19: Chapter 21 The Second Floor of the Ancient Palace, the Time Chamber

The afterglow of the bronze light still lingered on their retinas as Lin Ye and the other five found themselves in a completely foreign space.

The dizziness from the teleportation quickly faded. Chen Hao was the first to tighten his grip on his long spear, warily scanning the surroundings. Zhang Meng immediately raised his shield to guard the front of the team, and Zhao Xiaoyu's staff glowed with a faint light, ready to cast healing at any moment. Even Li Qingshan and Wang Iron Pillar, who had not yet recovered from their heavy injuries, forced themselves into combat stances.

However, the expected danger did not appear.

The space they were in was exceptionally quiet.

This was a hall much smaller than the first great hall, roughly thirty meters long and wide, and about ten meters high. The four walls were no longer cast in bronze but were made of some kind of milky-white jade, their surfaces smooth as mirrors, reflecting the six wary figures. The floor was paved with blue-black stone slabs, carved with complex Formation patterns through which a faint silver-white light flowed.

The most eye-catching feature was the center of the hall.

Floating there was a transparent light sphere with a radius of about five meters. Inside the sphere, one could vaguely see scenes of stars shifting and the sun and moon alternating. Ripples occasionally appeared on the surface of the light sphere, and every time a ripple spread, the surrounding space would undergo a subtle distortion.

Lin Ye's gaze fell upon the light sphere, his pupils shrinking slightly.

"An anomalous time flow zone," he whispered. "The flow of time inside the sphere is approximately three times faster than outside."

"Three times?" Chen Hao was taken aback. "What does that mean?"

"It means staying inside for three days only equates to one day passing in the outside world," Lin Ye explained. "The second level of the Bronze Ancient Palace is a trial of time."

He had heard of such places in his past life. In the covering the heavens era, there existed special Secret Realms or dungeons where the internal time flow differed from the external. Such places were usually both an Opportunity and a danger—the Opportunity was being able to gain more cultivation time using less external time; the danger was that if one were trapped inside, the passage of life would also be calculated according to the internal time, potentially leading to death by exhausting one's Lifespan.

But this time sphere in front of them was clearly not for cultivation.

Because right in the center of the light sphere, a stone platform floated. Three items were placed on the platform; from left to right, they were a bamboo scroll, a small cauldron, and a short sword. Each item emitted a different colored halo: the bamboo scroll was pale green, the small cauldron was a murky Chaos color, and the short sword was silver-white.

And between the light sphere and the edge of the hall, three circles of complex runes were carved into the floor. The runes flickered with a weak light, seemingly waiting for something.

"Is this the trial of the second level?" Su Qingyue asked softly. Her face was still somewhat pale, but her eyes had regained their clarity. Sun Simiao's Medicinal Pill had a significant effect; although her spiritual body's Origin had not yet recovered, it was at least temporarily stabilized.

Lin Ye nodded, his gaze sweeping over the runes on the floor. "It should be. We need to step into the time sphere and make a choice within the accelerated flow of time. But I'm afraid... we can only choose one."

His eyes shifted between the three items. The pale green bamboo scroll was likely a Cultivation Technique or skill book; the murky small cauldron should be some kind of Magical Artifact or Magic Treasure embryo; the silver-white short sword was clearly a weapon.

But as for what they specifically were, he would need to get closer to see clearly.

"I'll go explore first," Lin Ye said, about to step forward.

"Wait." Su Qingyue stopped him. "Anomalous time flow might carry unknown risks. We should go in together to look out for each other."

Chen Hao also nodded. "Sister Qingyue is right. Since this is a team dungeon, there's no reason to let you take the risk alone."

Lin Ye felt a slight warmth in his heart as he looked at his teammates' determined gazes. He nodded. "Alright, but after entering the sphere, no one should act rashly. Changes in time flow might cause our perceptions to become distorted; adapt to the environment first."

The six of them lined up, with Lin Ye leading the way, slowly walking toward the central light sphere.

When the tip of Lin Ye's foot touched the edge of the light sphere, the transparent light membrane rippled. He didn't hesitate and stepped inside.

Instantly, the world changed.

