Chapter 147: Sword Refining Materials +1
The ring on Zixia's finger suddenly became warm. She subconsciously raised her hand and saw an elusive light quietly overflowing from the ring, like the morning light penetrating the mist, silently touching the intricate and intertwined array patterns around it.

Silently, under the gentle caress of this invisible wave, the array pattern seemed to be pushed away by layers of fog with gentle fingers, and slowly cracked into a tiny but striking gap, as if the door of history was quietly pushed open a crack.

An ancient and solemn atmosphere came over them, as if it had traveled through the long river of time and directly hit Zixia and Ziyue's hearts. At this moment, the two of them truly saw the true appearance of the Yuhua Ancestral Temple through the cracks - it was an ancient palace carefully carved by time, and every brick and tile exuded the precipitation of time and mysterious brilliance.
The ancient ancestral temple has been sealed in dust for more than 200,000 years, but now someone has finally stepped into it.

Zixia and Ziyue walked side by side into the ancient temple door. In an instant, a bronze ring quietly emitted a faint light, like a gentle caress of the night, wrapping them tightly.

"This is a temple world, vast and boundless!" Ji Ziyue's voice was filled with amazement. She was proficient in the Ancient Scripture of the Void and had unique insights into the mysteries of space.

From the outside, it looks like an ancient temple, but when you actually come in, you find that it is a terrifying small world community. Each courtyard is a boundary, connected together, and it is extremely majestic and huge.

People have to marvel at the generosity of the Yuhua Divine Dynasty. There must have been a being with unparalleled power at that time who did not hesitate to waste his origin to evolve so many small worlds. The so-called ancestral temple is unfathomable.

“Even if there’s only a mottled wall between us, if we don’t step in personally, what happened in the ancient temple on the other side will be unknown to us. Because it’s not just a matter of distance, but also a journey between small worlds.” Ji Ziyue’s words revealed a bit of caution. This maze-like temple world not only hides endless mysteries, but also the risk of getting lost.

At this moment, she suddenly realized that Zixia beside her had been silent since she entered the room. She couldn't help but feel a little anxious, so she raised her voice and said with a bit of anger: "Hey! Jiang Zixia, are you deaf? Why don't you speak!"

Zixia quickly touched her lips with her fingertips, transmitted her consciousness, and said solemnly: "Don't be loud, I feel the breath of life here!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Ziyue's pupils shrank suddenly, as if an invisible force had strangled her throat. She looked around in disbelief, "How...how is this possible? This ancient temple that has been sealed for hundreds of thousands of years actually has living things hiding in it?" Fear and curiosity intertwined, and she instinctively wanted to pull Zixia away from this unknown place, "Let's leave quickly, sister, this is not a place for two little monks like us to set foot in!"

However, Zixia shook her head and pulled Ji Ziyue back: "Don't be afraid, do you feel it? The ring seems to have built an invisible barrier for us, isolating the outside world from the secret world of this ancestral temple. Follow me, perhaps, we can encounter an unprecedented opportunity in this ancient place."

"go!"

After saying that, Zixia stepped forward resolutely, with the Lihuo furnace floating above her head and the black gourd under her feet, protecting the two of them tightly. Ji Ziyue looked at the two treasures with shining eyes and followed closely.

Inside the ancient temple, there was still deathly silence, with only the breathing of the two people echoing in the emptiness.

The two of them passed through the first courtyard quickly without encountering anything unusual, until they entered the more secluded second courtyard. Instantly, an indescribable strange atmosphere enveloped them, causing them to look up at the same time. At that moment, their scalps seemed to be gently touched by an invisible hand, and a chill penetrated their bones.

On the tall courtyard wall and under the inky black eaves, there were corpses hanging. Their hair was disheveled and their faces were distorted, but at this moment, they all had their eyes closed. They were hanging upside down in a strange posture, as if they were a nightmare that would wake up at any time.

The incident happened so suddenly, without any warning. The threat posed by this dead yet alive existence made people feel terrified. The two exchanged glances quickly and stopped in tacit understanding, fearing that they would disturb these sleeping "zombies".

"Fortunately, this ring is indeed extraordinary. It can conceal our breath and make these ghost things unaware of it." Ji Ziyue let out a sigh of relief. While feeling fortunate, she also had more trust in the ring.

"I understand. I read in an ancient book that these hanged ghosts are the descendants of the Yin gods. There must be an extremely evil creature deep in the temple!" Ji Ziyue continued.

"What are the descendants of Yin Shen?" Zixia was puzzled.

