Chapter 410: Chapter 337: Ancient Water Mansion, The Last Person

Divine Dynasty Calendar, Year Three, Tenth Day of the First Month.

Heavy snow fluttered down, dressing the mountains and rivers in silver.

Since the establishment of the Kaiyuan Divine Dynasty, great efforts have been made to govern well, and everything has been renewed, allowing the people of the Divine Continent to enjoy a few good years.

In previous years, with the Lantern Festival approaching, there would be lively preparations for lantern fairs across the land. But in the chaos after the upheaval, with repairing houses, tallying losses, and maintaining the Divine Land Array, everything became much simpler.

“Be careful! Yes, slow down a bit…”

In the west of Ren Water City by Hailing Mountain in Lanzhou, coachman Ma San was helping a neighbor raise a new beam, adults bustling about while children helped by serving tea and water.

There were bricklayers in the city, and one could even hire cultivators with merit points, but none were wealthy enough, and it was more economical to do it themselves.

Within the framework of the Divine Dynasty, there were still disparities between wealth and poverty, but at least everyone had dignity, and hard work brought hope.

Take Ma San as an example, he was formerly a destitute bachelor, scraping together enough for a drink each day, with nothing left, chanting the mantra of a single man’s survival, waiting to die alone.

After the Divine Dynasty was established, he contributed significantly to the construction in Ren Water City, using merit points to secure a small house, offering shelter from the wind and rain.

A neighbor introduced him to a widow to start a family, and by the next year, he had a child. He’s long since given up drinking, always planning for his child to become a cultivator.

This was no mere fantasy, living at the foot of Spirit Mountain, many children were born with good talent, and with the Divine Dynasty’s training system, many believed that this generation could enhance the strength of humanity.

“Dad, there’s a big bug in the sky!”

A neighbor’s child suddenly shouted, pointing toward the sky.

Ma San didn’t believe it at first, thinking no evil spirits would dare cause trouble inside the Divine Land Array, but when he looked up, he was dumbfounded.

Above the sky, a huge black shadow obscured the snowflakes, its dragon-like body and insect-like legs soaring through the air like a massive mountain.

Many people looked up in awe, feeling weak at the knees, yet not afraid.

Because this giant creature was clearly dead, pulled by the divine light from hundreds of starships on either side, and carried by the bone-winged guardian ape generals, slowly sailing across the sky.

The people below were both shocked and filled with chatter.

“Oh my goodness, what is that thing…”

“I heard it’s a demon that crossed into our realm.”

“Nonsense, no evil spirit can be that large, it must be an Evil God!”

“Whatever it is, our Divine Dynasty has already destroyed it. But what do we need it for? It looks creepy…”

“It seems they’re heading towards Shazhou. Maybe they want to roast it at Fire Spirit Mountain over there; this should be enough to feed the dynasty for a year.”

Leaving aside the people’s speculations, atop Siling Mountain in Shazhou, countless Profound Pavilion cultivators were eagerly awaiting, every one of them ecstatic.

“A giant starship was only a concept, hindered by insufficient materials, but now there’s hope.”

“Rumor has it that within this thing lies a self-contained space, its shell harder than star armor. Using the idea of the Dragonbone Divine Ship, we can surely create an unprecedented divine ship to stabilize the nation’s fortune!”

“To succeed in this would fulfill a lifelong dream!”

…

Yet far away in the Central Extreme Hall of Kunlun Mountain, the atmosphere was grave.

Helian Boxiong’s expression was stern as he spoke, “Everyone, since the Sect Leader’s message arrived, we sent people to investigate, and the continents of Celestial Essence Star have become wastelands…”

“Well, so be it.” A Celestial Pavilion Mahayana coldly snorted and said, “They brought this upon themselves, saving us from taking action and plunging the Divine Continent into war.”

Yuan Huang shook his head slightly, “If it were only so simple. I too just learned that the chaos on Celestial Essence Star involves reincarnation. Now that the Sect Leader has reopened the Immortal Path, there’s no more concealment. Let everyone understand the cause and effect.”

As he spoke, he recounted the matter of reincarnation.

The crowd in the hall was chilled to the bone upon hearing it all.

One Great Demon murmured to himself, “No wonder the Sect Leader was exceptionally cautious recently, acting differently from before, bearing such a monumental secret.”

