Chapter 1844

At the star tower summit of the Xuanyuan Star Academy, fierce gales blew but could not disperse the serene aura surrounding Li Luo as he stood shoulder to shoulder with another. His gaze pierced layer upon layer of clouds and seas, falling upon the western edge of the Outer Shenzhou world—where the sky had long been a perpetual dark gray, and even in today's flourishing age, a lingering gloom remained, like an unhealed old scar upon this radiant heaven and earth.

"Back then, my parents wandered that very land, repeatedly teetering between life and death," Jiang Qinge said, her voice clear and resonant, her golden eyes holding a hint of distance. She condensed a thread of luminous power at her fingertip, tracing the outline of the western frontier in the void, and asked, "You say, is the Marquis Battlefield still as it was back then?"

Li Luo raised his hand, and a soft glow of merit-gold light appeared in his palm, within which faintly reflected an ancient scene: shattered earth, crimson lightning, and two figures supporting each other as they advanced bloodied through desperation. "Mother once said that place was the most perilous in heaven and earth, yet also the most full of opportunity. Now the forty provinces of Outer Shenzhou have become a prosperous age, the dark world is about to fully merge, but only that battlefield still retains the chaotic imprint of those days."

He turned to look at Jiang Qinge, his eyes holding a gentle smile: "Let's go see. First, to fulfill our long-held wish and witness with our own eyes the place where our parents fought; second, to finally resolve this hidden danger, so it no longer becomes a slaughter field devouring marquis-level experts."

Jiang Qinge nodded, her golden robes fluttering in the wind, the sacred luminous aura around her intertwining with Li Luo's merit power to form an invisible barrier. "Very well. Back then, they could break and rebuild in such desperation; our journey today is also a special remembrance."

As the words fell, the two figures vanished from the star tower summit. Under the will of the World Sovereign, space yielded like a gentle current, and within mere breaths, they had reached the extremity of Outer Shenzhou's western frontier.

Before them lay no expected boundary line, but instead a twisting, rotating spatial rift. The surrounding heaven and earth seemed as if an invisible giant hand had kneaded them into fragments and then barely reassembled them: the ground was deep brown scorched earth, covered in spiderweb-like cracks, from which dark purple viscous fluid occasionally seeped, emitting a pungent corrosive odor that hissed upon contact with the scorched earth, eating small pits into it.

The sky was leaden gray, heavy clouds hanging low as if within reach, within which blood-colored lightning rolled, each flash accompanied by a dull thunder—this thunder was not ordinary thunder, but more like the anguished roar emitted when two worlds collide. The air reeked of dense malevolence and bloody stench; even with Li Luo's merit power and Jiang Qinge's luminous power protecting them, they could clearly feel a bone-deep chill—this was the erosive force formed by the accumulated negative emotions of the dark world over time; ordinary marquis-level experts entering this place would have their souls and spirits continuously scorched.

"Is this the entrance to the Marquis Battlefield?" Jiang Qinge frowned slightly, her golden eyes scanning the spatial rift. "The spatial structure is completely disordered—no wonder Mother said only those bearing a spatial affinity could barely navigate the chaotic boundary river."

Li Luo reached out and touched the spatial barrier at the rift's edge; a sharp tearing force came from his fingertip, for the barrier was interlaced with countless minute spatial blades, enough to easily rend the flesh of a marquis-level expert. "Did my parents enter the battlefield through such an entrance back then?" A stirring rose in his heart—back then, Li Taixuan and Tantai Lan were merely marquis-level cultivators, yet they dared to enter such a perilous place; this courage explains how they later became the Peerless Marquis and top-tier experts.

The two stepped into the rift, and the scene before them grew ever more horrifying.

Beneath their feet was no longer scorched earth, but floating fragments of broken rock in the void—some as large as mountains, others barely able to hold a foot, separated by profound darkness in which countless pairs of scarlet eyes lurked, watching. The rock surfaces were coated in a thick layer of black frost; beneath the frost lay congealed dark red bloodstains—evidently traces left by countless marquis-level experts and foreign beings who had died in battle over countless years. Even more terrifying were the gales sweeping between the rocks: these winds were not natural, but born from the collision of the dark world's malevolence and Outer Shenzhou's heavenly spiritual qi, called "murderous winds." They appeared gray-black, laden with fine spatial fragments; when they blew over the rocks, they could gouge grooves into hard stone, and if an ordinary marquis-level expert were caught in them, they would be torn to pieces in an instant.

"Be careful," Li Luo said, raising his hand as a golden merit barrier enveloped them. The murderous wind struck the barrier, emitting a piercing shriek, yet could not move it in the slightest. His gaze swept over the darkness below, and he whispered, "Many remnants of foreign beings' aura still linger here—though most are mere lingering souls and remnants, they were already deadly threats to my parents back then."