In his lifetime, he was extremely powerful, and after his death, his divine flesh was immortal. He happened to be buried in the Yin Eye of the Earth Vein. After endless years, one day this flesh corpse will "come back to life". Of course, it has nothing to do with his life before. This is a new life form, a brand new beginning, and it can also be understood as the highest level of corpse transformation. This is a life born from the extreme death, which can be called a miracle against the sky. If you learn to practice, you will gradually become invincible.

This kind of existence is a brand-new life form, and it can also produce offspring through intercourse. The group of living beings in front of you are the descendants of the Yin God. Of course, the power of blood is very thin.

After Ji Ziyue finished her popular science, she asked with a hint of inquiry in her eyes: "Zixia, should we continue to go deeper?"

Zixia smiled cheerfully, with an inexplicable light flashing in her eyes: "What are you afraid of! There must be treasures in there! You even made it through the Bronze Immortal Palace! Are you afraid of this?"

"What! The little brat even told you this! What else do you know!" Ji Ziyue's face was puffed up.

Seeing this, Zixia naturally reached out and gently pinched Ji Ziyue's cheek, and said with a smile: "I know a lot of secrets, such as..." When she said this, she deliberately prolonged her voice and glanced at Ji Ziyue's feet cunningly.

Ji Ziyue's cheeks flushed instantly, feeling ashamed and annoyed. "Ye Fan, this bastard, is really losing his temper! He tells everything to others, a guy who forgets his friends for the sake of beauty!" She complained, but her eyes flashed with a cunning light, as if she had thought of some interesting ideas. "He told you so unreservedly, could it be that he wants to... want to get into your bed and make you his Taoist partner?"

Upon hearing this, Zixia raised a wicked smile and deliberately leaned close to Ji Ziyue's ear and whispered, "You guessed right, he is indeed mine now. But, I have always been philanthropic, if you don't mind, we can also consider becoming Taoist couples."

"You are shameless!" With the protection of the ring, he easily broke through the many courtyards until the threshold of the fifth secret realm was quietly pushed open. In an instant, the scene in front of him was like the first light of dawn, a dazzling splendor spread out, rendering the entire space both sacred and mysterious.

Entering the fifth courtyard, one can see ancient palaces standing tall, inlaid with strange stone carvings. These stone carvings seem to have their own vitality and can shine on their own without external light sources. Ancient characters and runes are interwoven on them, and every stroke contains a profound artistic conception. They flow slowly, releasing wisps of divine clouds that fill this place with a sacred atmosphere.

"This... could it be the insights left behind by saints, or the scriptures of the great Dao?" Ji Ziyue stared at these stone carvings. She couldn't help but immerse herself in them. Her soul seemed to resonate with these stone carvings, and she gradually stepped into a mysterious state of Tao.

But at this moment, Zixia suddenly realized something was wrong, and an inexplicable sense of crisis surged in her heart. Ji Ziyue seemed to be pulled by some force and was about to step into the edge of enlightenment. That was the most taboo state for practitioners. Once they stepped into it, they might be doomed.

At this critical moment, the furnace shook slightly, and the ancient array pattern hidden in it seemed to be awakened, releasing a gentle force, instantly pulling Ji Ziyue back from the abyss where she was about to get lost. Her consciousness suddenly became clear, and a trace of fear and relief flashed in her eyes.

"This is a trap! Let's move on!"

Finally, with the protection of the bronze ring, the two passed through layer after layer of small worlds and arrived at the 33rd floor of the temple.

It is worth mentioning that in every temple, she could find an identical stone man in the center. The stone man was only half a foot tall, sitting cross-legged, like a Buddha or an old farmer, very strange.

Ji Zi's face looked even paler under the candlelight. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and her eyes sparkled with wisdom and curiosity. She said softly, "I occasionally found a mention in the ancient books of my family that these stone men might be the symbol of the unreachable ancestor of the Yuhua Dynasty, or even the incarnation of the Great Emperor of the Human Race. But the time is too long, and the truth has long been blurred."

Zixia plucked up her courage and slowly approached a stone man. A warm and deep power quietly surged into her heart. It was the lingering sound of the thoughts of all living beings, and it was similar to a certain aura in the Jiang family's sacred land.

"Could it be that the Yuhua Divine Dynasty is really trying to resurrect the legendary emperor with the power of all living beings?" Ji Ziyue frowned slightly.

"Time is like a knife that cuts off the geniuses. Even the ancient emperor cannot escape the cycle of life and death. Becoming an immortal is the eternal pursuit of cultivators, but no one can reach that other shore. However, in the Western Desert, there is another saying..."

