Chapter 277

What exactly happened in the past, he did not know; the only thing he could be certain of was that there had once been an incomparably glorious era, merely buried in the dust of history.

After advancing half a day, Yang Zhu halted before a rugged mountain path, then moved his fingers, and countless crystal‑fine threads appeared in the void.

"Boom!"

As his fingertips hooked, the entire Kunlun Mountain trembled, emitting a thunderous roar that scattered the clouds in the heavens.

"Rattle…"

Suddenly, as if a barrier had been torn open, a mysterious doorway appeared, beyond which lay an unknown world, exuding a heavy, majestic aura.

Looking through the doorway forged from supreme Dao patterns, one could faintly see myriad towering peaks, majestic and profound, reaching the heavens, giving a deep shock.

"Woof! Could the rear possibly be an immortal realm?"

Da Heigou's eyes glowed green as he stared fixedly at the gate's rear; even he had rarely seen such terrain.

"Inside is Kunlun's true appearance, merely sealed away by someone's heaven‑piercing, earth‑sundering means."

With the words spoken, Yang Zhu led a few people into the gate, after which the doorway vanished, as if nothing had happened.

A life‑affirming aura that permeated the heart and lungs came rushing forward, so rich it made the body relax, pores opening to absorb the essence of heaven and earth.

Looking up, it seemed they had arrived in another world; the scene before them had completely changed.

Here the mountains were lush, the peaks towering, vast and boundless, the mountain ranges endless like countless reclining dragons.

The primordial mountain range had no visible end; by comparison, the Kunlun range of the mortal world was merely a corner, not even a tip of the main vein.

Facing it felt like facing a vast starry sky—each peak awe‑inspiringly high, clouds swirling, mist locked, as if primordial chaos filled the air, brimming with the initial qi of heaven and earth.

Truly entering here would make one feel their own insignificance! "Indeed, this is an immortal land; even the million‑li mountains of Zhongzhou could hardly compare."

The Yaochi Holy Maiden exclaimed in astonishment, shocked by the sight before her; the true visage of Kunlun before them was such that even searching the whole universe, one might never find another like it.

"Lord of Infinite Heaven, this truly is a soaring‑dragon pure land!"

The Infinite Daoist, versed in source arts, could naturally see that this place's extraordinary terrain was the ancestor of all veins, the root of myriad mountains, its situation having reached the limit allowed by heaven and earth; if one were to soar into the high heavens, one could roughly understand that this is a slumbering great dragon, its momentum vast and profound, difficult to fathom.

Those countless towering peaks were the spine bones of a great dragon, laid out horizontally and coiled, their myriad aspects forming a world‑rare, heaven‑connecting terrain.

"Wow, where have we arrived?"

The Twelve Saints were released by Yang Zhu; upon seeing the surroundings, they were all shocked, continually scanning the place.

They had each broken through to Saint cultivation, their inner divinity terrifying; being great demons themselves, their appearance released towering demonic aura that shot to the heavens.

Even the nearby great peaks, merely affected by a wisp of overflowing imperial might, shook violently, nearly on the verge of splitting.

"Yo, they all broke through!"

Da Heigou rejoiced; not long after he had emptied the Mountain of Immortality, he and Duan De left the divine land and ran outside.

Meanwhile, the twelve half‑saints remained under the Dao‑comprehension tea tree to cultivate; unexpectedly they all broke through in succession, their present strength describable only as terrifying.

The Twelve Saints each possessed an unparalleled demon true form, with powerful bloodlines and heaven‑shaking strength; even against peers of the same rank, they would not be outmatched.

"We owe this to those immortal treasures and the Imperial Son's Dao‑comprehension tea tree, which allowed us to successively recover our Saint cultivation."

One of the great demons replied in a resonant voice that shook heaven and earth.

"Restrain your auras and act as discreetly as possible."

At Yang Zhu's request, the Twelve Saints restrained their auras and then shrank to the height of a person, appearing no different from an ordinary ancient beast, worthy of the description "exquisitely delicate."

The group ventured deeper into Kunlun; along the way towering ancient trees and entwined old vines appeared, and from time to time wild beasts could be seen, many of whose cultivations had reached the level of sect leaders.

Yang Zhu surveyed the terrain, leading the group onward; along the way they encountered many divine traces—thousand‑foot waterfalls, strange rocks and cliffs—all worthy of being called nature's miraculous craftsmanship.

Over these years, Da Heigou's cultivation had broken through to the sixth layer of Immortal Second Stage, his power terrifying—even against a Saint Lord he was not lacking in the slightest.

"Hahaha, have they all been shaken back by this king's aura?"

He had now arrived here, like a demon god descending into the world, capable of sweeping aside almost everything, and thus he was extremely pleased with himself.

Hundreds to thousands of peaks were linked, lush and verdant, emitting a primordial life‑essence that carried the flavor of the Dao.

