As Ji Zining stepped into the golden hall, Jun Yi's voice rang out from the Abyssal Spirit Hall, where the hair ornament was pinned in her hair.
"Be careful, something's wrong with this guy. His soul has completely perished, yet he can still make a sound."
"I suspect he was Great Emperor corrupted by it, and has become abnormal."
"Constantly practice the Heavenly Purity Mystic Art to maintain your mental clarity, and be extremely careful..."
As Ji Zining's body completely entered the golden hall, Jun Yi's voice abruptly stopped.
Sensing all this, Ji Zining narrowed her eyes and stopped moving.
Good heavens, they actually blocked her senses from the Abyssal Spirit Hall, completely cutting off Jun Yi's voice.
This golden hall is definitely not normal!
The Great Emperor corrupted by it?
It seems we really need to be extra careful this time, otherwise we won't know where to turn for justice if things go wrong.
The voice within this golden hall must have originated from one of the powerful Great Emperor who besieged it in ancient times.
However, things started to go wrong after this powerful Great Emperor fell.
The Heavenly Purity Mystic Art was constantly in operation. After confirming that her condition was normal, Ji Zining continued forward.
Let me see exactly what's wrong with you!
Upon entering the main hall, the entire hall was bathed in golden light; not a single place was dark.
Everything in sight was bright and clear.
Deep inside the main hall, Ji Zining saw a figure sitting cross-legged.
The figure appeared both imposing and remarkably fragile; the interplay of these two contradictory feelings created a rather strange sight.
The figure was carrying Ji Zining on its back and did not move an inch.
Gazing at the figure's back ahead, Ji Zining's eyes revealed a knowing look.
Wasn't it this guy who let her in to investigate?
"Who are you? Why did you establish the Black Demon City? And what about the questions I just asked?"
"You said you could find out everything once you came in. Now, shouldn't you tell me?"
The words echoed in the silent golden hall.
Even as the sound faded away, the figure remained motionless and silent.
Ji Zining frowned.
"Not going to say anything? If you're not going to say anything, I'm leaving. I've seen the true face of this place; there's no need for me to stay any longer."
This time, before the words had even finished, the previous deep voice rang out again.
"I can only speak with my back to you, because if I turn around, I'll scare you."
"I hate how I look now, so there's no need for others to know."
"As for my name, it's too long ago, I don't remember it. I only remember that some beings once called me the Light Emperor Venerable!"
Light Emperor Venerable!
Ji Zining an eyebrow.
This title is absolutely fitting.
Cultivating the Great Dao of Light and achieving the status of Great Emperor —calling him the Light Emperor Venerable —could be more than accurate.
But would her appearance frighten her? This piqued Ji Zining's curiosity.
How ugly must one be to feel that they will scare others, and even to the point of hating their own appearance?
After a moment's hesitation, Ji Zining spoke.
"Appearance is only part of the body, and once the body decays, it is nothing more than a handful of dust."
"Appearances are just for distinguishing people; if you care too much about them, you'll fall into a trap."
"Senior, as a Great Emperor, surely you can't even comprehend this point?"
His back trembled slightly, as if startled by Ji Zining's words.
"Appearances are only for distinguishing who is who? But my current appearance is not what I used to look like!"
"After I perished, I awoke here, and my appearance had become... incredibly hideous!"
As he spoke, the figure stood up and then slowly turned around under Ji Zining's gaze.
When Ji Zining saw the face of the person in the back view, her pupils suddenly contracted.
This is... really, really ugly!
It's not just ugly, it's downright inhuman!
The mouth is where the nose is, and the eyes are on either side of the pockmarked cheeks.
Most importantly, the nose is located between the eyebrows, resembling a third eye.
What species is this?
In that instant, Ji Zining understood why the person in the back view had their back to her.
This is for her own good!
Seeing the change in Ji Zining's expression, the Light Emperor Venerable smiled wryly.
"As expected, no one can ignore my appearance."
"More importantly, I can't commit suicide, nor can I leave this place, and I don't know how much time has passed."
"You're the first human I've seen since I woke up here!"
"My previous summoning was because I sensed the aura of the Exquisite Immortal Physique within you; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to summon you from such a distance."
Upon hearing this, Ji Zining snapped out of her daze and frowned.
Unable to leave this golden hall, unable even to commit suicide—am I imprisoned here?
This is somewhat similar to Jun Yi, who is currently in the Abyssal Spirit Hall, except that Jun Yi has already lost both his soul and spirit.
It was his imperial weapon Abyssal Spirit Hall, that re-condensed his divine soul and brought it into the Abyssal Spirit Hall to slumber.
This Light Emperor Venerable is rather tragic; he doesn't even know how he got here.
Taking a deep breath, Ji Zining voice.
"So, you didn't build Black Demon City?"
Unable to leave this place, they naturally lack the ability to build such a vast city.
But if it wasn't built by the Light Emperor Venerable, then who could it be?
The Light Emperor Venerable shook his head in response.
"You're wrong about that. I built this Black Demon City, or rather, I built it using these Black Demon as a front."
"Apart from the structure you're wearing on your head, all the other buildings were constructed by me using the power of light to assimilate the Black Demon."
"As for when the building above your head appeared, I have no idea, because it was already there when I woke up."
Upon hearing this, Ji Zining looked enlightened.
Using the hands of the Black Demon to build a city is indeed an amazing idea from the Light Emperor Venerable.
"Wait, you mentioned Black Demon. Could it be that these Black Demon were here when you woke up?"
Ji Zining thought of the giant Black Demon eggs she had encountered in the dense forest on her way to Black Demon City, as well as the Black Demon in their growth stage.
Could this place be a natural breeding ground for Black Demon?!
The Light Emperor Venerable nodded slightly.
"That's right, that's exactly it. These Black Demon were originally fighting here, but I found them too noisy, so I had the power of light assimilate them."
"Under my control, they will only attack when foreign creatures show hostility."
"Having them here makes me feel less lonely."
Upon hearing this, Ji Zining nodded, her expression becoming serious.
It seems this place can indeed spontaneously generate Black Demon!
This Ancient Chaos Graveyard has become increasingly mysterious since we arrived here!
Composing herself, Ji Zining looked at the Light Emperor Venerable.
"Are you the Great Emperor who perished in the battle against it? Was it it that turned you into this state? Did you come into contact with the Exquisite Immortal Physique?"
"And regarding my initial question, are the changes in the Ancient Chaos Graveyard related to you?"
Upon hearing the word "it, "the Light Emperor Venerable's body trembled violently, and fear appeared in his eyes.
"I know nothing about the Ancient Chaos Graveyard, but I know it very well!"
"That's right, it infected all of our self-destructing Great Emperor before it died, leaving us in a state of unbearable suffering!"
"The reason I'm familiar with the Exquisite Immortal Physique is because I'm a descendant of the Empress Linglong!"