Chapter 691
Burial Sky Sword
After leaving the Chaos Sea, Gu Qingfeng did not stop, and went to the Burial Sword Tomb and the Valley of Reincarnation.
First stop, the Sword Burial Mausoleum.
This place is located on the northern edge of the starry sky, a strange star field composed of countless broken stars.
Looking into the distance, one can see that the shattered stars are covered with all kinds of ancient swords—there are giant swords that are tens of thousands of feet long, lying across the surface of the stars like sleeping dragons; there are thin swords as thin as hair, densely packed throughout the valley, with a faint cold light flowing on their blades; and there are even transparent sword-shaped crystals that have merged with the stars themselves, making them indistinguishable from each other.
Countless ancient swords have gathered into a forest.
This is the origin of the Burial Sword Mausoleum.
Legend has it that in a very distant era, there was a supreme swordsman whose cultivation had reached the level of half-immortal, and he was just one step away from taking that step.
He was obsessed with swords throughout his life, collecting famous swords from all over the world. In his later years, he inscribed all the sword philosophy he had learned in his life on the sword he always carried.
However, Heaven did not grant him a long life.
Even if one is halfway to immortality, one cannot live forever in this starry sky.
That supreme swordsman ultimately failed to comprehend the mysteries of life and death. As his lifespan ran out, he took the swords he had collected throughout his life and passed away in this star field.
As he fell, his supreme sword intent soared into the sky, shattering hundreds of surrounding stars. Those shattered stars merged with the countless ancient swords he carried, ultimately forming this strange forbidden zone.
When Gu Qingfeng stepped into the Burial Sword Tomb, he immediately felt the omnipresent sword intent.
That was the lingering sword intent of a near-immortal, which had endured countless years without fading, like the unwilling sigh of that supreme swordsman before his death, lingering in every inch of the void.
The sword intent is formless and intangible, yet it is more powerful than any divine power or magic.
If an ordinary Celestial Venerable were to step into this place, he would be locked onto by this sword intent and instantly fall into a state of being pierced by ten thousand swords.
If one's Dao heart is not firm and one's foundation is unstable, even without the sword intent to attack, the mere pressure alone is enough to cause one's Dao heart to collapse and one to go astray.
Even an Eight Tribulation Celestial Venerable would have to proceed with extreme caution and tread carefully in this place.
However, Gu Qingfeng simply walked away with his hands behind his back.
The sword intent that would have terrified any celestial being dissipated on its own three zhang away from him, just as a subject would not dare to cross the line when meeting his king.
Feng Xuan and Li Chenzhou followed closely behind, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.
That's the difference.
The sword intent that they needed to exert all their strength to resist was like a docile sheep in front of this person, not even daring to get close.
Deep within the Burial Grounds of Swords lies a Sword Mountain.
It was a mountain formed by countless ancient swords, towering into the clouds, their blades pointing straight to the sky.
At the summit of Sword Mountain, a jet-black ancient sword is stuck in the ground, its blade gleaming with a chilling light, and the faint sound of a dragon's roar can be heard.
This is the personal sword of that supreme swordsman, and the culmination of his life's work in swordsmanship.
The Ninth-Rank Creation Treasure – Burial Sky Sword.
Gu Qingfeng reached out and grasped, and the ancient black sword trembled slightly, emitting a long sword cry, as if it were unwilling or surrendering.
Three breaths later.
The ancient sword flew up from the summit of Sword Mountain and landed in Gu Qingfeng's palm.
On the sword, the residual sword intent of a half-step immortal trembled slightly, attempting to resist.
However, Gu Qingfeng only gave a slight tremor, and that sword intent, as if encountering a natural enemy, instantly subsided and dared not act rashly again.
"The swordsmanship is quite sharp."
Gu Qingfeng gave a nonchalant comment and casually put the Burial Sky Sword into his storage space.
The opportunity at the Burial Sword Mausoleum ends here.
Although that sword master was powerful, his Dao was far different from that of Gu Qingfeng.
Observing the remaining sword intent was of little significance to Gu Qingfeng.
However, this Burial Heaven Sword can be kept as one of the treasures of the Xuan Tian Immortal Court, to be bestowed upon a destined person in the future.
……
The second stop is the Valley of Reincarnation.
Unlike the Burial Sword Tomb, the location of the Valley of Reincarnation is elusive and extremely difficult to find.
Li Chenzhou once said that Samsara Valley was the place where a half-step immortal cultivator who cultivated the Great Dao of Samsara perished.
After that supreme being fell, his remaining Daoist essence transformed into a strange space that wandered randomly in the starry sky, appearing and disappearing without any discernible pattern.
Those who are destined to find it may stumble upon it unintentionally; those who are not destined to find it may never find it even if they spend their entire lives searching for it.
Gu Qingfeng did not spend his entire life searching for it.
He simply stood in the starry sky, his divine thoughts spreading out like an abyss, enveloping the entire star field.
Then, he closed his eyes and used the Dao of the Netherworld to sense the faint aura of reincarnation.
The Great Path of Reincarnation shares the same origin as the Great Path of the Underworld.
