Chapter 693
The Holy Land of No Life
The starry sky is vast and boundless.
Gu Qingfeng stood with his hands behind his back in the void, his gaze calmly fixed on the enormous ancient star in the distance.
It was a lifeless star.
With Gu Qingfeng's keen eyesight, he could see the former glory of this star—it was an enormous celestial body, more than a hundred times larger than ordinary life-bearing stars.
On the surface of the celestial body, traces of the mountains and rivers of the past can be faintly seen, including majestic mountain ranges, vast plains, and deep canyons.
Among those mountains and rivers, there are scattered ruins of palaces. Although they have collapsed and fallen into disrepair, one can still see their former grandeur.
This is a star that once nurtured civilization.
And it's not an ordinary civilization.
It is a top-tier civilization capable of giving birth to supreme beings who rule over a region.
However, now, this star is completely silent.
There was no sign of life; not even the most basic signs of life could be felt.
All that remained was deathly silence, desolation, and the eerie, unsettling Daoist aura that permeated the entire place.
That Daoist aura enveloped the entire starry sky.
It is formless and intangible, yet omnipresent. It is like an invisible membrane, completely isolating this star from the outside world.
Any living being that tries to get close will immediately feel the oppressive aura of that Daoist power.
"Ancient Unborn Mine..."
Gu Qingfeng murmured to himself.
The so-called Unborn Ancient Mine refers to an ancient celestial mine that lies across this primordial star.
That celestial mine is the root cause of this planet's anomaly.
In Gu Qingfeng's mind, various information about the Wusheng Ancient Mine, which had been collected from the Ancient Netherworld Holy Land, surfaced.
"Legend has it that the star where the Ancient Mines of No Life are located is called the Star of No Life, which is controlled by an ancient power called the Sacred Land of No Life..."
That Sacred Land of No Life was once one of the top powers in the starry sky.
Its history is extremely ancient, dating back to trillions of years or even longer.
At its peak, a supreme being was born in the Holy Land of No Birth, who was awe-inspiring and commanded all the heavens.
The greatest treasure of the Wusheng Holy Land lies in this Wusheng Star.
On the planet Wusheng, there lies an extremely special kind of celestial ore—the Wusheng Celestial Ore.
The ore produced in this mine contains a strange power that can be used to refine treasures, set up grand formations, and aid in cultivation. Its value is immeasurable.
The reason why the Holy Land of No Life was able to rise and give birth to a supreme being was largely due to this Immortal Mine of No Life.
however--
The sorrow and the blessing of the blessings, the blessings of the blessings.
The Immortal Mine that enabled the rise of the Immortal Realm also ultimately became the root cause of its destruction.
"Later, powerful figures from the Boundless Holy Land mined immortal mines and unearthed a terrifying discovery deep within. Overnight, the entire Boundless Star was transformed into a wasteland, and the entire Boundless Holy Land was wiped out..."
This is the origin of the Wusheng Ancient Mine.
That powerful figure from the Boundless Holy Land, while mining immortal ore, unearthed something, triggered something, and attracted something unknown.
Overnight, the entire lifeless planet was transformed into a desolate wasteland.
Throughout the Holy Land of No Life, hundreds of millions of cultivators, including that once mighty supreme being, were all wiped out.
Not a single one survived.
No one knows what happened that night.
No one knows what lies deep within that celestial mine.
All that is known is that since that night, Wusheng Star has become a dead zone, and the Wusheng Ancient Mine has become a forbidden zone.
"Many Celestial Venerables entered the Ancient Mine of No Life during this period, but none of them came out alive..."
Initially, a Celestial Venerable, disbelieving in evil, relied on his profound cultivation and attempted to break into the Ancient Mine of No Life to seek opportunities.
As a result, after they went in, they never came out again.
Later, more celestial beings tried it, and the result was the same.
Later, even the Supreme Being was mobilized.
Those supreme beings were all unparalleled geniuses of their respective eras, dominating their regions and looking down upon all living beings.
Confident in their strength, and unafraid of the infamous reputation of the Wusheng Ancient Mine, they attempted to uncover its secrets and seize its opportunities.
result--
"Throughout history, even supreme beings have entered the Ancient Mine of No Life, hoping to uncover its secrets, but in the end, they all remained there forever..."
This is the terrifying nature of the Wusheng Ancient Mine.
Even the Supreme Being couldn't escape it.
Feng Xuan and Li Chenzhou, along with other ancient celestial beings, had also told Gu Qingfeng about the Wusheng Ancient Mine as they knew it.
Their account was largely the same as that of the Ancient Nether Saint Lord, with only some additions in certain details.
