Emperor’s Domination

The dried atmosphere made people parched, wanting to leave this place. A terrible heat must have ravaged this area, turning everything into sand.

It was impossible to stay here for long. The moment one set foot in this place, it would feel as if they were walking into the gates of hell.

This place didn’t use to be known as the abandoned land. Those in Eight Desolaces didn’t know of its glory days.

It was still famous because it separated the south and north of West King. Normally, the two sides had no contact due to the distance.

Crossing this land was exceedingly hard for any person. Only a dao lord could do so. Someone like Demon King Commander didn’t want to try because the trip would take too much effort.

Using a portal was rare as well. Some powers certainly had the ability to do so but it required an exorbitant number of chaos stones. No one wanted to do this.

Thus, only a big event or the activation of a dao lord would connect the two sides of West King.

The size of this abandoned land remained unknown, only that it served as a separating distinction.

The actual conditions inside were a mystery as well. Dao lords and supreme ancestors have entered but rarely talked about it. The most they would say to their juniors was to not go there.

Of course, many didn’t listen to these seniors and still gave it a shot.

They were confident and prideful, the rulers of their domain. Thus, an adventure to this place should be just fine. Unfortunately, they never returned after coming in.

These disappearances added to the legends. Some stated that there were ferocious fiends or the land itself was perilous. Others said that there were treasures from the older epochs waiting for the fateful ones.

The dao lords and top masters didn’t say anything about these rumors. They only warned their juniors to not enter this dangerous place.

This wasn’t enough to deter future generations. Otherwise, why did dao lords such as Blessed and Buddha travel there?

In fact, all of the dao lords from Buddha Holy Ground have traveled there - Buddha, Dhyana, and Vajra. This garnered more attention to the land and the belief of old treasures became widely believed.

One thing was quite strange. The land was considered dangerous by the top existences and people didn’t leave after coming in. However, it wasn’t considered one of the seven forbidden zones. This meant that it still wasn’t as dangerous as the seven.

At first, travelers would only sense the scorching dryness. However, as they delved deeper, they would feel a mysterious power seemingly summoning them. This affected all travelers, no exception.

It was as if there was a gentle hand in front waving at them. Peace and warmth awaited; people couldn’t help moving forward.

Li Qiye sensed it from the very start. With the first step, it seemed to be illusory, shifting in and out of existence like feelers trying to explore and scout. As one moved deeper into the land, they would get closer and completely wrapped around the person.

Once the traveler figured it out, they would already be wrapped like a cocoon. Escaping was futile.

Li Qiye had a smile on and didn’t mind the intrusion during his path. The layers of this power wrapped around him didn’t affect him in the slightest due to the power of his dao heart. They were as feeble as spiderwebs before a giant.

While standing outside, people had the impression that this land was endless with nothing but emptiness and sand.

This wasn’t the case. If they got far enough, the sand completely disappeared. The ground wasn’t dead any longer and became pleasant like a beach.

Li Qiye saw flashing lights of the Buddhist affinity, seemingly emanating from the soil.

The mysterious power at the start was dense and powerful, making others feel close to it. Now, with the flashing lights, one would feel as if there was a Buddha on the horizon chanting supreme mantras. He was the one waving, wanting to lead travelers towards a kingdom of salvation.

This was awfully tempting and virtually impossible to escape, akin to a bug trapped in a spider’s webs. The more it struggled to break free, the tighter the bind.

The lights also didn’t affect Li Qiye. Just think about it, he was someone who could turn into a Buddha with a single thought. How could this affinity tempt him at all?

As he got farther, he started seeing some corpses from various eras.

The newest ones were only several years old. The old has been here for millions of years. They were dried now but still had vivid expressions.

All of them had the same pose too - sitting like a meditating monk. All of them stared in the same direction - deeper into this land. It appeared that the summoning force was still calling them during their last moment.

There was no pain and suffering on their face, no struggling either. This seemed to be a peaceful death. They went to the other side without any worries and unwillingness. Death seemed to be the gateway towards the supreme kingdom. This would naturally frighten any spectator.

Li Qiye moved on and saw shrines and temples. They were no longer as magnificent as before; the walls and sides were broken.

Nonetheless, one could still imagine the original splendor of this place. It was definitely a holy kingdom of Buddhism.