Douluo: Martial Soul Seven Kill Sword, The Sword Opens Heaven's Gates

Welcome to our new Patrons: thedistraction and omar amurrio!

------------------------------------------------------

"I understand!"

Feng Xiaotian suddenly exclaimed, "This is an extremely unique space—or rather, a small world."

Ning Tianchen had once told them about the Slaughter City. This place seemed to be similar in nature—a small world created by a god.

The fact that the Wind God Pterosaur, a long-extinct soul beast, could appear here in groups made it clear that this small world was formed at least fifty thousand years ago.

Combined with the murals they had seen in the previous ruins, it wasn't hard to deduce that this place was indeed related to the Wind God.

The entrance here, presumably, was the cave they came through. With powerful hurricane winds guarding the entrance, no one had been able to reach this place for tens of thousands of years.

Oscar seized on the key point and said, "With our strength, we shouldn't have been able to reach the deepest part of Hurricane Gorge. So why are we here?"

It seemed as though the phenomenon of the reversed hurricane had been deliberately prepared for them.

He could sense that there was an invisible hand manipulating everything, guiding them into this place.

In an instant, everyone's gaze unconsciously turned downward.

The buildings in the valley below likely held the answers they sought.

The Wind God Pterosaur seemed to understand their thoughts. Seeing that it couldn't pass through the spatial ripples, it slowly descended until it landed on a tall structure at the bottom of the valley.

From the mountain, the group hadn't realized how enormous the buildings were. But now, standing among them, they realized just how colossal they were.

The stone pillars nearby were so tall that they had to crane their necks completely upward to see the tops. By estimation, they were no less than two hundred meters high.

Leaping down from the back of the Wind God Pterosaur, the group walked among the buildings, feeling as if they had stepped into a land of giants.

After some observation, they found no apparent function for these buildings.

Most of the structures lacked roofs and were empty inside, clearly abandoned ruins.

"This might be a cultural custom we don't understand," Feng Xiaotian analyzed.

They had never encountered such architectural layouts or styles before, and there was no mention of them in the records of the continent—it was impossible to make a judgment.

"If this is like a ritual site, then there must be an altar nearby. Let's search around—we might find something," Yu Die suggested.

Chen Huayu chimed in, "Why don't we check out that big pillar over there? If there's an altar, I feel like it should be near there."

Unfamiliar with the layout of the buildings, they hadn't spotted any target structures from the air.

The Wind God Pterosaur didn't obey their commands, and who knew when it would land again if they took off?

The height of the stone pillar far exceeded the other buildings. Even from the ground, it was easy to locate.

About a few minutes later, the group arrived near the pillar.

The pillar stood in the center of a vast square paved with stone bricks.

"Why does this place feel more like a city, with this square being the central plaza?" Oscar hesitated.

Chen Huayu shared the same suspicion.

After rummaging through his spirit-guided device, Chen Huayu pulled out an ancient text and said, "I think I read in this book that fifty thousand years ago, many cities on the continent had similar layouts."

"The stone pillars in the middle of the city were built for rituals to commemorate ascension ceremonies. However, ascension ceremonies were rare, occurring only once every ten thousand years. Eventually, the city's residents began holding memorial rituals near the pillar periodically to honor the last person who successfully ascended."

Because of the vast passage of time, these stories could only be taken as tales.

After all, books couldn't last that long, and the so-called ancient texts were originally very rare. Most were copies made by later generations.

Copying inevitably led to errors and omissions. Over time, any event could become distorted or even demonized.

As they spoke, the group had already arrived in front of the pillar.

Feng Xiaotian lightly touched the pillar. Its surface was incredibly smooth and hard. Looking up, he saw that the entire pillar had no joints—it seemed to be a single, seamless piece.

A complete pillar of such height—whether or not it could exist naturally was one thing, but even if it did, human limitations would make it nearly impossible to move, let alone erect it here.

Feng Xiaotian sighed deeply.

There were too many mysteries here that remained unsolved.

When they were on the outskirts of the mountain earlier, they had felt something drawing them here. But after arriving, that sensation inexplicably disappeared.

Similar to what happened in the Endless Abyss.

Feng Xiaotian began searching the area with his eyes. Perhaps there was some kind of mechanism here leading to the core of this place.

Oscar pointed to the ground and said, "Look, the gaps between these bricks are larger than elsewhere. Maybe there's a passage underneath."

