Chapter 554: Phoenix Maiden's Death
Even during her last moments, she was still in love with Di Zuo and acted for his sake. Everything she did was, in fact, for him!
Lan Yunzhu couldn't help being moved by her. Although she was not sympathetic towards the maiden's chosen course of actions, the maiden's courage was still admirable.
"What a wonderful woman. It is a shame, you shouldn't have chosen to oppose me." Li Qiye shook his head and slowly said: "End yourself, I will give you a dignified death." With that, he put down the Phoenix Maiden.
After standing upright again, the maiden looked in the direction of the distant Earth Realm; she was full of reluctance to part. She then took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
"Bang!" Her body quivered dramatically as blood dripped down from the corners of her lips as she slowly fell down.
In the end, a heaven's proud daughter of an entire generation had to commit suicide. She was a strong woman, but one wrong move had cost her the entire board. Despite her numerous schemes, she couldn't stop Li Qiye's unbeatable path.
The ghost experts also sighed after seeing her commit suicide. She deserved what happened today; this wouldn't have happened if she didn't continuously oppose Li Qiye.
However, they did admit that she was a wonderful woman and had no fear of death even at the very last second. Or perhaps, she had prepared herself for death a very long time ago.
Once the maiden used the well-being of the ghost race as an excuse to suppress Li Qiye, this ending was destined. She had righteously appealed for Li Qiye’s death for the sake of the ghost race; if she had tried to escape, all of her scheming would have been for naught. Her reputation would be damaged along with her husband's and the Myriad Bones Throne's.
Death was the only option after losing, thus she was prepared and had no intention of escaping. In this struggle, either Li Qiye had to die or she had to perish.
At the very least, to the eyes of outsiders, she had used her death to protect justice and the ghost race.
After she committed suicide, an unequalled man in the Heavenly Cemetery in the Earth Realm felt a prick in his heart and immediately knew what had happened. He then screamed out: "No!!"
Along with his rage, the sky darkened as if a storm was approaching.
Meanwhile, Li Qiye looked at the maiden's corpse and shook his head, saying: "What a shame." He then shifted his gaze towards the five bronze walls and headed for the Pentagate.
"Rumble!" The five walls were shaking as if they were about to break apart from the continuous explosions and crackles.
There was no doubt that the Pentagate's seal couldn't withstand the Titanic Crescent Ancestor attacking with an emperor's weapon. It was only a matter of time before he broke out.
This was why Li Qiye immediately ran over to use this chance to kill all the experts and the ancestor from the sacred ground. He still had a method to kill them, even if the ancestor was a powerful Virtuous Paragon!
"What is this treasure?" An ancestor from a great power anxiously thought to himself. Although the Pentagate was being torn apart, the crowd was still moved by it.
The sacred ground brought along many experts, including Heavenly Kings and Heavenly Sovereigns. What was even more terrifying was that their ancestor was locked inside with an emperor's weapon in hand.
An ancestor with an emperor's weapon had horrifying destructive capabilities, yet he couldn't break through the walls in a short period of time.
The fortified might of the walls was evident since an invincible weapon that belonged to an emperor couldn't even destroy it.
Right when Li Qiye wanted to take care of the sealed experts inside the walls, a series of immortal hymns suddenly appeared as an endless stream of lights drowned the sky.
These lights came from the middle of the pond and were akin to a divine sword piercing the firmament. These beams then intertwined together in the sky in a spiral pattern.
"What is going on?" This sudden change startled everyone as they looked deeper into the pond.
Li Qiye also became serious after seeing this towering, immortal light. The light that spiralled into the sky was also accompanied by a whirlpool in the pond that emitted continuous splashing sounds.
Li Qiye then decided to forgo suppressing the sacred ground's experts and instead looked at the center of the whirlpool. He turned around and dragged Lan Yunzhu along as he spoke: "We're going now!" With that, they rushed towards the pond.
"Boom!" With a deafening blast that collapsed the sky, the Titanic Crescent Ancestor finally broke through the five bronze walls. A huge hole could be seen in one of its sides.
The ancestor, with his emperor's weapon and terrifying aura, looked like an angry god. His anger was understandable since although he was an imperial ancestor with an emperor's weapon, he was still sealed by a junior. How humiliating was this?!
"Buzz!" The Pentagate couldn't trap the experts from the sacred ground any longer, so it disappeared as it flew back into Li Qiye's Fate Palace.
"Little animal, I won't forgive you!" The Titanic Crescent Ancestor roared with a furious might that shattered the void.
Li Qiye ignored his threat then shouted at Lan Yunzhu: "Hug me tightly!" He then rushed even faster towards the pond.
During their quick journey to the center of the pond, the scenery changed continuously. Sometimes they were in a world with countless erupting volcanoes. At times, they were in a mortal world full of prosperous humans. At other times, it was a dead world that had suffered endless destruction…
One step was one world. In the blink of an eye as worlds shifted past her gaze, they had traveled past three thousand worlds.
This pond could not be so easily trespassed since one wrong step would result in their disappearance, but Li Qiye made it look so easy; it seemed like a mere stroll.
