Having survived for many years in the barren earth's crust, they have become like corpse puppets, devoid of any lifelike agility.
Some gods had already perished in the great battle against the Ancestral Spirit, and the surviving gods were slowly withering away under the erosion of time. At this point, the gods that Xu Long saw could be described as living dead.
They were left here by the Heaven Patroler to guard the Ancestral Spirit, and have not left the earth's crust for countless years.
The Undying and Indestructible Body that once existed has decayed over time; what remains before Xu Long is merely a corpse with lingering consciousness.
However, even this corpse terrified him greatly. When the True Spirit swept over, Xu Long felt an immense sense of crisis.
It wasn't for any other reason than that he sensed the aura of the Heaven Patroler emanating from these ancient deities!
The ancient gods alone were not enough to make Xu Long escape. After all, countless years had passed, and their former glory had long been buried in history, leaving only their shells.
They are now merely living dead within the earth's crust, not enough to make Xu Long risk his life to escape. Only the Heaven Patroler would instill fear in Xu Long.
That Heaven-Slaying One Sword left a deep impression on him. When he saw the figure in the darkness by the light of his own eyes, he immediately recognized it as an ancient deity left behind by the Heaven Patroler.
The young man had already discovered the arrangement within the earth's crust through ancient secrets, while Xu Long, after meeting them, was still pondering:
Is there any connection between these ancient deities and the Heaven Patroler?
Didn't they completely perish within the Earth's crust?
When he came into contact with the True Spirit again, he could already sense the aura of the Heaven Patroler within it.
Xu Long was immediately shocked. Could it be that the Heaven Patroler had also entered the Earth's crust?
The passage opened by the city lord leads into the earth's crust; their purpose is to find the Ancestral Spirit, and the Heaven Patroler are chasing after them must be trying to annihilate them.
Xu Long's goal is also to save the Ancestral Spirit. If they were to encounter Xu Long Xu Long, the Heaven Patroler would probably not hesitate to strike him with a sword.
Xu Long anticipated this, which is why he had to flee for his life!
He had already sensed the aura of the Heaven Patroler within the True Spirit of the ancient gods, which indicated that the Heaven Patroler had very likely already arrived in the Earth's crust, but it was unknown where he would appear.
After all, the Earth's crust is incredibly vast, and Xu Long has no clues about finding the city lord. It's unlikely the Heaven Patroler would arrive so quickly...
However, these ancient gods should be connected with the Heaven Patroler. If they are annihilated, the Heaven Patroler will definitely know, and their location will be exposed.
With a loud "whoosh," Xu Long's figure swept quickly across the slag heap, with countless magma rolling beneath him.
A torrent of heat surged forth from the boiling magma, carrying with it an intense energy that spread throughout the earth's crust.
Xu Long was heading towards the direction of the flashing lightning, knowing he had to get to the core as soon as possible.
This is a race against time with the Heaven Patroler; the longer they stay in the lava waves, the less time they have to save the Ancestral Spirit.
However, the ancient deities behind him clearly had no intention of letting him go. Upon discovering that a cultivator had entered the earth's crust, the ancient deities were instantly awakened.
They had been mired in this desolate world for countless years, where even their souls had been almost corrupted and decayed.
Startled by something unusual, they all turned their gazes in the same direction.
They felt no emotion when they saw cultivators perish in the sea of fire, for this was the perilous earth's crust.
Back then, when Feng Fuxi ambushed the Heaven Patroler amidst the magma waves, the forces of nature managed to injure Heaven Patroler, demonstrating the power of these magma waves.
That intense energy was something that ordinary cultivators could not withstand. These cultivators, who were like ants, dared to venture into the earth's crust. No matter what their purpose was, they were only courting death.
The ancient gods coldly watched as the cultivator vanished into a wisp of gas in the sea of fire, remaining hidden in the shadows, their eyes numb as they observed the scene.
These cultivators were nothing more than ants in the Land of Exile, and the scene before them was merely a rare spectacle in their desolate years.
They watched as the ants struggled desperately in the sea of fire, only to be eventually engulfed by the waves of lava.
Their numb eyes remained devoid of any emotion; their expressions were as stiff as cold machines. The cultivators who vanished in the sea of fire could not move them in the slightest.
But when they turned their gaze, they saw a burst of light rising from the lava wave, which instantly shattered the rolling lava wave.
