Chapter 413 - 411: Golden Divine Hall

Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu kept falling, as if the Yin Yang Pool was bottomless. No matter how long they fell, they couldn’t seem to reach the bottom.

After sinking a certain distance, they could no longer withstand the bone-freezing chill and the all-melting heat, even with the protection of the Yin Yang Immortal Refining Mirror. At this point, they couldn’t hold on even when using their strongest Blood Qi for protection. Under such extreme cold and heat, even Laws could be shattered by the frost, and Daoist Techniques could be melted away.

At this depth, even a Great Sage would find it difficult to endure, let alone the two of them. If they continued to sink, they would surely die a miserable death here.

"Now! Heavenly Destiny Secret Skill—River of Fate Celestial Return!" Li Qiye shouted at Lan Yunzhu.

Upon hearing Li Qiye’s words, Lan Yunzhu immediately connected with the heavens and earth. The Celestial Mandate rose and fell as supreme Laws unfurled. In that instant, it was as if all of time was undergoing reincarnation.

Just as Lan Yunzhu unleashed her Qianli River’s Heavenly Destiny Secret Skill, "River of Fate Celestial Return," Li Qiye instantly opened his Sea of Consciousness. From its depths, a True Word flew out and transformed into a Golden Law Divine Chain. This Golden Law Divine Chain instantly shot out from between Li Qiye’s eyebrows.

CLANG! In that moment, something incredible happened. The Golden Law Divine Chain shot into Lan Yunzhu’s Heavenly Destiny Secret Skill, instantly locking onto the core Chapters of the River of Fate Celestial Return. In that split second, the technique was no longer under her control; the Celestial Destiny Laws instantly interwove to form a gateway.

BUZZ! The gateway that had suddenly formed from the Celestial Destiny Laws sucked Lan Yunzhu and Li Qiye inside, and they vanished through it in an instant.

Lan Yunzhu’s vision blurred. The Yin Yang Pool was gone. In that instant, they were already standing in a different place.

Lan Yunzhu was stunned for a moment. She had practiced Heavenly Destiny Secret Skills since she was a child. One could say that the Heavenly Destiny Secret Skill, "River of Fate Celestial Return," was her Dao Root. She never knew it could be used in such a way.

However, when Lan Yunzhu came back to her senses, she was completely stunned. Her eyes widened as she stared in disbelief at the scene before her.

It was as if they were standing under a different starry sky. Here stood an impossibly huge willow tree, the largest Lan Yunzhu had ever seen. The tree pierced the Celestial Vault, seemingly propping up this entire world. Its willow branches drooped down like heavenly ladders, as if one could climb them to ascend to the Nine Heavens.

But that wasn’t the most shocking part. What was even more astounding was that the willow tree was golden. The entire colossal tree looked as if it were forged from gold, its radiant golden light visible from afar. Standing beneath it, one was bathed in the golden radiance it cast down. As they bathed in this golden splendor, they could almost hear the pleasant, crisp sound of falling gold dust, weaving together into a piece of music.

At the base of the willow tree, Extreme Yin Water and Extreme Yang Water gurgled and flowed. The Golden Willow was rooted at the very spot where the two waters converged.

Beneath this giant willow tree stood a massive Golden Divine Hall. The hall seemed to be cast from pure gold, and its two huge, heavy doors were shut tight.

"Wh-wh-where is this?" Staring at the scene before her, it took Lan Yunzhu a long time to recover her senses. After she did, she couldn’t help but ask.

"The bottom of the Yin Yang Pool," Li Qiye said nonchalantly. "The foundation of your Qianli River." Looking at the willow tree and the Divine Hall before him, Li Qiye sighed softly in his heart. ’So much time has passed, so many years gone by, and I’ve returned to this place once more.’

Lan Yunzhu snapped back to her senses. She took a deep breath, stared at Li Qiye, and said, "You used me! My cultivation of the River of Fate Celestial Return was the key to getting in here."

There had long been rumors within the Qianli River sect that their greatest secret was buried at the bottom of the Yin Yang Pool. However, no one had ever been able to enter, not even Great Sages who had tried and failed. And yet, Li Qiye had succeeded.

"The River of Fate Celestial Return is the key?" Li Qiye smiled and shook his head. "You’re mistaken about that. The River of Fate Celestial Return is merely a medium. I could have gotten in without you, it just would have been a bit more troublesome."

"You didn’t come for the Catching the Immortal Sunflower! You were aiming for this place from the very beginning!" A chill ran down Lan Yunzhu’s spine. She became wary and stared intently at Li Qiye.

"What, on your guard against me now?" Li Qiye smiled and shook his head gently. "You couldn’t possibly understand the secrets within this place. If I wanted to harm your Qianli River, I wouldn’t have waited until today. I only came today to take back what belongs to me."

Lan Yunzhu was stunned. She took a deep breath, fixed her gaze on Li Qiye, and asked, "How do you know about this place? How do you know the way in?"

