Chapter 127

Chapter 127: A Second Life?

The black paper boat had finally reached its destination, anchored silently on the river, its banks flanked by winding mountain ranges dense with ancient trees.

Everyone jumped off the paper boat and came ashore.

The instant they left the black paper boat, it burst into flames, rapidly burning down to a pile of ash that sank into the depths of the Underworld River.

"This…" Lian Jiuyou was astonished.

"This was a one-time use item. After its purpose is served, it destroys itself," Lin Qianmo explained, her brow furrowed as she scanned their surroundings.

"So strange. This place boasts lush landscapes, yet for hundreds of miles around, not a single living creature stirs," Lan Youruo remarked, withdrawing her Divine Sense, deeply puzzled.

"Because we are in the Burial Soil."

"This is the Burial Soil?"

Lin Qianmo’s simple statement made Lan Youruo and Lian Jiuyou’s hearts tighten.

"Yes."

Lin Qianmo gave a slight nod and, seeing their expressions, chuckled lightly, "It’s not that terrifying here."

"Why?"

Nangong Zhandao remained remarkably calm as he asked Lin Qianmo for the reason.

"This is merely the outermost fringe. It hasn’t been fully transformed by the power of the Burial Soil. It’s just devoid of life; it doesn’t truly qualify as treacherous ground."

"Senior Sister Lin, Father Emperor’s coffin was buried atop a section of the Underworld River that leads here. So, where would Father Emperor be?" Lian Jiuyou expelled a burst of Turbid Energy as he posed the question.

"We’ll find out soon enough."

Lin Qianmo channeled her magic power. Divine patterns emerged in her beautiful eyes, her irises suddenly overlapped, layer upon layer, tier upon tier, focusing into the distance.

With that gaze, it seemed no secret within heaven and earth could elude her sight.

In Lin Qianmo’s vision, the land manifested threads of pathways, and the sky displayed intricate textures, like a vast chessboard crisscrossed with lines.

"Follow me."

Lin Qianmo transformed into a streak of light, flying towards the southeast.

The others immediately followed.

The deeper they ventured, the more oppressive the atmosphere grew.

The sky was a gloomy gray, and the landscape transformed before them.

The ancient trees lining their path gradually withered, the mountains crumbled, the earth was fissured with cracks, and the entire world throbbed with a suffocating aura.

This aura caused profound discomfort even to the quasi-emperors among them.

"This aura… it’s the same one that hung over the Underworld River," Nangong Zhandao observed, sinking in to sense it, detecting an underlying strangeness.

"The place we are now… this is the true Burial Soil."

A flicker of emotion passed through Lin Qianmo’s eyes. It had been many years since she last set foot in the Burial Soil, yet this aura still stirred a sense of familiarity within her.

"Cast your Divine Senses into the space between heaven and earth. You might gain some insight."

Hearing Lin Qianmo’s words, Lian Jiuyou, Lan Youruo, and Nangong Zhandao did as she suggested.

The three closed their eyes, merging their minds with heaven and earth.

Before long, they began sensing an extraordinary vision.

It seemed they had leaped into a dimension of time and space, where their Divine Sense transformed into living beings, experiencing myriad lifetimes.

From the wailing infancy of newborns, through the spirited passion of youth, they eventually transitioned into the bewildering mediocrity of middle age, then arrived at their decrepit twilight years.

To Lin Qianmo’s perception, it lasted only an instant, yet within their consciousness, it unfolded as a complete lifetime.

The three sank deeper into enchantment.

Their Divine Sense underwent continuous reincarnations, living through different existences.

Lin Qianmo watched them, her gaze profound and unreadable.

She too had undergone this; Burial Soil’s cycle of reincarnation had greatly benefited her cultivation of the Red Dust Tribulation Sutra. A single fleeting moment contained the entire spectrum of human existence—and it felt utterly real.

Yet in the external world, such insight required actual, tangible experience.

If Ye Hongchen and Qi Ruyu were placed within Burial Soil, their cultivation progress would undoubtedly surge ahead with incredible speed. Within a century, they could hope for attaining the Dao and becoming an emperor.

Shua!

Just then, a flicker of blade light appeared. Nangong Zhandao, his eyes still shut, swept his blade as if practicing a profound art. Within that gleam, Symbols overlapped densely. A mere strand of blade light seemed to encompass all things.

Lin Qianmo’s eyes sparkled intently.

"He truly lives up to being the one bearing the luck of the Yuan Realm," Lin Qianmo praised in admiration.

Lan Youruo and Lian Jiuyou were still immersed in contemplating the cycle, finding no insight so far.

Yet Nangong Zhandao, within mere breaths, had comprehended a new art directly from this reincarnate journey. Such was the gulf between them.

The child of fortune is terrifyingly strong.

Nangong Zhandao continued his relentless blade movements, refining the art toward perfection. At last, with one decisive slash, he achieved a closed loop. The blade intent cycled endlessly, appearing eternal and indestructible.

Lin Qianmo discerned the art’s profound principle.

Unless possessing overwhelming power to shatter Nangong Zhandao’s cyclical blade intent, one would remain perpetually trapped within his art, exhausted to death.

This technique was both eerie and dazzling.

Having mastered the art completely, Nangong Zhandao opened his eyes. Twin glimmers of blade light vanished deep within his pupils in an instant, and the previously unleashed blade intent contracted fully back into his body.

"My thanks for your guidance, senior sister," Nangong Zhandao expressed his gratitude sincerely.

"With exceptional talent and transcendent insight like yours," Lin Qianmo noted, "you would have uncovered its secrets even had I said nothing. You have certainly justified the luck conferred upon you."

