The Valley of Fallen Divine Weapons

Heaven and earth were pitch-black. In the distance, endless war souls howled like thunderclaps, though no one could be seen. It was as if a tsunami and an earthquake had struck at once.

The World Gate was unfathomably mysterious. Within it, one could not see one's hand in front of one's face. After Xiao Chen and Bai Qi charged in, they sensed an extremely uncomfortable aura, a hair-raising feeling.

The Martial Imprint kept calling out the name 'Five Ancestors.' In such a bizarre and eerie world gate, that name seemed even more sinister and gloomy.

"Five Ancestors... here?" "Is he... still alive?"

This was what Xiao Chen and Bai Qi urgently wanted to know. The Martial Imprint did not answer but charged ahead.

Xiao Chen and Bai Qi pulled themselves together and pursued closely. They could naturally see that this place was very unusual. The so-called Burial Valley likely buried the divine weapons of Ancestral Gods!

Bang!

The Martial Imprint crashed as if into an iron mountain. The mass of cyan light shuddered violently, blocked. The path ahead was a world barrier—they had reached the end.

Though there was no road ahead, the dark and deep space below revealed a corner like an iceberg. It was a vast valley, eerie and uncanny within this dark world gate. Even with clairvoyant divine abilities, one could not see clearly, only a pitch-black region.

Without a doubt, below was the Burial Valley.

The Martial Imprint led, Xiao Chen and Bai Qi followed, descending slowly, wanting to enter the valley.

Chi chi chi!

At that moment, tearing sounds came. Trails of heaven-stabbing sword light, terrifying beyond compare, pierced through heaven and earth. The boundless killing intent made Bai Qi, a Half-Ancestor, change color.

Xiao Chen and Bai Qi were struck as if by lightning. Though they dodged those skyward sword beams, the formless killing intent shook their blood and qi, making them want to vomit blood. It was an intangible force that directly rocked their souls.

The Burial Valley was indeed no ordinary place. The mere killing intent seeping out was so oppressive that even a Half-Ancestor felt discomfort!

"Fortunately, we weren't hit by those sword beams; otherwise, it would have been unbearable."

The Martial Imprint seemed to sense the danger. Only after all the sword light had dimmed did he lead the way, landing on the valley cliff. He did not dare descend any further.

This was a place like a giant volcanic crater. The so-called Burial Valley was the area within the crater, bottomless and unfathomable.

"If you want to fly down, you'll be pierced by killing intent. Even a battle-powerful Half-Ancestor would die trying."

With these words, the Martial Imprint went first, walking down along the huge crater rim. Inside the crater were winding paths carved into the rock, circling down toward the bottom.

They followed the steep cliff path step by step downward, their spirits highly concentrated, on guard against hidden dangers.

Bang!

Just then, a black shadow shot out and slapped the Martial Imprint, shaking the surrounding cliff walls with a rumble. The Burial Valley was filled with terrifying power; the surrounding rock was hard to break, nearly immovable. That this black shadow could create such a disturbance showed how terrifying it was.

The Martial Imprint blazed with light, releasing a fierce sword aura that blasted the black shadow flying. It crashed into the cliff wall and dissipated with a bang.

"It was actually a mass of yin energy, congealed over long ages into a physical form," the Martial Imprint said. "You must be careful. This place is extremely dangerous."

Just now, if it had been Xiao Chen or Bai Qi, they might have been flustered or even wounded. And this was only at the edge of the valley, far from the bottom. Ahead, it would certainly be worse.

Tap, tap, tap...

In the darkness, only their own footsteps echoed. The vast valley was otherwise deathly silent. They could sense nothing.

Along the winding path inside the giant volcano, they circled more than ten times, descending over ten li, but still far from the bottom.

Honglong!

Just then, a massive beast suddenly leaped onto the path ahead, shaking its head and tail as it charged at the Martial Imprint. At the same time, two black shadows appeared behind Xiao Chen and Bai Qi, launching ambushes.

