Shocking the Nine Heavens With My Sword
Chapter 392 - 378 Opening of the Palace Gates (1/3)

Chapter 392: Chapter 378 Opening of the Palace Gates (1/3)

The older generation all exhibited a profound sense of desolation, yet there were also young and proud talents who stood up, unwilling to be outdone, releasing their own brilliance to compete with Zhou Heng!

Take Moon Shadow Saintess, for example, she had already glimpsed the threshold of the Divinity Transformation Realm during the ancient times, but was limited by the drastic changes in nature, unable to even maintain the spiritual power level of the Heaven-Opening Realm, let alone continue to assault the Divinity Transformation Realm.

She was forced to choose to seal herself in the Temporal Origin Liquid, traversing tens of thousands of years, until the nature’s spiritual energy finally recovered. Only then did she break the seal and incidentally pluck the Immortal Fate, not only breaking through the Divinity Transformation Realm but also possibly surging through to the Immortal Realm in one go!

Today’s Martial Path is in decline, and among the younger generation of the human race, only a few individuals like Zhao Duotian, Ying Cheng’en, Zhao Anyuan, and Sang Qingshan can be called prodigies, incomparable to the ancient times. Among these, only Zhao Anyuan had entered this place, and he naturally refused to show weakness, standing out and showcasing his splendor.

Besides these two individuals, there were astonishingly two more young people who stood tall with exceptional poise, possessing the demeanor of future Heavenly Venerates!

They, too, had lived through the ancient times, and had, like Moon Shadow Saintess, originally seen the hope of breaking through to the Divinity Transformation Realm, but due to the abrupt changes in the world, had no choice but to self-seal.

Naturally, such characters were immensely proud and would never allow Zhou to outshine them alone, all releasing their own radiance to contest.

For a time, five young individuals originally from different eras competed to outshine each other, as if making the older generation pale in comparison.

In contrast, Zhou Heng and Zhao Anyuan had a lower realm, merely at the Nascent Soul Realm. But could Zhou be measured as an ordinary Nascent Soul Realm cultivator? He was someone who could even fight on par with the Divine Infant Realm!

Thus, Zhao Anyuan appeared quite overconfident, a firefly delusionally trying to compete with the bright moon, inviting nothing but ridicule.

The fellow seemed to realize this, his face involuntarily turning blood-red, then alternating between pale and flushed, providing the Black Donkey with a hearty laugh.

Zhou Heng looked over at the other two prodigies, both appearing to be in their twenties, one so handsome as to make most beauties feel inferior, the other a stalwart giant covered in coiled muscles, his skin emanating a lustrous jade-like sheen.

With Zhou’s discerning eye, he could tell that the giant must also practice physical cultivation, but he wondered how it would compare to the freakish nature of his own Gold Devouring Clan physique.

As the five great prodigies gradually withdrew their brilliance, peace once again enveloped the surrounding area of the palace.

At this moment, no one initiated combat.

Quite simply, the treasure mountain had not been opened, and battling now was truly pointless.

Perhaps they would need to join forces to open the palace; if one less person made it impossible, wouldn’t that ruin their opportunity?

Wait! Patiently wait!

Everyone here was at least at the Nascent Soul Realm, except for anomalies like Zhou, who among them hadn’t endured at least a hundred years of arduous cultivation to achieve their current success, and who lacked patience?

Having gone through so much, Zhou’s mentality had become as steady as a rock, and he could equally bide his time. Moreover, without the formidable weapon Huo Tian present, breaking into the Immortal Palace by force was an impossibility for him!

Previously, he had prodded the silver white bone and nearly got himself killed, leaving marks on the Nine Mystic Trial Tower. If he were to prod this larger "Bone" Palace, the outcome would be the same as that of the previous expert—shattered to pieces!

Believing that the sudden "summons" here must mean that the Immortal Palace intended to transfer its heritage, it would surely open on its own, it was just not time yet.

He patiently seated himself cross-legged and suspended in the air, as the golden figure danced the Sky-soaring Nine Forms in his Sea of Consciousness, forging his Divine Sense.

On the other hand, the Black Donkey just couldn’t sit still. For this greed-driven donkey, treasures were right before its eyes, naturally wanting to be the first to enter, to scoop up treasures ahead of everyone else. If everyone surged in together, how could it monopolize the spoils?

Although Zhou could contend with the Divine Infant Realm, it was only for a brief skirmish, enough to save his life, but to speak of defeating an expert of the Divine Infant Realm, that was but a fool’s dream!

Thus, it was far too risky for him now!

That despicable donkey endlessly coaxed Zhou to break into the Immortal Palace, but how could Zhou bother with it? Let it talk until it was blue in the face; it was futile.

One day, two days, ten days passed, and although everyone had great patience, standing before the Immortal Palace yet unable to enter was making them restless. There was no choice; even if each was deeply shrewd, who could stay calm against the temptation of Immortal Objects?

A restless atmosphere spread among the people, and if the Immortal Palace did not open soon, conflicts were likely to erupt among them.

Ancients and moderns were unlikely to have significant grudges, but ancient people among themselves and moderns among their contemporaries indeed had various conflicts. Under such restless psyches, a spark might easily set off an explosion!

On the fifty-third day, the Immortal Palace suddenly burst into a splendid radiance, spreading waves of supreme influence, as if an Immortal Venerate were preaching, evoking ineffable insights deep within everyone’s hearts.