Elder Huayan sighed, “This matter is too significant. Had it been leaked earlier, it would have caused considerable turmoil.”

“The conditions within reincarnation are unclear. Even if the Sect Leader becomes an Immortal, there’s no guarantee of victory, hence the arrangement to refine large starships as a backup plan…”

The people exchanged glances, feeling helpless within.

Though they stood at the peak of the mundane world and possessed a formidable starship fleet, at this moment they found themselves powerless.

Cyan Flood Dragon Mr. Wu had recently joined the Celestial Pavilion and, as a newcomer, was accustomed to exercising prudence and did not speak.

Listening to the discussions, he couldn’t help but gaze toward the Western Continent.

…

Deep, dark, and dotted with faint starlight.

The underground waterways of Sea Eye spanned the Celestial Essence Star, with one extending straight into the depths, as the Cyan Flood Dragon said, forming another world.

Massive as houses, the ancient armored monster fish swam back and forth, exuding the ferocious and bloodthirsty aura of the Divine Travel Realm, while bizarre entities like sea stars perched atop the Sea Eye caves, with eyes scattered all over, keeping watch everywhere, as colossal anemone-like creatures lay hidden, one tentacle perpetually crafting illusions…

Every creature here seemed to have undergone a mutation, with immense bodies and spiritual power, yet no spiritual wisdom had emerged, still retaining their animal instincts.

Bang!

A terrifying presence descended from the heavens, causing all the giant creatures to panic and hide in frenzy.

Zhang Kui traversed the waterways expressionlessly, ignoring the bizarre creatures he scared off.

For ordinary people, this place was indeed terrifying.

Divine Travel Realm’s bizarre creatures were everywhere, and there was the bloody aura of a Mahayana Realm, hiding in the crevices, watching him with trepidation.

If he hadn’t become an Immortal, he would have been caught in endless slaughter.

This waterway extended hundreds of miles underground, and the deeper he went, the fewer strange creatures there were in the sea, until it had become a dead zone.

Zhang Kui fixed his gaze ahead, a cold smile on his lips.

In the deepest darkness, there indeed was a vast Water Mansion, with layers of bluestone buildings covering the rocky walls on both sides, now shrouded in a white fog, appearing dim, bizarre, and grotesque.

Cyan Flood Dragon mentioned something strange was happening here, but he could see the root of it at a glance, or one might say he was quite familiar with it.

Being tainted by the mutated Silent Heaven Domain, something was bound to happen.

Buzz!

The Divine Protection Skill black light enveloped Zhang Kui as he unhesitatingly landed on the plaza of a grand hall within the Water Mansion, his eyes slightly narrowed, striding inside.

This Water Mansion’s history is even older than the Immortal Dynasty’s, preserved in its entirety due to its remote location, now enshrouded by the Silent Heaven Domain, everything seems frozen, and many white-robed demons with terrified expressions, asleep with eyes closed, appear like corpses.

Zhang Kui wasn’t surprised, for the Longevity Immortal Monarch’s Silent Heaven inherently carried a trace of the Time Law. One could sleep for a millennium within it, appearing to achieve longevity, but in truth, they were trapped.

However, after the mutation occurred, some of these former Celestial Craft Pavilion disciples looked intact, yet their flesh and soul had long decayed. Some had mutated and, if they left the domain, would immediately turn into frenzied, terrifying anomalies.

And the grand hall Zhang Kui entered was the very source of it all.

Around the hall were rows upon rows of wooden shelves, neatly placed with black jade plates used to store information, and among them was an old Fish Demon, clad in a white robe, with a long mustache.

More importantly, he had died with a terrified expression, a massive Celestial Capital Demon Banner thrust through his mouth, pinning the elder dead to the ground, with waves of gray domain light spreading outward.

Seemingly sensing Zhang Kui, the light of the Demon Banner’s domain became even more intense.

Zhang Kui paid it no heed; having achieved the Immortal Body, the power of his various techniques had reached another level. No matter how intense the surrounding domain power was, it would be thoroughly devoured by the black light of the Divine Protection Skill, turned into bits of Law, and absorbed by the “Eyes of Eternal Life.”

After experiencing the Immortal Ship, this Demon Banner was no longer worth mentioning.

