After leaving the Mingyue Great World, Ming Qi slowly walked through the void, considering where to go first.
After a moment's contemplation, he made a decision. The nearest place was a lost secret realm called the Beast Soul Heavenly Mausoleum, rumored to be the mausoleum of the countless demonic beast kings that roamed the void.
The journey to find the Axis of the World began at the Beast Soul Heavenly Mausoleum.
Although he possessed the spatial medium that could sense the Beast Soul Heavenly Mausoleum, it would still take him six months of void travel to reach a point where he could use the medium to open a spatial passage.
Void travel was extremely dangerous, Ming Qi knew it well, so he could not be impatient and proceeded step by step.
As he advanced, Ming Qi never slacked off in his pursuit of realm improvement. Meteorites and scattered ancient relics in the void held potential opportunities to advance his strength, so he would always explore them.
He decided to finally journey to the Dark Side. During this time, he would have a long hiatus, a period he would use to improve his strength and fulfill Wuji's last wish.
Two months later, Ming Qi rested within a floating ancient ruin.
A long time had passed since he had slain the Blood God and obtained the Divine Seal. Thinking of this, Ming Qi entered the Divine Map space and came to the place where Meng Ling rested.
The waterfall gurgled, a vibrant scene.
But what shocked Ming Qi was that Meng Ling's true form on the stone platform was gone. In its place was a little girl, approximately seven or eight years old!
Fiery red hair, deep, gem-like eyes, and a blood-red skirt with distinct patterns—it was the image of the Human-Blood Demonic Harp!
At first glance, Ming Qi was immediately certain that this little girl was Meng Ling, but why had she transformed into a little girl?
"Meng Ling? Is that you?"
Seeing the little girl playing on the stone platform, Ming Qi suppressed his excitement and tried to keep his voice calm.
"Huh? Where's this big brother?"
Hearing Ming Qi's call, the little girl turned around, her eyes wide and bewildered, staring at Ming Qi.
Ming Qi's body trembled. Meng Ling didn't recognize him!
Seeing the girl's vacant yet innocent eyes, Ming Qi almost choked. He had imagined the scene after Meng Ling awakened countless times, but never imagined it would be like this!
"Do you really not remember me?"
Ming Qi, still unwilling to accept the situation, asked tentatively.
The girl shook her head blankly, apparently having no memory of Ming Qi at all.
"Are you hungry? Are you cold...?"
Ming Qi asked, somewhat at a loss, not knowing what to say.
The Supreme Diagram depicted another world, a world of Qiankun, where the Five Elements were complete, Yin and Yang were intact, the four seasons had completely evolved, and the sun, moon, and stars had fully evolved. It was the season of late autumn, with the wind howling and everything withering.
"I'm not hungry or cold, it's just that I don't have anyone to play with..."
The little girl sat on the stone platform, her eyes hazy.
"Then, brother, can I stay and play with you?"
Ming Qi, feeling melancholy, used his mind to control beautiful birds and beasts from all directions, causing them to gather and dance around Meng Ling.
After a long time, Ming Qi quietly left the Supreme Map and returned to the void. The road to finding the Axis of the World was still long, and he couldn't waste time.
Leaving the ancient ruins, abandoned for who knows how many years, Ming Qi continued along his planned route. However, every few days, Ming Qi would take time to spend in the Supreme Map with the little girl. Despite the huge changes, he still firmly believed in his heart that the little girl was Meng Ling.
After walking for more than four months, Ming Qi arrived at his destination.
It was still far from the Beast Soul Heavenly Tomb, but through this medium, a void passage could be opened, leading directly to the Beast Soul Heavenly Tomb.
Without much hesitation, Ming Qi used the medium as a guide. Moments later, a deep, dark passage appeared before him, stretching far into the distance. After a few glances at the passage, Ming Qi stepped inside.
He didn't regret his choice, even though the journey was far more arduous than expected and fraught with danger.
Traversing the void passage had no concept of time. When Ming Qi emerged at the other end, he was shocked to discover a completely different world.
This world was devoid of light!
This world also lacked a sky!
Looking around, all he saw were endless, gigantic demonic beast skeletons beneath the vast darkness!
This was the Beast Soul Heavenly Mausoleum, the final resting place of the demonic beasts that roamed the worlds!
Some of the demonic beast skeletons were as large as mountains, stretching for hundreds of miles, while others were as small as fists. But without exception, they were all crystal clear, and faint fluctuations of power could be seen within them.
"In life, you may have all been kings who roamed the starry universe. I will not disturb your rest lightly..." Each of these skeletons was crystal clear, indicating that soul power still existed within them. Ming Qi naturally would not disturb them.
Gazing at the vast expanse of bones, Ming Qi quickly soared into the air, simultaneously taking out the Heavenly Secret Disk and beginning his search.
Ming Qi's search remained methodical, just as it had been during his earlier search of the star field. He first located a corner of the Beast Soul Heavenly Mausoleum's boundary, then began his methodical search from south to north.
While searching the boundary, Ming Qi was once again struck by the strangeness of the Beast Soul Heavenly Mausoleum. At first, the skeletons he saw only hints of power fluctuations, but then he suddenly saw numerous skeletal creatures capable of walking back and forth!
These creatures varied in size, but without exception, they were all immensely powerful. Even the weakest possessed the aura of strength comparable to that of a Martial Emperor cultivator!
After witnessing this scene, Ming Qi suppressed his shock, while also feeling a surge of worry. It seemed the Beast Soul Heavenly Mausoleum had become a haven for the dead monsters, a prospect that would undoubtedly bring immense trouble and danger to his search for the World Axis.
Back in the star field, the star monsters weren't very powerful. The only Star King he encountered had barely reached the first level of the Martial God realm, yet here, there were quite a few skeletal creatures at the first level!
Overhead, a pitch-black darkness shrouded the sky, devoid of stars or moonlight. While Ming Qi couldn't pinpoint what it was, he was certain it wasn't the sky. Below, a perilous sea of corpses and bones lay dotted with danger, with powerful skeletal creatures occasionally passing by.
As he searched, Ming Qi felt his scalp tingle. In a world like this, it was easy to fall apart!
"I have to search faster, or I might go crazy!"
Ming Qi pondered, increasing his speed to the utmost. Although this place couldn't reach the sky, it could absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and transform it into divine power. This would replenish his strength and prevent a quick collapse.
According to Ming Qi's rough estimate, the Beast Soul Heavenly Mausoleum was significantly smaller than the Star Region. Of course, this was relative. The Beast Soul Heavenly Mausoleum was still vast, and a complete search would be impossible without a month or so.
After searching for over half a month without finding anything, Ming Qi began to feel inexplicably irritated. Suddenly, he saw a dark cloud rapidly approaching from the front. Looking closely, he broke into a cold sweat!
The cloud was composed of hundreds of skeletal dragons, and their soul light was powerful, indicating their immense power!