231: goddess

"Courting death!"

Having his path repeatedly blocked, Shen Lian immediately roared and struck out with a palm, aiming straight for his opponent's vital point.

The Black-Robed Man, however, did not dodge or evade, directly taking Shen Lian's palm head-on.

Bang—

The palm strike hit the opponent's chest, and a powerful wave of Qi stirred up an earthquake.

But Shen Lian quickly felt a hint of surprise.

Although the Black-Robed Man was hit by the palm, he did not retreat a single step. Even more strangely, there seemed to be a familiar Law power on him that canceled out his attack.

"Fellow Daoist, I am willing to take a palm strike from you, hoping only that you can help these wandering souls in the world and assist them in escaping the sea of suffering."

"Who exactly are you?"

"Who I am is not important. What is important is that the Death Qi of this realm is about to spread, and the heroic spirits who should have perished long ago should not suffer this torment."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Helping them find liberation is also helping yourself. I know your purpose for coming here."

Only then did Shen Lian withdraw his hand, coldly saying, "The Death Qi here has reached a critical point. Even if the Heavenly Dao itself came, it would be difficult to dispel it. What good is it for you to ask me?"

The Black-Robed Man: "Fellow Daoist, do you know the origin of the Abyss of Buried Gods?"

Shen Lian: "It is said that at the beginning of the Primordial Continent's birth, the first batch of ancient Cultivators engaged in fierce slaughter here to gain the favor of the Great Dao, ultimately leading to the shattering of the universe and the fall of all three thousand Great Daos."

The Black-Robed Man shook his head: "This is only the truth you know. In fact, the fall of the three thousand Dao Gods in the Abyss of Buried Gods was a long-planned conspiracy,

The purpose was to use their Divine Thought essence to create an immortal being transcending the Six Paths, thereby bringing disaster to the entire cultivation world.

The three thousand Dao Gods fought here, not hesitating to embody the Dao with their own flesh and blood to stop the conspiracy of the mastermind. However, they all failed.

The conspirators ultimately succeeded in creating an eternal being above the Heavenly Dao, breaking through the confinement of the gods' remains and soaring beyond the heavens.

And the remains of the gods, having lost their Divine Thought, transformed into boundless Death Qi due to their unattainable obsession, turning this area into a Forbidden Ground of death."

Shen Lian slightly frowned: "So, what do you want me to do?"

The Black-Robed Man: "Walk three hundred steps forward, and you will reach the exit of the Initial Cultivation Platform. If you go further in, you will pass through a Twisted Forest.

Inside, there is a God Burying Tower, which contains an Asura entity formed from the obsession of a Dao God's remains.

After destroying it, this land will naturally be purified, and you will also be able to obtain what you want."

Shen Lian coldly replied, "Do you know what price you will pay for using Shen Lian?"

The Black-Robed Man: "What price can one who is dead and whose Dao has vanished pay? Ending this absurd tragedy,

and making the Abyss of Buried Gods completely disappear from this land, is the correct destiny."

Shen Lian unfurled his Folding Fan: "Shen Lian always acts as he pleases. If you dare to deceive me, I will make you change to a place ten thousand times more terrifying than purgatory."

With that, he turned and walked into the Twisted Forest ahead.

The Black-Robed Man stood behind him, a helpless glint emanating from his pupils... Inside the Twisted Forest, it was deathly silent, yet it held a beautiful scenery that shouldn't exist in this area.

Stepping onto the soft earth, Shen Lian walked with great ease in every step, but his expression was unusually solemn.

"Within the Twisted Forest, one encounters the people and things they most desire in their hearts. I wonder if it will give me a chance to witness experts beyond the limit, so I can experience the thrill of a life-or-death struggle?"

As soon as the thought arose, a cold wind swept past.

"Hmm?"

In just an instant, Shen Lian noticed a subtle change in his surroundings.

"Evil spawn, take your life!"

