Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

The walls were engraved with densely packed and intricate spirit patterns, twisting and overlapping like images of birds, beasts, insects, and fish — but not quite the same, strikingly resembling the original runes from Ancient Times.

In the eight directions of east, southeast, west, and northwest of the hall, eight passages were opened. The entrances were blocked by a layer of light, obscuring the view beyond.

The Ancestor Hall appeared to be a hall, but in reality, it was divided into multiple different sacrificial halls, each one dedicated to the worship and offering to an ancestor of the Qiu Ling Sect.

After Zhao Sheng and the others entered the Ancestor Hall, the light barrier at one of the passages suddenly dissipated, and an old man in a black robe emerged slowly, his skin like chicken skin and crane's hair, his face covered in black spots, and his whole body exuding an air of death.

Upon seeing this person, Zhao Sheng and the others immediately bowed and saluted, "Daoist Hanzhang (Han Fa...), we pay our respects to the Ancestor."

"Dispense with the formalities!" the black-robed old man weakly lifted his hand.

"I already know why you have come. Follow me!"

With that, the old man turned and walked into the passage.

Hearing this, Zhao Sheng felt a shock in his heart, and the others also showed a hint of surprise.

Unlike the confused people outside, this black-robed Ancestor seemed to know the true identities of everyone present and their purpose for entering this place.

Zhao Sheng even noticed that each time the old man spoke, the aura of death around him grew more intense.

"Who is this person?" he questioned internally.

At this moment, Tianluozi and the others were already rushing into the passage, fearing that being even a step slow would allow others to seize the opportunity before them.

Zhao Sheng hesitated for a moment, thereby falling behind the rest.

Of course, he did not believe that taking the lead would garner greater benefits.

The passage of a dozen zhang was crossed in an instant.

The group arrived at a small sacrificial hall. Though described as small, it still spanned over a hundred square meters.

The air here was filled with an intoxicating alien fragrance, one whiff of which cleared the mind, making one feel refreshed and comfortable all over.

The source of the fragrance came from the offering table at the very top, more precisely from the "person" who sat cross-legged with eyes closed on the table.

This "person" had rosy skin and exuded a faint aura of might, looking as if alive.

But everyone knew this "person" had been dead for who knows how many years; it was the shed remnant of an Ancestor, already refined into an Ancestor Corpse by the Qiu Ling Sect.

In desperate times, the Ancestor Corpse could "awaken" again to slay formidable invaders.

The black-robed old man made a series of Spell Seals with his hands, sending out streaks of Spell Light that fell upon the Ancestor Corpse.

Under everyone's gaze, a clear radiance arose from the Ancestor Corpse, its body slowly lifted into the air and floated up.

Hum!

After a humming sound, the offering table suddenly sank, revealing a dark pit about a zhang wide.

"Go down!"

The black-robed old man beckoned, then darted into the pit.

One by one, the others followed suit and plunged in.

No sooner had they entered the pit than everything turned pitch-black. In that darkness, an overwhelmingly immense alien power immobilized everyone, rendering them unable to move.

Zhao Sheng immediately realized that this was the work of an Array Formation Restriction, so he did not struggle and let himself fall straight down.

Soon, he felt his body lighten, and his feet touched the ground.

As the Restriction's power receded, Zhao Sheng relaxed, regaining his freedom.

He looked up to see a spacious, large stone cave before him. Deep within the cave, a True Dragon's head as massive as a mountain burst from the ground, roaring towards the Heavenly Vault.

The Dragon Head's Scale Armor was distinct, its Dragon Scales layered like flowing water, as large as cartwheels, emitting a jade-like Divine Light.

The Dragon Eyes shone like the sun and moon, dazzling and bright, illuminating the dimness of the cave.

Above its head, the Dragon Horns were like two giant spears shooting up into the sky, almost piercing the Heavenly Vault.

At a glance, the vast True Dragon's head emanated an astonishing pressure, as if facing a naturally higher-level Life form, making lesser beings instinctively feel an inexplicable terror and reverence.

"...The Qiu Emperor Tomb, ah! With Tribulation looming overhead, should I enter or not?!" Taoist Bo Zhun looked at the Dragon Head before him and couldn't help but groan with shame, his face alternating between excitement and hesitation.