This was not strange at all. With one enlightened grand dao from the other shore, Tian Lunhui could take one hundred steps or even more. His grand dao, compared to Li Qiye's grand dao, was far too lacking.
"Little animal, even if you escape to the farthest reaches of the earth, I will still kill you!" The Titanic Crescent Ancestor also rushed into the pond while shouting at Li Qiye.
He wanted to take revenge and take back their Declivity-Mountain Bell. They would become the biggest sinners of the sacred ground if they permanently lost the mountain bell.
In an instant, the two reached the deepest part of the pond. This place had turned into a rowdy whirlpool as it spun around with a particular rhythm.
Li Qiye looked at the whirlpool with a grave expression.
"What is it?" Lan Yunzhu noticed his serious demeanor and asked while being worried. She seldom saw this expression from him.
"Perhaps the biggest fortune will appear right here." Li Qiye answered then added: "But that isn't important. The important part is that the grave secret among secrets is about to appear."
"Grave secret among secrets?" Lan Yunzhu asked in astonishment. She knew how great the biggest secret was in these realms.
"That's not all. It is no longer important whether the biggest fortune will appear here anymore. A bit later, there will be a flower blooming right here. When it appears, you need to take action right away!" Li Qiye answered while still gazing at the whirlpool.
"That flower is the secret among secrets?" Lan Yunzhu asked in shock: "Just like the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng?"
"It is not a True Immortal Medicine or an Immortal Medicine. It is a very special and unique flower, not to mention that it is especially suitable for you." Li Qiye continued: "I didn't expect for it to appear in this generation. You are too lucky to meet this chance."
"Can I actually do it?" Her heart beated faster as she wondered. The reason for her hesitation was due to the phoenix ginseng. Despite being a medicine, it was unbelievably powerful.
"Rest assured, you can definitely do it. Your Cyclical River of Fate is the most appropriate merit law. In the past, Immortal Emperor Qian Li had quite a deep and fateful connection with this flower. Although Qian Li created this secret law, the emperor was not able to take it due to a slight absence of luck. Nevertheless, the emperor still benefited from it." Li Qiye said: "When it appears, it will be fine if you directly use your secret law."
"How do you know all of this?" Lan Yunzhu was startled since Li Qiye knew the past of her Ancestor, Immortal Emperor Qian Li, too well.
The river sect had no written records of this event, yet Li Qiye knew it like the back of his palm.
Li Qiye remained tight-lipped about this issue. He couldn't tell her that he was the one who took Immortal Emperor Qian Li to this pool in the past. At that time, the emperor met this blooming flower and used a great method to lock it down. Alas, the emperor was a bit unfortunate and couldn't seize it. Nevertheless, because of this flower, the emperor was able to study a grand dao that resulted in great benefits.
"What is happening here?" A group of cultivators came closer to the edge of the pond while looking at Li Qiye who was gazing at the whirlpool in the center. They wanted to enter but were afraid of disappearing without a trace!
"Hmph!" The first to rush in was the Titanic Crescent Ancestor. He not only wanted the great mythical fortune, but also to capture Li Qiye to take back the mountain bell.
554 Teaser Like always, teasers are not 100% accurate. [collapse]Chapter 555: Night Era Flower
However, entering this pool did not only require strength, a level of enlightenment was also a must!
The Titanic Crescent Ancestor was indeed very powerful and traveled forty steps in just the blink of an eye, but afterward, it became very difficult. He took out the emperor's weapon and used its wondrous aura to forcefully push the pond water away.
He was very strong, but regarding talents and comprehension, he was not a match for a supreme genius like Tian Lunhui.
A group of experts also followed right after the ancestor. They didn't mean to chase after Li Qiye, they only wanted the fortune.
Another group decided to watch the situation before making a decision.
"Splash!" A fat fish jumped up from the whirlpool. It was clear as if it was made from the pond water itself.
"Splashhhh!" More of them leapt up then dove back into the water. They could be seen everywhere! After many of them played around in the water, a big turtle rose from the whirlpool. Its body was also clear like the other fish and the pond water.
On its back was a big tablet that was also sparkling clear. The fish then circled around it.
This water turtle with the tablet became one with the pond. When it rose, the water also rose. The tablet was one with it, and the pond was also one with it.
Lan Yunzhu was shaken while looking at this tablet made from water on top of the turtle. The style of this tablet was just like the ancient tablet that opened the path to the lost garden of the immortals.
"Can that… open the way to the secret ground of the grave?" Lan Yunzhu quickly asked him.
"The pond itself is part of the secret ground of the Water Realm, but in order to reach the center, we have to open this tablet. However, just ignore it, it is no longer important right now. We are about to enter the secret among secrets instead."
When this water turtle floated up and was surrounded by all the fish, the fish led the way as the water turtle slowly left the whirlpool and swam through the pond.
Not long after it left, a tiny black hole appeared below the whirlpool.
"Splash!" A flower rose from this black hole and situated itself in the middle of the whirlpool.
"Poof." The sound of a blossoming flower appeared. Although it was very faint, everyone in the Water Realm heard it.
