The Stars Beyond

Chapter 363: Spiritual Hell

Chapter 363: Spiritual Hell

Thunder and fire intertwined in the clouds which formed a massive head structure in the void. The floating ten-levels of the ruins were like the core within the head.

"This mythical civilization must have been terrifyingly powerful in its heyday!" exclaimed Wang Xuan. "So many ages have passed, yet their forbidden land still remains."

At this moment, the entire city of lightning was suffused with an overwhelming sense of pressure. This vast ruin had become distinct, as if a giant life form was awakening.

Boom!

Many bolts of lightning struck down, spreading and activating the entire ancient land in the endless void.

Clang!

The Soul-binding Bell vibrated, causing Chen Yongjie to feel dizzy. He was struck by a bolt of lightning, but fortunately, the bell had astonishing defensive power. It prevented any electric shock and helped dispersed the lightning. Crackling sounds emanated from Wang Xuan's body as dazzling arcs spread across his Silver Beast Skin. His expression turned grave.

Without such a divine treasure, they might have been done for. The lightning and fire were too overbearing.It even pierced through the ruins on the ground! Meanwhile, beneath the ruins, one pale hand after another stretched out of the ground. They were devoid of any blood color. Crowded together they crawled out from the soil.

"Corpses of the Spiritual Realm?!" exclaimed Wang Xuan.

The two were stunned for a moment, then they quickly took action, launching a barrage of attacks. The waves of the silver bell expanded, the golden flag fluttered, causing many pale hands in the area to explode. However, this had little effect. The entire city of lightning resounded with cries of ghosts and howls of wolves as countless monsters swiftly emerged from the soil and the layers of earth. In an instant, the entire city was filled with all sorts of monsters, many of which were never seen or heard of before.

"Fight your way out!" Someone shouted from afar, indicating that they were not alone. Other transcendent beings had also entered. However, most of them were from higher realms, unlike them, who were still in the mortal world.

Looking into the distance, the thunder and lightning in the clouds, the hovering ten levels of the ruins, and the ground ruins truly resembled a majestic head. Lightnings intermingled, and fires lit up in the eye sockets. It seemed as if it was slowly opening its eyes.

This seemed like the gates of hell had opened in the ruin, releasing all sorts of demons and monsters that were roaring and howling. It made one's scalp tingle.

"Ahhhh......" Someone screamed in the distance. A woman who entered with a mystical treasure was surrounded by dozens of creatures that resembled Western dragons. They were tearing her apart alive.

"Maiden Cailing!" Someone mourned. She was a very famous maiden in the immortal realm that was on par with Gu Mingxi and Zhou Qinghuang. She had surpassed the earth immortal realm in the Great Veil, yet she had met such a tragic end.

Her spirit was torn into dozens of pieces, those dragon-like ghouls devoured and swallowed her whole. A generational maiden died a tragic death!

"Kill!" Someone shouted and mourned. Whether they were seeking revenge for Maiden Cailing or attempting to break through with some others, they charged forward.

Boom!

From the ruins below, over a dozen faceless beings leaped out of the abyss. All of them had large wings that swiftly cut through the air. Their bodies were powerful, like flying sky blades. Whenever they encountered incoming spirits, they would slice through them with their wings, killing the spirits!

"Let’s all join forces and form a formation!" someone shouted. It was Qi Lian Dao, calling on the demon cultivators to gather around him.

Splatter!

In another direction, Demon Four wielded a Green Demonic sword with astonishing destructive power. With one slash each, he cleaved apart dozens of gigantic spiders that were as large as houses. Although those demon spiders were as tough as iron and sparks ignited when they were struck. In the end, they were still dismembered, and their corpses were all around.

Old Chen was also in a panic. Just now, he was seized by a monstrous creature with the head of a tiger and the beak of a bird. Its claws pierced through his shoulder blades and tore through his spine, causing his spirit's light to dissipate, as if his spirit was bleeding.

"Woo woo....." The snow-white conch horn sounded, and the body of the monster bird that grabbed him exploded.

On the other side, Wang Xuan also faced creatures that had rotten flesh all over their bodies. He was besieged by dozens of predatory birds, each with hundreds of eyes that densely covered their bodies. To some people, it might induce trypophobia. All these eyes emitted beams of spirit light, which looked like spraying machine guns. Dozens of them dove down simultaneously, attacking in masses. The sky was filled with these glances that were like piercing swords. His palms, his neck, had all been pierced, indicating the formidable power of these monstrous birds. They were capable of killing even the spirits of early-stage transcendent beings!