There was a gentle light flashing in Zixia's eyes, and her thoughts drifted far away. The figures of An Miaoyi and Ye Fan vaguely appeared in her mind: "Everything in the world is in reincarnation. As time goes by, two identical flowers will appear in the world. After thousands of years, one flower withers and another blooms."

"Forget it. Stop thinking about it. We've come so far. Let's keep going!" This time, it was Ji Ziyue who pulled Zixia into the hall on the 33rd floor.

As soon as they stepped into this secret place, their eyes were instantly attracted by a stone tablet, on which were engraved four simple and vigorous characters: "Thirty-three Layers of Heaven". These four characters seemed to carry the glory and ambition of the past of the Yuhua Divine Dynasty, revealing their intention to build the final temple on the supreme thirty-three layers of heaven, which showed their ambition.

The surroundings were not as dark as imagined. The ancient buildings in the distance emitted a soft and mysterious light, covering this small world with a layer of dreamy gauze. However, the tranquility was extremely deep, so quiet that one could hear each other's heartbeats. The air was filled with an indescribable weirdness and oppression, as if there was an invisible giant mouth in front of them, slowly opening, waiting for uninvited guests.

As their footsteps slowly advanced, they finally arrived at the heart of this secret place. A magnificent temple stood tall, and in front of it an ancient and solemn altar came into view, covered with traces of time and mysterious blood grooves, revealing an ancient and primitive power.

On the top of the altar, several items were emitting dazzling light. They were not only the source of the brilliant light of this temple, but also revealed an indescribable peace and holiness. The most eye-catching one was a fist-sized piece of fairy gold. It was flawless and bright green, as if it contained the power of life and breathed in the essence of heaven and earth. Its surface was covered with delicate tear marks, like a pearl left by a fairy, so beautiful that it was intoxicating.

"Fairy Tears Green Gold!" Ji Ziyue couldn't help but exclaim softly, but then she suppressed her inner impulse. The previous dangerous situations made her well aware of the danger of this place. Such a treasure must not be easy to obtain!
This is a fist-sized piece of fairy tear green gold! It is flawless, bright green and fresh, as if it can breathe, absorbing and exhaling the essence of heaven and earth, and the whole body is covered with tear marks, like the tears of a fairy.

This is not the only treasure on the altar. There are four round stone balls of the same size lying quietly next to it. They are silent, but reveal an elusive aura that makes it impossible to get a glimpse of their true appearance.

I will give you this immortal gold. Thank you for saving my life before." Ji Ziyue said.

At this moment, Zixia seemed to be integrated with the spiritual energy of the world around her. Her eyes were shining with purple light, which was a mysterious power that could see through the essence of all things. She stared at the fairy tear green gold and the seemingly ordinary stone balls around her, and a flash of understanding flashed in her eyes. It turned out that the inside of these stone balls was not empty, nor were they treasures, but four very special God-killing insects were sealed by the divine source. Different from what she had seen before, these four God-killing insects were more powerful. They were like four hornless dragons, curled up in the stone balls, exuding the breath of semi-god insects, and obviously had the Taoism of the semi-saint level.

Zixia opened her red lips slightly, and the stopper of the black gourd under her feet seemed to sense her will and suddenly jumped open. A suction force surged out from the mouth of the gourd, instantly sucking the four round stone balls into it.

Then, Zixia slowly stretched out her hand, and there seemed to be some kind of power surging in her palm. The fairy green gold seemed to be summoned, gently jumped up, and landed steadily in her hand. The fairy gold shone brightly in her hand, adding a bit of sacredness and inviolability.

Ji Ziyue witnessed all this, her eyes full of shock and disbelief. She never expected that Zixia could obtain such a rare holy object so easily. Although she felt very unwilling and regretful, due to her previous promise, Ji Ziyue could only smile bitterly and bury this complicated emotion deep in her heart. She muttered to herself: "Alas, first I accompanied Ye Fan to the Bronze Immortal Palace and got nothing. Now I am going to explore the Yuhua Ancestral Temple with Zixia. Am I going to return empty-handed again? I am defeated by this pair of dogs and bitches!"

Zixia smiled slightly. She hung the black gourd in the air. There was a faint sound of thunder coming from it, as if it contained the power of the creation of the world. There was a cunning light in her eyes. In this black gourd, there were not only four semi-saint-level god-killing insects, but also the blood of the holy body on the holy cliff, and the black fire used by Emperor Hengyu when refining the weapon. All of this made this black gourd an out-and-out "black" gourd, the best weapon to harm people and also her confidence.

(End of this chapter)