At his words, everyone's attention was drawn.

Indeed, as Oscar said, there was likely some kind of hidden chamber beneath.

However, they didn't rashly pry open the stones on the ground.

If there were soul-guided devices protecting the hidden chamber below, forcibly prying open the stones wouldn't work. Worse, they might trigger the security mechanisms of the soul-guided devices.

Although this place had existed for at least fifty thousand years, most of the soul-guided devices guarding the ruins had likely failed.

But they dared not take the risk. Instead, they began searching the area for an entrance mechanism.

---

Inside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well

After training in the icy and fiery springs, the toxins contained in the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot had been completely diluted.

The two streams of pure medicinal energy entered Ning Tianchen's body, combined with his previous cultivation, allowing his soul power to successfully break through to level seventy-nine.

Only one level remained until eighty.

Normally, a level seventy-nine Soul Sage needed several years of soul power accumulation to have a chance of breaking through to Soul Douluo. Some soul masters with poor talent might spend their entire lives unable to cross this threshold.

The re-selection conference of the seven great sects was approaching, and Ning Tianchen didn't have time to slowly accumulate soul power.

By leveraging the pressure of the ice and fire springs, his soul power cultivation would progress rapidly.

He had already made plans. Ideally, he would break through to level eighty one month before the sect departed for the conference. In the following month, he would absorb soul rings and adapt to his new strength.

Currently, he could already dive over four hundred meters into the spring. The further down he went, the stronger the forces of the two springs became, suggesting that the source of the springs might lie deeper below.

However, even at a depth of over four hundred meters, he still couldn't see the source of the springs. Going further down carried immense risks—he might even be torn apart by the two forces of the springs.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he returned to the shore for a brief rest before diving back into the spring.

Meanwhile, under Tang Xiao's arrangements, the five monsters of Shrek Academy began their training.

Yu Tianxin and Yu Tianheng had successfully broken through to level fifty-eight, while Dai Mubai was one level behind them. Tai Long was only at level fifty-five, still far from reaching the Soul Emperor rank.

On the other hand, Tang San's soul power level hadn't increased at all since receiving Xiao Wu's sacrifice.

Ordinary soul masters experienced a sharp decline in the speed of soul power growth after breaking through to Soul King. However, Tang San had gained six levels in one go thanks to Xiao Wu's soul ring.

But because the soul ring hadn't been added to his Blue Silver Grass spirit, his cultivation speed for that spirit hadn't increased significantly.

At the end of the day's training, Tai Long despaired, saying, "I can't do it. We're supposed to leave in a year, but my strength is too far behind—I won't catch up in time."

It wasn't entirely his fault.

Tai Long's innate soul power was far lower than the others'. The fact that he managed to keep up with Dai Mubai and Yu Tianxin proved just how hard he had worked in his cultivation.

Tang San gently patted his arm and consoled him, "Tai Long, just do your best. As for the others, you must all break through to the next major level."

"Before we leave, Uncle Tang Xiao and Elder Tai Tan can still hunt soul rings for us. Once we're at sea, we won't be able to dive into the ocean to capture soul beasts."

They didn't know how long they'd be adrift at sea. If someone broke through on the ship, they wouldn't be able to obtain a soul ring.

Every second was crucial for them—they couldn't afford to go without a soul ring for an extended period after breaking through.

Yu Xiaogang had once said that soul masters could continue cultivating even without obtaining a soul ring. Once they obtained one, the soul power would retroactively nourish the soul master.

However, a soul master's body had limited capacity. Although they could continue cultivating after breaking through, prolonged cultivation without a soul ring would cause irreversible damage to their meridians.

Otherwise, the continent would have already seen people awaken their spirits and refuse to obtain soul rings, accumulating soul power until they reached the first soul ring and absorbed a ten-thousand-year soul ring directly.

Yu Tianxin patted his chest and assured, "Tang San, don't worry. Tianxin, Mubai, and I will train seriously during this time and not hold anyone back."

Tang San nodded earnestly.

At the same time, he was also preoccupied with the construction of the Tang Sect.

With Governor Waltz helping to cover it up, news of the Tang Sect's establishment hadn't reached the Star Luo Imperial Family, nor had it even spread beyond Annan City.

However, the disciples of the Strength Clan were not specialized in construction. With them handling the work, progress was extremely slow.

