcane Ruins began probing the area, deep within the place shrouded in dense, thread-like mist—
Lin En’s entire body was glowing, even his hair shining golden, like a child of the gods. With a solemn expression, he stood before a collapsed ancient temple, a radiant, glowing key rising and falling in his hand.
He could clearly feel ancient Sword Intent fluctuations interweaving here, and from his perception, there was definitely more than one strand of Sword Intent.
Perhaps this ancient temple had once enshrined the many divine swords of the Ancient Arcane Empire, and over the long ages, the auras of those divine swords had lingered here.
The key given to him by the white-robed elder in the Boundless Immortal Valley was now also emitting a hazy radiance upon arriving at this place.
Clearly, something deep within this collapsed ancient temple was attracting it.
Lin En felt it must be the Sword City buried in Mirror Lake—this place definitely held hidden secrets within.
“Too many experts have gathered outside the Ancient Arcane Ruins. Even the strongest among the Otherworldly Sky Demons have descended. I must be careful.”
Thinking this, Lin En took out the key, his heart gradually calming, and began walking toward the collapsed ancient temple ahead.
Soon, ripples of light spread out before him, as though an invisible doorway were hidden within the void.
“So there really is a hidden space here.”
Lin En walked into it, his expression filled with irrepressible delight as he took in the scene within the ancient temple.
This was, astonishingly, a small world unto itself, with vast verdant forests, towering mountain ranges, a broad and boundless sky, and a surging sea of clouds.
He now stood at the entrance, surrounded by peaks so tall their summits could not be seen.
Descending along the peaks, one could see flight after flight of steps, incomparably sacred, leading all the way down, as though for a pilgrimage.
In the deepest part of this space, Lin En saw a Tower of Blessings, golden and resplendent, magnificent and grand, its height unfathomable, standing tall into the clouds.
Beyond that, this space was home to many birds and beasts, all incomparably holy, even their feathers shining brilliantly, like beasts of a divine realm, unstartled by the presence of people.
“Could Mirror Lake be beside that Tower of Blessings?”
Lin En gazed at the scene in the distance. His figure moved, descending from the peak he stood on toward the steps below, and he soon vanished into the deep forest.
Near the Tower of Blessings, a silvery radiance spread across the area, as though an ancient and blazing lake lay there, reflecting the light of the entire sky, dazzling to the extreme.
Lin En felt that the environment of this world was vastly different from that of the outside world. A dense, divine, and holy aura flowed through it, making one involuntarily feel at peace.
One had to know that outside, terrifying ominous auras coiled about, and strange occurrences had even taken place.
Yet within this space was an entirely different scene of tranquility—it was truly somewhat inconceivable.
However, Lin En had no time to dwell on these things now. He hurried deeper in, intending to reach that tall tower at the first opportunity.
And just as Lin En stepped into this place, an enormous upheaval also occurred within the Ancient Arcane Ruins.
Terrifying howling sounds came from who knew where, accompanied by shrill shrieks filling the sky. Multitudes of vengeful souls emerged, drifting out like specters from every corner of the ruins.
At the same time, the black mist here surged madly, sweeping over and engulfing the areas where the Cultivators of various paths had gathered, blotting out the sky.
“What’s happening? Why has this place suddenly become like this?”
“Why are there so many vengeful souls appearing?”
This sudden scene caused the faces of everyone from the Profound Sword World to change drastically, turning pale with shock and fear. Deeply unsettled by it all, they retreated toward the edges.
But the black mist came far too quickly. Within it, strange auras even interwove, able to blanket and envelop a Cultivator’s divine soul, making it impossible for them to sense their surroundings, plunging everything before their eyes into darkness.
The instant many people were swept into the black mist, they let out screams—and then those sounds abruptly ceased.
Immediately after, the sickening sounds of bones shattering and chewing rang out from within, as though some terrifying ferocious beast lurked inside, waiting to devour its prey.
“What exactly is inside this black mist?”
The Abundance Sword Immortal and the others brought out their life-bound divine swords, slashing out torrents of Sword Qi in an attempt to part the black mist. But the result that followed left them horrified and somewhat unable to believe it.
The strange things hidden within the black mist could actually devour even their Sword Qi—like clay oxen sinking into the sea, it vanished without a trace in an instant.
“Even freezing it doesn’t work?”
On the other side, the Snow Sword Immortal’s delicate brows furrowed tightly as she made her own attempt, her fair hand sending out a sheet of hazy ice and snow.
It contained the absolute law of freezing, yet upon touching the black mist, it too collapsed and broke apart with a crack, turning into dust and ash that filled the sky.
Rumble—
At the same time, the entire Ancient Arcane Ruins seemed to suddenly come alive. Sounds of shaking came from everywhere, mountains and rocks split apart, and specters emerged from the collapsed palaces.
The strange aura spread unceasingly, chilling everyone to the bone with terror, their skin crawling.
“The corpses have come back to life!”
Ah Qing and Princess Xuan Die’s faces turned somewhat pale, and they could not help but retreat backward, feeling that everything before their eyes was too unreal, too dreamlike.
