Chapter 856: All Must Die

After the incident with the fake Peach of Immortality from the Jade Pool, Zhao Ruizhi had become somewhat disillusioned with the pursuit of eternal life. However, seeing this now, his spirits were rekindled.

He quickly reviewed the meaning of the previous lines: "I ride among dark clouds, the Heavenly Gate wide open." This suggested riding black clouds with the Heavenly Gate opening wide.

He recalled the recent catastrophe when heaven and earth collapsed and the cosmos inverted, with black clouds and lightning appearing everywhere, followed by the emergence of three immortal mountains. This inscription likely described that very scene.

But what did the subsequent lines mean: "Heavenly sun returns to the Golden Palace, the Southern Star circles Yuheng; the Canopy turns purple, elegant music enters Zheng; who can decipher this, ties their hair and receives eternal life"?

He vaguely remembered seeing terms like "Yuheng" in ancient texts, which seemed to be the name of a star. While he didn't fully understand the other lines, he surmised they described a celestial phenomenon.

Did one need to align with a specific astrological alignment to attain eternal life?

Zhao Ruizhi's expression shifted several times. He considered himself unrivaled in the world and confident in handling any difficulty; he had even remained calm during the previous cataclysm. Yet, now he truly felt a sense of despair.

If a specific celestial alignment was required, how could he possibly influence the stars in the sky?

To his knowledge, certain specific astrological phenomena only occurred once every many years—sometimes decades, sometimes thousands or even tens of thousands of years—and were certainly beyond human control.

He Li, who was patching a hole in the ceiling, felt a surge of violent aura radiating outward, indicating the emperor's unstable emotions. Startled, the quick-witted He Li immediately exclaimed, "Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

Zhao Ruizhi cast a cold glance at him. "What is there to congratulate?"

Under his gaze, He Li instantly felt as if he had plunged into an ice cellar. He had no doubt that if he couldn't offer a satisfactory explanation, the emperor would eliminate him in an instant.

Swallowing hard, he quickly said, "This mystic realm has shown no abnormality in the National Academy's backyard for so many years. Yet, the moment Your Majesty arrived, the cosmos inverted and a new realm emerged. Clearly, Your Majesty is the fated one this new realm has been awaiting! 'I ride among dark clouds, the Heavenly Gate wide open'—doesn't this precisely describe what we've just experienced? Since the former lines have been verified, the subsequent celestial phenomena will most likely also prove true one by one. Your Majesty has arrived at precisely the right moment; it is clear that the path to eternal life awaits Your Majesty."

He had just overheard Zhao Ruizhi muttering the inscription. As a peak ninth-grade master, he was naturally no fool; a brief analysis revealed the general meaning of the text. While he didn't understand how to fully decipher it, it was more than enough for flattery.

Hearing his words, Zhao Ruizhi was greatly pleased and burst into laughter. "Excellent, excellent! The astrological phenomena described in these lines most likely refer to the present moment, hahaha..."

He Li, still on the ceiling, chuckled outwardly but felt a chilling resolve within. Though the celestial phenomena seemed to be verified, it was still uncertain who the 'fated one' truly was. After all, so many of them had entered together. "Hmph, I might just find an opportunity to obtain the method for eternal life," he thought. "By then, that strange flower on my body, and the emperor, will mean nothing."

Zhao Ruizhi's spirits soared. "Good. Since we've uncovered the secrets here, let's continue!"

With that, he led the way out of the ancient city ruins and back above the desert. He gazed into the distance, wondering what Zuan and Bi Linglong were doing now.

"Hmph, they've probably been killed by the vengeful spirits and various traps," he mused. "It serves them right."

Meanwhile, on the other side, Zuan was at a loss, unsure of what to do, or even if he should do anything at all.

Bi Linglong, like a kitten in heat, was continuously kissing his cheeks. As he inhaled her fragrance, Zuan felt as if his entire body was about to explode.

