Xie Xuanyi released his sword thought, wanting to see what the elder brother at the Bronze Drum Seat looked like.

This Bronze Drum Seat was called "Hong Er."

Then the elder brother... wouldn’t he be called "Hong Da"?

What a pity.

The sword thought swept up the White Bone Steps like a small snake, but after jumping up three or four steps, it disintegrated and exploded like fireworks. This great hall seemed to have layers of restrictions set up by someone; the sword thought trying to cross over was directly blasted into pieces.

"Don’t try anymore."

Hong Er had long noticed this wisp of sword thought. He didn’t intercept it but only spoke calmly after it exploded, "You’ve only seen the first visualization map, not qualified to pay respects to the Holy Emperor, not even qualified to see my elder brother’s face."

"Does this have to do with visualization?"

Xie Xuanyi was somewhat surprised.

This was the first time he had seen such a Divine Sea Secret Realm.

In the Bronze Hall, there were at least forty or fifty pillars engraved with murals... Does the number of restriction layers in this hall relate to his visualization progress?

"Naturally."

Hong Er said blandly, "There are a total of forty-nine visualization maps in the Primordial Hall. If you want to ascend the steps, you must at least comprehend thirty maps. To pay respects to the Holy Emperor, you need to comprehend forty maps. However... even if you wish to inherit the ’Primordial Sacred Realm’, comprehending all the visualization maps might not guarantee success."

"Primordial Sacred Realm..."

Xie Xuanyi’s gaze focused.

Beneath this Sand Mountain Abyss, there truly lay a sacred realm, but it was entirely different from the ’Primordial Swallowing Sacred Realm’ and the ’Ultimate Poison Sacred Realm’. According to Hong Er, it required comprehending the forty-nine hall pillars to gain the qualification to refine the Boundary Stele?

"You’ve got good potential."

Hong Er comforted warmly, "It only took you a hundred breaths to comprehend the first primordial mural. Even on the Great Ape Mountain, this speed is outstanding... Perhaps it would take just one 60-year cycle for you to be qualified to see my elder brother."

"One 60-year cycle?"

Hearing this, a dark line appeared on Xie Xuanyi’s forehead.

He had a vague premonition in his heart.

The visualization maps of the Primordial Sacred Realm seemed to have a great affinity with him. Comprehending the first mural took only a hundred breaths, so the speed from here on shouldn’t be too slow... But judging by what "Hong Er" said, would the murals further on be increasingly difficult like the ’Great Creation Technique’?

"What, does it seem too long?"

Hong Er grinned, "Comprehending the Primordial Holy Diagram consists of multiple layers, seven maps per layer, getting harder as one progresses. Comprehending the first layer doesn’t take much effort... Some geniuses finish the first layer’s comprehension in just ten days. But starting from the second layer, the difficulty significantly increases; even among the Holy Emperor’s disciples, only two or three have reached the fifth layer."

It had lived for a very long time.

It had seen countless geniuses over the years.

Many were quick at comprehending the first Holy Diagram... but often, they couldn’t maintain that pace as they progressed.

"Forty-nine murals..."

Xie Xuanyi exhaled deeply, falling into thought.

He had just released his divine thought.

This ’Primordial Sacred Realm’ had two great halls.

One was the main hall where the Ancestor Saint Emperor sat, enshrined on a lofty high platform, suppressed by the emperor’s seat.

The other was the hall he currently was in, as Hong Er described, with a total of forty-nine hall pillars. Currently, forty-eight of them were dark and dull, clearly related to his "visualization progress."

Each comprehension of a visualization map activated a hall pillar.

"This sacred realm is quite unique."

"The visualization maps left by other sacred realms only condense in the form of soul thought, impossible to imprint, but the murals of the ’Primordial Sacred Realm’ are tangible and can be taken away for slow comprehension."

Xie Xuanyi started scheming.

He planned to cut off and remove all these hall pillars.

As long as he could put these murals into his Lifebound Cave Heaven, the time Hong Er mentioned wouldn’t matter.

Xie Xuanyi didn’t care how long it took to comprehend the ’Primordial Holy Diagram’...

One 60-year cycle, two 60-year cycles...

