The Most Evil Ground and the Eternal Light

In the Most Evil Ground, the stars in the sky shone brilliantly, seeming to hang just overhead. Each star was crystalline and radiant, like lanterns of glazed glass suspended in the heavens. Though it was night, faint streams of light flowed from the earth, leaving the surroundings not entirely dark. The ground was covered in fragrant flowers and grasses, with bees and butterflies flitting about, full of vibrant life. Divine springs gurgled merrily, their music nourishing the beautiful wilderness. Xiao Chen, Bai Qi, and the others all showed expressions of excitement as they walked toward the Eternal Light ahead.

"So s-so... so excited!" Jin Sanyi strained with all his might, clutching the Doomsday Heavenly Halberd as he swayed forward. Wu Ming and his son Wu Xiaoshi trembled with elation; even the composed Wu Ming felt the urge to shout for joy. The others were little better—legend had it that a Half-Ancestor who truly obtained and refined the Eternal Light might ascend to the realm of Ancestral God.

"Boom!" A powerful killing aura surged forth instantly, sending a chill through even Bai Qi. The Martial Imprint blazed with green light and charged to the front, shielding everyone behind him. It was a cold metallic man, forged entirely of refined gold, projecting an overwhelming sense of oppression. The Martial Imprint's expression changed on the spot. The metal man's arms were two Ancestral God weapons: his left arm replaced by a divine sword, his right by a demonic blade, both gleaming with cold metallic luster. In his chest and abdomen was a massive black hole, similar to the antimatter weapons on the warships encountered earlier, but this one felt far more dangerous. And within his eyes flickered a "Slaughter Light" capable of contending with Ancestral Gods. Moreover, the metal man's entire body had been refined into an Ancestral God weapon, not limited to the divine sword and demonic blade. The combination of powerful weapons from two civilizations made this metal man terrifyingly formidable—it was specifically designed to intercept Ancestral God-level beings! The Martial Ancestor could have traversed this place as if on flat ground before the metal man could react, but they were intercepted. The Martial Imprint's expression was exceptionally grave. The Eternal Light was already in sight; to be destroyed here would be a tragic waste.

"Slaughter Light, Ancestral God weapons, antimatter weapons—three dangerous elements combined in one. I fear we cannot break through..."

"Don't act," Wu Ming stopped the Martial Imprint and recounted their earlier experiences. Only then did the Martial Imprint breathe a long sigh of relief. The little white beast did nothing more than toss the large cyan stone—wreathed in Slaughter Light—up ahead. The stone blazed with radiance, revealing lines of mysterious script. The cold metal man hesitated for a moment, then quickly vanished.

"It seems that even if an ordinary person intended to enter this place, it would be difficult to obtain the Eternal Light," the Martial Imprint remarked, a cold sweat running down his back. Earlier, the Martial Ancestor had said that the Most Evil Ground was isolated by chaotic space-time, and even the Death World's Ancestral Lord would have difficulty entering under normal circumstances. Now it seemed that the White-Bone Ancestral Dragon, the Primordial Sin, Li Huiyou, and the others had stumbled here by accident and ultimately gained little.

A false alarm. Everyone was relieved, and looking at Keke, then thinking about that cool little white beast, they inwardly exclaimed the word 'defying heaven.' A safe path had been opened between the Most Evil Ground and the outside world, suppressing all dangerous elements. Keke's father was truly an unfathomably terrifying existence.

The sacred and serene Eternal Light was the size of a house, like a massive bright moon descending upon the flower-covered earth. Rays of divine brilliance swirled around it—that was the true Eternal Light, before which all the world's luster lost color. Nothing beautiful could compare to its eternal splendor, its undying brilliance, evoking heartfelt admiration.

Fragrant grass brushed their ankles, soft underfoot; at last, they reached the Eternal Light. The dazzling radiance stirred everyone's hearts, but they also noticed the peculiarity of the place where the Eternal Light resided. Within a radius of several tens of feet, no grass grew, and the soil was blood-red—somewhat startling. This stirred everyone deeply. Without a doubt, more than ten Ancestral Gods were buried beneath the earth, their blood staining this ground, giving birth to this mysterious Eternal Light—the radiance of burning Ancestral God souls. Was it the greatest miracle of the world, or the greatest tragedy through the ages? It was hard to say. The weight was unbearable; too many past events were enshrined here.

