Chapter 911: Entering The Drystone Courtyard
The Drystone Courtyard was one of the twelve burial grounds. However, when it came to these places, many people would think about the Heavenly Ancient Corpse Burial Ground or the Prime Ominous Grave. Very few would think about the courtyard.
The reason was that the courtyard was even more mysterious than these two places. Anyone could try to enter the Heavenly Corpse Burial Ground, but this was not the case for the courtyard. Even those who could arrive at the courtyard would be limited to its entrance.
The place was only a yard. Of course, as for how large it was, no one in history could truly say.
In fact, very few who went in ever came out again, with the exception of Immortal Emperors. Only a minority of Godkings ever made it out alive!
Some even said that the courtyard was the most dangerous among the twelve. Li Qiye did not reject this notion. However, in his opinion, as long as one had the right methods, the courtyard was much safer than the others.
"Clop, clop, clop…" Li Qiye rode the wooden horse inside and immediately saw many stone statues.
These statues were lined up near the entrance with many different expressions. Some were scared, others were drowned in despair, and a few were turning around to flee… These statues were very vivid and lifelike as if they were real.
They were Enlightened Beings who were lucky enough to enter the courtyard. Alas, their cultivation was not strong enough and they were instantly petrified the moment they set foot inside.
"The Drystone Courtyard isn't for just anyone to enter." Li Qiye only shook his head after seeing this scene. This wasn't his first time seeing this. In the past, he had visited the courtyard multiple times before. The amount of statues would increase after each subsequent visit.
He didn't stop here after glancing at them. Losing their lives immediately upon entering meant that they were weak, not someone that could be called invincible.
There was only one danger in the courtyard, petrification! No matter what type of existence one might be, they would be affected by this power of petrification. Moreover, the deeper one went, the stronger this force would be. At a certain depth, even Godkings would turn into stone indefinitely — a fate no different from death.
As for what kinds of treasures and secrets were within, this remained a mystery to future generations. However, this didn't deter many experts and invincible existences from coming to the courtyard to find out! The majority of these people lost their lives here.
Nevertheless, it wasn't difficult to solve the problem of petrification. It was very simple to come out unscathed even if one wasn't an Immortal Emperor. They only needed one item to be unaffected by the petrification process — the wooden horse!
Of course, this type of wooden horse was very rare. No more than five were available throughout history. Plus, their whereabouts were unknown; very few knew about the existence of these wooden horses, let alone their effects.
In the eyes of the bidders back in the Golem Square, Li Qiye trading a Longevity Fruit for the wooden horse was simply insanity. Only someone like Li Qiye knew the value of the wooden horse and how great of a deal it was.
He continued deeper into this place. It was a dangerous ground for others, but to Li Qiye, this was a courtyard with decent sceneries.
Here were waterside pavilions with decorated mountains and springs. Lakes and streams could also be found surrounding the central area. It didn't look like one of the twelve burial grounds, more like the abandoned garden of a wealthy family. The trees continued to grow older below the lonely moon and sun. The creeks continued to flow without the presence of fishes and other aquatic creatures…
Only silence could be found here; there were no signs of life in this place. This was a tranquil reserve that would last for millions of years.
Li Qiye continued on his wooden horse and its clopping hooves. This sound seemed to be everlasting; only his horse was moving in this place.
Any first timer would be hard pressed to believe that this was the Drystone Courtyard, one of the twelve burial grounds. The courtyard was huge, but no one could describe its exact size. Some even said that no one had ever seen the entire location.
Of course, this was true for outsiders. Li Qiye had been to the entire courtyard before and had seen areas thought unexplored by others.
There were fewer stone statues in the later parts of his journey. However, these statues were all famous people with no lack of Godkings!
"Skyreign Venerable, quite amazing and worthy of his fame. To be able to reach this place…" Li Qiye was able to recognize a few famous existences as there were very few who made it here.
"Sigh, Remembrance Goddess. So brilliant back then, swooned even an Immortal Emperor. What a lamentable fate to eventually become a statue." Li Qiye met a female statue along the path. One couldn't really discern her features anymore due to the petrification, but her elegance and past beauty were still quite apparent!
"Idle-Gen Beast, what did you run here for? Don't you remember? Your dwelling caused so many people to salivate…" Li Qiye continued on and couldn't help but smile when he saw a beast that resembled both a dragon and a serpent as well as a dog.
