Chapter 884: Secret Five Gates

Outside the Divine Realm, the Imperial Star, and the Imperial Mausoleum, a sudden upheaval began.

The moment Xu Qing's Divine Altar shattered and destroyed that statue, all the statues in the area trembled. Their eyes simultaneously opened, revealing a dark radiance, while their bodies instantly transformed from their petrified state. All of them awakened.

A terrifying aura surged skyward, stirring the winds and clouds, forming a massive vortex that rotated rumblingly in all directions, centered on Imperial Mausoleum Mountain. Black lightning flickered within it, as if a deity were painting, outlining a massacre across heaven and earth.

Simultaneously, outside the Imperial Mausoleum Star, the withered human-faced trees growing on the spiderwebs were stimulated to shake violently. All the human faces simultaneously opened their red eyes and emitted a sharp sound from their mouths.

This sound pierced through metal and shattered stone, containing astonishing power and boundless resentment, as if the gates of the Underworld had opened, and the sounds of the netherworld had fallen upon the human realm, causing ghosts and gods alike to wail. As countless sounds converged, the heavens and earth changed color, and the winds and clouds rolled back. Even the surrounding storms paused at that moment. The vortex in the sky tore open amidst this sound, as if a colossal eye was opening and closing in the sky. It was as if the star itself was awakening, destined to annihilate everything!

Xu Qing and the Captain were both stunned and horrified. They rapidly retreated without a word, but were ultimately affected by the violent power of the entire star's awakening.

Xu Qing's divine state instantly collapsed. All his defenses shattered in an instant, and his internal organs churned. The Captain was in a similar state, his body on the verge of collapse from the onslaught of the violent aura.

A sense of death immediately descended upon their hearts, as if they would be annihilated in the next moment. Fortunately, they were very close to the mountain's opening. Just as the upheaval erupted, they stepped into the light barrier, isolating themselves from the outside world.

The moment they entered, Xu Qing spat out a large mouthful of blood. Tearing pain spread throughout his body, even to his soul. He immediately sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing and heal his injuries. The Captain also couldn't hold on. His body collapsed, transforming into a large number of blue worms. When they reformed his body, his face was pale.

After a while, their injuries somewhat stabilized, and they looked at each other.

The Captain coughed. "Junior brother," he said, "that burst of madness you just showed had quite the style of your senior brother. But next time you do something like that, could you give me a heads-up?"

The Captain felt a bit strange inwardly. Although he had judged that the statue's destruction would likely lead to a major change, it was just a judgment. He himself didn't know it would cause the star to awaken, bringing forth annihilative power and almost getting them obliterated. Moreover, in the past, he was always the one doing reckless things first, dragging Xu Qing along. But this time, it was the other way around.

Xu Qing was surprised by this, glancing at the Captain. "Senior brother," he said, "you never gave a heads-up either."

The Captain chuckled awkwardly. "That's not it," he said, "senior brother was just worried you'd be scared."

Xu Qing nodded. "Me too."

The Captain raised an eyebrow, secretly thinking, "Little Ah Qing has really gone bad. This won't do. I need to show him what true fearlessness, true bravery in the face of death, and true madness really are."

So, with a serious expression, he criticized him. "Junior brother, I must criticize you. What's out there is nothing," he declared. "Senior brother brought you here to do great things and get rich. Let's go!"

As he spoke, the Captain exuded an unstoppable momentum. He flashed forward first, with overwhelming force, charging straight ahead, leading the way.

This scene made Xu Qing sigh. He always felt that the Captain was competing to court death. So, he slowed down a few steps before following.

As he left, he looked back at the storm outside the light barrier. He felt a bit regretful that only one statue had collapsed, but he also knew it wasn't suitable to continue hunting statues at this moment. So, he withdrew his gaze and followed the Captain.

The place they were in now was an artificially created passage. The surrounding walls were carved with complex runes which occasionally glowed faintly.

There were occasional turns along the way, seemingly branching out in all directions, with no fixed route. It was like a maze.

But the Captain maintained his leading momentum. As if he knew the exact route, he swept through without the slightest pause.

Seeing this, Xu Qing didn't bother with the route. As he followed, he immersed his mind in his Sea of Consciousness.

At the very top of his Sea of Consciousness, five colossal Hidden Doors astonishingly stood! Each door was ten thousand zhang tall, immensely vast, exuding a magnificent and ancient aura. They were positioned in five different directions, each unique.

The first door was open, revealing a vast world within. An ancient dragon swam within, occasionally roaring, its echoes reverberating throughout the boundless space. This was Xu Qing's first Divine Hidden.

The second door was closed, but it was permeated with an aura of poison and restriction. Looking at it caused heart palpitations; it was extraordinarily terrifying.

The third door was also closed. Purple power surged within it, as if a furnace was contained inside, emitting roaring sounds.

The fourth door was different again. Although still closed, this door exuded overwhelming imperial intent. It was profound and majestic, as if a monarch was suppressing everything within, ruling supreme.

The fifth door was the door of the Witch Dao. The door was halfway open. Faintly visible within its abyss was a colossal figure sitting cross-legged, supporting heaven and earth. Furthermore, bursts of wailing sounds emanated from within the door. That was Ji Dongzi's voice.

