195: Ancient Gate God Statue Mural

Arriving before the bronze portal, Duan Chunfeng gazed at the dozens of feet tall gateway before him.

"Ancient Gate, I encountered it so quickly. It seems my luck isn't bad... I wonder if there will be any surprises."

Duan Chunfeng muttered to himself, a hint of joy appearing on his chubby face. He then looked around, left and right, before stepping into it.

"Om—!"

Stepping into the purple vortex of the portal, Duan Chunfeng's figure was instantly swallowed, disappearing completely.

Not far away, Han Li emerged. Seeing Duan Chunfeng enter the bronze portal, Han Li frowned.

"Ancient Gate..."

With a movement, Han Li arrived before the Ancient Gate.

After pondering for a moment, Han Li stepped into the Ancient Gate.

"Om—!"

The moment his body entered the portal, a vast suction force swept over, and his body was directly pulled into the purple vortex.

A strong sensation of dizziness and disorientation came over him. When Han Li regained his senses, he had already arrived in a vast world.

Looking up, he could see stars shining. In the distance, towering mountains stood, stretching endlessly.

The brilliant stars illuminated this world as if it were a world of starlight.

It was very peculiar.

Han Li looked around but did not see Duan Chunfeng's figure.

Only a few breaths of time had passed, yet he had vanished without a trace.

However, when entering and exiting such places, it was possible to be teleported to other locations.

Everything here was full of unknowns.

And the exit passage had also disappeared, as if it never existed.

"Why do the stars here look so strange?" Han Li looked up at the sky. The stars, seemingly within reach, appeared somewhat abnormal.

"Whoosh—!"

Just at this moment, deep in the sky, one of the stars suddenly burst forth with brilliant starlight, transforming into a destructive beam of starlight that directly attacked Han Li.

Han Li's eyelids twitched. His figure flickered, and he instantly disappeared from his original spot.

"Boom!!!"

The spot where he had just stood was instantly blasted into a deep pit. Destructive aura spread, containing a trace of terrifying Law Power.

It was not just a Divine Ability, but also contained the power of the Star Law.

If he hadn't dodged fast enough, his Physical Body might not have been able to withstand this attack so easily.

Looking at the destroyed deep pit, sweat appeared on Han Li's forehead.

The power of this blow was indeed not to be underestimated.

However, before Han Li could catch his breath, the stars deep in the sky seemed to come alive, rotating, and an overwhelming torrent of destructive starlight swept directly towards him.

It invaded like a flood, leaving no escape.

Han Li had nowhere to hide.

Every ray of starlight contained a trace of destructive Star Law Power. Even he felt a strong sense of danger.

"Om—!!"

The True Devil Power within his body surged, and infinite magical power was unleashed. Han Li immediately activated his True Devil Dharma Form, and purple demonic light completely enveloped his body.

"Boom boom boom!!!"

The overwhelming starlight swept in. The True Devil Dharma Form erupted with infinite power to resist it, and roars echoed incessantly.

Han Li could feel his Physical Body vibrating. One attack was not scary; what was scary was the endless, continuous attacks.

There was no place to hide; he could only rely on his own strength to resist.

"Pfft—!"

A mouthful of fresh blood spurted out, and Han Li's eyes dimmed by three points.

After lasting for more than a dozen breaths, the flood-like destructive starlight completely dissipated.

The stars in the sky flickered, illuminating this world.

The earth collapsed, and the shocking marks proved everything that had just happened.

"Taking such good care of me..."

Looking up at the sky, Han Li's heart twitched.

Upon entering, he received such a "big gift package." If his own strength wasn't sufficient, even an ordinary Divine Treasury Perfection expert would have been severely injured.

The injuries on his body healed automatically. Although he was injured, the self-healing ability of his True Devil Body was still very formidable.

He hadn't reached the stage of Rebirth from a drop of blood yet, but his endurance and self-healing abilities were still fine.

Looking at the flickering stars deep in the sky, Han Li only felt a tingling sensation on his scalp.

An attack containing the power of the Star Law, even he would be injured.

Taking a deep breath, Han Li looked at the flickering stars, his figure flashing, and he instantly disappeared from his original spot.

This cursed place was truly unsafe.

If there was an entrance, there must be an exit. Let's look for it first... On the Peak of the mountains, a purple light streaked across the Void Realm and descended.