Li Chenzhou once said that he had heard an even more ancient Celestial Venerable mention that at least five Supreme Beings had perished in the Wusheng Ancient Mine.
Five Supreme Beings!
Each one of them was a force that suppressed an entire era!
Each and every one of them is someone that millions of cultivators look up to!
However, more than five such beings remain forever in the Wusheng Ancient Mine!
As for those fallen Celestial Venerables, their numbers are countless and impossible to count.
Piecing together the information from the two individuals, it was possible to reconstruct the truth of the entire Wusheng Ancient Mine.
Obvious.
The Wusheng Ancient Mine has existed for an extremely long time.
That force, known as the Sacred Land of No Life, was once a top power in the starry sky, and at its peak, a supreme being was born.
But a pity.
Even such a powerful force was ultimately wiped out overnight.
This can be seen.
How terrifying are the ancient, unborn mines!
but--
Gu Qingfeng had once stepped into the forbidden zone of the ancient gods, so he naturally understood the terror of the supreme forbidden zone, which was far beyond what ordinary forbidden zones of life could compare to.
Deep within the forbidden zone of the ancient gods lies an immortal severed finger.
The things inside the Wusheng Ancient Mine are definitely not simple.
otherwise.
How could such beings allow a supreme power to vanish overnight?
Gu Qingfeng's gaze fell on Wusheng Star.
That lifeless star hangs silently in the sky, like a sleeping beast, waiting for its next prey to walk into its trap.
Will he be the prey?
A faint smile appeared on Gu Qingfeng's lips.
That was a confident smile.
It was also a smile of anticipation.
He wanted to see what was hidden in this ancient, lifeless mine.
Then.
Gu Qingfeng took a step forward.
His figure vanished into the void like a wisp of smoke, and in the next instant, he appeared on the Star of No Life.
The moment I stepped onto the lifeless planet—
"Om-"
A strange power surged in from all directions!
That power was invisible and intangible, yet omnipresent. It was like an invisible net, enveloping the entire lifeless planet. Any living being that stepped into this place would be captured by this net in an instant and become its prey.
Gu Qingfeng could clearly feel that the power was frantically eroding his body, trying to devour his blood and qi and plunder his life force.
It was an extremely eerie feeling.
It was as if countless unseen beings were crawling all over him, greedily sucking his life force and tearing at his soul.
This is what makes the Wusheng Ancient Mine so terrifying.
That strange power was the greatest threat of the Wusheng Ancient Mine.
Anyone who steps into the Wusheng Ancient Mine will be attacked by this power, which will devour their life force and soul, ultimately turning them into withered bones in this place.
However—Gu Qingfeng's expression remained unchanged.
The Netherworld Dao flowed around him, as deep as an abyss, isolating that strange power from the outside.
Those unseen beings, upon touching the Netherworld Path, were struck as if by lightning, emitting silent, mournful cries, and frantically retreating.
With Gu Qingfeng's current cultivation level, even if a half-step immortal were to come, they might not be able to harm him in the slightest.
How could the strange power of the mere Wusheng Ancient Mine possibly harm him?
He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over his surroundings.
This is a desolate and lifeless land.
The earth was grayish-brown, cracked like a tortoise shell, and barren of vegetation.
The air was thick with the stench of decay and death, the resentment left behind by countless fallen lives, the despair accumulated over endless years.
In the distance, scattered ruins of palaces can be seen.
Although those palaces have collapsed and fallen into disrepair, their former grandeur can still be seen—there are towering halls, vast squares, exquisitely carved columns, and imposing archways.
This is the former site of the Holy Land of No Birth.
Once upon a time, hundreds of millions of cultivators practiced and sought enlightenment here.
Once, a supreme ruler sat here, commanding the entire region.
This place was once one of the most prosperous places in the entire starry sky.
And now-
Only ruins remain.
Only bones remain.
Only eternal silence remains.
Gu Qingfeng's gaze fell upon the corpses scattered among the ruins.
The corpses were in various positions. Some were sitting cross-legged, as if they were still practicing in life; others were lying on the ground with their limbs twisted, as if they had experienced great pain before death.
Some of these remains, though they have been dead for countless years, still exude a chilling aura.
That was the aura of a Celestial Venerable.
Gu Qingfeng could tell that those corpses must have been Heavenly Venerable Realm beings in life.
Some had undergone seven tribulations, some eight, and one even faintly exuded the aura of a ninth-tribulation supreme being—that was a supreme being!
The corpse of that supreme being sat cross-legged before a collapsed palace, his hands forming a mudra, as if he were still trying to unleash some supernatural power before his death. His body was as withered as dead wood, his skin clinging to his bones, and all his vital energy had long been devoured by that strange power.