It wasn't a visual change, but a distortion of perception. Lin Ye felt as if he had been thrown into a viscous liquid, where every movement required three times more time than usual—no, it wasn't that his movements had slowed down, but that his thinking had sped up.

He clearly saw every detail of the ripples spreading across the light membrane, the trajectories of dust floating in the air, and the subtle movements of his teammates' facial muscles as they stepped into the light sphere.

Time had truly slowed down.

Or rather, their thinking speed had increased.

"Is this... the three-fold time flow?" Chen Hao's voice came through, his tone drawn out like a recording played at one-third speed.

Lin Ye adapted for a few seconds before responding, "Yes. Our thinking speed and physical perception have been accelerated, so one second in the outside world feels like three seconds here."

He looked around. From the inside of the light sphere, the scene was different again. Those stars that were only vaguely visible before had now become clear. Countless points of light traced profound trajectories in the void, as if demonstrating the operation of some Great Dao.

And the central stone platform was also clearer than it appeared from the outside.

Lin Ye took the lead in walking toward the stone platform, with the other five following closely behind.

When they were five meters from the stone platform, the Formation patterns on the ground suddenly lit up. Three circles of runes flashed in sequence, finally condensing into three lines of ancient seal script characters floating in the air:

"The choice of time: take one of the three."

"Leave once the treasure is obtained; there is no return."

"Those who take by force shall suffer the Time Tribulation."

The characters slowly dissipated, but the warning they contained was clearly conveyed to everyone.

"We can only choose one..." Zhao Xiaoyu repeated softly. "And if we try to take more by force, we'll be punished by the 'Time Tribulation.' What is a Time Tribulation?"

"A backlash from the Law of Time," Lin Ye said solemnly. "At best, your Lifespan will be sharply reduced; at worst, you'll age and die instantly. In a Time Secret Realm, it's best not to challenge the rules."

As he spoke, he had already arrived before the stone platform.

Now, the details of the three items could be seen clearly.

The pale green bamboo scroll on the left was tied with a silver thread. The bamboo pieces had yellowed, and the edges showed signs of wear. The surface of the scroll vaguely showed two ancient characters, 'Heavenly Secret,' but the more detailed writing was obscured by a faint halo.

【Heavenly Secret Strategy · Incomplete Manual Vol. 1 (Legendary)】

Quality: Legendary (Gold)

Type: Special Item / Skill Book

Effects:

①【Heavenly Secret Deduction】: Passive. Greatly increases the ability to perceive and crack Formations, Restrictions, and traps.

②【Fate Peering】: Active. Consumes a large amount of Divine Power to perform a brief peering into the fate of a single target, obtaining partial information (Success rate is related to the strength gap between both parties and the degree of fate concealment).

③【Karmic Sensing】: Passive. Generates a vague sensing of events or people with a karmic connection to oneself.

Cultivation Requirements: Divine Sense ≥ 500, Comprehension Ability ≥ 80

Description: One of the Incomplete Manuals of the ancient Heavenly Secret Sect's core Legacy, the 《Heavenly Secret Strategy》. It records supreme methods for peering into heavenly secrets and deducing fate. Collecting all nine volumes allows one to reorganize the Heavenly Secret Dao. However, those who peer into heavenly secrets often do not meet a good end. Proceed with extreme caution.

The murky small cauldron in the middle was only the size of a fist, with three legs and two handles. The body of the cauldron had no decorations, but the surface flowed with a Chaos-colored halo. Looking closely, one would find that those halos were not static but were slowly rotating, like a miniature Chaos vortex.

【myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo (Growth-type Natal Artifact)】

Quality: Legendary (Gold)

Type: Life-bound Magical Artifact Embryo

Current Attributes:

Attack: +500 (Requires nurturing to unlock)

Defense: +800 (Requires nurturing to unlock)

Special Effects:

①【Mother Qi Body Protection】: Passive. Reduces all damage taken by 20%.

②【Chaos Nurturing】: Can absorb Chaos-attribute Materials or energy to accelerate growth.

③【Life-bound Binding】: Binds to the Soul after recognizing its master. Cannot be dropped. Automatically returns to the Wheel Sea upon death.