Beneath the fierce edge, a wave of heat was cleaved through, and a streak of light, accompanied by raging flames, burst forth, drawing the attention of the ancient deities to this cultivator.
The power of that sword light was extraordinary, especially when it slashed down into the lava wave in mid-air.
They even saw a trace of the power of the Heaven Patroler's bronze sword in the sword light.
The ancient god, whose heart had been numb for many years, felt a long-lost sense of surprise. He could hardly believe his own eyes and senses.
Because the power emanating from that sword light was actually...
A beggar's version of the Heaven-Slaying One Sword!
Well, even though it's a basic version, it confirms that this person should have some connection with the Heaven Patroler. It's just unknown what his intentions are in coming into the Earth's crust.
Despite some doubts in their hearts, the ancient gods did not step into the magma wave.
That's a natural force capable of harming the Heaven Patroler; if I were to enter, I would also be in danger.
With some reservations, they watched silently as Xu Long broke through the magma and emerged.
After Xu Long emerged from the magma eruption area, a vast array of True Spirit stiffly rushed towards Xu Long, wanting to ascertain the origins of this cultivator from underground.
By the time their True Spirit arrived, Xu Long had already fled at the speed of light, as if he were running for his life.
Upon seeing this, the ancient deities realized that this person was definitely not connected to the Heaven Patroler, and was most likely a cultivator who had come to find Feng Fuxi.
According to the Heaven Patroler, even after countless years, some ancient remnants still survive in the Land of Exile, and their purpose has probably not changed: to rescue Feng Fuxi.
Given that the ancient deities here already know where you, Xu Long, came from, if you were truly a cultivator sent by the Heaven Patroler, you should have made contact with them first. Why would you choose to flee when the True Spirit arrive?
Clang!
Clang!
Two ear-piercing metallic scraping sounds exploded within the earth's crust!
The bronze short sword at his waist seemed to have been sheathed for a long time. When it was activated by his will, the friction between the blade and the scabbard produced a metallic clang.
The voice was exceptionally familiar to the ancient god. When the short sword was drawn, a fleeting look of daze crossed his numb eyes, as if he were recalling the past of this weapon from countless years ago.
They once fought beyond the heavens; they once fought against the ancient gods.
They once thirsted for the blood of the mighty, and they once beheaded giants.
They once brought an era to an end, and they also once ushered in an era.
Over the years, they have been sheathed and their former glory sealed within the scabbard.
The bronze short swords at their waists, like themselves, once stood beyond the heavens, gazing at the sky without yielding.
However, they were utterly defeated over time, Undying and Indestructible Body could only eke out a living in the darkness.
When it was drawn again, it still carried a chilling glint from countless years ago; the sword energy left over from the ancient times burst forth at this moment!
"Ancient remnant... You are an ancient remnant... You are to rescue Feng Fuxi! You deserve to die!"
The deity watched Xu Long's fleeing figure, and his gaze immediately turned cold.
His withered face was torn apart by a force, as if his mouth had been opened stiffly, and these words were squeezed out intermittently from the depths of his heart.
His cold gaze turned murderous as he spoke, and his withered face became deeply furrowed, making him look particularly ferocious and terrifying.
As the god watched Xu Long head towards the Center, he thought to himself: This fellow is indeed a remnant of the ancient times. Since you have come to the earth's crust to seek death, then I will grant your wish!
"Imperial Edict!"
The deity uttered a single word from behind, and the unsheathed short sword shot out towards Xu Long's back.
Despite being sheathed and sealed away for countless years, when it was drawn again, the killing intent emanating from the short sword was already sharp and fierce.
The word "divine" made Xu Long inwardly groan.
He was teleported into the earth's crust by the city lord, and suffered heavy losses just by crossing the sea of fire and lava.
After encountering the deity, Xu Long sensed the presence of the Heaven Patroler. Seeing that the situation was not good, Xu Long wanted to speed up his escape, but just as the deity was about to attack again, the bronze short sword was already behind him.
The chilling aura emanating from the hand sent a jolt through Xu Long. His will snapped back to reality as he saw a massive streak of light hurtling towards him from behind.
Just moments ago it was a small short sword at his waist, but now it has sprung up behind him like lightning.
The lightning bolt struck with incredible speed, piercing Xu Long's body in an instant, its chilling killing intent seeping through his robes and into his body.
