"What lies behind this stone door?"
Shang Xingchen stared at the massive stone door, suddenly sensing a faint thread of danger within him. It felt as though something terrifying lay hidden behind it, waiting for an unsuspecting soul to step into its trap. He furrowed his brows.
In ancient ruins, there were not only treasures but also dangers. Those who sought secrets and hidden wonders often found that for every ten who ventured in, only one would return.
After contemplating for a while, Shang Xingchen decided... to wait!
Wait for a lucky passerby to open the door first. This way, he could learn what was behind it without risking himself. Let others bear the danger. As for the opportunity, he would take it for himself.
Shang Xingchen retreated into a nearby concealed cave and waited in silence. His Yin Nether Insects scattered, resting on the rock walls, acting as his eyes and ears. It wasn't long before a lucky individual unknowingly approached the door.
"Damn it, what kind of cursed place is this? Shouldn't have come… Huh? What's that door?"
Song Tianlong stared at the ancient, heavy stone door, initially shocked, then filled with excitement.
He was the top disciple of Black Wind True Master, the leader of Black Wind Island. Though Black Wind Island had withdrawn, he couldn't resist the temptation and had brought a few trusted subordinates to Desolate Island, hoping to claim some share of the fortune.
However, just a few days into their arrival, they had encountered strange occurrences. His subordinates had scattered, and he had been wandering alone in the maze-like caves, growing numb to the situation. To his surprise, he had now discovered a door.
"This must be the true entrance to the ruins!" he thought, overjoyed.
Song Tianlong hurried to the stone door and pressed both of his arms against it, exerting all his strength.
Boom—rumble.
The stone door groaned, and a deep, resonating sound echoed from within. Under his immense power, the stone door, sealed for countless years, began to slowly open. The air was thick with the scent of ancient dust and decay.
Song Tianlong strained to peer inside, but all he saw was a pitch-black void.
"What exactly is inside here…" he murmured to himself.
Before he could finish speaking, a bolt of black light suddenly shot out from the gap in the stone door.
Song Tianlong's scalp tingled. He quickly stepped back, instinctively ducking his head. But his movement was still too slow.
Pffft!
A sharp bone spear pierced deep into his left shoulder.
Song Tianlong let out a scream of pain, stumbling backward. Only then did he catch a glimpse of his attacker in the faint light outside.
It was a humanoid creature.
Tall and gaunt, it stood nearly eight feet high. Its joints were covered in dense bone armor, and its hands and feet were transformed into bone spears and bone hammers. It looked similar to a corpse puppet, but it was far more formidable and terrifying.
The creature licked the blood off its bone spear, its eyes flashing with a naked, insatiable greed. Without hesitation, it charged toward Song Tianlong, relentlessly pursuing him.
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Song Tianlong was horrified and fled in panic, not caring about anything else. The human and the monster gradually moved farther away, their sounds fading into the distance. Once all was silent, Shang Xingchen finally emerged from his hiding spot. His face was pale, reflecting his own shock.
Fortunately, he had been cautious, never once attempting to open the stone door himself. Otherwise, it would have been him badly injured, if not dead.
That creature, which resembled a corpse puppet, must have been at least at the late Nascent Soul stage in power. With the suppression of both spiritual sense and Spiritual Qi in this area, ordinary cultivators would be no match for such a creature.
Song Tianlong had clearly met with a life-threatening situation.
"I feel like I've seen something similar in the sect's records…" Shang Xingchen suddenly recalled some old memories from his past.
Many years ago, he used to spend his time in the Nether Dao Sect's library, reading rather than cultivating. It was during that period that he accumulated a vast amount of knowledge, which helped him form his gentle, humble personality, quite different from Shang Tianjue's arrogant nature.
The founder of the Nether Dao Sect had also inherited their knowledge from even older sects and ancient ruins, and he had written about these strange, specialized evil beings in his memoirs.
"Corpse demons, I think that's what they were called. These ancient sects were often attacked by such creatures."
Shang Xingchen looked toward the dark stone door, his heart rising with excitement. This meant that behind the door could very well be another ancient sect!
However, he chose to remain cautious. He would first send his Yin Nether Insects inside to scout the area. Once he confirmed that there were no more corpse demons, he would venture in himself. Soon, the Yin Nether Insects that entered the stone door returned safely, transmitting a calm and secure feeling.
Shang Xingchen nodded, his concerns alleviated. With great care, he entered the stone door. Meanwhile, other stone doors were being discovered by the cultivators.
Some who tried to open the doors were immediately attacked by corpse demons. They were caught off guard and torn apart on the spot, their bodies devoured by the monsters. Others who opened the doors were greeted by treasures, marveling at their good fortune.
…
Several days later, Chu Xuan also stumbled upon an ancient stone door. This one was adorned with a powerful image: A muscular body of a body-refining cultivator sat cross-legged on the ground, with a furnace on his belly, rapidly refining the rare treasures he ingested.
"Melting Heaven Hall."
The moment Chu Xuan laid eyes on the image, he immediately recalled the information he had gathered from the spiritual sense jade slip.
The Eight Extremes Palace, as the name suggested, consisted of eight large halls, each one corresponding to a different style of body-refining techniques, all of which led to the same goal. Melting Heaven Hall was one of those halls.
This hall cultivated the Forging Heaven Art, where cultivators envisioned themselves as a furnace, constantly refining the rare materials and treasures they consumed to transform them into surging vitality, enhancing their physical bodies.
The body-refining cultivators of Melting Heaven Hall generally had high cultivation levels, but they were not particularly skilled in combat. They lacked body-refining martial techniques. After all, the Forging Heaven Art focused on refining treasures to enhance one's realm, not combat prowess.
However, for Chu Xuan, this was hardly a concern. As long as the cultivation base was high, martial techniques could always be found later.
When the gap in cultivation is not vast, skill becomes the deciding factor. But when the disparity in realms is immense, raw power—the might to crush everything—becomes the true way!
Chu Xuan glanced at Hu, who understood immediately. With a nod, Hu stepped forward, his arms straining with effort as he slowly pushed open the heavy stone door.
Chu Xuan, however, held his hand behind his back, ready to defend against any potential surprise attack that might come with opening the door.
The spiritual sense jade slip had already mentioned that the Eight Extremes Palace had long been overrun by corpse demons. There were no living beings inside, only the ever-wandering monsters. It was unknown how many years had passed since the fall of the hall, and the corpse demons could very well still be in a dormant state.
The sound of the stone door opening would surely disturb some of the closer demons. So, caution was key. Rumbling sounds echoed through the space as the stone door slowly creaked open. But there was no sudden rush of shadows or attacks.
After a long pause, Chu Xuan finally relaxed, motioning for Hu to proceed cautiously into the depths of the hall. Behind the stone door, the darkness grew even thicker. The suppression of Spiritual Qi and spiritual sense was even more intense here.
Had Chu Xuan not undergone intense body refinement, enhancing his senses beyond the ordinary, this place would have left him almost blind. It was as if he had been struck blind—nothing visible to the eye.
And as his gaze swept across the space, a chilling sight came into view.