After traveling a thousand miles, Han Li did not find Duan Chunfeng's figure, nor could he even sense his aura.

Only a few breaths of time separated them, yet he had vanished without a trace.

"Hmm?"

"It seems there's some movement!"

Landing on the mountain Peak, Han Li was just about to use his Divine Sense to investigate the situation when he suddenly looked sharply in a distant direction.

A battle fluctuation came.

"The aura of a Vicious Beast!"

Catching the faint residual aura in the Void Realm, Han Li's spirit was invigorated.

"Zzz—!"

With a flash of his figure, Han Li disappeared from the mountain Peak.

Soon, his figure appeared on a mountain Peak deep within the mountains.

His gaze swept forward. In a huge valley, intense battle fluctuations erupted.

Two figures clashed swiftly like lightning.

"Duan Chunfeng..."

Looking at one of the figures, Han Li's eyes lit up.

The other figure was a humanoid Vicious Beast.

A Vicious Beast in the Early Stage of the Divine Hidden Realm. Although its Cultivation was slightly lower than Duan Chunfeng's, with the Vicious Beast's abnormal vitality, it could still fight Duan Chunfeng head-on, back and forth.

This was also the first time Han Li had encountered a Vicious Beast in the Divine Hidden Realm.

The bizarre Divine Abilities it unleashed made it impossible to guard against.

Duan Chunfeng held a horsetail whisk Dao Artifact. With every movement, he unleashed destructive light, causing explosions all around and shaking the earth.

One person and one beast fought, and the surrounding Void Realm produced strong fluctuations.

In a few breaths, they had exchanged blows no less than several hundred times.

"Boom—!!!"

Destructive light waves spread, destroying the surroundings. Boundless destructive power surged like a storm, annihilating everything.

The two figures separated. Duan Chunfeng, holding his horsetail whisk Dao Artifact, looked a bit disheveled, but in reality, he hadn't sustained much damage.

"Now's the time."

The moment they separated, Han Li immediately attacked without a word.

Slaying this Vicious Beast would allow his Heaven and Earth Demon Seed to complete its final transformation and Breakthrough.

"Ch—!"

A starlight Sword Qi transformed into a divine sword and descended from thin air. The sharp Sword Qi destroyed everything, and destructive immortal light bloomed.

"Roar—!!"

The Vicious Beast sensed the power of this attack. Its crimson eyes glowed red. The next instant, a layer of red fur appeared all over its body, and its hands transformed into claws, which it swung out to attack.

"Boom—!!!"

The divine sword and the Vicious Beast's claws collided, and a massive shockwave spread out.

"Clang!"

A sound like metal clashing rang out, and deep marks appeared on the Vicious Beast's claws.

At this moment, Han Li's figure appeared behind the Vicious Beast.

A majestic figure manifested, divine light illuminating the world, like a Heavenly God descending.

Azure Emperor Dharma Image!

A punch, fused with the True Devil Power, pushed this Divine Ability to its ultimate Peak.

The Vicious Beast's reaction speed was extremely fast. Blood-colored divine light bloomed, forming a shield around its body, enveloping it.

"Crack—!!"

With a fierce punch, the blood-colored shield around the Vicious Beast's body instantly shattered, and vast, surging power poured into the Vicious Beast's body.

Its head was instantly blown apart.

Even the most tenacious vitality completely dissipated.

Its life aura severed, the headless corpse crashed into the earth like a meteor, twitching continuously.

"Swish—!"

Han Li's figure moved, and he directly arrived before the Vicious Beast's corpse, collecting its life essence blood and stripping its savage core, all in one smooth, flowing motion.

Deep in his mind, the Demon Seed pulsed. Having slain this Vicious Beast, Han Li had completely completed the final step of his transformation, advancing to the fourth stage.

With his mind suppressing the Demon Seed, Han Li temporarily chose not to upgrade.

All of this happened in a brief instant.

Duan Chunfeng in the Void Realm also regained his senses. When he saw the dead Vicious Beast and Han Li's figure, his eyelids twitched violently.

At this moment, Han Li's gaze also turned towards Duan Chunfeng.

Their gazes met. Duan Chunfeng put away his Dao Artifact whisk, and with a movement, he appeared directly before Han Li.