At that moment, the black-robed old man turned around, looked at the crowd, his face hidden in the shadows, unreadable.

"You may enter now, remember to go through the Dragon's mouth. Who will go first?"

The old man's voice was flat and even, without any fluctuations, but Zhao Sheng could faintly sense an undertone of excitement in the other's depths, or perhaps it was a longing and frustration that had been withheld for far too long.

"I'll go!" Tianluozi, unwilling to be outdone, was the first to step forward.

"I am willing to go!"

"Me first!"

At the same time, Xiao Jiuke and others also began to speak.

It was only due to the presence of the old man in the black robe that they had not already charged in.

The old man in the black robe slowly swept his murky eyes over everyone's faces, and then indifferently said, "Han Fa will go first, followed by Gui Nan and Gui Zhen, second and third. Then Han Zhang, Han Shan..."

With just a few words, he designated the order of entry, his voice as faint as drifting threads, yet leaving no room for objection.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng's eyes narrowed slightly. The old man had designated the first four, which were Xiao Jiuke, Tianluozi, Xin Baiqin, and himself.

It corresponded one-to-one with the four Nascent Soul Ghost Kings from before, clearly not a coincidence.

It must have been from the moment they entered the Rebirth Hall that the mysterious Sect Leader had deliberately planned everything, and the situation was unfolding just as he had envisioned, like the scene before him.

After a short while, Xiao Jiuke and the other two flew into the dragon's mouth one after another, disappearing from sight.

Seeing the old man's gaze turn towards him, Zhao Sheng no longer hesitated and rose into the air, turning into a rainbow light that also rushed into the dragon's mouth.

The moment he entered the dragon's mouth, Zhao Sheng felt a darkness before his eyes, the world spinning around him, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

The next moment, his body sank sharply, and he fell. As soon as his feet touched solid ground, his spine exerted a strong force, and he immediately stood firm.

Huff huff!

Zhao Sheng's eyes were like those of a blind man, seeing no light whatsoever, and both his Divine Sense and True Yuan were also confined within his body by a strange alien power, unable to be mobilized in the slightest.

At this moment, from within the darkness, came childish snoring sounds, high and low, as if a small baby was there, sound asleep.

Faced with such a bizarre scenario, Zhao Sheng did not act rashly but stood in place, patiently waiting for a long time.

It was unclear how much time had passed when the snoring sounds gradually ceased.

Suddenly,

Light flooded Zhao Sheng's vision, and the darkness around him instantly dissipated.

A chaotic, hazy space appeared, without any distinction of heaven and earth.

The space wasn't large, just about a dozen square feet. Blood Sea churned at the edge of the space, grand, mysterious, and silent.

Light blossomed in the space, and surprisingly, its source was a fat baby less than two feet tall, with rosy lips and white teeth, plump and rosy-cheeked, exuding an air of happiness.

However, this plump baby wore no expression on his face, his gaze empty and indifferent, like a living dead.

Yet, Zhao Sheng could clearly sense that this child's body contained an unimaginable vitality, the likes of which he had never seen in his seven reincarnations.

Looking at him was like seeing a newly born world.

Zhao Sheng knew this was just an illusion; how could a person compare to the world!

But... for some reason, he subconsciously had this thought.

"Hm? Where have the others gone?"

As he beheld the strange scene, a bizarre thought suddenly struck Zhao Sheng's mind.

In the blink of an eye, he suppressed that thought and, with a sincere and gentle smile, he said softly and calmly to the fat baby, "I am Daoist Hanzhang; may I ask, what realm is this place?"

No sooner had he spoken than the fat baby suddenly said, "You're lying!"

Compared to the expressionless face, the child's voice was surprisingly clear and pure, it was just too blunt.

Zhao Sheng was taken aback upon hearing this and was unsure how to respond.

He waited for a moment, but after saying that, the fat baby fell silent again, as if it had turned into a statue.

Seeing this, Zhao Sheng's heart was filled with doubt, and he tried again, "May I ask your esteemed name?"

"Divine!"

"Divine?!!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng was shaken to the core, and his face uncontrollably showed an incredulous look of astonishment.

How could someone in the world have the name Divine, unless... they were not human!

Zhao Sheng's thoughts raced, and he suppressed his shock, tentatively asking for a third time, "Star... Star God?"