Chapter 87: The Secret of the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace (6k)

So far, he had never even heard of a Level Five cultivation country, let alone a Level Seven—such a terrifying nation could likely wipe out their Holy Martial Empire with ease, even if just a single city lord arrived.

Yet despite this, that Level Seven cultivation country had perished—it was simply beyond comprehension.

Seeing that Number One Red Ball still said nothing and did not withdraw, Number Six Blue Ball felt reassured and continued explaining to Zhou Qing: “As the scene manifests, the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace instantly locks its location and perfectly replicates it.”

“Not only can you experience it firsthand, but you can also invite others to join you in exploration.”

“As I just said, everything in the scene is a one-to-one replica—meaning you can conduct simulated exploration within, and each person gets three resurrection chances.”

“Then, once you feel you’ve roughly explored all the areas worth visiting, you may proceed to the actual location to seek the true opportunity.”

Hearing this, Zhou Qing stared in disbelief—this was too outrageous.

“Alright, alright, Number One probably knows better than us. Old man… uh, Number One, why don’t you invite us in for a look? After all, right now it’s just the four of us, scattered across different cultivation countries, separated by countless miles—being able to meet like this is fate.”

Number Four Green Ball said with a grin.

“I agree. Of course, if you’re willing, I welcome you to join me in exploring the forbidden zone I’ve seen—after all, it’s been over four hundred years, and I still haven’t passed the second trial; it’s seriously shaken my confidence.”

The three of us working together couldn’t get through—it’s probably because our realms aren’t high enough; we simply can’t break through.

Hearing their conversation, Zhou Qing’s heart jolted.

The sheer span of hundreds of years revealed their cultivation was unfathomably profound, far beyond his imagination.

If he rashly entered their scenes—or invited them into his own—he might accidentally expose his own cultivation base.

If these cunning old foxes traced even the faintest clues, not only would he be in danger, but the entire Taiqingmen might face annihilation.

“Next time!” Zhou Qing altered his voice, yet the moment he spoke, it automatically shifted into an androgynous tone.

Interesting!

Upon hearing this, the three light balls all looked disappointed.

The world was vast, with countless forbidden zones—they truly wanted to go inside and see.

Then, with a thought, Zhou Qing plunged into his own scene.

Under the gaze of the other three, Number One Red Ball’s scene instantly filled with crimson, leaving nothing visible.

“Looks like a cold, aloof type—with extreme vigilance!” Number Four sighed and vanished.

Number Five said: “He’s probably just new and uneasy—he’ll warm up later. Number Six, come visit my scene when you have time.”

Number Six softly murmured “Mm,” then gazed at Zhou Qing’s scene before vanishing entirely.

………

At this moment, Zhou Qing felt solid ground beneath his feet; before he could even survey his surroundings, a terrifying gravitational force slammed into him.

Caught off guard, he nearly collapsed to his knees.

Looking around, he hadn’t expected to begin in the gravity zone.

“This time, I’m not in light-ball form—I’ve entered as if with my true body!” Zhou Qing touched his body, unable to help but marvel.

“To gain the recognition of the first layer of the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace, the things deep within the cave must be extraordinary—after all, Taiqingmen was founded because of it.”

I wonder where Numbers Four, Five, and Six come from?

They’re certainly not from the Holy Martial Empire.

Roar—

As he pondered, a familiar roar suddenly echoed from the corridor ahead.

“Those wandering souls!” Zhou Qing’s eyes lit up.

Since it’s a simulation anyway, why not have some fun? Next time, if he’s sent in again, he couldn’t guarantee he’d be so lucky as to be completely ignored.

He lightly patted his storage pouch, and a silver-radiating broken sword leapt into his hand.

Seeing three Foundation Establishment-level wandering souls and a horde of Qi Condensation-level ones charging at him, Zhou Qing roared and charged forward.

Instantly, lightning crackled throughout the corridor, with only a single shadow darting through it.

The sword strikes fell like a storm, each swing accompanied by blinding lightning and deafening thunder.

Numerous wandering souls dissipated with piercing shrieks.

Until Zhou Qing was panting, drenched in sweat.

The three Foundation Establishment-level and over twenty Qi Condensation-level wandering souls were now completely gone.

“No wonder it’s Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment—I can still handle multiple opponents of my own level with ease, but I can’t let my guard down; these wandering souls have no techniques or divine arts, and they’re rigid!”

Zhou Qing rose slowly under immense pressure, inching forward step by step.

But before he took many steps, another roar echoed from deep within the corridor, followed by a surge of chilling cold energy.

“There’s a second wave?” Zhou Qing was stunned.

