69: Chapter 69 Ancient Palace Ruins, Array Diagram's Direction, and Another Inheritance

Ye Qing could feel that the barrier of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage Perfection Stage was already as thin as a cicada's wing under continuous impact.

However, he was still not in a hurry to break through, continuing to guide the energy and temper it repeatedly, striving for flawlessness at the Perfection Stage.

His figure moved silently through the eerie star forest, avoiding several areas where spatial fluctuations were obviously chaotic and contained hidden dangers, and also bypassing the sounds of fighting coming from afar.

He followed the direction implied by the star Formation map in the ruins, sneaking towards the depths of the Secret Realm.

The deeper he went, the more bizarre the shapes of those strange metal trees became; some were twisted like struggling human figures, while others seemed like the frozen moment of a star explosion. The star energy and metallic Qi they emitted became increasingly dense, even beginning to cause weak interference with his Divine Sense.

The Aura of killing and antiquity permeating the air also became increasingly heavy.

Along the way, he discovered several similar building ruins, smaller in scale and more severely damaged, with nothing of value left. Only on the floors or remaining walls of those ruins could he occasionally find similar star positioning Formation map carvings pointing in the same direction.

"It seems this Formation map is indeed a road sign, pointing to some important location deep in the Secret Realm. Perhaps it is a gathering place for ancient Cultivators, or some key facility."

Ye Qing was certain in his heart and accelerated.

After traveling for about another half an hour, the scene ahead suddenly changed.

The metal forest came to an end, and a huge, barren black plain appeared before his eyes. The surface of the plain was as smooth as a mirror, composed of some hard material that was neither metal nor stone, and was also covered with fine star patterns.

In the center of the plain stood a magnificent building that was relatively well-preserved and reached dozens of zhang in height!

It was a huge hall built entirely of a mixture of dark golden metal and grayish-white rock, with a rough and ancient style, hard lines, and a sense of power. The surface of the hall was carved with countless complex star orbits, the interplay of the sun and moon, and unrecognizable ancient gods, demons, and strange beast patterns. Despite the erosion of time, it still exuded a majestic, vicissitudinous, and dignified Aura.

The hall had no plaque; only above the main entrance was a huge, complex emblem made of countless starlight dots, faintly similar to the core symbol of the Formation maps in the ruins.

At this moment, this ancient hall was covered by a thick light shield of pale gold, flowing with starlight dots, which was clearly a powerful protective Restriction.

Outside the Restriction light shield, dozens of Cultivators had already gathered.

They were divided into several groups, clearly distinct.

The largest group was the Black Fiend Society, the Green Wolf Group, and the Hundred Flowers Alliance, who controlled the entrance. They each occupied one side, guarding against each other, yet they were also faintly united, suppressing the other Loose Cultivators.

There were also a few smaller teams, or some lone Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivators, or even some with obscure Auras suspected to be at the Foundation Establishment Perfection Stage, scattered a little further away, watching coldly.

Everyone's eyes were focused on the tightly closed, several-zhang-high dark golden giant gate of the ancient hall, and the pale golden Restriction light shield covering the hall.

The air was filled with a heavy smell of gunpowder and suppressed greed.

"It seems this is the core of the Secret Realm. This ancient hall is likely the true destination pointed to by those Formation maps."

Ye Qing stopped quietly, hiding in the shadow of a twisted giant tree at the edge of the metal forest, his Aura completely concealed, observing from afar.

"The Restriction outside the hall is powerful; these people are all waiting for the Restriction to weaken or looking for a way to break it. There won't be a large-scale conflict for now. But once the Restriction changes, there will likely be a bloody melee immediately."

He did not approach the crowd, but instead circled the edge of the plain, using his Divine Sense to carefully investigate the surrounding environment of the ancient hall, looking for possible weak points or side doors.

The ancient hall occupied a huge area and was square in shape, with a slightly shorter tower at each of the four corners. The pale golden Restriction light shield covered the entire hall and part of the surrounding area, with light flowing through it, showing no flaws.

