Two months later, in the eighth layer of the Ancient Imperial Mausoleum.
The dense Death Qi was so thick it had nearly condensed into a tangible form, making it hard to breathe. It shrouded the entire eighth layer, and as it flowed, it seemed to make even the void let out a piercing sound of corrosion.
Within that pitch-black fog of Death Qi, a figure wielding a saber and a sword was fighting Great Voids clad in golden armor.
That figure was none other than Ning Xuanyuan.
Over the past two months, Ning Xuanyuan had spent nearly all his time fighting in the Ancient Imperial Mausoleum. Only after every seven days did he return to Asura City to rest for a day before entering the Ancient Imperial Mausoleum again.
In fact, the seven-day limit was a strict rule imposed by Ye Xuankong. Otherwise, it would have been a lot for Ning Xuanyuan to leave even once every half a month.
Two months of cultivation had brought Ning Xuanyuan's strength a considerable improvement. His cultivation had reached the peak of the early stage of the Life Palace Realm, and he had begun to feel the threshold of the middle stage.
That single minor stage was not to be underestimated. In fact, after entering the Life Palace Realm, every step forward was extremely slow and required a corresponding understanding of the rules.
Normally, advancement in the Life Palace Realm was measured in years, even for a single minor stage. Ning Xuanyuan's breakthrough in two months could already be considered quite rapid.
At this moment, high-tier Gold Great Voids were charging frantically at Ning Xuanyuan. Each one was an extraordinarily powerful Great Void comparable to someone at the late stage of the Life Palace Realm. Their willpower pressure in particular was something an ordinary Life Palace Realm cultivator simply could not withstand.
Voids were extremely peculiar creatures. They did not cultivate spiritual power, yet their comprehension of the power of rules was astounding. The currents of death that filled this space were actually manifestations of the Death Rule!
The death currents blanketed the sky and earth, extinguishing vitality as they surged. Not only did they constantly corrode the body, they also dealt a powerful assault on the mind and will.
In the outside world, these Voids might not have been so terrifyingly powerful. But in this particular environment, their combat strength seemed to be enhanced. With every movement, they could unleash terrifying power.
Yet Ning Xuanyuan handled the frenzied onslaught of these Gold Great Voids with ease. Wielding a saber and a sword, his every movement flowed like clouds and water, a pleasing sight to behold. He seemed to follow some ineffably wondrous pattern, becoming one with the world around him.
Every streak of sword light and every glimmer of saber light contained formidable power of rules, matching the Great Dao and resonating with heaven and earth.
Ning Xuanyuan was like a man who had entered an indescribably strange state. His movements seemed to require no thought at all, arising entirely from instinct.
In truth, his mind was focused on the chaos world within him.
Two months of frantic fighting had allowed Ning Xuanyuan to absorb a vast amount of fortune. That immense fortune had also brought about a tremendous change in the chaos world within him.
Originally, it had been nothing but chaos, an embryonic world before heaven and earth had taken shape. Now, a space had formed at its center. It was small, however, only about a hundred zhang across.
And at the center of that space stood an ancient tree!
At the beginning of chaos, the World Divine Tree!
Of course, to be precise, it was a World Divine Tree sapling.
The World Divine Tree sapling had only a scant few branches, all bare, without a single leaf. Yet a strange, incomparably profound presence permeated it.
"The World Divine Tree nurtures all things and represents the beginning of life." Looking at the World Divine Tree in the chaos world, Ning Xuanyuan smiled with excitement.
The birth of this World Divine Tree was extraordinary in its significance. By communicating with the sapling, Ning Xuanyuan could more easily sense the Great Dao of heaven and earth and the power of the origin. This would bring immeasurable benefits to his future growth.
"After a while longer, I should be able to enter the ninth layer." Ning Xuanyuan gathered his thoughts and sent a Gold Great Void flying with a slash as he looked ahead.
The deeper Ning Xuanyuan ventured into the Ancient Imperial Mausoleum, the more clearly he felt the strange fluctuations emanating from the chaos world within him growing stronger.
It was as if, in the deepest layer, there was something the chaos world desperately desired.
And Ning Xuanyuan had a premonition that whatever it was, it was extremely important to both him and the chaos world.
"That's about enough. It's time to go back again." Withdrawing his gaze, Ning Xuanyuan sighed helplessly. His elder brother Ye Xuankong had given him an absolute order: he had to return to Asura City every seven days.
Saber light flashed and a rain of sword strikes poured down. The bodies of the Gold Great Voids surrounding him were instantly torn to pieces.
Ning Xuanyuan moved, intending to leave this space and return to the entrance. But just then, his expression suddenly shifted, and he looked in another direction.
From there, he could faintly hear a trace of movement.
"Someone's here?" Ning Xuanyuan's gaze flickered. Although the Ancient Imperial Mausoleum was close to Asura City, it had more than one entrance, and its grounds were vast. Others could enter it through different entrances as well.
After all, the Ancient Imperial Mausoleum did not belong to the Asura Domain alone.
After a moment's hesitation, Ning Xuanyuan flashed toward the source of the sound. He was curious who else could have made it into the eighth layer.
Could it be another squad from the Asura Domain?
At last, Ning Xuanyuan reached a certain spot. A terrifying presence washed over him, and he looked through the thick fog of Death Qi to see countless Gold Great Voids converging from every direction. There were so many that they resembled an army.
"So many?" Ning Xuanyuan's expression changed slightly. Even after fighting here for so long, he had never attracted this many Gold Great Voids. And among them, he could clearly make out a platinum-colored Great Void!
A Platinum-tier super Great Void!
Who could have caused such an enormous commotion?
Ning Xuanyuan looked more closely and dimly made out several human figures in the midst of the countless Great Voids!
The person at their head wore a blue robe and held a longsword. Sword light fell like rain, frantically slaying the Great Voids converging around them.
"Heaven and Earth Realm!" Ning Xuanyuan's pupils contracted slightly. He had not expected an expert of that level to appear in this space. He only wondered why so many Gold Great Voids were attacking the group so frantically.
Moreover, Ning Xuanyuan was certain that these people were not from the Asura Domain.
Just then, the blue-robed person suddenly raised their head and looked in Ning Xuanyuan's direction, clearly having noticed his arrival. After getting a clear look at Ning Xuanyuan, a cold light flashed in the person's eyes. Their figure moved like lightning as they charged straight at him.