Immortality Cultivation

Chapter 232: Encountering the Stone Gate

Having obtained the third fragment and picked up a tattered bracer that was likely a relic of the War Heaven Clan, the pent-up frustration Fang Hao had felt from being hunted by Zhao Wuji dissipated quite a bit.

He felt that coming to this Secret Realm was truly the right choice; although it was fraught with danger, the opportunities were equally alluring.

This clue about the War Heaven Clan was like an invisible thread, pulling him deeper into the Secret Realm.

He dared not linger in the same spot; the earth dragon centipede’s earth-shattering death had caused too much of a commotion, and there was no telling what kind of monsters or demons it might attract.

He followed the direction pointed out by the star evolution plate—which was also the direction where the faint resonance between the fragments was strongest—and plunged into the even denser, almost impenetrable grey-white fog.

The fog in this place was as thick as rice gruel, and visibility was pitifully low; even his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes were greatly hindered here, only able to see two or three zhang ahead.

His Divine Sense was suppressed even more severely, as if it had fallen into a thick quagmire and could not extend outward.

The air was damp and cold, carrying a scent of decay and a faint, cloying sweetness that felt chilly when inhaled into his lungs, making the circulation of his Qi seem to slow by a beat.

"This fog is not right; it seems strange."

Fang Hao became even more vigilant, pushing his Shadowless Evasion Technique and Ethereal Art to their limits, suppressing his own aura until he was like a moving rock, and treading even more lightly.

He gripped the star evolution plate tightly in his hand; this item was his only "eye" for now.

After walking for about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the surroundings were terrifyingly silent, save for the sound of his own footsteps and heartbeat.

Even the occasional insect chirps and beast roars he had heard earlier had vanished.

This absolute silence, conversely, made one’s skin crawl.

Suddenly, he stepped on something; it felt soft, neither like stone nor soil.

He looked down, but the fog was too thick to see clearly, so he nudged it with his foot; it seemed to be a piece of... rotten wood? No, the shape was a bit odd.

He crouched down and leaned in, using his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes to get a closer look.

The fog parted slightly, revealing the true nature of the object—it was a piece of a human forearm bone!

The bone had already blackened, and a few tattered, discolored shreds of fabric hung from it.

The fracture on the bone was very irregular, as if it had been forcefully torn apart by some immense power.

"Human bones?"

Fang Hao’s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately stood up, sweeping his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes and Divine Sense around with full intensity.

The fog obstructed his vision, but he could still vaguely see that on the surrounding ground, there seemed to be... more than just this one piece of bone!

Scattered here and there, there were quite a few human remains!

Some looked very old, while others were relatively fresh.

He also saw a disfigured skull half-buried in the soil, its hollow eye sockets staring right at him.

Is this a... graveyard? Or, perhaps, a "hunting ground" for some kind of entity?

A chill crept up Fang Hao’s spine.

He gripped his yitian sword tightly and slowly backed away, wanting to leave this area.

No matter what was hiding here, it was definitely not something friendly.

But just as he took his third step back, a sudden change occurred!

The thick, impenetrable fog all around suddenly began to churn and flow violently!

It was as if a pair of invisible hands were stirring it.

Immediately after, an extremely intense mental fluctuation, mixed with greed, brutality, and an aura of endless decay, surged in like a tidal wave from all directions, instantly engulfing Fang Hao!

"Intruder... fresh flesh... Soul..."

A strange, intermittent, and indistinct consciousness, as if the whispers of countless people had been blended together, echoed directly in his mind!

This consciousness was filled with Chaos and malice, battering his Sea of Consciousness, causing a sharp pain in his head and black spots to dance before his eyes!

"What is this?!"

Fang Hao was greatly alarmed; he desperately channeled his Chaos Derivation Art and Ethereal Art, guarding the sliver of clarity in his mind.

This was definitely not a Demon Beast! It was some kind of even more bizarre existence! Was it a vengeful spirit? Or an evil spirit bred by the Secret Realm?

Whoosh—!

From the surrounding fog, countless grey-white, translucent tentacles, as if condensed from the fog itself, suddenly reached out!

These tentacles were incredibly fast and silent, wrapping around Fang Hao’s body, limbs, and even his head from all angles!

The tentacles delivered a cold touch that seemed capable of freezing the Soul, and they carried a powerful suction, as if they wanted to drag him into the depths of the fog or directly drain his flesh and Soul!

"Get lost!"

Fang Hao roared, and his yitian sword erupted with brilliant starlight; he unleashed his Dividing Light Sword Shadow, and dozens of solidified Sword Qi bloomed like lotus flowers, slashing toward the surrounding grey-white tentacles!

Sss, sss, sss—!

The Sword Qi struck the tentacles, emitting a dull thud as if slicing through rotten leather!

The tentacles were severed and dissipated into wisps of fog, but more tentacles reached out endlessly from the thick mist, one after another!

Moreover, the severed tentacles quickly re-condensed within the fog!

This thing... could it not be killed? Or rather, was its main body hidden in the depths of the fog, and these tentacles were merely an extension of its power?

What was more troublesome was that the chaotic mental attack had not ceased; instead, it grew stronger, like demonic sounds drilling into his brain, causing Fang Hao’s mind to waver and his Qi circulation to become sluggish.

He felt as if his consciousness was about to sink into a cold, decaying swamp.

"I cannot be trapped!"

Fang Hao bit his tongue, the sharp pain jolting his spirit awake.

He forcefully pushed his Chaos Derivation Art to the limit; the faint trace of Chaos Origin Qi in his Dantian seemed to be triggered, emitting a strange, inclusive, and neutralizing fluctuation that actually dispelled a portion of the chaotic consciousness invading his Sea of Consciousness.

