After the flash of light faded, Gu Qingfeng had already appeared inside the forbidden zone.
It was extremely dim within, with black mist pervading everywhere and Turbid Qi especially dense.
Gu Qingfeng released his divine sense to roughly investigate and discovered that the so-called forbidden zone was not some cave dwelling, but should be an ancient Ruins, layered like a pagoda.
Whether it was a cave dwelling or Ruins, there was always a Source, a primordial origin.
Just like the core of a Formation or the heart of a person, or the Immortal spirit of an Immortal, if a cave dwelling or Ruins lacked a Source, it would have long since decayed and crumbled, impossible to be passed down through the ages.
Gu Qingfeng wandered while investigating. The interior was lifeless, devoid of any vitality.
Upon careful thought, it made sense.
Under the envelopment of such dense Turbid Qi, it was nearly impossible for an Immortal to survive.
Although Immortals could achieve longevity and immortality, cultivating to a certain realm could even grant eternal life, but that was merely longevity and immortality. Not aging did not mean not dying, and not dying did not mean not perishing.
Spiritual Energy was like the breath of life for Immortals.
Losing Spiritual Energy meant the Immortal spirit within the body could not be nourished. For a short while, it might not matter, but as time passed—ten years, a hundred years—if the Immortal spirit within the body went without nourishment for too long, not only would their essence, energy, and spirit weaken, but their Immortal power would also gradually wither.
It was like flowers, plants, and trees; if they went without water for too long, they would inevitably wither and fade over time.
The Immortal spirit was the same.
And that was just in the absence of Spiritual Energy. The environment here wasn't merely lacking Spiritual Energy; it was filled with Turbid Qi everywhere.
This stuff was like poison gas to Immortals, ravaging the Immortal spirit and accelerating its exhaustion.
If one used the Immortal power within their body to resist, they might hold out for a time, but once their Immortal power was exhausted, they would die even more miserably.
And if one died a wretched death in this place, nine times out of ten they would become a Specter without self-awareness.
Even if they didn't die, they might transform into a mindless Human demon, or even become one of the legendary zombies.
Gu Qingfeng looked up again and somewhat understood why Guntong and Bai Yanyan had said that many who entered never came out.
This ancient Ruins pagoda contained layer upon layer of profound mysteries, among them the shifting of stars and changes in space. In other words, after entering from the outside, you might arrive here, but standing here, you couldn't leave, because the entrance simply wasn't here. The moment you entered, the profound mystery of shifting stars caused the space of this Ruins pagoda to change.
If one couldn't see through the mysteries of this pagoda Ruins, they might be trapped here for a lifetime.
Gu Qingfeng observed the dense, intricate marks above—Formations, Immortal techniques, and so on. Even the ground was littered with broken Immortal weapons and treasures. Clearly, quite a few people had previously tried to force their way out from here.
Picking up a few treasure flying swords from the ground, Gu Qingfeng shook his head and sighed, "Within the Ruins, the Turbid Qi is so dense. In such conditions, Immortal power is especially precious; not a single wisp can be wasted. Acting blindly and wasting Immortal power is like wasting life. Once Immortal power is exhausted, there's only death. Rather than that, it's better to find a safe place, set up a protective Formation, stay inside, and think of other strategies."
Although Gu Qingfeng had cultivated for barely over five hundred years, his experiences in this lifetime were unmatched, and the dangers he'd encountered were countless. He understood clearly that no matter what danger he faced, he must always remain calm. The greatest taboo was impulsiveness; the more impulsive, the faster one died. Don't fear being trapped; being trapped for a time didn't mean being trapped for a lifetime.
As the saying goes, where there's life, there's hope. As long as one is alive, anything is possible.
Perhaps everyone understood this principle, but not everyone could act on it.
Gu Qingfeng wandered around this layer for a while, found the entrance to the next layer, and entered it.
The situation on the second layer was the same as the first: vast stretches of empty Ruins, with black mist and Turbid Qi even denser.
The third and fourth layers were the same, all Ruins, and each layer had denser Turbid Qi than the last.
Within the Great Wasteland, when the myriad heavens and worlds were born, the Spiritual Energy within them was pure. The reason it gradually became turbid was mostly due to the influence of nature, causing the Source of the small worlds to become turbid. Once a world's Source became turbid, the Spiritual Energy of that world could no longer remain pure, only becoming increasingly turbid.
So it was with the myriad heavens and worlds.
And so it was with Ruins and cave dwellings.
The Turbid Qi here was so severe; it must be related to its Source.
However, whether the Source within the Ruins gradually became turbid or was turbid from the beginning was unknown.
After all, between heaven and earth, there wasn't only the Immortal Dao; there were also demons, ghosts, monsters, and so on. These existences all cultivated using Turbid Qi. If it was an Immortal's cave dwelling or Ruins, its Source would undoubtedly be pure Spiritual Energy. If it was a demon, ghost, or monster's cave dwelling or Ruins, then without a doubt, it would be a turbid Source.
Gu Qingfeng continued exploring downward.
When he reached the fourth layer of the Ruins, although it was still Ruins, among the debris were some broken stone chambers.
Suddenly.
A ghostly shadow shot out from a dilapidated stone chamber. This shadow was illusory and real, like a mass of black smoke and mist—it was a Specter. This Specter was ferocious, transforming into a flaming skull that pounced with claws bared.
"Quite fierce, little thing."
Gu Qingfeng didn't even glance at it, raising his hand and striking out with a palm. That Specter was instantly reduced to ashes.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Immediately, several more Specters charged over, but Gu Qingfeng easily dispatched them all. These Specters, having survived in the Ruins for who knew how long and absorbed who knew how much of this dense Turbid Qi, were actually not weak in strength.
The Specters on the fourth layer weren't many, but when he reached the fifth layer, he was immediately surrounded by over a hundred Specters.
"Scram!"
If there were four or five, Gu Qingfeng might have had some interest in playing with them, but facing over a hundred Specters, Gu Qingfeng couldn't be bothered. With a fierce shout, he instantly blasted all hundred-plus Specters into ashes.
This layer wasn't like the previous ones, which were all Ruins. The architecture here was relatively well-preserved. Gu Qingfeng looked around and found himself standing in a spacious hall. Around the hall were many stone chambers, some with Stone Gates wide open, others tightly shut.
One open, broken Stone Gate caught Gu Qingfeng's attention. At first glance, it seemed unremarkable, but Gu Qingfeng's eyes were like fiery golden pupils; even without using his divine sense to investigate, he could see the trick at a glance.
This broken Stone Gate was enveloped by an illusion Formation, so it appeared to be a broken Stone Gate, but in reality, it was an intact, tightly shut Stone Gate. The Stone Gate also emitted a faint glow—this was another Formation, one that blocked the external Turbid Qi.