As the Godslaying Banner trembled, a rumble sound was heard and he had eradicated a small group of monstrous birds. However, this action attracted even more monsters, including over twenty pale-skinned giants. The giants were each over a hundred meters tall, and their footsteps caused the ruins to collapse!

"What kind of damned place is this? Is this still the spiritual realm? Why do I feel like we've charged into hell?" Old Chen exclaimed.

"Don't scatter and gather around me!" Wang Xuan shouted. If they were to be dispersed here, it would be difficult to regroup. The city was filled with ghouls, and thunder roared through the void in streaks.

"Maybe this is really hell as the spirit of the dead normally goes to hell. And this place is the spiritual realm, it's almost the same thing!" Chen Yongjie was dumbfounded, feeling it was too absurd. Was he really witnessing hell in broad daylight?

Clang!

He rang the bell, and silver ripples expanded. With a loud rumble, he shattered a large number of monstrous creatures that were like mammoths. His attack sent their rotten flesh flying everywhere. Huge chunks of meat fell down, almost engulfing him. Wang Xuan waved the Godslaying Banner. At this moment, there was no point in holding back. He shattered those giants, and the putrid blood, mixed with broken bones, splattered out. It created a scene reminiscent of a slaughterhouse in the underworld. They were clearly creatures of the spiritual realm, but what they saw now was no different from the real world, where blood was shed.

"Are you okay?" Demon Four rushed over, showing great concern for Wang Xuan. In the process, he pushed Chen Yongjie aside.

Old Chen was furious. How could there be such a disparity in treatment between people? If it weren't for him bravely rushing over and being concerned about Wang Xuan, Chen Yongjie would have turned his back on him.

"I'm fine. Take care of yourself. Don't worry about me. Let's all break out separately and fight our way out!" Wang Xuan spoke. Although he misled him, he felt uncomfortable letting him risk his life to clear the way, so he sent him away.

......

......

In the eighth-level of the ruins, the six peerless experts who were originally among the best in their respective great veils were all injured, and their spirit was bleeding. They rose to their feet and walked forward. Behind the stone door, a misty area became increasingly real, and trans materials surged out from the opened door.

"Things are chaotic outside. Our disciples have also entered. They are getting killed by the spiritual remains of this mythical civilization!" one of them said.

"Don't worry about that now. It will be too late for us to leave if we wait. For now, let's continue exploring the core area of the ruins!" another replied.

This was a Garden of Ancient Herbs, a once sacred place of myth, where heavenly herbs were cultivated. However, all of them had withered and died, and not a single herb remained in sight. However, the peerless experts did not come here to gather herbs. At their level, they had all obtained heavenly herbs, and acquiring one more would not have a significant effect. This was the only path leading to the ninth-level. If this place did not manifest, the ninth-level would also become desolate. The real scenery would not emerge from nothingness.

From what they understood, this mythical civilization excelled in crafting treasures, and the legends left behind hinted at the incomprehensible strength of this civilization. However, to this day, no one had seen the treasure of this civilization! Therefore, the peerless experts in the great veil had reason to suspect that their treasure might still be sealed within this forbidden land.

Boom!

As the six peerless experts stepped into the depths of the Garden of Ancient Herbs, seeking to enter the higher levels of the ruins, the garden revived. Endless trans materials emanated.

The ground cracked, and four statues rose from below. The statues were all featureless, genderless, and all of it exuded astonishing spiritual energy waves.

"Some statues were left behind, but are they useful?" The man in black robes said. He then sliced forward with his blade.

In response, one statue swelled, and descended upon him with a thirty-meter-long giant foot. It was unbelievably fast, so fast that it distorted time and space. The giant foot slammed him into the earth with a single stomp.

Boom!

The man in black robes was furious. Who was he? He was the number one expert in a certain great veil, yet he had been stomped into the ground by an inanimate object. It was truly outrageous. It was just a relic left behind by a defunct civilization, yet it dared to insult him. Light radiated from his body, and his spiritual power started gathering. After breaking free, he enlarged his hands and swiftly pressed down on the stone statue. He turned into a dazzling pair of scissors, and with a crisp sound, he had severed the statue! However, after the statue shattered, its spiritual power gathered and reformed.

