Chapter 827
Ancient Domain Platform
Xiao Ling led Xun'er through the forest with ghostly speed, while simultaneously spreading out his soul perception like an invisible net, meticulously sweeping every corner around them, unwilling to miss any clue.
This exploration yielded numerous discoveries. Even in the outer areas of the Desolate Ancient Domain alone, there were hordes of magical beasts, and all sorts of exotic flowers and rare herbs were everywhere, with many medicinal materials being varieties rarely seen in the Central Plains.
What would be a treasure to an ordinary cultivator was nothing to Xiao Ling.
Most of these magical beasts were below the sixth rank, and even the occasional seventh-rank beast was not worth his attention. Although the medicinal herbs were rare, Xiao Ling had already collected them all over the years, so these were nothing new to him and there was no need to waste time here.
Without pausing, he led Xun'er straight into the depths of the ancient domain, his soul perception constantly activated, keeping an eye out for any clues related to the Bodhi Tree, while also remaining vigilant against any potential dangers lurking around them.
As they traveled, the two encountered many corpses of cultivators who had died tragically, most of them just scattered limbs and fragments. The eerie scene further confirmed the danger and horror deep within this ancient forest.
Half a day passed, and the two ventured deeper into the core of the ancient domain, arriving at a remote and sparsely populated area. In Xiao Ling's perception, what lay ahead was a truly desolate wasteland.
There was no sign of life in that area, only an overwhelming black fog that churned and corroded all life in the surrounding area.
This black mist is not an ordinary poisonous miasma, but is formed by the condensation of tiny poisonous insects that are invisible to the naked eye. Once inhaled, even a powerful expert at the Dou Zun realm would have little chance of survival.
The ancient wilderness is indeed known as a forbidden zone for living beings, and the sheer number of poisonous insects alone is enough to deter most cultivators who dare to venture in.
Of course, while the power of these poisonous insects was very effective against ordinary Dou Zun, it posed little threat to Xiao Ling and Xun'er.
With a slight thought, Xiao Ling's powerful spiritual energy surged within his Niwan Palace. Under the influence of his natal talisman, strands of spatial power spread out from his body, instantly forming an invisible spatial barrier that tightly enveloped him and Xun'er.
After taking precautions, Xiao Ling put his arm around Xun'er's waist, lightly touched the air with his toes, and headed straight into the surging, all-encompassing black mist.
Those tiny, almost invisible poisonous insects, sensing the presence of living beings, rushed towards the two like a tidal wave. But as soon as they touched the spatial barrier, they were brutally crushed by the spatial power flowing between the barriers, unable to penetrate even a trace of their aura, let alone get close to Xiao Ling and Xun'er.
The two figures moved through the black mist, surrounded by swirling poisonous insects, yet they were unable to cross the line, safely making their way deeper into the black mist.
The poisonous miasma area did not extend very far; it was traversed in just a few breaths.
The moment they burst out of the black mist, Xiao Ling, with Xun'er in his arms, lightly touched the ground with his toes and leaped onto a jagged boulder to the side.
The two looked up and scanned ahead, only to see a huge chasm hundreds of feet wide blocking their way.
The ravine was bottomless, with poisonous gas swirling and billowing at its bottom, so thick it was impossible to see the end. Looking up, one could see a vast, majestic mountain range on the edge of the ravine, its towering peaks piercing the sky like ancient dragons lying in wait.
An ancient and desolate aura emanated from the depths of the mountains, sweeping across all directions and shaking every inch of this world.
That place is the true core of the ancient wilderness!
Gazing at the ancient mountain range stretching across the sky on the opposite bank of the Heavenly Abyss, Xiao Ling's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he focused his soul perception and extended it outwards. Even across the vast Heavenly Abyss and layers of miasma, he could still clearly perceive the boundless territory hidden beneath that forest, as if it were an ancient world independent of the rest of the world.
“This mountain range is more vast than I imagined.” Xiao Ling withdrew his senses, turned his head to look at Xun’er beside him, and gently brushed her slightly ruffled hair with his fingertips. His tone was calm and steady. “The ferocious beasts lurking in the mountains are mostly ancient and exotic species with strong bloodlines and are extremely fierce. However, with our current cultivation levels, ordinary ferocious beasts are not a problem and are not much of a trouble.”
Xun'er nodded slightly, a hint of caution flashing in her clear eyes: "Brother Xiao Ling is right, but those truly high-level ferocious beasts are probably hiding deep in the mountains and won't easily show themselves. If we go deep into them to search for the Bodhi Ancient Tree, we're afraid we'll inevitably run into them."
