Chapter 688 - Twelve Divine Avatars

Those were Liu Wuxie's speculations, but it had to be further proven if that was the case. It was fathoming who was strong enough to imprison so many deathguards for thousands of years.

The deathguard's goal was simple: kill all the humans who entered, ensuring no one disrupted the grand plan hidden in this place.

A few others, in addition to Liu Wuxie's group, had also noticed the gate's narrow passage and were slowly moving toward it.

The deathguards had begun their assaults, and the unfortunate cultivators could not retreat.

It didn't take long before more deathguards emerged from the gate. Just one deathguard was horrifying enough, and the sudden emergence of over a dozen deathguards put a grave expression even on Yu Lin's face.

The situation was worse than what they had imagined. They couldn't face so many deathguards and could only retreat temporarily.

Sparks flew at the collision of weapons with the deathguards, but the weapons couldn't even leave a mark on them. For those who were weaker, their weapons were easily shattered by the deathguards' counterattack.

"Fall back! The deathguards are too powerful!" someone called out as everyone scrambled toward the narrow exit. The exit was only wide enough to accommodate one person at a time, but over three hundred people were present, so it would take a long time for everyone to pass through.

As the deathguards got closer, chaos erupted, and a stampede ensued.

"Brat, move aside! Make room for us!" Just when Liu Wuxie's group of three wanted to enter the passage, they were blocked by a few people, demanding to let them go first. In the face of mortal danger, everyone had cast away all decorum.

However, these people were no match for Liu Wuxie, and he didn’t even bother dodging the incoming swords. Yet, if he didn’t retreat, Ji Qiu and Tang Hong would be caught in the confrontation and likely killed.

With no choice, Liu Wuxie could only take a step back and allow the others to claim the exit.

Seizing the opportunity, over a dozen cultivators rushed into the passage, leaving Liu Wuxie and his companions further away from the exit.

"Brother Liu, it's all our fault. If we didn't hold you down, you wouldn't have been forced to back away," Ji Qiu said, his voice heavy with guilt. He and Tang Hong knew their lower cultivation had hindered Liu Wuxie.

"We're a team, and I won't leave you behind," Liu Wuxie said. His show of loyalty deeply moved Ji Qiu and Tang Hong. Since the three were a group, Liu Wuxie naturally had to ensure their safety.

As more people escaped, Yu Lin turned back to glance at Liu Wuxie before he left. He hesitated between leaving and killing Liu Wuxie.

"Brat, consider yourself lucky to die at the hands of the deathguards," Yu Lin said before he vanished. If Liu Wuxie had fallen into his hand, he would’ve tortured the latter to death.

Those who escaped late fell prey to the deathguards, with over fifty deaths in mere moments. The death toll continued to speed up, sending shivers down everyone's spines.

They were all in the Astral River Realm but were no match for the thousand-year deathguard. As deathguards continued to increase, they began to fill up the Yin-Yang Palace, rapidly shrinking the space for Liu Wuxie's group of three to maneuver.

Over two hundred people had escaped, leaving behind those who fought desperately with the deathguards. The death toll continued to increase, and a powerful deathguard approached, brandishing its claws to charge at Liu Wuxie's group of three.

When Ji Qiu was about to attack, Liu Wuxie acted first by swinging the Heretic Blade down.

The deathguard pouncing toward Liu Wuxie was sent flying, crashing into the deathguards behind it. The cultivators battling the deathguards turned in shock, their faces pale. While they struggled to fend off the relentless attackers, Liu Wuxie effortlessly repelled one with a single strike.

"Enter!" Liu Wuxie quickly entered the passage with the couple after repelling the deathguard. He could only hold off the deathguard for a moment, but not indefinitely. There were hundreds of them, and Liu Wuxie couldn't possibly kill so many deathguards with his soul energy.

Based on his current soul energy, he could only use the Soul Spear five times before he was completely exhausted. Ji Qiu and Tang Hong didn't dare to delay and quickly entered the passage as Liu Wuxie was still outside to cover their retreat.

When Liu Wuxie scanned his surroundings, he saw that the other cultivators were surrounded by the deathguards and had no hope of escape.

"Save me!" Desperate cries echoed from those cultivators who sought help from Liu Wuxie. However, Liu Wuxie remained indifferent to the people who had mocked and even threatened Ji Qiu earlier.

Liu Wuxie didn’t lack compassion, but he understood the nature of greed and treachery. These cultivators, driven by avarice, would likely turn on him the moment he saved them, seeking to steal his secrets.

Liu Wuxie stepped into the narrow passage and even set up a spiritual array with array flags to prevent others from following. He planned to use the other survivors in the palace to hold the deathguards off and buy precious time.

"Damn it!" a man roared as he reached the narrow passage with great difficulty, but a spiritual array blocked him. He could only dive back into fighting after looking at the deathguards pouncing at him.

The scene descended into carnage. Where there had been over twenty cultivators moments ago, only a handful now remained, their ranks quickly thinning. Their reserves of true essence were nearly depleted, and their defenses faltered as exhaustion took hold.

When a ten-thousand-year deathguard appeared, the remaining survivors were struck by despair as they gave up resisting.

......

After Liu Wuxie and his companions entered the passage, they immediately noticed the strange walls on both sides. The walls were white on the left but black on the right, alternating in an intricate pattern.