Growth Requirement: myriad mother qi (0/10 strands)

Growth Stages: Embryo Stage → Growth Stage → Mature Stage → Perfect Stage (Each stage unlocks new attributes/skills)

Description: A cauldron embryo forged with the myriad mother qi born from Chaos as its core, supplemented by nine types of divine gold. After perfect growth, it has the potential to be promoted to an Emperor Weapon or even reach the Realm of an Immortal Artifact. However, the resources required for growth are extremely rare and can only be obtained by those with great opportunities.

The silver-white short sword on the right was about one foot three inches long, with a narrow blade as thin as a cicada's wing. Seven star-shaped gems were embedded in the hilt, arranged according to the big dipper. The short sword had no scabbard and just floated there quietly, occasionally emitting a clear, resonant sword chime.

【Seven Star Demon-Slaying Sword (Epic)】

Quality: Epic (Purple)

Type: One-handed Sword

Level Requirement: 30

Attributes:

Attack: 720-880

Attack Speed: +25%

Critical Rate: +15%

Special Effects:

①【Seven Star Consecutive Slash】: Active. Instantly performs seven consecutive attacks on a target, each dealing 80% attack power damage (Cooldown: 2 minutes).

②【Demon Slaying & Evil Banishing】: Damage to Yao Race and ghost-type enemies is increased by 50%.

③【Power of the Stars】: In nighttime or stellar environments, all attributes are increased by 10%.

④【Lightweight】: Movement speed +10% when equipped.

Durability: 300/300

Description: A demon-slaying sword forged from meteoric iron and tempered with the power of the big dipper. It has a powerful restraining effect on the Yao Race and is a weapon that Yao Race hunters dream of.

Three items, three types, three qualities.

The Heavenly Secret Strategy was a legendary skill book, but it was only an Incomplete Manual. Collecting it all would be extremely difficult, and the cultivation requirements were harsh—500 Divine Sense and 80 Comprehension Ability were almost impossible to reach at this stage. Even with the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body's buff, Lin Ye's Divine Sense had only just reached 400, and his Comprehension Ability was 65 (about 85 after the bodhi seed's +30%). To say nothing of his other teammates.

The Seven Star Demon-Slaying Sword was an epic-grade weapon with excellent attributes, a powerful active skill, and targeted special effects. If there were a sword-using class in the team, this would undoubtedly be a divine weapon. But the problem was that Lin Ye specialized in cauldron techniques, Chen Hao used a spear, Su Qingyue used a staff, and the others were also not suited for using a sword.

The myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo... was also of legendary quality and was a growth-type Natal Artifact.

Lin Ye's gaze lingered on the cauldron embryo for a long time.

Natal Artifacts were one of the cores of the cultivation system in the covering the heavens era. Every player could choose a Natal Artifact embryo in the Wheel Sea Realm and nurture it with their own Divine Power, allowing it to grow along with their Realm. A Natal Artifact was connected to its master's heart and mind, its power far exceeding that of a Magical Artifact of the same Rank, and it would not be dropped upon death.

However, once a Natal Artifact was chosen, it could not be changed—unless the tool was destroyed and the person died, or one found the legendary "Dao Severing" method to strip it away.

In his past life, Lin Ye's Natal Artifact was a sword that had accompanied him through three years of battle, only to shatter in the end while fighting a Supreme Being of the Forbidden Zone. He had narrowly survived that battle, but he had lost his Natal Artifact, and his combat power was greatly diminished.

In this life, he had not yet chosen a Natal Artifact.

It wasn't that he hadn't encountered a suitable embryo, but rather that he was waiting.

Waiting for an embryo that was powerful enough and had high enough potential.

And now, it was right before his eyes.

The myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo had the potential to be promoted to an Emperor Weapon or even an Immortal Artifact after perfect growth. Although the growth requirements were extremely harsh—myriad mother qi was a supreme treasure that even Saints would covet, with a single strand being worth a fortune—Lin Ye knew of several places that might produce myriad mother qi. Furthermore, he had the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body, giving him an extremely high affinity with Chaos-attribute items, so his nurturing efficiency would far exceed that of ordinary people.

More importantly, the cauldron form integrated both offense and defense, capable of both suppressing and refining, which perfectly matched the inclusive nature of his Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body.