Just then, a furious shout echoed in his ears.

Shen Lian's earlobe twitched slightly. Without even lifting an eyelid, he directly raised his hand and unleashed a palm strike.

Boom—

A booming sound reverberated through the Twisted Forest, and the powerful palm force directly sent the sneak attacker flying dozens of steps back.

When he focused and opened his eyes, Old Ancestor Tianyu's appearance was vividly before him.

"A dead person can still scare ants who don't know any better, but in front of Shen Lian, it's undoubtedly like a childish joke."

As his voice fell, his foot stomped.

Immediately, an earthquake swept through a thousand mountains, and an incomparably fierce power directly swept over Old Ancestor Tianyu's figure.

"Ah—"

Accompanied by a shrill scream, Old Ancestor Tianyu directly turned into purple dust and dissipated within the Twisted Forest.

"If this is the Twisted Forest's method, then I can only say it's ridiculously infuriating!"

Shen Lian roared, clenching his single hand into a fist and raising it to the sky. Vast elemental power converged in an instant, and he directly slammed his fist into the ground.

As the palm landed, a powerful force swept through the entire Twisted Forest.

The forest immediately erupted with wails and howls, as if undergoing cruel torture.

After one palm strike, Shen Lian rose again and walked deeper into the forest.

After the cleansing of that palm strike, there were no longer any external disturbances in the Twisted Forest.

Shen Lian proceeded unhindered until he stopped before a lake.

"Hmm?"

He uttered a surprised sound, seeing a naked woman sitting on a reef in the center of the lake, her back to him, gently caressing the clear water of the lake, carefully cleaning her beautiful hair.

"You've come?"

The woman's soft call was alluring and captivating, easily capable of ensnaring any male.

Shen Lian put away his Folding Fan, held his breath and composed himself, then coldly asked, "Who are you?"

"I am the Divine Maiden of the Abyss of Buried Gods. My name has long been forgotten in the dust of history."

"Why are you waiting for me?"

"A lonely man and a lonely woman, naturally, we do what we should do."

"Hussy!"

Shen Lian directly roared in anger.

"Stop playing games. Tell me, where is that Asura in this Twisted Forest?"

"Twisted Forest?"

The woman styling her hair suddenly paused.

"Fellow Daoist, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place. This is not the Twisted Forest, but the Immortal Drink Pond, and there is no Scarlet Sea Asura you are looking for here."

"Hmm?"

Hearing this, Shen Lian closed his eyes and fell into contemplation.

"Fellow Daoist, a moment of spring night is worth a thousand gold. Don't waste any more time; come with me and explore the Great Dao of life."

"If you don't want to end up Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, then put away your silly tricks. I'll ask again, where is the Scarlet Sea Asura?"

As his voice fell, a Silken Cicada Robe spun quickly from afar, covering the woman's graceful body.

As the Divine Maiden rose, the lake surface erupted with shimmering ripples.

When she opened her eyes again, the Divine Maiden's exquisite face was already close to Shen Lian's.

"Fellow Daoist, I can see that you have been suppressed for a long time, far more suppressed than anyone I have ever met.

The existence of the Divine Maiden is to allow you to release your long-suppressed desires and rediscover your true nature.

Since you have arrived at this Immortal Drink Pond, cast aside all past worries and enjoy this rare spring."

As she spoke, the Divine Maiden extended a slender finger and gently caressed Shen Lian's face.

"Hmm? You dare to provoke me!"

Teased by the unknown woman, Shen Lian suddenly struck out with a palm.

But as the palm strike was unleashed, a milky-white ribbon flashed from the Divine Maiden's sleeve, directly coiling around his entire arm.

"This..."

Just as Shen Lian felt surprised and confused, several more ribbons bound his body.

"Whoosh..."

Before Shen Lian could react, the Divine Maiden exhaled a fragrant mist onto his face.

Instantly, Shen Lian's face began to flush, and his heart rate gradually accelerated.