Eternal Life by Dual Cultivation

Chapter 538: Chapter 290: Celestial Monarch Luo Qi: Young Master, You and I Are Fated...

’To think their strength has regressed so much.’

Having sorted through her memories, Meng Feiyu activated a Spirit Technique. The distant Daoist Puppet Army immediately reacted, silently retreating to the side and clearing a path.

Ling Changqing’s expression relaxed slightly. ’As long as she can still control this place, the rest will be much easier.’

The four of them arrived before a small hill, where a ten-zhang-tall, ink-black Profound Iron Gate stood tightly shut. A spiritual glow flickered across the complex and intricate Array Patterns on its surface, its terrifying pressure contained yet palpable.

Meng Feiyu stared at the gate for a moment before a lost memory returned to her. She then, somewhat stiffly, executed several control Seal Techniques.

Amidst a continuous rumbling, the dark gate, which had been sealed for an unknown amount of time, slowly parted and retracted into the mountainside, revealing a wide, arched passageway.

Ink-black floor tiles, walls, pillars, ceilings, and sculptures—everything was based on a black motif.

The complex Array Patterns and Restrictions covering every surface all served to seal, suppress, imprison, weaken, or induce slumber.

There was no free-flowing Spiritual Qi in the space. A Cultivator could not replenish their energy here. Once trapped by the Restrictions, no matter how high their Cultivation, they could only grow weaker and weaker.

Walking through the passageway, Ling Changqing could clearly sense the omnipresent sealing power. ’With my current Cultivation as a mere Nascent Soul True Monarch,’ he thought, ’if I were carelessly trapped in here, I’d probably never get out.’

As they went deeper, dozens of crudely styled halls appeared one after another, along with accompanying rest areas. These must have been the living quarters for the Prison Guards and Elders stationed here back then.

After passing through three gates protected by powerful Restrictions, Ling Changqing finally saw the prison block.

The space was filled with a suffocating pressure. Black iron gates of identical make, all covered in Array Patterns and Restrictions, lined both sides of the corridor.

Behind each gate was a small prison cell.

Peering through the small observation windows on the gates, they could see that the cells were all empty.

Or rather, they were empty now, because the prisoners once held inside were all dead.

In one cell, Ling Changqing saw the skeleton of a four-legged beast, gleaming with golden light. Even though the creature had perished many years ago, the aura emanating from its bones was still oppressive.

"That’s a One-Horned Green Qilin Beast I captured back in the day," Meng Feiyu said. "It has the bloodline of the Ancient Divine Beast, the Qilin, though it’s sadly not very pure. I never thought its skeleton would still be here."

As she spoke, Meng Feiyu activated a Spirit Technique and opened the cell door.

Bai Qingyi stepped forward, encased the extraordinarily valuable skeleton in ice, and stored it in her Storage Magical Artifact.

In the future, when Ling Changqing’s Cultivation is high enough, he can try to refine it, forging it into a powerful Divine Weapon or a piece of Armor.

The next several dozen cells were empty. They occasionally found the remains of Human Race Cultivators, but because their Cultivation in life hadn’t been high enough, their bones had turned to dust, holding no value.

At the very end of the corridor, a new Dark Gold Gate appeared. Behind it was a spiral staircase leading down.

Ling Changqing and the three women descended the stairs to the 2nd Floor. The layout of the cells here was similar to that of the 1st Floor.

In the third cell, a jade-white, humanoid skeleton lay slumped on the ground, wrapped in a tattered, bluish-black Magic Robe so worn its original design was indiscernible.

By its hand lay a palm-sized Purple Gold Gourd, emitting mysterious and profound fluctuations of Magical Power.

"A fine treasure! Too bad my husband can’t use it yet," Meng Feiyu said with a smile. "Only someone with Sister Qingyi’s Cultivation could barely activate it. Why don’t you hold onto it for now?"

"Of course, that’s no problem," Bai Qingyi replied, a hint of anticipation surfacing in her lovely eyes.

Meng Feiyu opened the cell door, allowing Bai Qingyi to take the Exotic Treasure in hand.

The previous owner of this Purple Gold Gourd had been the Sect Leader of a Daoist Sect in the Ancient Era. His sect and the Hongmeng Divine Hall were like fire and water, and he was eventually defeated by Meng Feiyu and thrown into this prison.

There was nothing else of value in the remaining cells. They found a few skeletons of Exotic Beasts and Cultivators, but their Spiritual Energy Essence had completely dissipated, rendering them worthless.

"...Is... is someone there?"

A voice, heavy with the weight of ages, echoed faintly in the silent space.

"Which fellow Daoist has arrived? I pray you will lend me your aid!"

Then, a mellow and pleasant voice with a faint hint of majesty followed.

Ling Changqing was slightly taken aback and looked toward Meng Feiyu.

"They’re at the very end. Let’s go," Meng Feiyu said, taking Ling Changqing’s arm. They walked to the cell at the end of the corridor and finally saw who had spoken.

Through the small window on the door, Ling Changqing saw a man in an azure robe, his long hair obscuring his face. His hands and feet were bound by black chains, rendering him completely immobile.

Sensing he was being watched, the azure-robed man suddenly raised his head. His fierce and domineering eyes met Ling Changqing’s gaze, like a bolt of lightning tearing through space.

"A Nascent Soul?"

The azure-robed man was clearly surprised. "With such a weak Cultivation, how did you manage to get here? Young friend, you... must have some extraordinary secret, mustn’t you?"

"Who are you?" Ling Changqing asked, his expression unchanging.

The azure-robed man chuckled. "I am from the Qingchen Continent, the current Divine Emperor of the Qingchen Divine Dynasty: Ji Xuanchen. For us to meet here, it must be a sign that our destinies are deeply intertwined!"

"Ji Xuanchen?"

A flicker of light crossed Su Qinglian’s eyes, and she immediately used her Divine Thought to inform Ling Changqing of the man’s identity and origins.