Xiao Chen urgently vibrated his War Swords. Cold light shot everywhere—twenty-seven War Swords crisscrossed and struck, blocking one black shadow. Bai Qi let out a low shout, and war souls appeared around him, trapping the black shadow that attacked him.

These black shadows, entirely formed from the yin energy of this place, were not Half-Ancestors, but the power they struck with was hardly less. Each palm strike shook the mountain rocks—and since Half-Ancestors could barely shake this mysterious valley, that showed the shadow's strength.

"Roar..." The giant beast ahead bellowed.

The Martial Imprint shot out a cyan light, blasting the blocking beast away. It was a three-headed monster. It seemed to know it could not overcome the Martial Imprint, so it silently pounced on Xiao Chen.

Clang!

Its huge claws, each the size of a millstone, scraped across Xiao Chen's dark-iron battle suit, leaving a trail of terrifying sparks. It definitely had the strength of a Half-Ancestor!

Xiao Chen by now had shaken off the first black shadow that attacked him. He turned and swung his War Sword at the giant beast. Bai Qi also finished off his opponent and came to help.

"Don't bother with it," said the Martial Imprint. "These are the souls of fallen divine weapons that have reformed—very unstable. After a few clashes, they'll soon break apart on their own."

Xiao Chen and Bai Qi cautiously retreated. Sure enough, the three-headed beast burst apart with a bang against the stone wall.

"The real danger is ahead. Take care yourselves."

Following the winding stone path along the valley's inner wall, they descended another seven or eight li, still far from the bottom. Just then, a sword beam, cold and cutting, suddenly exploded and slashed at them like a radiant rainbow.

This place was filled with mysterious power. Half-Ancestors could not fully manifest their might—no heaven-shaking, earth-shattering power was allowed. That such a sword beam could appear showed its terror; it definitely had the strength of a Half-Ancestor. Even a Half-Ancestor might be pierced through the body if caught off guard.

Xiao Chen and Bai Qi both sensed the danger of that sword stroke—truly terrifying.

The Martial Imprint charged forward. Cyan light blazed, blocking the sharp sword beam.

Chi chi chi!

The sword beam split into two, two into four, four into eight... in an instant becoming thousands of beams, each dazzling and terrifyingly evil.

Xiao Chen and Bai Qi's pupils contracted sharply. Such power could definitely shatter a Half-Ancestor! They gave it their all to block the thousands of sword beams.

The Martial Imprint turned into a sheet of cyan light that covered heaven and earth, instantly smothering them. Only then did the hundreds of sword beams dissipate with a bang.

The black shadow that had held the sword vanished like smoke, disappearing into the darkness. A heavy object hit the ground—the sword the shadow had held had fallen.

Xiao Chen and Bai Qi immediately walked over to see what divine weapon it was. But when they reached it, they were shocked. It was not a complete divine sword at all—the blade was long broken, leaving only a ruined hilt. It was carved from some unknown type of wood, nearly decayed, but still heavy. The terrifying sword light just now had come from this.

"If it hadn't been destroyed, this would truly have been an unimaginable divine weapon—at least a Half-Ancestor Ninth Heaven tier sword!" Bai Qi judged.

"This is the Burial Valley, so there are naturally many divine relics," said the Martial Imprint. "That was just the remnant soul of the sword releasing sword energy. If it had been intact, it would have been far more terrifying."

"Maybe we can find one or two divine weapons," said Xiao Chen.

Hearing this, the Martial Imprint mercilessly crushed his hopes: "If you see a perfectly preserved divine weapon, I advise you to flee immediately, or you'll be in grave danger."

"Why?" Bai Qi asked.

"A divine weapon that can be preserved intact must be an Ancestral God weapon. Do you think you can control an Ancestral God weapon? This is not some other place; this is the Burial Valley. There are many undying weapon souls here, many with self-awareness. An Ancestral God weapon combined with such a soul would be like having its own spirit."

Xiao Chen and Bai Qi both sucked in a cold breath. An Ancestral God weapon with its own soul would be comparable to an Ancestral God! That was far beyond what they could subdue. Even the Martial Imprint would have to flee.

