He was invincible from the beginning of the Heaven-Covering Era.

"The Origin Emperor? These Origin Heaven patterns were laid out by the Origin Emperor?" Upon hearing Zhou Qing's mutterings, the Zhou family patriarch's pupils contracted sharply.

Subsequently, Zhou Qing told the Zhou family patriarch his previous reasoning about the origin of the Immortal Transformation Pool, which made the patriarch's heart pound with fear.

He was somewhat surprised that Zhou Qing knew so many great secrets of the mythical era, but he was not too surprised. After all, every genius has all sorts of opportunities to learn about many great secrets of heaven and earth that ordinary people cannot know.

Moreover, 100,000 years ago, the Zhou family patriarch would often hear a few words from the Zhou family ancestors and the Great Emperor Wushi.

Liu also knew a lot about the secrets of the past, and he had heard about the emperors of the mythical era and that heavenly court.

"You mean, during the time of the Emperor Venerable, there should have been another Source Emperor, and it was this Source Emperor who personally set up several Source Heaven Arrays under the Immortal Transformation Pool, creating the three major terrain features of the Immortal Transformation Pool?" the Zhou family patriarch asked in surprise.

“That’s right. I was wondering before why the three unsolvable types of terrain—the Land of Extremes, the Land of Ascension, and the Land of the Source of Life—would all appear in a single Immortal Pool. But now I think I understand.” Zhou Qing nodded.

Source Arts is another path of evolution. Although it is not the mainstream in the current universe, it is understandable because the current path of Source Arts evolution is still too immature and far less mature than the path of Secret Realm evolution.

In the realm of Origin Arts, the Origin Heaven Pattern holds a position equivalent to the Dao Patterns commonly used by cultivators.

Dao patterns are patterns that cultivators trace after gaining insights into the universe and nature. For example, if a cultivator observes a flame and senses a trajectory of power within it, they can trace this trajectory with their hands, thus forming a Dao pattern.

This Dao pattern can transform into a flame, becoming a fire-attribute power; the other Dao patterns operate on the same principle.

The Origin Heaven Pattern is formed when an Origin Master observes the grand scheme of heaven and earth, senses the power of "momentum" within this grand scheme, and then traces this power into their hand, thus creating an Origin Heaven Pattern.

For example, one day Zhou Qing saw that the spiritual energy of a mountain peak far exceeded that of the nearby mountains. He then went to that mountain peak and inscribed the surrounding "major forces" in the form of Origin Heaven patterns. He then set up an Origin Heaven Grand Array with the function of gathering spiritual energy.

The Origin Heaven Array is essentially a simulation of various naturally existing terrains in the world. Theoretically speaking, if one's Origin Technique level is high enough, then any terrain in the world can be represented by the Origin Heaven Array.

Regardless of whether it's a Dragon Nest, Dragon Coughing Blood, Immortal Land, or Source of Life, a Primordial Heaven Array can be set up to simulate the same abilities as those naturally existing terrains.

Previously, when Zhou Qing's Dao body went to the Primordial Ancient Mine to retrieve the Green Jade Turtle, he also entered the place of "things reaching their extremes and then reversing" in the Primordial Ancient Mine, which was the place chosen by the fourth generation Source Celestial Master to confront his later years.

Zhou Qing understood then that with Yuan Tianshi's abilities, he was far from being able to break the principle of reversal at the extremes. He was far from capable. Even if he could utilize the existing terrain and the principle of reversal at the extremes, like the fourth generation Yuan Tianshi, it would require a Yuan Tianshi to put in a lot of effort.

As for simulating the reversal of extremes by using the Origin Heaven Pattern to set up the Origin Heaven Grand Array, Zhou Qing knew he simply couldn't do it. Even if his Origin Arts reached a higher level and he became an Origin Arts Saint Master, he still wouldn't necessarily be able to set up the reversal of extremes.

But now he has witnessed someone setting up a land of extremes and reversals, and even a land of ascension and a land of life. This person has set up three types of terrain that Yuan Tianshi considered unsolvable. The gap between him and Yuan Tianshi is beyond measure.

