Undying Life

Chapter 193: Chapter 193: The World of Blooming Flowers

"Screams!

Save me!

No!"

In the gloomy environment, there were numerous cries of agony. Countless practitioners who had been driven into the midst of zombies and evil spirits were quickly surrounded. Zombies and evil spirits swarmed in, swiftly tearing into the practitioners and devouring chunks of flesh. These practitioners, sealed in their cultivation and possessing only the strength of ordinary warriors, were no match for the thousands of evil spirits and zombies. Moreover, the numbers of these undead creatures were increasing rapidly, becoming denser and denser.

Throughout the gloomy environment, blood sprayed everywhere, and the flesh torn from the victims was barely recognizable. Even the bodies of the frozen practitioners were not spared by the zombies and evil spirits, who greedily feasted upon them. Their blood-soaked bodies littered the ground, turning the place into a hellish scene that was unbearable to look at.

"Truly, these zombies and evil spirits are real, not illusions," Ge Lin exclaimed, his eyes wide with horror. When had he ever witnessed such a terrifying sight? Death itself wasn't frightening, but being bitten to death and then devoured was horrifying. Ge Lin felt his entire body covered in goosebumps, overwhelmed by fear.

Meanwhile, Zhongshan's eyes narrowed as he stared into the distance. Did these zombies and evil spirits need flesh to feed on? The blue energy lines behind them suddenly turned fiery red, as if the devoured practitioners were being transformed into special energy and transmitted to the distant Flower of Death.

The blue Flower of Death gradually changed color, becoming slightly crimson, and then increasingly red.

"This isn't an illusion? Of course not, it's a mixture of reality and illusion," Princess Qianyou said, frowning.

As nearly ten thousand practitioners or their corpses were devoured by the zombies and evil spirits, their numbers continued to swell. Even those flying in the air increased in number.

The evil spirits became more and more frenzied, flying into the air and incessantly tearing into the sealed practitioners' true essence, even lunging at the heavily armed soldiers.

"Kill!"

Suddenly, a general's commanding shout rang out from afar, and a large number of soldiers rushed forward with their swords drawn.

Boom! Boom!

Team after team of soldiers swung their swords wildly, sending torrents of sword energy crashing toward a particular direction. The terrifying sword energy swept through the area, obliterating everything in its path, reducing them to nothingness or dissipating into a puff of smoke.

The evil spirits and zombies themselves were not strong, so the soldiers became more courageous, each team of a hundred men unstoppable in their advance.

"Kill!"

The teams of soldiers charged into the depths of the group of evil spirits.

Standing on the outskirts, Ge Lin looked astonished. "What's happening? They just fed the practitioners to these evil spirits, and now they're slaughtering them?"

"It's not a slaughter," Mr. Shuijing furrowed his brow.

"Not a slaughter?" Ge Lin was puzzled. Wasn't it obvious that it was a slaughter?

"The Daye Emperor intends to continue feeding these evil spirits and zombies with these million soldiers," Mr. Shuijing shook his head.

"Using these soldiers as fodder? But they're his subjects, his soldiers!" Ge Lin's expression was one of shock.

"As emperors and kings, they must have a broad perspective, not caring about the loss of a city, as long as there are greater benefits to be gained. Sacrificing even more soldiers is acceptable," Mr. Shuijing said.

Sure enough, as Mr. Shuijing finished speaking, the first squad of a hundred soldiers that ventured deep into enemy territory had one of its members seized by an evil spirit from above. The squad collapsed almost immediately, with a large number of evil spirits and zombies swarming in to devour them. In just a short time, that entire squad was reduced to nothing, their bodies completely consumed.

One squad after another followed suit, facing the same grim fate. Even Zhongshan, who was watching from the periphery, couldn't help but feel a chill. A million soldiers, most of them above the Innate level, all loyal to the Daye Emperor, were all being sacrificed for the emperor's personal ambition.

What was the Daye Emperor trying to achieve?

"It's opening," Princess Qianyou's eyes lit up.

Opening? Zhongshan followed Qianyou's gaze to see the gigantic flower of death. The flower had completely turned blood-red, as if it could drip blood at any moment.

Fed by the flesh of a million strong practitioners, the flower was finally satiated. The flower of death began to slowly rotate, and the countless evil spirits and zombies suddenly turned into shadows and faded away, as if it had all been a dream. Only the surviving soldiers, witnessing the blood-stained ground, knew that it was all real. They raised their heads and howled at the sky, mourning their friends and brothers—millions of comrades who had died inexplicably, devoured by these illusions.

The remaining soldiers stood on the blood-soaked battlefield, tears streaming down their faces, but they were destined to be mere pawns in a grand conspiracy. Now, nobody cared about them; everyone's attention was focused on the center flower of death.

