Chapter 213 : Thousand Emperors Gate (1)
On the next day, countless ancient coffins were carried out from the city as the great powers started their journeys into the burial ground!
The Jewel Pillar Sacred School, the Jiang Zuo Clan, the Heavenly Southern Kingdom... All of these great powers carried their ancient coffins and began to enter the burial ground.
The coffins of these powers resulted in many rowdy conversations, especially the initially secretive Heavenly Southern Kingdom.
It carried out a huge ancient coffin that was shockingly larger than any other ancient coffin. Many people, before, thought that the Heavenly Southern Kingdom’s Divine Beast Protector was dying, so they brought their beast in order to bury it on a Underworld Boat. Seeing this gigantic coffin only confirmed the crowd’s speculations.
In addition to these great powers, there were many other cultivators right behind their mighty battalions.
The reason was very simple; most of the Earth Corpses of the burial ground had gone to the Underworld River’s ferry, so the corpse poison inside had been greatly reduced. Moreover, many places were now left unguarded, so this was a once in a thousand years opportunity to dig out treasures. Some of them dug the mountains and the veins, wanting to find treasure metals and godly ores. Others were picking up dried bones and entered dangerous territories to see if they could find Life Treasures and manual scrolls.
Of course, even if all the Earth Corpses left for the ferry, there were still many great dangers looming inside. If someone accidentally dug the grave of a Treasure Lord, then that would be suicidal! Once a Treasure Lord climbed out of its coffin, it would absolutely annihilate anyone who had a part in disrespecting his resting ground!
The ferry had existed for millions of years, so there was already a path formed from the burial ground all the way to the ferry. So in just a few days, one could see cultivators walking down the ancient road all the way to the Underworld River.
Amidst this mighty force, there were pallbearers; some were on their feet while others were flying in the air. A few were riding their beasts while some rode their carriages... Here, many various circumstances could be found, and one could say that all the cultivators from everywhere in the world were gathered in this place!
The ferry was located north of the burial ground and was very far away from the burial ground’s heartland. However, the Underworld River eventually flowed into the deepest parts of the burial ground!
The Underworld River fell from the sky to the north end of the burial ground. The moment it reached the ground, everything became a faint scene as this location turned into a vast sea shrouded by a boundless mist and fog. This was the Underworld River’s aura; even a Virtuous Paragon could not see through this endless sea of fog!
Moreover, once inside this vast underworld sea, people would never be able to get out and would disappear forever. For millions of years, whenever the Underworld River showed up, there were always extraordinary characters who entered and followed up the stream in order to locate the source, but no one had ever come out alive!
Only one part of this vast and imperceptible river was not covered by fog. Only this part of the river was where one could see the Underworld Boats coming out, so this part of the river was called the Underworld River’s ferry by the rest of the world. This location really seemed like the place where the dead were being reborn!
Since the ancient past, countless amounts of people wanting to be buried in the Underworld Boats were always waiting at the ferry. The moment when the boats were discernible on the river, this was when they would pick a boat and bury the ancient coffin inside!
After the ancient coffin was inside, the Underworld Boat would drift along the river into the deepest part of the Heavenly Ancient Corpse Burial Ground. In the end, countless coffins would enter that area in this manner.
If one chose the correct Underworld Boat, then that person would obtain a new and extended lifespan and would be sent out alive from the burial ground! If they didn’t choose the correct ones, then they would become Earth Corpses for all eternity, and their descendants would no longer be able to see them!
As for the depths of the burial ground, no one knew what it was. This was the biggest mystery since the ancient times. There were people who obtained a lifespan and left the place alive, but they did not speak clearly about the location drifted to by the Underworld Boats. Even if they had experienced it themselves, they still couldn’t speak about this matter with clarity!
For a few hundred miles of the river next to the ferry, the span was freed from any mist. One could observe the water of the river flowing quietly while standing on this clear piece of land.
The Underworld River’s water was just like the legends. This water from hell had a red-yellow color like the medicinal tisane — turbid and muddy. Although this water flowed down quietly, everyone standing next to the river was filled with horror. They felt that this water was formed from countless corpses, giving off a disturbing sensation as if there were myriads of the dead buried beneath the river.