"One sword to reach divine investiture, an incredible sword. Being petrified for so long yet the sword energy still remains…" Li Qiye saw a sword-wielding statue deeper inside. It was still emitting a terrifying sword aura, so even he had to voice his praise. 1
"Brightheart Fairy, for what…" There was also one statue that made him stop. He felt a strange sadness as he lamented with a sigh.
The journey continued. In this place, many trails extended towards all possible directions. Li Qiye picked one in particular and met many petrified invincible existences, many of whom he recognized.
Before reaching his destination, he heard a faint cry in the distance.
"Help, save me." A feeble cry for help echoed about. It was very weak, as if the speaker would fall over at any moment.
No matter who they might be, people would not be able to ignore this cry; it was as if there was a devilish charm to it. They had no choice but to go in the direction of the plea!
However, if they could remain calm and think about it, they would find that there was something strange. There shouldn't be anyone alive in this place, so where was this cry coming from?
Li Qiye smirked after hearing this cry for help. He sped up the wooden horse and went towards the call. After a while, he finally made it to the location where the distress call came from. It was a cliff overlooking an obscured abyss. However, the cry for help came from below.
Upon his arrival, golden shimmers suddenly appeared in the sky. Countless glittery lotuses floated down as a person descended from above. He was accompanied by many phenomena, including a Golden Dragon with a haunting immortal hymn. Each of his steps created lotus flowers while golden springs oozed among the clouds…
It was an old man with immortal energy floating around him. Although no one could see his real face, he carried an oppressive divine atmosphere as if he was an eternal immortal from above!
Anyone would be stunned to see this; they would absolutely believe that they had met a legendary immortal!
"Little friend, where did you come from?" This immortal-like old man had a very kind voice.
"Okay, old geezer, your illusions might be able to trick others, but don't try this little ruse in front of me." Li Qiye smiled and said: "You can't even see me yet you still want to beguile me? Aizz, after millions of years, your methods are still so lousy."
"Who are you!" The old man with his immortal aura quickly changed into a tempestuous god. His divine aura engulfed myriad domains, causing others to have an impulsive desire to prostrate to him.
"Old geezer, you're so old that you can't even sense it anymore." Li Qiye gently shook his head while riding the wooden horse: "I kindly traveled endless miles just to visit you, yet you can't even recognize me. How disappointing."
"It's you…" Eventually, the person recognized Li Qiye. Everything disappeared, including his deity and immortal forms as well as the golden lotuses… The only thing left was the cliff and the unfathomable abyss below.
"It's you, the goddamn crow…" Eventually, a shocked voice came from the abyss: "Impossible, you tried for so long without any success, but now you've actually re-obtained your body!"
911 TeaserThe Drystone Courtyard was one of the twelve burial grounds. However, when it came to these types of places, many people would think about the Heavenly Ancient Corpse Burial Ground or the Prime Ominous Grave. Very few would think about the courtyard.
The reason was that the courtyard was even more mysterious than these two places. Anyone could try to enter the Heavenly Corpse Burial Ground, but this was not the case for the courtyard. Even those who could arrive at the courtyard would be limited to its entrance.
The place was only a yard. Of course, as for how large it was, no one in history could truly say.
In fact, very few ever came out after entering the courtyard, with the exception of Immortal Emperors. Only a minority of Godkings ever made it out alive!
Some even said that the courtyard was the most dangerous among the twelve. Li Qiye did not reject this notion. However, in his opinion, as long as one had the right methods, the courtyard was much safer than the others.
"Clop, clop, clop…" Li Qiye rode the wooden horse inside and immediately saw many stone statues.
These statues were lined up near the entrance with many different expressions. Some were scared, others were drowned in despair, and a few were turning around to flee… These statues were very vivid and lifelike as if they were real.
[collapse] It’s ambiguous here, could be one sword to seal gods or one sword to reach a deified stage. The latter is more likely with the naming context. ↩Chapter 912: The Person At The Base Of The Precipice
"Old geezer, you are wrong about that." Li Qiye chuckled and shook his head: "It is not that I couldn't reclaim my body. It is only that I didn't want those around me to pay the heavy price. This is the difference between you and me. I won’t do the things you are willing to."
"Hahaahahah! You are killing me. Damned crow, even though I haven't walked on this earth for a long time and know very little of its tales, don't forget I am the person who read your sea of memories before. How can I not know what type of person you are? After so many years, I'm afraid one wouldn't be able to count the number of people killed by your hands from the massacres you committed in the nine worlds!" A sneer came from the precipice.
"Old geezer, you are wrong again. To be exact, you and I have shared our memories. Heh, but I know even more of your secrets! At best, you only know a few early secrets of mine back during that distant era." Li Qiye smiled in response.