"The reason why the Immortal Transformation Pool is so special, able to combine the three major terrains in a way that defies common sense, is because it was arranged under human control. This could only be the work of an Origin Emperor!" Zhou Qing said decisively.

The Zhou family patriarch gasped and said, "This Immortal Transformation Pool is so extraordinary. However, if it really is the Immortal Pool in the Heavenly Court, then this is quite normal. That was the most glorious period in history, with multiple emperors coexisting. Having such an Immortal Pool in the Heavenly Court would be in line with the structure of that Heavenly Court."

Suddenly, a dark shadow drifted past them. Zhou Qing quickly turned his head and saw a soldier with disheveled hair, a pale face, wearing ancient armor, and holding a halberd.

A dark glint flashed in the soldier's eyes, as if he possessed some kind of instinctive intelligence. Upon seeing the two of them, he immediately launched an attack.

Chapter 281 The Divine Generals of the Ancient Heavenly Court

Zhou Qing had no idea what was going on. There was a corpse in the Immortal Transformation Pool, and judging from the situation, it wasn't just a corpse. It was similar to the corpses on the way to the Immortal Transformation Pool; it was considered to have become sentient.

The soldier in ancient armor charged forward, raised his tattered halberd and thrust it forward, unleashing a series of massive bolts of lightning with astonishing power.

"click"

Zhou Qing stretched out two fingers, pinched the halberd, and twisted it gently. The halberd shattered, and then transformed into a palm, grabbing the soldier's head and exploring his sea of ​​consciousness.

"Kill all the enemies."

This body is from who knows how many years ago. Zhou Qing only sensed a very simple emotion in his sea of ​​consciousness, and could not find any memory scenes.

Zhou Qing looked at the Zhou family patriarch and shook his head, indicating that he had not gained anything from the soldier's sea of ​​consciousness.

“This person must have been a great power in his lifetime, and these armors and weapons are extraordinary as well,” Zhou Qing said, having gleaned this information during his initial attack.

Suddenly, another soldier dressed in ancient armor drifted past them and attacked them upon seeing them.

"Another one?" Zhou Qing made another attempt to explore its sea of ​​consciousness, but the result was no different from the first one.

“Zhou Qing, this shouldn’t be a matter of just a few. Look down there, there are many such corpses,” said the Zhou family patriarch.

Zhou Qing looked into the depths of the Immortal Transformation Pool and saw thousands of corpses clad in ancient armor floating below, most of them stiff and showing no signs of life.

Hundreds of corpses have become sentient, and they are roaming around like on patrol. The two corpses that attacked them only launched their attack after they swam here and saw them.

"Could these be heavenly soldiers from the Heavenly Court?" Zhou Qing asked in confusion.

"Perhaps." Even the Zhou family patriarch wasn't sure.

They ventured deep into the Immortal Transformation Pool and disposed of the hundreds of spirit-possessed corpses.

These things can only be considered ghosts nowadays. They have no memories of the past and not much intelligence. They are what mortals call corpses, and they are not very powerful.

However, this is only relative to them. These soldiers were all powerful beings in their previous lives. No wonder the dozens of people from the original time disappeared as soon as they entered the Immortal Transformation Pool. Even the powerful beings died tragically in it. The cultivation level of these corpse demons is indeed difficult for the current Beidou cultivators to deal with.

With a wave of his hand, the Zhou family patriarch moved a pile of corpses aside. This was not the bottom yet; it was just a layer of corpses floating on the surface. After moving some of the corpses, they went deeper inside again.

The deeper one goes, the more divine radiance and surging energy fills the Immortal Transformation Pool, as if it contains endless life force.

Not long after, Zhou Qing frowned. Another layer of corpses appeared below. This layer had fewer corpses than the one above, but their cultivation levels were even higher. They were all kings at the Dao Slaying Realm in life, and their armor and weapons were also king-level weapons.

Moreover, these people's armor and weapons were the same as those on the previous floor, all of them were standard.