Standing before the brilliant Eternal Light, everyone's excitement gradually calmed. Even the trace of greed in Wu Ming's heart vanished completely. The sacred, serene Eternal Light could purify one's soul, granting each person a most pure spiritual baptism. In a trance, they seemed to hear a mournful song—the battle hymn of fallen Ancestral Gods, the lament within the Eternal Light... It was a long time before everyone gradually returned to normal.

The Martial Ancestor had already departed, having resolved his own bodily issues—this was the miraculous nature of the Eternal Light! Everyone wanted to approach, but as soon as they neared the blood-red ground where no grass grew, eight blinding beams of light shot into the sky, forcing all to shut their eyes. Everyone felt as if locked on by an ancient demon god, unable to move!

"That is..." Everyone was utterly shocked. Among the eight beams, four were Slaughter Light, and four were Ancestral God killing thoughts. Slaughter Light was born from the world's will to kill, a light that Ancestral Gods themselves were reluctant to encounter. True Slaughter Light was rarely seen in the real world—it only emerged at the end of an age, when the world collapsed and life was devastated, producing such a beam of destruction. Ancestral God killing thoughts were formed from the purest killing intent of a fallen Ancestral God, fused with the great cosmic origin. Like Slaughter Light, they had no will of their own and could pierce even Ancestral God-level beings. The Slaughter Light that had swirled around the great cyan stone in Paradise Lost also transformed into a bolt of lightning and flew over. Nine of the most fearsome beams now surrounded the Eternal Light.

With such powerful guardians, aside from beings like the Nine-Heaven Martial Ancestor or Keke's father—existence-defying as they were—even two or three Ancestral Gods together could do nothing. Everyone looked toward the great cyan stone in Paradise Lost. At that moment, the cool little beast with the grass stalk in its mouth reappeared, its hands behind its back, facing the Eternal Light. It said, "This was prepared for Ancestral Gods. You haven't reached that level, so even if you came, you couldn't enter." With that, it took Keke's paw and walked straight forward. The Ancestral God killing thoughts and Slaughter Light did not block it; they let it pass. Keke quickly grabbed Xiao Chen's clothes, trying to bring him along.

Keke's father spoke flatly: "You would harm him by doing this. If one who has not reached the Ancestral God realm enters the Eternal Light, they would be annihilated body and soul instantly. Even if I protect you, you cannot truly go inside." He brought the little beast outside the Eternal Light, letting the divine radiance fall upon Keke, bathing her in it, but did not actually bring her within.

"It's you... here again..." At that moment, the moon-like Eternal Light actually spoke with a majestic voice. Everyone was astounded—the Eternal Light had gained consciousness! It was an incomparably powerful life form. "It is me. But this time I'm not here to bathe, though that was truly pleasant. Ages ago, I opened the path through the Most Evil Ground not for myself, but to leave a backdoor for my descendants." Hearing the cool white beast's indifferent tone, everyone was shocked once more—Keke's father had come here to bathe?! Entering the Eternal Light... such an act was truly perverse. However, after speaking that sentence, the Eternal Light sank into silence.

Seeing the little beast muttering, Keke's father waved his hand, and Xiao Chen flew over as well, though he did not touch the Eternal Light's divine radiance and received no baptism. "Without reaching the corresponding realm, one cannot bear the Eternal Light," the cool beast explained.

In a flash, Keke's father summoned the Seven-Colored Sacred Tree from Xiao Chen's body and cast it into the Eternal Light, saying: "Since you have come this far, I won't let you leave empty-handed. Let this divine tree carry the Eternal Light, to be used in the future." The Seven-Colored Sacred Tree blazed brilliantly in the center of the Eternal Light, as if on fire, bearing some kind of sacred power.

This arrangement satisfied Keke, who kept nodding and crying out "Ya-ya," looking utterly endearing. The sound of tearing air was incessant as Keke's father swept out streams of the Eternal Light's rays—very faint beams—which shot into the bodies of Jin Sanyi, Wu Ming, Fatty Zhuge, and the others. This sent them into ecstasy. Though it was not a powerful beam of Eternal Light, such a faint wisp was more than enough for them—it would benefit them for a lifetime! Any more and their bodies would shatter.