Based on his current understanding of Formation and Void perception, he could judge that the level of this Restriction was extremely high, far exceeding the Foundation Establishment level, and was likely set by ancient Golden Core or even higher-level Cultivators. Although its power had greatly diminished after the passage of time, it was definitely not something that these Foundation Establishment Cultivators present could easily break.

"Forcing a break of the Restriction is not advisable. One needs to find its pattern, or wait for it to weaken to a certain degree on its own, then enter with clever force."

Ye Qing calmed his heart and patiently observed the energy circulation pattern of the Restriction light shield, while simultaneously keeping an eye on the movements of the Cultivators in the field.

Time passed bit by bit.

More and more Cultivators gathered, already numbering nearly a hundred. The atmosphere became increasingly tense, and some small frictions and quarrels occurred from time to time, all suppressed by their respective leaders. Everyone's patience was being worn down.

Just as the sun tilted to the west and the dim sky of the Secret Realm became even gloomier, the pale golden Restriction light shield above the ancient hall suddenly trembled slightly!

Immediately following this, the speed of the starlight dots flowing on the surface of the light shield suddenly accelerated, the light began to flicker uncertainly, and the brightness of the entire light shield slowly dimmed at a speed visible to the naked eye!

"The Restriction is weakening!"

"The time has come!"

"Prepare to break the Restriction!"

A commotion arose in the crowd, all the Cultivators were invigorated, Magic Treasures were unsheathed, spiritual light flickered, and the atmosphere instantly tightened to the extreme.

The One-eyed Hunk of the Black Fiend Society, the leader of the Green Wolf Group, and a cold and beautiful female Cultivator leading the Hundred Flowers Alliance almost simultaneously stepped forward, their Auras erupting, preparing to lead their subordinates to strike first and bombard the weak point of the Restriction.

However, just at this critical moment, a new change occurred!

From the crack of the tightly closed dark golden giant gate of the ancient hall, a ray of extremely dazzling golden light suddenly shone through!

The beam of light shot up into the sky, instantly piercing through the weakening pale golden Restriction light shield, shooting straight into the dark red sky!

Rumble—accompanied by the appearance of the light beam was a low, magnificent rumbling sound, as if coming from the ancient times, which came from inside the hall, shaking the entire plain ground slightly.

Immediately afterwards, in the stunned eyes of everyone, those two dark golden giant gates, several zhang high, actually opened a gap inwards on their own, accompanied by a harsh sound of metal friction!

The gap was not large, allowing only a few people to pass side by side. But the scene inside the door made everyone gasp.

There was no imagined golden splendor or swirling Immortal Qi. There was only a deep darkness that seemed to be able to swallow all light. In the darkness, faint starlike flickers could be seen, and... a more pure, ancient, and vast star energy, like a tide, surged out from the crack of the door!

"The door... opened by itself?"

"The Restriction is not broken, why did the door open on its own?"

"Could there be someone inside? Or was some mechanism triggered?"

The crowd was filled with suspicion, and the several major forces that were originally preparing to break the Restriction also stopped their actions, looking suspiciously at the opened hall door and the heart-palpitating deep darkness inside.

Opportunity often coexists with risk. The hall door opening on its own seemed to save the trouble of breaking the Restriction, but the unknown darkness and vast star energy behind the door made people feel instinctively uneasy.

For a time, no one dared to step in first.

Ye Qing, in the tree shadows in the distance, was also filled with awe. The hall door opening on its own was definitely not an accident. Either the Restriction core had reached a certain cycle and opened automatically, or... there was something or someone inside that had actively opened the door!

He stared intently at the opened door gap, and the "Void Dao Seed" deep in his Divine Soul trembled slightly, sending a faint palpitation with "warning" and "ancient" meanings.

This ancient hall was likely more dangerous than imagined. But the Opportunity would also inevitably be greater.

Just as everyone was hesitating, two scarlet lights suddenly lit up in the deep darkness inside the opened hall door!

The lights quickly approached and grew larger. The next moment, two tall, burly figures, covered in dark golden metal armor, holding giant axes, and with scarlet soul fire burning in their eye sockets, walked slowly out from the darkness inside the door with heavy and neat steps!

