Chapter 390: Remains of Immortals and Gods

Source Ancestor and numerous Saints arrived at this place, their expressions as normal, without too much surprise. When the ancient palace first revealed itself to the world, fierce battles for it erupted.

Many of the remaining cracks at the end of that passage were traces left behind from their past conflicts.

The God King gazed at the empty space on the dais, where a bronze divine throne should have been. Back then, during the contention, he yielded it to Source Ancestor.

However, even now, the other party still hadn't become an Immortal God.

"Humph."

The God King coldly snorted, glanced at Source Ancestor, and strode forward.

Outside the ancient palace, the areas that Saints could explore had basically been thoroughly searched, picked clean, leaving nothing of value behind.

Li Hao followed them through the passage, delving deeper into the ancient palace.

The interior of this ancient palace formed its own secret realm, extremely vast, resembling the imperial palace of a divine dynasty.

A grand reviewing platform stretched out, and along the way stood several ancient sculptures, each carved into the likeness of a towering and majestic, handsome and extraordinarily refined young man.

His gaze seemed to look towards the front of the ancient palace, his eyes as if reflecting the starry river, incredibly lifelike.

Li Hao slightly narrowed his eyes. Dao aura surrounded these sculptures. He vaguely sensed that touching them might trigger some unforeseen event.

Moreover, the artistry of these sculptures was extremely high, at least at the eighth or ninth level, sealing a trace of the subject's Dao aura within. Even capturing just one percent of it gave one a feeling of being unable to look directly at them.

"This is the ancient Immortal God."

A Saint looked up at the sculpture, yearning in their eyes.

Although Immortal Gods had vanished, the various relics they left behind had revealed a corner of their mystery, making people linger and forget to return.

"Don't get close. If the sculptures become tainted with the Great Dao, there will be no good outcome."

A seasoned Saint of the Three Calamities reminded those who had never been here before.

Li Hao noticed that the heads of two sculptures had been broken off, their Dao aura dissipating, presumably due to exploration in the past.

"This is the Ascension Platform. That ahead is the Heavenly Sacrifice Platform. We have already explored them."

Source Ancestor softly introduced to Li Hao, who was following behind.

"From other relics and records in some ancient aristocratic family documents – their ancestors had contact with Immortal Gods and were invited here as guests."

"The Ascension Platform is where the master of this ancient palace received the homage of Immortal Gods. This palace's master was not only an Immortal God, but also held an extremely high position among Immortal Gods."

"Over there is the Heavenly Sacrifice Platform, for offering sacrifices to the Heavenly Dao."

Source Ancestor pointed.

At the end of the passage beyond the Ascension Platform was a vast high platform, as majestic as a mountain, with sacrificial flags on it, though already tattered and faded.

There were also many bloodstains there, but no miscellaneous objects. It seemed to have been looted as well.

Li Hao silently glanced over. Feng Lao had also told him about these.

"That is the Dao Confinement Platform, which is the true core of the ancient palace. It requires the Sixth Extreme Realm to open. Inside, besides the path to immortality and divinity, there should be many treasures."

Source Ancestor led the way, smiling faintly at Li Hao, "This time, we can only enter thanks to you. When we get inside, feel free to choose any treasures you like."

The God King sneered upon hearing this, but said nothing.

Li Hao just nodded lightly. No one knew what the situation inside was yet. If there truly were top-tier treasures, no one would let him choose first. However, the other party's pleasantries were indeed good for building rapport.

Before long, the group arrived at the Dao Confinement Platform in a mighty procession.

The interior of this ancient palace was incomparably vast, with many mechanisms and restrictions. However, the outer areas had been explored before, so they proceeded unimpeded.

When everyone successively arrived at the Dao Confinement Platform, Li Hao's expression became solemn. He saw that it was a gate tower, but浓郁 Dao aura permeated the air, and the surroundings faintly contained the power of void severing.

Forcing entry would undoubtedly trigger something.

"This is a True Martial Eight Extremes Formation!"

Source Ancestor raised his hand, and a wisp of power touched the center of the ancient gate tower. It was like touching ripples in the air, causing ripples to spread.

At the same time, a hidden restriction within was revealed.

"Apart from the Sixth Extreme Realm power, we all possess the other Extreme Realm powers."

Source Ancestor stated.

This True Martial Eight Extremes Formation was also something that many Saints had explored with their lives, and they had gathered many top array masters from the Heavens to decipher it.

It required the Extreme Realm powers of the Martial Dao's Eight Realms, filled in sequentially, to open this formation.

As Source Ancestor's words fell, the gazes of all the Saints turned to Li Hao.

The God King and Hun Tian Saint, among others, also stared intently at Li Hao. Among all the heavens, only the young man before them possessed that mysterious Sixth Extreme Realm.

Li Hao's expression seemed calm. He knew that once the formation was opened, his uniqueness would no longer be important. At that point, he would have to rely on his own abilities to survive.

But the current situation left him with no room for refusal. Behind this gate tower lay what all the Saints of the heavens desperately craved.

He took a deep breath and revealed the Extreme Realm powers one by one.