The old man snorted. He was clearly unhappy with Li Qiye's answer.
Li Qiye continued on: "Plus, old geezer, you're mistaken about something else as well. Yes, I am a mass murderer. I can massacre billions of existences for the nine worlds. I can extinguish a race for the sake of the human race. I can sacrifice many things for the human race, but I would never sacrifice them for my personal sake. Otherwise, I would have obtained my physical body long ago, there wouldn't have been the need to wait until now."
The voice below the cliff sneered and retorted: "Hmph, who knows what you are thinking? Who knows what schemes you're concocting in your mind? Who knows of your ultimate goal? Perhaps one day, you will commence a blood sacrifice that involves the entire world…"
Li Qiye chuckled: "Old geezer, let the feud from back then drop. You still can’t get over when I tricked you back then during that ancient era. Don't forget, you started it first and destroyed my body! I'm already very magnanimous for letting it go."
"Hahahaha…" The person in the abyss laughed gleefully after this past event was brought up: "Damned crow, even if you were immortal, you still had to drink the water I washed my feet with!"
"People will always mature. Back then, I hadn't been the Dark Crow for too long and was too inexperienced — this was the only reason why I was caught by you. However, even though those years were like hell, they were worth it for my training." Li Qiye smiled: "Your sea of memories connected with mine as well, allowing me to learn many, many secrets. I received more for less, so in reality, I was the winner."
"Hmph, there's no need to gloat. If it wasn't for that existence back in the Immortal Demon Grotto messing with your sea of memories, I would have taken them all away instead of having to resort to the other method!" The person was outraged. Nevertheless, amidst his wild state, he was still quite content with himself: "But you damned crow, even though you stole so many secrets of mine back then, there is still one memory that you will never get!"
"I know." Li Qiye replied: "Soul Connection is not the end all be all. Because of its shortcomings, it not only allowed me to trick you to steal your secrets, it also let me escape from your place. Old geezer, even though you destroyed my body back then, that disaster taught me how to strategize. Even if you rise again, I will still out-scheme you and take everything away from you. But to tell you the truth, outside of that eternal secret, you don't have anything else to lose anyway!"
The person under the cliff coldly spoke: "Damned crow, you can keep on being complacent! One day, I will destroy you even if the nine worlds no longer exist. It doesn’t matter that you are indestructible, I will still grant you an eternal death!"
"I know you can do it, old geezer. You have already destroyed everything once, there is nothing else that you can't do." Li Qiye smirked: "But don't forget, after so many years, what do you actually have? Nothing but your empty hands!"
He continued on while stressing each word: "No matter how high you stood back then, no matter how many followers prostrated before you, what do you have now? Nothing, you're only a lone soul remnant. Those closest to you and those most loyal to you… I'm afraid at the very last second, they were stricken with regrets! Blood ties and undying loyalty… you didn't deserve any of these things!"
"Crow, what about you? What do you have after these tens of millions of years? You are just like me! I don't care what you have done, and that includes protecting the human race and the nine worlds. What do you have now? You are just like me, you're just a lost soul!" The person sneered.
"Yes, I don't have much left. Throughout these millions of years, people left me one by one. Those who loved me, those who were always loyal and willing to give up everything for me… They have all left and returned to the earth. Meanwhile, my deeds are also disappearing in the river of time!"
Li Qiye gently sighed after saying this: "But old geezer, I have never let my people down. I have never let them taste regret as they followed me and fought to the very end! They didn't disappoint me, so I didn't disappoint them! Old man, this is the difference between you and me. You can sacrifice everything for your own sake! You do not have a bottom line!"
Li Qiye continued on: "I do not deny that I have messed up and lost many things and that I’ve made some mistakes, but no matter what happens in the future, no matter what my own desires are, I will never cross my bottom line! Not even a single step!"
The person said in a carefree manner: "So what? Myriad ages turning into nothing, yet I am without regrets."
Li Qiye chuckled: "I am also without regrets since it differentiates me from you. Even though you were unbelievably heaven-defying back then, in my eyes, you are nothing more than a bastard!"
Both of them were without regrets. However, the regrets they were talking about were different.
"Haha, that's right, I am a bastard, but in my eyes, you are one as well!" The person responded: "That year, you killed your way to the very end of that location. You could have done an even more incredible job, but if I’m not mistaken, you gave up an incredibly good opportunity because you wanted to stay true to that so-called bottom line."
"I know, but I have no regrets." Li Qiye chuckled.
