Devour

Chapter 294 Ancient Battlefield

As they continued to grope their way deeper into the underground palace, the narrow passages became increasingly narrow and cramped, while the spacious passages abruptly turned into huge open spaces. The terrain was extremely complex and unpredictable.

Occasionally, in the deep space, one could see faint flickering dim lights, coming from underground minerals, strange vegetation, and inexplicable small creatures.

Cheng Bai held the Moonlight Stone Lantern obtained from the Thousand-Eyed Centipede Cave and led the team for a while. Suddenly, he thought to himself and shouted, "Wait, something is wrong."

Beitingjun asked curiously: "What did your majesty find?"

Cheng Bai looked back at the rock wall along the way and wondered, "This doesn't look like a natural cave, but a man-made one!"

The ancient creation in front of me retains its geometric shape and complex structure, but it is so large that it is difficult to tell what kind of object it is at first glance.

Cheng Bai used the Phoenix Force to wrap around the rock wall. As his spiritual sense perceived the overall details in his mind, he quickly came to the conclusion, "It is some kind of giant turret, made of high-quality materials and with excellent craftsmanship. Unfortunately, it has been through the baptism of brutal wars and ancient times, and it has become rotten, deformed, and incomplete, and has long been scrapped."

Li Tong identified it and said, "It is the Annihilation Cannon, an ancient weapon left over from the ancient times."

The so-called annihilation cannon is an attack weapon that fires high-energy protons to hit particles to produce nuclear reactions and release annihilation energy. It causes a chain explosion reaction similar to thermonuclear weapons, with controllable equivalent and no nuclear warheads. Compared with physical artillery shells, it is more flexible and reliable.

Such a giant turret is powerful enough to destroy an asteroid, eclipsing all the so-called advanced technology known on Earth.

"Could it be that the Nine-Layered Abyss was once full of battlefields?" Cheng Bai pondered for a moment and was horrified, with a strange expression on his face, "Did high technology exist in the ancient times?"

Li Tong said calmly: "Some civilizations focus on the research of scientific and technological power, and they can gradually develop to the point of building the annihilation cannon in about ten thousand years. The ancient times lasted for hundreds of millions of years, and there were countless races in the heavens and the myriad realms that possessed similar war technology."

A Pu agreed, "For cultivators, even those with extraordinary talent and who have practiced hard for thousands of years are only one in a billion. Not to mention whether they can survive the three disasters, even if they kill the three corpses and become a saint, they may not be able to do it. Therefore, studying technology is actually a shortcut to becoming powerful."

Li Tong continued, "However, the quality of technological civilization itself is not enough to control the corresponding power, and it often perishes at the hands of the technology developed due to blind pursuit. Over and over again, countless mediocre races have been destroyed in the vast universe."

Zhai Xufei sighed, "It is so difficult to kill the three corpses and become a saint. I have wasted two lifetimes, tens of thousands of years combined, and still haven't been able to achieve it. If it were Wantong Xuanmen, they would have created an annihilation cannon that can kill earthly immortals in just a few years."

Bei Tingjun said: "External objects are auxiliary. If you can't defeat yourself, it will be nothing but an illusion like a dream."

Passing the wreckage of the turret, a huge cave space suddenly appeared in front.

Cheng Bai raised the moonstone lantern, and the soft light illuminated the road ahead. He said in surprise, "Look, it's another spirit-nourishing tree... No, it should be said that it's another section of the same tree, much larger than the previous one."

The dry trunk of the spirit-nourishing tree that was taken away previously was only a hundred meters long, but the newly discovered one is a thousand meters long!

Most of it merged with the cave to the point of being indistinguishable. One could vaguely see the upper body of a human figure, covered with messy rocks. In the cracks in the surrounding soil and rocks, hundreds of nine-leafed Ganoderma lucidum sprouted out.

The Smoker rubbed his hands together excitedly and said, "There are enough of them. It's really a bumper harvest!"

A Pu laughed dryly and gave way, saying, "I have no intention of participating in the examination. The Nine-Leaf Earth Ganoderma Lucidum is of little use to me. Please feel free to do as you please."

Cheng Bai ordered Hei Long, Yan Gui and others to pick the elixirs.

Taking a closer look at the stones in the light of the Moonlight Lantern, Cheng Bai said in surprise: "The stones piled on the Yangling Tree are not ordinary stones, but fossilized bones formed over a long period of time!"

Beitingjun speculated: "Perhaps a tribe regarded this place as their home, and after their demise, they merged with the Yangling Tree."

Cheng Bai was more and more surprised as he looked at them: "So many people have died... Huh?! They don't look like ordinary humans."

Most of the scattered human skeletons are incomplete, but it can be discerned that they had wings on their backs before birth, their appearances are ancient, and their bodies are generally about two meters tall. There are about ten thousand people stacked together.