At the same time, he remembered the empty clarity mirror!

This mirror could interfere with space; perhaps it would also be effective against this kind of foggy evil spirit that existed between reality and illusion?

He flipped his left hand, and the empty clarity mirror appeared in his grasp; he poured his Qi into it frantically!

The surface of the mirror shone brilliantly as he shone it toward the grey-white tentacles and thick fog surging around him!

Hum—!

Wherever the mirror’s light passed, space seemed to distort and fold slightly!

The movements of those grey-white tentacles suddenly stalled, as if they had fallen into a quagmire, and their speed was greatly reduced.

The surrounding fog was also stirred by the mirror’s light, becoming somewhat chaotic, and the intensity of that eerie mental fluctuation also seemed to weaken slightly!

It was effective! But the consumption was immense!

Fang Hao felt his Qi pouring out like water from an opened floodgate.

Taking advantage of the moment the tentacles were disrupted, he unleashed both his Divine Spirit Steps and Shrinking the Ground to an Inch, his figure shooting forward like an arrow from a bow, rushing towards the direction indicated by the star evolution plate where the fragment resonance was strongest (which was also the direction where he felt the fog was relatively thinner)!

He dared not run in a straight line for fear of being predicted, so his figure traced a strange zig-zag pattern through the thick fog, while he constantly swung his sword to sever the tentacles blocking his path.

The entity hidden in the thick fog seemed to be enraged, emitting a silent roar as more tentacles surged from all directions; the fog churned even more violently, and the mental attacks came in tidal waves, each stronger than the last.

Fang Hao felt immense pressure; his protective aura rapidly faded under the entanglement and corrosion of the tentacles, his Divine Sense throbbed with pain, and his Qi was being consumed at an alarming rate.

While running wildly, he tossed every usable Talisman he had—explosive flame talisman, ice spike Talismans, and golden shield Talismans—behind him like they were worthless, not seeking to kill, but only to delay for a moment.

Boom! Boom! Crack!

The light from the exploding Talismans flickered in the thick fog, and the ice spikes and golden shields collided with the grey-white tentacles, the explosive sounds ringing out ceaselessly.

This slightly delayed the speed of the tentacles’ pursuit.

Chasing and fleeing in this manner, Fang Hao did not know how far he had run or for how long.

He felt a burning pain in his lungs, his Qi was nearly depleted, and his Divine Sense was utterly exhausted.

Although the tentacles and mental attacks behind him had been put at some distance, they remained like maggots on a bone, pursuing relentlessly.

"Damn it, am I going to die in this ghostly fog?"

A trace of despair arose in Fang Hao’s heart.

This thing was too troublesome; it couldn’t be killed, and it couldn’t be shaken off. If this continued, he would certainly die.

Just as he was about to reach his limit, a faint point of light—different from the grey-white fog—suddenly appeared in the thick mist ahead: golden light?

The golden light was very dim, but in the dead, grey-white fog, it was as conspicuous as a firefly in the dark night.

Moreover, Fang Hao felt that the three battle heaven axe fragments in his bosom, upon nearing the golden light, actually grew slightly warm and began to vibrate simultaneously, and the attraction between them also strengthened!

"There’s a chance!"

Fang Hao’s spirits lifted; like a drowning person grabbing onto the last straw, he erupted with his final potential and charged desperately toward the direction of that golden light!

The closer he got, the more distinct the golden light became.

It seemed to be... a door? An ancient, closed stone door embedded in a massive cliff face and shrouded in faint golden light?

The stone door was not large, only a bit taller than a person, with a simple and heavy style, and it was carved with ancient runes that were similar to those on the battle heaven axe fragments, but more complex and complete.

At this moment, those runes were emitting a faint golden light that seemed as if it might extinguish at any moment, blocking the surrounding grey-white fog and forming a small, relatively safe space.

And in front of the stone door, at the edge of the area shrouded in golden light, someone seemed to be lying on the ground...?

Fang Hao could not spare the effort to see who that person was; using his last bit of strength, he lunged into the range of the pale golden light shield!

Once he entered the light shield, the grey-white tentacles and chaotic mental attacks that had been following him like a shadow seemed to strike an invisible wall and were firmly blocked outside!

The tentacles lashed frantically at the golden light shield, emitting dull "thudding" sounds, and while the light shield rippled, it remained unmoved.

That chaotic mental fluctuation was also completely isolated.

Safe! Fang Hao’s legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

He leaned against the cold stone door, gasping for breath, feeling as though all his bones had fallen apart, his Qi completely depleted, and his Sea of Consciousness aching as if pricked by needles.

After resting for quite a while, he finally managed to catch his breath and turned to look outside the light shield.

He saw the thick, grey-white fog churning and surging outside the light shield, with countless grey-white tentacles dancing like a horde of demons, yet they could not cross the boundary by even a single step.

The hidden entity seemed extremely furious, emitting a silent roar, and the fog churned even more violently, but it ultimately could do nothing against the golden light emitted by the stone door.

"This stone door... is it related to the War Heaven Clan? Is it their ruin? Or a place of Legacy?"

Fang Hao looked at the familiar runes on the stone door, guessing in his heart.

That must be it; the fragments were producing a strong resonance here, and this golden light could suppress the evil fog outside—this place was definitely not simple.

Only then did he have the mind to look at the person he had glimpsed earlier, lying at the edge of the light shield in front of the stone door.

That person was lying face down, motionless, looking as if they had fallen unconscious or died.

They were wearing... hmm? This clothing looked a bit familiar.

Fang Hao walked over and carefully turned the person over.

When he saw the person’s face clearly, his pupils suddenly constricted, and he almost cried out!

How could it be him?