Along the way there were many spiritual plants, all of great age, and occasionally one could see a Little Medicine King of ten or twenty thousand years, exceedingly rare.

Moreover, growing here they possessed a special substance.

Da Heigou, Duan De, and the Twelve Saints continually harvested those spiritual herbs, yet exercised restraint—anything under a thousand years old they did not even glance at.

"Imperial Son, here you go."

The Twelve Saints were perceptive; they presented the one Medicine King they had gathered to Yang Zhu, keeping the rest for themselves.

Yang Zhu surveyed the terrain, leading the group onward; along the way they encountered many divine traces—thousand‑foot waterfalls, strange rocks and cliffs—all worthy of being called nature's miraculous craftsmanship.

They also saw many ancient beasts: a blue ox covered in fine scales, a giant ape with pure white fur, a nine‑headed golden lion's roar…

Many of these existed only in records, yet unexpectedly they all existed in the ancient Kunlun.

"My goodness… tens of thousands of dragon veins intertwined!"

The party reached the mountain summit; ahead lay interwoven dragon veins, lifelike, as if a true dragon were raising its head from the earth, about to shed its mortal coil and ascend to immortality.

"These are the handiwork of the Ancient Heavenly Court; they once came here."

Yang Zhu explained, then proceeded to observe the mountains, scrutinize the qi, and probe the situation; he was shocked by the patterns and terrain layout, many aspects of which even he could not fathom.

Here the terrain had been pushed to the extreme; perhaps only an ancient emperor or a Source Heavenly Master could possess such profound means.

"The Ancient Heavenly Court indeed holds many secrets, fascinating and inviting inquiry."

Only after half a day did Yang Zhu lead the people away, venturing into the myriad dragon veins.

Here the spiritual plants were even more numerous, of countless ages; even the Little Medicine King could occasionally be seen in a few specimens.

In just half a day, over twenty Little Medicine Kings were discovered, and in the end they were all offered to Yang Zhu.

The vital aura of this place was utterly opposite to that of the outside world—spiritual mist swirled, crimson rosy vapors exhaled, with rising vapors entwining; not only suitable for cultivation, it could even be called an immortal land.

Even many places of the Big Dipper fall far short of this place's extraordinariness; only Purple Mountain and the Life Forbidden Zone can surpass it.

After a while, as Yang Zhu's path crossed an open expanse, the surroundings suddenly shifted.

A flash of azure rosy light passed by, waves of fragrance drifting out, and an ancient herb capable of free movement ran up to Yang Zhu.

This ancient herb is exactly the ancestor of He Shou Wu, comparable to half a stalk of the Immortality Elixir.

The ancient herb is just over half a meter tall, its vines leaves emerald green, its roots golden yellow, its face weathered, no one knows how many years it has grown. It is a divine herb nurtured by heaven and earth, inhaling the essence of sun and moon, bathed in starlight, brimming with vital energy, boundless and infinite.

"Please, spare me."

He Shou Wu repeatedly clasped his hands, bowing deeply to Yang Zhu, his tone pleading.

Such a divine herb, like the Immortality Elixir, rarely gives birth to powerful divine awareness; its body can live forever, yet it lacks profound Dao cultivation and cannot protect itself.

The arrival of the Big Black Dog and the Twelve Sages posed a great danger to him; realizing he could not escape, he voluntarily revealed himself.

Having lived for endless ages, he instantly saw that the group was led by Yang Zhu, came forward especially to plead, hoping only for a chance to survive.

"Half a stalk of the Immortality Elixir—this is a great treasure!"

The Big Black Dog and Duan Dehu stared at He Shou Wu with salivating greed; if Yang Zhu weren't present, they would have already moved to seize it.

"Rest assured, we won't harm you."

Yang Zhu paused a moment, then nodded in agreement; it seemed the Big Black Dog's gang had indeed frightened He Shou Wu badly.

"Thank you, thank you; if these immortals ever run out of life, you may come find me here—I am willing to give my essence blood to help revive the dead."

He Shou Wu thanked profusely, kowtowing repeatedly, deeply grateful to Dai De.

"What a pity..."

The Big Black Dog muttered a sentence; since Yang Zhu had spoken, he felt it improper to continue being sensible, and his spirits drooped at once.

Afterwards, Yang Zhu asked He Shou Wu about past events, and he held nothing back, recounting everything he knew and had witnessed.

This place once had divine spirits and Immortality Elixir following the Rongcheng clan away, and a fairy once visited here...

Even the Twelve Sages fell silent, quietly listening to He Shou Wu's gentle narration, becoming utterly engrossed.

"The Dao Treasure Vase? Could it be... the Ruthless Emperor?"

Upon hearing this, the Yaochi Saintess was startled, her heartbeat involuntarily quickening.