It was all unimportant.

What was important was that this place was the ’Ruins’; he couldn’t stay here for long.

If he could take the hall pillars away, he could comprehend the ’Primordial Holy Diagram’ anytime thereafter!

With this thought, Xie Xuanyi was ready to take action.

He began to walk around, observing and inspecting more closely.

Though this was an imagination world, its structure was no different from the outside...

"What are you up to, kid?"

After waiting for a moment, seeing Xie Xuanyi not responding, Hong Er couldn’t help but speak again.

It had no idea.

Xie Xuanyi’s thoughts were all focused on how to extract the creation of this ’Primordial Sacred Realm’.

"Dong dong dong..."

Xie Xuanyi squatted down, gently tapping the mural of the golden bird chasing clouds.

"Senior."

Xie Xuanyi suddenly asked, "What would happen if the pillars in this ’Primordial Hall’ were cut off?"

He was a bit worried.

If he cut these pillars, would it affect his subsequent visualization?

"Cut off the pillars?"

Hong Er was slightly stunned.

It was the first time it had heard such words in so many years.

In the past, it wasn’t that young cultivators hadn’t come here...

They came with a pilgrim’s heart, comprehending the ’Primordial Holy Diagram’, bowing and praying to the Holy Emperor even when encountering bottlenecks or completely failing. This place held the supreme creation of the ’Great Ape Mountain’, a pilgrimage site sought after by countless demon cultivators.

Who dared to disrespect the great hall?

Who dared to disrespect the Holy Emperor?

"You... that’s disrespectful!"

Hong Er instantly got angry.

The Bronze Drum Seat resonated with a deep, loud sound, shaking the entire great hall.

Rumble!

"I’m sorry."

"Cutting off the pillars is not disrespectful..."

"You may not know, but significant changes have occurred outside."

"I cannot stay here for long."

Xie Xuanyi’s expression didn’t change.

He looked at Hong Er, his divine thought bypassing the tall Bronze Drum Seat, directly sweeping towards the shadows high above the hall.

Visualization was limited.

His divine thought couldn’t penetrate the heavenly barrier, couldn’t meet Hong Er’s mysterious "elder brother."

But Xie Xuanyi knew.

The words he said, the images he displayed, could all be seen by that "elder brother."

Whoosh.

Xie Xuanyi waved his sleeve, sketching the real world ’Primordial Hall’ with Sword Qi.

Though the hall had not collapsed, it had already decayed, enveloped by endless shadows and darkness. The once lofty Creation Holy Land now lay in ruins, the wind blowing, sending countless dust particles swirling...

"This..."

Hong Er was shocked, deeply moved.

It couldn’t believe.

This was the scene of the ’Primordial Hall’.

After all, it was just a wisp of divine thought placed in the Imagination World.

In the past.

How mighty was the Holy Emperor.

The hall where the Holy Emperor resided should be enshrined, visited by countless people, incense burned, worshipped...

"How could it be like this..."

"How could it be like this?"

Hong Er murmured, the Bronze Drum Seat resonating with mournful, thunderous sounds.

In the depths of the hall, there was a deathly silence.

"To be honest."

Xie Xuanyi lowered his gaze, continuing, "I have already ’met’ the Holy Emperor."

After a moment of thought.

Xie Xuanyi waved his sleeve, releasing images from the depths of the hall.

A thousand years later.

The Holy Emperor was already gone, flesh and blood completely absent.

The once majestic and mighty body was reduced to shattered bones, yet the aura of dignity remained.

This scene was extremely shocking.

"..."

The Bronze Drum Seat fell into a deathly silence.

It was at this moment that Hong Er understood what Xie Xuanyi meant earlier by "tomb cemetery."

Everyone dies.

Including... the Holy Emperor.

The place where the dead rest is naturally... a tomb cemetery.

Thus, this hall, inscribed into the Imagination World during its peak and glory, silently watched its "future self" die amidst the shimmering, lightning-like light from countless talisman papers fluttering in the wind.

Long after.

In the depths of the hall, a light sigh echoed.

"Young man."

The low, raspy voice slowly asked, "How long... has it been now?"