Nangong Zhandao frowned slightly.

Truthfully, he disliked the label "child of fortune."

His achievements came not solely from luck, but equally from relentless effort and intellect.

In his heart, Nangong Zhandao believed that even stripped of supposed luck, he would remain the peak of the Hidden Dragon List, the strongest among the Yuan Realm’s younger generation.

"How long has passed?"

Lan Youruo and Lian Jiuyou awoke at last, faces blank with confusion.

"Has it been eight hundred years?" Lan Youruo asked anxiously.

"Fifteen minutes,"

Lin Qianmo said with a smile.

"How is that possible?" Lian Jiuyou said incredulously. He had experienced nine lifetimes. Calculating the time, it was at least about 800 years.

"The reason you felt that time passed too long was because the number of reincarnations was too many,"

Lin Qianmo said lightly.

"The reincarnation power of the Burial Soil is very strong. As long as you stay in the Burial Soil, over time, you will be influenced by the reincarnation power, and your consciousness will sink into reincarnation.

But if there are too many reincarnations, the soul will gradually decay."

"You mean, we just experienced nine reincarnations, and under the influence of the reincarnation power, we consumed soul power?"

Lan Youruo and Lian Jiuyou gradually understood.

"The Burial Soil is truly marvelous," Lian Jiuyou sighed.

"Senior Sister Lin, have you detected any trace of my father-emperor?"

Changing the subject, Lian Jiuyou hurriedly asked about the main matter.

He had come on this trip to search for traces of the Green Lotus Demon Emperor, not for sightseeing.

Lin Qianmo stepped forward and continued deeper in.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea,

in front of everyone, a pit appeared suddenly, like an abyss, containing vast reincarnation power.

"Is father-emperor inside?" Lian Jiuyou asked urgently.

Lin Qianmo did not answer immediately. Instead, she looked at everyone and asked, "Do you feel that this place is different from other places?"

"This abyss clearly contains much denser reincarnation power. There must be something strange," Nangong Zhandao said solemnly.

"When ancient people buried the dead, they would seek high-quality burial holes to inter themselves,"

Lin Qianmo said slowly.

"This abyss converges three underground veins, gathering the reincarnation power from thirty thousand li around. It is clearly a high-quality burial hole.

If someone wants to use the reincarnation power of the Burial Soil to live a second life, they would never let this place go untouched."

"Is this the Heavenly Battle Burial Site?" Lan Youruo seemed to recall something as well.

The Heavenly Battle Burial Site, as its name suggests, is a burial site naturally formed with a hole like a dipper, converging the power of underground veins. It is extremely arcane.

"You mean, father-emperor is inside this burial hole?" Lian Jiuyou frowned tightly, both awed and elated.

"It’s highly possible."

"Wait," Nangong Zhandao said with a heavy expression. "Senior Sister, can anyone really live a second life?"

An insect chirped for only one autumn in its lifetime; living in this world, a person was no more than one life and spring and autumn.

This is a law of heaven.

The world is vast, and though it is full of wonders, a dead person cannot be brought back to life; this is a fundamental law.

To live a second life was truly absurd.

Yet, countless ancient sages willingly buried themselves in the Burial Soil, hoping to use its power to successfully live a second life.

Nangong Zhandao had never seen someone who lived a second life, nor heard of anyone achieving it, so he always doubted the claim.

"There are!"

Lin Qianmo stated firmly, "Not only are there people who’ve lived a second life, each one is immensely powerful."

Nangong Zhandao was stunned.

"Is the Burial Soil truly so potent?" Nangong Zhandao murmured to himself, "How exactly did they achieve that second life?"

"That is a question I cannot answer for you."

Lin Qianmo replied regretfully.

This was the Burial Soil’s greatest secret. Countless sought the answer, but as far as Lin Qianmo knew, no one had glimpsed the truth.

Not even those who had lived a second life using the Burial Soil’s power likely knew.

"Everyone, let’s stop dawdling,"

Lian Jiuyou urged impatiently, "We should enter immediately."

Unable to restrain himself, he moved to step into the funnel-shaped eye.

But he froze mid-step, turning back to ask, "Senior Sister Lin, could there be danger within this Heavenly Battle Burial Site?"

"I don’t know."

Lin Qianmo shook her head.

"Fine!" Lian Jiuyou gritted his teeth fiercely, "Your Majesty, I’m risking my life for you! You must not fail me!"

Lian Jiuyou flew down into the Heavenly Battle Burial Site.

The others descended slowly after him.

Buzz!

Lian Jiuyou surged his magic power. A luminous moon rose from his palm—a radiant treasure pearl shining like a full moon ascending into the sky.

Its divine light illuminated the Heavenly Battle Burial Site.

The tomb narrowed from top to bottom.

If a coffin existed, it would certainly lie within the eye.

That eye resembled the tip of a funnel.

Lian Jiuyou descended continuously, his heart clenched tight. Gripping the imperial jade seal, he stood ready to unleash his power against any sudden threat.

Yet, though nerve-wracking, the descent was ultimately safe.

At the eye, the power of reincarnation reached its peak, misty and churning endlessly.

Everyone circulated their profound energies, barely safeguarding their Purple Palaces from the invasive power of reincarnation, preventing their souls from being affected and plunged into the cycle.

This immense power of reincarnation obscured their vision; even their Divine Senses couldn’t penetrate it.

Boom!

Lin Qianmo grasped the green lamp, pouring her power into it. A hazy green radiance spread out, enveloping the entire eye.

Under its glow, the power of reincarnation seemed to peel away bit by bit.

The view grew clearer.

When the green light fully covered the eye, nothing could hide from their divine eyes.

They saw a Green Lotus.