In front of the stone gate, gray Void True Flame, resembling a liquid, burned a figure.
Piercing screams rose together with terrifying spiritual energy as the figure tried to extinguish the flames, but in the end, everything proved futile.
When the sound finally vanished, a powerhouse at the Earth Sovereign level, who had already lost the strength he should have possessed, died in humiliation under a formation disc.
Far away outside the Ancient Heaven Palace, Liu Bai suddenly heard a system notification.
["Ding, congratulations on killing a peak Lesser Earth Sovereign. Reward: triple experience. You obtained 9,000,000 experience points and 2000 spiritual vein awakening points."]
Liu Bai was slightly startled, but quickly reacted.
"It seems Jiu You and the others used the formation disc I gave them to kill some expert. A peak Lesser Earth Sovereign, it should be the Elder from the Demonic Saint Palace who was sent specifically to obstruct the retrieval of Mandala's true body according to the original story."
In the original work, there was no clear mention of this person's exact cultivation level, only that he was an Execution Elder of the Demonic Saint Palace. Unexpectedly, his strength was actually this high.
It was a pity that in order to enter the Ancient Heaven Palace, he had even willingly crippled most of his own cultivation.
But even so, in the system's judgment, he still counted as his peak state.
"This is different from when they killed the mutated Wind Prefecture Master. That time, the Wind Prefecture Master had already fallen, and only a strand of demonic soul controlled his mutated body. So it only counted as killing a demonic soul, granting experience points but no spiritual vein awakening points."
However, Liu Bai was still very satisfied, because with these 2000 spiritual vein awakening points, his spiritual vein level could finally advance from Five Heavenly Veins to Six Heavenly Veins.
The advancement of spiritual veins was silent and could not be detected by outsiders.
But to Liu Bai, it was of extraordinary significance.
Because he was already at the Earth Sovereign level. Although the gap to Heaven Sovereign still seemed vast, with experience points, he could actually reach it in just a few years.
Before reaching Heaven Sovereign, he at least needed to elevate his spiritual veins to Divine Veins, even if only the lowest Seven Divine Veins.
"Be prepared, we may be entering soon," Liu Bai said calmly to Mandala.
The latter was startled upon hearing this, then looked at Liu Bai in surprise.
"Based on the timing, Jiu You should have already found your true body. They should soon be entering the Heavenly Emperor Mausoleum…"
This was indeed correct, because Jiu You and the others had already passed through the stone gate and were now stunned by what they saw.
At the end of a flight of stone steps, on a jade blood lotus platform, a pitch black ancient and enchanting flower stood quietly. Dark light spread across the entire plaza, giving it an extremely mystical aura.
"Is this the legendary rare flower of the Great Thousand World, the Mandala Flower?"
Jiu You and the others walked up the stone steps and stopped in front of the Mandala Flower. Mo Ling could not help but observe it curiously and murmur.
It was said that each Mandala Flower, once it evolved to its peak, could possess power comparable to true dragons and true phoenixes, and even rival Heaven Sovereign level existences.
However, such a divine flower naturally possessed intelligence and specialized in dark energy. Its vitality was extremely strong, and even if it had just been born, once it chose to conceal itself, even Earth Sovereigns would be unable to locate it.
Thus, most people had only heard of its legend and never seen its true form.
However, although the Mandala Flower before them was in a state of self sealing, Jiu You could still feel the immense power that could affect space around it.
If she tried to take it by force, she would definitely suffer retaliation.
The retaliation of an Great Perfection Earth Sovereign level Mandala Flower was something even a genuine Lesser Earth Sovereign could not withstand, let alone them.
It was precisely for this reason that the previous "Left Elder" had chosen to guard in front of the stone gate instead of directly taking the flower and handing it over to the Demonic Saint Emperor.
Fortunately, she was well prepared. The pitch black leaf in her hand was given by Liu Bai earlier, said to be specifically used by Mandala to retrieve her own true body.
Jiu You poured spiritual energy into the black leaf, and it immediately erupted with dark light, expanding rapidly. In just a few moments, it grew to several tens of meters in size.
