Chapter 285

The statue of Pogaluo Buddha held a scepter, used a giant elephant as a mount, and had star trails above its head.

The ancestral statue was tall and intimidating, having existed for tens of thousands of years.

At this moment, Li Youyi could finally confirm that he had entered another spatial region. After all, the ancestral statue was hundreds of meters high, while the ground crack entrance was only a hundred meters underground.

Inside the main hall was the "Ten Thousand Spirits Pilgrimage Sculpture Group".

More than a hundred passages were located behind the sculptures.

Some went up along stone steps. Some went straight ahead. Some led to the underground.

The underground immortal mansion was not flat.

The eighth path that Tang Wanzhou had been exploring was a path leading to the upper level, two zhang wide, with smooth gold-stone structures on both sides of the passage. From time to time, one could see murals, hanging lamps, skeletons... A great battle had broken out here in ancient times.

After walking a hundred miles along this path, the passage collapsed over a large area, forming steep cliffs.

Below the cliff, dark red magma flowed slowly, and heat overflowed. It was hard to imagine whether the lower world would be affected.

Everyone had high cultivation, wrapped their mounts in magic power, and jumped across quickly.

The deeper they went, the more complex the passages became.

There were many branches, like a maze.

Li Youyi had been memorizing and marking them.

Behind the thirty-eight riders, quite a few Wu Xiu followed from afar. They had both strength and courage, wanting to fish in troubled waters.

After going two hundred miles deep, the terrain and landscape of the underground immortal mansion became diverse, no longer just narrow and crowded passages, but caves, plains, stone mountains, rivers...

After traveling for a day and a night, the injuries in Li Youyi's body had recovered by sixty or seventy percent.

At the same time, he had completely absorbed the Star Day Pill he took when entering the underground passage.

His Thought Power Star had grown by nearly half, and he was full of energy. Not only was he not nervous or depressed because he was in a dangerous situation, but he was also extremely excited.

At this moment, they had gone more than three hundred miles deep into the underground immortal mansion.

A plain dozens of miles wide appeared in front, with hard soil and a large number of glowing thorny plants growing on the ground, slightly illuminating the darkness, and the whole space was misty.

Li Youyi looked up at the top.

He couldn't see the top, only endless darkness.

Everyone on the mounts became alert, and there was no more sense of relaxation.

Some of the Wu Xiu had already summoned artifact battle soldiers and activated the scriptures on their armor.

Tuoba Butuo whispered: "This is the farthest place I have ever been. It is said to be a cultivation ground from the peak of the ancient Pogaluo Sect, now called the Underworld Spirit Plain by explorers, and marked on maps sold at high prices."

"Swish!"

A dense sound of strange movement came from the dark thorny bushes.

Then, a miasma mist rose and rushed toward the thirty-eight riders of Snow Sword Tang Ting.

Each mount felt the danger and let out manic, uneasy low roars.

Li Youyi used the Thought Power Heavenly God Scripture to sense that there were dense flying insects in the miasma mist, so many that they couldn't be counted.

They looked like mosquitoes, the size of a fist, and their buzzing sound was deafening.

"Alert, it's a swarm of Bone-Eroding Miasma Mosquitoes!" a Dao Seed Realm elder in the team roared.

"Boom!"

A magic power palm print was struck out from the air, and the vibration of the air briefly scattered the insect swarm. But soon, the swarm reassembled and pressed down like a blanket.

Li Youyi had read some "Collection of Fierce Insects" and had some understanding of Bone-Eroding Miasma Mosquitoes. They were a type of extremely terrifying general-level fierce insect that could suck dry the blood of all living things in a city in a short time.

Encountering them, Dao Seed Realm Wu Xiu would also fall into a desperate situation, leaving no bones behind.

The Bone-Eroding Miasma Mosquitoes in front of him were much larger than described in the books, and there were many mutations.

The middle-aged woman of the Wanyan clan took the lead and released two commander-level exotic insects, "Seven-Colored Fireflies".

The two firefly exotic insects, wrapped in seven-colored flames, rushed into the miasma mist. Immediately, the Bone-Eroding Miasma Mosquitoes in the mist were constantly burned into fireballs and fell to the ground.