"It's alright." Xiao Ling smiled faintly, gently placing his palm on the back of her hand, his tone resolute, "With me here, I can definitely protect you. Besides, our goal is the Bodhi Ancient Tree, so we don't need to get entangled with these ferocious beasts unless absolutely necessary."
A gentle smile appeared in Xun'er's eyes, and she softly hummed in agreement. The slight worry she had about the unknown dangers quietly dissipated in his calm tone.
Xiao Ling stopped thinking and clenched his fist, and a bead with a lustrous emerald green luster appeared in his palm.
The bead was about the size of a thumb, with a faint Bodhi halo flowing across its surface. It was a Bodhi seed that had been deposited from the Bodhi seed's saliva.
This Bodhi seed was of exceptional quality. Even though he later collected several similar seeds in Zhongzhou, none of them matched this one in terms of appearance or the Bodhi power it contained.
The vast and boundless ancient realm makes searching for the Bodhi tree in this boundless forest like finding a needle in a haystack.
It should be noted that the Bodhi Tree is extremely spiritual. If it does not wish to show itself, even a Dou Di expert would find it difficult to locate it using their soul perception, let alone Xiao Ling in his current state.
At present, the only way is to use this Bodhi seed of the same origin to try to sense a trace of something, and perhaps be able to capture the aura of the ancient Bodhi tree.
Xiao Ling tightly gripped the lustrous Bodhi seed in his palm, his eyes slowly closing. A wisp of pure soul power overflowed from his Niwan Palace, carefully probing into the Bodhi seed, sensing the faint aura flowing within.
He held his breath and concentrated, immersing himself completely in the process. The sounds of the wind and the roars of beasts around him were shut out, and only the faint, pure Bodhi energy within the Bodhi seed flowed slowly through his soul.
This silent sensing lasted for about half an incense stick's time. Suddenly, Xiao Ling's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and a barely perceptible glint of light flashed in his eyes. He slowly opened his eyes, a clear look of joy appearing in them, and his gaze was precisely fixed on the northwest direction: "We are still quite a distance from the Bodhi Tree, so we cannot pinpoint its exact location, but the Bodhi seed has transmitted a faint aura that guides us, and the general direction is now clear."
Xiao Ling hadn't held high expectations, given the vastness of the Desolate Ancient Domain and the extraordinary ability of the Bodhi Tree to conceal itself. The fact that he could sense something this time was likely because the Bodhi Tree was rooted in the core of this ancient domain, and now, as it approached its birth, its aura was gradually becoming apparent, thus creating a subtle resonance with the Bodhi seed of the same origin in his hand.
Having made up his mind, Xiao Ling didn't delay any longer. He carefully stored the Bodhi seed in his storage ring, lightly touched the boulder beneath his feet, and his figure soared into the air like a roc spreading its wings. With his robes fluttering, he was already speeding across the void towards the other side of the Heavenly Ravine. Xun'er followed closely behind, her pale purple skirt drawing a graceful arc in the air, her figure as light as a butterfly.
The several hundred-foot-wide ravine was but a short distance for the two of them, who possessed such cultivation levels. As they moved, the wind whistled past their ears, and in the blink of an eye, the outline of the mountains on the opposite bank became clearer and clearer. They were about to set foot on the territory of that ancient mountain range.
However, just as the two figures were about to cross the midline of the ravine and step into the air above the opposite bank, more than a dozen deafening roars suddenly rang out from the dense forest below! The roars were powerful and violent, carrying the savage aura unique to ancient ferocious beasts, causing the surrounding air to tremble slightly.
Immediately, several jet-black figures suddenly sprang out from the depths of the dense forest, carrying with them a pungent, nauseating stench. They shot up like arrows, fiercely attacking the two people in mid-air! The figures were so fast that only afterimages remained, their sharp claws flashing with cold light, clearly an ambush that had been prepared for a long time.
Before Xiao Ling could raise his hand, Xun'er's eyes suddenly turned cold, losing their usual gentle and tender demeanor as she nestled beside him, replaced by a sharp and piercing glint in their eyes.
A pair of slender, jade-like hands were raised lightly in mid-air. Her lips parted slightly, and she uttered a clear shout: "Golden Emperor's Heaven-Burning Flame!"
As soon as she finished speaking, blazing golden flames surged from her palm. The flames were clear and dazzling, carrying the scorching power to burn the heavens and boil the seas. With a flick of her wrist, they suddenly spread out, turning into a sky full of golden and red sparks that swept towards the approaching black shadow.