As his words fell, dozens of black shadows suddenly darted out from the darkness. These shadows had twisted forms, no fixed outline, and exuded dense malevolence—precisely the "evil shadows" left behind after the foreign beings' invasion years ago. Sensing the presence of the living, they emitted sharp cries and lunged madly at the merit barrier.

Jiang Qinge's eyes turned icy; she condensed several threads of fine golden light from her fingertips. The light pierced the barrier and struck each evil shadow precisely. Those seemingly ferocious evil shadows, upon contact with the luminous power, instantly turned to black smoke and dissipated, leaving not a trace.

"What my parents faced back then must have been a hundred times more dangerous than these," Jiang Qinge said, withdrawing her hand, her golden eyes filled with reflection. "Mother said they were once cornered by three foreign being kings, whose strength far surpassed these remnant souls."

Li Luo nodded, his gaze falling on a distant massive rock. On it lay a huge claw mark, several zhang deep, its edges still faintly tinged with the aura of a foreign being king. "Look here—this should be the trace left by some foreign being king back then. My parents, with marquis-level strength, opposed three such beings—no wonder they were driven into the spatial crevice."

The two tread upon the void, advancing slowly. Along the way, everything they saw was heart-stopping: some rocks shattered into powder by immense force, falling as stardust; some places retained intense energy fluctuations, and even after so many years, one could still feel the ferocity of the battles of old; elsewhere, space had completely shattered, forming bottomless black holes that continuously exhaled the dark world's chilling qi.

After advancing about half an hour, the scene ahead suddenly opened up—yet it was an endless, shattered plain. On the plain grew no vegetation; everywhere lay sharp stone fragments and broken weapon remnants, most of the weapons mottled with rust, yet still emitting faint spiritual light, clearly indicating their former owners were mighty experts.

In the plain's sky, blood-colored lightning grew denser; each strike left a smoldering crater on the ground, within which lingered an aura of destruction. Even more heart-pounding, the plain occasionally ignited with patches of black flame—these flames did not burn grass or wood, but directly burned the malevolence in space, called "calamity fire." The temperature of calamity fire was extreme, and it carried strong corrosiveness; even a marquis-level expert tainted by a trace would have their body and soul scorched.

"This environment is even worse than Mother described." Jiang Qinge stopped, her luminous power circulating around her to resist the calamity fire's erosion, "Extreme cold and extreme heat alternate, murderous winds and calamity fire coexist, and blood-colored lightning may strike at any moment—ordinary marquis-level experts here would find mere survival a challenge, let alone seeking opportunity."

Li Luo's gaze swept over the plain; suddenly sensing something, he raised his hand and waved, sending a thread of merit-gold light toward an open space in the plain's center. The light descended, and the scattered stones and remnants were gently pushed aside, revealing a broken stele. The stele bore blurred characters, but the three words "Life and Death Register" could still be discerned.

"Is this the place where the Life and Death Register lottery was held back then?" Jiang Qinge approached the stele, her fingertip lightly brushing over the inscriptions. "Mother said, once the Life and Death Register is drawn, none can defy it; a black ticket means stepping into this nine-deaths-one-life place. I wonder how many marquis-level experts have walked the road of no return here." Li Luo gazed at the stele, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. He could feel the resentment and despair lingering on the stele—left by countless experts forced by fate over countless years. "Did my parents also draw a Life and Death Register here back then?" he murmured softly. "Perhaps they did not come willingly, yet in this desperate land they forged a path of survival."

Just then, a violent energy surge came from the west of the plain, accompanied by a low roar. The two exchanged a glance, their forms flickering, and in an instant they appeared at the source of the surge.

There, a colossal foreign beast was curled in a huge rock cave—its body pitch-black, covered in hard scales etched with the marks of malevolent erosion, a pair of scarlet eyes glowing with madness and cruelty. This beast was not a foreign being, but a native Outer Shenzhou exotic beast corrupted by the dark world's malevolence, known as the "Profound Murder Beast," with strength comparable to a marquis-level expert.

The Profound Murder Beast clearly sensed their arrival; it roared and charged out of the cave, its massive claws bringing a howl that tore the air as it swung at Li Luo and Jiang Qinge. Where its claws passed, space rippled faintly—testimony to its immense strength.

"The danger my parents faced back then was probably worse than this," Li Luo said, not dodging but simply raising his hand and pressing lightly. His merit power condensed into a giant golden hand that steadily caught the Profound Murder Beast's claw. The beast struggled, yet could not move it in the slightest, and fear flashed in its eyes.