The netherworld is the land of return to nothingness, and reincarnation is the beginning of new life.
The two are yin and yang, one dead and one alive, complementing each other and mutually generating and restraining each other.
Even if the remnants of the fallen Reincarnation Supreme were hidden deep within, they were like fireflies in the night, nowhere to hide, in the face of someone like Gu Qingfeng who ruled the Netherworld.
Three days later.
Gu Qingfeng opened his eyes and looked towards a certain direction in the starry sky.
"found it."
……
The Valley of Reincarnation is a strange and eerie space.
There is no sky, no earth, no stars, no void here.
Only endless gray-white mist slowly surged in the eternal nothingness.
Countless images flicker in the fog.
Those scenes depicted the birth, aging, sickness, and death of mortals, the attainment of immortality and growth of cultivators, the birth and destruction of stars, and the rise and fall of civilizations.
Birth, aging, sickness, and death; love, hate, passion, joy, separation, and reunion; formation, existence, decay, and emptiness—all the phenomena of the world are contained within this.
This is reincarnation.
After the fall of that supreme being of reincarnation, the illusion of reincarnation evolved from his great Dao and Daoist principles.
Any living being that steps into this place will be shrouded in illusion and trapped in an endless cycle of reincarnation.
Life after life, one after another, they lose themselves in the endless cycle of reincarnation, eventually exhausting their lifespan and passing away silently.
The moment Feng Xuan and Li Chenzhou stepped into the Valley of Reincarnation, they were trapped in an illusion.
They saw their entire life reflected in it.
Seeing myself start as a mortal, step by step embarking on the path of cultivation; seeing myself endure countless tribulations and dangers, finally attaining the status of a Celestial Venerable; seeing my lifespan nearing its end, helplessly hiding in the Forbidden Zone of the Burial of Gods to eke out a living; seeing myself slumbering in the Forbidden Zone, day after day, year after year, until eternity…
Lifetime after life.
again and again.
Each cycle of reincarnation feels just like reality.
Each cycle of reincarnation erodes their resolve to pursue the Dao.
If Gu Qingfeng hadn't left a Netherworld Mark on them before they stepped in, protecting their souls, the two of them would probably have already been trapped inside, unable to extricate themselves.
Even so, it took them seven days to break free from the illusion of reincarnation.
When they woke up, both of them were pale and had unfocused eyes, as if they had just recovered from a serious illness.
"This is the Great Dao of Reincarnation..."
Li Chenzhou murmured to himself, his voice filled with deep awe.
Feng Xuan remained silent, only taking a deep breath to suppress the fear in his heart.
Gu Qingfeng, however, was never affected by the Reincarnation Illusion.
He stood at the deepest part of the Valley of Reincarnation, the Netherworld Dao flowing around him like an abyss. Those illusions of reincarnation that would have caused any Heavenly Venerable to fall into despair were like a gentle breeze in front of him, leaving him undisturbed.
He saw the remains of that supreme being of reincarnation.
It was a skeleton sitting cross-legged, its bones as white as jade, its body emanating a faint aura of reincarnation. The skeleton's hands were in a mudra, resting on its knees, maintaining the posture of enlightenment it had taken in life, even after countless years of death.
A fist-sized gray bead floated in front of the skeleton.
The Reincarnation Bead.
That Supreme Being of Reincarnation embodies the essence of all his life's cultivation, the very core of the Great Dao of Reincarnation.
Gu Qingfeng reached out, and the Reincarnation Bead gently fell into his palm.
The bead felt warm and smooth to the touch, and within it seemed countless images flickered and flowed: birth, aging, sickness, and death; love, hate, joy, sorrow, and separation—all contained within. That was the true meaning of reincarnation, the enlightenment that supreme being had gained throughout his life.
Gu Qingfeng quietly sensed the Dao of Reincarnation within the pearl. The Dao of Reincarnation is the way of rebirth, recurrence, and cycle.
The step Gu Qingfeng wanted to take—to turn death into life—was precisely to glimpse new life in death and find reincarnation in the void.
These truths are not easy to truly grasp.
But now, seeing how the Great Dao of Reincarnation comprehends other powerful figures and how it corroborates his own Great Dao of the Netherworld, Gu Qingfeng has vaguely comprehended some things.
Although this level of understanding is not enough for him to step into the Immortal Celestial Venerable realm in one step.
However, for Gu Qingfeng, breaking through to the Immortal Celestial Venerable realm was itself a long process of accumulation.
Every moment of enlightenment, every moment of verification, lays a solid foundation for that final step.
If you don't accumulate steps, you can't reach a thousand miles.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
He understood this principle better than anyone else.
As for other forbidden zones, although there are some opportunities there, they are not very meaningful.
Even so, Gu Qingfeng did not miss it.
A century has passed.
He travels across the starry sky.
One after another, forbidden zones of life were trampled flat.
but.
As long as they don't attack him, Gu Qingfeng turns a blind eye to those ancient celestial beings.
Simultaneously.
He was also looking for some powerful Celestial Venerables to see if he could recruit them into his ranks.