Of course—both times he’d entered before, whether Foundation Establishment, Qi Condensation, or even the Golden Core-level wandering souls drawn out later, none had ever been completely wiped out like today; thus, he’d never known a wave could follow another.

It seemed everyone had underestimated this gravity corridor.

“If that’s the case, then come on—I want to see just how far my limits extend!”

A sharp gleam flashed in Zhou Qing’s eyes, and soon, six fully developed Foundation Establishment-level wandering souls appeared.

“Kill!”

Zhou Qing raised his sword and charged again…

After an unknown length of time, a chilling sensation of weightlessness struck him, leaving Zhou Qing dazed.

When he looked again, he was back in this space.

“Did I just die?” Zhou Qing frantically touched his neck, then noticed he had reverted to his red light-ball state.

Not long ago, he had faced the fourth wave—ten fully developed Foundation Establishment-level wandering souls. The first three waves had nearly exhausted him, and the crushing gravity left him powerless; finally, two wandering souls ambushed him from behind, piercing his throat.

In that moment, he felt his heartbeat accelerate, his vitality draining—he hadn’t even reacted before he reappeared outside.

“So this counts as one of my chances used up?” Zhou Qing felt everything was so strange—truly a simulation.

Moreover, everything seemed to reset: his depleted spiritual power had fully returned to peak.

Yet the combat skills and experience gained remained firmly etched in his mind.

“Interesting—I want to see how many waves I can push through in one go?”

Curious, Zhou Qing charged back in…

At dawn, Zhou Qing opened his window, gazing at the pale horizon, and exhaled deeply.

Then he looked at the token in his hand, smiling bitterly.

His second chance still ended at the fourth wave; his third attempt barely passed, and he’d even glimpsed the stone mill key on the other side.

If only he had a little more time, he could have crossed over—but then the fifth wave appeared.

“It seems that as long as I’m in the gravity zone, these wandering souls keep spawning endlessly—no limit to their number!”

Yet he was puzzled—the cave should consist of two parts.

One is the gravity zone, set up by Taiqingmen itself to prevent high-level cultivators from entering and discovering the sect’s true secrets.

Moreover, the gravity zone seems to conceal a terrifying presence—so much so that even the Supreme Elders and the Sect Master dare not enter lightly, fearing the thing might awaken and turn hostile.

Only Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators, at most Golden Core, are permitted to probe and unlock the key.

The true core lies in the bizarre scenes that trap Second Uncle.

Yet now, he had seen with his own eyes that the wandering souls emerged from deep within the corridor—yet the Supreme Elders still didn’t know where they came from.

After several simulation waves, he could now confidently conclude: these wandering souls are a trial, originating from deep within the corridor.

If they didn’t want intruders, they could simply flood the entrance with masses of wandering souls—so why do they release different levels based on the intruder’s cultivation, and send wave after wave?

Have these two aspects merged?

Zhou Qing couldn’t figure it out, and now he didn’t want to think further.

He was merely stunned by the terrifying power of the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace—able to instantly lock and perfectly replicate any forbidden zone someone had seen.

This revealed its immense rank—remember, this was only the first layer.

“Each time, you get three simulation chances—but to re-enter, you must inject thirty middle-grade spirit stones into the token to open the passage. This is insane!”

He currently had only 156 middle-grade spirit stones, plus some scattered low-grade ones—meaning he could enter at most five times.

Number Four, Five, and Six clearly had vast wealth—otherwise, they wouldn’t have spent so many middle-grade spirit stones just to enter, meet a newcomer, and leave immediately.

“Looks like I’m the only poor one—I need to hustle for money fast. This cave’s simulation helps me immensely, especially with combat skills—and maybe, just maybe, I’ll get lucky enough to actually enter inside.”

After feeding the hen a bit of powdered spirit stone, Zhou Qing yawned and lay down to rest.

He didn’t wake until noon, when he heard clashing sounds outside.

He immediately saw a pink paper crane outside the barrier.

“Is this girl always so idle? Doesn’t she cultivate?”

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Qing released it.

The paper crane landed on the windowsill, and soon, Lu Yaoyao’s cheerful voice came from within.

Senior Brother Zhou, what are you doing? My third senior brother is having a birthday at the Jade Banquet Hall today—if you’re free, come join us for some fun!

Zhou Qing chuckled dryly.

How naive are you? Haven’t you noticed how your five senior brothers look at me?

Seeing the crane turn blue, Zhou Qing said: “No.”

Then he picked up the crane and tossed it out.

