Shrouded Sky

The unscrupulous Daoist sighed repeatedly. "Damn it… We can't get back into that Yin Tomb again." He was still obsessing over the green bronze, and now that the opportunity had suddenly slipped away, he was filled with regret and frustration.

The slaughter domain inside the cold black water pool had been triggered, but standing outside it was still safe.

Just then, five blinding rays of light shot in from afar, five powerful figures had been alerted and arrived at the mountain ridge. They hovered in the air like gods, emanating overwhelming pressure.

Ye Fan tried to observe them but found himself unable to see through the divine brilliance, they were just five radiant masses of divine light, nothing more discernible.

"The Demon Emperor's Yin Tomb!" one of them gasped. His gaze was sharp, instantly seeing through what lay beneath the cold pool.

"A volcanic tomb above as the yang grave, a cold nether pool below as the yin tomb, one yin and one yang, embracing harmony, stealing from heaven and earth's creations. This could generate endless transformations," another great figure sighed. "The Demon Emperor truly was remarkable. Without this accidental discovery, we never would've found it. He actually created both a yin and yang tomb."

"This is a big problem now. The Yin Tomb has entered its deathtrap phase, it's going to be nearly impossible to enter."

"The Eastern Wilderness's greatest treasure is nowhere to be seen… The Desolate Tower is most likely inside this Yin Tomb!"

The powerful figures were clearly disturbed but couldn't immediately think of a solution. None dared to enter the Demon Emperor's tomb recklessly.

"There's still a chance. Even the most perfect arrangements can degrade after ten thousand years. There must be some flaw. We can carefully sneak in, investigate, and then decide what to do next."

"Agreed!"

At that moment, all five masses of god light descended. One of them enveloped the unscrupulous Daoist.

"I heard someone say earlier that even if he met a disciple from a Sacred Ground, he'd still dare to slap him to death. That must be you. Since you triggered this place, why don't you come down with us?"

The Daoist's face turned green instantly. "Seniors, I was just spouting nonsense! Please don't take it seriously. The Yin Tomb has activated its slaughter domain. With my cultivation, if I go down, I won't survive!"

"Impressive, knowing both about the Yang Grave and Yin Tomb. Clearly, you're not ordinary. Come with us!"

"No! Please, seniors, have mercy…" the Daoist wailed.

"Whoosh!"

With a flash of five beams of light, the five great figures dragged the green-faced Daoist down into the blood-colored cold pool. His pig-like screeches were abruptly cut off.

As they entered, the pool roiled violently, sending up a flood of blood-red light. The demon generals had already disappeared into its depths.

"Serves you right, you bastard. Hope you survive this…" Ye Fan stood up, dusted himself off, and walked away. There was no way he could stay here any longer.

"Rumble…"

Crimson light flashed across the ruins. The whole ancient land was bathed in eerie blood glow, becoming even more mysterious and terrifying.

Everyone felt a sense of dread. Something massive was clearly unfolding beneath the blood-colored cold pool.

Ye Fan left the mountain ridge, staying far away.

At the moment, all the surrounding mountains were carved with Dao Runes, sealing off the ancient land. Ye Fan couldn't escape and could only wander through the mountains, waiting for a chance to leave. He had obtained a golden page of the dao scripture and, unexpectedly, a piece of mysterious green bronze, an incredible haul that would drive any cultivator mad. Escaping now was the wisest move.

"Hopefully the restriction will break soon…"

Ye Fan knew his cultivation was too low to compete with the others for god weapons. Understanding his situation, he deliberately chose desolate paths.

Opening a jade box, a fragrant scent hit his nose. The Jade Serpent Orchid was richly aromatic. In this moment, Ye Fan considered, should he use this chance to search for more spiritual herbs? Now that he had a golden page of the Oceanic Wheel Chapter, which would guide his cultivation, if he could gather enough herbs, he could make rapid progress.

Ye Fan moved quickly, heading deep into the mountains. Since the Demon Emperor's tomb had appeared, most spirit beasts had fled, only a few remained in hiding. That made herb gathering far easier than usual.

He remembered a marsh he'd passed earlier, where a powerful beast seemed to be guarding something. At the time, he'd kept his distance. Now, he decided to check it out.

Returning to the area, he soon found the marsh. He sensed a strong killing aura and noticed many large scales scattered about, each the size of a palm.

