Chapter 12 The Palace Complex

Numerous clones of Xu Jingming scattered, each acting independently to explore the palace complex.

Xu Jingming walked along the corridors, observing the architectural style and searching for any hidden opportunities. When he caught sight of a courtyard wall in the distance, he paused slightly and immediately teleported to its vicinity.

This courtyard wall was a small part of the countless walls within the entire palace complex, and it was covered with dense characters.

"This…" Xu Jingming looked at the characters. "Could these characters be a special kind of writing? Is this a written article?"

Having studied a large number of characters for so long, although Xu Jingming hadn't completely mastered them, he had gained some understanding of each one.

When a large number of characters formed an article before him, Xu Jingming felt that "Even if I don't understand it, simply viewing this article seems to allow me to glimpse some kind of fundamental power of endless spacetime?"

The article seemed to be drilling into Xu Jingming's mind. As he looked at it, he vaguely saw countless layers of spacetime, and a hand reaching out to envelop one of them. With a casual flick, the entire spacetime changed accordingly.

"This is true control over spacetime," Xu Jingming murmured. That hand was influencing and changing one spacetime after another, and Xu Jingming's eyes gradually turned red.

"I can't look, I can't look anymore."

Xu Jingming turned away, not daring to look at the article on the courtyard wall any longer.

"This article contains some kind of spacetime-related knowledge, more terrifying than any third-realm inheritance I've ever seen," Xu Jingming thought, his mind gradually calming down as he stopped looking. "The process of viewing it affects the mind and can even lead to madness."

…

"There's a small Primordial Star in this garden." Another clone of Xu Jingming arrived at a large garden in the palace complex. The scenery inside was breathtaking, and a small Primordial Star floated in one part of it.

This small Primordial Star seemed to be embedded in this space-time, a part of the entire palace complex.

"This small Primordial Star…" Xu Jingming merely watched it, and countless insights arose in his heart. During his Source Lifeform stage, he had studied the Primordial Star lineage. Later, after being contaminated by the Void Abyss Master's image at a high dimension, he completely entered the Heart World lineage.

Now, watching this small Primordial Star, Xu Jingming's past insights into the Primordial Star naturally integrated and continued to break through.

"Chi chi chi~~~"

During Xu Jingming's breakthrough, a blazing white flame began to rise from his body.

Xu Jingming only felt his mind becoming increasingly hot, as if he were about to be assimilated by the 'Primordial Star.'

"I can't look."

Xu Jingming also turned around, no longer looking at the small Primordial Star. With his mind, he could still resist these temptations.

"What's going on? The opportunities in this palace complex, if viewed for too long, will cause the mind to lose control?" Xu Jingming was a little puzzled. He had gradually lost control while watching the article on the courtyard wall, and he was also starting to lose control while watching this small Primordial Star.

…

"Whirr, whirr, whirr~~~" Deep beneath the palace complex, there was a black river. The black river attracted all kinds of chaotic, evil, and sinful auras, constantly flowing beneath the palace complex.

Its existence also allowed the surface of the palace complex to be peaceful and serene.

"This black river?" Xu Jingming had a clone here, watching the river beneath the palace complex. He instinctively thought of the Abyss. He had also obtained the treasure 'Miniature Abyss.' This black river was like one of the wriggling branches of the Abyss.

"Is this black river another branch of the Abyss?" This time, Xu Jingming was able to remain calm and did not lose control. "I have deep accumulations in the Void Abyss lineage; I can understand a lot about this black river, and I can stay clear-headed?"

…

The courtyard wall article, the small Primordial Star creation, the underground river, the paintings on the walls of the great hall, the flames that had been burning in the pill furnace hall, the 300 swords collected in a great hall…

"They can be viewed from afar, but cannot be touched." Xu Jingming discovered this common point. Even the paintings on the walls could not be approached beyond a certain distance.

Even a painting possessed terrifying power; at least, those at the half-step third realm level could not touch them.

"So many spears."

In an armory hall, Xu Jingming looked at the 129 spears that were collected and displayed. These spears had different auras and were much more terrifying than ordinary third-realm spears. Xu Jingming was suppressed by an invisible aura and could not get any closer than ten feet. Some wounds had already appeared on the surface of his body due to the impact. If he forced himself to get closer, his body would probably be crushed by the energy.

"I have initially explored the entire palace complex and discovered a total of 133 opportunities. I can only observe two places for a long time; if I look closely at other places, I will gradually lose control." Xu Jingming also confirmed this point.

"The two places that I can watch for a long time and still remain conscious are the underground river of the palace complex and these spears."

"But I obtained the treasure 'Miniature Abyss,' so the value of this underground river to me has greatly decreased." Xu Jingming still liked the treasure 'Miniature Abyss' very much because it was the true appearance of the Abyss.