Jiang Qinge stepped forward, her luminous power surging into the Profound Murder Beast's body. The beast let out a painful howl; the malevolent qi on its body, as if encountering its nemesis, rapidly receded, and its scarlet eyes gradually regained clarity. After a moment, the beast ceased struggling, lowered its head before the two, and showed a posture of submission.

"Its nature is not evil—it was merely corrupted by malevolence for too long," Jiang Qinge said, withdrawing her luminous power softly. "Back then, my parents here likely faced countless such beasts, as well as powerful foreign being kings—each step was like walking on thin ice."

Li Luo released his grip; the Profound Murder Beast cautiously retreated to the side, gave another low growl to the two, then turned and slipped back into the cave. "Mother said they once found the remains of an ancient king in the spatial crevices of the Marquis Battlefield, and used the divine fruit to break and rebuild." Li Luo gazed toward the twisted space at the plain's end. "That must be that area."

The two flew toward the distorted space; the closer they came, the stronger the spatial tearing sensation became. Here, the spatial barrier was as thin as a cicada's wing, and from time to time, dark purple spatial fissures appeared, through which faintly another world's scene could be seen—a corner of the dark world, where beneath a hazy sky, dense malevolence swarmed and countless twisted foreign beings moved to and fro.

"This is the frontline where the two worlds collide," Li Luo said, stopping and his expression turning solemn. "Back then, my parents here slew a three-crowned foreign being king, yet drew the pursuit of the great demon king."

He waved his hand, and merit power intertwined with luminous power before him, forming a light curtain. In the curtain, the scene of the past gradually emerged: two figures fighting side by side, the man wielding a long spear, the woman controlling space, their coordination seamless as they drove a three-crowned foreign being king into desperation. Just as the foreign being king was about to be slain, the sky suddenly split open a huge rift, and a terrifyingly powerful great demon king descended, his body engulfed in heavenly demon flames, instantly shattering their attacks.

"Is that the three-crowned foreign being king?" Jiang Qinge's voice held a hint of shock. "With my parents' cultivation back then, being able to drive it to this extent was already heaven-defying." The scene in the light curtain continued: Li Taixuan pushed Tantai Lan into a turbulent tributary of the boundary river, then turned to face the great demon king, his eyes resolute. Tantai Lan struggled in the boundary river, ultimately rescued by Li Jingzhe's power and escaping the Marquis Battlefield. Meanwhile, Li Taixuan, bearing the great demon king's pursuit, fled into a nearby void abyss.

"My father back then must have prepared himself for certain death." Li Luo's voice carried a barely perceptible stirring. "Knowing he could not match the great demon king, yet still choosing to hold the rear—this courage is admirable."

Jiang Qinge took Li Luo's hand, her golden eyes filled with determination: "They survived that desperation not only through courage, but also through mutual trust and默契—just like us."

Li Luo turned to look at her, a gentle smile in his eyes. He raised his hand and gently touched the spatial barrier beside him: "This void abyss is where my father hid from the great demon king back then. Mother said, here the shattered heaven and earth formed a barrier that the great demon king could not break through for a time, so he sealed it with demon flames, intending to refine my father."

He condensed a thread of merit-gold light at his fingertip and lightly touched the spatial barrier. The barrier rippled like water, revealing the scene within: in the abyss, boundless darkness, countless fragments of shattered heaven and earth drifting within, the air still reeking of dense demon flame qi—even after so many years, it retained a strong destructive force.

"How long was my father trapped in such a place?" Jiang Qinge asked softly, her eyes filled with worry.

"Mother said, after she escaped, she went about gathering allies, spending years to amass enough strength, then returned here to rescue my father." Li Luo's voice carried emotion. "Years—alone in this dark abyss, facing the great demon king's blockade and endless solitude, my father's will surpassed that of ordinary people."

After a moment of silence, Jiang Qinge suddenly said, "Let's go see where the divine fruit grows. Mother said they found it on the remains of an ancient king, and only then could they break and rebuild."

Li Luo nodded, leading Jiang Qinge through the spatial barrier into the void abyss. Deep within the abyss, indeed floated a huge skeleton in the darkness. This skeleton, no one knows how many ages it has endured, its bones dark gold; even reduced to a frame, it still exuded a mighty king's aura. Atop the skeleton's head lay a withered plant remnant, from which the outline of the divine fruit could still be discerned.

"This is the place," Li Luo said, walking to the skeleton and gently stroking its golden bones. "Back then, my parents here shattered their marquis platform, and with the power of the divine fruit, completed their foundation and broke through to become Peerless Marquis."

"Shattering one's marquis platform—how perilous." Jiang Qinge gazed at the withered plant remnant, her eyes filled with admiration. "Throughout history, who knows how many have tried, yet most ended with their foundations utterly destroyed. My parents succeeded not only through opportunity, but also through extraordinary courage and trust in each other."