"I choose the cauldron embryo in the middle," Lin Ye made his decision, his voice calm but firm.

The other five all looked at him.

"Brother Lin, that Heavenly Secret Strategy..." Chen Hao hesitated slightly. "Although the cultivation requirements are high, it's a legendary skill book after all, and a special type at that. If we could Cultivate it, we'd have a huge advantage in exploring Secret Realms and cracking traps in the future."

"I know," Lin Ye nodded. "But the cultivation requirements are too high; none of us can meet them right now. Forcing a choice would only let the treasure gather dust. And while the Seven Star Demon-Slaying Sword has good attributes, it doesn't suit the core members of our team."

He paused and looked at Su Qingyue. "Qingyue, what's your opinion?"

Su Qingyue gazed at the three items for a long time before saying softly, "The cauldron embryo suits you best. A Natal Artifact is the foundation of cultivation. Choosing the one with the greatest potential is more important than choosing the strongest one for the current stage."

She paused and added, "Moreover, if I'm not mistaken... Chaos Stone should have been integrated into the Materials for that cauldron embryo. Chaos Stone is of great benefit to those with Chaos-attribute Physiques. Long-term nurturing might even feedback into the Physique and promote evolution."

Lin Ye looked at Su Qingyue with some surprise. She could actually tell that the cauldron embryo contained Chaos Stone? This eyesight...

"Then it's settled." Lin Ye no longer hesitated and reached out toward the cauldron embryo in the middle.

When his fingers touched the murky body of the cauldron, the embryo suddenly erupted with an intense Chaos light. The light spread along Lin Ye's arm like flowing water, instantly covering his entire body.

Lin Ye felt his wheel sea secret realm vibrating violently.

The Sea of Bitterness churned, and the life spring gushed. That myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo that had originally been floating above the Sea of Bitterness (the previous one that had already shattered) seemed to sense a kindred aura at this moment and emitted a joyful vibration.

The new cauldron embryo transformed into a streak of Chaos light, entering the Wheel Sea directly through his Meridians.

The two cauldron embryos met above the Sea of Bitterness.

There was no rejection, no conflict. The new cauldron embryo released pure Chaos Qi, wrapping around the fragments of the old cauldron embryo and beginning to slowly devour and fuse with them. Although the old cauldron embryo was shattered, it had been nurtured by Lin Ye for a period of time and contained his original aura. Now being absorbed by the new cauldron embryo, it was equivalent to partially transferring the previous nurturing progress.

The Fusion process lasted for about three minutes.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

When the light dissipated, only the cauldron embryo remained above the wheel sea—still grey and hazy, with three legs and two ears, but its volume was a circle larger than before. Mysterious patterns faintly emerged on the surface of the cauldron. Those patterns were still slowly growing and changing, as if alive.

[myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo (Growth-type Life-bound Artifact)]

Status: Embryonic Stage (12 / 100)

Current Attributes:

Attack: + 500 (Unlocked when Nourishment is full)

Defense: + 800 (Unlocked when Nourishment is full)

Special Effects:

① [Mother Qi Body Protection]: Passive, all damage received is reduced by 20%

② [Chaos Nourishment]: Can absorb Chaos attribute Materials or energy to accelerate growth

③ [Cauldron Suppresses Mountains and Rivers]: Active, consumes 300 Divine Power, suppresses all enemies within a 15-meter radius, reducing their movement speed by 40%, lasting 5 seconds (Cooldown: 3 minutes)

④ [Life-bound Binding]: Soul-bound, cannot be dropped, automatically returns to the wheel sea upon death

Growth Requirement: myriad things mother qi (0 / 10 wisps)

Description: A newborn cauldron embryo that has fused with the Origin of the old cauldron embryo, with its nourishment level increased to 12% due to the Fusion. Please continue to search for myriad things mother qi to accelerate growth.

The nourishment level had directly increased to 12%!

Moreover, a new active skill, [Cauldron Suppresses Mountains and Rivers], had been unlocked! Although it was a crowd-control skill and not a direct attack or defense, the 40% area-of-effect slow was extremely precious in team battles.