"A simple divination," Li Qiye said with a smile. ’How could I not know everything beneath the Yin Yang Pool? I was the one who created this land back then. Without me, there would be no Qianli Immortal Emperor, no Qianli River at all!’

"Why don’t you go sit under the Golden Divine Willow? If you sit here and observe its Celestial Dao, you might have a great harvest," Li Qiye said, pointing to the massive golden tree.

Lan Yunzhu looked at the Golden Divine Willow and couldn’t help but ask, "The Golden Divine Willow... what kind of Divine Tree is it?"

"An incredible Divine Tree. Without it, the Qianli River would likely have none of its mystery. In the Ghost Sacred Realm, if not for the Ghost Ancestor Tree, it might have had a chance to become the number one tree," Li Qiye said with a smile. "I should go in now. I need to take a few things." With that, he started walking toward the Golden Divine Hall under the willow.

"I won’t allow you to take anything from here." At that moment, Lan Yunzhu realized something and said in a low voice, "Everything here should belong to the Qianli River."

"Belong to the Qianli River?" Li Qiye chuckled. "Girl, do you know why your Thousand Carp Lake became a paradise? A long, long time ago, your Thousand Carp Lake was just an ordinary lake. But later, it became a paradise that countless people yearned for. Do you know why?"

"Hasn’t Thousand Carp Lake always been a paradise?" Lan Yunzhu was stunned for a moment. Their Thousand Carp Lake was rich in treasures and Divine Medicines; countless people coveted its riches.

"If Thousand Carp Lake had always been a paradise, do you think your Qianli River would have had the chance to establish its sect here? If such a paradise had existed from the start, great powers like the Ten Thousand Bones Throne and the Yu Shan Old Immortal Kingdom would have built their Ancestral Lands here long ago," Li Qiye said leisurely.

"Then what turned this place into a paradise? Was it our founder, Qianli Immortal Emperor?" As she asked this, Lan Yunzhu suddenly felt less confident.

Li Qiye gave a mysterious smile and walked toward the Golden Divine Hall. Lan Yunzhu hurriedly followed. Li Qiye glanced back at her and said with a smile, "If you want to stop me, then come along. But I’m afraid that’s an impossible task."

As he spoke, Li Qiye had already reached the entrance of the Golden Divine Hall. Staring at the tall and heavy Golden Gates before him, he couldn’t help but sigh softly in his heart.

Li Qiye reached out and knocked gently on the gates. "I have returned," he said. His words carried a distinct rhythm, one that seemed to resonate with the principles of the Great Dao.

CREAK—CREAK—CREAK— The huge and heavy Golden Gates slowly swung open. As they opened, a swirling chaos was revealed within.

Without a word, Li Qiye stepped through the Golden Gates. Seeing him enter, Lan Yunzhu rushed to follow. However, the moment her foot crossed the threshold, BANG! She was thrown back, as if an invincible presence inside refused to let her enter.

CREAK—CREAK—CREAK— Before Lan Yunzhu could even get up, the huge, heavy Golden Gates closed with a series of deep thuds.

"Open up, Little Ghost!" Lan Yunzhu rushed forward, pounding on the heavy Golden Gates and shouting. But there was no echo from within.

Lan Yunzhu took a deep breath. Recalling what Li Qiye had done, she mimicked his actions, knocking gently on the Golden Gates. She copied the rhythm of his speech and said, "I have returned."

However, the Golden Gates didn’t react at all. Unwilling to give up, Lan Yunzhu tried several more times, but the gates remained completely unresponsive.

"Little Ghost, you actually dared to trap me!" Lan Yunzhu gritted her teeth in frustration. "Just you wait until I get my hands on you," she said hatefully. "I’ll make you pay!"

Full of resentment, Lan Yunzhu stomped her foot. She had no choice but to sit down under the Golden Divine Willow. As she calmed her mind, she couldn’t help but look up at the great tree.

Li Qiye entered the Golden Divine Hall. Inside, chaos swirled, as if the entire hall was filled with the primordial chaos of the heavens and earth.

It was as if this was an uncreated world, a place at the very beginning of time where all things in the universe were just starting to originate.

Standing here, if one listened closely and opened their Celestial Eye, they could faintly hear the cries of dragons and phoenixes. Faintly, they could also hear the roars of Qilins and the bellows of Taoties. It seemed that legendary Divine Beasts resided within this place.

When observing with the Celestial Eye, one could vaguely make out a Divine Tower, a Celestial Furnace, an Immortal Sect, and other Supreme Immortal Objects within the chaos. It seemed all of these Supreme Immortal Objects were hidden within this world.

Li Qiye stood there, filled with emotion. He sighed softly and murmured, "Time is ruthless. To think I would return to this place again."

"It is good that you could return." Just as Li Qiye’s words faded, a voice emerged from the chaos.