"Looks like a big one used to be here… Good thing it's gone."

Ye Fan searched carefully for a long time but found nothing. At last, where the most scales had fallen, he noticed something unusual, a seemingly ordinary plant untouched by the beast, as if it had been deliberately avoided.

Suspicious, he crouched and dug into the soil. Even after digging over a meter deep, he found nothing.

Just as he was about to give up, a glint of gold caught his eye. At the very bottom of the plant's main root, there was a golden tuber about the size of a longan fruit, glowing brilliantly.

"This is…"

Ye Fan was stunned. He remembered something he'd read in the Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven's alchemy textbooks, it was said that when ancient tree spirits failed their tribulations, they didn't always die completely. Sometimes, they left a trace of life essence behind, attaching it to other plants' roots in hopes of rebirth.

"Could this be essence left behind by a tree spirit?" Ye Fan beamed, placing the golden tuber into a jade box.

He moved on and soon reached a rocky hill. At its base was a massive black cave emitting a faint, fragrant aroma.

Overjoyed, Ye Fan rushed inside.

Suddenly, a low growl echoed from within, accompanied by waves of dreadful killing intent.

Ye Fan froze, then bolted away like lightning.

From the cave emerged a giant beast, half its body sticking out as it growled. It looked like a wolf but was hairless, covered in sharp black venomous spikes, terrifying to behold.

The beast was seven or eight meters long, exuding a powerful, bloody aura. As it roared, its body flickered with black light like flames.

From a safe distance, Ye Fan realized this beast was far beyond him, much stronger than the Jade-Horned Serpent. Its presence was overwhelming.

"All the other beasts ran, but this one stayed behind. Definitely no ordinary monster."

Ultimately, Ye Fan gained nothing from this location and went elsewhere. After two hours, he collected three more types of herbs, but none as rare as the golden tuber.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, from the cold pool, blood light soared into the sky. Several figures clashed in midair.

A monstrous creature had appeared, jet-black and vaguely lion-like, but clearly something else. It resembled the legendary Qiongqi, fighting evenly against one of the great figures.

"Unbelievable. That was the Demon Emperor's mount, its corpse frozen all this time, now revived as a spirit corpse, guarding the tomb!" Several great figures encircled the beast, trying to kill it.

"A descendant of the Qiongqi! No wonder… Even though it only followed the Demon Emperor briefly, it has evolved to such an astonishing level."

The black Qiongqi charged wildly. It showed no signs of defeat and nearly returned to the cold pool several times.

"Rumble…"

The pool boiled again as more demon general corpses surged forth, controlled by the Qiongqi and sent to attack the sky.

"Even if we destroy this Qiongqi corpse, we still can't break the Demon Emperor's Dao Runes. We won't be able to truly enter the Yin Tomb…"

Far off, Ye Fan was stunned. There was clearly something deeply strange beneath the Yin Tomb, so many monsters had emerged already.

"Clang clang clang!"

Suddenly, metallic sounds rang from all directions. At first, it was like the clashing of swords, then like waves crashing in a storm. The entire area rumbled as divine light exploded in all directions, flooding the land.

The Dao Runes laid by the five great figures were forcibly broken!

Everyone was shocked. Clearly, more top-tier experts had arrived, and not just one. They shattered the formations and destabilized this incomplete heavenly terrain.

Then, divine rainbows streaked in as countless cultivators poured into the ruins, instantly several times more than before. The hidden experts who had intervened did not show themselves, but it was clear they had entered the ruins too.

Centered around the cold pool, the ancient ruins filled with blood mist and a growing air of menace. More and more monsters surged out, while cultivators continued to gather. No one left. More sects were still arriving.

With the restrictions now broken, Ye Fan rejoiced. He could finally leave!

His golden Bitter Sea now held the green bronze, an immense blessing, but also an immense curse. If anyone discovered it, he could fall from heaven to hell in an instant. He decided to leave immediately.

"Let them fight. Let the heavens shatter and ghosts wail, it's none of my business."

Ye Fan fled quickly. As he neared the edge of the ruins, he turned back and muttered, "I'll walk my own path. Let them chase after treasures."

If the unscrupulous Daoist knew the truth and heard that comment, he'd probably cough blood on the spot and flay Ye Fan alive.

Of course, if any cultivators learned the truth, their reactions might be even worse.