When the Tang Sect first began construction, the Strength Clan didn't know how much building material to use. They would often have to stop for half a day after working for just a few hours. Tang San had been quite worried about this.

Later, as the Strength Clan disciples gradually became more skilled, the shortage of raw materials decreased significantly, but temporary halts still occurred occasionally.

Tang San was quite exasperated with this makeshift team, but at least the sect was operational, and subsequent tasks would be easier.

---

Feng Xiaotian and the others wandered around the square for a long time but couldn't find the mechanism.

Chen Huayu tried several times to pry open the stone tile, only to be stopped by the group.

After an unknown amount of time, the sun above their heads still seemed to be in its original position, without any change.

Here, it felt as though time didn't exist.

Suddenly, the sound of machinery echoed behind them. The special stone tile slowly sank, and a stone platform gradually rose from beneath.

"Stop, don't move," Feng Xiaotian called out.

The platform didn't appear without reason—someone must have accidentally triggered the mechanism.

He wasn't sure how long the platform would stay or whether it would retract. Therefore, finding the mechanism's location was the top priority.

"Everyone, look around. There must be a mechanism nearby. Mark its position to avoid unnecessary trouble later," he said.

Upon hearing this, the others immediately complied.

They hadn't approached the pillar, only walking casually around the square, so the mechanism was likely under one of the stone tiles they stepped on.

Not long after, Cai Die called out, "I think I stepped on the mechanism. The stone tile under my foot has a slightly brighter color."

Before receiving Feng Xiaotian's orders, the others didn't rush to act.

Feng Xiaotian thought for a moment and said, "Everyone, mark the area where you were standing earlier, then go over to Cai Die's side and take a look."

After completing this, the group quickly gathered around her.

The stone tile under Cai Die's feet didn't look different from the others at first glance. Only by bending down and carefully inspecting it could one notice the slight difference in color.

Feng Xiaotian pressed it experimentally, and the platform indeed retracted. After pressing it again, the stone was pushed back up by a mechanical device hidden underground.

"This isn't a soul-guided device—it's a purely mechanical device," Feng Xiaotian remarked upon seeing this.

Mechanical devices were different from soul-guided ones. A mechanical device that remained functional for tens of thousands of years was undoubtedly far more intricate than a soul-guided device.

The group couldn't help but marvel at the skill of the craftsmen who built it.

Approaching the platform, they could clearly see a deep claw mark on its surface.

The stone used for the platform was the same as the nearby pillar—so hard that even Feng Xiaotian wasn't confident he could leave a tiny scratch on it.

This claw mark was undoubtedly left by an immensely powerful being.

"What's the point of this platform? Can we only look at it?" Oscar muttered quietly.

As soon as he finished speaking, ripples of energy rose around the group, and their surroundings rapidly shifted.

Chen Huayu complained, "Xiao Ao, your big mouth got us into this."

After a dazzling display of lights, they found themselves seemingly in a starry sky.

Apart from faint specks of stars, there was no other source of light.

Before they could figure out what was happening, a streak of cyan light flashed in the distance. Its silhouette resembled the wind god's apparition they had seen in the Endless Abyss.

The figure shot past them at high speed, with a dark shadow ahead of it.

Immediately afterward, the scene around them shifted again, bringing them beside a deep chasm erupting with hurricane winds.

"Isn't this the Endless Abyss?" Chen Huayu exclaimed in surprise.

"It is," Feng Xiaotian said, his brows furrowed.

Ning Tianchen had mentioned that the evil god in the Endless Abyss was a foreign deity. From what they had just witnessed, the Wind God had chased it all the way to the Douluo Continent, suggesting that the Wind God was also a foreign deity.

While pondering this, a cataclysmic battle erupted above their heads.

They were observing past events as "spectators," unaffected by the aftermath of the battle.

This battle was similar to the legends they had heard in Hongyang City and the murals in the Endless Abyss ruins.

However, witnessing the battle between two gods firsthand was naturally a different experience from hearing legends or seeing murals.

The battle was earth-shattering. With just a wave of their hands, the two gods could cause mountains and rivers to collapse.

In the end, the Wind God's claws struck the evil god's giant scythe, tearing it apart.

Overwhelmed, the evil god fell unconscious and was sealed within the Endless Abyss by the Wind God.

Everything unfolded before their eyes like a lantern show. As the battle ended, their consciousness returned to the platform.

------------------------------------------------------

40+ Chapters Ahead Guaranteed: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow

There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)