Gu Qingfeng remembered very clearly that when he had earlier projected his divine sense to probe the Magical Treasure Eye, he had detected nothing.
He had only sensed something odd, felt the situation was peculiar, which was why he decided to enter and investigate.
No matter what, he had never expected that inside the Magical Treasure Eye there would be not the source of a magical treasure, but instead hidden such an inconceivable space.
What left Gu Qingfeng even more unable to comprehend was that this space was practically identical to the Desolate Ancient Era ruins where the Giant Cauldron was located. It even gave him a sense of illusion, as if he hadn't entered from the Magical Treasure Eye of the Giant Cauldron, but rather from the outside Desolate Ancient vortex.
It truly felt that way.
Because above the position where he now stood, the swirling vortex in the sky was sweeping up the chaotic currents of the Desolate Ancient vortex.
What the hell was going on?
Gu Qingfeng racked his brains without finding an answer, especially as he gazed at the mountain range lying across the endless desert, resembling a dragon's skeleton, and the ominous feeling in his heart grew increasingly intense.
Drawing a deep breath, he leaped up, appearing atop the mountain range.
The mountain range had no flowers, grasses, or trees, only some ruins and piles upon piles of white bones.
Some of the bones crumbled to dust at a touch, but most were from those who had died later.
Everything, everything was identical to the previous mountain range. The ruins were the same, the bones were the same, all of it was the same.
Seeing this, Gu Qingfeng instantly felt a chill run down his spine. Standing atop the mountain peak, he suddenly exerted force with his feet. With a *bang*, the loose stones on the mountain's surface were shaken into dissipating smoke, and then a Giant Cauldron appeared within his field of vision.
The Giant Cauldron was as large as a mountain, gray-green in color, an eight-legged cauldron. Its eight legs were like dragons, vivid and lifelike, coiled around the body of the Giant Cauldron.
Staring at this Giant Cauldron, Gu Qingfeng was utterly dumbfounded.
His mind was a bit dazed, his thoughts a bit scrambled.
He fiercely shook his head. Without thinking too much, he entered the Giant Cauldron once more.
This Giant Cauldron was the same as the previous one, its interior a world unto itself.
The previous Giant Cauldron had been filled with white bones everywhere; now this Giant Cauldron was the same, its interior also filled with white bones everywhere.
The previous Giant Cauldron had contained no resources or magical treasures; now this Giant Cauldron was exactly the same.
Gu Qingfeng once again located the Magical Treasure Eye.
This time.
Not only was he dumbstruck, he even began to doubt reality.
Around the Magical Treasure Eye inside the previous Giant Cauldron had been piled high with bones; now the Magical Treasure Eye of this Giant Cauldron was the same.
The Magical Treasure Eye inside the previous Giant Cauldron had possessed a Seal; the Magical Treasure Eye inside this Giant Cauldron also possessed a Seal.
And the Seals were identical.
What left Gu Qingfeng most unbelievable was that beside the Magical Treasure Eye inside the previous Giant Cauldron there had been an old man on the verge of death, his flesh like a desiccated corpse. Now, beside the Magical Treasure Eye inside this Giant Cauldron, there was also an old man with only half a breath left, his flesh like a desiccated corpse.
With just one glance.
Gu Qingfeng could tell that this old man was also Ancestor Lin Chi, just like the old man inside the previous Giant Cauldron.
Why was it like this?
He had clearly been here before, entered the Magical Treasure Eye, so how had he returned to the previous Desolate Ancient Era ruins?
If it were simply a matter of returning to the previous Desolate Ancient Era ruins, it wouldn't have shocked him to this extent.
The reality was, not only had he returned to the previous Desolate Ancient Era ruins, he had actually encountered that Giant Cauldron again, and inside the Giant Cauldron there was also an Ancestor Lin Chi on the verge of death.
This was too strange, too bizarre.
Because Gu Qingfeng clearly remembered that Ancestor Lin Chi's physical body had self-destructed, and he himself had used his divine sense fire to incinerate Ancestor Lin Chi's soul, one could say reducing him to ashes, utterly annihilated.
So how was he now appearing perfectly fine inside the Giant Cauldron?
Was this Ancestor Lin Chi the same person as the previous Ancestor Lin Chi?
Was this Giant Cauldron the same as the previous Giant Cauldron, these ruins the same as the previous ruins?
He didn't know.
Gu Qingfeng couldn't figure it out either.
In all his years of cultivation, he had encountered countless rare and strange things, but this was the first time he had encountered something so bizarre.
Walking over, Gu Qingfeng called out "Ancestor Lin Chi" twice, but unfortunately the other did not respond. So, he tossed over a piece of Yuan Essence, set up a Spirit Gathering Array, came to the side of the Magical Treasure Eye, and once again probed the Seal. As he expected, the Seal was also identical to the previous one.
Not long after, a voice came: "Young... man, thank you..." The voice was very weak, drawn out, as if using all its strength just to finish the sentence.
It was none other than Ancestor Lin Chi, and the opening words were exactly the same as those of the previous Ancestor Lin Chi.
Gu Qingfeng stared at the Ancestor Lin Chi here and asked, "You don't remember me?"
"What... do you mean? Could it be... that this old man knows you?"
Gu Qingfeng said, "I was just here earlier."
"Earlier? Young man... this old man's consciousness has only just recovered..." After saying this, Ancestor Lin Chi added, "Young man, I wonder what Heavenly Mandate it is now? And what era?"
"The Heavenly Mandate of the Star Lords."
"The Heavenly Mandate of the Star Lords?" Ancestor Lin Chi murmured, "The Modern Era's Heavenly Mandate, the Ancient Era's Thrones, the Primordial Era's Imperial Seals... It seems this old man has been trapped here for a very, very long time..." Gu Qingfeng walked over, squatted beside Ancestor Lin Chi, and asked, "You really don't remember me?"
"This old man said... my consciousness has only just recovered. When you came... this old man simply didn't know."
"Is that so?" Gu Qingfeng said, "But when I came last time, your consciousness had already recovered, and we even talked for a long time. Not only that, you tried to kill me."
"Young man... you jest. This old man's consciousness has only just recovered. I have not spoken with you, much less tried to kill you."
Gu Qingfeng chuckled and said, "It seems I've really run into something uncanny this time."
"What do you mean?"
"You don't remember trying to kill me, but I remember killing you, and reducing you to utter ashes. Yet now you're sitting here perfectly fine."
"Young man truly knows how to joke... If you had reduced this old man to ashes... I'm afraid I would have been utterly dead long ago, and would not be here now waiting to die..."
"That's precisely why I said I've run into something uncanny."
"Young man... how did you come here?"
"These ruins have just manifested, so I came in to take a look."
"What?"
Hearing that the ruins had just manifested, Ancestor Lin Chi's reaction was the same as before. He sharply raised his head, seeming very agitated, and said, "Good! Good! Good! Excellent!"
"What's good about it?"
As soon as Gu Qingfeng opened his mouth to ask, Ancestor Lin Chi lowered his head again, devoid of all vitality, as if dead.
Seeing this scene, Gu Qingfeng truly felt torn between laughter and tears. The previous Ancestor Lin Chi he encountered had also pulled this trick of playing dead. Now this Ancestor Lin Chi was also pulling the exact same trick. Deliberately leaning his head closer, sure enough, Ancestor Lin Chi suddenly feigned death, raising his hand to grab towards Gu Qingfeng's Heavenly Crown.