Li Qiye looked at the group and said: “I already told you, the exit is in your heart and thoughts, as long as they’re strong enough.”

“In the heart?” The weaker members of the group didn’t quite understand the meaning of his answer.

“Hmm…” Ill Lord started contemplating since he had a greater comprehension apt.i.tude compared to the rest.

“We need to leave soon since I’m sure people are anxious outside.” Li Qiyer looked at the sky and said.

Having said that, his eyes became serious. With a buzzing noise, he became resplendent.

Though there was no oppressive aura and invincible divinity, he seemed unreachable just by standing there.

He looked like an immovable existence for all of eternity. Even if a billion years were to pa.s.s and the river of time continued to wash over him, he would still be in the same state. Everything else would change and flow; people were acting as fleeting pa.s.sengers in his life.

An everlasting unyieldingness was how the group would describe Li Qiye right now. It wasn’t a feeling of power, just immovability.

It had exceeded the boundaries of power, culminating in the most simple yet hardest thing to obtain - an immovable dao heart. Not even time could take it down.

The group gasped with shock. They were experienced Eternals who could appreciate the importance of the dao heart.

Unfortunately, when they got to their level with this realization, time no longer waited for them. It was too late for them to try and build an immovable dao heart.

They were already at their twilight with no time left, or that they had certain deficiencies that prevented them from polis.h.i.+ng their dao heart.

In this split second, they could sense his tough dao heart that could withstand the test of time. This ability of his wasn’t something a True Emperor or a progenitor can have. 

In this vision of the river of time, numerous existences eventually turned to smoke but Li Qiye remained standing.

They realized that the power level was one thing, but his dao heart propelled him to a new level versus them.

“Buzz.” Ill Lord saw the light in the sky moving with spatial ripples. A door eventually opened in the sky.

“Look! It’s a gate! We can leave from there!” The group celebrated loudly.

Even Ill Lord couldn’t restrain his excitement and had a happy expression: “We can finally leave...” 

“I never thought I could leave this h.e.l.lish place alive…” The lady’s words were full of joy.

“Hahaha! We can see the sun again! I’ll start a funeral for that geezer Lucidity King since we’ve outlived him!” Wild Bull roared.

“It’s actually that easy to open the door?” The scholar was actually reflecting on the ease of this.

They tried everything in the past and still couldn’t come up with anything. They couldn’t even find an exit, let alone open it. Who would have thought that Li Qiye could do so in such a direct manner?

“Come on now, isn’t this too simple?” Wild Bull’s hair was a mess since he kept scratching his head in confusion.

“Simple? You don’t know the difficulty within. This is the hardest gate to open. Okay, for a pre-existing gate, no matter how perfect it is, it will still have flaws. But this entrance to the heart has no openings. In order to open one, the first requirement is maintaining one’s dao heart without wavering. That’s the only way to open this exit.”

“It’s a prison of the heart.” Li Qiye said: “The chains alone couldn’t restrain a being of that level. The only way was to lock the dao heart as well. Otherwise, this prisoner could still escape even though the physical body and true fate were still sealed. As long as the dao heart was around, the person’s dao wouldn’t be destroyed.”

“No wonder why we couldn’t get out of this place. Our dao heart can’t open the gate to this heart prison.” The scholar finally understood the mysteries of this place.

“I see.” Even the simple-minded Wild Bull got the point and understood why they failed despite trying everything possible.

“Let’s go.” Li Qiye chuckled and soared to the sky. The group quickly followed him.

***

A ma.s.s formed outside the prison. Li Qiye’s sudden entry of the prison scared everyone.

Many felt that he was insane since only a madman would jump into the heavenly prison, quite a suicidal endeavor.

In the beginning, people were optimistic about his survival because of his mysterious and unfathomable nature. Perhaps he could concoct a miracle and get out.

However, as the days pa.s.sed by, the prison was still as black as ever with no noise coming out. The crowd became disappointed; it seemed that a miracle wouldn’t be happening.

Despite this general sentiment gaining traction, the supreme ancestors from the three great powers and Sacred Cabinet remained. They camped in Nine-linked Mountains, patiently waiting.

“The king was too reckless.” An older expert stared at the black entrance and mourned: “So many monsters have been thrown in there by Nine Secrets in history, yet no one managed to come back out. I’m sure he’s dead now, wasting his spring. He clearly could have brought a new golden age and glory for our system, but it’s over now.”

“Who will be king then?” Another asked.

No one could come up with an answer right away. Because of his meteoric rise, everyone thought the king would regain his throne. This seemed to be the natural and obvious flow of things. His death changed the entire course.

Earlier, Tang Hexiang and Eight Formation True Emperors were the strongest candidates but they were dead too now. All of the candidates for the throne were done for.

“Maybe Waterwatch Saber Saint? No one can match him in the young generation. Plus, the queen is also from Waterfront Pavilion, so he’s naturally the most suitable candidate for a variety of reasons.”

The crowd glanced at each other and agreed that the saber saint was a great candidate.

Back on Great Desolate Peak, Liu Chuqing has been watching the cave every day. She had full confidence in the beginning but as time pa.s.sed, this confidence also wavered like the rest of the crowd.

“Don’t worry, Your Highness. His Majesty will come back safe and sound.” Hanyu, on the other hand, had no doubts in her mind. She viewed him as a supreme existence after being conquered. There was nothing he couldn’t do.

Even this heavenly prison couldn’t keep him. If he could enter, then he could also get out. A miracle was inevitable. Hanyu continued to keep her cool while consoling Liu Chuqing and waiting for Li Qiye’s return.