The Journey of Immortal Cultivation

She let out a light "ah." Qing Ji’s Green Armor Army was also a formidable demon army. Now, following their master in rebelling against Fengtian Prefecture and joining the Northern Front, one could imagine the overwhelming chaos this brought. Even in such circumstances, Miluo’s cultivation continued to advance daily, showcasing a determination that was truly remarkable.

"Until about a year and a half ago, a new ally joined the Northern Front, relieving the Southern camp significantly. Can you guess who this new ally is?"

Without even thinking, she blurted out, "Mirror Sea King Mansion."

"That’s right. As the main force opposing the Northern camp, they might have exchanged some agreements. Moreover, these two powers have common traits; they were originally supposed to become in-laws."

In-laws? She blinked before understanding, "You mean Huangfuming and Miluo almost became the sons-in-law of Jishi Building?"

"Yes. Weren’t they supposed to call each other brother-in-law and brother-in-law then?" He chuckled lowly, a hint of sarcasm in his words, then looked around, "We’ve arrived."

He had taken each step slowly, giving her more time to adjust to the density of the Evil Qi. But regardless of how carefully she controlled herself, she felt a powerful palpitating sensation, like being in an oxygen-deprived sealed room—a sensation she had almost forgotten after stepping onto the Immortal Path. Even though she was at the brink of Great Perfection in the Harmonization Stage, trying to resist the Evil Qi emanating from Red Ghost Mountain on her own was something her Heart Power couldn’t handle.

Though she was stubborn, she continued to persevere without voicing her appeal. Changtian intended to shelter her within his Protective Gang Qi, but she refused.

With the brightness of the Firefly Grass in her hand, she began to observe her surroundings. Now deep in the underground, the Evil Qi was so thick it appeared as a faint black smoke. Even though separated by their Protective Gang Qi, it still relentlessly attempted to penetrate the light curtain, like earthworms trying to burrow into the soil. She could even feel that her and Changtian’s Divine Power seemed to have a fatal attraction to this Evil Qi, drawing it to dash against the light curtain repeatedly, shattering and reforming as if driven by deep resentment.

Though Changtian seemed unaffected, she could feel each assault of the black smoke on her Vigorous Air Layer, causing its luminescence to waver slightly. Fortunately, her Divine Power was still pure enough to barely sustain her.

At this moment, both of them noticed that at the bottom of the fissure there was nothing special, except for a narrow crack in front of them. It resembled the exterior wall of some structure torn by earth tremors, wide enough to allow four people to walk through side by side. Inside it was even deeper and darker, and crucially, billowing Evil Qi flowed out from it, gradually spreading throughout the fissure and spilling outward.

"Come." He held her hand, leading her through the crack.

In the pitch darkness, with the eerie Evil Qi, the strange subterranean structures, and the yet unseen monsters, it felt almost like an Otherworld version of Tomb Raider. The difference was, she had a handsome man who gave her a strong sense of security by her side, making her heartbeat race.

Warmth radiated from Changtian’s palm, soothing her emotions.

After passing through the crack, the claustrophobic feeling of being underground disappeared. In front of them suddenly lay a massive stone room, at least as large as four football fields, and towering at least ten meters high. Only then did she realize that the crack they entered through was merely a small breach in the collapsed stone chamber. Remarkably, the stone walls were two meters thick (6.6 meters), and if not for an irresistible natural force like the earth tremors, this underground palace’s stone wall alone would surpass the outer walls of most cities in this world.

However, her attention was entirely captured by the view before her. The expansive stone chamber wasn’t empty. Here, countless people were kneeling in neat order, knees on the ground, hands bound behind their backs, heads bowed as if in repentance.

"Live Sacrifice." Changtian observed the surroundings, "This underground palace is quite large. The tremor half a year ago must have opened the weakest sacrificial pit." The image in the Jade Scroll must have been captured here, so they had already surmised this was an underground mausoleum, but seeing it in person, she was nonetheless shocked.

Ning Xiaoxian naturally didn’t think the people on the ground were still alive. In fact, who knows how long this underground structure had existed, and the fact that these figures hadn’t turned to dust by now was astonishing enough. Upon closer inspection, she noticed they had barely any dust on them, with lifelike expressions. These people likely knew that being brought here left them no chance of survival; their final expressions were twisted with anger, malice, and a cursed look, some even having died with their mouths agape like fish gasping for air.

She took out the Tusk, and with the tip of the blade, lightly touched one of the figures.

Like shattering an hourglass, the person instantly disintegrated, unable to maintain their original form, turning into a trace of sand that covered the ground right before their eyes.

"It’s the Evil Qi," Changtian suddenly remarked, his deep and mellow voice echoing within the vast stone chamber, sounding all the more somber, "Evil Qi is also formed by the essence of Heaven and Earth. This underground palace was originally sealed, and everything within was preserved by the dense Evil Qi, barely maintaining their appearance undisturbed by time. Now that the sacrificial pit has a crack, and the Evil Qi is flowing out, it’s no longer completely sealed, and these people instantly desiccated."

Evil Qi being a manifestation of the breath of Heaven and Earth can have such effects, which is not surprising. Time has long passed since the moment it felt irrelevant. Even the God Demon Prison cannot retain time, let alone this unknown underground architecture? Now exposed to the air, these mortal companions will turn to dust in two or three months, needing no other interference.

She couldn’t help but shiver.

This stone room was so vast, with at least a hundred thousand kneeling inside, and every one of them was purely human. Who had the audacity to use a hundred thousand living humans to accompany them in burial? No cultivator would commit such an offense against Heavenly Balance.

She noticed a small protrusion in the middle of the pile of sand. Using the Dagger, she brushed it aside, revealing a wedge of stone ground beneath securely embedded in the ground.

No wonder these people maintained a devout kneeling posture even in death; their calves had been nailed to the ground by wedges, unable to move! A chill ran through her heart, such a method of sacrificing was exceedingly vicious and cruel.

"This is a burial at least 20,000 years old; look at their attire." Changtian casually pointed to a male corpse. This corpse had a disheveled beard that covered its face, completely naked aside from a small hide draped over the waist to cover the private area, almost entirely bare. (To be continued. If you enjoy this story, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation. For mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)