He took a deep, slow breath, forcibly circulated his cultivation technique, suppressed his surging blood and turbulent mind, and tried to calm his agitated emotions.
Only after several breaths did he gradually adapt to the light filling the entire space and slowly open his eyes.
At last, he could clearly see the full extent of the grand hall.
The hall was square, over a thousand zhang in both length and width, magnificent beyond compare. The surrounding walls were not pure darkness, but made from some dark golden material. Countless reliefs and totems rich with ancient charm were carved upon them, interspersed with large amounts of strange writing similar to that on the bronze stele, recording sealed histories and secrets.
The ground beneath his feet was neither metal nor jade, warm yet hard to the touch. Countless complex, dazzling patterns were carved into it. Like rivers flowing into the sea, all those patterns ultimately extended and converged toward the deepest part of the hall.
Gu Sheng followed the direction in which the countless patterns on the floor converged.
At the end of the hall, where the patterns terminated, stood a colossal object... a thousand zhang tall!
Its entire body was dark gold, shaped like an enormous divine bird standing proudly with its wings half-spread, ready to take flight. Its head was held high, as though gazing upon the heavens. Even after lying dormant for countless ages, it still radiated a terrifying pressure that looked down upon the world and scorned the entire cosmos!
At first, Gu Sheng found the colossal object's shape familiar. Then he immediately recognized that its bearing and aura were almost exactly identical to the miniature Golden Winged Great Peng statue he had seen outside, the one that served as the key to the secret realm's entrance!
But