This gentle blossoming noise caused the hearts of many cultivators to beat uncontrollably with anxiety and fear. The petals slowly spread and the flower turned into a lotus. It was a black lotus as dark as the night.
Once it bloomed, the sky suddenly darkened. Each of its petals represented a different night as a shadow began to replace the daylight.
"This… How is this happening?" The sudden darkening of the sky left everyone startled.
The blooming of a flower caused the sky to darken — how strange was this? It was like reversing black and white and Yin and Yang!
"This must be… an unbelievable flower, the most powerful flower in this world!" An ancestor from a great power exclaimed in shock.
At this moment, more than ten figures rushed out from the shadows, including some ancestors from imperial lineages. They had let go of all caution; as long as they could seize this flower, then even betting with their lives on the line was worth it.
The only thing on their minds at this moment was to reach the center of the pond and be the first to pluck the flower.
How could other cultivators sit still after seeing all of these ancestors come out?
"A supreme treasure is here! This is the fortune!" Someone yelled out. Waves of cultivators intruded into the pond right away.
"Do it now!" When all the petals had bloomed, Li Qiye shouted at Lan Yunzhu.
Lan Yunzhu was already prepared; she immediately rushed forward at Li Qiye's command. In just a second, the reincarnation of the Heaven's Will appeared as a galaxy stretched over the world. With the galaxy powering the reincarnation cycle, the sun and moon began to alternate. At this moment, no one could tell whether it was day or night.
In this instant, the Water Realm changed back and forth between day and night. The Cyclical River of Fate was created by Immortal Emperor Qian Li, allowing Lan Yunzhu to change the world and the endless reincarnation cycle. She quickly plucked the black lotus and put it into her hand in a trice.
This bloomed flower seemed fragile and small, but it contained a terrifying power. Its petals seemed to be able to tear apart the nine heavens and were capable of rending the reincarnation cycle.
In just a minute, a shadow appeared, gathering all the Heaven's Will in its entirety. Immortal Emperor Qian Li had personally arrived and exerted their brilliant grand dao that was like the river of the galaxy. This power sucked the flower into their hand. The blossomed flower suddenly folded back into a bud.
This bud eventually fell into Lan Yunzhu's Fate Palace. She was successful in obtaining this flower by using her ancestor's secret law.
"Success!" She happily cried out since she could feel the formidable might of this terrifying flower. This was an amazing fortune!
"Only a Heaven's Will Secret Law that originated from this flower would allow one to pluck it. This is called the returning of the heaven's will." Li Qiye was very happy for her.
In the past, he hoped that Immortal Emperor Qian Li would be able to grab it. Unfortunately the emperor was a bit unlucky so they failed. But now, the emperor's descendant had obtained the flower, which was the will of the heavens.
"No!!" Many people became crazy after seeing Lan Yunzhu stealing the supreme flower away. Their only thought was to seize it from her. This was especially so for the ancestors from the great powers. They risked it all but didn't get an opportunity to take the flower, so how could they not go berserk?
"What is the name of this powerful flower?" Lan Yunzhu asked. She had yet to try to use the power of the flower, but she knew that it was frightening the moment she took it.
"Night Era Flower — there is only one in this world." Li Qiye answered: "It is not just simply powerful. It will have amazing effects when you cultivate the Cyclical River of Fate. It would be quite a disappointment otherwise. Even without the flower, your ancestor still became an Immortal Emperor, so now you have an even better chance with it."
Lan Yunzhu gave him a look and said: "Uncle, with you here, do you think I have a chance to become the emperor?"
This was not to say that she lacked confidence since she would go all out even against the three heroes without fear. However, she had no confidence going against Li Qiye. She knew that there was a chance of obtaining the Heaven's Will against the three heroes, but against Li Qiye? She felt that there was no chance at all.
"One must have confidence in themselves." Li Qiye said as he flicked her forehead. He then looked at the black hole in the whirlpool and said: "I have to go in, there will no longer be any opportunities if I miss this one."
"I'll go with you!" Lan Yunzhu hurriedly said.
Li Qiye opened his Fate Palace. The dried stump flew into the black hole to open a black portal. Li Qiye then shouted and the portal sucked the two inside.
When the two managed to stand up straight, Lan Yunzhu looked forward and saw a vast void. In contrast to the secret realm back in the Wood Realm, this place was just an empty space. It was as if the two had been teleported to a different world. There was no life or any existences in this place, only an endless expanse was present.
"Where do we go now?" Lan Yunzhu asked while gazing at the empty space before her.
Li Qiye looked around and then pointed towards the horizon where there was a shining star. He then said: "We'll go in this direction. If I am not mistaken, there is something I need over there."
"What is it?" Lan Yunzhu curiously asked. A single Night Era Flower was already enough to move her since it was a great fortune, but it wasn't anything special to Li Qiye. He didn't want the ultimate treasure from the grave secret but something else.
"I don't know." Li Qiye smiled and said: "The Prime Ominous Grave has five great realms with five secrets among secrets. Even I cannot be certain of what are behind these secrets, but there is surely something karmic behind them."