The Heaven Patroler's numb gaze showed no fluctuation. Perhaps in his eyes, the Blackwater City Lord was no different from a dead man. His gaze never lingered on the Blackwater City Lord; it was fixed in one direction from beginning to end.
boom!
A deafening roar echoed across the land, and the Land of Exile, silent for countless years, trembled violently, as if a meteorite had fallen upon the earth.
A massive sword aura erupted in the sky above Blackwater City. The energy core within the city lord's body instantly activated its defenses, but under the power of this Heaven-Slaying One Sword, the energy core lost its defensive capabilities.
A deafening roar echoed throughout the heavens and earth, causing countless creatures to live in fear and unease on the land. This was the punishment from the Heaven Patroler, the wrath of the Heaven Patroler.
Meanwhile, the cultivators within the city began channeling their Magic Power to prepare for the sword energy's descent, knowing they had no other choice but to do their utmost for Blackwater City.
But the Heaven Patroler's attack was no ordinary one. Under the Heaven-Slaying One Sword, even the energy core was useless, and the cultivators' attacks were like throwing eggs against rocks.
Watching the flat fields outside the city turn into desert in an instant, and the moat that had flowed for countless years being cut in half.
It had blocked the attacks of the Mist Beast countless times. The turbulent river water was evaporated in an instant by the sword energy, and the "whooshing" sound of the flowing water disappeared in an instant. Today, there is no longer a turbulent river in front of Blackwater City.
The sword energy continued to fall inch by inch, and the strange phenomena in the energy core shattered layer by layer, as if they were being squeezed by a huge energy force. The energy core could no longer protect the city.
The immense energy emanating from the giant city began to dissipate, while the Eternity Ice Mist that permeated the area outside the city began to spread, making the Mist Beast ' attacks simple and effective.
A group of cultivators in the city were instantly annihilated by the massive sword energy, while another group of cultivators, with expressions of horror, lost their lives forever within the Eternity Ice Mist.
The Blackwater City Lord remained calm throughout, his eyes reflecting a scene of apocalypse.
Protected by the energy core, he was not harmed by the sword energy. However, the Eternity Ice Mist condensing around him increased, and several Human Python keenly focused their attention on him.
boom!
The massive city was suddenly lifted up by a force that seemed to fall from the sky.
It was as if a heavy object had been suddenly dropped from one end of a seesaw; the main body of the city, which had stood on the earth for countless years, was now suspended in the air.
At the city gate, it had already been shattered by a huge sword aura. The sword aura showed no signs of stopping. Like a giant hand, it slammed the gate into the imprisoned ground.
Endless smoke and dust erupted like a volcanic eruption, and thick fog and smoke instantly engulfed the massive Blackwater City.
The sword energy brought rolling waves of energy that ravaged Blackwater City, shattering the once glorious achievements of the great city into sand and dust.
As the energy core's defenses were breached by the sword energy, one end of the city was immediately shoved into the ground. The cultivators within either died or fled, and the sparks of civilization were all buried in the smoke and dust.
The muffled thuds came from underground, and the immense power of the sword energy finally subsided. However, the land within a radius of ten thousand miles of Blackwater City was completely turned into a vast expanse of yellow sand under the sword energy.
This place has since become a lifeless land, a wasteland of civilization.
However, directly in front of Blackwater City, a huge basin was cleaved out by the sword energy.
The dissipated sword energy condensed automatically in the basin and did not dissipate. At that Space-Time, the blazing sun shone down, forever recording this apocalyptic moment.
The gate of Blackwater City, once a symbol of civilization and glory, is now buried deep in the darkness of the earth, just as the bodies of the cultivators are shrouded in mist.
The apocalyptic scene of Blackwater City was reflected in his eyes. The city lord had lost all will to resist, and the power of the energy core within his body had been subdued.
As an ancient deity, he already knew that Blackwater City had come to an end today, and the civilization in the Land of Exile had come to an end.
He stood in the center of Blackwater City, surrounded by several Human Python, and the Eternity Ice Mist had already begun to condense around his body.
The city lord stood in the center of the city and looked at the megacity one last time. This was the cradle of civilization in the Land of Exile, but today it has sunk to the ground!