These five Hidden Doors, like deities, enveloped the entire Sea of Consciousness, supreme and unparalleled. These were the Secret Hidden Doors of the Spirit Hidden realm, but for Xu Qing, they were the Divine Hidden, Imperial Hidden, and Witch Hidden Doors.

The Spirit Hidden realm was the process of forming Hidden Doors. Each time a Secret Hidden was formed, a Hidden Door would appear in the Sea of Consciousness. If there was a Heavenly Dao, the Hidden Door would open; otherwise, without spiritual essence, it would remain closed.

Currently, of Xu Qing's five Hidden Doors, one was fully open, one was half-open, and three were closed.

But just then, within the closed third Hidden Door — Xu Qing's third Divine Hidden — as strands of moonlight integrated, a world-shaking transformation was erupting.

This moonlight was the light of the Ancestral Moon, containing the essence of the Grand Yin Dao. It was from the same source as, and even more ancient than, the Purple Moon power that formed the Divine Hidden. Its appearance seemed to ignite the entire Divine Hidden, emitting sounds of creation.

The roar from within the third Hidden Door erupted in Xu Qing's Sea of Consciousness. It grew louder and louder, surpassing everything, until finally, the closed third Hidden Door slowly opened a crack!

Although it was just a crack, this was a process from nothing to something. It was incredibly precious and immensely significant!

Through this crack, within the dim purple third Divine Hidden, a hazy white sphere appeared.

Looking at this sphere immediately evoked a sense of ancientness. It seemed as if its very existence defined the word "ancient." Its entire body emitted cold air that seemed capable of freezing time and space, as if wherever its moonlight reached, even the Great Dao would be frozen.

That was the nascent Heavenly Dao within this third Divine Hidden. This form was the Grand Yin, anciently named You Ying!

The moment it appeared, the moment the third Hidden Door opened a crack, it was as if a volcano held the potential for eruption. It exuded an overwhelming aura, filling Xu Qing's Sea of Consciousness, spreading throughout his entire body, purifying everything, and empowering all.

Within the underground passages of the Imperial Mausoleum maze, Xu Qing, who was moving forward, trembled. His cultivation power erupted with a roar, surpassing anything before, and then instantly concealed itself. Only the sharp gleam in his eyes was more extraordinary than before, like a bright lamp shining in the dark night.

Ahead, the Captain's steps also paused. He looked back at Xu Qing with a meaningful gaze, but didn't speak. Instead, he took a step, and his figure vanished into the rock wall ahead.

Xu Qing gazed, without hesitation. He treated the rock wall as if it were nothing and stepped forward, as if crossing a space, appearing inside a cave.

This cave was different from the previous maze. It seemed to be naturally formed. The surroundings were vast and dark, as if one were in nothingness. Only above were nine shimmering, star-filled whirlpools, constantly rotating without end, exceptionally brilliant.

They resembled nine entrances and also nine worlds.

As Xu Qing gazed, the Captain's voice came. "The outer layer of the Imperial Mausoleum was originally a chaotic maze," he said. "Without knowing the secrets, even a cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage would find it difficult to penetrate. But for me, it's as simple as going home."

"And this place is the core of the maze," he continued. "These nine whirlpools above are nine paths. Within them are five paths of life and four paths of death, and they change constantly, making it hard to distinguish between life and death."

The Captain stood in mid-air, hands behind his back, gazing at the nine whirlpools with an arrogant expression. "But according to my research and preparations from my previous life," he declared, "I am confident that no matter how these nine entrances shift between life and death, whichever path I choose, it will automatically become a path of life for me!"

The Captain lifted his chin and flicked his sleeve, secretly thinking, "These words of mine must be incredibly impressive. Given Little Ah Qing's cleverness, he should surely show shock and admiration next." So, he waited for a moment, but no words came from below. The Captain was surprised and looked down.

He saw that Xu Qing's gaze was not on him at all, but rather on the seventh whirlpool. His eyes held a strange glint, and his expression was one of deep thought.

"That's a path of death, the deadliest one. Don't look at it," the Captain coughed, reminding him.

Xu Qing ignored him, the strange light in his eyes intensifying. He didn't know what existed in that seventh whirlpool. But the moment he arrived, his second Divine Hidden, the Poison Forbidden Hidden, emitted fluctuations identical to those from his third Divine Hidden when he saw the statue earlier. Within those fluctuations, a strong desire was conveyed!

The Captain raised an eyebrow, about to speak. But just then, from the other side of the cave, amidst surging void, a figure in a wide Daoist robe stepped out from within, exuding a terrifying and domineering aura!

The rising wind blew her robe backward, pressing it against her body, revealing the exquisitely graceful contours of her delicate figure. Her upper body showed undulating peaks, while her lower body vaguely showed ravines. Especially with the Daoist robe draped over her, merely looking at her evoked a sense of mystery in one's heart.

It was Yan Xuanzi. The moment she appeared, she saw Xu Qing and the Captain. She was startled at first, then the light in her eyes instantly erupted like the sun and moon. Overwhelming killing intent surged forth in an instant.

Xu Qing's gaze sharpened. The Captain, on the other hand, was stunned for a moment. Then he gasped, his expression changing drastically, and he exclaimed, "How did you get here?"

After speaking, the Captain turned to run. Yan Xuanzi's killing intent was world-destroying. Her terrifying aura, comparable to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator, caused the entire cavern to rumble. In a single step, her figure appeared directly beside the nine whirlpools. She unleashed a punch towards the Captain.