However, he was no longer an inexperienced novice. While his body reacted honestly, his mind harbored doubts. He quickly looked to Mi Li for help. "Empress Master, please help me check; is something wrong with her?"

Mi Li, who had been pretending to examine clues in the temple but was actually eavesdropping, allowed a slight upturn of her lips before quickly concealing it. "Tsk tsk tsk, only now do you realize she's in trouble?"

"What exactly is going on?" Zuan asked, struggling to gently push the beauty in his arms away as he looked at Mi Li. Yet, his hands met only warm, soft jade, nearly causing his rationality to collapse multiple times.

Mi Li shook her head. "I'm not sure, but it looks like she's been poisoned. You're fine because you've cultivated the Primordial Chaos Sutra and are now immune to all poisons."

"Poisoned?" Zuan recalled that he hadn't touched anything after entering the temple. How could she have been poisoned?

Wait!

A thought suddenly struck him. He looked up at the torches and candle holders on the pillars on both sides. The burning wicks subtly emitted faint, translucent wisps of green smoke.

After entering, he had used his Flame Blade to ignite these candle holders because it was too dark inside. At the time, he had even marveled that the lamp oil in such a dilapidated temple was still usable.

Realizing the problem likely originated there, he quickly grabbed Bi Linglong, soared upwards, burst through the roof, and flew outside.

At that moment, ghostly wailing sounds emanated from all directions again, sounding extremely eerie.

"Who is playing these tricks?" Zuan roared, scanning his surroundings. Unfortunately, he saw no one, only weeds swaying in the wind.

Frowning, he immediately used the power of the Jade Cong, attempting to control nearby small animals to help him search.

To his astonishment, however, he found no small animals anywhere!

Not to mention birds or mice, there weren't even any insects.

His heart sank at this realization. It was normal for the recent swamp, full of vengeful spirits, to lack animals, but this lush area having no living creatures at all was truly bizarre.

"How did we get outside?" The fresh, cold air outside, combined with Zuan's sudden roar, sent a jolt through Bi Linglong, who had been wriggling in his arms. Her eyes showed a hint of confusion.

Zuan seized the opportunity to give her a "Tranquilizing and Calming Pill." As he wished for her to metabolize its effects, he explained, "You were poisoned inside the temple."

As the medicine gradually took effect, a clearer light returned to Bi Linglong's eyes. "Poisoned?"

Her face was already flushed from their recent actions, and now, having regained her senses, it felt even hotter.

Though she had been poisoned, she hadn't lost her memory. Recalling how she had provocatively tried to seduce him in his arms, Bi Linglong wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

"Shameless, utterly shameless!" she thought, frustrated to the extreme, wanting to mess up her hair, but rationality stopped her.

She took a deep breath and feigned calmness. "What happened after I was poisoned? I... didn't do anything, did I?"

Zuan knew her usual disposition; if she knew the truth, she would likely be so ashamed that she'd take her own life. He dared not tell her, quickly replying, "Nothing much. I realized you were poisoned and immediately brought you out."

Mi Li, who was leaning on the rooftop, observing the scene, couldn't help but roll her eyes. "This woman is quite an actress."

"What do you mean?" Zuan was taken aback.

Mi Li said with a smile, "If she truly didn't remember what happened, her first reaction would be to ask if you did anything to her. Instead, she asked if *she* did anything. Interesting."

Zuan was speechless.

It seemed that the prettier a woman was, the more deceptive she could be, and it was always a beautiful woman who understood other beautiful women best.

Just then, the ghostly wailing in the air grew louder, and even faint human voices could be heard.

"Die... all shall die... Hehehehe..."

The voice was extremely hoarse, as if it hadn't spoken to anyone in many years, and many of the pronunciations were strange. If Zuan hadn't reacted quickly, he wouldn't have understood what was being said.

As soon as these words finished, the swaying weeds on the ground suddenly began to grow rapidly. Originally only a person's height, they reached the temple roof in the blink of an eye, wrapping towards the two individuals in the air like countless octopus tentacles.