Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

Finally, they arrived at the enormous gate. The gate was tens of feet high, and even though it was in ruins, one could still imagine its magnificent and imposing presence when it was intact.

The door was made of an unknown material, neither gold nor stone, and was icy cold to the touch. It was covered with deep scratches, scorch marks, and marks from sharp weapons, as if it had survived an unimaginable and brutal battle.

Shen Mo's gaze was drawn to the relatively well-preserved, enormous murals on either side of the entrance. The murals covered the entire wall and were over ten feet high. Even after countless years, when the colors had faded and peeled away, the grand and tragic scenes were still breathtaking.

The mural on the left seems to depict the "immortals".

Auspicious clouds swirled around, and countless immortals and divine generals, dressed in flowing robes and wielding various magical treasures, with expressions ranging from majestic to compassionate to fierce, formed a vast military formation.

They rode on auspicious clouds, some on swords, some on cranes, and some in enormous chariots and ships, their celestial light illuminating half the sky.

The leader was a colossal, mountain-like phantom of a deity, wearing an imperial crown and a robe draped in stars. His face was indistinct, and he held a giant ruler radiating light, as if measuring the heavens and the earth and dividing the world.

Behind it, one can vaguely see palaces stretching into the distance and celestial mountains floating in the air, presenting a peaceful and solemn celestial atmosphere.

The mural on the right depicts the complete opposite world of "demons".

The demonic clouds churned, and the malevolent aura soared to the sky. Countless strange, ferocious, and terrifying demons, monsters, and ghosts converged into an endless black tide.

Some of them have three heads and six arms, breathing flames; some have bony wings on their backs, with sharp claws that tear the sky apart; some are rotting all over, oozing pus and blood; some are simply a twisted shadow, radiating endless malice.

Before the demon army stood several colossal demonic figures, some resembling giant lizards with their scales and armor; others like octopuses with their tentacles waving; and still others were simply chaotic and mad masses of flesh that constantly changed shape.

Below the demonic shadow, the earth cracked, lava spewed forth, corpses piled up like mountains, and blood surged into the sky, revealing a scene of apocalypse.

The central part of the mural, where the armies of immortals and demons clashed, is the most intense and detailed part of the battle.

The celestial light and demonic energy collided violently, unleashing destructive light and shockwaves that tore a huge hole in the sky.

Immortals and gods are falling, demons and monsters are disintegrating, and limbs and fragments of magical artifacts are falling from the sky like a torrential rain.

At the very center of the battlefield, the towering deity wielding a giant ruler was locked in fierce combat with the largest demon god, which had nine ferocious heads, each emitting beams of destructive light of a different color!

The giant ruler clashed with the demonic claw, stars and flames intertwined, space was annihilated in patches, and the river of time seemed to stop flowing at the point of the clash!

The impact of the imagery is unparalleled; even though it is just a mural, it still allows people to feel the vastness, cruelty, and despair of that battle.

The solemnity of immortals, the tyranny of demons, the glory of life, and the tragedy of death intertwine to create an epic scroll that shakes the soul.

"This...this is...the ancient war between immortals and demons?!" Shi Tie stared wide-eyed at the mural, his eyes filled with disbelief and shock.

Although he was a rough man, he could feel the unimaginable, immense power and brutal killing intent contained in the mural.

Zhao Qingyan was also deeply shaken, murmuring, "So... the legendary ancient war was so... so terrifying. Could this Palace of Reincarnation have been built back then? Or... destroyed back then?"

Su Xiao's sharp eyes scanned the details of the mural, especially lingering on the leaders of the immortals and demons, as well as the magical artifacts they used and the spells they cast, as if trying to discern some lineage of inheritance.

A-Yuan seemed to feel an instinctive fear of the horrific war scene. She buried her face behind Shen Mo, not daring to look any longer, and whispered, "The cries... are coming from this big house... so many... so many..."

Shen Mo remained silent, his gaze...