The intense heat of the surging flames distorted the surrounding void, and the air was instantly filled with the acrid smell of burning.
The moment the sparks touched them, they burst into flames on the beasts' bodies. The domineering heat of the Golden Emperor's Burning Heaven Flame penetrated straight to their bones. The beasts had no chance to struggle and could only let out a few shrill screams before their bodies were engulfed by the flames and instantly turned into ashes.
Only a few magic cores, gleaming with a faint glow, fell from the firelight and rolled to the ground.
"Tsk tsk, as expected of Xun'er." Xiao Ling looked at the afterimage of the ferocious beast that had turned to ashes below, a smile of approval on his lips, his tone full of undisguised admiration, "The Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame is being used more and more skillfully and domineeringly. Below the Dou Sheng level, it is probably hard to find an opponent."
Before he finished speaking, a gentle yet irresistible suction force quietly surged in his palm. The few magic cores below, still emitting a faint glow, rose into the air as if drawn by the force, and landed steadily in his hand. Xiao Ling casually flipped his hand, storing all the magic cores into his sleeve storage ring. His movements were fluid and without the slightest hesitation.
He had no intention of wasting time hunting magical beasts and collecting magical cores in this ancient domain, since his main objective was the Bodhi Ancient Tree. But since these ignorant beasts had come to him, there was no reason to let them go unnoticed; he would consider them an unexpected bonus along the way.
Hearing Xiao Ling's praise, Xun'er's sharp glint faded from her eyes, replaced by her usual gentleness. A faint blush rose on her cheeks, and she said shyly, "Brother Xiao Ling, please stop teasing me. My little tricks are nothing in front of you."
After some banter, the two didn't linger any longer. Following the direction indicated by Bodhi, they transformed into two swift afterimages and sped towards the depths of the desolate ancient domain.
……
Ancient Domain Platform is said to be the ruins of an ancient battlefield from prehistoric times. Countless top experts perished here, resulting in a strange pressure that lingers here year-round. It is this pressure that makes this the only place in the desolate ancient domain where ferocious beasts dare not set foot.
This ancient platform is located at the junction of the central and deep parts of the desolate ancient domain. If you want to enter the deepest part of the ancient domain, this is the only way.
When Xiao Ling and his companion were within ten miles of the Ancient Domain Platform, they could vaguely see a huge plaza standing beneath the veil of mist.
The square is paved with thick ancient stones, the surface of which is full of cracked lines, with broken and incomplete edges, bearing the marks of time and exuding a strong sense of antiquity and decay.
Yet, from every crack in the stone and every breath of air, this dilapidated square exuded a strange and powerful pressure. This pressure carried the chilling atmosphere of an ancient battlefield and the lingering echoes of fallen warriors. Even Xiao Ling couldn't help but feel a slight unease and a touch of emotion.
"Brother Xiao Ling, this should be the Ancient Domain Platform. Beyond here lies the true core area of the Desolate Ancient Domain. According to our clan's records, there are countless high-level magical beasts deep within the Ancient Domain, and even ninth-tier magical beasts are not uncommon. What should we do next?"
Xun'er gazed at the ancient stone square shrouded in mist and said softly.
Xiao Ling's gaze swept across the plaza with a deep focus, and he said in a deep voice, "Danger and opportunity always coexist. We must venture into the depths of this desolate ancient domain. As for those magical beasts, leave them to me."
"Let's go."
After speaking, Xiao Ling led Xun'er straight across the Ancient Domain Platform and sped towards a lush mountain range ahead. The mountains were only a hundred miles apart, and after passing through them, they found themselves facing an endless black plain.
On the plains, dark clouds surged and spread, and countless ferocious beasts roamed among them. Each beast was as large as a mountain, and its scarlet figure spread out into a blood-red ocean that stretched to the horizon.
A series of violent roars and howls exploded, like rolling thunder, echoing between heaven and earth, shaking the surrounding air.
The horde of ferocious beasts stretched from the sky to the ground, their roars rising and falling, their intense, bloody aura soaring into the heavens, a truly terrifying sight.
Even Xiao Ling, a Dou Sheng who was used to seeing grand scenes in the world, couldn't help but turn his head to look at this earth-shattering scene, which was simply too magnificent.
It's unimaginable that so many high-level magical beasts gather deep within the Desolate Ancient Domain. If these creatures were to sweep through the Central Continent, they would likely cause a cataclysmic upheaval, turning the entire Central Continent upside down. The formidable reputation of this Desolate Ancient Domain is indeed well-deserved; it is truly terrifying! (End of Chapter)