At this time at the Underworld Ferry, the living resembled the grand mountains while the dead were the very picture of an endless sea.
This scene was very majestic. There were Earth Corpses, Treasure Lords, and even Earth Immortals. Outside of the dead, there were cultivators from the sects in this world. Moreover, there were countless ancient coffins displayed, eeking out a sinister air.
However, the living had their own sanctuary while the dead possessed their own domain. Earth Corpses were not willing to be squeezed with the living and vice versa.
To the living, the corpse poison was too dangerous. To the Earth Corpses, how could the air of the living be of any comfort to them?
And so, within the hundred miles of the river at the ferry, there were three camps that were inadvertently formed. The majority of Earth Corpses were crowding together, and they were simpler than anyone else. They didn’t have coffins nor a site. They squeezed together by the rivers, and many of them were even lying directly on the ground before the appearance of the boats.
As for the world’s cultivators, they converged into one section. Within this territory, all of the great sects, countries, sacred grounds, and ancient schools had their own small sites. They had their own camping grounds. Some sects occupied a mountain while others simply sat on the ground. Some schools brought along their mansions and divine pavilions and summoned them in the air...
Compared to the unclear amounts of Earth Corpses and numerous cultivators, there were very few Treasure Lords and Earth Immortals. There were only a bit more than ten Treasure Lords and even fewer Earth Immortals; they numbered at one or two.
Treasure Lords and Earth Immortals would not hang around with Earth Corpses or cultivators. Even though they were few in number, they occupied their own space. Some brought their own ancient coffins while others with their own mansions. One Treasure Lord came alone without anything.
At this ferry, the three sides did not fight, especially the Treasure Lords and Earth Immortals. No sects or Immortal Emperor lineages, as well as the Earth Corpses, dared to provoke them.
One had to remember that these Treasure Lords and Earth Immortals were invincible during their generations, the most important characters of their eras. They even reigned over the Nine Worlds.
Of course, there were also grand sects meeting their ancestors at the ferry.
“Over there, isn’t that the eighth generation’s Ancestor Chi Xian?” In a medium-sized sect, an old elder of theirs noticed a Treasure Lord in the lotus pose on top of a jade-woven mat, so he emotionally exclaimed.
This old elder rubbed his eyes together for he could not believe this sight. In the end, he confirmed for sure that this was indeed an ancestor in his sect, thus it triggered his jubilation.
“Ancestor Chi Xian!” This old elder couldn’t suppress his feelings and rushed forward while shouting.
At this time, many people were watching this scene. However, this Treasure Lord still sat there while staring at the boundless Underworld River, he didn’t even glance at the old elder.
The old elder naturally was very excited to see his ancestor and couldn’t help but to climb up the mountain. However, this Treasure Lord pointed his finger, “Bang”, and the old elder fell down from the mountain!
“Life and death are forever separated. Turn back.” Finally, this Treasure Lord only said such a phrase. His eyes remained closed while staring at the vast river.
These words struck the elder like lightning. He was stunned in the same spot for a long time before he became overshadowed with gloominess as he went back to his sect’s camp.
Countless cultivators became shocked from this event. Seeing their ancestor but unable to get closer — this was an indescribable feeling!
“This, this is Ancestor Chi Xian?” After the old elder of the Jewel Heart Ancient School came back, its disciples sentimentally inquired because this ancestor of theirs was very influential. During his era, he had swept through the entire Mortal Emperor World!
“Correct.” The old elder was dejected while watching the Treasure Lord on the mountain. He touchingly explained: “Rumors has it that, back then, when the ancestor met his origin, our disciples were not willing to lose him. Thus, they used all of their methods and schemes to bury him at the Heavenly Ancient Corpse Burial Ground. I didn’t expect for His Venerableness to actually regain some lifespan!”
Having heard this, the disciples glanced at each other in surprise. The Heavenly Ancient Corpse Burial Ground’s reviving effect — this was not a lie.
“Once buried deep in the burial ground, they will no longer associate with the living?” Many great temples and ancient sects saw this and couldn’t help but become stirred. A cultivator just had to ask.
An old cultivator gently sighed and answered: “You can put it that way. Treasure Lords and Earth Immortals normally do not want their descendants to come close. This is also to cut off their millions of years of remembrance and lingering thoughts!”