Zhang Kui didn’t rush forward but looked around, waving his hand, and an ink jade plate from the shelf landed in his hand.

A sweep of his Divine Sense revealed a book titled “List of Celestial Essence Star’s Immortal Officials” stored within.

Zhang Kui put it into his personal space without looking, inspecting them one by one.

“Desolate God Record,” “Immortal Sect’s Wild History,” “Celestial Craft Pavilion Secrets”… one ink jade plate after another disappeared until a “Longevity Star Realm Map” appeared, and Zhang Kui couldn’t help but smile.

The long-standing heritage of the Celestial Craft Pavilion, these jade plates recording ancient information, were exceptionally precious to him.

Seeing Zhang Kui’s attitude, the Artifact Spirit of the chaotic Demon Banner grew even more frenzied, retracting all its power, turning the substantial domain into a gray column of light, aimed at Zhang Kui.

As the Demon Banner retracted its domain, some of the bodies outside instantly turned to dust, while others proliferated and spread like grotesque tumors, emitting strange howls.

“Get lost!”

Zhang Kui snorted coldly, and the “Eyes of Eternal Life” on his forehead snapped open, shooting a similarly thick Silent Extinction Black Light, while a wave of his hand activated the Transportation Skill, sweeping away the remaining ink jade plates.

He hadn’t acted hastily, fearing that leaving the frozen time of the Longevity Domain would damage these precious jade plates; now realizing it was fine, he held back no longer.

Two beams of black and gray collided, causing the entire space to tremble with a hum, the great hall collapsed like a sandcastle, and those corpse-like anomalies rushing in from outside exploded instantly, flesh scattering.

The Silent Extinction Black Light specifically devoured and restrained these domain powers. As Zhang Kui kept moving forward, the Qi Mechanism of the Demon Banner grew weaker, eventually cracking, shimmering with bright light, as if about to explode.

Zhang Kui’s expression turned grave as he waved his hand, enveloping it in the silver Yin Yang True Fire, refining it into a Cave Heaven Divine Crystal in mere moments.

With the Demon Banner’s disappearance, the former corpse of the Celestial Craft Pavilion’s Fish Demon Pavilion Master turned to ash on the ground, and the entire Water Mansion began to collapse at a visible rate.

Zhang Kui’s brow furrowed slightly.

Honestly, the Array of this Water Mansion had long dissipated. Though destroyed by the Demon Banner’s domain, it maintained its original form.

The unknown Divine Artifact’s whereabouts were still unclear, and he wasn’t in a hurry to act also because he wanted to look for clues, which now seemed troublesome.

This old Pavilion Master was clearly murdered, not the natural demise that Cyan Flood Dragon mentioned. Being able to deceive everyone in the Celestial Craft Pavilion, and even wield a Demon Banner, the perpetrator was no ordinary being.

At this moment, with the entire Water Mansion having completely turned to ash, Zhang Kui could only search through the jade plates.

The Tongyou Skill revealed nothing, but perhaps these artifacts contained clues.

Indeed, the surface of one ink jade plate read “Celestial Essence Star Spirit Ore Map,” yet inside was the old Pavilion Master’s cultivation record.

The initial bulk detailed how he cultivated deep under the sea, discovered this place, and inherited the ancient Celestial Craft Pavilion, with only some cryptic notes at the end.

“What the Probing Mirror shows is horrifying; Celestial Essence Star cannot escape disaster…”

“Exhausted Spirit Stones to send messages, yet no one from the Celestial Craft Immortal Realm has come, could it have fallen too…”

“Identified two of the three entities of Reincarnation, after the Dark God descended on the Divine Stone in the You Dynasty a thousand years ago, the belief in Dark God began to spread, and then there’s the Ancient God of the Sea Race; these Starry Sky Evil Gods were born of Reincarnation and are adept at invading, with unorthodox means. But who is the last one?”

“I saw something terrifying with the Probing Mirror, trapped in nightmares every night. Could it be that the opponent can invade through the mind…Looks like I must thoroughly seal this item…”

“A new senior disciple appeared in the Pavilion; everyone claims this person doesn’t exist, yet she’s clearly by my side…”

“I discovered some information; she…she is the Longevity Immortal Queen!”

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