The light in his eyes dimmed, his expression stiffened, and the city lord, like Blackwater City, fell into eternal silence.
As Blackwater City fell, the Heaven Patroler vanished from the sky in an instant, and the Mist Beast took their place in the final cleanup.
His mission was simple: to completely annihilate these stubborn elements who had been exiled to the Land of Exile. Therefore, he would never let go of any opportunity to annihilate the gods.
He first instigated conflict between the Mist Beast and the cultivators, then had the gods intervene during the battle, and finally intervened to completely annihilate the gods.
The Heaven Patroler had to deal with a large group of people. Although he was not strong enough, he could wear them down. He had no worries about resource depletion in the Land of Exile, while the gods gradually fell under his strangulation.
Only the true ancient gods could barely survive the repeated annihilation, but under the cruel methods of the Heaven Patroler, even they had to be completely suppressed and sealed, losing all contact with the outside world.
Throughout the endless ages, the gods and the Heaven Patroler have remained locked in a standoff. Even after the gods and powerful beings fell, their descendants still thrived in the cities of the Land of Exile, and their conflict even became history in the Land of Exile.
Even the Blackwater City Lord, who possessed an energy core, was no match for the Heaven Patroler. That Heaven-Slaying One Sword was actually a casual strike from the Heaven Patroler!
The massive city's defenses were breached in a single attack, and the ruins that had slumbered underground for millennia served as the city's entrance!
The rushing water was the turbulent moat, but it has been evaporated by the sword energy. The huge basin outside the city is the result of the sword energy.
However, the moat that once flowed through the basin is now gone, and only mirages continue to replay the events that once occurred.
A mighty river was cut in half by the sword energy and then evaporated completely; a city with an energy core had its defenses breached in one strike and was then buried by yellow sand.
This is the Heaven Patroler's Heaven-Slaying One Sword, this is a casual strike from the Heavenly Immortal, this is a thought that can destroy the world!
The gods versus the Heaven Patroler? In the Land of Exile, the gods are certainly no match for the Heaven Patroler, their own power has already declined, not to mention the Heaven Patroler control the Mist Beast!
Thoughts flashed through Xu Long's mind. He finally found the information about the Blackwater City anomaly ten thousand years ago in the middle-aged cultivator's memories. He never expected that it was the Heaven Patroler who personally destroyed Blackwater City.
Under the overwhelming force of the Heaven Patroler, no powerful deity could resist for long. Even those great gods who were not immediately annihilated were certainly sealed away under the Heaven Patroler's oppression.
Could the Ancestral Spirit Ancestral Spirit also be part of the seal? As a former ancient god, having lost contact with cultivators, where is it sealed away?
Xu Long felt a surge of emotion. By drawing upon the middle-aged cultivator's complex memories, he finally found a trace of information about the Ancestral Spirit.
This was the first piece of information about the mission found in the Land of Exile. Although it contained Xu Long's own guesses, it was at least a clue that could be pieced together from the mess.
However, the middle-aged cultivator did not clearly recall several powerful ancient gods; he was perhaps just one of the stubborn deities who had survived the catastrophe.
This is a calamity for all cultivators, and an apocalypse for all living beings.
For both the old and new forces, this was nothing more than the bloody Rebirth Divine Hall of the nobility, the re-establishment of order, the manifestation of their powerful strength, and the realization of their ambitions.
As for those gods and great deities who lost power in the struggle, they were merely victims of the established order, left to "live and die" in their Land of Exile.
Xu Long's will slowly withdrew from the middle-aged cultivator's soul. To his surprise, the middle-aged cultivator, as an ancient god and the Blackwater City Lord, did not resist or use any hidden methods when Xu Long, a junior, searched his soul.
After Xu Long attempted to withdraw his will, he stopped channeling his Magic Power, and the Blackwater City Lord's body returned to normal within the mist.
When their eyes meet, countless pieces of information converge in that gaze, a look that has traversed countless years lingers today, and the past from history is revealed at this moment.
The city lord's aura was incredibly ancient and weathered, exuding a sense of sorrow and weariness, and revealing a decaying quality within his once ancient divine body.