"Many thanks to Daoist Han for your assistance."

Duan Chunfeng cupped his hands in a respectful bow, very polite.

"Fellow Daoist Duan, you're too kind. I didn't expect Brother Duan to also enter the Ancient Mystic Realm," Han Li said, looking at him.

Hearing this, a hint of awkwardness appeared on Duan Chunfeng's face. He coughed and said, "It's also a coincidence. I was a bit lucky. After parting with Daoist Han last time, I accidentally obtained an ancient mystic key, which is why I entered here."

"Then it seems Fellow Daoist Duan's luck is indeed good," Han Li smiled.

Although he knew it was a lie, he didn't care about that.

An ancient mystic key, one was enough for a person.

Once inside, there was no need to use the ancient mystic key again.

"Fellow Daoist Han, the space-time of this Ancient Gate is strange. Fellow Daoist still needs to be extra careful," Duan Chunfeng reminded Han Li, looking at him.

Han Li's eyes shifted as he looked at Duan Chunfeng: "Fellow Daoist Duan, are you clear about the situation here?"

Duan Chunfeng shook his head: "I only know a little. As for the specific situation, I still need to explore carefully to find out."

"I see..."

Han Li nodded.

Then, he looked at Duan Chunfeng and said, "Fellow Daoist Duan, is there a space-time passage to leave here?"

Duan Chunfeng nodded: "There must be. The Ancient Gate's space-time has many space-time vortexes. One can leave through the space-time vortexes. However, it's not the same as where you entered; you might be randomly teleported to other places in the Ancient Mystic Realm."

Hearing this, Han Li's heart settled.

Duan Chunfeng looked at him and said, "Just now, I truly thank Fellow Daoist Han. Otherwise, I'm afraid it would have been very difficult for me alone to deal with this beast."

"It was just a small effort," Han Li said indifferently.

Duan Chunfeng: "Fellow Daoist Han, meeting is fate. Shall we explore together?"

"No, thank you. I'm used to exploring alone," Han Li shook his head.

"Alright then, in that case, I will take my leave first," Duan Chunfeng said.

Han Li nodded. Then, Duan Chunfeng's figure moved, and he instantly disappeared before him.

Watching the direction Duan Chunfeng left, Han Li withdrew his gaze and used his Divine Sense to investigate the nearby situation. Then, his figure moved, and he instantly disappeared from his original spot... Starlight illuminated the earth. In a moment, Han Li arrived in a hidden cave.

After setting up layers of Formations, Han Li sat cross-legged in place and, with a thought, immediately released his sealed blood Qi.

The Breakthrough of the Demon Seed to the Fourth Order, coupled with the feedback and accumulated blood Qi, gave him great hope of achieving the Seventh Layer.

The Ancient Mystic Realm was extremely perilous, and the Void Realm of the Ancient Mystic Gate was even more bizarre. Spending some time to first improve his strength would make him more secure.

“Boom—!!”

The Heaven and Earth Demon Seed pulsed, and the sealed blood Qi surged into his body like a torrent, flowing through his limbs and bones, permeating his entire being.

At the same time, Han Li activated the Ten Thousand Tribulations True Devil Art to absorb the vast blood Qi.

A dense Demonic Light enveloped his body, emanating a powerful Demonic Might.

Inside his body, his True Devil Power surged wildly.

As the blood Qi was continuously absorbed, Han Li’s Physical Body also underwent constant changes.

Within his Soul and flesh, the True Devil Mark shone brightly, and the Tribulation Marks on his bones grew stronger, with the second Tribulation Mark phantom gradually appearing.

The Demonic Light around him also became more dazzling.

Illuminated by the purple Demonic Light, Han Li resembled a True Devil, exuding an extreme malevolent power.

Within his flesh, bursts of thunderous roars also erupted... An incense stick's worth of time passed, and Han Li completely absorbed the blood Qi within his body.

His eyes opened, and a wisp of purple light flashed within his pupils, disappearing in an instant.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Han Li felt the changes within his body. This wave of blood Qi enhancement brought him considerable progress.

His True Devil Body had reached six-tenths of the Seventh Layer.

The Breakthrough of the Demon Seed and the blood Qi feedback had a truly immense effect.

However, only by achieving the Seventh Layer of the True Devil Body could his strength truly transform.