After ensuring no one would disturb him, he took out thirty middle-grade spirit stones, injected them into the token, and the familiar pull returned; when he opened his eyes, he was back in the same place.

This time, the three others did not enter.

Gazing at his own scene, he plunged straight in…

Huh! Huh! Huh!

After an unknown time, Zhou Qing lay sprawled on the floor, gasping for breath—this time, he was much faster; after eliminating the fourth wave, he had barely managed to leap out of the gravity zone ahead of the next.

And the rustling from deeper within the corridor had now completely retreated.

“Too close—that fifth wave, I definitely can’t survive it!”

After resting for a while, Zhou Qing did not turn the grinding stone, but instead went to the spot where Second Uncle had once dug his tunnel.

The repairs were identical—clearly a perfect restoration.

After exhaling deeply, Zhou Qing gripped his broken sword and stepped into the pitch-black passage before him.

Puchī—

He had barely taken half a meter when the side of the corridor suddenly caved in; a jet-black bone spike shot out like a bolt of black lightning. Zhou Qing had no time to react—it pierced straight through his heart.

“Damn!”

As a glowing orb, he cursed and re-entered again.

This time, as the bone spike shot out, Zhou Qing, already prepared, narrowed his eyes and instantly raised his broken sword, precisely blocking the black spike.

The clang of metal echoed through the corridor, sparks flying everywhere.

Feeling the immense force from the spike, Zhou Qing grunted through clenched teeth, his arm trembling slightly; as his spiritual power surged, he twisted his wrist and flung it away.

The spike clattered to the ground, then quickly floated back up.

As if triggering a chain reaction, the entire corridor was now filled with countless bone spikes, all aimed squarely at Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing swallowed hard.

“We’re done!”

Before he could activate Silver Dragon Step, countless bone spikes erupted toward him, piercing him clean through.

“I still don’t believe it!” For the third time, Zhou Qing returned here.

But this time, he did not rush—he carefully observed.

Each bone spike carried the force of a Jin Dan-level attack. With so many, even a Nascent Soul cultivator couldn’t withstand them.

Yet the Supreme Elder had passed through safely. Zhou Qing refused to believe they’d simply brute-forced their way through.

If that were true, it would waste too much energy—after a few more passes, this place wouldn’t even need to defend against enemies.

“Right! Daily Appraisal!”

Zhou Qing smacked his forehead—how could he have forgotten this?

He then activated Appraisal on the passage before him.

【Corridor Filled with Traps: This is a perilous corridor, lined with deadly devices on all sides. At its deepest point, three illusion arrays are engraved. To pass through, simply bring the grinding stone and place it at the entrance.】

Seeing the appraisal result, Zhou Qing was thrilled.

I knew there had to be a way.

Use your brain, never your fists.

Zhou Qing quickly turned and rolled the grinding stone from nearby over to the entrance—but suddenly, he seemed to recall something.

When the Supreme Elder first sent him in, he’d never found the grinding stone’s key, then spotted the tunnel and the grinding stone outside this very corridor.

He’d been overjoyed, leaping onto the stone, when Second Uncle dragged him inside.

“So Second Uncle passed through this corridor the same way!” Zhou Qing felt like an idiot—he couldn’t even copy the answer.

He rolled the grinding stone back to its original position.

“Gōngdāng—”

A sound echoed from deep within the corridor, then silence returned.

Only then did Zhou Qing exhale deeply and step forward.

As expected, no bone spike emerged this time—nor any others.

Even the entire dark corridor began to glow faintly.

Zhou Qing walked forward step by step.

“That’s—”

Soon, his eyes brightened, and he quickened his pace.

In the corner of the corridor grew a dozen or so mushrooms.

These mushrooms were crystal-clear, emitting a faint glow; their caps were faintly red, their stems pure white like jade—smooth, refined, radiating purity.

As he drew closer, he sensed a gentle spiritual energy fluctuation, and a faint, sweet fragrance filled his nose.

“It’s Lingyun Mushroom—the key ingredient for Chongqiao Pills!”

For a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the peak, achieving Jin Dan is extremely difficult. With a Chongqiao Pill, success becomes far more likely.

Similar to Foundation Establishment Pills, but even more precious.

One Chongqiao Pill is worth at least thirty mid-grade spirit stones—that’s three thousand low-grade spirit stones.

Three thousand spirit stones are a fortune for an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Remember, as a core disciple, his entire wealth before had been just over three hundred spirit stones—and even with Daily Appraisal, he’d only scraped together a little from Second Uncle’s stall.

One Lingyun Mushroom, plus other rare herbs, yielded only three Chongqiao Pills. With so many here, how much could he sell them for?

