Chapter 3: The Beginning (Part 2)

Eagle Demon also had a smooth journey, having reached the fifteenth level. This was thanks to his extremely strong physique. Although the martial arts professions in the lower continents couldn’t advance as quickly as those in the higher continents, their foundation was much more solid. Even as martial artists, they had to go out and fight, displaying great ferocity—perfectly meeting the requirements of the Ancient Soul Altar.

Especially Eagle Demon, who had grown almost entirely through combat, possessed formidable strength, comparable to that of ancient martial artists. Thus, his progress was smooth. He had no resistance to the Ancient Body Tempering Technique and easily reached the fifteenth level.

Yet here, everything changed.
For the first time, Eagle Demon sensed his own soul. As a martial artist, one had to be a master at the Sage level or above to sense their own soul.

Nearly two thousand ancient runes formed three peculiar weapons in his soul: a shield, a long sword, and a long spear. They were considered peculiar because these three weapons were entirely illusory, and Eagle Demon could even control their appearance.

Once the weapons were formed, Eagle Demon knew he could advance to the sixteenth level.

…

The mist in the Land of Blood had completely dissipated. Most of the disciples undergoing trials had been rescued, and no less than twenty people who had broken through to the Sage level but hadn’t left yet were captured. Among them were even two who had surpassed the Great Sage level yet remained there.

At this moment, at least a thousand shuttle carts were circling in the air, killing any mutated magical beasts they encountered, even those at the ninth level. The allied sects had ordered that the entire Land of Blood be cleared.

A large number of shuttle carts gathered near the entrance, but none dared approach yet.

A massive golden shuttle cart arrived from afar. The surrounding carts immediately set off to greet it. Then, dozens of figures flew out from their respective carts and entered the golden one.

An old man sat in the luxurious living room of the golden shuttle cart, flanked by two young men. Those who could enter the cart’s living room were all master-level professionals, including several high-ranking Great Sages.

The old man had extremely long white eyebrows, narrow eyes that were half-closed, occasionally flashing with traces of magical light. His long black hair hung down. He wore a black robe with dark patterns, several small ornaments on his belt, and held a string of emerald-green beads. He sat cross-legged on a thick fur mat.

He was the chief administrator of the Land of Blood, Chief Inspector Zhu Jiamao—a supreme master.

Everyone who entered bowed to him in greeting.
“Greetings, Chief Inspector!”
“Chief Inspector… Inspector No. 17 is here!”
“…”
After each person reported, they stepped aside and sat cross-legged.
Zhu Jiamao sat motionless, as if he hadn’t heard or seen anything. After about ten minutes, Zhu Jiamao coughed lightly, slowly straightened up, and asked indifferently, “Has the Demon Maiden arrived?”
A burly man with braids stood up and replied respectfully, “We haven’t seen the Chief Inspector’s shuttle.”
Zhu Jiamao’s snow-white eyebrows raised slightly as he said, “Still so slow… Then let’s wait.”
The dozens of professional experts present didn’t dare breathe a word and sat in silence.
A giant shuttle rushed in with a whoosh. It was about the same size as Zhu Jiamao’s shuttle, painted in an exaggerated pink color with messy floral designs. As soon as it appeared, the ordinary shuttles gathered there immediately made way to clear a large path for this domineering shuttle.
Zhu Jiamao said calmly, “The Demon Maiden has arrived!”
“Hehe, I’m sorry… Something small delayed me…”
A figure gradually emerged in the luxurious living room—a beautiful young girl. But everyone there knew she wasn’t a girl at all. Aside from Zhu Jiamao, none of the others could match her, and everyone knew she was an old creature who had lived for hundreds of years.
No one dared look into the Demon Maiden’s eyes. Zhu Jiamao said, “Since the Demon Maiden has arrived, let’s begin.”
The young man beside Zhu Jiamao picked up a leather mat and placed it not far from him, then stepped behind the old man.
The Demon Maiden walked over gracefully, her long skirt swaying. Though she appeared like a young girl, her mature charm became evident as she moved.
At that moment, two young women came in from outside, stepped forward quickly, held up the hem of the Demon Maiden’s skirt, followed her to the main seat, and stood behind her after helping her sit down.
The living room fell utterly silent.
Zhu Jiamao asked, “Have all the disciples undergoing the trial been taken out?”
The crowd replied, “Yes!”
Zhu Jiamao nodded and asked, “Are all the mutated talisman beasts… cleared away?”
“Yes!”
Zhu Jiamao fiddled with the bead string in his hand, remained silent for a moment, then said, “Has the investigation into the rift… progressed? Have you found the Ancient Talisman Gate that leads into it?”