Then the enlarged leaf wrapped around the enchanting flower, enclosing it completely.
The flower trembled slightly in response, but did not resist, allowing itself to be wrapped like a black cocoon.
Seeing this, Jiu You finally breathed a sigh of relief and waved her hand to store the black cocoon away.
However, she did not leave immediately, instead turning her gaze toward the blood jade lotus platform below.
"Is this the so called miraculous lotus platform comparable to a mid tier saint artifact that Liu Bai mentioned? It does not look that impressive at all."
Thinking of Liu Bai's earlier instructions, Jiu You felt a bit doubtful.
But when her hand touched the lotus platform, a cool energy immediately surged into her body, quickly sweeping away her fatigue and even rapidly restoring the spiritual energy she had expended earlier when activating the array disc.
"What a treasure!"
Although she had not seen the full recovery effect Liu Bai mentioned, it was clearly no ordinary item, and its value instantly rose in her mind.
After collecting the blood colored lotus platform, Jiu You swept a glance around the ruins and decided to continue onward.
Her mission was essentially complete. Next was to head to the Heavenly Emperor Mausoleum and open the spatial coordinate so that Liu Bai and the others could enter.
Of course, there was still another major treasure land in the Ancient Heaven Palace that had not been explored, the Scripture Depository Pavilion.
However, Jiu You had already heard from Liu Bai that the Scripture Depository Pavilion was a high tier saint artifact with independent spiritual intelligence. If it did not wish to reveal itself, even a Heaven Sovereign would not be able to find it.
According to Liu Bai, ever since they entered the Ancient Heaven Palace, they had been under observation by the Scripture Depository Pavilion. Only those who performed extremely well would be chosen and invited in.
Although Jiu You and the others seemed to have gained the most along the way, ninety percent of their achievements came from Liu Bai's prepared array discs. Their performance was thus considered average and not enough to attract the Scripture Depository Pavilion.
Jiu You did not feel disappointed.
She knew her own capabilities very well. Moreover, her gains this time were already extremely substantial. Once she left, she would return to her clan and use its resources to attempt a breakthrough to Earth Sovereign.
"Let's go. We will search for the Heavenly Emperor Mausoleum!"
With that, Jiu You turned into a stream of light and flew out of the great hall, returning to the sea surface.
All five of them moved quickly, but even so, it still took several days to cross the endless sea region before they finally saw land once again.
Jiu You could not help but frown slightly.
Was this distance a bit too far.
Along the way, they had also encountered quite a few other teams who were similarly rushing forward, but neither side showed any intention of conflict. Everyone was focused on traveling as quickly as possible, all hoping to reach the Heavenly Emperor Mausoleum before the others.
However, as seen in the original story, this was simply impossible.
Just like those who were fortunate enough to be chosen by the Scripture Depository Pavilion and obtained opportunities, they might seem to waste some time inside the Scripture Depository Pavilion, but when they came out, they would be directly transported by it to the opposite shore of this endless sea.
The time they had seemingly lost was immediately made up, and everyone would once again be placed back at the same starting point.
A barren mountain range, destructive power lingering in the land, a ground devoid of any life.
This was the world on the other side of the endless sea.
Jiu You looked at the mountain range in the distance, her expression turning slightly solemn, because she could faintly sense an extremely terrifying power still remaining within this land.
It seemed to be two completely different forces that opposed each other.
There was no need to say more. To leave behind such terrifying remnants even after countless years, it could only be the Heavenly Emperor and the demon Emperor of the Feind Race. Even though these were the peak experts of their respective worlds who had already fallen long ago, the traces they left behind could not be erased.
As she scanned the area, Jiu You suddenly noticed spatial fluctuations not far away from her. Two figures then emerged, it was Xiao Xiao and Lin Jing.
"Wow, Jiu You sis, you guys are so fast. I thought you would be behind us," Lin Jing said cheerfully as always.
It seemed that no matter what happened, nothing could affect her joyful mood. As long as she was around, even those nearby would be influenced by her cheerful spirit.
Jiu You looked at the two smiling girls and said, "It seems your harvest was not bad either."
