Inquiry about immortality

Chapter 2534 The target of public criticism
Just as Qin Sang and Xuan Ying were exchanging words, the five great kingdoms were all exploring the depths of the Immortal Abode.

At this moment, Qin Sang and the demons seemed like gods high in the heavens, looking down and 'coldly observing' these half-demon cultivators busy in the immortal palace.

Driven by their emperors, the cultivators of the Five Kingdoms searched for the non-existent Ninth Dragon Vein. In a short period of time, many cultivators from the five kingdoms paid the ultimate price, carving a bloody path with their own flesh and blood.

The Immortal Abode is without an owner, and even demons like Xuan Ying cannot control all the traps within it. Even so, for cultivators at the Void Refinement stage, this Immortal Abode is extremely dangerous, a place where every step is fraught with peril.

Fortunately, the five great nations are full of experts and have a strong foundation, so they can withstand the losses.

Seeing the cultivators lying dead in the immortal mansion, Qin Sang couldn't help but think of a saying: "Too clever by half, they outsmarted themselves and lost their lives!"

These cultivators from the five kingdoms were like sheep, driven forward by the emperors. The emperors of the five kingdoms were also being manipulated by him and the demons like Xuan Ying in a state of confusion and ignorance. The reason why he and the demons were able to stand in this position was because they had a half-demon true lord and a demon race great saint behind them. Otherwise, they would be no different from those below, just pawns on a chessboard.

In the vast spirit realm, all living beings are merely pawns, differing only in the size of the chessboard. Perhaps only when I break through to the Integration stage will I be able to see the scenery beyond the chessboard.

Qin Sang was lost in thought, and when he came back to his senses, the situation in the immortal palace had changed again.

As the Five Kingdoms ventured deeper into the Immortal Abode, the traps and restrictions they encountered became increasingly severe. Almost every step forward resulted in the death of a cultivator, including some who had reached the Void Refinement stage.

After hundreds of years of confrontation, the five great nations have made ample preparations, including formations, treasures, and even people to be sent to their deaths.

Qin Sang's attention shifted back to the Zhu Qian Dynasty, where she happened to 'see' the Zhu Qian Dynasty cultivators being blocked by a forest of pagodas.

This forest of pagodas consists of tens of thousands of stone pagodas. The pagodas are all similar in shape, differing only in height and number of stories; some have seven stories, while others have nine.

Each stone tower has a hole at the top, like a window, through which you can see that the interior of the tower is solid. This hole is like a stone niche, with flames burning inside.

The flames are black, yet they have been burning since ancient times without ceasing, their silence almost eerie.

Upon seeing the eerie tower forest and flames, the cultivators of the Zhu Qian Dynasty all stopped in their tracks, not daring to move forward rashly.

Emperor Zhu Qian and the five kings stepped out from the crowd and gazed at the Pagoda Forest. After a moment, Emperor Zhu Qian's lips moved slightly and he said something. Then, an old man in a gray robe stepped forward, bowed to Emperor Zhu Qian, and resolutely stepped into the Pagoda Forest.

The old man's actions were tantamount to suicide, yet that was the very purpose of his arrival. One could sense from his aura that this man was about to face his tribulation and his life was nearing its end. Dying here would be considered a service to the Zhu Qian Dynasty, bringing blessings to future generations.

Even cultivators at the Refinement stage, whose vitality is undiminished, cannot escape this fate. Even cultivators at the Integration stage cannot live freely and will ultimately perish without achieving the Great Ascension stage.

"Thinking about it, my tribulation is coming soon..."

This thought suddenly flashed through Qin Sang's mind.

He hadn't paid much attention to the Heavenly Tribulation before, because among cultivators of the same level, few could match his cultivation speed. There were probably very few people in the world who could break through to the late stage of the Void Refinement Realm before the first Heavenly Tribulation of the Six-Nine Heavens descended.

Previously, Qin Sang even had an unrealistic fantasy: to break through to the Integration Stage before the Heavenly Tribulation descended.

It seems impossible now. No matter how fast the cultivation speed was before, countless geniuses have reached the peak of the Void Refinement stage early on, only to get stuck before the threshold and eventually die with resentment.

The old man was very cautious. When he arrived in front of the tower, he shook his sleeve and a white ferret crawled out. The ferret was only the size of a palm. Although it looked like a ferret, it was actually a kind of spirit insect.

The white ferret seemed to understand its master perfectly, knowing what was about to happen. It looked up at the old man, tears welling in its eyes.

The old man gently stroked the white sable, closed his eyes and sighed deeply, then steeled himself and pushed his hands forward, saying, "Go."

The white ferret glanced at its master one last time before leaping into the tower. The old man watched the ferret's retreating figure with a look of pity on his face. Suddenly, he realized that staying outside would only prolong his life for a short while longer, so it would be better to travel together and keep each other company on the journey.

Thinking of this, the old man resolutely followed the white sable. The white sable sensed something, turned around and saw its master, its eyes lit up, let out a whimper, and jumped onto its master's shoulder.

The white sable raised its upper body, alerting its master, its eyes bright and its expression focused.