Cheng Bai's eyes were like torches. He pondered and deduced the age, saying, "The Soul-Nourishing Tree has been decaying here, accompanying many skeletons and turning into fossils for about four million years."

Li Tong echoed, "The Nine-Layered Abyss has developed since the end of the ancient times and has been an important battlefield in different historical periods."

Cheng Bai looked at one of the relatively complete humanoid fossils and wondered, "If it's not human, what could it be?"

Li Tong came closer and said, "Looking at the bone features, of course he's a demon! It should be the result of the great war between immortals and demons at the end of the ancient times."

Cheng Bai asked, "I remember you said that the demons and the ancient descendants are both descendants of ancient gods. What is the difference between them?"

Li Tong explained in detail: "There are many kinds of demons. The earliest demons originated from the evil demon gods who mastered the power of corrupt truth among the ancient gods. This kind is the most powerful. As the universe evolved and changed, their descendants became the branch of the ancient remnants. Since the time of the Five Ancient Emperors, there have been many who were enemies of the Great Emperor, so they were called the Ancient Demon Clan. Later generations often said that 'those who go against the will of heaven are demons', which is derived from this."

Cheng Bai wondered, "Because the Great Emperor represents the laws of heaven, right? Cultivating immortals is also going against heaven, so why not a demon?"

Li Tong laughed and said, "This heaven is not that heaven, how can they be compared? But if a cultivator falls into the devil's way, there is indeed a possibility of becoming a devil."

Cheng Bai thought for a moment and said, "For example, if the Bone Emperor cultivates the Ten Thousand Swords Bone Tempering Demon Sword Body, does that count as entering the path of the devil?"

Li Tong said: "The cultivators who are well versed in the cultivation methods of the ancient demons gradually become true demons, also known as demon cultivators. Such strong people may be as powerful as the ancient demons. In my opinion, the Bone Emperor was probably an ancient demon when he was alive, and his corpse was reborn after practicing the demon skills. His Ten Thousand Swords Return to Demon is very powerful, and I have a copy of the record, but among the various skills of the Immortal Saint, it is really a helpless choice forced by the situation."

Cheng Bai questioned, "In the legend of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, the Demonic Path is ranked below the Immortal Path. Is it because the skills are not as good as those of the Immortal Saints?"

A Pu shook his head and said, "That may not be the case. Magic skills have their own unique benefits. Otherwise, why would we work so hard to practice them?"

Li Tong said: "The magic cultivation techniques are often more powerful, but they require a corresponding price to be paid. The immortals and saints just despise them. The Ten Thousand Tribulations True Demonic Technique mastered by Shan Liu is an extremely heaven-defying magic technique. Unfortunately, I have not included it in my collection. I don't know how he got it. There is also a kind of the weakest demon clan, which is infected by the magic energy of the ancient demon clan and becomes a demonized soldier. It is vulnerable to the immortals and is naturally ranked below the immortals."

Cheng Bai looked down at the pile of fossil corpses and thought, "So they belong to the true ancient demon clan. Those who dare to be enemies with the emperor must be very powerful. Why did they die underground?"

Even the inheritance cube doesn’t know this.

Zhai Xufei said, "According to legend from my Guiche clan, at the end of the ancient times, all the races in the heavens experienced a far-reaching reshuffle. Some races got rid of their demon status, while others became demons for no reason, with many unfortunate fates. The bloody war was beyond words, and perhaps their deaths were related to it."

Bei Tingjun handed the harvested herbs to Cheng Bai and said happily: "The records handed down from the ancient times are just a few words, mostly praises. People today are like looking at flowers in the fog, and it is difficult to discern the clues of the past."

The team focused on collecting herbs, and the quantity was quite considerable.

Cheng Bai collected the medicinal materials in an orderly manner, counted them, and obtained 132 nine-leaf Ganoderma lucidum.

He observed with his spiritual eyes for a moment, and his thoughts surged like a tide. He said, "From what I can see, the precious medicinal roots born from the pile of corpses are full of vitality, without any evil spirit. Could it be that the origin of the demons is no different from that of our ancestors?"

Li Tong said: "Nine-leaf Ganoderma is a spiritual creature of heaven and earth. If it is infected with demonic energy, it will grow into Demon Ganoderma. That is another kind of medicinal effect, and it is definitely not what it looks like now. It is also possible that over time, the demonic energy has long been consumed and no Demon Ganoderma will grow."

Cheng Bai was about to continue talking when suddenly a roar came from outside the underground palace, penetrating the corridor like thunder: "You shameless treasure thieves, how dare you come back to blackmail us!"

This cave is at least a hundred miles away from the Ghost Gate of Guitou Mountain, but it can still be heard. If you are there, you can imagine how terrifying the sound is.

Cheng Bai was secretly surprised: "It's Gui Mang who's furious again. Could it be that he was attacked by the enemy and mistakenly thought he was a treasure thief and made enemies with him?"