Chapter 265: Ruling the World (34)

Jiuyou stood still, watching the blood-red remnant slowly dissipate as the surrounding illusion peeled away layer by layer. His expression was perfectly calm, and he spoke in a flat voice.

"For this, I must also thank you."

The blood-red phantom paused, obvious surprise surfacing on its face; clearly, it hadn't expected Jiuyou to say such a thing.

Jiuyou's gaze was as cold as frost. His tone did not fluctuate in the slightest, yet it carried a bone-piercing chill. "You used an illusion to manifest the Upper Realm. Though your intent was to confuse and kill me, you also let me see the path ahead with my own eyes. Not only did you fail to disturb my Dao heart, you made my resolve to seek the Dao even firmer. Of all your countless mistakes, your one true error was trying to use my lifelong obsession to deceive me."

Every word was steady. His state of mind had completely stabilized the moment he shattered the trap, no longer wavering in the slightest.

Hearing this, the blood-red phantom let out a sudden, sinister sneer, its malevolence fully exposed. "What great composure! Even if you can break free of the illusion, your fellow Daoists might not be so capable. Junior, I'll let you live a little longer for now. Once I finish them off, I'll come back and take my time torturing you!"

As its malicious voice faded, the blood-red phantom completely dispersed without a trace.

The surrounding void wavered, and the illusion completely shattered. By the time Jiuyou gathered his senses, the scene before his eyes had completely changed.

He was surrounded by a warm, heavy golden space. Ancient golden halls stood in silence, their stone walls flowing with a gilded sheen, forming a secluded realm isolated from the outside world.

Jiuyou recognized this familiar place at a glance.

A thousand years ago, he had accidentally stumbled in here. Back then, a group of Nascent Soul cultivators had engaged in a fierce battle with earth-shattering commotion. They had inadvertently triggered an ancient restriction, teleporting him here out of thin air. He still remembered that the stone walls of these golden halls were inherently bizarre, capable of isolating divine sense to form an independent, sealed domain.

Two consecutive crossings and several perilous encounters were all inextricably linked to spatial teleportation. Numerous scattered clues strung together in his mind, and a bold speculation that explained all the anomalies suddenly surfaced.

He used to believe that the sudden teleportation back then was just a random anomaly triggered by cultivators clashing with the restrictions. But looking back at it now, this set of ancient divine restrictions was probably never a simple Teleportation Array.

It acted more like a safeguard for the spatial core of the entire Mount Tianyuan Mystic Realm, governing all the spatial laws and restriction layouts to firmly lock down the spiritual leylines of the entire mystic realm.

Previously, Jiuyou had always been puzzled. How could that ancient Blood Demon, left with only a trapped remnant body, possess the terrifying ability to destroy hidden ancient restrictions and reshape the entire mystic realm?

He had subconsciously assumed that because the Blood Demon hailed from the Upper Realm and possessed peak-tier secret arts, it could alter the terrain, corrupt the spiritual qi, and lay down layers of killing arrays. Yet, upon closer inspection, this theory didn't hold water at all.

The mystic realm was vast and boundless. Its mountains, rivers, terrain, and spatial layout had long since solidified. Without a cultivation foundation far exceeding the Deity Transformation stage, it would be absolutely impossible to forcibly rewrite the laws and order of this world with just a secret art. But if this Blood Demon truly possessed heaven-defying strength above the Deity Transformation realm, why would it need to stay dormant within the seal year after year, trapped in one corner? It could easily smash through the barrier and run rampant across the Lower Realm without the slightest fear of a few Deity Transformation Cultivators.

All the contradictions instantly made sense.

The only truth was that over the past millennium, the Blood Demon had already secretly taken control of the core hub of the Mount Tianyuan Mystic Realm.

Relying on the mystic realm's origin power, it was able to wantonly reshape the landscape, spawn demonic creatures, pollute the heaven and earth spiritual qi, and even manipulate internal spatial rifts to a limited extent, setting up an interlocking chain of death traps.

Figuring this out, Jiuyou's gaze grew even deeper.

To a Blood Demon that had already usurped the mystic realm's core, the so-called eternal seal was practically nonexistent. The reason it continually held back and refused to emerge by force wasn't out of fear of the seal, but rather fear of the few remaining Deity Transformation Cultivators in this world.

What it controlled was only the core hub of the Mount Tianyuan Mystic Realm, which was only effective within Tianyuan Mountain. Once it stepped past the mystic realm's borders, it would lose the backing of the mystic realm's origin and be completely powerless to fight six mighty Deity Transformation experts at once.

Therefore, it had bided its time all along, quietly lying low and laying its board.

It had calculated the obsession of every Deity Transformation Cultivator perfectly and seen right through the dead end of cultivation in this world. All the Deity Transformation Cultivators had been trapped at their realm for years, thirsting for the opportunities of the Upper Realm and yearning to forge a path to eternal life. As long as they clung to that tiny shred of desire, they would inevitably walk right into the game, stepping directly into its meticulously woven trap.

From the spiritual qi pollution and the obstructing sea of blood, to the spatial rifts and mind-beguiling illusions—none of the hurdles were ever meant to repel invaders. They were designed to exhaust, divide, and individually hunt down these Deity Transformation Cultivators.

All the perils, all the anomalies, and all the seemingly random dangers were a long-premeditated snare.

With this thought, the entire web of cause and effect became perfectly clear.

Standing within the golden hall, Jiuyou's mind turned completely lucid.

This was no mystic realm opportunity. This was clearly a terrifying monster that had lain in wait for a millennium, preparing a burial cage for all the living Deity Transformation Cultivators.

Jiuyou gathered his thoughts and stepped forward to continue exploring, though his mind remained steeped in contemplation.

Hongce had previously said that the entire Mount Tianyuan Mystic Realm was fundamentally a man-made spirit treasure of colossal proportions. Since it was a spirit treasure, it had to have an origin core anchoring it to maintain the operation of the mystic realm's laws. The Blood Demon's current ability to recklessly alter the terrain and manipulate space relied entirely on the power of the mystic realm's core.

But where exactly was this crucial central hub hidden?

As he walked forward slowly, his gaze swept across the path ahead, only to find several collapsed and severed golden stone walls sprawled across the ground. The walls were mottled and damaged, marred by hideous cracks. They had clearly suffered immense violence—an irreversible devastation caused by brute force.

Jiuyou stopped in front of them to take a closer look. With a thought, he swept all these broken golden walls into his Universe Belt.

He had entertained this idea as far back as his Nascent Soul days, always wanting to break off a bit of the golden wall's material to study. However, his cultivation had been shallow back then. Well aware of the unpredictable and mysterious restrictions in this place, he had harbored misgivings and hadn't dared to act rashly, forcing him to drop the matter. Now that he had achieved the great Dao of Deity Transformation, he was full of confidence. Naturally, he no longer needed to worry so much, finally fulfilling a lingering desire from his past.

He secretly tried channeling his divine sense to investigate. Even with his current Deity Transformation cultivation, his divine sense still struggled to penetrate the golden walls. This was enough to prove that this material was incredibly miraculous and definitely no ordinary heavenly treasure. Keeping it would certainly prove highly beneficial in the future.

Looking at the broken golden walls resting safely inside his Universe Belt, several concepts repeatedly collided and intertwined in his mind: the golden walls, teleportation, the core, Tianyuan.

The fragmented clues continuously linked together, faintly prying open his long-sealed ancient memories. Countless blurry images flashed rapidly through his mind, and the dust-covered past gradually came into focus.

In an instant, Jiuyou's eyes lit up. He cried out inwardly, coming to a sudden realization.

'Right, that place...'