Chapter 3: The Tomb of Gu Baili

A cold night passed in silence.

At dawn, Lin Jiufeng slowly opened his eyes. The golden Nascent Soul retreated into his Sea of Consciousness as he stood up, brushing the dust off his robe and exhaling deeply.

"Finally, I've converted all my spiritual energy into the energy of the Dimensional Battlefield. Now I can absorb it freely and rapidly improve myself!" Lin Jiufeng thought with joy.

Boom!

In the next moment, an ocean unfolded before him, and a bright moon rose in the sky. Standing in front of the moon, Lin Jiufeng frantically absorbed the Dimensional Battlefield's energy.

Rumble!

The energy surged like a tidal wave, crashing into his phenomenon, instantly amplifying its power several times over.

This was the power of the Dimensional Battlefield's energy.

It was far stronger than the spiritual energy of the mortal world. No wonder so many people desired to ascend.

At this moment, Lin Jiufeng activated all his techniques, phenomena, and the Mortal Dao he cultivated, infusing them with the energy of the Dimensional Battlefield. Each of them gained a tremendous boost in power.

As Lin Jiufeng finished his cultivation, the Sacred Beast Qilin also awoke.

A deep and profound aura emanated from his body, as steady as a mountain.

Mid-Eleven Ban Realm!

In such a short time, not only had the Sacred Beast Qilin completed the energy conversion, but he had also advanced in cultivation.

Roar!

The Qilin let out a low growl. His imposing aura swept outward, and as he shook his body, his shimmering fur, thick and radiant, gleamed brilliantly under the morning sunlight.

"Absorbing the Dimensional Battlefield's energy has activated some of my dormant bloodline abilities. I've directly broken through to the Mid-Eleven Ban Realm. This is a great fortune!" the Qilin said to Lin Jiufeng.

Lin Jiufeng nodded. "Indeed, it is. We are in great danger right now. The stronger we become, the safer we'll be."

The Qilin grumbled, "If I had known earlier, you should have killed all those criminals from the Dimensional Prison back in the mortal world—especially that damned Skeleton Clan Patriarch. He's utterly detestable!"

Lin Jiufeng calmly shook his head. "Even if I had killed all the others, I couldn't have stopped the Skeleton Clan Patriarch. In the mortal world, he couldn't defeat me, but if he focused solely on escaping, I wouldn't have been able to stop him from ascending. Once he returned to Skeleton Island, he would have issued a bounty against me regardless."

The Qilin cursed, "That damned old skeleton! When I grow stronger, I'll crush him first!"

Lin Jiufeng laughed heartily. "As long as we remain cautious and steadily increase our strength, we will eventually triumph."

The Qilin then asked, "So what's next? Do you trust that old man's directions, or should we find our own path?"

Lin Jiufeng pondered for a moment before saying, "I believe him. That old man is extremely powerful. If he had wanted to kill us, we wouldn't have been able to escape. So let's continue heading south. I'm curious to see what relics our human predecessors have left behind."

The Qilin nodded and followed Lin Jiufeng as they continued their journey southward.

Their speed was incredible—thousands of miles passed in the blink of an eye.

After crossing the plains, they encountered a nameless mountain range, its pine and cypress trees lush and verdant. Lin Jiufeng and the Qilin exchanged glances, cautiously concealing their auras and scanning their surroundings to ensure no one had detected them.

They traversed the mountains carefully, always moving south. Before long, they discovered a valley shrouded in miasma and poisonous fog.

From a distance, the valley was engulfed in dark mist, blending seamlessly with the forest's shadows, making it inconspicuous.

However, as they approached, a pungent, toxic scent assaulted Lin Jiufeng's senses.

Even with his peak Eleven Ban Realm cultivation, inhaling a single breath of this miasma made his head spin. Alarmed, he immediately held his breath, sealed his pores, and erected a protective barrier around himself. Only then did he feel somewhat secure.

He turned to warn the Qilin, only to find him striding forward without a care, completely unaffected by the poisonous fog.

Seeing Lin Jiufeng's surprise, the Qilin explained, "My bloodline makes me immune to all poisons. These toxins are instantly neutralized in my body, so they don't affect me at all."

Lin Jiufeng was envious. This was the natural advantage of the Sacred Beast Qilin—an inherent ability.

"Since I'm immune, follow closely behind me. I'll shield you from most of the poison," the Qilin offered, taking the lead.

Lin Jiufeng didn't refuse and carefully followed behind him, stepping into the valley.

Along the way, Lin Jiufeng extended his divine sense to probe his surroundings.

Zzzt!

But as soon as his divine sense reached outward, the miasma corroded it instantly, sending waves of pain through his soul. He had no choice but to retract it immediately.

"The poison clouds the mind, and the miasma corrodes the soul. This place is truly dangerous," Lin Jiufeng muttered, still shaken. He dared not be careless and followed closely behind the Qilin.

As they ventured deeper, Lin Jiufeng was astonished by the valley's beauty.

Unlike the dark and sinister outer region, the valley's center was filled with vibrant, glowing flowers.

The flowers were dazzling—red like blood, white like jade, green like fireflies, deep blue, brilliant yellow…

These colorful blossoms intertwined, illuminating the heart of the valley in a surreal glow.

And there, at the valley's center, stood a massive tomb.

Lin Jiufeng and the Qilin didn't approach recklessly. They first observed carefully, ensuring there were no hidden dangers.

"Better not touch these flowers. If they can thrive in such a poisonous environment, they must be extraordinary," Lin Jiufeng cautioned.

The Qilin nodded solemnly. Although he was immune to poison, he knew better than to underestimate the unknown.

After a thorough scan to confirm the absence of immediate threats, they cautiously avoided the flowers and approached the tomb.

As they neared, Lin Jiufeng finally saw the inscription on the tombstone.

[Tomb of Gu Baili]

Lin Jiufeng froze.

Gu Baili?

He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't mistaken. Disbelief surged through him.

The old man had spoken of a relic left by human ancestors—he never expected it to be the tomb of one of the Ten Kings from five thousand years ago!

The Ten Kings were legendary figures:

The Crimson-Clad Maiden, the Painted-Skin Scholar, Gu Baili, Changshengtian, the Great King Snake, the Great Ape King, Sword God Diliu, the Mad Blade Bai Zhan, the Human Realm's Yama, and Madam Whale.

Lin Jiufeng had encountered the Painted-Skin Scholar, Sword God Diliu, and the Human Realm's Yama before.

But the others? He had only ever heard of them.

Gu Baili was one of them.

He had long admired this legendary figure, yet their first meeting was now one of life and death separation.

The tombstone was ancient and covered in dust, untouched for countless years.

Lin Jiufeng crouched down and carefully wiped it clean, a deep sorrow welling up in his heart.

The Ten Kings had been dazzling geniuses in the mortal world five thousand years ago. They had immense potential and should have shone even brighter in the Dimensional Battlefield.

Yet Gu Baili had fallen.

And here he lay, buried in this lonely valley.

[You have wiped the tombstone of a fallen predecessor, feeling deep sorrow. Your extraordinary comprehension has been activated, allowing you to glimpse into a fragment of the past.]

Suddenly, a line of text appeared before Lin Jiufeng's eyes.

Without hesitation, he chose to view it.

He needed to know—how did Gu Baili perish?