A soft howl of the wind sounded in Xie Qing''s ears. The young man''s face was dark, and he was in a state ofbat readiness.


    The danger that awaited them on the path to the treasure was higher than his expectations. Now, even Lyu Lyu had disappeared.


    She seemed to have dissolved into the air. And the worst thing was that Xie Qing did not even feel it. It was as if he had been in an illusion all this time and suddenly woke up.


    "This ce... It''s still the same throne room, but..."


    The young man fell silent. He looked around and a drop of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.


    "This... Are they... Alive?"


    The throne room. The carpet.


    Xie Qing was standing on the carpet. And on both sides, towering up to the ceiling, were beings dressed in noble robes of different colors.


    And far ahead, on arge throne, sat a man.


    His eyes were closed, and he was half-lying on his throne. On his head was a crown, and his robe was luxurious.


    His hair was white and reached to his shoulders, and his gray beard reflected his age.


    "And most importantly... He is emitting a terrifying aura. This aura... It''s stronger than Xu Mei!" Xie Qing''s heart grew cold.


    The only thing that reassured him was therge, sharp spear that pierced the king''s chest.


    Around the ce where the spear pierced the king''s heart, there were dried-up traces of dark golden blood.


    "Who had such power?" Xie Qing wondered as he slowly approached the stairs.


    The chairs on the stairs were empty. But the difference was that they were half-destroyed and rotten as if time had passed since they had been sat on.


    Xie Qing was most shocked by the more than a hundred deities who stood neatly on both sides.


    From them came a terrifying aura that also surpassed Xu Mei but was inferior to the king.


    "Immortals!" Xie Qing thought. This was the only thing that came to his mind at that moment.


    However, his fear quickly disappeared as soon as he realized that these nobles (judging by their clothes) were also dead.


    However, now a new question arose: "Who killed them?"


    A single such being, if it were to enter the mortal world, would immediately destroy kingdoms with just one breath, and continents would be flooded with water, sinking into the ocean floor.


    And yet, such terrifying beings were dead. Whether it was due to the effect of time or an external enemy, Xie Qing did not know.


    "Am I seeing an illusion?" Xie Qing thought and blinked. Then, what happened next shocked him again.


    "HAIL TO THE KING!"


    "GLORY TO HIS MAJESTY!"


    "LONG LIFE TO THE KING OF THE DEITIES!"


    Loud, almost piercing-to-the-point-of-bleeding cries instantly made Xie Qinge to his senses. He was very surprised, looking around.


    He was standing in the same ce. At the same time, the difference was that now the throne room looked whole, beautiful, and majestic.


    The king on the throne sat majestically, cing his hands on the armrests, and with a clear hauteur and pride in his gaze, together with his dominant aura, he looked at the nobles.


    They, like devoted servants, knelt down, and some even fell to the ground, bowing their heads.


    "Hm!"


    At the praise of the subordinates, at their piercing cries, the king only uttered a deep sound that came from his throat.


    His piercing gaze was heavy. Even though Xie Qing did not feel strong pressure, he felt that his sixth sense was screaming about the danger.


    However, as if the young man was a simple ant (which, in terms of his size, was expected), the king did not even cast a nce in his direction.


    So, Xie Qing could observe the situation a little.


    The next difference from the previous scene was that the ces of the free thrones on the stairs were upied by three women.


    Next to each of them, on the green thrones, sat boys and girls aged from nine to twenty years.


    And despite their young appearance, they emitted a dangerous aura. Xie Qing narrowed his eyes.


    "Each of them is a being with incredible power. Even the cute-looking child has the power of at least Soul Integration... Are these the Deities?"


    Beloved by the Heavens, blessed from birth. They ruled the Heavens in antiquity until the Heavenly Emperor came to rece them.


    However, these were legends. Xie Qing did not know how reliable they were.


    A minute or twoter...


    "My subjects, there is a n to attack us!" the king spoke and then paused. Many nobles began to whisper. But as soon as he showed his intention to continue his speech, everyone fell silent: "People have forgotten our might. Our strength and the weight of our fists. They have deluded themselves into thinking that they are the strongest, beloved by the Heavens!


    But it is we who must show them that no one but us, the Deities and the children of the Heavens, can rule all the worlds!"


    "Hail to His Majesty!"


    "Hail to the King!"


    "May the Heavens bless us..."


    "Hm?"


    Among all the cries, Xie Qing heard that thest one who spoke about the blessing at the end of his speech, sneered and his voice became quieter.


    Shuuuuuu!


