Foundation Establishment Realm.
Like other realms, it was divided into nine layers.
But the Foundation Establishment Realm was slightly different.
It was the first threshold for all cultivators and the foundation of all cultivation.
The first three layers of Foundation Establishment are called Shedding Mortality, meaning one uses the foundation of cultivation to step into heaven and earth, perform acts that defy heaven, grasp a trace of origin power, and transcend the mortal realm.
The middle three layers are called Entering Spirit. Just as the name implies, spirit enters the body, truly shedding the mortal frame.
Only after completing the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment and constructing one's own foundation platform using all things in heaven and earth, the three thousand Great Daos, and the laws of order... can it be called a Perfect Foundation Establishment.
This was exactly why these ancient freaks would rather shatter their Golden Cores and break their Violet Palaces just to recultivate the Foundation Establishment Realm in the Ancient Immortal Realm.
“I used the three thousand Great Daos as fire and heaven and earth as a furnace to shed my mortal body, achieve an immortal foundation, and forge a unique Dao foundation platform. Why... do I feel a sense of emptiness?”
Just by recultivating the first layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm, Long Zitian felt something was off. It was different from the Foundation Establishment secret methods he had comprehended in his past life.
This time, it seemed more profound, more tedious, and more complex.
“Rumor has it that the ancient immortal shattered their Foundation Establishment three times before casting a true Dao foundation, achieving invincibility in the same realm and invincibility in the world.”
“But...”
Sweat beaded on Long Zitian's forehead. Even though he had once been in the Great Ascension Realm, he actually found himself unable to fully grasp the mystery within—or perhaps he had grasped it, but was unwilling to believe it.
More and more golden lotuses bloomed, and the five-clawed golden dragons grew increasingly active.
It wasn't just Long Zitian; the first-place finishers of the other eight Starry Heavenly Ladders had all encountered similar situations. They had comprehended it, yet they were filled with doubt.
The Foundation Establishment Realm was divided into nine layers; this was common knowledge.
Why was it so empty after recultivating?
“Could it be that one really has to shatter their Foundation Establishment three times?”
The nine first-place finishers of the Starry Heavenly Ladders raised the same question.
The path the ancient immortal took back then was quite different and extremely special, yet it was also a path of world-spanning invincibility. If they had not refined this ancient battlefield and drawn the jealousy of heaven and earth, they would not have vanished beyond the long river of time.
While the nine of them were pondering, the other cultivators from the outside world also arrived at the topmost level of the Starry Heavenly Ladder, but they had no right to enter the ancient immortal's secret space.
When the last person climbed onto the final step of the ladder, the Ancient Immortal Realm underwent a change.
Nine massive teleportation arrays emerged on the nine Heavenly Ladders. Only those who passed the first trial of the ancient immortal had the chance to enter the true Ancient Immortal Realm.
As for those nine people, they received the rewards for clearing the trial.
Nine pillars of light rose, and millions of cultivators vanished into the end of the starry sky at the same time, teleported to a place where opportunities and dangers coexisted.
The ancient battlefield of old!
The place where ten thousand immortals fell!
Blood-colored mist covered the sky, blood-colored lightning crackled everywhere, and a heavy stench of blood filled the air.
This was a shattered world, destroyed during the battle of ten thousand immortals. As far as the eye could see, everything was a bloody red. Rivers of blood flowed on the ground, bones were piled high, and ruins lay everywhere. Not a single spot remained intact.
One could even see several mummified corpses dressed in ancient attire.
This place was isolated from time and space, forming a world of its own.
“Ugh!”
Upon being teleported in, some cultivators had their hair stand on end, unable to hold back from vomiting.
It was not only visual torture but also mental and physical devastation, making it physiologically difficult to accept this scene.
It was even more terrifying and bloody than the Starry Heavenly Ladder.
The Golden Core Realm cultivators frowned, their stomachs churning, clearly finding it hard to bear as well.
Whoosh!
Just as everyone was dazed, nine pillars of light descended, and the nine first-place winners who had received the rewards were also teleported back to their respective groups.