"Don't wait, everyone. Destroy these spiritual statues. There's no time to waste. If there's a treasure, it might fly away once it revives and accumulates enough power!" declared the guy in the form of Patriarch of the Hades Blood Sect. Within the blood wheel of light, he then charged forward.

The white-clothed female Taoist, the tall man clad in golden aura, the mysterious figure with a silver mask, and the red-clothed demoness had also joined in. Their divine radiance shone and revealed their peerless prowess.

A fierce battle had erupted here. In the end, all four spiritual statues were destroyed. They seemed to be spiritual symbols left behind by ancient ancestors of a mythical civilization. After so many years, they still posed such a terrifying threat. This indicated the immense power of their ancestors.

"You guys search here. Perhaps there are still heavenly herbs around that endured the long dark night after the extinction of the transcendent fire," someone spoke, releasing several divine spirits from their robe sleeves!

Some individuals brought their subordinates in as such trivial matters were not worth their personal attention. In fact, it was not just him, but several others also followed and released some divine spirits of their own disciples. Even the red-clothed demoness summoned several demonesses, letting them seek their own fortunes.

Then, these powerful divine spirits all moved, leaving no stone unturned as they inspected all the ancient buildings.Not even a withered bonsai was spared from them for searching the heavenly herbs.

Boom!

Now, the six great experts that represented the highest combat power of six great veils had joined forces with them. Their strength was unparalleled as they blasted open the bronze door leading to the ninth-level. Although they coughed up blood from their spirit again, they indeed succeeded. They rushed in at the first opportunity, sensing that they were nearing the treasure!

"Ah, there really are heavenly herbs that were shaken out by the commotion just now!" Someone exclaimed in the Garden of Ancient Herbs of the eighth-level. In fact, everyone saw it. The garden shattered, and from the depths of the earth, immortal light soared, and the fragrance of herbs wafted. The heavenly herb flew up and tried to escape!

"Block the exit!" someone shouted.

"Haha, who would have thought that we would also have the chance to obtain the heavenly herb!" another person exclaimed.

A group of strong individuals became excited. Such divine objects have always belonged only to the most outstanding experts, and occasionally it was bestowed upon their most beloved descendants or successors. These individuals were all formidable, some were ancient giants, and some were ancient true immortals, but none had ever had the chance to approach the heavenly herb.

In the ground ruins, Chen Yongjie cursed as he felt extremely frustrated. After the bronze door to the entrance of the ninth-level ruins was opened earlier, the massive floating head trembled again.The thunder and fire became even more violent, with lightning interweaving. As for the city, it was packed full of monsters and demons. At this point, it wasn't just about overcrowding with people but also with monsters. It was already too crowded. Corpses and ghosts ran rampant, filling the ruins to the point where there was almost no room to move.

At this moment, no one dared to stay on the ground. They all flew up into the sky. Facing the thunder and lightning, they entered the midst of the lightning. Wang Xuan and Lao Chen naturally fled as well, soaring all the way, using the Godslaying Banner and the Soul-binding Bell to counter the lightning. They ran outside the eighth-level ruins.

In fact, there were many other transcendents who were still rushing in from the entrance of the first-level ruins. But the two of them didn't dare to try, afraid of being targeted by the top experts. They estimated that more than one or two would target them if they tried.

"Hahaha, Heavenly herb, it belongs to us now!" In the eighth-level ruins, someone laughed loudly while engaging in combat. They displayed their skills, and were attempting to capture the precious heavenly herb.

Wang Xuan and their group were separated by a hazy barrier. They were able to see each other but unable to approach. This was a protective barrier formed by the flames of the mythological civilization.

"Hey Wang Xuan, watch from the outside. Just wait to be chased by the spiritual corpses while we capture the heavenly herb, hehe......" Someone laughed heartily, mocking the two outside.

"Better focus on escaping for your lives, beware of being devoured by the ghouls. Otherwise your spirits will be forever silent!" Someone taunted, suggesting that they hurry and escape.

Chen Yongjie angrily struck the hazy barrier with the large bell. It clanged loudly, but it didn't budge at all. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something. He looked at Wang Xuan, and then he calmed down, pretending to continue bombarding the barrier. However, deep down his heart was full of anticipation.

Wang Xuan turned away and faced the approaching spiritual corpses to continue his fight with them. At the same time, he calmly took out the fishing line and hook that he obtained from the Deadland Moon. He also took out the fishing pole he received from Old Zhong’s family. He was prepared to fish for the heavenly herb.Robbing them of it!