Chen Xi remained silent while he felt complicated emotions in his heart.

In the end, he nodded, and he didn’t say anything before he stood up and walked out of Heaven Origin Pavilion.

He wanted to be alone for a while.

...

Phoenix Perch City was extremely vast. Its streets branched out in all directions, and every single tile, brick, plant, tree.... It was entirely suffused with an ancient aura.

Chen Xi placed his hands behind his back as he walked aimlessly through the bustling crowd by himself.

Perhaps because he’d experienced too many bumps and storms since a young age, Chen Xi had always been restrained and even passive when it came to emotions.

However, it didn’t mean that he was numb and oblivious to it. He was clearly aware of Zhen Liuqing’s feelings towards him since the time when they were still at the Darchu Dynasty.

Perhaps anyone could fall for another after a long time, and Chen Xi could understand this. But he was unable to accept such an outcome. They were clearly so close in the past, yet she refused to acknowledge him now, and they seemed like people that didn’t know each other. Moreover, it was a fate that was even more painful than being someone unfamiliar to her!

Because at the very least, there was no relationship between two people that didn’t know each other, so it would naturally not be painful.

Why? Chen Xi couldn’t figure it out.

Without realizing it, he’d walked along the street and walked out the eastern city gate. The view before his eyes instantly widened, and a vast ocean was reflected in his eyes.

Rumble!

Rumble!

The ocean roiled while shocking waves shot into the sky, causing spindrifts to paint the sky white. The boundless blue ocean rose and fell with great waves, and it rumbled like thunder. It was a grand and magnificent scene that broadened the mind when looked at from afar.

When one looked carefully, one could even notice that this vast ocean continued on until the horizon. It traversed the sky and continued deep into the universe, and it actually seemed to be without end.

Numerous stars floated within the ocean, and they actually circulated according to various different trajectories. Moreover, it was extremely magnificent to watch them stirring up the ocean water as they moved.

Chen Xi’s eyes couldn’t help but light up while the depression accumulated within his heart was suddenly vented, causing his entire body to feel clear and free.

This was the God Burial Ocean!

An ocean that had buried countless gods, stars, and universes. It lay across the easternmost border of the Ancient God Domain, and since the ancient times until now, no great power had even subdued it.

It was even to the extent that no one dared to declare exactly how vast this ocean was or where its end lay.

Chen Xi’s clothes fluttered as he directly arrived at a precipice before the ocean, and then he sat down cross-legged before looking towards the surging blue ocean in the distance. His mind was completely blank, without any desire, and without any emotion. He’d obtained a form of temporary release.

Amidst this sort of state, the River Diagram fragments within his sea of consciousness started to circulate silently, and then the diagram of the bloodied damaged sword had appeared once more.

The damaged sword was mottled with bloodstains, yet it emanated an oppressive aura of slaughtering the ages and looking down upon the universe.

All those years ago, it was precisely through comprehending this diagram that Chen Xi had comprehended those three techniques, Five Element Annihilator, Calm Before the Storm, and Vorpal Strike. Moreover, he’d even broke through into the Sword Emperor Realm in one go.

It could be said that even though this bloodied damaged sword seemed to be mottled with blood and in a terrible state that was extremely incomplete, it possessed an immeasurable effect towards the improvement of Chen Xi’s cultivation in the Sword Dao.

At this moment, the diagram of the bloodied damaged sword had reappeared while the River Diagram fragments awoke from their silence and started circulating silently, and all of this instantly drew Chen Xi’s attention.

He was able to clearly sense that a strand of terror had suddenly arisen in his heart when all of this occurred.

It seemed as if something was summoning him from an unknown area extremely deep within the God Burial Ocean. It seemed to be faint and indistinct, yet Chen Xi dared to say that it was true and not a misconception.

But in merely a moment, when Chen Xi intended to get to the bottom of it, this sort of feeling instantly vanished without a trace. Moreover, even the diagram of the bloodied damaged sword in his mind had vanished along with the River Diagram fragments.

This stunned Chen Xi, and he muttered. “Looks like the Desolate Manku Ruins is probably really related to the River Diagram fragments....”

He still remembered that two amongst the nine obscure and ancient characters he distinguished on the River Diagram fragments represented the words ‘desolate’ and ‘ruins’.

Moreover, the sudden awakening of the River Diagram fragments in his sea of consciousness and that trace of a feeling that arose in his heart just now allowed Chen Xi to roughly determine that there was definitely some sort of link between all of this.

When he thought up to here, he suddenly aroused a wisp of anticipation towards heading into he Desolate Manku Ruins. He wanted to see exactly what existed there to actually cause such a change in the River Diagram fragments.

When the veil of night descended, Chen Xi finally stood up and returned to Heaven Origin Pavilion.

“I was really worried that you would be unable to get up again after suffering such an unexpected event.” Yun Qing heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Chen Xi return.

Chen Xi smiled yet didn’t say anything. He wasn’t so weak and useless. Even though he still hadn’t moved on completely from Zhen Liuqing’s cold and indifferent attitude towards him.

“Stay and rest in this abode for the next period of time, and you can take action once the God Burial Ocean enters into its dormant period.” Yun Qing instructed.

Chen Xi nodded.

However, right when he intended to leave, Yun Qing seemed to have thought of something, and he stopped Chen Xi and said with a serious expression, “Young Master Chen Xi, if conflict arises between you and Gongye Zhefu after you enter the Desolate Manku Ruins, and you can’t avoid fighting that Young Miss. Then... what would you do?”

Chen Xi’s eyes suddenly narrowed, and he went silent for a long time before he said, “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely do my best to complete what I promised to do.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he left and returned to the abode he’d booked.

“I hope so.” Yun Qing suddenly sighed in his heart as he watched Chen Xi leave.