"The old man sees the hope of breakthrough!"

"So that’s how it is, haha, I must be able to break through the Divinity Transformation Realm now!"

"I have gone around in circles for so many years, yet the answer was right before my eyes!"

Everyone let out exclamations of amazement; the fluctuations were close to a direct transmission from the Great Dao, allowing them all to uncover the mysteries and deficiencies in their martial progress, with each person gaining immense insight.

For all but Zhou Heng, the bafflement of the other martial artists wasn’t about the accumulation of spiritual power but the comprehension of their realm. Were they not all at the Nascent Soul Third Layer Heaven, or the peak of the Divine Infant Realm, just one step away from a breakthrough once enlightenment struck!

The fluctuations of the Great Dao continued for half a day; the radiance of the Immortal Palace gradually retracted, leaving only a lingering glow on the silvery-white walls. Contained but not released, the once firmly shut doors eventually began to slowly open.

The Immortal Palace was open!

In an instant, the crowd surged towards the palace doors.

"Zhou, what are you dawdling for? Hurry, charge! Charge!" Black Donkey, seeing that Zhou Heng was still sitting motionless, continuously urged him, as though the treasures inside would be plundered in the next second.

Zhou Heng opened his eyes and smiled slightly, saying, "Donkey, keep a calm mind! A calm mind!"

Although entering such ruins was for the sake of treasure hunting, precisely because these places were incredibly dangerous, the closer one was to the end, the more one needed to maintain a calm mind. As long as one did their best, whether they succeeded or not was up to fate.

"My heart’s about to leap out; I can’t keep calm!" Black Donkey circled around Zhou Heng, seemingly bent on making him dizzy.

Zhou Heng laughed heartily, leaped to his feet, and said, "Let’s go!"

He truly wasn’t in a hurry. Although the Immortal Palace was open, he did not believe that the Immortal legacy and treasures would simply be handed over to anyone. Even if that was the case, the situation inside would surely be one where the monks outnumber the porridge. The sight of an Immortal Object would inevitably lead to fierce fighting, and he currently did not possess the power to subdue all the experts with a single palm strike. Entering a moment earlier or later made no difference.

Black Donkey had been waiting for him to say this and quickly began to push him towards the direction of the Immortal Palace with its head against his waist.

Zhou Heng’s gaze swept across the area, noticing that not everyone had charged into the Immortal Palace. There were about a dozen people sitting cross-legged, their bodies radiating an air of ancient grandeur, with faint sounds of the Great Dao chanting!

They... had gained an advantage just now and saw the hope of breaking through to the Divinity Transformation Realm, so they did not wish to miss such an opportunity, seizing this fleeting enlightenment to attempt the breakthrough!

Zhou Heng looked at these individuals with considerable respect. Being able to resist the temptation of Immortal Objects required immense courage and willpower!

In comparison, these were the truly wise ones.

"Stop looking, let’s go!" Black Donkey’s face had turned green with urgency, fearing that the treasures inside had already been plundered.

This donkey’s greed was incurable!

Zhou Heng walked forward, soon arriving in front of the Immortal Palace. He casually touched the palace walls, lost in thought.

"Zhou, what are you spacing out for? The treasures are inside, not outside!" Black Donkey was dying of impatience. It really wanted to slap Zhou Heng on the back of his head, but remembering that this freak of nature had a body more durable than a Nascent Soul Realm magic artifact, the slap would only hurt its own hoof, so it had to give up resentfully.

Ignoring him, Zhou Heng took out the silvery-white broken bone from the Nine Mystic Trial Tower and compared it with the palace, noticing the same smoothness and delicate texture, a subtle connection, likely from the same body.

This truly was a Bone Palace!

Suddenly, Zhou Heng felt a sensation of creepy horror. He put away the silver broken bone and strode into the palace.

Hum!

A vast presence approached, causing him a feeling of suffocation.

He looked up to see that the palace had thirty-six colossal pillars supporting it, each a hundred zhang tall, which made one feel insignificant standing among them. The palace was extremely spacious; apart from these pillars, there was only a throne at the very bottom, upon which sat a giant!

It was indeed a giant, who was at least thirty to sixty zhang tall even while seated, with black and dense hair, eyes that shone with the light of the sun, moon, and stars, and skin that flickered continuously with a silvery sheen.

The aura that had just pervaded was emitted by this giant!

The owner of the Immortal Palace... wasn’t dead?

The moment Zhou Heng saw the giant, he was able to affirm that this was no Divinity Transformation Realm being, but an Immortal! Having been to the Fairy Continent and possessing Immortal Objects like the Nine Mystic Trial Tower and the Hundred Ghosts Sword, he was quite familiar with the aura of an Immortal.

But there was something odd about this aura, as if it wasn’t quite pure. The level was high, but it didn’t command one to submission, always missing a crucial essence.

Even so, faced with a possible Immortal, everyone’s heart trembled with excitement, nervousness, and jubilation, feeling a mix of emotions.

They all believed that beyond the Divinity Transformation Realm lay the Immortal Realm, but had never truly seen an Immortal. How could their thoughts and convictions be unshakable? Now that they had finally encountered a living Immortal, every one of them was resolute, with not the slightest doubt in their hearts.

Just then, the silver giant suddenly stood up, his terrifying aura sweeping out like a tsunami! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to QiDian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation votes, monthly votes; your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)