"Hmph, one day you will regret it. When that day comes and you are truly facing the consequences, you will regret the fact that you were not cruel enough!" The person at the base of the cliff sneered.
"Old geezer, you are mistaken. I have faced the consequences before, and I am still alive today! Even though the process was very arduous, almost unbearable, I am still without regrets. One day, I will rise again. On that day, no matter what happens, I still won't cross my bottom line! It is that simple." Li Qiye spoke with a faint smile.
This was met with a long period of silence. It seemed that the person didn't want to say what was on his mind. After a while, he changed the topic: "Your trip here this time was not to see me, right? Heh, or maybe you still haven't given up and want to obtain that secret!"
Li Qiye smilingly said: "You know me, I am someone who is sentimental about friends. No matter what happened back then, at least we still got to know each other, yes? It wasn't easy for me to come here, so I just had to see an old buddy at least."
"Don't give me this nonsense. Just spew your shit." The person sneered.
Li Qiye leisurely responded: "Old geezer, what's the rush? You still haven't died after so many eras, and you won't come out either. We still have a lot of time left, so why don't we take our time to chat? Plus, how many generations does it take for someone to actually come to this place?"
"Chat? About what? About that secret?" The person chuckled.
Li Qiye replied: "You should be thanking me for coming to chat with you. For millions of years, you can't even find ghosts here. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have someone to talk to." He smiled and went on: "Of course, if you want to talk about that secret, I would be happy to listen."
The person down below couldn't help but laugh: "Haha, damned crow, you still haven't given up hoping for that thing. Okay, I can tell you, but you have to drag me out of this accursed place first!"
"Drag you out?" Li Qiye started to laugh as well: "Old geezer, you are just daydreaming. You know better than anyone else that that is impossible. As long as the high heavens remain strong, you will never see the sun again! You went too far back then, so there is no chance in hell that you will ever be able to escape from the suppression down there!"
"Hahahahaha." The person down below crazily laughed: "Crow, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you say there was nothing in this world that you couldn't do? What about now? Are you afraid of failure so you are giving up already?"
"Old geezer, your words are meaningless. In fact, I have failed many times in the past millions of years, too many times to count." Li Qiye slowly said: "However, I actually do have a way to solve your problem. The issue is that you should already know there is no way I would actually do it. I would rather not know that secret than let you out. Hah, releasing you? The price is too high for me to pay!"
Chapter 913: Distant Past
The person below the cliff jeered at this response: "Oh how admirable you are, crow. Heh, don't forget though, many people in this world want what I have. Even Immortal Emperors would not be able to resist the deadly temptation."
"Is that so?" Li Qiye chuckled: "Old geezer, do you think you can succeed? We won't talk about the past, but recently, don't think that I don't know about you trying to tempt Immortal Emperor Ta Kong. But in the end, did he save you? Not even mentioning whether he was capable of such a thing in the first place, even if he did… Hah!" Li Qiye snorted at this point.
"Crow, how long can you remain arrogant for? Watch it or you'll be dragged down from your pedestal before you know it. It would be a shame if you were to be destroyed by an Immortal Emperor eventually." The person below sneered as well.
"Yeah? Only an Immortal Emperor? No matter which one it might be, if they dare to cross my path, I will kill them! It is not like I haven't killed Immortal Emperors before!"
With that, his eyes turned cold as he slowly said: "You should have seen what I have done back then. Immortal Emperors and deities — if they violate my principles, I will slaughter them! Old geezer, don't think I don't know what you tried to make Immortal Emperor Ta Kong do. Unfortunately, he could only play nice when I was guarding the Mortal Emperor World and the other eight! He was free to continue being an emperor, but if he didn’t respect us…"
The person below sneered and said: "Haha, crow, do you dare to let me out? We can play again in this generation! I know that you are the tyrant across the generations and that your supreme name has been engraved in the eons, but do you want to try the taste of defeat?!"
Li Qiye calmly responded: "Old geezer, I don't know if you are being serious or not, but I'll be frank. You think too highly of yourself and still think of me as the crow of back then. Even if you can leave this place, you are no longer my match! I was able to escape and trick you back then, so now, I can definitely lead you to your death!"
"Hmph." The person below snorted and then coldly said: "Well, in that case, you and I have nothing to say."