The image is fixed in the center of the mural, on the leader of the celestial army—the towering deity wielding a giant ruler.

No, more accurately, it was fixed on the "radiant giant ruler" in his hand.

The ruler's shape... its length, proportions, the faintly visible markings, and the overwhelming Daoist aura that seemed to measure the heavens and earth...

Although the murals are mottled and the details are blurred, the overall feeling and the unique "meaning" of them subtly overlap with the description of the "Star River Ruler" in his "fabricated" "Travels of Master Liuyun" and the records of the "Star River Ruler" on the murals of Xingyun Ancient City!

Even the "straight shadow" deep within the palace that he glimpsed when he "perceived" the Samsara Palace, which seemed to be able to cut through the boundary between life and death, bears a certain resemblance!

Not exactly the same; the giant ruler in the mural is even larger and more radiant, exuding supreme majesty.

The records of the "Star River Ruler" are more focused on stars and mysteries.

However, the unique Daoist principles of measuring, stabilizing, and dividing that are characteristic of "ruler"-type magical artifacts are inherited from the same source!

Could it be that... the Star River Ruler is related to the "giant ruler" held by the leaders of the immortals in this mural?

Could it be that... the Star River Ruler is related to the "giant ruler" held by the leaders of the immortals in this mural?

Even the Star River Ruler is a replica of it, or... a fragment formed from its broken pieces?

An even more astonishing, even somewhat absurd, thought uncontrollably surfaced in Shen Mo's mind: Could the inspiration for the Star River Ruler story he "fabricated" back then have come from this fragmented, inherited memory of the ancient war between immortals and demons, which had long been buried in the dust of history?

The murals in the branch halls of the Reincarnation Hall happen to record a corner of that history.

If that's true... then what kind of being is "Star River True Lord"? What is his relationship with the celestial leaders depicted in this mural? And what is his connection to this Samsara Palace?

Shen Mo felt his heart pounding uncontrollably. He had a vague feeling that he had touched the tip of the iceberg of a shocking secret.

The appearance of the Palace of Reincarnation, the legend of the Star River Ruler, the story he "fabricated," and the Myriad Laws Source Pearl that mysteriously triggers cause and effect and gathers fortune... all of these seem to be connected by an invisible thread.

"Sect Leader, look there!" Suddenly, Su Xiao's voice interrupted Shen Mo's thoughts. She pointed to a corner below the mural, near the edge of the doorway.

There, the murals were severely damaged, but they were still faintly discernible, depicting not a battlefield between immortals and demons, but rather... a scene inside a palace.

It appeared to be a corner of a magnificent hall, with many blurry, illusory objects displayed inside. One of them vaguely resembled a... pool?

There seemed to be a figure busy by the pool, as if... washing something?

At the edge of the damaged mural, several faint, ancient seal characters remained. Shen Mo focused intently to discern them; they seemed to be—

"Wash...the soul...and be reborn..."

Shen Mo's pupils contracted sharply. The Soul Cleansing Pool! The Rebirth Platform! It really was here!

He suddenly looked up at the dark, deep palace gate, which seemed to connect to the deepest hell. Inside the gate, there was a deathly silence, except for the thick, chilling aura of death and reincarnation, which flowed out slowly as if it were a tangible substance.

The murals depicting the war between immortals and demons, the dilapidated Hall of Reincarnation, the records of the Soul Cleansing Pool and the Rebirth Platform... all the clues seem to point to what lies behind this portal.

What exactly is hidden there? Is it an ancient treasure passed down through generations? The embers of a world-ending war? Or... something even more unfathomable, a terrifying prospect?

Shen Mo suppressed his turbulent emotions, and his gaze became firm and profound again.

"Go in and take a look. Be careful."

He took the lead and stepped into the enormous portal of the Samsara Palace, which seemed capable of swallowing everything.

Su Xiao, Shi Tie, and Zhao Qingyan followed closely behind, and A Yuan bit her lip and kept up as well.

Darkness instantly swallowed their figures.