Chapter 389: The Prohibition of Ancient Darkness
Outside the ruins.
The unprecedented phenomena manifesting over the Sea of Chaotic Spirits due to the ruins of the Immortals’ Sword House suddenly boomed and shook.
Countless streaks holy radiance silently drew in, closing like flower petals.
The endless misty light withdrew, and even the illusion of what looked like a celestial palace suddenly shrunk, becoming many times smaller than before. In the end, it transformed into a glowing, circulating vortex, almost like a tunnel.
“This….” When the woman on the giant white ape’s shoulders saw this, her eyes widened. Irrepressible shock filled her exquisite features.
What was happening?
Meanwhile, a thousand feet below the water’s surface, Ge Qian had completely withdrawn his presence. He, too, keenly sensed everything happening outside, and he was so startled that his scalp went numb.
This was because, as the phenomena above the Immortals’ Sword House changed, he suddenly saw a gaunt figure stand on the ship full of radiant starlight on the not-too-distant seas.
The figure was bathed in the light of the stars, illusory and ethereal. Ge Qian couldn’t see his features clearly at all.
Yet he had the peerless, aloof bearing of one who’d cast the world aside. Shrouded in light, he seemed holy, like a deity or immortal!?His aura was so terrifying that even heaven and earth changed color, and the waters surged and boomed.
“Strong!” The woman seated on the shoulder of a giant ape felt her hair stand on end. She sensed a potential threat.
However, before long, a clear divine chain of pure, translucent starlight shot out of the Starlight Vessel.
Clang!
The starlight chains were like a divine whip. They cut into that gaunt silhouette, dispersing his already illusory and ethereal figure. He vanished without a trace.
“So, the power of the restriction on the Starlight Vessel is keeping him captive…” The woman understood, but her heart churned. That gaunt figure was terrifyingly strong! Yet he’d still been imprisoned.
Just how strong was the expert that placed the restriction on the Starlight Vessel?
A burst of cold, effeminate laughter emanated from the Isle of No Return. “Hah, the thirty thousand years of the ‘Age of Ancient Darkness’ has yet to truly leave us. Until the time is right, those foolish enough to attempt to break their bonds are sure to perish!”
A pair of green lanterns hovered in the sky, like a pair of eyes staring at the distant Starlight Vessel.
“As expected, a terrifying entity is hiding on the Isle of No Return,” said the woman seated on the shoulder of a giant ape, her expression uncertain.
Earlier, she’d gazed upon the isle from afar, and she sensed the obscure fluctuations of a living thing.
What she saw now was unquestionable proof of her deductions!
Inwardly, she was confused and uncertain. Thirty thousand years of the Age of Ancient Darkness? What does that mean?
The Starlight Vessel was still and silent. No one answered her.
But everyone could tell that the gaunt silhouette on board was still there!
The soft, effeminate voice continued, “Why not speak? After all these years, of all those who once lived in the Sea of Chaotic Spirits, only the four of us remain.”
“Some fled before the descent of the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness, venturing deep into the starry skies, their fates unknown.
“The others have already been corroded by the power of the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness. It ate away at them until they died.
“In other words, throughout the waters of the Sea of Chaotic Spirits, only the four of us have hope of breaking the shackles of the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness. Only we can return to the outside world and aspire to the pinnacle of the Grand Dao! Why shouldn’t?the?few of us join forces?”
Even now, no one on board the Starlight Vessel responded.
However, the woman on the shoulder of the giant ape was visibly flabbergasted. She had no idea what the “Age of Ancient Darkness” or the “Prohibition of Ancient Darkness” were.
However, she could already deduce that the Isle of No Return, White Bone Tower, the Mountain of Funerals, and the Starlight Vessel each hid an utterly terrifying existence. Furthermore, the four of them had suffered the suppression of the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness, yet despite countless years of confinement, they remained alive to this day!
According to the voice emanating from the Isle of No Return, when the thirty thousand years of the Age of Ancient Darkness ended, these four terrifying existences would break through the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness and re-enter the world!
Suddenly, a cold, utterly despotic voice resounded from deep within the blood-colored mists of White Bone Tower. “Join forces? We haven’t even broken free, but you’re already planning something like that? Fire Demon Lihuo, don’t you think you’re getting ahead of yourself?”
So, the terrifying existence on the Isle of No Return is called ‘Fire Demon Lihuo’? Don’t tell me he’s a mighty expert of the demonic path??wondered the woman.
“We four old-timers aren’t the only ones on the Azure Continent to have survived the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness,” said Fire Demon Lihuo in that soft, feminine voice of his. “If we don’t prepare in advance, when the time comes to vie for the Origins of the Azure…”
Before he could finish, a voice boomed like thunder from the distant peak of the Mountain of Funerals.?“Shut your mouth! Lihuo, are you trying to get yourself killed? How dare you bring that up?!?”
It was just a shout, yet it reverberated throughout the nine heavens. The infuriated voice boomed so loudly that the nearby seas suddenly collapsed.
The white ape’s eardrums stung, and his mind almost collapsed.
The woman on his shoulder felt her mind buzz, and she saw stars. Her expression changed dramatically, and she promptly circulated her full cultivation base. Only then did she counter the voice’s terrifying majesty.