A moment later, the Bone-Eroding Miasma Mosquito swarm fled and disappeared into the darkness.

The two firefly exotic insects flew back and were collected into the insect bag by the Wanyan woman.

"What powerful Seven-Colored Fireflies. Commander-level exotic insects are a complete bloodline restraint against these fierce insect swarms."

"These two Seven-Colored Fireflies of Lady Wanyan have combat power comparable to two Dao Lotus Wu Xiu."

"Fortunately, there are insect tamers traveling with us, otherwise just this Bone-Eroding Miasma Mosquito swarm would be enough to give us a headache for a while."

Li Youyi had been observing the two Seven-Colored Fireflies just now. They were indeed powerful, having grown to the peak state of commander-level exotic insects, easily killing and repelling a general-level fierce insect swarm.

This Underworld Spirit Plain was quite dangerous. Subsequently, they encountered two soldier-level fierce insect swarms and one general-level fierce insect swarm, all of which were repelled by Lady Wanyan and the old man Shan Ze using insects.

Li Youyi did not have the opportunity to release the seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors.

Passing through the plain, there were very few Wu Xiu left following the thirty-eight riders.

In front, steep stone walls appeared, dozens of zhang high.

On the stone walls, some ancient pictures and texts were drawn, and the lines and characters emitted white fluorescence.

Li Youyi and Tuoba Butuo followed Tang Wanzhou closely and climbed this stone wall. Above it were stone walls again, layer upon layer, as if built by humans.

Tang Wanzhou finally stopped, sitting on the back of the three-tailed snow fox, her expression extremely serious, looking at the riders behind her: "The Wu Xiu who can pass through the Underworld Spirit Plain and come here can be counted on one's fingers."

"This is the location of the ancient Pogaluo Sect's Star Fire Altar, four hundred miles away from the main hall at the entrance of the underground immortal mansion."

"I said that when we go deep into the underground immortal mansion, I will tell you the real purpose of this trip. Now, it is time!"

At the back of the team, a deformed Wu Xiu with an ape head and a very strong aura asked: "Is the Young Monarch so cautious because she is worried that telling us in advance will lead to information leakage?"

Tang Wanzhou scanned everyone present, her eyes deep and sharp, her tone cold: "The thirty-eight riders on this trip are all top experts, and everyone's strength is unquestionable. But what we are going to do on this trip is of great importance, not a thousand-year-old medicinal herb, nor a Daoist scripture. I have to be cautious, and I hope you all understand."

The old man Shan Ze asked: "The big event the Young Monarch mentioned is related to this Star Fire Altar?"

"Indeed, everyone follow me!"

This ancient Star Fire Altar, each layer was dozens of zhang high, the cliff walls were smooth, and only Dao Seed Realm Wu Xiu could climb it relatively easily.

Most of the mounts were left below the altar.

Tang Wanzhou climbed to the fourth layer of the altar, jumped off the three-tailed snow fox mount, walked forward, searched for a moment, and struck with a palm, hitting an area on the stone wall where the pictures and texts were broken.

"Boom!"

A stone gate a zhang high opened accordingly.

She carried a stone lamp emitting cyan brilliance and walked in the front. Footsteps echoed in the passage.

"Li Youyi, I found that Spirit Platform Flame Star Stone fragment in this altar by accident."

"Thank you for the reminder, Young Monarch."

Li Youyi secretly observed the various pictures and texts on the stone wall and released the Thought Power Heavenly God Scripture to explore every place he passed.

If he could find another Spirit Platform Flame Star Stone fragment, plus the Star Day Pill, he would be confident in breaking through to a two-star Spirit Thought Master in a short time.

Arriving at the core area inside the altar.

The Wu Xiu all let out exclamations, surrounded Tang Wanzhou, and looked at a stone wall dozens of zhang high. On the stone wall, many carvings were drawn, telling an ancient story.

"That is... that is Pogaluo Buddha?"

Tuoba Butuo pointed to a figure on the mural, which was extremely similar to the statue of Pogaluo Buddha in the entrance main hall.