Every step they took on the black ground in front of the hall emitted a dull, loud sound, and the ground trembled accordingly.

Their bodies exuded a cold, dead, yet incomparably powerful Aura, which had clearly reached the Foundation Establishment Perfection Stage! And, there were two of them!

"Guard... Puppet?!"

"Foundation Establishment Perfection Stage Puppet! And there are two!"

The crowd was immediately in an uproar, many Cultivators looked terrified and subconsciously retreated.

The art of Puppetry had long been mostly lost. To be able to refine a combat Puppet of the Foundation Establishment Perfection Stage level, its master's cultivation must be at least Golden Core, or even higher! These two Puppets could still move after a long passage of time, and their Auras were so formidable, which showed the high level of their refining Materials and techniques.

The two metal Puppets stood still in front of the hall door, their scarlet soul fire scanning the Cultivators in front, their giant axes slowly raised, making a defensive posture. Although they had no words, that cold killing intent of "trespassers will die" had already permeated the air.

"Two Foundation Establishment Perfection Stage Puppets guarding the door... This ancient hall is indeed not so easy to enter." The One-eyed Hunk of the Black Fiend Society looked solemn and said to his subordinates in a low voice.

"What are you afraid of! They are just two dead objects! With so many of us, are we afraid of two Puppets?" The leader of the Green Wolf Group sneered, fierce light flashing in his eyes, "Let's go together, destroy them, and everyone can rely on their own ability to get the treasures inside!"

"Not bad! The Opportunity is right in front of us, how can we stop because of two Puppets!" The cold and beautiful female Cultivator of the Hundred Flowers Alliance also spoke coldly, and a pair of short daggers flashing with cold light had already appeared in her hands.

The leaders of the three major forces quickly reached a consensus. The hall door was open, and although the Puppets were strong, there were only two of them, and there were nearly a hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators present, including more than a dozen at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage and Perfection Stage. With their combined strength, they might not be unable to fight.

"Everyone! Although the Puppets are strong, they are dead objects! Let us join forces to break the Puppets first, then enter the ancient hall! The gains will depend on each person's Opportunity, how about it?" The One-eyed Hunk of the Black Fiend Society gathered his mana, and his voice spread across the plain.

"Good!"

"Join forces to defeat the enemy!"

Many Loose Cultivators and small faction Cultivators were already itching to act, and upon hearing this, they echoed one after another. In the face of huge benefits, fear was temporarily suppressed.

"Form up! Prepare to attack!"

The Cultivators of the three major forces moved first, each forming their own Formations, and the spiritual light of their Magic Treasures lit up. Other Cultivators also took out Magic Treasures and Talismans, urging their mana.

Nearly a hundred Auras of varying strength rose up, locking onto the two silent metal Puppets in front of the hall door. The great battle was imminent.

Ye Qing, in the distance, watched coldly, calculating rapidly in his heart.

"Two Foundation Establishment Perfection Stage Puppets have impressive combat power, but facing the siege of nearly a hundred Cultivators, defeat is a matter of time. However, the opened hall door and the deep darkness behind the Puppets are the real uncertain factors. Rushing to the front at this moment may not be a good thing."

He decided to hold his position and wait and see.

Just at the moment when everyone's Aura had condensed to the peak and they were about to launch an attack.

The scarlet soul fire in the eye sockets of the two motionless metal Puppets suddenly shone brightly!

They simultaneously slammed their giant axes heavily onto the ground. Boom! Boom!

Two dull, loud sounds, like war drums beating. Immediately afterwards, with the two Puppets as the center, the black material on the ground, covered with star patterns, suddenly lit up with complex pale golden lines!

The lines seemed to come alive, rapidly spreading and intertwining in all directions, instantly covering an area of several hundred zhang in front of the hall door, shrouding most of the gathered Cultivators within it!

"Not good! It's a trap!"

"Retreat quickly!"