Xu Jingming looked at the spears. "The most valuable thing in the entire palace complex for me should be these spears."

"I can feel that the aura of these spears is the same as that of the spear technique on the silver paper," Xu Jingming thought. Just by looking at the 129 different types of spears, his understanding of the spear technique on the silver paper deepened by another layer.

Soon, Xu Jingming recalled his other clones and focused on watching these spears.

For each spear, Xu Jingming peered into their trajectory on the timeline, sensing the terrifying aura left behind by the spears. Xu Jingming also vaguely understood the use of different spears.

He immersed himself in it.

"Hmm?" Another half-step third realm expert arrived at this hall and saw Xu Jingming.

"This Wu Ming is watching these spears?" City Lord Fei Ke also tried to watch these spears. He vaguely glimpsed a hand holding these spears, and the terrifying aura of the spear technique constantly drilled into his mind. City Lord Fei Ke's mind was shaken.

"These spears are not suitable for me." City Lord Fei Ke glanced at Xu Jingming and turned to leave.

There were many opportunities in the palace complex, but not everyone could watch them for a long time.

******

Time passed day by day, and many half-step third realm experts tried to enter, but the 'character maze' at the main gate of the palace was still quite difficult, blocking most of the experts.

In more than three months, only a hundred or so experts entered the palace complex.

The hundred or so experts in the palace complex quickly chose their respective opportunities and seized the time to carefully comprehend them.

The experts outside the palace complex failed time and time again, and many were desperate.

"To enter this palace complex, you need to understand the mysterious characters. We are clearly far from that," a half-step third realm expert said.

"Let's go and find a way to leave the Ultimate Land."

"If we drag it on for too long, we might not even be able to leave even if we want to!"

Some half-step third realm experts began to travel together, with as few as three or five and as many as a dozen or twenty. They gradually began to leave. There were also many half-step third realm experts who remained outside the palace complex, continuing to try again and again. They were clearly unwilling to give up.

"This time, I have gained two treasures and more than ten thousand mysterious characters, which is much better than all the treasures I accumulated in my previous life," most of the half-step third realm experts who left were also very satisfied.

Any treasure in the mountain range area was a rare treasure that had never been seen in this space-time in the past, and its value was extremely high. Being able to bring one or two treasures out alive was already considered a great success.

When exploring dangerous places, you can't be greedy!

…

As time passed, they couldn't enter the palace complex, and the treasures in the mountain range area were all plundered. The native creatures no longer appeared. More and more half-step third realm experts wanted to leave.

At one of the boundaries of the vast land of the Ultimate Land, a large group of half-step third realm experts gathered here, and Xu Jingming was among them.

He had initially split into two groups. One group entered the mountain range area, and the other group, led by Boatman Beihe, stayed in the outer area. At this moment, Xu Jingming in the outer area… was also planning to try to leave the Ultimate Land. Anyway, he had more than five hundred clones in the palace complex, which was enough.

"What's going on? No matter how you fly in the spacetime turbulence outside the Ultimate Land, you will eventually return to the land of the Ultimate Land."

"Did I return to the Ultimate Land again?"

One by one, half-step third realm experts used various means to enter the spacetime turbulence outside the land. After entering, they would get lost in the spacetime turbulence, unable to distinguish directions, and were swept away in a daze, eventually being swept back to the land of the Ultimate Land.

"I have also tried dozens of times, and each time I get lost in space-time and am eventually swept to this land," Xu Jingming stood in one place, frowning in thought.

"Beihe," Xu Jingming contacted Boatman Beihe in his personal small universe. "I have tried many times, and many invincible half-step third realm experts have also tried, but everyone has failed! No one can leave the Ultimate Land."

"Can't leave?" Boatman Beihe was stunned. "Doesn't that mean that the treasures we collected can't be taken out?"

"Yes."

Xu Jingming was also very serious. "Yes, although these treasures are very precious, we can't take them out now. Even our third-realm weapons might be damaged here."

"Hahaha… what a joke, what a joke." Laughter came from a distance. An invincible half-step third realm expert laughed. "For so long, not a single half-step third realm expert has been able to get out. Hahaha, we risked our lives for these treasures before, excited and crazy about them, but the end result… may be that we all have to die here, and these treasures will eventually have to be returned to this Ultimate Land."

"It's indeed a joke, a wasted effort," other experts also shook their heads.

"If we can't get out, then we'll have to find a way to survive in the Ultimate Land, live a little longer, comprehend the mysterious characters, and comprehend the treasures, and we'll be able to gain more," another expert said. "The treasures can't be taken away, but the knowledge we comprehend can be taken away."

"If we can't get out from here, perhaps there are other places in this Ultimate Land where we can get out!" some half-step third realm experts left.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh.

The half-step third realm experts each had their own choices and went to various places, looking for ways to leave the Ultimate Land.