The biggest problem with the Xuan Tian Immortal Court right now is that its foundation is too shallow.
With tens of millions of years of accumulation, it would be at the bottom of all the Celestial Court-level powers.
There's nothing we can do about it.
But in the celestial court.
Which one didn't go through billions of years before finally achieving its advancement step by step?
Compare.
The Xuan Tian Immortal Court completed the accumulation of other immortal courts over hundreds of millions of years in just tens of millions of years. It is inevitable that it will lack in terms of foundation.
Such shortcomings in foundation can either be addressed by accumulating them gradually over time, or by finding alternative paths.
In this starry sky, there are immortal rules that suppress the power. Under such circumstances, those who can still step into the Heavenly Venerable Realm must have extraordinary talent and potential.
Beings capable of reaching the Supreme Realm are likely to achieve immortality in the outside world.
Although...
The supreme ruler no longer exists in this era.
However, figures like Feng Xuan and Li Chenzhou, who are Eight Tribulation Celestial Venerables, should not be underestimated.
and so.
Among the ancient celestial beings in many forbidden zones of life, there are some that Gu Qingfeng takes a liking to.
If these powerful individuals could be recruited into the Xuan Tian Immortal Court, it would be of great benefit to the entire Immortal Court.
Recruiting them is also easy.
The Celestial Venerable of this Starry Sky cannot attain immortality.
If Gu Qingfeng could help them leave this place and truly enter the outside world to attain immortality, then these Heavenly Venerables would naturally be willing to risk their lives for him.
By simply making a vow of faith, one can guarantee that these celestial beings will serve one's purpose.
The so-called vow of the Dao heart.
Can be big or small.
Such oaths, made with one's own Dao heart, can result in serious consequences if broken. At best, the Dao heart will be damaged, making it difficult to make any progress in cultivation throughout one's life. At worst, there is even the possibility of a drop in cultivation level.
of course.
Damage to one's Daoist heart is not irreparable.
But the price of doing so is by no means light.
Therefore, Gu Qingfeng was not afraid of these cultivators' betrayal.
A hundred years later.
When Gu Qingfeng returned to the Ancient Nether Holy Land, the Ancient Nether Holy Lord received the news and immediately came out to pay his respects.
"senior!"
He had just finished his greetings when he saw the dozen or so figures behind Gu Qingfeng, and his expression turned somewhat shocked.
The reason was that each of these dozen or so figures exuded a terrifying aura, which put immense pressure on him, a Sixth Tribulation Celestial Venerable.
"Eight Tribulations Celestial Venerable!"
The Ancient Nether Saint Lord immediately understood that these dozen or so Heavenly Venerables were at least Eight Tribulation level experts.
and.
The ancient aura emanating from the other party, carrying a hint of decay, further indicated that they had lived for countless years and might have once instigated a dark upheaval, serving as the source of chaos in a region.
The Ancient Nether Saint Lord was naturally wary of beings at this level.
After all, once the Dark Turmoil breaks out, billions of living beings in the starry sky will become its targets.
If Gu Qingfeng hadn't been there, the Ancient Nether Saint Lord would have turned and fled immediately in the face of so many ancient Celestial Venerables.
Gu Qingfeng didn't care about what the other party was thinking, but said calmly: "These Celestial Venerables all come from forbidden zones of life. Find a place for them to rest and recuperate, and don't worry about anything else."
Furthermore—without my decree, none of you are permitted to act rashly, nor to incite further chaos or unrest. You are well aware of the consequences!
This last sentence was spoken by Gu Qingfeng to those ancient celestial beings.
These words were spoken.
Those ancient celestial beings all trembled in their hearts and hurriedly lowered their heads: "We understand!"
They had already witnessed Gu Qingfeng's methods; such power could suppress even a supreme being in person.
Given our strength, if we were to truly displease the other party, the consequences would be unimaginable.
To put it bluntly, even if all of these ancient celestial beings joined forces, they probably wouldn't be enough to be wiped out by a single slap from the other side.
at this point.
Feng Xuan and Li Chenzhou understood this best.
the other side.
Hearing what Gu Qingfeng said, the Ancient Nether Saint Lord secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and then began to make arrangements for these ancient Celestial Venerables to reside in the Ancient Nether Holy Land.
……
Next.
Gu Qingfeng did not leave the Ancient Netherworld Sacred Land again, but instead went into seclusion to comprehend the Dao.
Having traversed numerous forbidden zones, most of his gains were useless to him, but a very few were quite useful to Gu Qingfeng.
now.
He has already stepped halfway into the realm of immortality. Once he breaks through the last barrier, achieving immortality will be no problem.
But Gu Qingfeng also knew that breaking through this last barrier would not be an easy task.
Many who have reached the half-immortal realm have endured hundreds of millions of years, yet ultimately still find it difficult to break through.
visible.
Immortal Celestial Venerable.
Not everyone can break through this barrier.
and so.
Gu Qingfeng is currently in seclusion, mainly to solidify his foundation and prepare for his final breakthrough.
The closer you get to the goal, the less you should rush.
at this point.
Gu Qingfeng was well aware of this. (End of Chapter)