Even so, the supreme pressure emanating from him had not completely dissipated.
The oppressive aura transformed into a faint Daoist rhyme, lingering around the corpse like a final dignity, protecting this fallen supreme being.
Gu Qingfeng glanced at the supreme corpse and shook his head slightly.
A supreme being has fallen.
Silently.
No one knows.
This is the terrifying nature of the Wusheng Ancient Mine.
This is also the destiny of countless celestial beings in this starry sky.
He withdrew his gaze and looked into the distance.
There.
Ancient mountain ranges lie prostrate on the earth.
The mountain range is majestic and long, stretching across the sky and earth like a sleeping dragon.
The mountain range is entirely gray-black, its surface covered with countless terrifying ravines and cracks, each mark still bearing the lingering, terrifying Daoist aura.
Gu Qingfeng could tell that the ravines and cracks were not naturally formed, but were traces left by the battle.
It was an earth-shattering battle.
Only these remaining traces of Daoist energy silently recount the brutality of that battle.
From these Daoist auras, Gu Qingfeng could even glimpse glimpses of bygone days—
Just then.
Gu Qingfeng suddenly stopped.
A hundred feet in front of him stood a towering figure, towering before the mountain range.
That was a Taoist priest.
The Taoist priest wore a blue robe, which was tattered but still revealed its former splendor and extraordinary nature.
He was tall with broad shoulders and a thick back, and even when he was standing still, he exuded an aura of authority without anger.
But what caught Gu Qingfeng's attention was not his aura, but his injuries.
The Taoist priest had countless injuries on his body.
Some were so deep they revealed the bone, some pierced through the body, and some even tore half of his body apart.
The most terrifying thing was his chest.
There was a bloody hole the size of a bowl in his chest, running from his front to his back.
Through that bloody hole, you could clearly see his back and the mountains further away.
That bloody hole should have contained a heart, lungs, and internal organs.
But now, there's nothing.
Empty.
The Taoist's face was as pale as paper, his eyes were closed, and his lips were slightly pursed, as if he were simply asleep.
But Gu Qingfeng knew that he had already perished.
It has been gone for countless years.
however--
Strangely, although he perished, he seemed to still be alive.
On his wound, the flesh was still slowly writhing.
A faint ethereal light still lingered on his Taoist robe.
A faint Daoist aura still lingered around him.
It was a bizarre state between life and death.
It fell, but did not die completely.
Death may occur, but life may still remain.
The moment Gu Qingfeng looked at the Taoist priest—
"boom!!!"
A terrifying aura suddenly erupted from the Taoist's body!
The aura was so strong that it caused the entire sky of the lifeless star to tremble violently!
That's the aura of a supreme being!
It's the aura of someone on the verge of immortality!
It is an unparalleled Daoist aura powerful enough to overwhelm all the heavens!
Gu Qingfeng's expression turned slightly serious.
Although this Taoist priest had perished countless years ago, the aura emanating from him was still terrifying, demonstrating that his strength was far beyond that of an ordinary supreme being.
Judging from his aura alone, Gu Qingfeng could basically conclude that if the other party were alive, he must have been a half-step immortal in life.
Moreover, he is one of the best among those who are on the verge of immortality!
His strength is probably no less than that of the Eastern Emperor!
A near-immortal figure perished here.
Judging from his appearance, he must have been involved in a bloody battle before his death.
Gu Qingfeng's gaze fell on the bloody hole in the Taoist's chest.
That bloody hole was too horrifying, too deadly.
What kind of attack could pierce through the chest of a near-immortal in one blow?
Gu Qingfeng had a vague answer in his heart.
Just then—
"Boom!!!"
The mountain range shook violently!
Countless rocks tumbled down from the mountaintop, crashing onto the ground with a dull thud.
Some of the rocks were as large as palaces and as small as houses. When they rolled down, they raised clouds of dust that covered half the sky.
As the mountain range trembled, a massive crack spread out from the foot of the mountain, rapidly expanding to both sides.
The cracks are getting wider and deeper.
finally--
A dark cave entrance suddenly appeared before Gu Qingfeng!
The cave entrance was enormous, towering tens of thousands of feet high and several thousand feet wide, resembling a ferocious giant mouth with its fangs bared.
Inside the cave entrance was endless darkness, bottomless, as if leading to another world.
An eerie wind howled out from inside the cave.
The wind howled mournfully, like the wailing of ghosts, sharp and piercing like the howling of wolves, as if countless wronged souls were wailing, struggling, and screaming in the darkness. (End of Chapter)