According to He Shou Wu's description, that immortal had a Dao Treasure Vase hovering above her head; wherever she passed, all things withdrew, all laws collapsed, and in heaven and earth she alone reigned supreme.

She was extremely familiar with that Dao Treasure Vase—it came from the foremost in talent—the Ruthless Emperor! The Ruthless Emperor lived aloof all her life, supreme above heaven and below earth, all domain deities bowed to her, looking down on past, present, and future; yet here she appeared with tear-streaked face, dim and sorrowful.

She could cleave stars, pluck the sun and moon, slaughter across the mortal realm, supreme in the world.

To ordinary people she seemed merely an invincible woman, called the Ruthless; it is hard to imagine she possessed such a fragile side.

"Imperial Heir..."

The Big Black Dog also didn't know the secret, so he turned his gaze toward Yang Zhu.

"Not seeking immortality, only to wait for your return in the mortal world—the Ruthless Emperor's brother fell here."

Yang Zhu felt some emotion; in people's eyes, her talent was unmatched, supreme above heaven and below earth.

But what people don't know is that the Ruthless is the Emperor, and also a girl who only wishes to wait for her brother's return...

This wait lasted hundreds of thousands of years; even upon reaching the pinnacle, she never forgot her original intent, spending her whole life awaiting one person, until a similar "flower" appeared.

At Yang Zhu's request, He Shou Wu led the group to a broken cliff; everyone stood there stunned, their hearts shaken.

A ten-thousand-zhang waterfall cascaded down, half-covering the cliff; this was not a marsh but the Chaos Long River, pouring from the cliff face, vast and endless.

This is the divine trace left by the Ruthless Emperor back then; twenty-odd hundred thousand years ago it shook the entire Kunlun, nearly tearing it apart.

On that cliff hangs a bloodstained garment, guarded by Chaos; after twenty-odd hundred thousand years it remains undecayed, floating on the cliff, beside which stands a stele shining brightly.

"I am about to die... but what about my sister?"

Yang Zhu saw these few characters written in fresh blood; though brief, they carried a deep despair and helplessness.

One can hardly imagine how heartbroken the Ruthless Emperor would have been upon seeing this scene back then.

The brother she had painfully sought was, at his final moments before death, still worrying about his sister—no wonder the Ruthless would utter a mournful long cry here.

"This place is an ideal training ground, capable of elevating one's magic treasure by a whole level."

Yang Zhu informed the few; afterward, the Yaochi Saintess, Duan De, and others successively took out their magic treasures, using Chaos as fire to temper them here.

"A divine spirit dwells ahead; I dare not set foot there, lest I be captured."

He Shou Wu warned, he had hardly ever gone forward, and did not really know what lay there.

"Thank you; take this piece of ancient jade—it can withstand a full-force strike from a saint."

Yang Zhu gave a piece of ancient jade to He Shou Wu and let him leave first.

"I dare not, I dare not; if you come again, just call me—I will appear on my own."

After receiving the life-preserving ancient jade, He Shou Wu waved his hands repeatedly, refusing to accept Yang Zhu's thanks; then he turned into a streak of azure cloud and departed.

A few days later, the Yaochi Saintess and others successively completed the refinement of their magic treasures, their quality greatly enhanced.

"Roar!"

Ahead lay an open expanse with only a few mountain peaks rising; as Yang Zhu and company arrived, mountain-guarding ferocious beasts charged out.

They were mighty and formidable, their bodies huge; each step they took made the earth tremble and mountains shake, their vigor undiminished.

But in just an instant, they were terrified half to death, stumbling backward repeatedly.

"Bang—"

One that ran slightly slower was struck by a great demon among the Twelve Sages, resembling a demon god; one palm broke its bones and tendons, sending it flying sideways.

This was only because they held back; otherwise they would have been turned into a puddle of flesh on the spot.

"Boom—"

Suddenly, in that fire cave, fire clouds surged heavenward, crimson mist rose, a long neigh like a dragon's roar and tiger's howl shook the mountains, and a divine steed beast galloped forth.

It is a beast resembling a horse, entirely fiery red, its body bearing dragon scales like phoenix-blood crimson gold, shining brightly.

It also has a mane like a horse's, fiery red like jade, brighter than silk, with not a single stray hair.

"This is the mount once possessed by the ancient emperors, not unlike the one we first saw!"

The Big Black Dog's eyes blazed with excitement, unafraid and delighted, the fervor in his gaze impossible to suppress! The dragon horse tread upon flames, its whole body fiery red like the blazing sun, proud as a deity, bearing an air of looking down upon all under heaven.

It came treading on fire clouds, swift as wind, reaching the ultimate speed of this realm; aside from the Walking Character Secret, hardly any secret technique could achieve it! "Let us come!"

Da Heigou and Duan De could not wait, clenched their fists, vowing to capture the dragon horse, to raise it as a divine beast, or even as a clanging mount, that would be mighty enough! (End of chapter)