He felt a chill run down his spine, a tremor running through his very soul, and a strong sense of alarm rose in Xu Long's heart:
This bronze dagger will wound your soul!
His forward-moving figure suddenly changed direction, and Xu Long's figure in the air vanished abruptly, as if he had disappeared into a spatial barrier, leaving no trace.
But the deity behind him curled his lips into a smile, his coldness in his eyes remaining unchanged.
With a thought, the lightning bolt behind Xu Long vanished along with him, as if it had locked onto Xu Long Xu Long, leaving him no way to avoid it.
A fierce killing intent raged within the earth's crust, carrying a boundless energy. The lightning transformed from the short sword, like the crushing might of heaven, forced Xu Long's concealed figure to emerge.
As the lightning in his eyes rapidly enlarged, Xu Long felt a surge of anger. He wasn't afraid of the ancient gods; he just wanted to buy time to find the Ancestral Spirit.
Under the threat of the Heaven Patroler, he had to find a way to save the Ancestral Spirit as soon as possible, but the gods were relentless and made the battle take place within the earth's crust.
It seems he had been preparing here for a long time and had seen through my intentions long ago. Like the Heaven Patroler, their goal was to annihilate all cultivators who dared to rescue Feng Fuxi!
Xu Long, caught in the air, had no choice but to fight back.
As the lightning rapidly magnified in his eyes, a thought flashed through his mind, and the sword light that had been gathering power above his head came forth in a flash.
The sword light, carrying a surge of energy, swept through the air, instantly freezing the boiling magma.
The surging heatwave seemed to be lifted by an invisible force, instantly forming a huge heat flow in the air.
Xu Long retreated swiftly behind the heat flow, his sword light churning in front of it. The surging heat flow was propelled by the power of the sword light, like a fire dragon sweeping out from the earth's crust.
boom!
Lightning struck a fire dragon with a violent collision, the deafening sound causing the stagnant magma to ripple slightly.
The magma, which had been subdued by the power of the sword light, began to boil again. The impact generated scalding energy, and the resulting torrent of heat surged toward the gods.
The raging heat ignited the rubble on the ground, and fueled by the heatwave, a continuous sea of fire swept across the rubble.
A crackling sound rang in their ears as the deity was engulfed in flames.
A bolt of lightning had already swirled in front of him, and with a glance at Xu Long's figure, the deity took a step out from the endless sea of fire.
The flames beneath his feet instantly went out, and as he took another step, his figure appeared before Xu Long.
Xu Long's pupils contracted slightly. He had been fleeing for a long time, having already created enough distance between himself and the god, but he did not expect that the god would take a single step and arrive in front of him.
When the deity approached, it seemed to have crossed a spatial barrier, which surprised Xu Long.
He could sense that this was a power of Law of Space-Time, which was used freely by deities.
The deity arrived before him but made no move, while the short sword in front of him circled once, smoothing out the heat wave beneath him.
Then the short sword swirled around, transforming into a blur in the air as it shot towards Xu Long.
Xu Long's expression hardened, and he instantly unleashed a sword light in front of him. Amidst the interplay of light and shadow, a series of clanging metal sounds could be heard.
The invisible heat waves on the periphery were shattered by the sword energy, and the afterimages and sword light merged for a moment before swirling away separately.
After swirling around the deity, the double image circled him once, and the deity's magical Magic Power immediately poured into it. The two, one moving and one still, seemed like old friends with a tacit understanding.
As the Magic Power flowed, the short sword was unleashed once more, and as it swept across the lava, it left a trail of fire.
The fire serpent coiled around the short sword breathed out intense energy. As the short sword approached, Xu Long felt the fire serpent instantly transform into thousands and tens of thousands of fire serpents.
The flames surged in the air in an instant, and the waves of heat rose one after another.
The blazing firelight cast flickering light on Xu Long 'Xu Long face, while his pupils reflected a dazzling array of starlight.
A loud "whoosh" sound arose as the sword light in the air came with a strong whooshing sound.
As it swept across the lava, the wind beneath the sword became scorching hot, as if a surge of heat had gathered.
The scene following the sword light was completely distorted and twisted. The extreme heat made the earth's crust extremely violent, and the slightest carelessness could cause a large-scale explosion.
But at this moment, neither Xu Long nor the deity had any attention to those things; their eyes were fixed on the other's sword light.