Chapter 1742: Burning Rampart
Burning Rampart has been incinerated into a land of death with no sign of life here to speak of.
Many inhabitants in Pure believed that this place had been burned by a heavenly flame. The stones and rocks have melted. Some places even had signs of porcelainization, this was the proof of the unbelievably high temperature that was present in the past. [1]
Only a heavenly inferno would reach this raging level, hence the prediction.
Cultivators didn’t have any trouble navigating through Burning Rampart. They were free to travel using the sky or the earth and capable of withstanding extreme temperatures. This was not the case for mortals. They would either die from thirst or starvation from being lost or just go crazy from the blazing heat here.
At this particular juncture, Li Qiye was even weaker than a mortal scholar. Nevertheless, he still strolled through the scorching ground with such ease. This insanity-inducing heat cracked his lips and with smoke coming out of his mouth yet it didn’t affect him.
He had experienced pain a thousand times worse than this. This level of pain was as light as the wind to him and completely trivial.
This wasn’t his first time here either so he continued on after picking a direction. He was in no hurry to leave this place or Pure for that matter. At the same time, he wasn’t worried for Ming Yexue and the others. There was no point because the golden dragon and tyrant tiger were paving the way for them.
Outside of twelve-will emperors, even two Grand Emperors at ten wills wouldn’t be able to kill them together.
Moreover, the coordinates of the ship were very well known. Even if three Grand Emperors were to attack them, certain emperors from the nine worlds would come to help right away.
There were people along the way during his journey. Of course, they weren’t residents, only cultivators.
After reaching a particular area, cultivators would show up. They were here to look for ore mines or dao materials. Others were here to try and polish their dao comprehension.
The majority of them were flying in the sky or riding their treasures and weapons. Of course, a few were dashing through the sand as well.
However, there wasn’t a mortal like Li Qiye walking through this place. This attracted the cultivators’ attention.
In their eyes, a mortal was simply an ant. Thus, Li Qiye was not worth a second glance. They quickly got on with their business.
Of course, one or two kind ones would occasionally stop and asked: “Hey, mortal, are you lost here? Do you want me to lend you a hand?”
“Thank you, I am here to improve myself, just let me be.” Li Qiye smiled and answered them.
“Be careful, don’t die here. Burning Rampart isn’t a place for mortals.” The kind cultivator shook their head and left without forcing the issue.
Li Qiye ignored others’ stare and continued on his way.
If cultivators were thinking about training at Burning Rampart, there was one place where they must go, the Sky Pit!
This was a very strange area to the west of the rampart. There were many large pits here, not just one.
These pits had varying temperatures, unlike the rampart. Some were as cold as an ice storage. Others were hot enough to boil the unlucky ones that fell down. Some had springs running through it just like an oasis…
The most magical aspect of this place was the numerous mysterious marks. The pits came in all shape and form with varying depth. The only similarity was the many marks within.
One mark was only in the form of a long crease along the wall, a resulting mark of being burned. Another one consisted of many random runes, some of which were very occult…
These seals weren’t carved or branded. They seemed to form in a natural manner.
No one knew how they came to be. Some believed that a supreme existence has left them behind. Perhaps these were also the remnant marks after a Heavenly Execution. Another common belief was that the high heaven sent them down as enlightenment marks.
Later generations were very interested in these markings. The thing that interested them the most was the visit from many Immortal Monarchs and Grand Grand Emperors.
Even the top ones such as Flame Emperor, Origin Heaven Emperor, and Deepsouth Divine Emperor came to take a look.
Rumor has it that even Purewood Divine Emperor was here as well. Of course, this particular visit couldn’t be verified due to the mysterious nature of this particular emperor. He was the first to obtain twelve Heaven’s Wills and was considered the longest living Grand Emperor.
People only knew that they came to visit the place before, not their purpose. However, dao comprehension was the most popular theory. Because of this, people always visited the place to follow in the footsteps of the emperors.
They all desired to learn something from the mysterious marks here. Perhaps one day, they could even become an amazing emperor or monarch.
However, a pitiful amount managed to ever learn something. The majority left empty-handed.
Burning Rampart might be a desolate area but the Sky Pit was always lively. There were always several hundred or even more than one thousand cultivators present. The lowest number was around several dozens.
At this time, a fair number of people were meditating here. Some hovered above in order to feel the power of primordial chaos. Others were pondering about how to understand the profundity of these marks. One flew above to get a panoramic view over the entire Sky Pit.
Because Pure was one of the largest lands for the hundred races, many humans, golems, and charming spirits were here. Of course, cultivators from the three races were present as well.
When Li Qiye got here, the person looking down at the entire pit had a scepter symbol on his forehead.
This youth came from the Heaven Race and the scepter was their unique symbol. Not all members of this race would have this scepter marking. Mortals didn’t; only after reaching a particular cultivation level or a certain thickness in their bloodline would this scepter appear. Also, some of the noblest members would have the scepter at birth.
Li Qiye saw marks everywhere in these pits. He looked at the sky vault, wishing to pierce through its deepest location. His gaze was able to surpass everything.
“Damned heaven...” He licked his parched lips and murmured. He found a pit and directly got inside to stare at the sky.
He didn’t bat an eye as if there was something beautiful up there. This continued on for several days with him lying motionlessly. Some cultivators thought he was dead until they saw that his eyes are still open.
“Hey, don’t play dead here, mortal. You’re in people’s way.” An expert reprimanded Li Qiye.
1. Literal translation, I don’t quite understand the usage here since porcelainization is possible in real life.