Everyone fell silent. The enchanting maiden said, “According to the records… it has been tens of thousands of years since anyone has tried to enter Qikoujiao. Finally, this opportunity has arrived. I hope everyone will strive to find it… This is the hope of our two continents and all sects and families. We have waited for countless years, allowing countless disciples to come and undergo trials for this very purpose!”
When the enchanting maiden became serious, her presence was terrifying—she no longer resembled a young girl at all but rather an authoritative ruler.
Everyone replied respectfully, “Yes, Chief Inspector, Lord Inspector!”
The enchanting maiden smiled, her charming allure sweeping through the room like a spring breeze. She said, “Hehe, as you all know, if we find that Ancient Seal Gate… no matter who does it, the reward… I believe will be astonishing.”
Zhu Jiamao nodded and said, “The shuttle cars are not allowed to enter within 100 meters of Qikoujiao; we must explore by hand! Without the cover of thick fog, it should be easy to find… Be careful of the cliffs! Search in groups, section by section, and don’t miss any corner!”
The enchanting maiden said, “Let’s get started! Hurry up!”
Everyone stood, bowed, and quickly left. Moments later, thousands of shuttle cars took off from the air and flew toward the outskirts of Qikoujiao. Some shuttle cars stopped in midair, and hundreds of people rushed out to search along the cliffs of Qikoujiao. The other shuttle cars continued flying, dropping groups of experts at regular intervals.
This time, the allied sects were determined to find a way into Qikoujiao. With such an effort, the Ancient Seal Gate would eventually be discovered by them.
…
The twelfth step.
When Guo Shier stepped onto the twelfth step, over 1,200 ancient runes emerged from the ground. These ancient runes came in all colors, dazzlingly colorful, making him feel as if he were in a dance hall from his past life. The colorful lights fluttered around, creating a spectacular sight, as if celestial maidens were scattering flowers.
“Beautiful!”
Guo Shier couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration. The fluttering ancient runes gradually merged into his soul and disappeared. He suddenly realized—it was inheritance! The true inheritance of the Ancient Soul Altar!
He tried hard to control his excitement as he stepped onto the thirteenth step.
It was still inheritance. It wasn’t until he reached the fourteenth step that the soul inheritance ended. Perhaps this was only one phase of inheritance, but Guo Shier was already very satisfied. He looked forward to gaining something on the fifteenth step.

Guo Shier stepped forward, and the surroundings changed drastically instantly. He looked closely and saw that it was a small circular platform. He was secretly surprised: “What place is this? Have I reached the top? No… I remember there were at least fifty steps or more. I should only be at the fifteenth step right now…”

A tremendous pressure descended from above, preventing Guo Shier from standing. He struggled desperately, but how could human strength resist the power of the Soul Altar? A few seconds later, he was forced to sit on the ground. The moment he sat down, the pressure vanished, and he realized that it was the altar that made him sit.

Guo Shier sat cross-legged and waited quietly.

A minute later, countless tiny black lines appeared at the edge of the platform, stretching straight upward. Then, another circle of lines emerged, extending into the sky. The lines appeared in circles, rippling outward like waves. Watching the circles of lines approaching him, Guo Shier felt a chill run down his spine.

Upon closer inspection, he could see that each line was made up of extremely fine ancient runes. These runes connected together to form the black lines. When the lines reached three meters in height, they all fell simultaneously toward Guo Shier’s head, pouring into the center of his head—the Baihui point mentioned in his past life.

Once inside his soul, the lines quickly collapsed, turning into countless dust-like ancient runes that filled his entire soul.

Guo Shier didn’t understand the purpose of this, but since the Ancient Soul Altar had such a procedure, it must serve some purpose. Only by understanding the inherited memories later could he grasp its mysteries.

He sat there for seven hours. Only after all the dust-like ancient runes in his soul entered the seven-layer ancient rune array did Guo Shier stand up easily. When he stood, the scenery before him changed again. He found himself back on the steps, thinking to himself, “What will be on the next level?”

Eagerly, Guo Shier stepped onto the sixteenth step.

…

Zhang Yaojin and his group were all sitting on the ground, gasping for breath. The distance was too great. Guo Shier and the Eagle Demon had traveled by riding on the back of the Dark-Winged Scorpion, with no effort at all. Meanwhile, Zhang Yaojin’s group could only run since they couldn’t fly. After running nonstop for two days, they were extremely exhausted.

Even someone as fast as Sun Min’er had to stick out her tongue and pant heavily. The most pitiful one was Yang Qi. As a heavyset man, running such a long distance was almost killing him. He held his knees with both hands, unable to bend his legs, staring at the ground as he panted heavily, drool dripping down.

Only Zhou Xiaoling remained calm. She said, “Those who can keep up with me… run together. The rest can follow slowly…” She continued running forward; this distance was far from reaching her limit.
Zhang Yaojin cursed and rushed after her. Chen Zhendong shook his head but also gritted his teeth and followed. Both of them were at the Saint Master level with good physical fitness, so they could still keep up, while the others had to chase slowly behind.
…
An exploration team that had disembarked from the shuttle had already reached the platform beneath the rock wall. Soon they found the entrance to the cave and the empty tents inside.
One person said excitedly, “Report to the higher-ups immediately!”