Inside Mountain City, birds sang and flowers bloomed, and climbing vines stretched high up the brown walls.
This was truly a place suited for retirement.
Following the Lord of Destruction, they passed through pavilions and quiet corridors, gradually leaving behind the city’s buildings.
The three of them arrived at a remote location.
This place was so desolate it resembled a graveyard.
The surrounding land reflected barrenness, and a few crows with gloomy eyes perched at the corners of the walls.
When they saw the group approach, they were not afraid. Instead, they let out sharp cries at them.
“This is the entrance to the Blood Rune Space,” the Lord of Destruction said.
He raised his right hand, and a mighty force condensed in his palm.
The next moment, the ground cracked, and endless power surged into the air.
The void before them seemed to be torn apart.
Images flickered in the broken void, resembling the boundary between two and three dimensions.
The power surrounding the Lord of Destruction grew stronger and stronger.
In the end, his entire body was wrapped in golden light, his figure almost invisible.
Then, with a loud boom, the transformation of the void was complete.
Before them appeared a black sphere.
Its internal structure could not be seen, only endless darkness on the outside, like a kind of barrier.
A powerful energy coiled around the outer layer of the barrier.
If one listened carefully, faint beastly roars could even be heard from within.
The Lord of Destruction stretched out his right hand and handed Xu Zimo a spinning black crystal.
“This is the remnant of the sealing domain. With it, you can be swallowed inside,” he said. “But remember, once inside, tread carefully. Above all, your safety matters most.”
As his words fell, the Lord of Destruction shouted again, “Swallow.”
The remnant in Xu Zimo’s hand wrapped around him, transforming into a beam of light that shot violently into the barrier.
The next instant, Xu Zimo felt his consciousness blur as rumbling sounds echoed endlessly in his ears.
The thunderous roar never ceased, and he lost all sensation, drifting in the grayness toward an endless distance.
Only when Xu Zimo’s figure disappeared into the void did the Lord of Destruction withdraw his aura, allowing everything to calm again.
“What lies within?” Ji Ruobing asked.
“The most ferocious things in existence,” the Lord of Destruction replied. “If he returns, he will be reborn. If not, then he will never be seen again.”
He let out a long sigh.
“The wisdom of the Holy Progenitor is truly unfathomable.”
…
Xu Zimo felt dampness on his face and the sound of flowing water by his ears.
Forcing his eyes open, he found the world outside bright again.
The black cloth that had once covered his eyes was gone, and his transformation was now complete.
Xu Zimo closed his eyes and felt carefully.
After a long time, he whispered to himself, “Heavenly Dao Eye.”
From the Heavenly Tribulation God Eyes, it had evolved into the Heavenly Dao Eye.
This was not merely an increase in power.
The Heavenly Dao Eye represented the will of the Grand Dao, watching over the entire world. Whoever violated the order would face divine punishment from heaven and earth.
Just like the tribulations faced when stepping from the Zenith Immortal Realm into the Nirvana Void Realm, the Ninefold Tribulations, all were descended by the Heavenly Dao Eye.
Shifting stars, illuminating all things, avoiding death, extending life, boundless heavens and earth.
The Heavenly Dao Eye transcended the category of mere attack.
If a Blood Rune Beast tried to disguise itself now, Xu Zimo could likely see through it instantly.
In his pupils, there was not only black and white but also a trace of blue.
They were deep, as though gathering all things under heaven within them.
Seeing mountains as mountains, water as water.
Then seeing mountains not as mountains, water not as water.
Mountains as water, water as mountains.
Understanding one’s true heart, and then resting at ease.
As everyone knew, once cultivation reached a certain level, it was no longer about simply absorbing spiritual energy.
It was about comprehending the Dao. Some could comprehend it in a single night, rainbow light piercing the sky, allowing them to stride three thousand miles.
Others could ponder it daily for a lifetime, yet never gain it.
The Heavenly Dao Eye greatly enhanced one’s comprehension.
It struck directly at the Dao, confronting one’s own heart, thereby entering deeper into the Dao.
It was as though others walked a winding road toward enlightenment, while Xu Zimo had carved out a straight shortcut beside it.
After sensing these changes in his eyes for a long time, he opened them again.
He looked around.
He was in a narrow valley, with a clear river flowing gently under his feet.
The water was cool and refreshing, surrounded by lush mountains and dense trees.
Occasionally, the crisp chirping of birds echoed from deep within the forest.
“This…” Xu Zimo looked around in astonishment.
He had asked both the Blood Rune Beasts and the Lord of Destruction about this place before.
The answers were always the same, the Blood Rune Space was shrouded in eternal darkness, filled only with an endless rolling sea of blood.
“Is this really the Blood Rune Space?” Xu Zimo muttered in doubt.
Where was the blood sea? This place looked like a paradise.
Birdsong, flowers, green mountains, clear waters, blue seas, and skies.
He slowly stood, preparing to explore further ahead.
He even suspected he had entered the wrong space, that this was some other world rather than the Blood Rune Space.
…
Passing through the quiet valley, there was no sign of life, not even a trace of human presence.
Beyond the gorge, in the distance, stretched a vast green prairie.
The grass grew tall, and the air was fresh.
Walking through the grassland, Xu Zimo quickly lost his sense of direction.
Above, there was no sun, only an overly blue sky filled with drifting white clouds.
After walking for over an hour, Xu Zimo finally spotted a faintly visible village in the distance.
He quickened his pace.
After another ten minutes, he stood before the village.
He did not reveal himself right away but hid to observe.
Smoke rose lazily from chimneys, someone was cooking.
At the village entrance stood two figures chatting.
Both had beast heads atop human bodies, grotesque in appearance, their forms indescribably strange.
But aside from their heads, the rest of their bodies looked no different from humans.
Xu Zimo thought for a moment and took out the Codex of Life and Death.
Previously, after killing three Blood Rune Beasts, he had stored their power within it.
Now he drew on that power and used disguise techniques to alter his own appearance.
He too now bore a beast head.
With the same attribute of power.
This was a very simple disguise technique, enough to fool ordinary Blood Rune Beasts, though those with stronger cultivation would see through it immediately.
After adjusting everything, Xu Zimo strode boldly into the village.
As soon as he entered, the two Blood Rune Beasts chatting nearby noticed him.
“A new face. Who are you?” one of them asked.
“I got lost,” Xu Zimo said quickly with a smile. “I happened to see this village, so I came to ask for directions. Where is this place?”