There was a long pause before the old man's voice spoke again. "Do you still remember our first conversation?"
"How could I forget? The world as I knew it shattered that day," Ling Shaoqing replied, his tone heavy with reminiscence. He recalled every detail as if it had all happened yesterday—a day that had changed him irrevocably. Since then, all he had ever longed for was to break free from this confinement and explore the vast world beyond.
"Then I suggest you use that boy. And once he has served his purpose, you can refine him into a pill," the old man intoned, his voice carrying a cold, calculated edge.
Ling Shaoqing fell silent, lost in memories of that first fateful conversation. The recollections flooded back. In that moment, faced with the old man's sinister proposal, he didn't know if he should do it.
Ling Shaoqing's mind drifted back to the past as he recalled his first meeting with the old man.
After a week-long coma, Ling Shaoqing finally opened his eyes. A maid, who had been by his side since birth, spoke gently, "Your Royal Highness, you are finally awake."
"Wh… What happened?" Ling Shaoqing asked, his voice heavy with confusion.
"They say you were the target of an assassination attempt. There's talk that it was the work of the Blood Moon Guild," the maid explained.
Ling Shaoqing remained silent, his head pounding and his body utterly drained of energy. "Please don't push yourself too hard, Your Highness," she cautioned. "I'll fetch the royal physician immediately." With that, she hurried out of the room.
As Ling Shaoqing lay there, gathering his strength, a mysterious voice suddenly spoke in the quiet.
"Just stay in bed, boy."
"Who?" Ling Shaoqing demanded, scanning the room for the speaker, but he saw no one.
"I am right here, boy. Look at your chest," the voice insisted.
Glancing down, Ling Shaoqing's eyes fell upon the necklace that had been his constant companion—a keepsake left by his mother.
"What… the hell?" he murmured.
"I'm sure you have many questions, but you needn't worry—I mean you no harm," the voice said reassuringly.
"Who... what are you?" Ling Shaoqing asked.
"I am Mao Qing, the Great Elder of the Mao Clan."
"Great Elder of the Mao Clan? I don't recall any prominent cultivation clan by that name," Ling Shaoqing replied, perplexed.
"That's understandable. I come from beyond... the Graveyard of the Gods," Mao Qing explained simply.
Ling Shaoqing was stunned. "What do you mean, the Graveyard of the Gods?"
A sigh echoed in the mysterious voice. "It is the place where you live, boy."
"What!?" Ling Shaoqing exclaimed.
"See, the land you now call the Soul Saint Kingdom is known by another name beyond its borders—it is the Graveyard of the Gods," Mao Qing continued. Before he could finish, Ling Shaoqing interrupted, desperate for clarification.
"What do you mean 'beyond'? Is it outside the kingdom?"
"Well, yes and no," the voice replied, its tone shifting to one of irritation. "Listen here, you brat—interrupt me again and I won't say another word."
"I'm sorry, please continue," Ling Shaoqing quickly apologized.
"Hmph, at least you have manners," Mao Qing said with a hint of approval. "As I was saying, this place may be your home, but for me and my people, it is a forbidden and dangerous area. A massive natural barrier surrounds it—anyone attempting to breach it is almost certain to die. And I don't say that lightly; those who try are not weaklings by any stretch, but far stronger than any Nascent Soul Realm cultivator."
Ling Shaoqing was shocked by these revelations, uncertain whether to believe them. He needed clarity. "If it's so dangerous to live here, how have can we be okay after all this time? And what do you mean by 'far stronger than the Nascent Soul Realm'?"
Mao Qing's voice softened slightly. "I see you're not panicking—in fact, you're probing for more information, and I appreciate that. Yes, you live here, but is this truly living? To be doomed to remain in the Nascent Soul Realm, trapped in one place until death—what kind of life is that?"
"What do you mean?" Ling Shaoqing asked, baffled.
"Well, within the Graveyard of the Gods exists a strange power that targets the soul. Though you may continue to cultivate, it is impossible to advance beyond the Nascent Soul Realm. The moment anyone attempts to ascend further, their soul is corroded and eventually destroyed. To enter this place, one must restrain one's cultivation and seal one's soul at the Nascent Soul stage. But that's not all—the same restrictions prevent free movement in and out of this place."
On the surface, Ling Shaoqing maintained a calm facade, but inside, the information shook him to his very core. "How can this be? And if the only danger is the inability to cultivate beyond the Nascent Soul, is not that dangerous, why do you insist it's so perilous? And why do you come here at all?"
"One question at the time boy, and who said that's the only danger?" Mao Qing countered. "As for why we come—well, it's simple." Although Ling Shaoqing could not see Mao Qing, he was certain the voice now wore a sly grin. "Treasures."
"Treasures?"
"Yes, treasures," Mao Qing replied. "Beneath that massive body lie the ruins of an ancient sect, places still waiting to be explored, and—"
"Wait, what? Are you telling me that the Sleeping Giant Mountain is... is..." Ling Shaoqing was too shocked to finish his sentence.
"Yes," Mao Qing confirmed. "It is the body of an ancient god who fell in battle right here."
Ling Shaoqing was stunned into silence, it took him a long moment to process the information.
Mao Qing just stayed silent and let him process this bit of information.
But instead of asking for more information, Ling Shaoqing asked the question that burned in his mind at that moment: "How can I leave this place, then?" He could verify the rest later but if it was true he needed to know if he could leave this place.
