Chapter 514: Immortal Forbidden Land

On the battlefield, those who could stand at the forefront of these seasoned warriors were all Spirit Treasury Sword Holders. As mid-level members of the Sword Holding Palace, they commanded army squadrons during wartime.

After countless battles, every single one of them was extraordinary. Even if they were later dispersed into other legions, they quickly earned recognition through their decisive combat skills and valor.

Yet, after experiencing so much, while many recognized them, few were recognized by them in return.

Those they recognized had to be their own people, possess great merits, and hold a position worthy of their respect.

Xu Qing possessed merits, while Kong Xianglong held the necessary status.

This was why they were implicitly expected to stand there.

Upon arriving, Xu Qing and Kong Xianglong exchanged glances with their comrades. Then, in a shared silence, they turned their gaze to the deep pit ahead.

The deep pit was pitch black, its bottom invisible.

The anomalous substance here was noticeably denser. Yet, as Xu Qing drew near, his body instinctively felt a sense of comfort, as if it could absorb the substance.

Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed. He knew his body had been modified by a divine finger, but this was not the time for investigation. With many powerful individuals present, he did not want to expose himself. Therefore, he did not absorb it; instead, he emitted the power of his Heavenly Palace, creating a degree of isolation.

The Prefectural Administrator, the Deputy Palace Masters of the Eight Palaces, and all other high-ranking officials present remained silent, implicitly agreeing.

In a flash, individual Saint Lan cultivators began emitting ear-splitting, inhuman screams. A collective lament arose, with some wishing they could also go to the Immortal Restriction Land, unsure of what to do.

The cries and wails of countless beings intensified here, assaulting the mind. Meanwhile, scattered Sword Holders arrived from a distance.

This phenomenon was uncanny: those who previously knew him would, upon seeing him, forget his name and identity, treating him as a stranger. It was as if his identity, his name, and all traces of his existence had been stripped away.

Over the past few months on the front lines, the Captain's reputation had grown considerably. Though his personality made him not readily forge friendships, almost everyone who survived had encountered him.

A command resonated: The Immortal Restriction Land, open! Someone exclaimed in dismay that it was over, wondering how they could have fallen asleep and asserting it shouldn't have happened.

Massive stone pillars, each carved with simple runes, stood tall, serving as the central hubs for the array.

Chen Erniu rolled his eyes. Although they had all been comrades, and his perception of the Captain had changed somewhat, his ingrained impression still made him dislike him. Huang Li remained silent, not speaking.

A voice called out, "Brother, move aside, I need to pass."

An order was given: "Once the seventh wave of entrants arrives, we can withdraw and return."

These prisoners of war had clearly been implanted with special substances. Upon their appearance, they looked terrified. They were thrown into the anomalous substance, and their bodies, like black holes, began frantically absorbing it. With common substances planted within their bodies, they did not collapse but instead mutated, transforming into irrational anomalous beasts. Imperial Capital cultivators then dragged them back with chains, resealing them in cages.

The deeper one went, the heavier the chill and the denser the anomalous substance became.

The Judicial Palace and the Enforcement Palace were also led by their respective stewards.

A directive was issued: "We must ensure that the anomalous substance here does not affect our human Sealock County."

The Captain was also present.

"Send those two million mutated soldiers to the battlefield, throw them onto the Saint Lan front lines, and give them a small gift."

Meanwhile, in a residence within the county capital, Xu Qing groggily opened his eyes. His gaze was somewhat bewildered as he looked around, then his eyes suddenly widened, and he abruptly rushed out. Reaching the edge of the county capital as quickly as possible, he looked down and saw arrays permeating the area, along with countless people. A wail of despair rose in his heart. This realization made Xu Qing tremble again. A faint voice in his mind told him to find a place to hide, and that everything would naturally return to normal after a few days. He specifically recalled a period during the war's lull when he was tasked with retrieving bodies from the battlefield, and he had saved some lightly wounded or unconscious individuals. With a mournful expression, Xu Qing went down to examine the situation, then quickly returned, fearing that he might be discovered as a deserter for no apparent reason. On his way back, Xu Qing gradually made a terrifying discovery.

As these words were spoken, a tremendous roar erupted from the bottom of the deep pit within the Judiciary Department, surging upwards.

The Prefectural Administrator and the commanders of the Eight Palaces stood in the sky, not following them down, as they were responsible for external support.

It was not originally underground; it had been buried in the abyss due to tectonic shifts and the human race's seals from years past.

The Sword Holding Palace legion that Huang Li belonged to also mobilized.

Upon noticing Huang Li, the Captain was overjoyed. He ran over, grabbed Xu Qing by the neck, and pulled him over to Ning Yan, his eyes gleaming as he feigned sincerity.

From beginning to end, the First Prince in the sky remained expressionless. It was only after over seven million prisoners of war had been thrown into the anomalous substance and all transformed into anomalous beasts that the substance emanating from the deep pit finally dissipated from the surroundings. This sight deeply shook the minds of many onlookers.

Entering the deep pit from the Sword Holding Palace, besides the legion above, were also seven stewards. Among these seven, besides Daoist Si Nan and Steward Sun, two others were Sword Holders from the First Prince's retinue, also at Void Return Stage Seven.

Concurrently, within the deep pit, figures of cultivators were surging forward in batches.

"Continue to send the remaining prisoners here in succession, having them constantly absorb the substance daily."

"This is our mission."

Although numerous pre-prepared arrays continuously operated to purify the surroundings, it was still difficult to disperse the anomalous substance that had accumulated over countless ages.

Looking around, cracks appeared across tens of thousands of miles of land, and wisps of green smoke rose. For a moment, the sun and moon lost their light, and the world grew dim.

