Chapter 383: Chapter 383
383: Chapter 371: A Glimpse into the Afterlife 383: Chapter 371: A Glimpse into the Afterlife The dusk deepened, and the last trace of misty crimson light on West Mountain was finally devoured by the long, dark night.
In the boundless night sky, it seemed as if all stars and celestial bodies were hidden within the Star River.
Instead of fine snow, numerous pale celestial lights descended from the dark blue firmament, striking an Exotic Bird flying among the high clouds, instantly freezing it into an icy sculpture.
When the wind dispersed it, it turned into a glow resembling silver flakes.
The pale celestial light was cold, like a dreadful celestial punishment from an ancient realm, with thunderous sounds moaning like the netherworld, as if a terrifying end of days was imminent.
More celestial lights were descending, the Star River appearing to be shattered by some taboo force, the vast boundlessness of the night seemed to tremor with dull, loud noises as if something was about to break through.
Countless dense spots of light brewed within that celestial light like Chaos.
Seeing this scene, Chenghuang stood atop the temple’s eave and an infinite fear arose within him.
He turned back to look for that figure within the hall, murmuring in shock, “The Bronze Gate…
The Bronze Gate was one of the Nine Gates born alongside heaven and earth during the ancient revival period.
The myriad worlds hidden behind the gate have been sealed off since ancient times.
Ancient Immortal Departments and deity clans also tried to open and explore it, but the cost of each attempt to open the Bronze Gate was immeasurable!
And thus, the secrets of the Bronze Gate remained undiscovered.
Consequently, the nine mysterious ancient gates were sealed across various regions of the Four Seas and Eight Desolates, never opened.
The Bronze Gate was a gate of a slaughtering mirror image, imprisoning a world-devouring great serpent within, its internal world imperceivable.
But once opened, the mirroring power of the Bronze Gate would reflect upon the Cangqiong Continent, taking the entire Xianling City as a true coordinate, summoning countless terrifying spirits from that cold and desolate realm not belonging to the Six Realms.
The numerous pale spots above the distant skies were endless, devouring the spiritual energy of this world, bringing with them the most primitive desires of greed, evil, plunder, and slaughter.
Each of those spots represented an entity behind the gate comparable to an ancient God Demon.
Merely using his Divine Thought to scan, Chenghuang was devoured by those lights, leaving nothing behind.
His face turned pale, covered in cold sweat.
Even with his Emperor’s Divine Thought, he couldn’t perceive any true form, and even the soul energy within his body became unstable.
It was as if there was a giant mouth in the sky, seeking to consume the souls of deities.
Celestial light invaded the Mortal World, the Four Seas ceased to exist, and the Eight Desolates submerged together!
The Emperor scanned the city; the mortals were unharmed, but the renowned cultivators who hadn’t entered Ghost Mountain, untouched by the celestial light, were clutching their heads in agony, showing signs of collapsing spirit platforms and Divine Mansions.
He was shocked, suddenly recalling the mysterious command she had issued a few days ago, ordering all cultivators in the city to enter Ghost Mountain.
Had she anticipated that the cultivators within Xianling City would be devoured by the terrifying beings behind the Bronze Gate?
Little Lord Shan had trespassed into Ghost Mountain, and she paid no heed, even sending all the Kunlun female officials to Ghost Mountain on the eve of the mountain’s closure.
A place once of utmost peril had now cleverly become a sanctuary for many cultivators…
The circumstances he had deduced in his heart had not been revealed to him, the ruler, at all!
Suppressing the strange emotions surging in his heart, Chenghuang disappeared from the eave.
The next moment, his figure appeared in the Mountain River Hall.
“The Bronze Gate is wide open!
Xianling City has become the coordinate!
The Mortal World will soon perish, and the Immortal World will find no peace!
This is the gate you swore to guard!”
Inside the green gauze curtain, a beautiful figure in turquoise robes reclined regally upon the throne.
In the dim light, her side profile gleamed with delicate snow-light, her black hair cascaded down her shoulders, small braids woven with silver threads ended in coral-colored stones and green beads, making her look like a beautiful Heavenly God described in ancient records.
Her delicate, refined fingertips were playing with a transparent droplet-like bead, which was a tear shed by an Immortal.
“Why rush things?”, a lazy chuckle came from behind the bead curtain.
She raised the crystal-clear bead in her hand.
“Immortal Tears, a thousand-year dream, weeping alone in the netherworld, everything starts from this tear.
Now, I quite want to see, what kind of splendid yet despairing world she has prepared for me.”
Chenghuang said gravely, “Normally, I let you indulge in your madness, but even now, you still speak nonsense.
The Bronze Gate has been compromised, the Six Realms will be in chaos!
Even I can no longer protect you!”
Cang Nanyi spoke leisurely, “The words of a deity are subtle, those of a saint are simple, those of a wise man are clear, while the masses speak extensively, and only a petty person speaks recklessly.
It seems in the mind of the ruler, I am no different from a petty person.”
Chenghuang was momentarily speechless, trying to mend the situation, but then he heard her dismissively say, “As such a petty person, under the invasion of ‘celestial light,’ I indeed cannot protect you, my ruler.
It is best you ensure your own safety.”
Chenghuang’s expression turned unsightly, with the Bronze Gate open and deities hard to escape, he really couldn’t understand why she could still maintain such a calm demeanor to mock him.
With a cold snort, the Emperor furiously said, “I will go and consult with Immortal Venerable Zhu Zhan!
I hope after this calamity passes, you can reflect upon yourself!”
Cang Nanyi chuckled lightly, and replied with a yes.
“Your majesty’s wellbeing concerns the people, a gentleman doesn’t stand beneath a crumbling wall, indeed it’s not appropriate to be caught in such peril.
The path of immortality is long, and I shall no longer see you off, my ruler.
This dismissive, perfunctory send-off nearly caused Chenghuang’s soul to emerge from his body.
Yet he did not continue to argue, as the terrifying threat above the sky was getting closer to the Imperial City.
His face darkened, and with a single sword strike, he created three thousand small worlds, at the end of which lay the distant Purple Extreme Imperial Palace.
The Emperor strode into it, determined not to stay a moment longer.
But it wasn’t long after the Emperor left that a space in the great hall split open again with a star-blue rift.
A horrified Chenghuang fell heavily from the sky, blood spewing from his mouth, his bound purple crown nowhere to be found.
It’s a spatial dao lock!
That thing can actually forcibly retain a Venerable Immortal in the Mortal World!”
He would be devoured by this horde of ghosts!
Cang Nanyi sighed, as if she had anticipated this, then slowly rose and walked out of the Mountain River Hall.
“Understanding transcends life and death, attachment leads to the rise of life and death.
As water has its waves, known as this shore.”
In an instant, the Mountain and River Bureau arose, Cang Nanyi flicked a bead, raised her head to look at the moon.
She was not standing in front of the Mountain River Hall, but instead stepped into a low alley in the Mortal World, red walls and white snow pressing down on the branches.
The sky had no moon; the gloom was not eternal.
The mountains and rivers were beneath her feet, she wanted to see the moon in the clarity, thus, a bright moon rose in the sky.
The bright moon emerged from Kunlun, sinking into the celestial abyss.
Countless ancient spirits fell at her mere glance, turning into true specks of light, lighter than snow, finer than rain, drifting into the Mortal World.