101: The Temptation of Death in the Ancient Burial Grounds

Dozens of days of agonizing waiting were like a massive boulder pressing down on the hearts of every power in Chihuang Prefecture.

That violent spatial turbulence, which had swallowed the entrance to the Secret Realm and isolated the inside from the outside, finally began to show signs of subsiding.

The churning, twisting Chaos vortex gradually slowed and thinned, receding toward the center like an ebbing tide, revealing the torn and ravaged earth beneath, riddled with holes.

The destructive energy permeating the air had not completely dissipated, but it had weakened from a fury capable of tearing apart Sovereigns to a level that Law Realm experts and even those in the Heaven-Reaching Realm could barely withstand using their Protective Aura.

Chihuang Prefecture—the massive 'camp' formed temporarily there—erupted in a total frenzy!

"The spatial turbulence has weakened! We can enter!"

"Quick! Gather the men! Seize the initiative!"

"Notify the Elder! The passage is stable, enter the Burial God Ancient Domain immediately!"

Greed and desire, suppressed for so long, exploded like a powder keg being ignited. Countless streaks of light shot into the sky from all directions and from anchored flying ships, racing toward the gradually clearing entrance.

Various colored treasure lights tore through the energy aftershocks that had not yet fully settled, colliding near the entrance with fierce sparks and dull booms.

Countless Loose Cultivators and experts from minor factions charged through using movement techniques or defensive Magic Treasures; the scene was chaotic and insane.

"Get lost! I claimed this path first!"

"What a joke! The Burial God Ancient Domain is ownerless land; the strong come first!"

"Kill! Death to whoever blocks me!"

The area near the entrance instantly turned into an Asura Field. To seize a more advantageous entry position and reduce potential competitors, tragic slaughter broke out even before entering the Secret Realm.

Roars, the clashing of Magic Treasures, and miserable screams mixed with the hissing of decaying spatial energy, composing a cruel prologue.

Blood stained the already dark red sands of Chihuang Prefecture, as severed limbs and broken fragments of Magic Treasures piled up near the entrance.

When the chaotic torrent finally surged through the remaining spatial ripples and truly stepped into the Burial God Ancient Domain—that ancient battlefield—the sight that greeted them left many instantly speechless, their hearts seized by a massive shock and a deeper chill.

This place was not the imagined land of treasures everywhere and soaring spiritual light.

As far as the eye could see was an endless expanse of desolation and deathly silence. The sky was an eternal leaden gray, with no sun, moon, or stars—only heavy, dark clouds that seemed to have solidified from eons of resentment, pressing down until one could hardly breathe.

The earth was cracked, with massive fissures like hideous, bottomless scars, spewing out foul breath carrying the scent of sulfur and blood.

Countless bizarre and massive skeletons were half-buried in the dark red sand; some belonged to prehistoric behemoths long extinct, their ribs like pillars supporting the sky.

Others looked like some indescribable, gargantuan creatures, their twisted bone spikes pointing straight at the firmament, emitting a heart-palpitating aura of ferocity.

Shattered weapon remains could be seen everywhere—rusty long halberds and giant axes stuck tilted into the ground, and fragments of broken divine weapons scattered about, their remaining faint spiritual light telling tales of past tragedy and glory.

Even more hair-raising was the thick, almost tangible resentment and killing intent permeating the air! It was as if the souls of hundreds of millions of fallen warriors were silently roaring and cursing, eroding the minds of the intruders.

Those with weaker cultivation felt a stinging pain in their Divine Souls the moment they stepped in, with illusions arising as if countless bloody hands were reaching out from underground to drag them into an eternal abyss.

"Hiss... such heavy Evil Qi of Resentment! The resentment of the beings who fell here has not dissipated after eons!"

"Careful! Some of these skeletons and weapon remains still have terrifying Restrictions or curses lingering on them!"

"Look over there! There's spiritual light! It's an ancient treasure!"

After the brief shock, greed once again overwhelmed fear.

The various factions quickly dispersed like a plague of locusts, pouncing toward areas emitting faint spiritual light or energy fluctuations.

Some rushed toward a massive skeleton emitting a faint jade-like glow, attempting to pry loose bone fragments containing divinity.

Others fought over an ancient sword half-buried in the dirt, its blade covered in cracks yet still flickering with a cold light.

Even more factions organized their men to cautiously explore those relatively intact, half-collapsed ancient palaces or altar ruins.

However, the dangers of this ancient battlefield, which had been silent for untold tens of thousands of years, far exceeded their imagination.

"Ah—!"

A shrill, distorted scream pierced the deathly silence.

A Loose Cultivator rushing toward a giant beast skeleton had just touched a seemingly warm piece of jade bone when it instantly erupted with a blinding blood-red light!

Countless blood-colored threads as fine as cow hairs shot out from the jade bone, piercing into the Cultivator's seven orifices and pores like living things! His body shriveled at a visible rate as his flesh essence and Divine Soul were madly devoured by the blood threads, turning into a skeleton wrapped in human skin in the blink of an eye, which then scattered with the wind.

Meanwhile, the blood-red light of the jade bone grew slightly stronger.

"Watch out for the skeletons!"

"Retreat! Quick, retreat! That sword... is a demonic weapon! It's devouring the wielder's vitality!"

Elsewhere, a Disciple of a demonic Sect gripped a broken sword with wild joy, but before the smile could spread across his face, it instantly contorted.

His arm quickly turned gray and withered; a cold and malicious suction was madly draining his life force through the hilt! Had an Elder nearby not acted quickly and severed his arm with a palm strike, his entire being would have been sucked dry!

Boom!

A team exploring an altar ruin triggered a lingering killing formation.

The ground suddenly collapsed, revealing thick, blood-like lava churning below. Countless blood-colored skulls condensed from resentment and Evil Qi swarmed out, emitting ear-piercing shrieks as they pounced on the crowd.

These blood skulls ignored most physical and energy defenses, drilling directly into the Cultivators' bodies to gnaw on their Divine Souls! For a time, wails rang out continuously as several Cultivators were instantly gnawed into empty shells, their Divine Souls completely annihilated!

Battles, deaths, traps, curses... these erupted densely across this silent ancient battlefield.

Greed brought death, and death in turn bred even thicker Evil Qi of Resentment, forming a vicious cycle.

The smell of blood and the aura of despair from annihilated Divine Souls permeating the air made this already eerie land even more suffocating.

"Dammit! This hellhole is ten times more dangerous than the rumors!"

"We haven't seen many treasures, but we've lost quite a few people!"

"Look over there! What is that light?"

In the Chaos, someone cried out in surprise. Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw, deep within the battlefield in an area guarded by countless massive skeletons, the space was in an extremely unstable and heart-palpitating state of distortion.

Deep fissures that seemed to connect to the Nine Serenities Hell flickered in and out of existence.

From those fissures, a thick, cold aura containing endless death and decay was steadily seeping out—Netherworld Qi!

This Qi was so pure and vast! It was like ink dripping into clear water, rapidly polluting the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

The ground touched by it quickly turned to sand and blackened, growing eerie black moss that emitted a foul stench.

Under the erosion of this Netherworld Qi, some nearby skeletons that had not yet completely decayed actually made tooth-gritting 'crackling' sounds. Eerie green ghost fires ignited in their eye sockets as they shakily stood up!

"Netherworld Qi! Such pure Netherworld Qi is leaking!"

"It's the passage! The passage leading to the Netherworld! It really is here! And... part of the Seal has been destroyed!"

Ancient beings discovered the Netherworld Passage through ancient records left by their Sects!