Lin Ye was happy in his heart, but remained calm on the surface. He withdrew his hand and looked at the stone platform. The moment he took the cauldron embryo, the other two items on the stone platform—the Heavenly Secret Strategy Incomplete Manual and the Seven Star Demon-Slaying Sword—began to become illusory and transparent.

"They are disappearing," Zhao Xiaoyu said with regret.

"Since we can only choose one, those that aren't chosen will naturally return to the Bronze Ancient Palace's treasury, waiting for the next person destined to find them." Lin Ye was quite open-minded about it.

However, just one second before the two items were about to disappear completely, a sudden change occurred.

The scroll of the Heavenly Secret Strategy Incomplete Manual suddenly shone with a brilliant blue light, and the bamboo slip unfolded automatically. The ancient seal characters on it flew up one by one, forming a passage in the air:

"Latecomer, having chosen the cauldron vessel, you shall bear the Karma."

"The bronze finger ring can touch the Ruthless One."

"The Nine Secrets appear in the world, the Great Era is about to begin."

"The Heavenly Dao is incomplete, it is your duty to mend it."

The text existed for only three short seconds before scattering again, disappearing completely along with the bamboo slip itself.

As for the Seven Star Demon-Slaying Sword, before disappearing, it let out a clear, resonant sword hum, its blade pointing toward a certain direction in the hall, lasting for a second before completely dissipating. A brief silence fell within the sphere of light.

"Just now... what was that?" Wang Iron Pillar swallowed his saliva.

"A hint from the Heavenly Secret Strategy Incomplete Manual," Lin Ye's eyes were profound. "It sensed that I chose the cauldron embryo, so it gave a prophecy related to the cauldron embryo."

Thoughts raced through his mind.

"The bronze finger ring can touch the Ruthless One"—did this refer to the quest item [Clue to the bronze ghost mask] he had obtained earlier in the Bronze Ancient Palace? Or was there another ring?

"The Nine Secrets appear in the world, the Great Era is about to begin"—The Nine Secrets, the nine supreme secret techniques of the Daoist sect, each with the power to reach the heavens and move the earth. He had already obtained a clue to the Jie Secret in the Yaoguang Holy Land, but listening to this, it seemed the Nine Secrets would appear one after another, triggering a great era?

"The Heavenly Dao is incomplete, it is your duty to mend it"—This sentence was the most thought-provoking. The Heavenly Dao is incomplete? Did it refer to the game world of "covering the heavens era", or...

Lin Ye suddenly remembered the scene before his Rebirth, when the game and reality merged. At that time, the sky shattered, the Law was in Chaos; it truly seemed like "the Heavenly Dao is incomplete."

Was the Heavenly Secret Strategy hinting that he needed to mend the Heavenly Dao?

This thought was too grand, so Lin Ye suppressed it for the time being. He looked at the direction the Seven Star Demon-Slaying Sword had finally pointed—that was the northeast corner of the hall, where the wall was as smooth as a mirror, with no abnormalities.

"There might be something in the direction the sword pointed," Su Qingyue said softly.

"Let's go take a look." Lin Ye led the way toward the northeast corner.

The six of them arrived at the wall. The wall was made of milky white jade, its surface smooth, reflecting their figures. Lin Ye reached out to touch it; it felt cold, but there was nothing else special about it.

"The Seven Star Demon-Slaying Sword pointed here, there must be a reason," Chen Hao also reached out to knock on the wall. "Could there be a secret door?"

Lin Ye pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered something. He took out the [bronze finger ring] he had obtained in the first level of the Bronze Ancient Palace from his storage ring—it was a reward bestowed by the spirit of the ancient palace, and at the time, it was only said to be a clue to trigger a certain Legacy, with specific information unknown.

The ring felt slightly cool in his hand, with bronze rust on the surface. But when Lin Ye brought it close to the wall, the ring suddenly began to heat up.

On the wall, at the position corresponding to the ring, a faint circular mark appeared. Inside the mark were complex patterns, and the shape of the patterns... matched the pattern on the bronze finger ring perfectly.

"As expected." Lin Ye pressed the ring onto the mark.

"Click."

A faint sound of a mechanism rang out. The wall recessed inward, revealing a secret door that could only allow one person to pass through. Behind the secret door was a downward staircase, with glowing jade inlaid on both sides of the stairs, illuminating the path ahead.