Countless years of struggle had worn down his Dao Heart, and millennia of torment had made his soul incredibly fragile. He had already passed his glorious moment.
He was only preserved in the Eternity Ice Mist and did not completely disappear into history, but Xu Long's Magic Power resurrected him to the present moment.
For a moment, neither of them spoke or moved. The city lord still looked at Xu Long calmly, but there was no color left in his eyes.
Only a few specks of dust remained on his body, remnants from ten thousand years ago, preserved to this day along with the Eternity Ice Mist.
What were once tiny specks of dust now weighed heavily on his shoulders like a mountain, causing his once straight and upright body, which had been frozen into an ice sculpture, to now appear somewhat hunched.
As Xu Long's will completely withdrew, the body of the Blackwater City Lord in the darkness began to slowly blur, his aura began to decay, and his whole person was like a tattered, leaky cotton wadding, about to disappear from the world.
Xu Long's brows furrowed instantly, and his Magic Power power immediately condensed around his body. Sword light flashed beside him for a moment, and Xu Long's face was solemn in the darkness.
He guessed that this was a mutation that had occurred after the ancient deity returned to normal, so he immediately wanted to counterattack and seize the initiative without thinking.
Tensions immediately rose within the fragmented space, and a tense atmosphere arose between the two sides.
But then he discovered that the Blackwater City Lord did not react excessively, and his figure did indeed gradually disappear in the fragmented space.
Xu Long looked at the Black Water City Lord before him, and their eyes met again. In the Blackwater City Lord's gaze, Xu Long saw a long-lost sense of relief and a hint of gratitude.
The sword light that had just flashed subsided instantly, and the Magic Power that was about to surge from Xu Long's body was forcibly suppressed, instantly easing the atmosphere inside the hall.
Xu Long's heart continued to pound, and after he let out a heavy breath, the expression on his face finally calmed down a little.
The Blackwater City Lord had witnessed the ancient war between gods in his memories; the earth-shattering power of that war was enough to kill even immortals.
Although countless years have passed and their cultivation levels have declined in the Land of Exile, they are still more than capable of dealing with Xu Long.
Moreover, searching someone else's memories is a major taboo. Although the Blackwater City Lord has regained his freedom, there's no guarantee he won't turn on him ruthlessly. Therefore, Xu Long is on guard against him at all times.
The pressure he had been under earlier was too great, which explained his nervousness. Now, looking into the Blackwater City Lord's eyes, Xu Long understood that the Blackwater City Lord had no ulterior motives.
His figure gradually disappeared, signifying his self-destruction, the end of his cultivation path. He destroyed his Dao Mind Stone, and slept eternally in the Sea of Suffering and Calamity, allowing this once earth-shattering powerhouse to have a dignified end.
This is what humans call euthanasia, but since they are an immortal myth, they will forever slumber in the Sea of Suffering and Calamity and remain in history.
It is estimated that the city lord has spent his life rising and falling among the heavens, surviving the ancient cataclysm to this day, fighting against the Mist Beast in the Land of Exile, battling the Heaven Patroler, and then watching the land of cultivators sink in the Eternity Ice Mist.
The events that have occurred over the countless years are enough to exhaust him, who has been imprisoned by the Dao Heart. Even the once indestructible gods will grow old, the once undefeated myths will be replaced, and the once endless glory will come to an end.
His era has passed. Perhaps the city lord died the moment the Blackwater City was shattered by the Heaven Patroler's sword.
The Eternity Ice Mist froze the scene of destruction from ten thousand years ago, causing the city lord's time to stand still for ten thousand years, as he alone bore the vicissitudes of those ten thousand years within the mist.
The land of civilization, the land of fire, the land of myth, the land of indomitable spirit—all were reduced to fragments by that single sword strike.
The city lord's passion has been worn away by time, and they have reached the point of becoming part of history. The loneliness and vicissitudes of the past ten thousand years have shattered his Dao Heart.
Seeing this once civilized land reduced to a breeding ground for Mist Beast, the city lord must have felt utterly hopeless.
Even though Xu Long has restored his freedom today, the city lord's heart is already dead. He is unwilling to live a life of dishonor, and he cannot disintegrate within the Eternity Ice Mist.