"Could these really be heavenly soldiers and generals from the Heavenly Court?" Seeing this scene, Zhou Qing felt that this guess was becoming more and more likely.

As they ventured deeper, they discovered that not all weapons were the same standard type; there were Taoist priests in robes and primitive people dressed in animal clothing.

Humans also include other different races and creatures; not all of them are human.

However, these people were far fewer in number than the heavenly soldiers and generals, and they were not easily noticeable unless one looked closely.

“Perhaps these are people who entered the Immortal Transformation Pool in search of treasures before,” Zhou Qing said.

The patterns of the Immortal Transformation Pool are quite easy to discover. The number of people who have entered the Immortal Transformation Pool throughout history is not small. Not to mention the distant past, even in the recent ancient times, someone from the Cai family entered the Immortal Transformation Pool 30,000 years ago and took away a piece of green copper.

The Zhou family patriarch nodded in agreement, saying, "Although we don't know why there are so many corpses of heavenly soldiers and generals here, for now, these corpses pose no threat to us. We just don't know what kind of corpses we will encounter further down the road."

The Zhou family patriarch activated the three quasi-emperor weapons to a near-complete state of resurrection, and led Zhou Qing to quickly explore downwards.

They passed through layers of corpses, and with each layer, the cultivation level of these corpses would leap by a major realm. Although their numbers were decreasing, the danger was increasing.

If the powerful corpses on the first level were ordinary heavenly soldiers, and the kingly corpses on the second level were heavenly generals of the Heavenly Court, then the corpses on the third level were semi-saints. Their armor and weapons did not change much, but they were more noble.

The next level down was terrifying; they actually encountered someone who was a saint in his previous life!

Some of the corpses also turned into ghouls and launched an attack on them.

Although the attack posed no real danger to them, it made their hearts sink. This was only the fourth level; who knew how many more levels lay below, and what kind of beings might be there?

At the bottom of the Immortal Transformation Pool, when Zhou Qing looked over, it was as if he saw a giant beast with its mouth wide open, waiting for them to walk into its trap.

"Let's continue. I'd like to know what secrets this Immortal Transformation Pool holds, and what is it that would make those two people who left their marks come here to explore?" Zhou Qingping calmed himself down and said calmly.

“Alright.” The Zhou family patriarch did not hesitate at all; he was also very curious about what was down there.

Speaking of which, the Great Emperor Wushi should have come here before, taken out a piece of Chaos Stone from the bottom of the Immortal Transformation Pool, and extracted the immortal materials for refining the Wushi Bell from it.

Even if there were some truly terrifying monster deep within the Immortal Transformation Pool, after the Great Emperor Wushi wandered around the Immortal Transformation Pool, it might not be so ferocious anymore, and it might not necessarily pose a danger to them.

As they went deeper, Zhou Qing and the Zhou family patriarch became increasingly astonished. Corpses were moving around, and all of them had become saints. Soon, saint kings appeared, and finally, even great saints appeared.

“Great Sage, a peerless figure capable of ruling a star field or even several star fields is rare in any era. Even in the Heavenly Court of the Emperor, he would be at the top of the power structure. As the supreme leader of a star field or several star fields, he would be equivalent to a regional governor in an imperial dynasty,” Zhou Qing exclaimed in surprise.

"boom"

Several corpses of Great Sages turned into ghouls and attacked them. Their aura was terrifying, as if they were gods looking down on all the heavens and the myriad realms, launching earth-shattering attacks with a mere wave of their hands.

Zhou Qing immediately retreated; these corpse demons were beyond his ability to fight. Then, the Zhou family patriarch unleashed his full power.

He activated three quasi-emperor weapons and pressed forward directly.

"boom"

The place immediately shone brightly, as if thousands of suns had exploded. There was no stalemate; with just one strike, the several Great Saint Corpse Demons on the other side were instantly shattered, turning into blood mist and broken bones.

