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After meeting with Chuxiong Huifeng, Li Hong decided to find the Longan Flower and return to the exit immediately.
Upon hearing that there were signs of magic in the Ancient Celestial Field, Chuxiong and Hui Feng's expressions turned grim. The four of them decided not to conserve the Fire Origin Pill any longer and to explore the Ancient Celestial Field at the fastest speed. Li Hong stopped collecting samples of the celestial herbs. At this point, it was best to keep a low profile and avoid drawing attention.
Although he felt a twinge of regret deep down, especially since they had discovered the famous Jade Essence Lotus that day, they had no choice but to leave. It was unavoidable; nearby was a High-Level Spirit Beast whose name they could not recall, but it was clear that it would be difficult to deal with.
Fourth Basin... Fifth Group... Sixth Group... Seventh Group... They ventured deeper, and after flying back from the Seventh Group Basin, they encountered a different region.
No longer were there interconnected basins; instead, there was a Dead Zone.
The sky was dark and overcast, and the flat expanse of deep black gravel stretched endlessly. It was eerily silent everywhere, devoid of any signs of life. Even the wind seemed to have stilled. All that remained was desolation. This place felt like an abandoned wasteland. The air carried a strange burnt smell, as if something had caught fire nearby, yet there was no sign of flames.
As they landed on the ground, the loose deep black gravel threatened to swallow their legs if they did not use their movement techniques. Li Hong scooped up a handful and brought it to his nose, immediately confirming, "Someone fought a great battle here long ago. All the mountains and trees have turned to ashes. Look, each piece of gravel is nearly uniform in size and shows signs of having been burned."
Chu Xi exclaimed in surprise, "What incredible cultivation! To level this place? Only someone at the Heavenly Fusion Stage or above could accomplish that!"
"Wow, that's impressive!" Chuxiong said while scratching his head, his messy hair resembling a bird's nest even more.
Hui Feng shot him a glare.
Chuxiong chuckled and said, "I'll go check ahead." He activated Flowing Fire and flew forward.
"Let's go together!"
The four of them took to their swords and flew forward side by side.
Gradually, some objects began to appear on the ground. Large chunks of black stone were scattered across the gravel surface. Digging one out revealed its surface covered in flowing black streaks; high temperatures had created small honeycomb-like holes on the stone's surface.
Chu Xi recognized it: "Top-Quality Jade! It's all been burned; what a shame."
Li Hong's eyes widened as he exclaimed dramatically, "Look over here; this seems to be a ruin! Wow, how extravagant!"
The further they flew, the more ruins appeared among the gravel, suggesting that there had once been large buildings here, all reduced to rubble by a great war. Only the extremely heat-resistant Top-Quality Jade remained somewhat intact.
What a terrifying level of cultivation this was. Li Hong suddenly recalled Yun Jiuzi's words, and an uncontrollable sense of unease surged within him. He whispered, "Don't let your guard down; let's hurry."
After flying for an unknown amount of time, Li Hong felt a familiar sensation wash over him again.
Ahead, a large mass of black mist appeared out of nowhere. This mist was dense, thick, and vast, blocking their entire line of sight and enveloping something within. The familiar feeling emanated from this black mist.
Strangely enough, standing before the mist, besides Li Hong, Chu Xi and the others felt nothing at all.
They could see it clearly but felt nothing. It seemed contradictory but indicated one thing: this was an extremely profound technique of Restrictions.
Li Hong stared at the black mist for a long time before suddenly saying, "You all stay outside; I will go in alone."
Seeing Chu Xi about to speak, Li Hong interrupted without hesitation: "You are not allowed to enter. I sense great danger inside, but I have some chance of survival. You wait for me here."
After saying this, he summoned Lingyi and quickly dug a pit about ten feet in diameter in the gravel. Once Chu Xi and the others jumped in, he immediately set up three Invisibility Talismans.
Having completed these preparations, he flew into the black mist without looking back.
********
As Li Hong entered the black mist, he immediately summoned Yue Que. He sensed that Yue Que seemed a bit restless.
Once Yue Que flew out, it circled around Li Hong once and conveyed a feeling of joy as it slowly flew into the black mist—it was actually leading the way!
Li Hong observed the faint golden light of Yue Que within the black mist and began to understand—it had a connection to this place or perhaps to the Ancient Divine Being who had set it up here.
Yue Que flew slowly and steadily through the black mist. Although Li Hong could not see it, he still felt an overwhelmingly terrifying force of Restrictions surrounding him. That power was almost enough to instill fear in him. Yet Yue Que's flight path was precisely a narrow passage that did not trigger those Restrictions.
It truly recognized this place.
What other secrets does this mysterious Celestial Artifact hold? Li Hong pondered.
Suddenly, the surroundings brightened, and Yue Que stood still. Li Hong found himself in front of a massive palace.
