Palaces of the Nine Heavens
"High above the nine heavens stand palaces, azure skies and azure clouds, who can rival the heavens? Palace maids and beauties are unaware of the dawn, gazing afar at the mortal world beneath their feet!"
Li Wei stared in disbelief at the poem.
Previously, he and Heaven Corpse flew up to the clouds based on the location given by Jialuo. They discovered an unimaginably huge cloud layer in the sky, tens of thousands of miles above the ground.
To Li Wei, the cloud layer appeared to be a continent floating in the air. And at the edge of this cloud layer stood a massive gate.
Above this enormous gate hung an equally enormous plaque inscribed with the three characters "South Heavenly Gate." Upon closer inspection, one realized that the South Heavenly Gate was impossibly high and massive; a person standing beside it appeared as small as an ant. Beside this gate stood a stone tablet, equally enormous, and the poem that Li Wei had seen at the beginning was engraved on the tablet by someone unknown.
"Master, who wrote this? They talk about themselves like immortals, but they are indeed grand. Everything in the mortal world is at their feet. Could it really be a celestial palace? Also, I just tried this stone, and even with all my strength, I couldn't leave a mark, but these words are engraved on it..." Although the Heaven Corpse had seen a lot of the world, it was still frightened by the huge door and stone tablet.
Li Wei was also taken aback when he heard this.
He walked up to the stone tablet and pressed his hand on it.
Li Wei currently possesses over thirty celestial bodies, including a star within him, making his strength comparable to a Star Emperor-level expert with the power of 108 celestial bodies. With such power, even a light press could crush a mountain. Yet, despite this formidable strength, when he encountered this stone tablet, it was like straw hitting a stone wall, leaving no trace on the stone.
It seems that the Heaven Corpse was right.
Li Wei refused to believe in evil. With a flick of his wrist, a dark, menacing demonic weapon appeared in his hand. It was the 'Immortal-Slaying Spike,' capable of leveling a ten-thousand-foot-high mountain with a single strike. Judging from its name, it was a deadly weapon capable of slaying immortals. After taking it out, Li Wei gathered all his strength and stabbed it fiercely into the stone tablet.
Bang!
A massive wave erupted, nearly knocking the Heaven Corpse to the ground, and Li Wei's arm was also slightly numb from the shock. Looking at the stone tablet again, only a faint white dot remained.
"Hiss!" Li Wei gasped. He had just exerted all his strength, and with the demonic weapon in hand, he had only managed to leave a white dot on the stone tablet. What kind of supernatural powers did the person who left this poem on the stone tablet possess?
"It seems that Daluo Fan and Jialuo have discovered an extraordinary place. This must be a ruin, a ruin ten thousand times more powerful than any we've encountered before!"
"Master, I think something is amiss here. The South Heavenly Gate and this stone tablet are already so strange; who knows what other strange things might happen inside? Perhaps we shouldn't risk going in. In any case, Jialuo hasn't sent any signals for a long time!"
"You're right. However, if Daluo Fan obtained some kind of inheritance and killed Jialuo, he naturally wouldn't be able to send out a signal. Moreover, it's more likely that once he enters this South Heavenly Gate, he will be cut off from the outside world. Anyway, since we've discovered this place, let's go in and take a look. If we're not meant to die, we should die and live for ten thousand years!"
Li Wei smiled and stepped into the huge gate, with the Heaven Corpse following suit.
Upon entering the courtyard, the light and shadows shifted, and the previously indistinct clouds gradually became clear. When Li Wei saw everything before him, he couldn't help but stare in astonishment.
"What... what is this?"
As far as the eye can see, there are palaces floating in the clouds, with rainbows as bridges and clouds as ladders—a true paradise on earth. However, this beautiful scenery, though magnificent, exudes an air of tranquility.
Indeed, such a beautiful place would be normal if there were celestial maidens playing the zither and singing, or white-bearded immortals riding cranes through the clouds. But at this moment, outside the floating palace, there was no life at all. Although it was magnificent, it was no different from the ruins of gods and demons on the ground and underground.
"Ruins, this is also a ruin, but this is a true ruin of gods and immortals, unlike the ruins of Devil that are on the surface and underground. Presumably, obtaining the inheritance here will make one more powerful!"
After a brief moment of shock, Li Wei and the Heaven Corpse recovered. Li Wei glanced at the Heaven Corpse, who immediately understood and began using a special method to send a message to Jialuo.
Then, the Heaven Corpse took out a piece of white paper, left a message with its mind, and then slapped it with its large hand. The white paper burst into flames with a bang. Li Wei heard the Heaven Corpse say that this was a kind of 'Flame Divine Talisman', which could transmit messages over extremely long distances. As long as the white paper on this side burned out, a ball of fire would ignite on the other side, and the white paper would appear, which was very convenient.
After waiting for a while without receiving a reply, Heaven Corpse shook his head helplessly.
"It seems something must have happened to Jialuo and Daluo Fan. This place is strange; we should proceed with caution. Do you see that? Behind these floating palaces, there stands a huge mountain. This mountain is also floating in the clouds; it's definitely not an ordinary place. All the palaces seem scattered, but they appear to be arranged in some kind of formation, with that mountain at the center. But let's not rush. Let's go check out those palaces first. If possible, I'll help you obtain an inheritance that can greatly enhance your strength!" Li Wei said to the Heaven Corpse beside him.