Upon regaining his freedom, he immediately chose to dismember himself. Perhaps death was the best choice for him, hence his expression of relief and gratitude.
As for Xu Long examining his memories, the city lord didn't care at all. Countless years of suffering had completely killed his will, and he wouldn't care if his memories were slightly examined by someone.
Moreover, Xu Long didn't find the real secret either. For a powerful figure like the city lord, his memories would be obscured in the dark, and Xu Long had no clue about the details of the ancient cataclysm.
"Senior!"
Xu Long watched as the powerful figure disintegrated before his eyes, and he couldn't help but gasp in surprise. He took a step forward and reached out his hand in mid-air to try and catch the city lord's body.
After all, this is a true deity!
He is a deity who survived the great calamity of antiquity, a figure whose story has been sung for countless ages!
Although he's also a peripheral figure, he definitely knows more than Xu Long!
Please don't disintegrate now! I've brought you back to life, so at least give me a clue about your Ancestral Spirit!
Xu Long's arm caught the city lord's almost vanishing body in mid-air. The body was completely weightless, and a putrid aura emanated from it.
He fixed his gaze on Xu Long in front of him, and looked at Xu Long with a faint light in his eyes. For some reason, Xu Long's heart skipped a beat.
Then he raised his head and looked up at the dome above the hall, his eyes revealing a hint of defiance.
From being banished to his death far from Land of Exile, the city lord never managed to return to his original world.
He thought: Perhaps it will remain forever in the world of memory, only that the figure of a cultivator is missing. The story of the past has been told to this day, and another sleeping god has been added to the Sea of Suffering and Calamity!
At this moment, in the sky of a certain world among the heavens, a tiny shooting star suddenly streaked across the sky, leaving a long trail before disappearing into the star-studded Milky Way.
The cultivators in this world didn't pay much attention to this insignificant shooting star. Little did they know that it was merely a microcosm of a wanderer returning home after years of wandering.
The ancient deity, Blackwater City Lord, has fallen!
Xu Long sighed with a slight tremor. A once powerful figure had completely vanished from his arm, and a once earth-shattering god had perished in the Land of Exile.
A living deity had become history before his eyes, and Xu Long felt a sense of loss for no reason.
His arm remained in the gesture of being pulled up, but the figure in his arm had vanished completely. Xu Long stared sadly at the empty space in his arm.
Just as he was about to retract his arm, he suddenly felt something appear within it. His scattered will instantly solidified in front of him, and his arm, suspended in mid-air, slowly closed towards his chest.
An invisible will completely enveloped the area in front of him, and Xu Long felt a powerful energy rising and falling within his arms.
He carefully and slowly closed his arms, using his will to seal off the space in front of him, preventing the energy from leaking out at all.
A faint light flickered in Xu Long's Heavenly Eye, and the immense energy in his arm was instantly broken down, with Xu Long's will slowly probing into it.
Within that boundless energy, he saw a different sun, moon, and stars; he perceived a different law of heaven and earth; he felt a different rule of the world.
His will was like a small wave within it, surging and rolling with the rise and fall of the immense energy, constantly rising and falling in the ocean-like energy.
Within its boundless energy lies an overwhelming power, and its indomitable will is particularly evident.
His will swiftly traversed the energy, and after confirming that there was no hidden danger, he intended to completely envelop the energy with his immense will.
He wanted to see what the energy in the arm was after the Blackwater City Lord's body disintegrated!
Xu Long's immense will swept rapidly through the energy, and images kept flashing through his mind.
It contains the rising and setting of the sun and moon, the changing seasons, the wind, thunder, rain, and lightning, and the Reincarnation Temple of Heavenly Dao.
It contains boundless energy, endless Daoist principles, inherited songs, and undying glory!
Xu Long had already released most of his will into this vast energy, but to his surprise, it had not completely enveloped it.
His immense willpower far surpassed that of his peers, enough to glimpse the Saint Realm, yet he still couldn't discern the true nature of this energy!
As his arms gradually closed, the energy in the air was gathered into his embrace, exerting a heavy pressure on Xu Long. He was startled; this energy was quite heavy!
At that moment, his mind raced, and he simply channeled his Magic Power into the energy in his arms.