The Martial Dao's Eight Realms were Power Manifestation, Celestial Cycle, Soul Succession, Spirit Wandering, Fifteen Miles, Heaven-Man Unity, Three Imperishables, and Four Pillars!

And their corresponding Extreme Realms were Divine Power, Earthly Veins of the World, Worldly Dharma Aspect, Primordial Spirit, Return to the Void, Transformation into Immortality, Imperishable and Indestructible, and Eternal Dao Domain!

As Divine Power, Earthly Veins of the World, and other Extreme Realm powers gradually manifested, Li Hao channeled these powers into the True Martial Eight Extremes Formation that had appeared before him.

Beams of light emerged in the formation, lighting up one by one.

When it came to the Sixth Extreme Realm, Li Hao's hair turned silver-white as he drew upon the power of heaven and earth, channeling this power of Transformation into Immortality into the formation.

A dazzling silver-white light radiated from within the formation, making the entire array exceptionally brilliant.

Apart from Transformation into Immortality, Source Ancestor and other Supreme Saints already possessed the other Extreme Realms.

Knowing that Li Hao also possessed it, no one interfered, leaving it to Li Hao alone to open the formation.

As the power of the Eternal Dao Domain surged in, the True Martial Eight Extremes Formation shone with unprecedented brilliance. The eight powers abruptly rotated, transforming into a hazy chaotic force. Immediately after, an ancient restriction that had been sealed for ages slowly opened.

The ripples before the gate tower undulated, dissipating like a water curtain.

The scene inside underwent a tremendous change from what they had seen before. It was a dim and cold passage, like a mountain cave.

A putrid smell wafted out.

The Saints' expressions slightly changed, becoming solemn.

Whoosh!

Source Ancestor's figure suddenly shot out, swiftly entering behind the gate tower.

Another scarlet figure also darted out, almost no less swift than him. It was the God King, who had long been poised to act.

Seeing these two take the lead, the other Supreme Saints did not hesitate. Although everything inside was unknown, with dangers lurking, fortune lay in taking risks. If they fell behind, they would miss out on any treasures inside.

Law Saint, Medicine Saint, Ink Saint, and others all rapidly followed.

Li Hao narrowed his eyes and also closely followed behind, while secretly guarding against other Saints.

Before the Dao Confinement Platform was opened, no one would attack him. Even if someone did, Source Ancestor and the others would help him, not letting anything happen to him. But now it was different.

His value had been used up.

Fortunately, everyone was now eager to explore the interior, and no one came looking for trouble with him.

Li Hao followed behind the Supreme Saints, seeing that in this dim passage, there were actually many corpses along the way, already decayed into skeletons.

The air was filled with a nauseating stench of corpses. Li Hao scanned these corpses, and saw Dao patterns on their bones. Like him, they had cultivated Dao bones!

However, they seemed to have failed to refine divine blood into Dao power. Otherwise, flesh and blood would have existed alongside Dao bones, and would not have decayed into skeletons.

Li Hao was not in a hurry to catch up. If there were truly treasures, those Supreme Saints would inevitably fight over them. Instead of that, it was better to walk slower, which could also evade Hun Tian Saint's prying eyes.

While Li Hao walked and observed, other Saints were vying to rush ahead, some quickly overtaking Li Hao.

"These corpses, they are mostly of Immortal Gods."

Sword Master caught up to Li Hao's side, slowing down his pace, and said in a low and grave tone.

"Don't look! With so many Immortal God corpses, there must be a path to immortality and divinity inside!"

Sword Saint swept past from the side, quickly said, and then rushed into the depths of the passage without turning his head back.

Sword Master glanced at Li Hao and said, "Are you worried about Hun Tian Saint?"

Li Hao nodded slightly, and said to him, "You go first, no need to worry about me."

Sword Master pondered for a moment, then said, "Alright, I'll go ahead and scout the situation."

He knew that if he stayed by Li Hao's side, he wouldn't be able to help if Hun Tian Saint wanted to deal with Li Hao.

Back when Li Hao encountered trouble in the Buddhist Sect, his drawing his sword could still alleviate the crisis for him. But now, the enemies Li Hao faced were far beyond what he could handle.

Although Three Calamities and Supreme Saints were only a step apart, the difference was like heaven and earth.

"Immortal God remains… can Immortal Gods also die?"

Li Hao's eyes flickered slightly. Feng Lao had said that Immortal Gods vanished due to some terrible crisis, a great calamity of heaven and earth.

Were these Immortal God remains before him the result of that great calamity?

"Could it be the Heavenly Dao's killing intent?"

A thoughtful look appeared in Li Hao's eyes. The corpses in the passage before him, including the various traces in the ancient palace, all confirmed the fact that Immortal Gods had existed.

But what could make Immortal Gods fall, other than the power of the Heavenly Dao? Li Hao couldn't think of anything else.

Yet he could now sense the Heavenly Dao's will, and combined with his peak Transformation into Immortality, he could barely wield the Heavenly Dao's power. He felt that the Heavenly Dao harbored no malice towards all living beings, viewing them as flowers and plants. This was not indifference, but a tolerant attitude of letting things cycle naturally.

