400: Temple ruins

“Of course, since we have already cultivated to the Inscription Realm, which is comparable to the Divine Power Realm, and the Array Formation Realm, it will certainly be easier for us to Cultivate again.”

Purple Lingxiao’s eyes gleamed, radiating a sharp light.

Upon hearing this, the other Purple Flame Clan members began to try, and they all became joyful.

If they had gone to the No Return Land for nothing and gained nothing, that would truly be unacceptable.

“Let’s go, return to the clan first! Let’s see what the Endless Sea is like now!”

…

No Return Land, Barren Ancient World.

He Country.

When the terrifying pressure of the Venerable Realm swept through the imperial palace, it then spread out, enveloping the entire Xu Capital of He Country.

All the large and small aristocratic families, and major academies, knew that the Ancient Emperor of He Country had emerged from seclusion.

Xu Youruo had already informed her Imperial Father, the Ancient Emperor of He Country—Emperor Xu—about Chu Ying’s matter!

At the same time, powerful auras also emerged from the directions of Yan Country and You Country, seemingly resonating with each other.

“This day has indeed arrived; we have waited for a long time.”

Emperor Xu sighed softly, an aura of a superior filling the imperial palace hall, making even Xu Youruo, the Grand Princess, feel a bit breathless.

“The initial deduction was indeed correct.”

“The Opportunity for the No Return Land to return lies with outsiders.”

“Originally, I thought it was Di Yi.”

“Now it seems it might be one of these two; this is a contest.”

Emperor Xu’s voice was faint, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon.

Xu Youruo didn’t know who her Imperial Father was speaking to, but it certainly wasn't her.

From the direction of Yan Country, the Fire Emperor of Yan Country responded in a low voice:

“No matter who the winner is, we must be prepared. What do you say?”

From the direction of You Country, the Stone Emperor calmly said, “Observe the changes and await the emergence.”

“Then we won’t interfere; let them participate.”

Emperor Xu said.

“They are not variables; rather, they are a step in advancing the process.”

Few people knew about the remote conversation between the three Ancient Emperors, but the deans of the top-tier academies in the Three Great Empires mostly understood that the Barren Ancient World was about to usher in its greatest upheaval in history.

Void Spirit Realm, Second Layer Heaven.

While Chu Ying was slaying the powerhouses of the Three Great Empires, he also cultivated for a full month.

He had long completed the third Array Formation of the Array Formation Realm, the “Bluntness Array,” and the fourth Array Formation, the “Unstoppable Array,” had also reached Perfection.

His cultivation had reached the fifth level of the Array Formation Realm.

He was currently cultivating the “Unskilled Array.”

But it seemed he didn’t have much time left.

An ancient ruin appeared in the Second Layer Heaven of the Void Spirit Realm, and the aura emanating from within seemed capable of allowing one to instantly attain the Venerable status!

It seemed to flow with the most primordial power, as mysterious and unfathomable as the River of Time.

Most of the sixth and seventh level Kings in the Second Layer Heaven had been killed by Chu Ying, and more than half of the eighth level Kings had long been annihilated.

The remaining Ninefold Kings, who could truly shake an area with a stomp of their foot, were figures of the Holy Land Old Ancestor level in the outside world.

But their target was not Chu Ying, nor Di Yi, but that ancient ruin.

A magnificent and mysterious phantom of an ancient temple manifested outside that ancient ruin, appearing like a colossal divine being, vast and majestic, filling people with awe and reverence as if facing an immortal god.

The Ninefold Kings stepped into it, seeking the Opportunity to attain Venerable status.

However, a white-robed figure had already entered when this ancient ruin first appeared; it was Di Yi.

“I didn’t expect it to appear on its own,” Di Yi’s eyes held a hint of confusion. He had a magnificent appearance, a tall and straight figure, and an air of calm composure that seemed to look down upon the world.

After Di Yi entered, he found that it was not only deathly silent but also filled with an indescribable evil and malice.

The ruins were vast and boundless, and he didn’t know how large the space was, as if it were another world isolated from the outside.

Di Yi released a strange power from his body, slowly exploring the peculiarities within the ruins, the important thing being to find that ancient temple.

He had seen the majestic and mysterious ancient temple before entering the ruins, but it was nowhere to be found after entering, which was naturally extremely strange.

After Di Yi, many Ninefold Kings entered.

“There’s someone else’s aura? Who came in first?” An old man with a blue headscarf showed a puzzled expression, believing he was among the first to enter.

A few familiar fellow Cultivators entered around the same time as him.

“Very young… is it that Di Yi?”

“A young man is too arrogant; the Opportunity to become a Venerable is not something he can touch.”

“Let’s go investigate.”

…

When Chu Ying arrived outside the ancient ruin, he couldn’t help but feel strange as he looked at the magnificent ancient temple above, which resembled a great Buddha sitting in golden radiance.

“Is this a Buddhist temple? It doesn’t quite look like it.”

Chu Ying calmly entered the ruin’s entrance, which appeared as a light gate, like a Secret Realm isolated from the world.

What met his eyes was desolate, with a thin gray mist, very sparse, but indeed enveloping the heavens and earth.

There were many broken walls and ruins around, as if a fierce battle had taken place here long ago.

Chu Ying found himself probably in a plaza, a plaza within a city.

There was no one, no sign of life whatsoever.

Yet, many Cultivators had arrived here before Chu Ying, all of them Ninefold Kings, Old Ancestor-level figures, who were the deans of academies in the Three Great Empires.

Chu Ying felt a bit heavy-hearted and continued to walk forward, searching for any unusual signs around him.

Soon, a heavy and irregular sound of footsteps caught his attention; the footsteps were not from just one person, but at least five or more.

At this moment, the gray mist suddenly became dense, like a tide engulfing the surroundings, and Chu Ying was naturally covered by it.

“What’s going on?” Chu Ying felt a heavy heart, sensed danger, and couldn’t help but circulate his cultivation power, unfolding his Array Formation.

This way, if he encountered an unexpected situation, he would be able to resist.

Before long, the sound of footsteps grew closer to him. Adhering to the principle of caution, Chu Ying decided to avoid them first and observe.

But a disheveled figure had already rushed over at high speed.

Looking at that person, Chu Ying’s eyes widened in fury.

The old man was in a terrible state, his body charred black, his flesh and blood a mangled mess of burnt and congealed scabs.

Only the whites of his eyes remained, extremely cloudy, as if he had lost his sanity, and his mouth emitted sounds that were not human.

The key point was that the old man’s expression and face were distorted and grotesque, as if he was enduring something extraordinarily painful.

“Ahhh—”

The old man suddenly slapped his head fiercely and rushed towards Chu Ying like a madman.

Under Chu Ying’s dumbfounded gaze, the old man completely turned into an “idiot.”

It turned out that the old man had shattered his own sanity, as if by doing so, he could alleviate the suffering he was enduring.

“Get lost!”

It had nothing to do with Chu Ying, but the old man, who had become an idiot, seemed to be controlled by some entity and attacked Chu Ying fiercely.

This was a person at the ninth level of the Array Formation Realm, with a solid cultivation Realm.

Chu Ying’s expression darkened, and the Blood Drinking Sword appeared in his hand.