Fortunately, there was an unparalleled grand formation set up by the Source Emperor. Neither the attacks from those Great Saint Corpse Demons nor the attacks from the Zhou family patriarch had much impact; not even a void black hole was created.

After the danger was over, Zhou Qing stepped forward and carefully examined the other part of the Great Sage's corpse that had not turned into a ghoul. The more he looked, the more horrified he became.

As he broke through layer after layer of floating corpses, he discovered that these corpses were far from ordinary.

“Some of these corpses may not be communicating with spirits for the first time,” Zhou Qing said to the Zhou family patriarch after observing them, his expression grave.

"Is that really how it is?" The Zhou family patriarch sighed, having already anticipated this answer.

The water in the Immortal Transformation Pool is extraordinary, as if it contains the secrets of the origin of life. If a corpse soaks in it for a long time, it will be difficult not to become spiritually connected.

Once a corpse becomes sentient, it is essentially transformed into another form of life, embarking on the path of proving the Dao through the corpse. It also has a limited lifespan, and when its lifespan ends, it will become a corpse again.

However, who says a corpse can only be summoned by spirits once? Many corpses in the Immortal Transformation Pool are constantly in a cycle of summoning spirits, becoming corpses again, and summoning spirits again.

Zhou Qing discovered this because some of the corpses they had found earlier were dressed in the standard armor of celestial soldiers and generals, yet their cultivation levels were at the level of saints or even saint kings, which was clearly incorrect.

That's why Zhou Qing and the Zhou family patriarch guessed that some of the corpses here might have become sentient many times. Each time they gained sentience, they would cultivate, and although their armor was still the same, their cultivation level would rise again and again.

"Why did none of them leave the Immortal Transformation Pool, but instead remain there, playing a role similar to guardians?" Zhou Qing asked, puzzled.

"To find out the answer, perhaps we need to go to a lower level," said the Zhou family patriarch, his expression turning serious. He was extremely focused on the next level, his vigilance at its highest.

As soon as they passed through the layer containing the Great Sage's corpse, they felt a powerful aura, their bodies almost bursting open. The Zhou family patriarch pushed the three quasi-emperor weapons to their limits, his Daoist voice booming like thunder, his radiance obscuring the sun, and only then were they able to block out all the aura.

"No way? Could there be another layer of quasi-emperor corpses below?" Zhou Qing exclaimed in shock.

This aura was terrifying to the extreme; the Zhou family patriarch used all his power to protect the two of them.

They carefully descended little by little, and finally, they found a place to stand.

"We've reached the bottom."

Zhou Qing looked around. It was pitch black, with only the faint starlight emanating from the Origin Heaven patterns illuminating a small area. Beyond that, he could not see anything.

An incredibly powerful fluctuation permeated the area, affecting his third eye.

Although he could see through hundreds of thousands of miles in the outside world with a single glance, here his divine eye seemed to malfunction, becoming no different from the naked eye of an ordinary person, only able to see some things nearby.

object.

Following the direction from which the aura emanated, the Zhou family patriarch trudged forward with difficulty. The three artifacts he possessed far surpassed those of ordinary quasi-emperor weapons, and could be considered the closest to emperor weapons, yet they still made their journey extremely difficult.

This is related to the fact that the Zhou family patriarch was not a true quasi-emperor and therefore could not unleash the full power of the three artifacts, as well as the strength of the owner of that aura.

As they drew closer, even under the protection of the Zhou family patriarch, Zhou Qing still felt as if needles were pricking his entire body, as a powerful aura pressed in.

Suddenly, the small blue lotus in his hand swayed and emitted wisps of blue light, blocking the powerful aura and making him feel much more relaxed.

Then, a variety of thoughts arose in Zhou Qing's mind as he speculated on Qing Di's current intentions.

Although the Azure Emperor's killing intent had transformed into a small blue lotus, Zhou Qing could not possibly regard it as an ordinary blue lotus. Everything they did, whether it was picking up treasures in the shallow waters of the Immortal Transformation Pool or venturing deep into the pool, was seen by the Azure Emperor's killing intent.