“Junior Brother, are you alright?”
“Junior Brother, how is it?”
Leng Ning'an and Wen Sining stepped forward to ask. Long Zitian was the first to reach the top, but he was the last to arrive at the ancient battlefield. He must have received some kind of inheritance.
Long Zitian stared at his hands in confusion, pulled back to reality by the two women's soft calls.
“I'm fine. I just entered a strange, secret space earlier and comprehended the Dao there following the voice of the ancient immortal, and then I was teleported here.”
“I see. We'll talk about it later. Someone is harboring ill intentions.”
Leng Ning'an patted Long Zitian on the shoulder, sensing several malicious gazes from behind.
“Alright,” Long Zitian replied.
The ancient battlefield was inherently a dangerous place. Not only were there remnant souls of fallen immortals, but there were also undead creatures hidden everywhere, as well as secret treasures left behind by the ten thousand immortals.
Killing people and stealing treasures was perfectly suited for this place.
“Haha, a thousand-year spiritual herb!”
Splat!
Just as someone picked up a spiritual herb, a blood-colored palm pierced through that person's chest in the next second, burying them in this battlefield forever.
“The corpse... the immortal corpse has come back to life!”
Someone cried out in alarm. They watched as a dried-up blood corpse sucked the person's blood dry in a single breath, turning them to dust.
Not just in this spot—every cultivator digging for treasures among the piles of corpses encountered disaster, their essence, spirit, and blood sucked dry.
Across the entire ancient battlefield, countless ancient corpses woke up from the blood piles due to their arrival. They crawled out of the rivers of blood, and traces of them even emerged from beneath the earth.
For a moment, wails of anguish echoed throughout the entire ancient battlefield.
“Elder Li, Senior Sisters, follow me. This is the Burial Ground of Corpses, a small world from before the battle of the ten thousand immortals. There are no immortal inheritance treasures here.”
Long Zitian pondered for a moment, recalling the route from his previous life.
“Alright.”
The others exchanged glances. Without time to think, they followed closely behind Elder Li. Along the way, several blood corpses leaped out, but they were easily dealt with by him.
This Elder Li was powerful, possessing a peak Golden Core Realm cultivation. He could be called the strongest below the Nascent Soul Realm and was one of the key figures nurtured by the Heavenly Martial Immortal Sect.
Therefore, Shen Shi and the others had placed him in the team that deserved the most protection.
As for the three including Gongyi Lingren, Shen Shi had arranged for them to enter through other gates, just as other immortal sects had arranged for their people to come to this gate.
The goal was only one.
To fight!
To fight for resources, to fight for cultivation, to fight for the path, to fight for opportunities...
The path of cultivation was a path of constant struggle.
“Quick, those people from the Heavenly Martial Immortal Sect are about to run! That kid definitely has a major treasure on him. We can't let him escape!”
Someone shouted, and the cultivators who were desperately dealing with the ancient corpses looked over. They saw Long Zitian and the others quickly traversing the Burial Ground of Corpses, heading toward an open path.
“Damn it, the Heavenly Martial Immortal Sect plans to abandon us!”
Someone was still stoking the flames, completely infuriating the crowd of cultivators, who began to launch attacks at Long Zitian and the others one after another.
Clang!
A cultivator drew his blade and blocked the way ahead, greed written all over his face. His bloodshot eyes were devoid of humanity as he mumbled, “The secret treasure is mine!”
Elder Li was used to such people. He immediately struck with a palm, blasting the man into a mist of blood, and then said to the people behind him, “Hold your breath, quickly! There is poison in this Burial Ground of Corpses.”
“Yes.”
Leng Ning'an and the others immediately used secret techniques to seal their noses and mouths, then followed closely behind.
However, more and more blood corpses began to gather, and even the cultivators were joining in to block Long Zitian and the others.
“Mine, mine, it's all mine!”
Some of the infected cultivators began to attack the people around them like madmen, biting them raw, sucking their blood, and slashing wildly with their swords... a bloody scene was playing out.
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