The Golden Divine Halberd and the Dark-Iron Seal could no longer stay still; they howled wildly, wishing they could rush over themselves. "You two are not simple. You were once Ancestral God weapons. I can give each of you a beam of Eternal Light." Keke's father's words shocked everyone. These two divine weapons with souls, usually so cunning, had never been thought to be degraded Ancestral God weapons—even the Martial Imprint looked very surprised. The Golden Divine Halberd and the Dark-Iron Seal immediately fell silent, as if ashamed of some misdeed.

"Hmm, I remember now. You should be those two weapons from the time of the Twelve Zodiac Battle Ancestors. They shattered in the fierce war and later reformed under new guises. I suppose you were lost in the hands of Otherworld experts for a time..." Keke's father exposed their origins. Xiao Chen suddenly understood. There were many legends about these two divine weapons, but he never imagined such hidden secrets. The two evil weapons coughed dryly, seeming very embarrassed. "No small background..." the Martial Imprint gritted out, eyeing them.

"Swoosh! Swoosh!" Two true beams of Eternal Light, dazzlingly brilliant and the thickness of a water barrel, shot into the Golden Divine Halberd and the Dark-Iron Seal. The two weapons, elated beyond measure, howled wildly again. Then Bai Qi, who had already reached the Half-Ancestor realm, also received a similarly resplendent beam of Eternal Light. Keke's father seemed to have deliberately forgotten the Martial Imprint, which left the old charlatan quite disgruntled.

"Hey, you there! What about the matter of you carving words on my body? Shouldn't we settle that account?" The Martial Imprint had originally intended to remind Keke's father that he hadn't received any Eternal Light, but mentioning this only stirred up his anger; he wished he could catch the cool little beast and beat it soundly.

"Did I do that?" The white beast, chewing on a grass stalk, asked indifferently. "Of course!" the Martial Imprint fumed. "Are you trying to renege?" "Then it's a problem. If you want to find the culprit, go find the original. I am just a strand of spiritual imprint—I haven't inherited many memories, only a trace of combat instinct." Keke's father washed his hands of it completely, spreading his paws lazily. "You...!" The Martial Imprint jumped up in rage. "Fine, I'll give you three beams of Eternal Light. Whether you can shed your weapon nature and become a true Ancestral God will depend on yourself." "Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!" Divine light soared into the sky. Three beams of Eternal Light rose and then transformed into massive bolts of lightning, plunging into the Martial Imprint's body. The old charlatan immediately quieted down and began to silently refine the light.

At that moment, the Seven-Colored Sacred Tree in the Eternal Light seemed to have absorbed enough divine radiance. It blazed like a small sun, flew out, and hovered for a long time before slowly retracting its towering sacred light. Wu Ming watched with intense envy but could do nothing. Xiao Chen also received a baptism of faint rays—only specks of light, not a massive beam of Eternal Light. But as long as he had the Seven-Colored Sacred Tree, once he ascended to the Half-Ancestor realm, he would not lack pure Eternal Light to refine his body.

"Clang!" Xiao Chen took out the three broken War Swords and earnestly requested Keke's father's assistance. At that moment, the Eternal Light, silent for so long, spoke again: "The War Swords were born here." Endless radiance immediately engulfed the three swords, enveloping them within the light source. Before long, sword energy shot into the sky, piercing the clouds, and murderous aura spread across the wilderness. Three intact War Swords burst forth—fully restored. So simple! The Eternal Light lived up to its reputation.

"When will you be buried here?" the Eternal Light suddenly asked Keke's father, and at the same time, a beam of light shot toward Paradise Lost. "Don't be so stingy, okay?" Keke's father replied nonchalantly, blocking that beam of Eternal Light. Keke's heart pounded; her big eyes kept blinking. Deep in Paradise Lost lay two white skeletons—her parents—which were of utmost importance to her. "Since they have already passed, why this attachment?" the Eternal Light asked.

"Bang!" Keke's father slapped open the blood-red earth and retrieved a stone tablet from within, saying: "It's clearly written here." The Martial Imprint, watching from nearby, saw clearly. On the tablet was carved a line of crooked characters, which he could not help but read aloud: "I was here. If I truly die, bury my corpse here. If I fake my death, whoever buries me here will have me to answer to!" Everyone was speechless. The original Keke's father certainly had character.