He wasn’t worried that Chen Xi would back out because of this, and he was worried instead about what Chen Xi would do if Gongye Zhefu utilized Zhen Liuqing as a hostage to threaten Chen Xi in battle....

...

From this day onwards, Chen Xi entered into closed door cultivation within his abode and didn’t make another appearance.

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Along with the passage of time, Phoenix Perch City became more and more bustling, and there were more cultivators arriving from all over practically every single day.

Even though most of them weren’t Spirit God Exalts, they were peak existences in the various regions in the Ancient God Domain.

This was extremely normal. The Desolate Manku Ruins was vast and mysterious. Countless fortuitous encounters were hidden within it, and it wasn’t just the ninth-grade Emperor Rank Ancestral Dao Root alone that resided there.

So, even if they knew they were utterly unable to compete with those Spirit God Exalts from the Imperial Region, all of the other cultivators had still come over resolutely because of this.

On the day before the God Burial Ocean entered into its dormant period, Chen Xi woke up from his meditation, and then he took a deep breath before he walked out of the abode.

Today was that Yun Qing and Chen Xi had set to meet because the God Burial Ocean would enter into its dormant period tonight, and it would obviously be too late if they only departed tomorrow.

Yun Qing was already waiting since a long time ago. When he saw Chen Xi emerge, he immediately led Chen Xi out of the Heaven Origin Pavilion and headed towards the God Burial Ocean.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Numerous figures tore through space and teleported. They were like a dense expanse of light droplets that rained swiftly towards the same direction.

Chen Xi noticed to his surprise that the atmosphere within Phoenix Perch City today seemed exceptionally bustling, and at the same time, it felt as if a storm was coming.

Obviously, all the cultivators understood that after the God Burial Ocean entered into its dormant period, the true competition between them would begin!

At that time, no matter if it was for the sake of the ninth-grade Emperor Rank Ancestral Dao Root or for the sake of the other fortuitous encounters within the Desolate Manku Ruins, numerous brutal battles and slaughters would definitely arise.

Yun Qing and Chen Xi weren’t in a rush, and they moved at a neither fast not slow pace.

“I’ve been constantly collecting information in these past few days, and I can confirm that there are a total of 16 Spirit God Exalts entering the Desolate Manku Ruins this time. As of now, Gongye Zhefu is the only participant from amongst the top 10.” Yun Qing quickly described the information he’d collected in these past few days. “However, this is merely the Spirit God Exalts that showed themselves, and it’s impossible to confirm exactly how many Spirit God Exalts are luring in the shadows.”

Chen Xi silently committed all of this to memory, and he didn’t say anything.

“However, the strange thing is that according to the information obtained by the Empress, two more peerless geniuses that are even more formidable than Gongye Zhefu will be entering the Desolate Manku Ruins. But there still isn’t any news about them at all.” Yun Qing pondered deeply for a long time. “But no matter what, you have to remember that the competition this time will definitely be brutal, so you have to be careful.”

Chen Xi asked instead. “Who’re those two fellows that’re more formidable than Gongye Zhefu?”

“One of them is the Young Patriarch of the Luo Tribe, Luo Shaonong, and the other is the Holy One of the Buddhist Sect, Jia Nan. Both of them are respectively at the 3rd and 7th position on the Domain Enlightened Chart, and their strengths are unfathomable. They’re extraordinary geniuses that enjoy a far-famed reputation in the Imperial Region.” When he spoke about these two people, Yun Qing sighed with emotion, and his voice carried a wisp of shock and admiration.

Chen Xi didn’t care who Luo Shaonong was, and he was curious about Jia Nan instead because Jia Nan caused him to be unable to help but think of Zhen Lu who Chen Xi knew in the three dimensions.

Looks like the Buddha Dimension’s forces can’t be underestimated in the Ancient God Domain as well. Chen Xi seemed to be lost in thought, and it was even to the extent that he thought. Since the Buddha Dimension has its own forces in the Ancient God Domain, then what about the Phoenix Clan and Dragon Dimension? Do they have their own forces as well?

If I have the chance, I must make a trip to the Imperial Region. That’s the true central area of the Ancient God Domain, and only by heading there might I be able to find what I want. Chen Xi decided in his heart.

Without him realizing it, they’d already walked out of the city, and the boundless God Burial Ocean that stretched towards the depths of the universe was ahead.

However, unlike what Chen Xi saw that day, the originally surging God Burial Ocean was already gradually calming down now. It was like a ferocious beast that was about to fall into hibernation.

When looked at from afar, the blue ocean was boundless, and it surged with small ripples. It was like a clear mirror that reflected the scene in the heavens, and even the stars that floated in the ocean water had stopped circulation.

All of this displayed that this ocean which caused the expressions of others to change just from mentioning it was on the verge of falling completely into a dormant state.

At this moment, countless figures were already standing at the banks of the ocean since along time ago. They formed a dense mass that put them at a number of at least over a thousand when counted roughly.

Moreover, practically all of their cultivations were at the Domain Enlightened Spirit God Realm at least, and there was even no lack of Universe Enlightened Ancestral Gods!

However, those Universe Enlightened Ancestral God Realm experts were obviously lackeys, and they walked before Domain Enlightened Spirit God after Domain Enlightened Spirit God while playing the role of guard. They were just like Yun Qing who stood by Chen Xi’s side.

Yun Qing said in a deep voice from the side, “You don’t have to worry about those Universe Enlightened Ancestral God Realm experts. Even though the God Burial Ocean has fallen to a dormant state now, it’s even more terrifying than it was before this to experts with cultivations above the Domain Enlightened Spirit God Realm. Because once they step foot into the ocean, their cultivations will suffer a form of absolute suppression, and it would be difficult for them to do anything!”