Ancestral Land

The scene before his eyes was not as vast as Xu Lanqing had imagined Mingde Hall to be. At the very least, as he cast his gaze forward, he could vaguely see the end. Judging by this scale, it was at least ten thousand square meters.

The six walls were made of silver-white metal and stood about twenty meters high, while the floor was cluttered with numerous experimental tables and what appeared to be discarded Soul Guidance Devices.

Unlike Mingde Hall, which primarily manufactured Soul Guidance Devices, this place felt more like a research institute.

The most eye-catching feature was the behemoth in the center of the base; Xu Lanqing's gaze was drawn to it the moment he scanned the room.

It was shaped like a human, its surface made of an unknown silver-white metal, standing fifteen meters tall—any taller and it would have touched the ceiling.

It had no face, and its exterior looked quite crude, much like a human mannequin magnified countless times.

Xu Lanqing's pupils dilated. This was... a humanoid Soul Guidance Device?

It must be an initial prototype. If only it could be made into a mecha like a Gundam; what man didn't have a dream of piloting a mecha?

In this empty underground base, there were few people to be seen. Only a dozen or so individuals were gathered beneath that humanoid Soul Guidance Device, engaged in a heated discussion, with Kong Deming right in the middle of the crowd.

Xu Lanqing followed the personal guard closer, and only then did he see clearly that these people were all elderly. Even the youngest-looking ones appeared to be fifty or sixty, and their actual ages were certainly much greater.

The intense discussion did not cease because of the appearance of Xu Lanqing and the guard; it was as if they hadn't been noticed at all, and the debate even grew more heated.

Kong Deming pulled himself away and came before Xu Lanqing.

"Lanqing, you're back?"

He scrutinized Xu Lanqing, his eyes filled with deep confusion:

"You didn't obtain a Soul Ring? And, your Martial Soul?"

Xu Lanqing had no choice but to recount the events once more, while the personal guard turned and left after completing his mission.

"To think such a thing could happen?"

Kong Deming clicked his tongue in wonder. He placed his hand on Xu Lanqing's wrist to probe with his soul power, but the result was the same as with Jing Hongchen—he found no issues.

"Are you truly certain? To be honest, I am not sure if the Ancestral Land can help you. We know far too little about Martial Souls; without experimentation, everything is merely speculation, and the results could even turn out for the worse."

Kong Deming stared at Xu Lanqing, his voice heavy.

Xu Lanqing replied with equal seriousness: "I have already made up my mind. Rather than sit and wait for death, I would rather take a gamble."

"Since that is the case, I will say no more. Follow me."

"Yes."

Kong Deming walked toward the end of the base. Once he reached the wall, he performed some operations, and the wall slowly slid open to both sides to reveal a passageway.

Strangely, this passage was pitch black—not the darkness of a lack of light, but a black mirror-like surface as calm as water.

"This is one of the imperial family's Ancestral Lands. Unlike the others, it is actually a separate small space. As long as you pass through this mirror surface, you will be inside," Kong Deming explained.

A separate space?

Xu Lanqing was surprised for a moment, then calmed down. The world was vast, and there would always be things beyond one's imagination. He himself possessed an Undead Plane, even if it was currently good for nothing.

However, seeing Kong Deming standing to the side, perfectly still and showing no intention of entering, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of unease.

"Teacher, are you not coming in with me?"

Kong Deming shook his head and continued to explain: "Only those whose Martial Soul has awakened as the Purple Imperial Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon can enter this space; others simply cannot. The imperial family has known of this for over ten thousand years, and after trying countless methods, this was the only result they reached.

Although your Martial Soul was devoured and mutated into a Golden Dragon, it still retains some of the destructive power of the Purple Imperial Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon, so you should still be able to enter."

Xu Lanqing's face darkened. A bad start, indeed.

He had hoped at least one big shot could accompany him to provide some cover, but now he was left to go it alone.

He stared at the black mirror, and suddenly thinking of something, he asked:

"Third Imperial Brother's Martial Soul is also the Purple Imperial Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon, right? Has he been in there?"

"That is exactly what I was about to tell you. The Third Prince has indeed been inside. Before he entered, he was forced to have his leg amputated due to an accident; his strength had plummeted, and his body was extremely frail.

Yet, after he emerged from the Ancestral Land, not only did his cultivation stop declining, but it increased significantly. And it wasn't just him; others in history who entered had similar experiences. That is why I said it might be able to help you.

Of course, there have been many failures, and as for the outcome of those failures, I don't think I need to explain."

Fine, at least that was some good news, Xu Lanqing comforted himself internally.

If even a half-crippled Xu Tianran could succeed, there was no reason he couldn't. He was inexplicably filled with a sense of blind confidence.

"According to the records, the space inside is not large, but it has always been shrouded in purple mist. The mist contains the destructive power possessed by the Purple Imperial Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon. The closer one gets to the center, the thicker the mist, the greater the destructive power, and the greater the pressure on the person. To this day, no one has ever been able to approach the center, and no one knows what lies there.

What you need to do is meditate and absorb the destructive power within the purple mist.

Because your current strength is too low, I suggest you only attempt it on the very outskirts. Do not push yourself; your life is the most important thing, do you understand?"

Kong Deming urged him repeatedly. Children were prone to being reckless, and he didn't want Xu Lanqing to enter and never come back out.

"I understand, Teacher. Don't worry, I will definitely act according to my capabilities."

Xu Lanqing nodded solemnly. He hadn't lived enough yet; having finally become a prince, he hadn't even saved those suffering girls yet—how could he die so easily?

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and stepped forward.

A familiar sensation of spatial tearing washed over his entire body, though it was infinitely weaker than the teleportation in the Far North; after all, it was only a wall away.

He shook his head and waited a moment before Xu Lanqing recovered from the dizziness.

He raised his eyes to look around, and just as Kong Deming had said, the area not far ahead was shrouded in purple mist, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

His current position was in one of the few remaining peripheral zones; looking back, he saw the edge of the void's darkness, with a black mirror-like surface standing abruptly behind him.

Ever since he entered, his Golden Dragon King martial soul had felt a faint, restless agitation.

He tried walking forward, but before he even touched the purple mist, he felt a massive pressure bearing down on him from all directions, with violent destructive power battering his body.

For the sake of safety, it was better to test things out here first.

He sat cross-legged on the ground and began to circulate his soul power according to his meditation technique, guiding it through the meridians of his body.

Gradually, tiny specks of light purple drifted over from nearby and merged into his body, transforming into pure soul power; this soul power was also light purple, and after completing one cycle of circulation, it entered his dantian.

Inside his dantian, the light purple soul power remained separated from the golden soul power, with the power of destruction and the power of ruin intermingling; the power of destruction, which had originally been at a disadvantage, gradually grew stronger, eventually becoming able to slowly contend with the power of ruin.

It works!

Xu Lanqing felt a surge of joy in his heart; no longer hesitating, he focused his mind, cleared his thoughts, and entered deep meditation.

As time passed.

The two forces gradually began to reach a delicate balance.