“Daoist Brother Oblivion, why lose your temper? Perhaps, when the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness first descended, we all had to be cautious, but its power has grown weaker and weaker over time. In just a few years, it will disappear completely. When the time comes, why fear its power any longer?” said Fire Demon Lihuo from the Isle of No Return. “The very mention of the name of Thunder Monarch Oblivion once struck terror into the hearts of the Azure Continent’s cultivators. Don’t tell me you?still?haven’t recovered from your initial trauma?”
That booming voice resounded from the peak of the Mountain of Funerals once more. “Drop the nonsense. The Heavensphere Yao Emperor’s natal bone has appeared earlier than anticipated. If you’re willing to cede it to me, I might consider joining forces with you after we escape captivity.”
This terrifying existence was called the “Thunder Monarch Oblivion”!
“Haha, even if I were willing to concede, I’m afraid Ol’ Yao Bone Eater wouldn’t let me!” laughed Fire Demon Lihuo.
Deep within the bloody mists, that despotic voice resounded once more. “Were you to cede it to me, how could I possibly refuse?”
This one was called Ol’ Yao Bone Eater!
“That so? But the Heavensphere Yao Emperor only has one natal bone. How could Thunder Monarch Oblivion possibly let me give to you, Old Yao Bone Eater?
Fire Demon Lihuo said, “Besides, don’t forget, Fellow Daoist Star Girdle has been here this whole time!”
Everyone fell silent in response to this declaration.
When she heard this, the woman atop the giant ape instinctively glanced at the Starlight Vessel.?So, that gaunt figure’s Daoist title is ‘Star Girdle’?
Furthermore, from the look of things, Fire Demon Lihuo, Old Yao Bone Eater, and Thunder Monarch Oblivion are all afraid of him!
A moment later, Fire Demon Lihuo spoke once more. “The way I see it, we should do as I suggested earlier. If we join forces, we can share the Heavensphere Yao Emperor’s natal bone. Otherwise, fighting and killing will only hurt us all.
It was then that a cold, clear voice emanated from the Starlight Vessel. “It’ll go to whoever’s strong enough to take it.”
It was just one simple sentence, yet it contained terrifying, imposing might. The other three terrifying existences sank into a long silence.
Just as I thought! This ‘Star Girdle’ is the strongest of the bunch!?Atop the white ape, the woman’s heart shook.
A moment later, she couldn’t help but feel a wordless despondency.
The ruins of the Immortals’ Sword House had attracted attention throughout the surrounding nations. Countless cultivators had ventured inside, dead-set on obtaining the fortune within.
Even she was no exception. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have returned here.
Yet now, she was deeply aware that all the cultivators who’d gathered here were doomed to fail.
Even if they seized the ruins’ good fortune, when they left, the terrifying existences lurking within the Four Perils would kill them!
When she realized this, the woman’s heart shook, and she felt the urge to flee. However, she dared not make any reckless moves.
She was keenly aware that these four terrifying existences had long since noticed her. They were just ignoring her, presumably because they saw her as so insignificant that they could safely overlook her.
This thought made her sigh.
Ordinarily speaking, she was a legendary figure of this mundane world. She was so lofty that even Origin Dao cultivators held her in fear and awe; they could only gaze upon her from afar.
But now, she realized that her situation was no different from those Origin Dao cultivators she ignored and overlooked…
The atmosphere throughout this stretch of ocean sank into oppressive silence.
Everyone was waiting.
……
The rumbling and shifting of the ruins ceased, and everything returned to its former tranquility.
The top of the nine-stepped jade platform.
Su Yi’s eyes shone with a strange light. He was somewhat surprised.
Shockingly, the white bone seal was carved from the natal bone of a yao cultivator with Imperial Realm cultivation. It was only about the size of a baby’s fist, but it was emblazoned with a full nine layers of Dao mark barrier power!
Each layer of Dao marks’ runes and diagrams seemed as vast as the open seas.
Layered on top of each other, they made this little seal utterly extraordinary. It was worthy of the title Profound Treasure!
When cultivating the Dao, there were four main stages.
They were, respectively, the Martial Dao, Origin Dao, Spirit Dao, and Profound Dao.
Those who entered the Profound Dao were also known as Imperial Realm experts.
Profound Treasures were treasures only Imperial Realm experts could use and produce.
In his past life, Su Yi had reached the very end of the Profound Dao, with a cultivation at the peak of the Profound Unity Realm. This was the upper limit of the Imperial Realm, and it was thus called the Imperial Apex Realm.
He naturally could discern the bone seal’s secrets at a glance.
The Heavensphere Yao Emperor had left it behind.
The Heavensphere Yao Emperor’s original form was that of the True Spirit divine beast, the Baize or “White Marsh.” A seal carved from his natal bone was surely far beyond ordinary Profound Treasures.
From the nine-layered Dao mark barrier power on the seal, Su Yi could tell that it acted as a key!
With this treasure in hand, he effectively controlled the ruins of the Immortals’ Sword House, as the seal could control its restrictions.
It might have held further secrets, but Su Yi would need to examine it with his divine sense to conduct a more thorough investigation.
However, he didn’t do so.
As strong as his divine sense had become, his cultivation was still too low. Recklessly sensing a treasure an Imperial Realm expert had left behind would be extremely foolish.
Su Yi thought for a moment, then turned his attention toward the dark golden jade slip.
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