Some quick-reacting Cultivators changed their expressions drastically and shouted to retreat. However, it was already too late. The pale golden lines shone brightly, forming a huge, complex, and profound Formation pattern!

Within the Formation, gravity suddenly increased tenfold! The air became as viscous as glue! Furthermore, countless golden rays of light, as thin as hair and incomparably sharp, generated out of thin air, like a net cast from the heavens, slashing towards the Cultivators within the Formation!

"The Geng Metal Void-Splitting Great Array?! To think there is such a killing Formation here!" a knowledgeable Cultivator exclaimed in horror.

Screams rang out instantly.

Some Cultivators with lower cultivation or slower reactions—those at the Qi Refining Stage or Foundation Establishment Early Stage—were instantly sliced into several pieces by the golden light rays, or had their bones crushed by the suddenly increased gravity, collapsing to the ground, unable to rise.

Even Cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage struggled to cope, hastily raising their protective spiritual light and deploying defensive Magic Treasures, left in a wretched state while dealing with the gravity constraints and the slaughter of the golden light rays.

Those two metal Puppets walked into the Formation with heavy strides, like grim reapers, wielding their giant axes to unleash fierce golden axe beams, specifically slaughtering those Cultivators who were barely holding on.

In an instant, the area in front of the palace gate turned into a bloody slaughterhouse.

Large factions like the Black Fiend Society, Green Wolf Group, and Hundred Flowers Alliance managed to form defensive Formations by relying on their numbers and coordinated attacks, struggling to hold on, yet they still suffered heavy casualties.

The Loose Cultivators and small factions were routed, fleeing in all directions, but they could not break through the range of the Formation, and people kept falling one after another.

Ye Qing was positioned at the edge outside the Formation. Because he was far away and had been hiding, he was not completely enveloped by the Formation; he only felt a slight increase in gravity around him and that the air was slightly sluggish.

Watching the tragic scene within the Formation, his eyes were cold.

"As expected, there is an ambush. This ancient palace is filled with murderous intent at every step. Those two Puppets are not just guards; they are the triggers for this 'Geng Metal Void-Splitting Great Array.' The person who set up this Formation is meticulous and ruthless."

He did not rashly charge into the Formation to save anyone, nor did he have any intention of fighting side-by-side with those large factions.

His target was the interior of the ancient palace.

He cast his gaze once more towards the open palace gate.

At this moment, because the Formation had activated and the two Puppets had entered to slaughter, a slight gap had appeared in front of the palace gate. The deep, dark opening seemed to be quietly waiting for the next intruder.

"Wealth is sought in danger. Now that everyone is trapped by the Formation, it is the best Opportunity to enter the ancient palace. I only need to avoid the core of the Formation and the Puppets..."

Ye Qing's thoughts raced, and he instantly made his decision.

He swallowed another "void concealment pill," suppressing his Aura to the absolute limit.

Then, his figure flickered, and he fully utilized the "Void Step." Instead of rushing straight toward the palace gate, he stepped out in strange arcs, as if merging into the spatial ripples, skillfully avoiding the edges of the pale golden lines extending from the Formation, as well as several stray golden light rays.

With a few flashes of his figure, he had silently passed through the edge of the chaotic battlefield and arrived before the open dark golden giant gate.

Inside the gate, the deep darkness was close at hand, and a vast star source essence rushed towards him.

Behind him, the screams of Cultivators, the explosions of Magic Treasures, and the heavy footsteps of the Puppets intertwined into a movement of death.

Ye Qing did not look back; he took a step forward, his figure submerging into the darkness within the gate, and vanished.

The very moment he entered, the two metal Puppets rampaging in the Formation turned their scarlet soul fires toward the palace gate, as if sensing something, but they were entangled by the desperate Cultivators within the Formation and could not break free for the moment.

Behind the dark golden giant gate was not the main hall he had imagined, but a wide, deep corridor sloping downwards.

The walls on both sides of the corridor were also built from dark golden metal and grayish-white stone, embedded with a type of strange gemstone that could emit a faint starlight on its own, illuminating the path ahead.