Zhou Qing reached out and touched them—they felt real. Too bad it was all simulated; only in the true cave realm could he take them out.

“Danhua Peak has its own herb garden—these couldn’t have been planted here. This place is Taiqingmen’s deepest secret. The only possibility: these Lingyun Mushrooms grew naturally—and they’ll likely mature soon!”

Zhou Qing stared, his heart aching with desire.

The Supreme Elder and others had passed through multiple times without harvesting—probably didn’t even notice them.

But for Zhou Qing, now at Foundation Establishment’s peak, they were invaluable.

After all, his Golden Core formation was unlike others—he would form two, requiring vastly more energy.

Even leftovers could be sold for spirit stones, then exchanged for mid-grade stones to wander the Divine Ruins Palace.

“I wonder when the Supreme Elder will enter the cave realm again?”

Zhou Qing murmured, memorized the location, reluctantly left, and pressed deeper.

After passing through the corridor, he finally saw the scene before him once more.

Red River, dead crows, giant tree, heart, coffin…

The pressure radiated like a surging tide, crushing Zhou Qing until he could barely breathe, nearly fainting.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

With each beat of the massive black heart, his own heart echoed it—and each time, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

He collapsed to one knee, clutching his chest, agony overwhelming him.

Creak—

At that moment, a low voice sounded.

Zhou Qing struggled to lift his head and saw, beneath the distant tree, a coffin trembling slightly—then the stone lid began to slowly shift.

The grinding sound of stone against coffin echoed like distant thunder in his ears.

Then he saw a green mist seep out—and his vision went black.

When he opened his eyes again, he was a red orb floating outside.

“What was that?” If he had a body, Zhou Qing would now be gasping, face pale with lingering terror.

But he saw nothing in the final moment.

“My cultivation is still too weak—I can’t withstand the synchronized heartbeat. Fine. I’ll try again after reaching Jin Dan.”

Zhou Qing sighed lightly.

“Number One, how’d it go?” A voice suddenly sounded beside him.

Zhou Qing turned and saw Number Four’s green orb had entered, waving at him.

Zhou Qing ignored him—he didn’t like the guy.

“Why not check out my scene? With your experience, you might’ve been there. Then we could team up in reality…”

Before Number Four finished, Zhou Qing’s orb dissolved into the air and withdrew.

“Cold bastard!” Number Four grumbled, then dove into the first painting…

…………

“Number Four, Number Four—”

Hearing Yan Xiao Hu’s shouts from outside, Zhou Qing yawned wearily and stepped out.

He hadn’t slept all night—spent it all pushing through trials.

He froze.

Because today, Yan Xiao Hu had not only changed his hairstyle—he’d changed his clothes too.

But that red robe with green pants? It looked utterly ridiculous.

Yan Xiao Hu spun happily in front of Zhou Qing, excitedly asking: “How’s it look? How’s it look?”

Zhou Qing didn’t know how to respond, so he said: “Third Brother, red and green? Like dog shit. You—”

“You don’t get it! To stand out among countless young elites, this is the fastest way. If I stood in a crowd like this, wouldn’t you notice me?” Yan Xiao Hu asked eagerly.

Zhou Qing smiled and nodded: “Definitely. You’d think, ‘Hey, who’s this flashy guy? What a terrible taste.’”

“Stop! Stop!” Yan Xiao Hu cut him off, then grinned and leaned in, rubbing Zhou Qing’s shoulders.

“Number Four, how do you think I treat you?” Yan Xiao Hu asked.

Something fishy was going on.

Zhou Qing stared at Yan Xiao Hu’s awkward expression, puzzled: “Third Brother, besides borrowing money, if you need anything, just say it.”

“Good brother!”

Hearing this, Yan Xiao Hu excitedly slapped Zhou Qing on the shoulder.

Zhou Qing winced in pain.

What? If you’ve got something to say, say it—why hit me?

“Oh no, sorry! Does it hurt?” Yan Xiao hurriedly rubbed Zhou Qing’s sore spot.

Zhou Qing shook his head.

Yan Xiao then said, “Here’s the thing—it’s actually simple. Tomorrow, can you just stay home and not show up?”

“Why?” Zhou Qing frowned.

Yan Xiao cleared his throat softly. “It’s nothing much—tomorrow, the Seventh Imperial Prince and Ninth Princess of the Shengwu Empire are coming. Especially the Ninth Princess—this is her first time visiting Taiqingmen. I heard a rumor—she’s incredibly beautiful.”

As he spoke, Yan Xiao’s eyes sparkled, and he couldn’t help wiping the drool from his lips.

(End of chapter)