"Though I am just a spiritual imprint, I think the original isn't so easy to kill. But I am indeed about to fade..." Keke's father looked utterly unconcerned, as if it did not matter. "Ya-ya..." Keke immediately pounced on him, eyes brimming with tears, asking countless questions. "Don't cry. Fading is not the true end. The real me is eternal and immortal—perhaps not even dead yet."

It must be said, this cool little beast was truly extraordinary. Even facing his own flesh and blood, he appeared calm and indifferent, though full of affection. When it came to life and death, he treated them as nothing. "Ya-ya ya-ya!" Keke anxiously kept pressing. "You ask about your mother? That's too complicated. I don't even know who she was before I came here. I must have met her after leaving this place. To be able to meet you here is my greatest comfort." The spiritual imprint gradually faded. Keke wailed loudly, crying out "Ya-ya" nonstop. "I want to tell you many things, but there is much I don't know. I am only a spiritual imprint, without many memories. Guiding my descendant here is my task completed..." The figure grew more and more faint, about to disappear.

"Why did the Martial Ancestor enter the deepest part of the Death World?" At that moment, the Martial Imprint could not help but ask. "One day, if you have nowhere to go and the world has no place for you, you can flee into the deepest part of the Death World..." Keke's father did not answer directly, merely offering this response. "Wuwu..." Watching the cool little beast's silhouette grow dimmer, about to vanish, Keke wept bitterly. "Don't cry. Perhaps one day, when you are strong enough, we will meet again in another world. Death is not the end. When you reach that realm, you will understand that everything is just the beginning." Keke's father was about to disappear.

Xiao Chen's mind shook violently. This was not the first time he had heard such words. In a flash, Keke's father's form vanished and merged with several beams of Eternal Light to form a massive Star Gate. "I will send you away from here..." Everyone was swept into it. In that instant, Xiao Chen remembered another matter and shouted to the Eternal Light, asking if the young female sovereign and the three skeleton kings—King Qin Guang, King Yan Luo, King Reincarnation—had ever been here. "They were seen, entering the deepest part of the Death World..." The majestic, vast voice sounded in Xiao Chen's ear. Then light flashed, and they crossed world barriers, traversed chaotic space-time, and began their journey back.

This time, the Star Gate bypassed the Burial Armory Valley and sent them directly to the Soul World. Then the light vanished completely, and the great cyan stone suddenly shattered into powder. Only a few beams of Eternal Light remained, all sinking into Paradise Lost; clearly, Keke's father cared for the little beast and had left them specifically for her. "Ya-ya..." Keke's eyelashes were covered with teardrops as she grasped vainly at the sky.

"Don't be sad. 'Good people die young, but scoundrels live a thousand years.' That bastard is so wicked, even Heaven would find it very hard to take him..." Xiao Chen shot the Martial Imprint a look. Was this any way to console someone? Too uncouth. Keke grumpily cast Paradise Lost toward the old charlatan. "Swish!" The Martial Imprint turned into a streak of green light and fled, his voice trailing from afar: "Until we meet again, disciples—if fate allows, we shall reunite!" Totti, Jin Sanyi, Fatty Zhuge, and Wu Xiaoshi could only stare helplessly. This cheap master was far too unreliable—he had never taught them a single technique, and now he just dumped them?

"Charlatan!" "Big scammer!" The four shouted in unison, seemingly losing all reverence. In this populated area of the Soul World, the group did not linger. They flew toward Mangzhe City, a thousand li away. But at that moment, the heavens and earth of the Soul World suddenly erupted with a towering wave of energy—a fluctuation far stronger than the Martial Imprint's combat power. Boundless killing intent swept across the entire Soul World! The terrifying fluctuation, vast as an ocean, shook heaven and earth—unfathomably powerful.

"Ancestral God Li Huiyou descends!" At that moment, a cold, emotionless voice spread across the entire Soul World. After years of silence, the powerful Otherworld Ancestral God had reappeared! This Li Huiyou was absolutely not comparable to the incarnation in the Most Evil Ground. In that instant, a chill ran through everyone's hearts.

"Boom!" Suddenly, tens of millions of rays of multicolored light surged across the sky. A colossal stone bridge, spanning tens of thousands of li, rapidly extended toward the direction of the Otherworld Ancestral God Li Huiyou's voice. The Heaven-Reaching Death Bridge had reappeared in the world, blocking the mighty Otherworld Ancestral God!