In the mural.

Pogaluo Buddha held a scepter, raised his hands high, and countless stars fell from above his head, drawing light trails like a meteor shower, smashing onto the ground, stirring up countless dust.

Tang Wanzhou stopped under the mural and said solemnly: "A month ago, I broke into this place by accident and saw the exquisite murals here, but I couldn't understand what some of the content represented. So, I went to the Zuoqiu family, checked all the ancient books about the Pogaluo Sect, and finally understood the murals completely."

"The first mural tells of a disaster event where Pogaluo Buddha witnessed a meteor shower in ancient times."

"That star-falling catastrophe caused the death of countless living beings on the earth, mountains collapsed, rivers changed their courses, and dust covered the sky, with no sunlight for years."

"The second mural is about Pogaluo Buddha saving the dying and healing the wounded during the disaster, founding the Pogaluo Sect, collecting the stars falling from the sky, and analyzing their mysterious energy."

Li Youyi's gaze fell on the second mural.

He saw Pogaluo Buddha sitting high on a lotus platform, with countless believers below.

Dozens of stars emitted brilliant light, standing behind him like dozens of giant mountains.

Li Youyi secretly wondered if the Spirit Platform Flame Star Stone was one of them?

Tang Wanzhou walked under the third mural: "This one tells of Pogaluo Buddha casting dozens of stars into a 'Bright Star Book', also known as the 'Pogaluo Sutra'. One star, one page of bright scripture, a total of forty-two pages."

"Pogaluo Buddha poured his life's work into writing words containing supreme magic power on the book, and then he attained Buddhahood and left this land."

"With the 'Bright Star Book', the power of light shines eternally on the Pogaluo Sect, and the ancestral court of the sect is immune to all evil."

Tang Wanzhou walked toward the fourth mural: "This tells of many years after Pogaluo Buddha left. An aggressive sect leader was born in the sect, who used the 'Bright Star Book' to fight in the Underworld of the Dead, constantly expanding the territory of the living."

"What? There is a treasure in the world that can dispel the dark and strange power of the Underworld of the Dead?" Wanyan Shenxing, who ranked in the top three in combat power in the team, said in disbelief.

The Underworld of the Dead was like a forbidden zone for life, surrounding the entire Lingxiao living realm, boundless and endless.

Dao Seed Realm Wu Xiu were already standing at the top of the human world and could initially come into contact with the truth and essence of survival in this world.

The more this was the case, the more depressed they felt.

The catastrophe a thousand years ago swallowed more than ninety percent of the territory of the three hundred states of Lingxiao, and those who survived lived in fear day and night.

"The death power of the Underworld can obscure all sunlight, turn all living beings into passing spirits, breed evil things, revive the dead, run rampant with cursed monsters, and wither all kinds of life," an old Spirit Thought Master chanted.

Tuoba Butuo was extremely excited and heroic: "If the 'Bright Star Book' really exists, we have a chance to conquer the more than two hundred states swallowed by the Underworld of the Dead. Every state conquered is thousands of miles of territory, endless resources, endless fertile land, and then population migration, turning barren villages into bustling market towns, and turning the dead underworld into lush forests."

"At that time, minerals, land, pastures... we will have as much as we want, why fight to the south and compete with the major human forces for the twenty-eight states?"

"We will fight to the north, break into the Underworld of the Dead, recover the living realm, be recorded in history, and be immortal."

The Wu Xiu present were all boiling with blood, their eyes burning.

Li Youyi was very calm and looked at Tang Wanzhou.

She was extremely calm, with no waves in her eyes, and walked toward the fifth mural: "Unfortunately, this 'Bright Star Book' was torn apart during a turmoil within the Pogaluo Sect, turning into pages of bright scriptures."

On the mural was the scene of the "Bright Star Book" flying apart, with each page of scripture flying out like a small sun.

Everyone sighed.

Li Youyi looked at the corner of the mural, pondered for a moment, and said: "Look here! There is a small figure here, holding a page of bright scripture, entering the depths of the Underworld of the Dead, instantly illuminating an area. Does this mean that as long as we find a page of scripture, we can recover a piece of living land?"