Li Qiye also didn't care, he only leisurely said: "Old geezer, I came this time not just to see and chat with you about the old secret, it is also to say goodbye. You know that I have re-obtained my body, so this means that it is time for me to go big. Millions of years of calculations are finally about to bear fruit. Success is fine, but failure is fine as well. When I kill my way back there again, I will become eternal and won't return, so I'm here to bid you farewell…"
"… Regardless of our grudges and whether you are a bastard or not… how should I put this… back during my first attempt, I used a few moves from you, so I should be thanking you for that. Without those secrets of yours, I would have had to waste a lot more effort. Just let the past go, everything will come to an end with the upcoming war! Alas, it is a shame that you might not be able to see it." With that, Li Qiye rode away on his wooden horse.
"Damned crow…" Li Qiye didn't make it far before the person down below spoke: "Do you think you can win?"
"So what if I lose?" Li Qiye nonchalantly smiled and replied in a carefree manner: "For others, becoming an Immortal Emperor is their ultimate aspiration. But for me, I only want an answer. Neither the deities nor the villainous heavens will be able to prevent my search! Me and those who were with me have spent too much effort on this path, so we need an answer."
"Along the river of time, you aren't the only one who spent a tremendous amount of effort! Keep in mind that no one has been successful before!" The person raised his voice.
"Perhaps someone has been successful before, it's just that you and I don't know about it, that's all." Li Qiye chuckled: "This path is paved with bones. Countless people persevered with a dream only to fall along the way, and yet, no matter the consequences, I will keep going even if it means defeat!" Li Qiye laughed his heart out in response.
The person at the base of the cliff pondered for a moment. After a while, he slowly said: "Crow, I won't tell you the secret, you have to find out for yourself. However, I can give you a hint, everything is hidden in my memories, it is all inside my secret!"
"Thanks." Li Qiye turned around and looked at the cliff to say: "Old geezer, goodbye for now. May we never meet again!"
This last remark was full of sincerity! With that, he departed without stopping and disappeared along the path.
"The endless river of time… how interminable and insufferable! Back then, I was the sole sovereign above all others!" A sad lamentation could be heard from beneath the cliff: "Indestructible and everlasting! HAH! Old Villainous Heavens, I will wait for the day of your demise!"
Eventually, the abyss became silent again. No one knew that there was an unbelievable secret below that the world would never find out!
Li Qiye left the cliff and roamed inside the courtyard. There were many amazing landscapes and many incredible events. However, Li Qiye had grown accustomed to them. Newcomers who could make it to these places would never forget them for the rest of their lives. However, these things couldn't be any more ordinary to Li Qiye since he had been here many times before. There was no one in the current times that understood the courtyard more than him.
He seemed to be carefully searching for something at each location.
There were many pathways in the courtyard that led to all the different directions. It was not easy to see the courtyard in its entirety.
After going from one place to another, Li Qiye still couldn't find the thing that he wanted. However, he was not in a rush and continued searching in a meticulous fashion.
Nothing was impossible for a willing heart. Li Qiye eventually stopped near a lake. This calm lake was neither big nor small. The lack of fish was evidenced by the lake being as still as the courtyard itself.
Li Qiye glanced at an inconspicuous corner of the river, then he rode his wooden horse over.
In the middle of that corner full of weeds and bushes, there was a tiny stone nest. It was made from stone grasses woven together. Inside was a duck. Of course, it was made out of stone as well. Despite resembling a carved statue, it was very animated due to the unbelievable craftsmanship.
There were also eight stone eggs inside the nest, all different shapes and sizes. Some were flat while others were round; some were even square! Some were blue, green, and also white…
All eight were right below the squatting duck, so people would think that this duck gave birth to them.
Li Qiye leisurely smiled and murmured after seeing the duck and eggs: "Truly incredible. You really do move your nest once every generation. Worthy of being a peerless existence. For millions of years now, you have been toying with so many people in this world…"
If anyone were to see Li Qiye talking to a stone duck, they would think that he was crazy. No matter what Li Qiye said, the duck remained a statue and didn't come back to life. Li Qiye ignored this and reached out to touch it. It felt like stone and was definitely not an illusion.
However, whether it was made out of stone or not, Li Qiye knew full well. There was also a big secret here unknown to the rest of the world.
Li Qiye then touched the eight eggs instead. They were also rocky and completely inseparable from the duck. It seemed that the eggs and the duck were rooted to the earth. There was no way to move these things away.
Li Qiye was not surprised at all to see this. He touched the eggs one at a time then commented with a smile: "Extraordinary. You were actually almost successful. Once this is accomplished, it will be frightening as hell."
But no matter what he said, the duck and the eggs had no response; he was just talking to himself. Li Qiye leisurely continued: "I will definitely seize the Heaven's Will this generation. Are you considering coming into being this generation, or perhaps the next?"