Surrounding him was a towering wall that seemed to reach the black sky. The ancient, cracked jade gate leaned precariously, already open just enough for a person to pass through. That familiar feeling intensified, almost beckoning him. Through the open gate, he could see a wide Azure Jade Stone Path inside, flanked by two rows of Crystal Light shimmering Jadeite sculptures of fantastical beasts, extending all the way to the steps of the grand palace.
Standing outside the gate, Li Hong hesitated. He knew he had never been here before; if there was a sense of familiarity—he glanced at the slowly rotating Yue Que—it must have come from it.
A powerful aura that had existed since the Primordial era wafted out from within, causing Li Hong's hair to stand on end and his heart to race. He struggled to muster the courage to step inside.
"Why are you scared again, kid?" The voice of Heavenly Torch suddenly appeared, startling Li Hong nearly out of his skin.
"You’re awake?"
"Yeah, I helped you last time and was exhausted. I had a good long sleep, and now I'm finally refreshed," Heavenly Torch cackled.
He suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Hey? What is this place? Ah! That Celestial Artifact can actually be used?"
He was astonished, and Li Hong couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"This place is quite Strange; I feel like I've seen it somewhere before," Heavenly Torch mused.
This guy always said that but never had any useful information!
"You dare look down on me! Let me think... Right, you should go through that big door first."
To be honest, Li Hong was too scared. He stood outside the door, indecisive.
Just then, Yue Que suddenly moved and slowly flew through the gap in the open door. It emanated a warm feeling, as if encouraging Li Hong not to be afraid.
Li Hong gritted his teeth and steeled himself to step inside one cautious step at a time.
As he passed through the grand gate, a tight sensation enveloped him, as if he were caught in something. Li Hong rushed forward three steps and urgently signaled Yue Que to fall back.
In an instant, the feeling of constriction around him vanished. Li Hong found himself standing behind the door, facing the shimmering Azure Jade Avenue flanked by strange beasts.
From here, he could clearly see the front of the majestic palace. The entire palace complex towered into the clouds, with the tips of its spires disappearing into the dark clouds above. There were no windows visible from the outside; it appeared as a solid structure, entirely black. Upon closer inspection, fine scorch marks were visible on its surface—evidence that the great battle had reached this place as well. The wide doors of the Main Hall stood five zhang high and three zhang wide, tightly closed, with a faint glow flowing over them.
The Restrictions were still in effect, that was certain.
"Wow, what a great place! Stay still; I'll help you!" Inside the Upper Dantian, the Celestial Candle Dragon was flying upright in the center of the Fire Separation Pearl. Suddenly, it opened its mouth, releasing an invisible but palpable wave of energy from within the Fire Separation Pearl, rapidly extending outward toward Li Hong.
"When did you learn this move?" Li Hong exclaimed in surprise.
"Hehe, I'm slowly recovering; you haven't seen anything yet," came the proud telepathic response from the Celestial Candle Dragon.
Li Hong complied and stood still, looking around.
Outside the door was not visible; however, there was indeed something special about the Azure Jade Stone Path inside. A winding path made of jadeite slabs extended alongside the palace, with small jade pavilions at intervals and flower beds on either side.
Most of the celestial herbs inside had withered away; a few charred leaves hung limply from their dried stems.
At that moment, Li Hong suddenly felt overjoyed—Longan Flower!
He spotted it near a distant pavilion almost beside the palace—a solitary strange flower that had somehow survived. Its thick red stem bore a large round bud resembling an eye, with strange flames flickering around it. Even from afar, he could sense an intense concentration of Fire Spirit Energy.
Li Hong laughed heartily; it truly was a case of finding treasure without effort!
"I want to pick that Longan Flower first!"
Heavenly Torch seemed to be busy with something and did not respond for a while. Just as Li Hong was about to step forward, he suddenly heard a loud shout: "Don't move! Danger lurks everywhere here; are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Li Hong's outstretched foot hung awkwardly in mid-air. He scratched his head and looked uncertainly at Yue Que in front of him: "Yue Que, can you guide me? Just like when we came in?"
Yue Que remained completely still, without any sensation coming through.
Li Hong sighed. It seemed that Yue Que's spiritual energy had not yet recovered. It was able to bring itself in, likely due to its own strange abilities. Another possibility was that its previous master, Heavenly Danzi, might have entered here long ago and recorded the way in.
Heavenly Torch spoke up, "Kid, I just remembered something. Do you know the legend of the Ancient God?"
Ancient God? Ancient Divine Being? Li Hong recalled hearing Heavenly Torch and Yun Jiuzi mention it before.
"They're different names for the same thing. Yes! It's the Ancient Divine Being. In my opinion, this place is the ruins of the Ancient Divine Being! Haha, I remember a long time ago I visited a Celestial Mansion Map. Perhaps the Restrictions here are similar to those there. So kid, if you want to collect the Longan Flower, you need to gamble with me! Let's see if my gamble is right!" Heavenly Torch cackled.
Li Hong smiled; this was already quite promising.
"Let's gamble!"
"Alright!"
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