If one can circulate Magic Power within it, then one can certainly nurture and cultivate it within one's body. If one cannot inject Magic Power, then it proves that this extraordinary treasure is not one's destined opportunity.
As Magic Power will surged into his body, Xu Long established a connection with this immense energy. At that moment, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
This energy is so vast and magnificent, and the world within it even possesses its own rules... Could this be...?
As Magic Power was continuously poured in and willpower was constantly invaded, the energy in his arms revealed its true form: a perfectly round sphere of light slowly rotating within him.
The sphere of light resembles a hollowed-out bell, but upon closer inspection, it is found to be composed of countless layers, and it can even levitate automatically in the air.
As the Magic Power circulated within, the inner and outer layers rotated simultaneously. Xu Long's will sensed the immense energy within the sphere bell undergoing a cataclysmic upheaval.
The sun, moon, and stars all reversed their course, and rivers, seas, and lakes all transformed into towering, raging waves, while the ball-shaped bell suspended in the air maintained a stable balance.
Layers of light shimmered within the bell, giving it a mysterious aura. Once the will completely enveloped the bell's interior, an extremely ancient aura emanated from it.
A close connection was formed between Xu Long and the bell, and his will was now able to mobilize the immense energy within it.
This is the energy core of Blackwater City!
There wasn't a single trace left by other cultivators; this was a pure energy core!
Xu Long only needs to leave his mark on it to truly possess this precious energy core!
Only then did Xu Long realize that the Blackwater City Lord's last profound look was a sign that he had removed all the markings from his energy core and given it to Xu Long after his self-destruction.
The energy core was created by several true ancient gods, and the energy within it is equivalent to a complete small world. The amount of energy it contains is undoubtedly enormous for Xu Long.
Most importantly, it contains the insights of the ancient gods into the myriad worlds. If one immerses oneself in it and constantly ponders the truths and insights left behind by the ancient gods, this is something that can truly lead one onto the path of immortality!
Possessing this energy core in the Land of Exile would give a city the confidence to fight against the Mist Beast!
Although the Blackwater City was shattered by the Heaven Patroler, its energy core was not damaged much, making it a truly significant treasure.
It contains the energy and truth of a world, a rare treasure that could drive countless people mad!
It was precisely because of this extraordinary treasure that the Blackwater City Lord's ice sculpture body was not parasitized by the Mist Beast. Xu Long, however, saw countless ice sculpture cultivators being parasitized beneath the Human Python's body.
It is evident that the power within the energy core could withstand the erosion of the Mist Beast's innate divine abilities, which allowed the Blackwater City Lord, who had turned into an ice sculpture, to survive for ten thousand years.
But unexpectedly, on his deathbed, the Blackwater City Lord removed all the marks from this extraordinary treasure.
Moreover, if Xu Long hadn't taken that final step to try and persuade the city lord to stay, this energy core would have remained dormant in the Sea of Suffering and Calamity along with the city lord.
Xu Long looked at the ball bell in his arms, recalling bits and pieces of the city lord's memories, and a strange emotion appeared in his eyes.
This serendipitous event was truly wondrous; it was indeed the will of Heaven in the dark!
The energy within this core is enough to make a city self-contained. If other major powers in the Land of Exile were to obtain it, it would surely unleash a bloodbath.
Then, it falls into the hands of a certain power, and after being tempered by blood and fire, a civilized land similar to Blackwater City will appear in the Land of Exile.
The significance of this energy core was immense, but Xu Long didn't dwell on it much; in his hands, the energy core could only be completely absorbed.
After all, the immense energy and world truths contained within are inexhaustible, making it perfect for True Dragon Clone.
His mission in this world is to find and save the Ancestral Spirit, not to become Savior in the Land of Exile. The Blackwater City Lord's life is an absolute model for cultivators.
But Xu Long is not Saint. After obtaining the energy core, he does not need to use it to fight against the Mist Beast. He only needs to complete the world mission.
Moreover, he sensed that his experiences in Blackwater City were far from simple. The Blackwater City Lord, an ancient deity, was willing to disintegrate; was the mastermind behind it all truly just the Heaven Patroler?
Xu Long felt a growing sense of urgency rising within him; he seemed to be increasingly unable to understand this world mission.