The star source essence here was so dense it had almost turned into tangible mist, flowing slowly. The air was cold, carrying the scent of dust settled by the passage of time.

Ye Qing did not move forward immediately; he first used his Divine Sense to carefully scan the front and back of the corridor, confirming there were no traps and no signs of living beings.

Then, he proceeded downwards along the corridor.

The corridor was extremely long, spiraling downwards as if it led to the center of the earth.

After walking for about a quarter of an hour, light appeared ahead. At the end of the corridor was an ajar stone gate made of the same material.

From within the gate, even more vast ripples of star source essence could be faintly felt.

Ye Qing pushed open the stone gate. The view before him suddenly opened up.

This was an incomparably magnificent circular hall!

The hall was a hundred zhang high and over a thousand zhang in diameter, extremely spacious. The floor, walls, and dome were all constructed from that dark golden metal and grayish-white stone, with the surfaces carved with even larger, more complex, and profound star movement trajectories, as well as countless patterns of gods, demons, exotic beasts, and ancient people worshipping the starry sky.

In the center of the hall, there were no superfluous decorations, only a ten-zhang-tall, slowly rotating three-dimensional star map that seemed to be condensed entirely from pure star source essence!

The star map was incomparably massive, composed of countless bright or dim, large or small star light points, rotating slowly according to some extremely profound law, projecting hazy starlight that illuminated the entire hall as if one were standing in the boundless starry sky.

Directly below the three-dimensional star map, corresponding to the center of the hall's floor, was a small, circular stone platform only three feet high.

On the stone platform, three items were placed quietly.

On the left was a palm-sized dark golden metal box; the lid was tightly closed, and no Aura leaked out.

In the middle was a fist-sized, crystalline strange crystal, inside of which seemed to be a miniature rotating nebula sealed, emitting a heart-palpitating, pure star source essence.

On the right was an ancient scroll made of neither leather nor silk, dark yellow in color, and tied with some kind of silver thread.

Ye Qing's gaze was first firmly attracted to that strange crystal.

He could feel that the space within his body was sending an unprecedented, intense throb of near-"starvation" toward this crystal! The star source essence contained within this crystal far exceeded star marrow iron, and even surpassed the lingering Dao rhythm within that star stone platform at the bottom of Zhuixing Lake!

"This... could it be the legendary 'star core'? A condensed object of the star source essence of a Small World or Secret Realm?"

He suppressed the excitement in his heart and looked again at the dark golden box and the ancient scroll.

To be placed alongside such a "star core," these two items must also be extraordinary.

He did not step forward to collect them immediately; instead, he first used his Divine Sense to carefully scan around the stone platform and the entire hall.

The hall was empty; besides the central star map and the stone platform, there was nothing else. There were also no fluctuations of Restrictions.

But he dared not be careless; the methods of ancient Cultivators were unfathomable.

After thinking for a moment, he first tried to condense the simplest "Void Beacon" imprint, flicked his finger, and the imprint slowly flew toward the stone platform, preparing to "touch" and test it first.

However, when the imprint was still about a zhang away from the stone platform, it seemed to collide with an invisible barrier, paused slightly, and then dissipated.

"There is an invisible Restriction!"

Ye Qing's eyes narrowed. Indeed, how could an Opportunity be obtained so easily?

He circulated his magic power, narrowed his eyes slightly, used the power of the Void Dao Seed to bolster his Divine Sense, and looked carefully around the stone platform.

Sure enough, about a zhang outside the stone platform, the space presented an extremely subtle, unnatural distortion. A layer of transparent, pale golden light film, which almost blended into the surrounding environment, completely enveloped the space within a zhang of the stone platform.

On the light film, countless tiny, flowing star runes faintly flickered, forming an extremely complex and precise defensive Restriction.

"This Restriction... is of the same Origin as the 'Geng Metal Void-Splitting Great Array' outside the hall, but it is more introverted and profound; it is likely the true core defense of the ancient palace. Breaking it by force will inevitably trigger a terrifying counterattack."

Ye Qing frowned slightly, carefully observing the flow patterns of the Restriction runes, attempting to find a flaw.

