Chapter 568: “The Ruins of the Shituo Kingdom! The Palace’s Formation! Terrifying Creatures! Eyes! The Monster-Immortal Legacy!”

Shituo Kingdom was said to be once ruled by three extraordinarily arrogant demon kings. But now, it had long since fallen into ruins. The humans who had been imprisoned here and the cruel demons who had once thrived had all vanished.

The ancient city was utterly deserted.

Inside a vast, pitch-dark palace, the heir of Prince Qingdom steadily moved along a passageway deeper into the hall.

Powerful formation formations and deadly restrictions filled the place. Even though the demons were gone, danger still lurked in every corner.

Yet Prince Qing's heir remained calm, deliberately taking out his Five Elements formation banners and beginning to unravel the ancient restrictive formation.

“This time I should be able to advance at least seventy steps.”

Prince Qing's heir had refined over a hundred of these Five Elements formation banners, specifically for formation-breaking purposes.

Thanks to the backing of the Prince Qing’s Mansion, he had access to abundant cultivation resources, allowing him to use the banners so liberally.

This was already his third day in the Shanhai Secret Realm. The first time, he had managed only twenty steps within this ancient formation. However, he was exceptionally intelligent, quickly grasping the formation’s principles and steadily improving. By estimation, about eighty more steps would take him through all the layers of the formation and into the core of the palace.

His eyes burned with zeal as he continually cast the banners, hands weaving incantations to dismantle the formation.

After a little over an hour, all the banners had been used up, and Prince Qing's heir had stepped seventy-plus paces into the formation’s center. The rear entrance of the palace revealed faint outlines, with mysterious energy surging like tides.

“Almost there! Almost there!”

He then whispered the Calming Heart Mantra, for tackling a great task required perfect focus, especially with such a complex and delicate formation. A single misstep could trigger the formation’s deadly defenses, and even at his current level, he could be instantly annihilated.

Inspecting the remaining formation carefully, he drew a compass from his bosom. The compass was carved from white jade, exuding an ancient, mystical luster.

As he chanted obscure incantations, the compass glowed with a continuous green light. Mysterious energies flowed into him, guiding his every step forward.

Each step felt exponentially heavier than the last by tenfold or a hundredfold, feeling weightier than Mount Tai.

His muscles, bones, and spirit bore unimaginable pressure, and even the compass could not fully protect him.

Suddenly...

“Crack!”

A fissure appeared on the compass. Prince Qing's heir’s heart hardened; gritting his teeth, he drew another treasure from his bosom.

This was a water-blue orb, faintly glowing from within. Upon closer inspection, a small dragon could be seen coiling inside. The moment the orb was brought out, the unbearable pressure on him eased several times over.

However, the little dragon inside flailed about frantically, as if under some terrifying attack.

“Huff... huff...”

Fortunately, I have the Dragon Pearl

, Prince Qing's heir thought, exhaling in relief, and continued following the compass’s guidance.

This Dragon Pearl was a rare treasure of the world, formed from the condensed primordial spirit of a real dragon, though its quality varied. Some true dragon spirits were large, some small. The one he held was well-preserved and carried the aura of a genuine dragon.

However, no matter how powerful the artifact, continuing to bear this kind of pressure would inevitably destroy the Dragon Pearl!

But the heir of Prince Qingdom felt no pity. Because no matter how precious the pearl, it could never compare to the inheritance of the demon immortal within the Shituo Kingdom.

Once he mastered that power, not only could he condense a Yang Spirit and take a step beyond the limitations that bound mortals, he would also instantly become an immensely fearsome existence among the Yang Spirit experts!

Each of the demon immortals of the past was at the level of a Land Immortal, far beyond what an ordinary Yang Spirit could contend with. This was a monumental immortal fortune!

As Prince Qing's heir continued to advance...

“Crack!”

The compass completely shattered! That jade compass, seemingly suffused with divine essence, would have been treasured as a supreme relic by any feng shui master. Yet now, in Prince Qing's heir’s hands, it was merely a tool for probing the path.

Two steps away, he could vaguely make out a single eye beyond the hollow palace doors, its gaze icy and unyielding. The palace was enormous; the doors alone were ten zhang tall. Yet a single eye beyond the door filled the entire doorway. This showed just how massive the creature behind it must be.

Prince Qing's heir could even hear the creature’s breathing! The overwhelming pressure made his soul tremble uncontrollably.

“Crack!”

Just like that, the Dragon Pearl shattered, and the true dragon spirit within vanished. But this also bought Prince Qing's heir precious time.

He arrived at the palace before the eye, unflinching, staring directly into it. He extended his hand, revealing a golden talisman spinning in his palm, exuding a thick aura of incense.

Upon closer inspection, it was a well-preserved City God Talisman, its surface etched with elaborate incense patterns. Where Prince Qing's heir had obtained such a treasure was unknown.

As the incense energy from the talisman was absorbed by the terrifying creature behind the palace doors, the pressure on Prince Qing's heir gradually lessened.

Yet he did not dare relax for a moment. If he faltered here, he would not gain the demon immortal inheritance, he would instead have his soul destroyed, becoming a puppet of the demon immortal!

Once the talisman’s incense energy was fully absorbed, the massive creature behind the door blinked. Its breathing stabilized, and it slowly shifted back. Its aura no longer radiated aggression.

“Success!”

Prince Qing's heir’s heart leapt with joy, though his hand trembled slightly. He immediately recited the Calming Heart Mantra to steady his spirit.

His origin was mysterious, and in this life he was heavily restricted. Even he could not unleash his full power. Hence, he needed to seize the demon immortal’s inheritance to temporarily gain high-level strength. Condensing a Yang Spirit was merely a small milestone.

He slowly entered the palace, his form vanishing from view. In that instant, all the formations within the palace ceased functioning. The power of the formations surged inward.

From behind the doors at the rear, terrifying breaths continued to emanate, as if a colossal, primeval beast lurked there. Yet Prince Qing's heir’s voice did not echo outside.

After a while, golden waves shimmered within, followed by Prince Qing's heir’s intricate, esoteric incantations. The sounds were utterly inhuman, beyond the capacity of normal vocal cords.

As he chanted, the golden light gradually yielded, and joy shone in his eyes.

“This demon immortal’s inheritance is mine!”

But nothing was truly settled yet; anything could still go awry. He clenched his hand in a mudra, frantically drawing in the golden light...