"Don't tell me there's an Ancestral God-level existence here?!"

Both felt their situation was extremely dangerous. If such a divine weapon charged out, even they, as Half-Ancestors, might die here.

"How many Ancestral Gods are there across all the worlds? Rest assured, that level of existence only appears in legends. Not everyone can see one," the Martial Imprint gave them a dose of reassurance. "In theory, there should be no self-aware Ancestral God weapons in the Burial Valley. Otherwise, wouldn't there be one or two more Ancestral Gods in this world? Impossible!"

Hearing this, though they knew the situation was less dangerous, they also felt a bit disappointed. Not seeing a self-aware Ancestral God weapon was somewhat regrettable.

They had already descended over twenty li along the valley's inner wall, but the Burial Valley seemed endless. Who knew how far they still were from the dark, deep bottom?

As they continued downward, a fierce killing intent rose from the valley depths, making Xiao Chen and Bai Qi feel a bone-chilling cold. It was as if a sharp sword was pressed against their spines.

In the darkness, endless killing intent seemed to be suppressed, ready to shoot up at any moment, grinding them to pieces.

"Trouble is coming!"

At that moment, the Martial Imprint suddenly spoke in a grave tone, warning Xiao Chen and Bai Qi to retreat.

Dimly, Xiao Chen sensed a killing intent, faint but piercing straight to his bones—icy cold, sinister, and terrifying.

Tap, tap, tap...

Before long, a tall figure walked along the stone path from below, step by step upward. His footsteps rang out clearly on the ground, as if he were wearing crystal shoes. In his hand, he held a battle halberd a full zhang long, seemingly able to pierce the heavens, glittering with cold light.

He was unhurried, as if everything was under his control. Though he was below, he seemed to look down on Xiao Chen and the others. His face was unclear, but the divine light in his eyes was even sharper and more terrifying than sword beams—several zhang long, shattering the space before him into chaos.

Xiao Chen and Bai Qi were deeply shaken. If this being was not a remnant soul with sustained combat power, he would be extremely terrifying—at the very least, a Half-Ancestor at the Ninth Heavenly Tier!

"Hah!"

He raised the battle halberd with one hand and thrust forward, instantly turning the void before the Martial Imprint into chaos, erupting with a world-destroying aura.

Dazzling light burst forth. The Martial Imprint was not a true Ancestral God; though powerful, its strength was also at the Half-Ancestor Ninth Heaven, no stronger than the halberd-wielder opposite.

Cyan light blazed, condensing into a human shape. The Martial Imprint swung its fist, smashing through chaos and clashing against the battle halberd.

Xiao Chen and Bai Qi quickly retreated. Half-Ancestor Ninth Heaven experts were beyond their ability to oppose; going forward would only mean death.

That towering figure was overwhelmingly mighty. The battle halberd in his hand cut through the sky, turning everything to chaos.

"A Half-Ancestor at the Ninth Heaven can easily slaughter those who have just stepped into the Half-Ancestor realm," Bai Qi said gravely.

Bang!

The Martial Imprint was sent flying by the battle halberd, a piece of its light almost tearing apart its condensed body. This area shook violently, massive boulders tumbling down.

The Martial Imprint seemed very surprised, its voice distorted: "Is it really... the Chaos Battle Halberd?"

Tap, tap, tap...

The towering figure said nothing, but walked forward slowly and inexorably, bringing a suffocating pressure to Half-Ancestors like Xiao Chen and Bai Qi.

"Retreat—as far as you can!" the Martial Imprint shouted at Xiao Chen and Bai Qi.

They realized the gravity of the situation and decisively fled backward as fast as they could.

At the same time, a fierce battle erupted!

A ball of chaotic light and a ball of cyan light tangled together, moving rapidly along the stone path on the valley wall. The valley walls, which even Half-Ancestors could barely break, constantly shattered, collapsed, and fell as the two balls of light rolled past, rumbling endlessly.