The First Prince, clad in a yellow robe, had flowing long hair and an ordinary appearance. His eyes were long and narrow, and an aura of nobility, like a phantom dragon, permeated his entire being. Beside him were the Prefectural Administrator, the commanders of the Eight Palaces, Deputy Palace Masters, and numerous generals.

However, their arrival did not cause the Sword Holders present to make way. Qing Qiu and Xu Qing could only stand on the periphery, while the Captain, disregarding etiquette, weaved his way forward, greeting people around him. The Captain's path was unobstructed. He smoothly carved a way through the crowd, walking up to Ning Yan and Chen Erniu, and familiarly greeting other Spirit Treasury Sword Holders.

Soon, hundreds of thousands of human cultivators entered the colossal deep pit. After the Blood Nightmare Grand Marshal's figure also disappeared into the pit, the arrays at the site began to glow brightly, as more Imperial Capital soldiers activated countless formations.

Ning Yan’s gaze swept across the area, the Captain next to him also observing. People were continuously arriving, including Qing Qiu and Huang Li. Even the normally expressionless individuals, upon encountering the Captain, found it difficult to maintain their usual composure and offered wry smiles. They had a very strong impression of the Captain.

The Blood Nightmare Grand Marshal was specifically in charge of the exploratory mission. Under his arrangements, all the designated personnel stepped forward. The source of all this, the deep pit within the Judiciary Department, seemed to have opened a gate to hell. The anomalous substance was released with unprecedented intensity, surging skyward and rolling densely outwards. The cages were opened on the spot, and immediately, figures bound by chains flew out, transforming into human size. A cry arose: "Divine art!" They were all prisoners of war from the Saint Lan Race.

The First Prince’s voice was low, reverberating in all directions. The figure in blood-red armor beside him stepped forward at his words, knelt before the First Prince, and spoke in a deep voice. The First Prince took a ceremonial sword and handed it to the kneeling Blood Shadow before him.

A stern voice from Blood Nightmare said, "Thank you, Your Highness!" taking the sword with both hands. He then stood up, looked at the ground, and spoke with a voice that echoed like a cold wind.

The First Prince said, "May you achieve a victorious start."

Qing Qiu and Ning Yan were among them. They were all designated as part of the first wave of entrants. The First Prince spoke forcefully, his gaze sweeping across the area.

Due to its astonishing depth, the sound echoed endlessly as it spread, and the tremors propagated across the surrounding lands.

The entire ground trembled. Even distant mountains began to collapse due to the tremors, as if an earth dragon was turning over.

The Captain paid no heed to this. After going up and greeting everyone, he threw an arm around Chen Erniu's shoulder. As Chen Erniu struggled to keep from shaking him off, the Captain grinned. He said to Kong Xianglong, "Old Kong, what's with that expression? Why do you look so impatient seeing me? Don't forget, I was the one who carried Shanhezi back!" He then joked to Little Li Zi, "your arm is growing back a bit slowly. I'll get you some medicine later; I have experience with this." He chuckled to Old Cao, "don't think your high cultivation means you can stop me. I was the one who dragged you out of that pile of corpses back then, remember? I even shoved your intestines back in for you!"

Just as emotional ripples spread through the entire grand army due to the Captain's arrival, the First Prince and a group of high-ranking county officials descended from the sky. The arrival of this group caused the surroundings to solidify; even the anomalous substance from the Judiciary Department's deep pit was suppressed, and the roaring sounds emanating from it ceased for a moment. All the surrounding races, now trembling with fear, displayed respectful expressions.

The First Prince said calmly, "Very well, the first wave of people, enter now." After finishing his words, he turned to face the crowd behind him. Then, amidst the respectful farewells of those around him, he turned and departed.

The Captain said to Ning Yan, "Little Ning Ning, I've missed you so much! Have you missed me?" Ning Yan was also surprised, for he had secretly searched the surroundings on his way here but found no trace of his master. The Captain said, "I missed you." Seeing this, the Captain felt pleased. He then put an arm around Ning Yan, winked, and whispered a message. After transmitting his message, the Captain looked around, searching for his master's figure.

The frontmost were the vanguards, responsible for reconnaissance. As they descended a certain distance and confirmed it was clear, others would follow, maintaining order. Batch after batch.

Those Spirit Treasury Sword Holders who stood at the front, like Ning Yan and Chen Erniu, all showed strange expressions upon seeing the Captain. Some of them had been carried out of battle by him, and almost all had eaten the meat he provided.

Huang Li looked up at the Captain, a half-smile playing on her lips, and slowly began to speak.

The center of the array had now collapsed. Surrounded by a large quantity of stones at its periphery, there was an irregular, gaping hole. Following the gaping hole, one could glimpse what appeared to be a world below. Layer upon layer of coverage made the area impenetrable.

After a long while, when they finally reached the bottom, Ning Yan saw a vast stone cone array radiating an ancient aura. This was the Immortal Restriction Land, also one of Ancient Emperor Xuanyou's eighty-eight former palaces.

However, since the First Prince proposed opening the Immortal Restriction, he naturally had multiple preparations. Thus, a large number of soldiers soon arrived, each carrying fist-sized cages.

The First Prince received a call: "Blood Nightmare Grand Marshal." The Blood Nightmare Grand Marshal replied, "Your subordinate is present!" The First Prince asked, "Is this acceptable?"

The First Prince declared, "The Immortal Restriction Land concerns the human battlefield; it is of great importance."

The Captain asked, "Have you seen the old man? He hasn't found me these past few days. He wouldn't have escaped, would he? We tricked him once, is he planning to trick us back?"

Circling the deep pit were not only Sealock County Sword Holders but also Imperial Capital soldiers and cultivators from the other two palaces.