If it wasn't a calamity of the Heavenly Dao, what other calamity could have caused even Immortal Gods, beings beyond Saints, to perish here?

Li Hao walked through the passage, soon emerging into a great hall. He saw several forces clashing, fighting over a damaged spear shaft.

The spearhead was broken, and the shaft was like bronze cast, with an ancient aura, emitting faint pulses of calamity force.

Li Hao was now extremely sensitive to calamity force. He immediately recognized that this damaged spear was definitely an extremely terrifying Dao Calamity Emperor Weapon. Although damaged, it was still comparable to a Fifth Calamity or even Sixth Calamity Emperor Weapon.

Law Saint and Ink Saint were contending for it, while Medicine Saint and Name Saint were fighting over another amber-colored gem.

This great hall indeed contained treasures, and several Supreme Saints had discovered them immediately.

While they were fighting, other Saints were searching everywhere.

Although they knew that the treasures being fought over by the Supreme Saints were extremely precious, the other Saints couldn't afford to be envious. They could only seek other things.

There were sculptures of the young man in the hall, but no one dared to approach them. The sculptures here were clad in battle armor, seeming even more imposing.

Li Hao scanned them, and saw that Source Ancestor and God King were nowhere to be seen. He didn't waste energy participating in the nearby scramble. He continued forward, and at the end of the great hall were three forked paths.

Li Hao noticed that residual auras remained in two of the forked paths, those of Source Ancestor and God King respectively.

In the central path were the auras of other Supreme Saints, such as Hun Tian Saint and Dragon Saint.

Li Hao's eyes flickered slightly, and in the end, he retraced his steps, not continuing forward.

He returned to the great hall, watching the Saints everywhere fighting and searching, feeling that they were no different from bandits from the countryside at this moment.

He chose a higher spot, and sat down on a cushion in front of a sculpture, waiting for them to finish fighting and for Source Ancestor and the others to finish exploring, to see if there truly was a path to immortality and divinity.

After all, it was a path leading to the dwelling of Immortal Gods. Li Hao couldn't help but feel a bit curious.

He neither contended nor snatched, just sitting here, forming a stark contrast with the Saints around him who were searching and搶奪ing for strange and exotic treasures in the hall.

As he was observing, he suddenly felt the cushion he was sitting on sink downwards, and waves of suction force surged into his body, drawing and absorbing the power within him.

Li Hao was startled, quickly got up, and looked at this cushion in astonishment and doubt.

The cushion was grayish and unremarkable in appearance. Li Hao tried to subtly release his power, and found that it was indeed being absorbed by the cushion.

But the cushion was like a bottomless pit, absorbing a large amount of power without showing any change.

Just as Li Hao was about to put away this cushion to investigate what strange treasure it was, a booming sound suddenly came from the sculpture before him.

Immediately after, Li Hao saw a beam of light shooting out from the sculpture's eyes, engulfing his body.

Then, a law force of space origin covered him. Li Hao only felt a blur before his eyes. When he reappeared, there were two familiar Supreme Saint auras beside him.

The anomaly here also startled the other Saints in the great hall.

"Where's Heavenly Venerable Hao?"

"Where did he go? It seems he triggered something, and was teleported away by that sculpture."

"Could it be the path to Immortal Gods?!"

The many Saints who had been fighting over treasures immediately became excited. Some even directly abandoned their scramble and rushed towards the sculpture.

A trace of anger appeared in Name Saint's eyes. He gave up fighting for the gem and came before the cushion.

He stared intently, and soon discerned the clues. He raised his hand and released his power, enveloping the cushion. Before long, the sculpture's eyes once again shot out beams of light, enveloping him.

Just as the Saints gathered before the sculpture, Li Hao, who was teleported over first, saw two familiar figures beside him.

Hun Tian Saint and Dragon Saint.

They were also slightly stunned when they saw Li Hao suddenly appearing here, somewhat surprised, obviously not expecting Li Hao to suddenly arrive.

Li Hao's expression changed when he saw Hun Tian Saint, becoming somewhat unsightly.

He remembered the other party's aura. Earlier, it had been in the central path of the three forked paths. In that case, did the sculpture teleport him directly into the depths of the central path?

Li Hao rapidly scanned his surroundings, his figure quietly moving away.

"How did you get here?"

Dragon Saint directly asked Li Hao, somewhat curious.

"Source Ancestor sent me over." Li Hao replied.

Hun Tian Saint narrowed his eyes and coldly laughed, "You seem to be afraid of something. Are you afraid of me? Looks like someone has told you something."

Dragon Saint glanced at him, also understanding something, and smiled, "Then I won't disturb you."

Whoosh!

Li Hao directly turned around and ran. This place was a palace hall, but fortunately, there were passages on both sides. He quickly fled, cursing inwardly.

He had just wanted to sit down and rest for a while, but ended up being inexplicably teleported here. This was too坑爹 (pitiful/terrible/screwed up)!

(End of chapter)