Powerful beings like the Blackwater City Lord and the Heaven Patroler have already appeared in their own worlds. Where, then, are those ancient gods in the Land of Exile?
The clues to the Ancestral Spirit were once again cut off, and according to the fragmented memories of the Blackwater City Lord, the only remaining Taigu God in the Land of Exile had been completely sealed by the Heaven Patroler.
With the Heaven Patroler guarding the city, escape is impossible. Now that there are no more clues about the Ancestral Spirit in Blackwater City, we have to go all the way to Phoenix City, which Deng Shouchong mentioned.
After all, this is a city abandoned for ten thousand years. Finding out that the Ancestral Spirit may have been sealed by the Heaven Patroler is enough. We should search for more detailed clues about the Ancestral Spirit in the places where civilization continues.
Xu Long searched desperately for clues in the Land of Exile, but the sense of urgency in his heart grew stronger and stronger, as if something was driving him toward a preordained path, making Xu Long, who was in the midst of the situation, vaguely see through the fog.
The Land of Exile is not a normal, stable world. He had already learned in Blackwater City that the forces here were deeply entrenched, so there was no point in talking about right or wrong. To survive here, one could only rely on strength.
Xu Long estimated that he couldn't even withstand the Heaven-Slaying- Sword of the Heaven Patroler, so he should focus on improving the strength of his clone in the Land of Exile.
Once his clone breaks through from the Mahayana Stage to the Immortal Realm, Xu Long will have the confidence to sweep away everything!
Since we can't change the situation now, we can only go with the flow. So we still need to go to Phoenix City with Deng Shouchong to make a decision.
Having anticipated this, he understood perfectly, and then his gaze settled on the sphere-shaped bell floating in front of him. As it rotated in and out, layers of light flowed through it, and there was a powerful energy fluctuation within his will.
After leaving his mark, the energy core already belonged to Xu Long. With a thought, the sphere that was floating in the air slowly merged into Xu Long's body for the first time, following his will.
At this moment, Xu Long's gaze sharpened as he detected an anomaly in the will spreading throughout the hall.
Before they could investigate further, a creaking sound rang out, and the two tightly closed doors inside the main hall were suddenly opened again.
"Fellow Mo Yu! What are you doing here!"
"Where does Fellow Daoist Deng come from!"
Deng Shouchong's eyes held an expression of disbelief, while a look of extreme joy remained frozen on his face, making his expression look particularly awkward.
He stood at the entrance of the main hall, looking at Xu Long inside, and then greeted him in an extremely astonished tone.
Xu Long, who Fusion the energy core inside the main hall, turned around when he heard a "creak".
When the doors of the main hall opened, his eyes met Deng Shouchong's for a moment, and both of them saw shock in each other's eyes.
The ball bell that had been floating in front of Xu Long had disappeared. He stood alone inside the hall, as if searching for something, before being interrupted by Deng Shouchong, who had entered later.
After exchanging surprised greetings, neither of them spoke for a moment. Only a faint glint flashed in their eyes as they stared at each other in the air, and an eerie atmosphere rose within the hall.
At this moment, Xu Long's left eye was completely white. Deng Shouchong looked at Xu Long, whose expression was somewhat ferocious, and his heart skipped a beat. When he first glanced at Xu Long, he was indeed frightened by his appearance.
Just as he was about to step into the dome, the faint light in his eyes vanished in an instant, Deng Shouchong standing with one foot rooted to the spot, somewhat at a loss.
He secretly used a secret technique to carefully examine the interior of the hall. The faint light in his eyes flickered violently before extinguishing again. At that moment, his heart sank:
The thing is gone!
Xu Long watched Deng Shouchong enter the main hall without saying a word. The Fusion ball bell had already been placed inside his body at the last moment.
His current question is: how did Deng Shouchong find this fragmented space in the City Lord's Manor? And how was he able to enter it through legitimate means?
Xu Long entered the fragmented space using the incantation taught by Professor Hong Gu, manipulating the external array to open the main hall.
How did Deng Shouchong come to know the incantation for the array outside the City Lord's Manor? Or how did he know there were extraordinary treasures within the fragmented space?