Ancient Godly Monarch
chapter-966

"Antiquity City." Qin Wentian’s eyes gleamed sharply. He was filled with curiosity regarding the City of Ancient Emperors. This place held many ancient ruins that didn’t allow entry for either immortal kings or immortal emperors. There must be some terrifying secrets within.

When the Thousand Transformations Emperor Lord sent them here, they did see a gigantic black dragon emerging from the ocean. Such a fearsome demon emperor was guarding the City of Ancient Emperors. But who was it guarding for? Why was it doing so?

The central area for this impossibly vast region was the City of Ancient Emperors, existing since time immemorial, spanning across generations after generations. And Qin Wentian faintly knew that the City of Ancient Emperors wasn’t just surface deep. There were other layers beyond what they could easily see.

Everything was a symbol of how extraordinary the City of Ancient Emperors are.

"Should we enter?" Qin Wentian’s eyes gleamed as he asked.

"Of course. To have the Antiquity City right before our eyes, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. The people from the Eastern Sage Immortal Sect will enter it as well and most probably, the discovery of this place will soon be made known to all the geniuses in the City of Ancient Emperors. We must not miss this opportunity." Nanfeng Yunxi’s eyes blazed with heat. As a descendant of Matriarch Southern Phoenix, how could she not go and experience firsthand what the Antiquity City was like after encountering it?

"Okay." Qin Wentian nodded. He was similarly filled with an intense desire to explore as he stared at the city in the sky.

The leaf boat sped forward, moving towards that ancient passageway. This passageway was akin to the Great Dao of ancient times, and when Qin Wentian and his companions entered, countless runes filled with heavenly might bore down on them. Qing`er’s expression changed, she immediately stored the leaf boat away, and they proceeded on the passageway by foot.

"What happened?" Qin Wentian asked.

"This grand passageway seems to have traces of law energy, so it doesn’t look like it will allow the use of the leaf boat," Qing`er quietly explained. They observed the passageway; it was like a route made for a pilgrimage, heading right up to the heavens.

"Let’s go." Qin Wentian and his companions stepped onto the passageway leading up into the air. The ancient passageway shimmered with boundless runic light. It felt like there was a unique energy enveloping them all. This energy entered their bodies, emanating a formless might of the Great Dao, cleansing them of their impurities. Qin Wentian felt his entire body suddenly filled with power—all the astral energy he expended, as well as his injuries, were gradually recovering as their auras grew stronger.

"This…?" The others also realized what was happening. Even Little Rascal seemed excited, his eyes shimmering with a brilliant light.

"What a powerful might." Qin Wentian felt his heart trembling. His entire body was filled with strength, and he sensed that he’d fully recovered.

The people from the Eastern Sage Immortal Sect had also arrived. Their space boat floated in the air as they stared at the skies, feeling extreme shock in their hearts. Antiquity City—there was actually an ancient city floating up in the sky. The structure’s imposing majesty was like that of the divine gods, a place where divinities would reside.

On the passageway, Qin Wentian and his companions halted their steps. Before them, there was a smaller pathway with a surge of energy cascading downwards. Qin Wentian could faintly feel how dangerous this was. He blocked the rest of his companions and spoke in a low voice, "Earlier, this place recovered us to our peak state. But since this is the test leading to the Antiquity City, it shouldn’t be so easy. It’s best for us to be careful of possible life-threatening dangers ahead."

"Mhm." The others nodded as they released their powerful auras, using them to protectively envelop their bodies as they proceeded forward with caution.

Qin Wentian led the way. But as soon as he took a few steps, an overwhelming wave of might from that Great Dao suddenly bore down on him. His body trembled violently as a surge of calamitous force blasted through him, and he felt close to shattering apart, creating a surge of destructive power that tried to corrode his body.

"Path of Calamity!" An ancient voice rang out in everyone’s minds, causing their hearts to shudder. This pathway was the Path of Calamity? If one wished to ascend to the Antiquity City, they first had to overcome the Path of Calamity.