"Is this... the path to the third level?" Zhang Meng was surprised.

"Not sure," Lin Ye shook his head. "In the guide for the Bronze Ancient Palace, the Hell difficulty only has three levels. The first level is the Stone Statue Guard, the second level is the Time Secret Room, and the third level is the final BOSS. But this secret door is clearly not recorded in the guide."

He paused: "It might be a hidden route, or it might be... that it only opened because we triggered a special condition."

"What special condition?"

"Choosing the cauldron embryo, instead of the Heavenly Secret Strategy or the Demon-Slaying Sword." Lin Ye looked at the bronze finger ring in his hand. "This ring was given by the spirit of the ancient palace, and the secret door requires the ring to open. This means that from the very beginning, the spirit of the ancient palace was guiding us to take this path."

He put away the ring: "Let's go, let's go inside and take a look. But everyone, stay vigilant. Hidden routes often mean greater danger, or... greater Opportunity."

The six of them entered the secret door one after another, following the stairs downward. The stairs were not long; after about fifty steps, they arrived at a small stone room.

The stone room was circular, with a diameter of about ten meters. In the center was a stone platform, and on the platform sat a bronze box. The four walls of the stone room were covered with murals, the content of which made everyone hold their breath.

First mural: A humanoid creature wearing bronze battle armor, standing in the starry sky, with fragments of countless planets under its feet. It held a cauldron in its hand, with Chaos Qi permeating the cauldron.

Second mural: The bronze humanoid threw the cauldron toward a shattered world, and the cauldron body turned into countless points of light that merged into the world. The cracks in the world began to heal slowly.

Third mural: The bronze humanoid's body disintegrated, turning into nine streams of light that flew to all parts of the starry sky. One of the streams of light fell into the Big Dipper Star Field, forming a Bronze Ancient Palace.

Fourth mural: Countless years later, a blurry figure walked into the ancient palace and took away the bronze box.

Fifth mural: The figure opened the box, and inside was a seed. The seed sprouted and grew into a giant tree that pierced through the heavens and the earth, its canopy supporting a newborn world. The murals ended here.

"These paintings..." Chen Hao muttered, "What are they about?"

"The Origin of the Bronze Ancient Palace, and the significance of this box." Lin Ye walked to the stone platform and stared at the bronze box.

The box was not large, about a foot square, with no decorations on the surface. But Lin Ye could feel a faint life breath circulating inside the box.

He reached out and touched the box. The box was not locked and opened with a light lift.

Inside, there was no radiant light, only a seed the size of a fist. The seed was pale gold, with natural patterns on the surface, the patterns forming a miniature star map. Inside the seed, a hint of green could be vaguely seen, as if it would sprout at any moment.

[World Tree seed (Incomplete)]

Quality: Immortal Artifact Material/Special Item

Status: Dormant

Effect:

① [World Origin]: Contains a trace of World Origin power, can repair damaged Small Worlds or Secret Realms

② [Source of Life]: Can release gentle life energy to nourish all things

③ [Space Anchor]: After planting, it can serve as a stable space coordinate, allowing teleportation ignoring most space blockades

④ [Growth Potential]: In a suitable environment, it has a probability of growing into a World Tree seedling (probability is extremely low)

Activation Condition: Plant in a place with dense Spiritual Qi of at least a hundred miles in range, and irrigate with Chaos Qi for one hundred days

Description: One of the seeds left behind by the World Tree that legend says supports all the heavens and worlds, which has fallen into permanent dormancy due to an incomplete Origin. If the Origin can be completed to make it revive, one will obtain unimaginable fortune.

The seed of the World Tree!

Lin Ye's hands were trembling.

This time it was not an act; he was truly trembling.

What is the World Tree? It is the giant tree in mythology that supports the entire Universe; one leaf is a world, one branch is a galaxy. Although what was before him was only an incomplete seed, and the activation conditions were so harsh that they were almost impossible to complete—a place with dense Spiritual Qi covering a hundred miles, and needing to be irrigated with Chaos Qi for one hundred days. But its potential, its value, already exceeded the sum of all items at the current stage.

Moreover, the murals had already hinted at its purpose—to repair a shattered world.