However, this Restriction was an integrated whole, flowing endlessly, and seemed to have no weaknesses at all.

"Perhaps... I could try the 'Void Restriction-Tampering Technique'? But the Rank of this Restriction is too high; with my current cultivation and understanding of Formations, the chance of success is slim, and the risk is extremely great."

He pondered for a moment, and his gaze fell once again upon that slowly rotating, massive three-dimensional star map.

It seemed that a portion of the starlight projected by the star map happened to cover the area where the stone platform was located. The star runes on that layer of pale golden light film and the movement of certain stars within the three-dimensional star map faintly had a peculiar synchronization.

"Could it be... that the key to breaking this Restriction lies within this three-dimensional star map? Do I need to adjust the operation of the star map so that the starlight it projects produces some kind of 'resonance' or 'interference' with the Restriction runes, in order to open it safely?"

Once this thought arose, Ye Qing immediately felt that the possibility was very high.

Ancient Cultivators often used stars to set up Formations, using star maps as keys. The star source essence here was so dense that this three-dimensional star map was definitely not just a decoration.

He walked closer to the three-dimensional star map and looked up to observe it.

The star map was vast, with countless stars, and the trajectories of their movement were complex and profound. With his current understanding of the Dao of stars, he could only barely identify the trajectories of a few relatively bright "main stars," as well as some simple stellar combinations.

"I need to find the star nodes corresponding to the Restriction runes of the stone platform and adjust their positions or movements..."

This was a massive project of calculation and deduction.

Fortunately, he had the extraordinary Comprehension Ability granted by space, the spatial intuition brought by the "Void Dao Seed," and even the ancient star insights fragments obtained from the Zhuixing Lake stone platform and the "Void Imprint" fragments as a foundation.

He sat cross-legged right beneath this vast star map, his mind completely immersed within it.

He began to use the star runes flowing on the stone platform's Restriction as a reference, searching for the potentially corresponding star light points and trajectories within the massive three-dimensional star map.

Time, in this silent and magnificent hall, flowed away quietly.

The slaughter and screams on the plains outside the palace seemed to have nothing to do with this place anymore.

Only that slowly rotating star map cast eternal starlight, illuminating the lonely figure below who was immersed in deduction.

Within his body, the two-hundred-eighty-zhang cave heaven seemed to sense the vast star source essence outside and his current state, so the operation of the star phantom quietly accelerated, creating a faint resonance with the star map in the hall, feeding back threads of pure star insights to assist Ye Qing's deduction.

The Hunxu Yandao Scripture operated on its own, slowly absorbing and fusing these insights.

His cultivation at the Foundation Establishment Perfection Stage became increasingly rounded and flawless in this mysterious atmosphere; upon his Dao foundation, the star light points became even more brilliant, as if they were about to condense into a unique star map.

He did not know how much time had passed.

Ye Qing's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened.

In his eyes, the entire rotating starry sky was reflected, along with a few slowly moving star light points he had locked onto.

"Found you... it's you!"

He rose to his full height, came to a certain spot on the three-dimensional star map, and pointed into the air at a dark red star phantom that had deviated from its "normal" trajectory.

He injected Chaos magic power mixed with a trace of Void Realm power into it.

That dark red star trembled slightly, and its trajectory underwent an extremely subtle deflection.

Then came the second, the third...

His hands pointed repeatedly, as if plucking invisible harp strings, adjusting the positions and relative angles of the seven key stars in the three-dimensional star map.

Following his adjustments, the operation of the entire three-dimensional star map seemed to undergo some kind of subtle change.

The brightness, angle, and even the star Dao rhythm contained within the starlight projected toward the stone platform changed accordingly.

Finally, when the seventh star was adjusted into place—

Hum!

The layer of pale golden light film enveloping the stone platform trembled gently.

The star runes flowing on the surface suddenly lit up, and then... like melting snow, they slowly faded and dissipated.

That layer of powerful and secretive Restriction disappeared.

The stone platform and the three items on it were presented before Ye Qing without any obstruction.

The Restriction had been broken.