The flower of death continued to rotate, its petals slowly parting. From the gaps between the petals, an even more sinister black mist seeped out. The flower was about to bloom, but what would it bring?

"I remember now, this is the 'World of Blooming Flowers.' Tian Lao once mentioned the 'World of Blooming Flowers' in the Feng Shui sealing array," Princess Qianyou suddenly exclaimed.

"The World of Blooming Flowers? What is it?" Mr. Shuijing asked.

"When this flower blooms, it reveals an entirely new world. Only by breaking through this new world can the Feng Shui array be completely broken," Princess Qianyou explained.

"A new world? What kind of new world?" Gu Lin asked in surprise.

"I don't know. Tian Lao said that each 'World of Blooming Flowers' is different inside, depending on the flower, creating different worlds. This flower of death, having consumed the flesh and blood of countless practitioners, must have an inner world related to death. Once we break through that world, the celestial tomb will be truly exposed," Princess Qianyou said, taking a deep breath.

"A new world built from the flesh and blood of millions?" Zhongshan asked solemnly.

"It seems so," Princess Qianyou nodded.

A world constructed from flesh and blood? Zhongshan frowned deeply. A Feng Shui array?

As the flower of death rotated, circles began to appear around it. Circles upon circles revolved around the central flower of death, and strange characters gradually emerged on the ground.

A compass? Zhongshan's brows furrowed. It was a compass, similar to the one used by the mud bodhisattva, but instead of eighteen rings, this compass had thirty-six rings.

"Roar~~! Roar~~!"

From the compass, eight dragon roars suddenly resounded, each sounding as if they were crying out in endless pain. Gradually, on the massive compass, eight ten-zhang tall golden dragon projections appeared.

"What is this?" Gu Lin exclaimed in surprise.

"Let's go," Princess Qianyou said, leading everyone quickly towards one of the golden dragon projections.

"These are the eight dragon veins from the surrounding mountains. This Feng Shui master is incredibly powerful. To set up this 'Flower Blooming World,' they forcibly trapped the eight dragon veins, continuously channeling the mountain dragon energy into the array for tens of thousands of years. What a grand scale," Princess Qianyou explained as they flew.

"Eight dragon veins? Are they free now?" Mr. Shuijing asked, puzzled.

"Yes, the 'Flower Blooming World' has been opened with the blood and flesh of millions. The eight condensed dragon veins are now severed from their original mountains and will soon dissipate. Hurry," Princess Qianyou urged.

In no time, they reached one of the ten-zhang tall golden dragon projections. The golden dragon shadow roared in endless pain, never fully formed before being trapped by the Feng Shui array, continuously drained of mountain energy. Now free, it was severed from its source and was on the verge of dispersing—a tragic existence, roaring in its final moments.

"The golden dragon accumulates earthly luck, ascending to divine will. Those below the Nascent Soul stage can cleanse their bodies with this, achieving a temporary state of karmic void. Mr. Shuijing, quickly enter the golden dragon's body and make a full breakthrough. Otherwise, it will dissipate soon," Princess Qianyou directed Zhongshan.

Turning his head, Zhongshan looked at Princess Qianyou in surprise. Below the Nascent Soul stage? Doesn't that include the Nascent Soul stage? Meaning Ada, A'er, and even Gu Lin could use it? Ada and A'er were at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, and if Princess Qianyou was right, they could potentially reach the Integration stage. As for Gu Lin, being a prince, Princess Qianyou had given this opportunity to him?

Grateful, Zhongshan glanced at Princess Qianyou before decisively rushing into the golden dragon projection. Seeing Zhongshan's grateful look, Princess Qianyou smiled slightly, a hint of melancholy in her eyes.

At this moment, in other parts of the compass, six golden dragons wavered and dissipated, unable to even let out a final cry. However, another golden dragon projection had someone entering it—none other than Xie Yan, accompanied by Chu Ba Moluo. Xie Yan sat cross-legged as the golden dragon shadow struggled for a moment before merging into his body, with Chu Ba guarding patiently beside him.

Zhongshan, too, was surrounded by his companions for protection as he sat cross-legged. The golden dragon shadow struggled briefly before merging into his body and disappearing.

In an instant, Zhongshan felt an overwhelming surge of energy and enlightenment. The golden dragon's power coursed through his veins, purging impurities and elevating his cultivation. He was in a state of unprecedented clarity and strength, feeling the boundaries of his current stage melt away.

Minutes felt like hours as Zhongshan's body and mind underwent a profound transformation. When the golden dragon's energy was fully absorbed, he stood up, radiating newfound power and confidence. The gratitude towards Princess Qianyou deepened, knowing this opportunity had significantly bolstered his strength and potential.