Lin Ye remembered the scene before his Rebirth, when the game and reality merged. At that time, Blue Star was shattered, and countless people died from spatial rifts and Law Chaos. If there was a World Tree seed, if it could be nurtured to grow...

"Brother Lin, what is this?" Chen Hao leaned over, looking at the pale gold seed.

"A... hope." Lin Ye carefully put away the seed, placing it in the deepest part of his storage ring. "It can't be used now, but in the future, it might save many people's lives."

He did not explain in detail, because it was hard to explain. Something like the World Tree would only make people suspicious if talked about at this stage.

After putting away the seed, Lin Ye looked around the stone room. The murals had been seen, and except for the stone platform and the box, the stone room was empty.

"We should go back," Su Qingyue said softly. "The light sphere of the Time Secret Room is still running, but since we have already obtained the item, we should be able to leave."

Lin Ye nodded. He took one last look at the scene of the bronze humanoid disintegrating on the mural, and turned to walk toward the stairs he had come from.

The six of them returned along the original path and reappeared in the hall of the Time Secret Room.

The light sphere in the center was still running, but the stone platform had disappeared. The ripples on the surface of the light sphere began to accelerate, and the entire light sphere began to shrink and get smaller.

"Get out quickly!" Lin Ye shouted.

The six of them rushed toward the edge of the light sphere at full speed and rushed out before the light sphere completely shrank.

"Hum—"

The moment they stepped out of the light sphere, a light sound came from behind. The time light sphere shrank into a point and then disappeared completely. The center of the hall returned to being a normal stone floor, as if everything just now was a hallucination.

But the myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo in Lin Ye's wheel sea, and the World Tree seed in his storage ring, were all proving that everything that had just happened was real and true.

"The second level, passed." Zhao Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's not over yet." Lin Ye looked across the hall, "There is still a door there."

Everyone followed his gaze. At the end of the hall, there was indeed a bronze door. The door was tightly closed, and complex patterns were carved on its surface, with a recessed handprint in the center of the patterns.

Lin Ye walked forward and pressed his palm onto the handprint.

The door vibrated and slowly opened inward.

Behind the door was a long corridor, and light shone from the end of the corridor. Faintly, the sound of a bell could be heard coming from the end.

"The final hall..." Lin Ye took a deep breath, "The spirit of the ancient palace should be there."

He stepped into the corridor first, and the others followed closely behind.

On the walls on both sides of the corridor, a bronze lamp hung every ten meters, the flames inside the lamps burning quietly, illuminating the path ahead. The air was filled with an ancient aura, also mixed with a faint... smell of blood?

Lin Ye frowned slightly. No, the Bronze Ancient Palace is a ruin, it shouldn't have a smell of blood. Unless...

He quickened his pace.

At the end of the corridor, there was another door. But this time, the door was open, and inside the door was a huge hall.

The scale of the hall far exceeded all previous spaces, with a dome a hundred meters high, and four giant bronze pillars supporting the entire structure. In the center of the hall, a huge bronze bell was suspended, the surface of the bell body covered with patterns of the sun, moon, stars, mountains, and rivers.

And below the bronze bell, a figure was kneeling.

It was a humanoid creature wearing tattered bronze battle armor, with its back to them, head lowered, as if sleeping. Its hair was bronze-colored, and its skin also had a metallic texture, but there were many places that had already rusted and peeled off.

Most strikingly, a broken sword was stuck in its back. The broken sword only had half a blade left, the blade as black as ink, emitting a heart-stopping aura of death. There was no blood flowing from the wound, only black mist constantly seeping out. The smell of blood came from there.

"Is this... the spirit of the ancient palace?" Chen Hao's voice was tight.

Lin Ye did not answer; his gaze fell on the bronze bell, and then on that humanoid creature.

Suddenly, he remembered the content of the murals.

The bronze humanoid disintegrated, turning into nine streams of light that flew to all parts of the starry sky.

One of the streams of light fell into the big dipper, forming the Bronze Ancient Palace.

Then this one in front of him...

"You are not the spirit of the ancient palace." Lin Ye slowly spoke, "You are the first-generation Palace Master... or rather, one of his remnant Souls."

The humanoid creature slowly raised its head.