His current improvement was not very significant.

The Nine Layers of the True Devil Body were merely the Foundation of the Ten Thousand Tribulations True Devil Art, yet even as a Foundation, it required vast amounts of vital essence to achieve.

It laid an unrivaled Foundation.

“The remaining vital essence and Desolate Seeds might not be enough…”

A thought flashed through Han Li’s mind, but he quickly calmed down.

Even if it wasn't enough, he could continue to hunt Desolate Beasts.

Yao Race magnates were also his targets.

His improvement within the Ancient Mystic Realm would certainly be much faster than outside.

With a stable mind, Han Li took out the vital essence and began to consume it for Cultivation.

The purple Demonic Light bloomed once more.

The powerful Demonic Light illuminated the cave.

As the vital essence was continuously absorbed, Han Li's aura also steadily climbed and underwent a Breakthrough.

After completely consuming all the vital essence, Han Li did not stop, continuing to take out Desolate Seeds to improve his strength... “Om—!”

In the silent cave, a ripple swept out, and Han Li opened his eyes.

The Demonic Light around him vanished.

Even with the Desolate Seeds and vital essence, he still hadn't taken the final step.

He had only reached nine-tenths.

He was still one-tenth short of achieving a Breakthrough to the Seventh Layer of the True Devil Body.

Looking inward at his body, within his flesh, the True Devil Mark radiated brilliant purple Demonic Light.

The second Tribulation Mark also became increasingly solid.

Although he hadn't achieved the Seventh Layer of the Demonic Body, his own strength had still advanced a step.

However, the change was not that obvious.

“It seems only by Cultivating to the Seventh Layer of the Demonic Body will I be able to condense the second Tribulation Mark.”

Withdrawing his Divine Sense, a thought surfaced in Han Li’s mind, and then he stood up and walked out of the cave.

It had only been half a day since he entered, and to have such a great harvest was not bad.

He believed the final one-tenth would not be a problem.

As long as he achieved a Breakthrough to the Seventh Layer of the True Devil Body, his chances of eliminating Lord Tianyin would increase.

If it could be resolved, then it would be resolved in one go.

Once he left the Ancient Mystic Realm, it would not be so easy.

His Divine Sense probed the surroundings, determined a direction, and Han Li's figure immediately shot off into the distance.

He soon disappeared without a trace... A day passed quickly.

No one knew how many magnates had entered the Ancient Mystic Realm.

Exploring the Secret Realm largely depended on individual luck.

Of course, strength was also very important.

In the Void Realm of the Ancient Mystic Gate, Han Li endured two natural disaster attacks within a day.

The star attacks from the sky could descend at any time, and after a day of exploration, Han Li hadn't gained much.

He had only eliminated two Divine Aperture Realm Desolate Beasts.

“Swoosh—!”

Purple light pierced the Void Realm, and Han Li’s figure appeared above a patch of grassland.

Stopping, Han Li looked into the distance, and a massive hall appeared in his vision.

It stood prominently on the vast grassland.

After a glance, Han Li immediately arrived in front of this hall.

The hall, dozens of feet tall, stood on the grassland, and at its entrance were two three-zhang tall Divine Statues.

One was a Divine Statue with a human head and snake body, while the other was a Divine Statue with a Dragon head and lion body.

Looking at these two Divine Statues, Han Li had a strange feeling; they seemed to be alive.

Yet, there was no sign of life.

This gave him an indescribably eerie sensation.

Han Li looked into the hall; it was pitch-black inside, and the entire hall seemed to be enveloped by a mysterious power.

“There might be something wrong in here too…”

Han Li’s vigilance heightened. With his Divine Power enveloping him, he took one step forward, and the next second, the two Divine Statues in front of the hall suddenly burst into light.

Above the two Divine Statues, two phantoms appeared simultaneously, identical to the Divine Statues.

They were very ethereal, yet they exuded immense malevolent power, as if primeval Vicious Beasts had revived.

“Roar—!!”

The two substantial phantom Vicious Beasts roared in unison, and a powerful light wave attacked.

Han Li’s figure moved, his Divine Power activated, and he immediately unleashed his supreme Divine Ability.

“Boom—!!”

A violent tremor sounded, and the entire hall shook but did not collapse.