The old man was deeply shaken. Suddenly, he straightened his back, and his demeanor changed dramatically, as if the road ahead was not the end. They had returned to their initial days, full of vigor and spirit, and together they had overcome countless secret realms and perilous challenges.

The cultivators behind him watched the old man gradually disappear into the depths of the tower forest, and feeling the change in his aura, they couldn't help but show their admiration.

Unfortunately, they could not truly return to the beginning; their fate was sealed. Not long after the old man entered the tower forest, the black fire in the stone niche started to burn without wind, and gusts of eerie wind swept through the tower forest.

‘Wow! ’

A chilling wind howled, and the tower forest became a ghostly realm.

The cultivators noticed that there seemed to be ghostly figures between the stone towers. One after another, eerie shadows flashed by, rushing towards the place where the old man had disappeared from all directions.

"Activate the Ultimate Yuan Flame Formation!"

At Emperor Zhu Qian's command, half of the cultivators behind him switched positions and instantly formed a battle formation. Within the formation, banners fluttered and transformed into streams of fire that danced above their heads.

The Extreme Yuan Flame Array did not utilize the Crimson Scale Divine Pillar. Although the Five Kingdoms had found a way to help their national guardian artifact resist the suppressive power of the Immortal Mansion, each activation of the national guardian artifact came at a price and could not be used lightly; it was to be used in case of unexpected events.

In this ancient Taoist holy site, one can never be too cautious.

Fire streams shot out in unison, covering the sky and the earth like meteors, crashing down on the tower forest.

'Rumble...'

The towers trembled and instantly turned into a sea of ​​fire. The stone towers were burned by the flames, but remained unmoved in the fire. The eerie shadows seemed unafraid of the fire and ignored the flames around them.

Just then, a violent fluctuation came from the depths of the Pagoda Forest. Emperor Zhu Qian's expression changed slightly. A moment later, a white figure flew out. It was the white sable that had entered the Pagoda Forest with the old man, but the old man was nowhere to be seen.

The white sable leaped between the stone towers, seemingly without any external injuries, but its aura was very strange. When it reached the edge of the tower forest, the white sable suddenly let out a low cry, its eyes quickly turned gray and white, and with all its might, it spat out a jade bead. Then, amidst the exclamations of the cultivators, it fell to the ground.

'Snapped! '

The white sable's body scattered into flying sand, instantly dispersed by the cold wind, and followed its master away.

Emperor Zhu Qian grabbed the jade bead, which contained the old man's discovery before his death. With these things, they could solve the mystery of this strange pagoda forest.

The cultivators gathered together to discuss the matter and finally succeeded in cracking the secret of the Tower Forest, breaking through another obstacle.

The old man's passing is heartbreaking, but the fact that the Tallinn was cracked with only one life sacrificed is a relatively small price to pay.

Similar scenes played out frequently in other parts of the false immortal abode.

Qin Sang couldn't help but sigh. If even a single place required the lives of cultivators from the Five Great Kingdoms to fill, how terrifying would the power of this false immortal palace be when fully activated? It truly lived up to its reputation as a trap personally crafted by the Great Sage of the Demon Clan to scheme against a half-demon True Monarch.

After passing through this forest of towers, the Zhu Qian Dynasty's progress was significantly faster than that of other immortal kingdoms, which was inseparable from He Xianying's deliberate guidance, and of course, the contributions of Lu Jiyuan and others were also significant.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they should be able to reach the core of the Immortal Abode as quickly as possible.

This was also the first time Qin Sang had seen the true face of Wuji Academy. It was hard for her to connect this mysterious and unpredictable immortal abode, which resembled a paradise of immortals, with that ruin.

Judging from the terrain, the surviving part of Wuji Academy should be the core of the false immortal abode, which is a primeval, lush mountain forest with few pavilions and towers.

Qin Sang's gaze was drawn to a patch of spiritual mist in the mountains and forests. It was not hard to guess that it was the mountain where Xuan Tan was located. The demon race was even able to recreate this detail. Could it be that someone in the demon race had personally seen Wuji Academy?
Just then, another order came from Xuan Ying. Qin Sang put aside her distracting thoughts and focused all her energy on activating the Feather Token.

Before long, subtle changes occurred within the false immortal abode, cleverly guiding the two teams from the Heavenly Fox Kingdom and the Cangwu Kingdom toward each other's location, while both remained completely unaware of this.

As expected, the Heavenly Fox Kingdom and the Cangwu Kingdom were misled by the illusion of the Immortal Abode and collided with each other.

As the terrain of the Immortal Abode became increasingly complex, all the other Immortal Kingdoms, except for the Zhu Qian Dynasty, were forced to divide their forces and advance in a fan shape to explore the way. The rulers of the kingdoms were also unable to control the overall situation.

In such a dangerous place, the sudden encounter with the enemy made it impossible for either side to maintain restraint. Soon, battles broke out in multiple locations. By the time the two rulers reacted, both sides had already suffered considerable losses, adding to the blood feud.

Fortunately, both sides knew what the real goal was, forcibly suppressed their hatred, and separated again.