Lin Jing chuckled while Xiao Xiao also nodded slightly, clearly both of them were quite satisfied with what they had obtained from the Scripture Depository Pavilion.
Indeed, this was the Ancient Heaven Palace. Otherwise, it would be difficult for ordinary forces to produce treasures that could satisfy these two.
"Huh, did you see Mu Chen and Ling Xi?" Lin Jing looked around and noticed that Mu Chen and his sister were not present, so she could not help but ask.
Jiu You shook her head. "We just crossed the endless sea as well. We have not seen anyone else yet."
While everyone was checking their surroundings, Mo Ling suddenly noticed spatial fluctuations appearing again in the distance and immediately alerted the others.
Under everyone's gaze, another figure stepped out from the fluctuation. It was Ling Xi.
Unlike Lin Jing and Xiao Xiao, Ling Xi currently had a tightly furrowed brow and a serious expression. After seeing Lin Jing and the others, she first showed a hint of relief, but then seemed to sense something and her expression immediately turned unpleasant.
"Ling Xi sis, you are out too. Where is Mu Chen?"
Earlier, they had all entered the Scripture Depository Pavilion together as a group, but after entering they were separated, and no one knew what had happened afterward.
Ling Xi was clearly also fortunate enough to obtain great benefits from the Scripture Depository Pavilion, but she was in no mood to feel happy.
"I am not sure. However, Mu Chen previously said he suspected that the Immortal Golden Body might be within the Scripture Depository Pavilion, so he likely went there for that reason."
The problem was that Mu Chen was not the only one searching for the Immortal Golden Body. There was also Garuda, an opponent far stronger than him. If the two of them met, Mu Chen would likely be in great danger.
Jiu You's expression also became serious upon hearing this. After all, they had come together, so she could not help but feel worried.
However, recalling what Liu Bai had once mentioned about Mu Chen possessing great fortune, she believed he would not fall so easily, and thus tried to comfort Ling Xi.
Just as everyone was feeling concerned, spatial fluctuations appeared once again, and Mu Chen's figure emerged before everyone.
However, his condition was not good. His body was covered in blood, and his spiritual energy was extremely chaotic. Yet there was no sign of despair on his face. Instead, he looked quite pleased.
"Mu Chen."
Ling Xi was startled and quickly flew over.
Xiao Xiao frowned slightly and took out a spiritual pill, flicking it toward Mu Chen. The pill turned into a streak of light and entered his mouth.
Mu Chen naturally understood that she was helping him, so he immediately swallowed it. A powerful medicinal force spread through his body, rapidly healing his injuries at a visible rate.
"Thank you," Mu Chen said with a smile and cupped his hands toward Xiao Xiao.
Xiao Xiao only nodded slightly, not caring much about using such a precious healing pill.
After all, her father was one of the strongest alchemists in the entire Great Thousand World. To her, such pills that others could only dream of were merely ordinary items.
"How was it? Did you succeed? Were you in danger?" Ling Xi asked anxiously.
Mu Chen smiled and shook his head, patting Ling Xi's soft hand to reassure her.
"I am fine, do not worry."
"Although I did not fully succeed this time, I still succeeded halfway."
"However, Garuda will not have the chance to succeed. He is dead."
Those words instantly shocked everyone.
"You killed him."
Mu Chen smiled and shook his head again. "No, he brought it upon himself through his own greed."
Recalling everything that happened inside the immortal Golden Pool, Mu Chen's face showed a faint cold smile.
The only regret was that although he obtained the Immortal Golden Body, he could not fully control it with his current strength. Until he reached Ninth-Grade, he would not be able to use the power of the Celestial Body, which would limit him significantly.
"Success is good enough," Ling Xi finally sighed in relief.
As long as Mu Chen was safe, that was enough.
Just as everyone was still worried, spatial fluctuations appeared once more. Everyone looked over and saw Mu Chen had truly returned.
Since everyone had gathered safely, Jiu You immediately spoke.
"Let's go. We cannot fall behind other teams. Many have already gone ahead."
No one objected, and all of them turned into streaks of light, heading toward the Heavenly Emperor Mausoleum.
...
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