His Divine Ability seemed to have no effect against the attacks of the two phantoms, passing directly through them, yet the attacks of the two phantoms landed directly on him.

“Bang—!!”

Han Li’s blood Qi surged within him, his body shook, and he was forced back a hundred zhang.

His own attack missed, yet the phantoms' attacks landed solidly on him.

Fortunately, his True Devil Body was strong enough; although he took the attacks, there were no major issues.

However, this bizarre scene made Han Li’s scalp tingle.

His Divine Ability was unable to harm the two phantom monsters.

This was the first time Han Li had encountered such a situation.

These two phantoms seemed to be mere projections, not truly existing.

“Phantom attacks, these should be penetrative attacks on the Mental Energy level, which means I can only harm the two phantoms with Mental Divine Abilities!”

Han Li's mind worked like lightning, quickly understanding. With a flash in his eyes, he realized he wasn't without Mental Divine Abilities.

It was just that, under normal circumstances, he didn't need to use them.

“Om—!!”

The next instant, Han Li's Mental Soul vibrated, and hundreds of Celestial God Pierces materialized.

“Kill!”

Powerful Mental fluctuations vibrated, and thousands of Celestial God Pierces struck at the two phantom monsters.

The two phantom monsters also roared, unleashing powerful Mental attacks.

“Boom—!!!”

Mental attacks collided, and an invisible ripple vibrated the surrounding Void Realm.

Mental Energy was invisible, but when it reached a certain level, it could manifest and shatter the Void Realm.

The power unleashed by thousands of Celestial God Pierces was terrifying, directly destroying the attacks of the two phantom monsters. The two phantom monsters trembled, visibly becoming three-tenths more ethereal.

Seeing this, Han Li’s eyes flashed, his Mental Will vibrated, and a massive Mental vortex appeared out of thin air.

Soul Vortex!

“Devour them for me!”

Unleashing his second Mental Divine Ability, Han Li struck first, taking advantage of the moment before the two phantom monsters could act.

A vast devouring force swept forth. In the center of his forehead, his True Devil Mark burst forth with infinite radiance, and the power of the Soul Vortex reached an unprecedented level.

Han Li rarely used the attacks of the Heavenly Evolution Divine Art, but that didn't mean the Divine Abilities of the Heavenly Evolution Divine Art were weak.

The Soul Vortex appeared above the heads of the two phantom monsters. Infinite devouring power swept over, completely devouring the two phantom monsters.

However, after devouring the two phantom monsters, Han Li felt it was different from devouring ordinary Mental Souls; they seemed non-existent, merely phantoms.

And at this moment, the two towering Divine Statues suddenly developed cracks, spreading throughout their bodies, and then a rumbling sound echoed, directly collapsing completely.

“Destroyed?”

Looking at the collapsed Divine Statues, Han Li wasn't even sure if they were truly gone.

The phantoms activated by the Divine Statues were not ordinary Mental Will; they were more like some kind of projection power.

The Soul Vortex disappeared, and everything returned to calm. Han Li looked at the collapsed Divine Statues, then turned his gaze to the hall before him.

“These two Divine Statues should be the hall's protective measures. Could there be some treasure inside?”

A thought surfaced in Han Li’s mind. Looking at the pitch-black hall, Han Li heightened his vigilance, his Divine Power enveloping him, and then he stepped towards the hall.

Crossing the steps, Han Li entered the pitch-black hall without any surprises.

From the outside, it looked dark and deep, like a bottomless abyss, but once inside, it was a completely different scene.

The lights were bright.

Han Li surveyed the hall, and on its walls, murals appeared before his eyes.

The first mural depicted a battlefield, where a golden-robed man fought countless bizarre monsters.

These monsters had three heads and six arms.

They looked very fierce.

His gaze sweeping, Han Li continued to look at the other murals.

“They are all murals of battles… Could the golden-robed man in these murals be the master of the Ancient Mystic Realm, the Emperor?!”

Han Li took in all dozen murals. Some were damaged and incomplete, but from these murals, he could see that every mural depicted the same golden-robed man.

The dozen murals had backgrounds of vast lands and boundless starry skies.

The battles seemed extremely tragic.

And the enemies in the paintings, without exception, were all bizarre creatures with three heads and six arms.

“Three heads and six arms… This appearance is quite similar to the Demon Race in legends!” (End of Chapter)