Right before them, several earthen graves split open, dense black mist billowing out from within, then continued to crack apart to either side.
It was an extremely eerie scene—old grave mounds splitting open one after another, snow-white and even rotted skeletal hands reaching out, slowly crawling upward.
Such a sight was truly hard to believe, utterly horrifying.
Even bone fragments that had long since rotted beyond recognition were assembling into skeletons, flesh and blood rapidly growing over them.
Then the armor of the celestial soldiers that had long since turned to dust within the graves reversed the flow of time, clanging as it transformed into battle garb, covering their bodies.
Those celestial soldiers had pale faces and expressionless features. Clad in their armor and gripping their weapons, they walked out step by step, forming into square formations and advancing forward.
“The dead coming back to life—what kind of heaven-defying method is this?”
Everyone who witnessed this scene could hardly believe it. Their scalps tingled and cold air poured into their pores.
They could not comprehend it—could someone truly live forever without dying? Or had these celestial soldiers never died at all, slumbering within the Ancient Arcane Ruins all along?
“Could they be the celestial soldiers and generals of the Ancient Arcane Empire of old?”
“There is indeed something strange about this place. These corpses are in a state between life and death, and they seem to retain some shred of consciousness.”
A True Daoist from the Beyond who had descended here narrowed his eyes slightly, wisps of golden light radiating from them, before speaking thus.
The other True Daoists also nodded. They did not act, instead remaining standing at the outermost edge of the ruins, not intending to make any rash moves.
This place was extremely strange—even they had little confidence in dealing with it.
“These celestial soldiers must have been subjected to an extremely terrifying curse. Unable to leave this place in life or in death, they can only guard it forever as living dead.”
“This old man has only seen such a thing once before, in some ruins in the Beyond, and the number of living dead back then was far fewer than here.”
The old Imperial Ancestor of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty spoke with a slightly darkened expression. He tried sending out a palm strike, and in an instant, thunderous light roared and world-shaking power emerged.
The vast power crushed down, destroying heaven and earth, directly smashing the celestial soldiers ahead into dust.
But the next moment, those soldiers who had been reduced to dust began to reassemble under some strange power, returning to their original forms.
This sight not only changed the expressions of the several True Daoists, but also left the Abundance Sword Immortal and the others not far away trembling with horror, their hands and feet going cold.
They had never imagined that such a terrifying crisis lay hidden within the Ancient Arcane Ruins.
“It seems ordinary methods won’t work, and we can’t walk through either. Someone must have entered the depths of the ruins ahead of us and triggered something.”
A strange glint flashed through Gu Changge’s eyes. Then, remaining composed, he shook his head as though making a guess.
He suspected that Lin En, this world’s Fortuitous One, had found the entrance to Mirror Lake, which was what had caused the great upheaval outside.
Connecting this to the memories of the Heavenly Path’s Will he had devoured earlier, Gu Changge understood that the Ancient Arcane Empire had been destroyed precisely because it had touched upon the taboo of the Heaven-Exterminating War, attempting to build an ancestral temple to commune with ancient heroic souls—only to be annihilated by the portion of the Heavenly Path’s Will that had awakened.
All the living dead here, along with the many strange auras, could be said to be the handiwork of the Heavenly Path’s Will.
But none of these matters had anything to do with him.
“Since the entrance to Mirror Lake has already opened, things are much simpler now.”
Gu Changge had no intention of setting out. He was still waiting—the time had not yet come.
“We can’t let someone beat us to it.”
Hearing Gu Changge’s words, the old Imperial Ancestor of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty and the other True Daoists all felt their hearts tighten, worried that someone might get there first and snatch away their prize.
At once, cold intent appeared in their eyes. Their great hands reached out, blotting out the sky, seizing several Earth Sword Immortals, intending to make them scout the path ahead first.
“If you can’t make your way in, then none of you will leave this place alive today.”
“Everyone will be buried along with you.”
Their words were incomparably cold, carrying an unquestionable will. The terrifying pressure made the bodies of everyone from the Profound Sword World crack apart, nearly bursting them into mists of blood.
Facing these so-called ants, they showed none of the humble fear they displayed before Gu Changge.
Even the Abundance Sword Immortal, the Snow Sword Immortal, and the others were seized and ordered to scout the path ahead, venturing deep into the black mist.
They had no choice. If they resisted, the only outcome was being slapped into a mist of blood, body and soul annihilated.
At this moment, they finally understood the gap between Gu Changge and these supreme experts, and their hearts grew all the more bitter.
Gu Changge’s attitude was ten thousand times better than that of these supreme experts.
At this moment, they were truly ants—perhaps even less than that.
“If you want to survive, don’t try to resist.”
Gu Changge shook his head gently, as though with some pity, speaking to the Abundance Sword Immortal and the others.
The rest of the Profound Sword World’s people were all trembling with fear, not daring to move, staying in place like a group of prisoners.
PS: I got back a bit late, so I owe one chapter tonight—I’ll make it up tomorrow, and wrap up this arc while I’m at it.