    A wild wind whipped through Xie Qing''s ears, causing a terrifying noise.


    Only after the wind had passed did Xie Qinge to his senses. And what he saw shocked him.


    "HELP!"


    "People... Lowly people!"


    "My child... Where is my child?!"


    Chaos. Pure chaos. It seemed as if all thews and restrictions had been lifted. The fire was burning everywhere.


    The scene was in a city that seemed to be built on the clouds. Each building was sorge and majestic that Xie Qing, inparison with them, looked like a microbe.


    If one were to judge by the familiar architecture from the pavilion, then this was nothing other than the city of the Deities.


    However, the aforementioned beings, who controlled the Heavens, were in a slightly better state than a stray dog with a broken leg.


    They were screaming, crying, and writhing in agony. Like a symphony of chaos, true bloodthirstiness, and madness, everyone had gone crazy.


    The city was engulfed in fire. The debris of the buildings was flying down, immobilizing those who were trying to escape.


    And somewhere on the horizon, amidst the gloomy evening sky, a ck cloud was approaching the city.


    And when they approached close enough and quickly, it was clear that it was not a cloud... but hundreds of thousands, if not a million, people!


    And each of them, armed in bright silver armor, held a sword or spear in their hands.


    On the faces of the warriors, there was no fear, only pure pleasure and a smile full of confidence.


    And so, among them, someone began to chant.


    "For the Heavenly Emperor!"


    "For the glory of humanity!"


    "Kill them!"


    Xie Qing watched this with trepidation. Each being was endowed with great powerpared to them; he seemed so insignificant.


    "This is both fascinating and terrifying..." Xie Qing frowned and then clenched his hands into a fist: "And when I gain power, I will be able to look into the future with confidence!"


    Immortality!


    ***


    Xie Qing, to his luck, returned to the throne room again. The great scenes of the past had disappeared. Only the lonely, cold throne remained.


    And when he looked around, he was shocked.


    "Mortal, who has found this ce..."


    The king!


    Behind him stood the king! The one who was sitting on the throne! His eyes, so cold and majestic, were looking at Xie Qing.


    His lips, hidden behind a thick beard, were slowly and chaotically moving, but Xie Qing could understand his words.


    "If you havee here, then it is fate that has brought you. The heritage of the Deities has vanished with my death. I was most likely thest Deity," the king said. There was no sadness or joy in his voice, only indifference. He continued: "However, the Heavens are merciful. You and another mortal have been lucky.


    Whether you will receive my heritage depends strictly on your abilities."


    Xie Qing wanted to ask many questions, but in the next second, the space around him shrank to the size of a needle, and then he found himself in front of a tall being, about ten meters tall.


    "Your first test is to defeat the enemy," a cold voice informed him.


    ***


    Lyu Lyu saw the same scenes as Xie Qing. And when the king finished his speech, she also found herself in the same space.


    The girl was standing on a spacious stone tform. Around her was only pitch-ck darkness.


    In front of her, a hundred meters away, stood a monster.


    It looked like a deer, but it was standing on two legs. The difference was its coloring - a dark burgundy color with ck spots.


    "Soul Integration... First stage!" Lyu Lyu''s face darkened.


    ***


    Xie Qing''s opponent, however, was at the same level of cultivation, but the difference was that it was an elephant with ten legs.


    "Ten-legged elephant... Damn it. What kind of freaks has the world given birth to..." Xie Qing couldn''t help but curse.


    He immediately unsheathed his sword. The de shone brightly, showing a fierce desire to enter the battle.


    Xie Qing, despite his slight excitement, did not lose hisposure and, most importantly, carefully watched his own actions.


    An enemy at the Soul Integration level was not someone who could be easily dealt with.


    When it came to cultivation levels, most geniuses understood that they could no longer defeat enemies who were higher than them.


    Because the difference was not only in the levels but also in the stages! A Soul Integration cultivator at the second stage would lose to a cultivator with the same level of cultivation but at the fifth stage!


    Returning to the battle. The elephant did not look like one of those gentle gentlemen who would wait for the start of the fight.


    So, as soon as Xie Qing showed his desire to fight, the elephant suddenly stomped its feet with a loud crash, and a huge shadow appeared above the young man''s head.


    "Damn it!"


    Xie Qing quickly moved away from the ce where he had been standing before.


    Boom!


    The elephantnded with a crash on the spot where Xie Qing had been standing before. It provocatively waved its trunk.


    Xie Qing''s face darkened.


    "I''ll make barbecue out of you, bitch!"