Fiend-God armor appeared on Qin Wentian, shimmering with boundless runic light. That terrifying might continued to rain down, as if intending to destroy him completely. Qin Wentian’s body rumbled as the power of his blood seethed and surged, fighting against the calamitous force.

Nanfeng Yunxi was now bathed in flames as phoenix wings appeared behind her back, and she soared into the air.

A layer of emperor-king armor enveloped Jun Mengchen, unexcelled in this world, and he appeared as though he was carrying the sky on his back as he resisted the force.

Zi Qingxuan radiated with the boundless glow of her divine falcon. Shrill cries rang out unceasingly as she exuded a might that was terrifying to the extreme.

Hua Taixu coughed out a mouthful of blood. Among their companions, his body was the weakest. He had the samsara eyes, his will was incomparably resolute, and he was also proficient in powerful illusion arts, but this did nothing to mitigate the fact that his body was weak. As he faced the calamity, it was extremely tough for him to endure it, and he ended up coughing out blood.

"Are you able to bear it?" Qin Wentian asked in concern as he stared at Hua Taixu.

"No problem." Hua Taixu’s eyes gleamed with determination and a terrifying tenacity. He’d experienced such tempering before in the samsara world. This wasn’t enough to break his will.

"Right." Qin Wentian nodded in encouragement. He continued to step forward to meet the calamitous force, seeking to conquer it. Who would have thought just the passageway leading to the Antiquity City would already be so difficult? That destructive might constantly bore down on their bodies, and although Qin Wentian had already established a supreme physique, he still felt as though he was on the verge of being shattered apart.

"What a fearsome power." Qin Wentian resisted the might and as they proceeded on, Hua Taixu had coughed out an unknown amount of blood. He was currently the one in the most miserable state. Zi Qingxuan was the second after him, the glow of her divine falcon had already dimmed considerably and her body was covered with blood. However, seeing Qin Wentian still resolutely leading the way, an intense stubbornness flashed in Zi Qingxuan’s eyes and she gritted her teeth, suppressing her desire to groan in agony.

After Zi Qingxuan had experienced roaming around with Qin Wentian and Jun Mengchen, she realized that the individuals around Qin Wentian were all outstanding elites, extraordinary in their own right. She became the weakest one among them and this slowly became a knot in her heart. She didn’t want to see the disparity between them drifting further and further, hence she needed to push forward with all the resolution and determination she could muster.

Qing`er wasn’t in a very good state as well. Lotuses bloomed around her, aiding to neutralize some of the force, but she was still left severely injured.

Nanfeng Yunxi was the most dazzling among them. Her defenses were originally already very powerful, but after enduring the calamitous force a countless number of times, her body seemed about to explode into pieces. However at that moment, an immensely powerful force burned within her, covering the area around her in a brilliant red light. At the cry of a phoenix, her injuries swiftly recovered.

Evidently, this was Nanfeng Yunxi’s innate talent. The blood of the ancient phoenix granted her clan the special ability to achieve a nirvanic rebirth.

Behind them, the experts of the Eastern Sage Immortal Sect were also making their way forward. Their group was large in number, and they were all supreme demon-level characters selected from different prefectures. However, none among them could compare themselves to Qin Wentian’s endurance. After a few moments of trying to withstand the calamitous force, several of them chose to retreat, a feeling of reluctance in their hearts.

Over ten experts were leading the way, and they were also feeling hesitant. With their current numbers, if they followed Qin Wentian and his companions into the city in the sky, would they still be able to defeat him?

However, the scene before them was just too fascinating. How could they allow themselves to miss out on it?

After several days, Qin Wentian and his companions continued to endure being attacked with incomparably intense pain and agony, yet they still persisted. They bolstered their resolve, and refused to let their consciousness fade. The moment they fainted, they would surely be obliterated by the calamitous force. There were already two deaths among the experts of the Eastern Sage Immortal Sect who decided to attempt the Path of Calamity. Their deaths fanned the flames of fear in the hearts of others. This place was extremely dangerous.