They were still able to restrain themselves, but some people didn't want them to. Xuan Ying was adept at sowing discord and fanning the flames, mobilizing the five kingdoms to run rampant in the Immortal Mansion. Battles broke out frequently, and the blood feud between them deepened. If it weren't for the great temptation of the Ninth Dragon Vein, they would probably have already fallen into chaos.

Although the Five Kingdoms suffered heavy losses, they never expected that someone would be able to manipulate this immortal palace.

The layout of the Immortal Abode is almost flawless. The arrays and restrictions appear to be independent, but in fact they are all interconnected. Even if you pick one out, a cultivator who has racked his brains might not be able to set it up. This is the kind of grandeur that the Dao Court should have when it was at its peak!

Unbeknownst to many, more than half a year has passed since the Immortal Abode opened.

The Five Kingdoms' teams were getting closer and closer to their target. The other four kingdoms, including Da Geng, gradually realized that they had encountered the Zhu Qian Dynasty the fewest times they had, and it had been a long time since they had met the Zhu Qian Dynasty.

This gave them a bad feeling, and things were developing in the direction they feared most.

When the Zhu Qian Dynasty arrived at the Spirit Mist first, Emperor Zhu Qian looked around and found no trace of other immortal kingdoms. He burst into laughter, and the five kings and other cultivators also showed excitement.

Without hesitation, they immediately deployed their troops and sent people to test the power of the spiritual mist.

Not knowing how far the other immortal kingdoms were from here, Emperor Zhu Qian dared not delay. He issued orders one after another, disregarding all costs, and commanded teams of cultivators to rush into the spiritual mist.

The spiritual mist was like a bottomless pit, swallowing the lives of so many cultivators without any reaction.

With fewer and fewer cultivators under their command, Emperor Zhu Qian and the Five Kings remained unmoved, while the expressions of the other cultivators changed from excitement to fear.

Witnessing this scene, Qin Sang couldn't help but feel moved. During the rise of the Jiao Sheng Kingdom, countless people had been ruthlessly driven into battle. The cultivators brought by Emperor Zhu Qian were at least at the Nascent Soul stage, yet they were utterly powerless to resist, no different from those who had perished because of the Jiao Sheng Kingdom.

Is this the meaning of the Mahayana path?

Of the so-called Mahayana teachings, how much truly represents the common good, and how much is used for personal gain?

What are all these dynasties doing? They're only concerned with their own private interests!
As fellow beings from the spirit world, how different are the cultivation world and the mortal world?

At an unimaginable cost, Emperor Zhu Qian and the Five Kings finally entered the Spirit Mist, causing turmoil within the Spirit Mist and shaking the entire Immortal Palace.

Meanwhile, the teams from other immortal kingdoms were also approaching the spirit mist, and then they witnessed a shocking and extraordinary phenomenon.

When the tremors of the immortal palace reached their peak, the mountains and earth around the spiritual mist suddenly collapsed and cracked. Brilliant light shot out from the spiritual mist, which expanded and transformed into immortal clouds. Above the immortal clouds, countless palaces and magnificent immortal scenes were faintly visible.

The cultivators gazed at the strange phenomenon on the horizon, all deeply moved and wondering if that was the true sacred ground of the Daoist court.

Just then, everyone sensed a strange fluctuation emanating from the depths of the strange phenomenon. At the same time, the scene in front of them underwent even more dramatic changes, and all sorts of magnificent and unimaginable sights appeared before them.

The strange phenomenon caused the surrounding restrictions to change as well. The obstacles that had previously blocked their vision and spiritual senses disappeared, and they quickly discovered the other party's whereabouts.

At this moment, their worst fears came true. The strange phenomenon was only observed around the Heavenly Fox Kingdom, the Great Geng Kingdom, the Cangwu Kingdom, and the Xingtu Ghost Continent, but there was no trace of the Zhu Qian Dynasty.

In the midst of the battle formation of the Celestial Fox Alliance, an old man with a fox head and human body, dressed in a black robe, stood with his hands behind his back gazing at the sky, deeply attracted by the illusory image of the celestial palace in the heavens.

Just then, a voice as clear as metal rang in my ears, "Old fox, it seems we're both a step too late!"

The fox-headed elder lowered his gaze to the source of the strange phenomenon, where he could easily discern traces left by the Zhu Qian Dynasty.

"That guy really had been planning this for a long time!"

Another cold female voice rang out; it was the current ruler of Xingtu Ghost Continent: "This time, we absolutely cannot let them steal the ninth dragon vein before we do!"

"Ghost King, you haven't found any trace of Blood Soul Impermanence either?" The old fox sighed softly. "Fellow Daoist Yue is also missing. What's even stranger is that I haven't found the Heavenly Fox Token that Fellow Daoist Yue brought in. It seems that the three kings of Zhu Qian must have known all along that the ninth dragon vein was hidden here, and deliberately lured us in to slowly search for it. The others are probably in grave danger. Since they've already gotten there first, it's too late to stop them now."

A voice as clear as metal snorted coldly, "So what if the Zhu Qian Dynasty took it? We'll see if they have the strength to protect the dragon vein! This time, you won't hesitate any longer, will you?"