Now that the latter has completely submitted, Li Wei should offer some benefits. Moreover, with the help of the Heaven Corpse, even if they encounter trouble, the two can unite to fight off enemies.
The Heaven Corpse was clearly flattered. He had long wanted to establish a lineage, and now that Li Wei had given him this opportunity, he was overjoyed.
The two chose a relatively small palace and flew away.
Above these nine heavens, palaces stood in rows. Although they seemed close, flying over them actually took some time. The palaces in the distance gradually grew larger, and Li Wei and the Heaven Corpse finally flew over them.
The palace floated above a cloud bridge, surrounded by colorful clouds, like a fairyland. The entire palace was in its original form, with its doors tightly closed. Upon seeing this, Li Wei raised his hand and pushed, and the tightly closed doors were pushed open with a loud bang.
"The Red-Bearded Heavenly Lord's dojo has been discovered. Do you wish to challenge him? Upon victory, you will receive the Red-Bearded Heavenly Lord's inheritance!"
"Red-Bearded Heavenly Lord, humph, very well, Heaven Corpse, I will help you seize this inheritance. You go and fight, I will assist you from the side!" Since obtaining the Three Yin Six Demons inheritance, Li Wei's perception has become dozens of times stronger due to the three Yin Gods. He could vaguely sense that the strength of this so-called 'Red-Bearded Heavenly Lord' should be stronger than that of the Myriad Ghosts Demon Venerable. According to the power of celestial bodies, he should have the strength of more than sixty celestial bodies. If it were before, Li Wei would really not be his match, but now, with the Three Yin Gods and the Six Demon Artifacts, even three Red-Bearded Heavenly Lords would not frighten Li Wei.
The Heaven Corpse could also sense the power of the Red-Bearded Heavenly Lord, but since Li Wei said he would help him, he was naturally happy to take on the challenge. After all, it would be foolish to refuse a chance to become stronger.
"It seems that following Li Wei isn't such a bad thing after all. After all, he really takes good care of his own people!" This thought popped into Heaven Corpse's mind, and then he accepted the challenge.
With a loud boom, the palace of the Red-Bearded Heavenly Lord began to expand, growing a hundred times, then a thousand times larger. Then, a cloud of mist shot out, engulfing Li Wei and the Heaven Corpse into the palace.
The palace felt like another space. Li Wei felt that this move was similar to his 'Great Star Realm'. However, the space in this palace was not as vast and boundless as his Great Star Realm.
Inside the palace stood a statue. This statue was several meters tall, clad in armor, draped in a red sash, with a long crimson beard, exuding an imposing aura, and holding two enormous Golden-Copper Thunder Hammers in its hands.
"Is this the Red-Bearded Heavenly Lord?" Li Wei thought to himself.
Soon, the human figure came to life. Upon seeing the Heaven Corpse, it didn't say a word, but flew down and swung its hammer to smash it.
The Heaven Corpse's expression tightened, and he hurriedly used his special skill. He tore off a piece of flesh from his body and threw it out. The piece of flesh transformed into a hideous demonic corpse puppet, attempting to block the attack of the Red-Bearded Heavenly Lord.
However, the power of the Red-Bearded Heavenly Lord's Golden-Copper Thunder Hammers was terrifying. With a loud bang, it shattered the huge demonic corpse puppet into pieces, sending bits of flesh flying everywhere.
"Hehe, I, the Heaven Corpse, have roamed various star fields for hundreds of years. If I didn't have some skills, I would have been wiped out long ago. Moreover, my master helped me refine the star body within my body, greatly increasing my strength. Behold my Beast Corpse Method!"
The Heaven Corpse let out a strange cry, a green light flashing in its eyes. It suddenly slammed out a palm, and under the force of this palm strike, the demonic corpse that had just been shattered by the Red-Bearded Heavenly Lord suddenly reassembled, transforming into a monstrous beast that pounced like lightning and bit off one of the Red-Bearded Heavenly Lord's fingers.
"Heaven Corpse Secret Art, Concentrate Spirit and Body, Myriad Corpse World, Rise!"
The Heaven Corpse made a hand seal, and the monstrous beast that had just swallowed the Red-Bearded Heavenly Lord's finger suddenly swelled up, transforming into a monstrous monster with a huge belly. The entire beast was composed of flesh and blood, and it looked incredibly terrifying. Soon, several gashes suddenly split open from the beast's belly, and one after another, pale-faced monsters emerged. Although they were humanoid, they had no facial features; only one monster with sharp teeth crawled out of the cracks. These corpse monsters continued to emerge, and once they did, they fearlessly pounced on the Red-Bearded Heavenly Lord.
Although the latter was brave, it couldn't withstand the sheer number of wolves. With one swing of its hammer, several corpse monsters were shattered, and even more corpse monsters rushed over in fear.
"Hahaha, I, the Heaven Corpse, am not someone to be trifled with. Master, you don't need to take action this time..." Before the Heaven Corpse could finish speaking, he saw the Red-Bearded Heavenly Lord roar, raise his twin hammers, and slam them into the ground.
Bang! Bang!
Two visible waves burst forth, shattering countless corpse monsters, and even the large-bellied ferocious beast, into dust and completely dissipating.
"How could this be? It actually exceeds the power of sixty stars! Damn it, it's three times more than me! Master... save me!" The Heaven Corpse panicked at this moment. This attack from the opponent directly killed all the corpse monsters he had painstakingly refined. He was far from being a match for this Heavenly Monarch.