In addition, this passageway was merely a route to the entrance…

Nine days later, Qin Wentian and his companions had finally reached the end of this path of calamities. All of them were incomparably fatigued, and Zi Qingxuan actually fainted the moment they reached the end. Hua Taixu sat on the ground, on the verge of extreme exhaustion. His eyes slowly closed, he’d persisted all this way with hardly a breath left to spare.

However at this moment, rays of sparkling light cascaded down on them from the runes of the ancient passageway, rejuvenating Qin Wentian and his companions. They slowly recovered to their peak states, and the rays even strengthened them beyond that. After this light’s mysterious force circulated within their bodies for a certain number of times, Qin Wentian felt his physique growing even stronger.

Hua Taixu also gradually recovered his strength, and after Zi Qingxuan woke up, they stepped through a gigantic screen of light. In the blink of an eye, they appeared before the gate of a city that looked to be from primordial times.

This place was ancient and majestic.

This place exuded a holiness that didn’t allow for blasphemy.

Qin Wentian tilted his head and stared at the Antiquity City, his heart filled with reverence. He even felt a slight impulse to prostrate himself in worship. It was an involuntary sentiment from gazing upon the city.

Qin Wentian turned his head and stared at the experts from the Eastern Sage Immortal Sect who were still currently still on the Path of Calamity. His eyes gleamed with a terrifying coldness; since these people had failed to kill him, they’d best be prepared to pay a heavy price for their actions.

"These… are all demons from ancient times, right?" Nanfeng Yunxi mumbled to herself, staring at the images engraved on the walls of the city. The images were all extremely vivid and life-like, and just a single glance could captivate one’s attention.

Among these demon images were Taotie, Hundun, Qiongqi, Suanni Lion, and various others. They were all supreme greater demons, incomparably deadly, and their images looked like troops stationed to defend the entrance.

Although the gate to the Anquity City was open, nothing could be seen of the interior area. There was only an intense surge of energy emanating from inside. Nobody knew what terrifying consequences awaited if someone entered.

"I’ll go in first. You guys wait outside," Qin Wentian told the others.

"No." Qing`er immediately rejected the idea. Her delicate hands held onto Qin Wentian’s. Her translucent eyes met his, filled with concern for his safety.

"I will go with you," she said quietly.

"I am linked to Little Rascal by telepathy. After I enter, he can instantly sense what I experience. You guys can enter as soon as I make sure that there are no life-threatening dangers," Qin Wentian spoke, only to see Qing`er stubbornly shaking her head, still tightly holding on to his hand.

Qin Wentian smiled ruefully at this.. Qing`er then added, "I will go wherever you go."

"Okay, in that case, we will enter together." Qin Wentian could not do anything about Qing`er, he could only agree to her request. After that, he held onto Qing`er’s hand as they walked through the huge gate. In an instant, they were seized with a feeling of shuttling across worlds. In this new illusory-like world that they’d been transported into, there were a countless number of greater demons.

With a shrill buzzing sound, Qin Wentian and Qing`er appeared on a battle platform set inside that world. Thunderous rumbling sounds shook the sky and earth as two greater demons appeared before them. This Antiquity City was actually protected by greater demons!

Translator Note: just some Chinese mythology fun facts

Suanni (狻猊) – also called the Suanni Lion. It looks like a hybrid of a dragon and lion. Known for its fierce appearance and love of tranquility and burning incense.

Hundun (混沌) – represents Chaos. It’s a faceless being, sometimes described as resembling a dog or bear. It attacks the virtuous and obeys the commands of the wicked. "Hundun" is also the name of the Primordial Chaos in Chinese mythology.

Taotie (饕餮) – represents Gluttony. It has no body, only the head of a ferocious beast. It seeks to devour everything.

Qiongqi (穷奇) - represents Deviousness. It looks like a winged tiger. It eats people, instigates wars, and commits many other evil deeds.

Credit: https://immortalmountain.wordpress.com/glossary/chinese-bestiary/