Eternal Immortal Palace

That scene unfolded before the eyes like a grand scroll stretching beyond the limits of imagination—a colossal palace, too vast to be measured by words, cast entirely from dull, dark bronze, standing majestically in the depths of an unknown space-time. It did not float lightly in the void; rather, it seemed as if it had been forcibly torn and severed from some unknowable place by an irresistible, supreme power! Massive fissures, like hideous scars, ran through the palace body, telling a tale of past tragedy and heroism. Countless broken bronze pillars and palace ruins lay scattered in disarray, like toys heartlessly abandoned by gods, along the banks of an endless, terrifying "River of Burial" composed of pure spatial turbulence. That was the Ancient River of Buried Gods—a river flowing with death and destruction.

At the core of the fractured main hall, a towering, blurred figure stood proudly, as if the master of this realm. He was shrouded in chaotic flames, his features hidden deep within the radiance, impossible to discern. Only a supreme majesty, one that looked down upon the ages and dominated the heavens, surged forth like a tidal wave, compelling one to feel involuntary awe. In his hand, he gripped a giant axe that seemed forged from stars; its blade flowed with the sharpness of creation, flickering with a cold, dazzling light that appeared capable of severing all shackles in the world. At this moment, the giant axe was aimed at a roiling, boiling mass of terrifying shadows ahead, composed of pure darkness and destruction, which resembled a sleeping beast and emanated a bone-chilling aura.

"Those who offend Our Immortal Palace... shall be executed, no matter how far they flee!"

A majestic, grand, and cold declaration, as if from the dawn of time, exploded like divine thunder deep within Xiao Yan's consciousness, shaking his very soul. Accompanying this proclamation was the shocking image of that blurred figure swinging the giant axe, with an indomitable resolve, toward the endless darkness. As the axe swung, it seemed as if stars fell and the heavens collapsed, as if it would tear the infinite darkness asunder.

"BOOM—!!!"

An indescribable collision occurred, as if the entire universe trembled and shattered under this single strike, only to re-condense and reboot. The light and darkness generated by the collision intertwined, forming an ultimate, resplendent scene that vanished in an instant. The vision ceased abruptly amidst this interweaving of extreme light and shadow, leaving only Xiao Yan's deeply shaken soul echoing in the endless void.

[Ding! The gears of fate have turned silently; the core destiny node "Elegy of the Bronze Immortal Palace" has been precisely captured! Successfully touched the third Immortal Palace fragment (core remnant), as if opening a long-sealed mysterious treasure chest! Ultimate mission triggered: Reassemble the Immortal Palace, trace the origin!]

[Mission content unfolds like an epic: Collect all Bronze Immortal Palace fragments scattered across the vast world, repair the shattered core, trace the shocking cause of the palace's collapse, and unveil the mysterious secrets shrouded in layers of ancient mist!]

[Mission rewards are like unknown treasures, closely linked to the integrity of the fragments and the host's depth of exploration, filled with infinite possibilities!]

[Failure penalty is like a cold wind, chilling to the bone: The Immortal Palace fragments will completely disintegrate, and the ancient secrets will be buried forever in endless dust, never to see the light of day again!]

[Warning echoes like a great bell in the depths of consciousness: The ultimate mission has begun; the host's luck is deeply bound to the Immortal Palace fragments, as if tightly wrapped by invisible threads! Where the fragments lie, the center of the storm rages; the storm of destiny is about to sweep in!]

The system's prompt was cold and grand, like the tolling of fate's bell ringing deep within the soul, each strike shaking the barriers of the heart. Simultaneously, that massive fragment of the Immortal Palace's will and the torrent of information, like the purest nectar carrying the purity and power of the world's inception, surged like a breached dam into Xiao Yan's withered body and soul, injecting new vitality. Another portion, like stars drawn by an invisible force, crossed the shackles of space and flowed toward the sleeping soul-cluster of Yao Lao in Xiao Yan's sea of consciousness, as if by the arrangement of fate.

"Ugh..." Xiao Yan, in his coma, let out an unconscious groan, the sound like a faint call from the abyss. His shattered body, nourished by the immortal light, began to repair at a speed visible to the naked eye, like new shoots breaking through the soil in spring. Broken bones were skillfully reconnected by an invisible force, as if carved by a master craftsman; damaged internal organs were gently smoothed over by gentle energy, like a lake surface brushed by a spring breeze; dried meridians began to flow with newborn power, like a parched riverbed receiving long-awaited rain. Even the wounds at the soul level healed rapidly under the soothing of that ancient will, as if the cold haze were dispelled by warm sunlight. His aura, like a dying campfire receiving new fuel, began to stubbornly recover and climb, as if to break through the shackles of darkness and welcome a new dawn.

Even more shocking was the soul-cluster of Yao Lao, which had been as dim as a sleeping star. When this pure, vast, and Dao-imbued source energy of the Immortal Palace poured down like nectar, it was as if a parched desert had suddenly encountered a torrential flood, instantly activating it!