"That's easy," the old voice replied. "You just need a return token."
"And how do I obtain one?"
"Ah, that is not so simple," Mao Qing admitted.
"Just explain it properly," Ling Shaoqing insisted in an exasperated tone.
"Very well. You see, the barrier that surrounds this place is highly unusual. The sects and clans from outside pooled their best formation masters and resources to create a teleportation formation—a gateway that would transport them directly inside while protecting their souls from this place's malevolent power. The Arsordo Wing Sect led the effort, investing astronomical resources. Yet, a few years into the project, the Arsordo Wing Sect declared that the array was impossible to complete. Outraged, the great sects and families demanded to inspect the teleportation platform and its core formation, but the Arsordo Wing Sect refused, claiming that some of the formations were their sacred secrets. To cut a long story short, the sect was destroyed and all their legacy stolen."
"Then you managed to create it?" Ling Shaoqing asked.
"Not exactly. We forged a lesser version of what was originally intended. The formation can only be used once every ten years, and the number of entries is strictly limited by the availability of return tokens. And we still need to restrict our cultivation base."
Ling Shaoqing fell silent for a moment before asking again, "But why use this method if one can already enter?"
"Humph, what do you even know, brat? Before this, those in the Void Refinement barely managed to open a passage, only to be left exhausted and vulnerable—often they were abused right after opening a passage, resulting in their death. The Void Refinement cultivators are the backbone of any power; their might is unimaginable for someone of your level."
"What is Void Refinement?" Ling Shaoqing asked.
"You needn't worry about that yet. You are still far from that stage," Mao Qing replied.
"But how is it possible that no one from here has ever ventured outside all this time?" Ling Shaoqing asked, perplexed.
"That's actually simple," the old man's voice explained. "Not a single person here is capable of doing so."
"Because of the barrier?"
"Exactly. For some inexplicable reason, it's much harder to leave this place than to enter."
"Then why not just conquer it and establish an outpost?" Ling Shaoqing proposed. If it were up to him, he would have done just that.
"Because you people are monsters," Mao Qing said plainly.
"What? What do you mean by 'monsters'?" Ling Shaoqing demanded.
"I already told you that we cannot use your full power here. Among you, there are some truly terrifying individuals," Mao Qing replied.
"Why not just bring an army of Nascent Soul cultivators and be done with it?" Ling Shaoqing pressed, trying to grasp the full picture despite this being his home and his status as a kingdom prince.
"Didn't you hear what I just said? The number of people who can enter using the tokens is limited, and the great clans and sects wouldn't dare risk their Void Refinement cultivators. The local cultivators won't simply submit to being bossed around either. This may be a cage, and you are all trapped here, but it's still your home—so naturally, you will fight."
"But even so, isn't—"
"I know what you're about to say," Mao Qing interrupted. "And the answer is no: the number of Nascent Soul cultivators here isn't low at all. In fact, any one of them could be considered a genius outside these walls. Moreover, some possess ancient bloodlines, which only complicates matters further. But the worst fate of all is tied to the Soul Saint King—your father."
"My father?" Ling Shaoqing asked, confused.
"Yes. I don't know how, but that bastard managed to harness that strange power which suppresses our souls and use it for his own ends."
"My father did that?" Ling Shaoqing was visibly shaken.
"Yes."
"You still haven't told me what dangers there are besides the local cultivators."
"Well there are many, from some unique life forms to ancient formation, and even the fragmented souls of ancient cultivators of the destroyed sect," Mao Qing told him.
"Then why do you still come, if it's so dangerous and the local cultivators are so against you? Are these so-called treasures worth it?" Ling Shaoqing pressed.
"Yes, they are. And the top brass of your kingdom struck an agreement with us so we are permitted to explore this place freely in exchange for goods and other benefits they desire. It's only the lower-level cultivators like you who remain unaware of our presence. Do you really think that "Alchemy" Sect of yours invented the God Birthing Pill out of thin air?" Mao Qing said with a wry chuckle.
"What?!" Ling Shaoqing was stunned by this revelation.
"It was us who provided them with the pill recipe, in exchange for not bothering us while we were in their domain hunting for people with ancient bloodlines. And a good deal it was, this way we no longer had to hunt these people ourselves they did it for us."
"But why do it here? Aren't there similar people outside?" Ling Shaoqing pressed.
"Oh, there are, and they are well-respected cultivators. But here, for some inexplicable reason, inside the Graveyard of the Gods, people who possess ancient bloodlines can't cultivate properly—they tend to lose control and become little more than beasts. So why not put them to some useful purpose?" Mao Qing replied matter-of-factly.
"But why?" Ling Shaoqing insisted.
"That… I don't know," Mao Qing simply replied.
Then, Mao Qing also informed Ling Shaoqing that his mother was actually a member of his own clan who had come to this place to retrieve the necklace he now wore. Mao Qing had managed to send a message to his clan before his body failed him, telling them that he was still alive and that his soul was embedded within the artifact—so that one day, they might rescue him.
Since that fateful day, Mao Qing had dedicated himself to a single purpose: to escape the Graveyard of the Gods. And now, he had the chance to do so. That was why Ling Shaoqing needed Grandmaster Chu Feng's help—not for his benefit, but to craft a soul-strengthening pill for Mao Qing, a crucial component in their plan to leave this accursed place safely.