Dimly, one could see a figure within the cyan light ceaselessly throwing punches that tore heaven and earth, unleashing unparalleled battle intent. Meanwhile, within the chaotic light, a battle halberd swung and slashed, smashing through everything, breaking through time and space—impossible to block!

Xiao Chen and Bai Qi were both horrified. In this mysterious valley, Half-Ancestor power could not fully manifest, yet these two balls of light still had such might. That showed how terrifying they truly were.

At that moment, outside the world gate of the Burial Valley, dozens of top experts had arrived from tens of thousands of li away. Before them was the pitch-black space. The unfathomable world gate ahead had no light at all, making people's hair stand on end.

Also at that time, the largest head—comparable to dozens of mountains—was slowly fading, gradually disappearing into the dark sky.

The dozens of experts saw the world gate slowly closing. They hesitated, unsure whether to charge in. Finally, someone gritted their teeth and flew into the Burial Valley. Once one took the lead, others followed, and some top figures rushed in.

Bang!

After a long battle, the Martial Imprint and the towering figure with the battle halberd finally separated, shaking the valley. The zhang-long battle halberd turned everything it passed into chaos, but then it suddenly transformed into a beam of light, shooting into the endless dark depths and vanishing.

Xiao Chen and Bai Qi rushed over and only relaxed when they saw the Martial Imprint's light had not dimmed.

"Things have exceeded my expectations. The Chaos Battle Halberd still exists in this world. Though it's damaged, it's still an Ancestral God weapon. Combined with its self-aware weapon soul, it equals a Half-Ancestor at the Ninth Heavenly Tier," said the Martial Imprint, seeming apprehensive. "This is very terrifying. And we haven't even reached the bottom of the Burial Valley yet. I'm afraid a completely intact self-aware Ancestral God weapon might really appear."

Hearing this, Xiao Chen and Bai Qi also felt a formless killing intent. The bottom of the Burial Valley seemed to truly bury a peerless divine weapon—the formless killing intent made them feel bone-piercing cold.

"Did you shatter the consciousness on that Chaos Battle Halberd just now?" Xiao Chen asked.

"No. It retreated on its own," the Martial Imprint replied. Then he said, "Don't go any further. Wait here. After endless ages, the Burial Valley may have undergone a shocking transformation. I'm afraid I won't be able to look after you."

Even a Half-Ancestor needed looking after. The Burial Valley was truly too dangerous—even the Martial Imprint was not confident.

Watching the Martial Imprint gradually disappear into the distance, Xiao Chen and Bai Qi stood in place for a long time.

"I want to go take a look," Bai Qi said. Then he strode forward and vanished into the darkness.

Xiao Chen was silent for a long time. In the end, he chose to continue onward as well, because he vaguely felt that something below was calling to him.

"Eh..." When he had descended another ten-plus li, Xiao Chen was surprised. Ahead appeared a fork—nine paths, each winding downward toward the valley bottom.

This Burial Valley was truly enormous. The nine paths separated and soon disappeared from sight. Xiao Chen looked them over and directly chose the ninth path, following the winding trail downward.

From the beginning until now, Xiao Chen had already penetrated over thirty li deep into the valley. After setting out alone on the ninth twisting path, no danger appeared.

However, this path was too quiet—unnaturally so. There was no fluctuation of killing intent, no manifestation of weapon souls. The silence was terrifying.

Even Xiao Chen's own footsteps disappeared. The stillness here was enough to make one feel like breaking down. Even for someone with Xiao Chen's divine sense, there was a feeling of isolation and suffocation.

Soundless, dead-quiet. Xiao Chen seemed to have stepped onto an endless road of no return.

"The ninth path, the last path—it can be called the final path," a heavenly voice suddenly rang out in the deathly silent ninth path. How long had passed? "Everyone's path is their own choice. Since you have chosen the final path, that means death."

At the same time, faint light came through from far ahead. A beautiful figure, surrounded by hazy radiance, walked gracefully and ethereally forward.