The light-cluster erupted with unprecedented brilliance, like the rising sun piercing the darkness, illuminating everything around it in a dreamlike glow. The light rapidly solidified and grew, faintly outlining the blurred silhouette of an old man with white hair. Though the outline was not clear, it exuded an otherworldly temperament. A vast soul pressure belonging to the peak of the Dou Emperor leaked out uncontrollably, spreading in all directions like a surging tide. Although this pressure lasted only for an instant before quickly retracting and settling, the sleeping soul origin was being repaired and strengthened at an unprecedented speed, like a dormant seed being nourished by spring rain, about to break through the soil and bloom with resplendent color. The day of awakening was already within sight!

"Immortal Palace core?! This... how is this possible?!" You Lao's withered claws froze in mid-air, as if struck by a binding spell. The ghostly green soul-fire beneath his hood flickered frantically, like a candle in the wind, ready to extinguish at any moment, as he let out an unbelievable scream filled with extreme terror. The sound was sharp and grating, like a wail from hell. He stared fixedly at the dark golden pillar of light piercing the heavens atop the Demon Peak, and the massive bronze fragment within it emanating glorious immortal might. His gaunt body trembled violently from extreme shock and greed, like a leaf fluttering in a gale.

"Hahaha! Heaven helps me! Heaven helps me!" Fear was instantly drowned by boundless ecstasy. You Lao let out hysterical laughter that echoed in the air, filled with madness and greed. "It is actually a core fragment! Ten thousand times more precious than that Woe Poison Body! The Hall Master! The Hall Master will surely reward me heavily! Perhaps... even grant me the chance to step into the Saint Tier!!" His voice was filled with longing for the future and a thirst for power.

Ecstasy clouded his mind, causing him to lose his usual reason and calm. Capturing the Woe Poison Body or seizing the Green Lotus Core Flame became insignificant, like dust, in the face of the Bronze Immortal Palace's core fragment. His withered claws suddenly turned, abandoning the Xiao Yan who was within reach. His figure transformed into a miserable green stream of light, and with reckless greed, he lunged madly toward the dark golden pillar of light atop the Demon Peak, like a starving wolf pouncing on prey!

"The fragment! It is already mine!!!" That roar, laden with endless greed and arrogance, echoed between heaven and earth.

At the edge of the Desert of Buried Immortals, space was sliced as if by a sharp blade, tearing open with a boom!

A figure in green robes, like a demon god rushing out from the abyss of hell, smashed through the solidified spatial barrier, which had been as firm as a copper wall, with an irresistible force. He descended beneath the distorted, dark-red, blood-like sky at the edge of the Desert of Buried Immortals, his entire body radiating a sharp and violent aura. This person was none other than Xiao Zhan!

His face was as gloomy as the sky before a storm, thick with dark clouds. The wound on his blood-stained left shoulder had reopened due to the forced tearing of space, and blood flowed out in a steady stream. The dark, deathly power of the Soul Hall seeped from the wound like fine, venomous snakes, bringing bone-chilling pain as if countless steel needles were piercing him at once. However, all this physical pain was insignificant compared to the anxiety in his heart at this moment. The violent fluctuations from the Mother-Child Heart-Linked Soul Jade had suddenly ceased, and immediately after, the dark golden pillar of light in the direction of the Demon Peak had pierced the firmament like a sword, erupting with dazzling radiance. That was... the aura of an Immortal Palace fragment! His Yan'er and Xiao Yi Xian were there! And something must have gone wrong!

"Soul Hall... you old dogs!" Xiao Zhan's eyes were crimson gold, like two burning flames, within which a rage capable of burning the heavens and boiling the seas was incinerated. On his wrist, the Seven-Colored Little Snake sensed the tangible killing intent of its master and let out a sharp, mournful hiss, as if cheering for the coming battle. He ignored the violent spatial turbulence at the edge of the Desert of Buried Immortals, as well as the bone-corroding, ice-cold poisonous miasma. His figure transformed into a burning crimson-gold meteor, pushing his speed to the limit, and charged fearlessly toward the source of the dark golden pillar of light!

Wherever he passed, the violent spatial folds were forcibly smoothed out by an invisible hand, becoming flat and unobstructed; the deadly, bone-corroding poisonous miasma was incinerated instantly by the dual burning of the Dragon-Phoenix Dou Qi and the Green Lotus Core Flame, like residual snow in spring, as if a red-hot knife were slicing through solidified butter—effortless and graceful.

At the summit of the Demon Peak of Bones!

This place was like the core of a hellish furnace, emanating a bone-chilling aura. Viscous chaotic demonic flames rolled like living creatures, licking at countless massive, red-hot bones as if to devour them completely. The air distorted and deformed due to the extreme heat, emitting crackling explosions like the sinister laughter of demons. The terrifying pressure of the demonic flames was like an invisible mountain, enough to instantly turn a Dou Emperor into ashes, dissipating them in this scorching world.