Yu Lin and the others had already vanished. Liu Wuxie and his companions moved cautiously, wary of potential ambushes in the surroundings.

"Brother Liu, what should we do next?" Ji Qiu asked. He had no idea what they should do next, and they would've perished if it hadn't been for Liu Wuxie.

"Keep moving! Find the location of the altar!" If Liu Wuxie could use the Ghost Eye in the underground world, he would be able to find the altar's location rapidly. The black-and-white walls obscured his Ghost Eye, rendering it ineffective. As a result, he could only rely on his divine sense to barely sense everything within a few hundred meters.

"It seems to open up ahead!" Ji Qiu walked at the front, Tang Hong in the middle, and Liu Wuxie guarded the rear. Dim lights streamed into the passage from the other end.

Hissing sounds came from the distance, like a snake’s.

"Watch out!" Liu Wuxie called out.

A green serpent emerged from the crack, darting toward Ji Qiu. However, due to Liu Wuxie's timely reminder, Ji Qiu managed to strike out. The green serpent exploded into a burst of green liquid.

"Shut your senses!" Liu Wuxie warned again. The liquid evaporated into a faint mist lingering in the air.

After killing the green serpent, Ji Qiu was visibly shaken. He asked, "What are these snakes? Why have I never seen anything like it before?"

He was knowledgeable in many areas but had never encountered serpents like these before. The creatures lacked scales, their bodies soft as silk, and each was no longer than a chopstick. Yet, their astounding speed and lethality set them apart.

Liu Wuxie fell into deep thought as he examined the intact head of the serpent. Unlike Ji Qiu, he recognized the green serpent.

“These are Twin-Eared Serpents,” Liu Wuxie explained grimly. “Their venom is incredibly lethal. Even someone at the pinnacle of the Nascent Transformation Realm wouldn’t survive a single breath of their toxin.”

"Brother Liu, what's a Twin-Eared Serpent?" Ji Qiu asked, frowning.

"It's hard to explain as we're in a rush. I can only hope my guess is wrong," Liu Wuxie responded.

Ji Qiu didn't press for more information and steeled himself for what lay ahead.

As for Liu Wuxie, he didn't dare to touch the serpent's remains. After all, it would be troublesome if the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron couldn't resolve the potent toxin.

"There's a corpse over there!" Tang Hong exclaimed, pointing ahead as she spotted several lifeless bodies scattered in the distance. Without hesitation, she hurried toward them, her husband following closely behind, eager to examine the scene.

"Don't touch them!" Liu Wuxie called out sharply, halting Ji Qiu just as he reached out to examine the corpses. Startled, Ji Qiu took a step back.

"They're poisoned to death, and even their clothing is toxic," Liu Wuxie explained as he stood before the two corpses. He took out a sword he had never used before to carefully lift a piece of fabric from one of the corpses.

But as soon as the sword touched the clothing, green mist rose. This meant anyone who touched the corpses recklessly would be poisoned.

"They were bitten to death by the green serpents," Ji Qiu said after inspecting the bodies. He had confirmed his speculation from the small puncture wounds on their necks.

"What potent venom! It killed them before they could resist," Ji Qiu noted, deducing from their state that they hadn't even had the time to react. This was terrifying as he recalled the two were experts in the pinnacle of the Astral River Realm.

"The path ahead is going to be very dangerous," Liu Wuxie took a deep breath. Even he wasn't certain what would happen next.

"Brother Liu, I recall that you mentioned an altar earlier. Is someone trying to resurrect someone or something here?" Ji Qiu asked, piecing the fragments of their earlier conversation.

"That's right," Liu Wuxie agreed. His speculations had been confirmed after seeing the Twin-Eared Serpents.

"What are they trying to resurrect?" Ji Qiu pressed on further.

"Have you heard of the Twelve Divine Avatars?" The trio had slowed down, as Liu Wuxie explained while they traveled.

Ji Qiu and Tang Hong shook their heads as they had never heard of it before.

"In ancient times, when heaven and earth were nearly formed, Pangu split the primal chaos to create the world, thus forming the current universe. Before that, the universe was filled with a hazy void of primal chaos," Liu Wuxie explained.

"I know about that! My grandfather told me tales of Pangu when I was a child, of how he created the world," Tang Hong said, her eyes lighting up. Many legends about Pangu circulated among the common folk. According to some, Pangu's body transformed to form the world after his death—his flesh became the land, his bones the mountains, his blood the lakes, and so on. But it was difficult to discern which version of the tale was true.

"When the world was created, there was nothing in the world. After that, the world gave birth to the Twelve Divine Avatars, and they wielded the various elements," Liu Wuxie said.

When the heavens and earth were formed in the early days, the five elements didn't exist, nor did wind or lightning. The world was simply black and white, similar to our environment.

When the Twelve Divine Avatars were born, they shaped the vibrant and colorful world we know today.

Ji Qiu and Tang Hong were shocked to hear this. They listened in awe and didn't know when Liu Wuxie had learned of it. If what Liu Wuxie said was to spread out, it would certainly cause an earthquake in the outside world.

Liu Wuxie wasn’t concerned about Ji Qiu and Tang Hong sharing knowledge of the Twelve Divine Avatars. After all, the deities were documented in many ancient texts—it was simply that most people had never read about them.

"Brother Liu, are you saying that Pangu created the world and the Twelve Divine Avatars were responsible for shaping it?" Ji Qiu asked, seeking clarification.