Ch. 55 - Demon Emperor Tomb

Several elders from Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven made a move on Pang Bo. One elder’s body released a burst of red light, transforming into a crimson net. Every strand of the net glowed with a bright red luster, as if forged from red agate, and it descended upon Pang Bo.

At this moment, Pang Bo appeared lifeless, his face blank. Only his eyes glowed with eerie green light. He raised both hands as if holding up the sky, trying to tear the red net apart.

Another elder radiated purple light from his body, manifesting a purple-gold Eight Trigram Mirror. With a flip of his hand, he shone it at Pang Bo. Brilliant purple beams flared out, enveloping him and immobilizing him. Purple mist flowed around him like a mystical restraint.

Swoosh!

The crimson net fell without resistance, trapping Pang Bo completely. Elder Wu Qingfeng stepped forward, formed his fingers into a sword, and released a stream of divine light, sealing Pang Bo in place so that he couldn’t move.

Ye Fan had been most worried about Pang Bo. Seeing the elders subdue him with such composure, and even a hint of a smile, he let out a breath of relief. It seemed the situation wasn’t as dire as he had feared.

Thud.

Another deep rumble came from within the volcano’s crater. This time, Ye Fan was ready. He activated the profound techniques from the Dao Scripture, causing the golden light in his Bitter Sea to release strands of divine radiance that flowed into his heart. Instantly, he felt much better, no longer overwhelmed by pain as he had been before.

Observing closely, Ye Fan noticed that all the powerful beasts and birds shuddered involuntarily. Even the dozen or so elders from Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven stiffened. They were all affected.

This surprised Ye Fan. Having eaten sacred fruits and drunk divine springwater, his body had been reborn. Judging by physical resilience alone, not cultivation or realm, he was perhaps no weaker than these veteran elders.

“Thud… Thud… Thud…”

Three more rumbles followed in quick succession. Lava surged from the crater, blasting radiant beams into the sky. Night turned to day under the eruption of light.

At this moment, lava gushed from the volcano. The radiant ancient temple slowly rose to the surface, emitting a powerful aura of life.

On the volcano’s slope, the sect master of Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven and four grand elders radiated divine light and slowly approached. On the other side, several humanoid demon beings also stepped forward. Unafraid of the searing lava, their eyes were fixed on the temple. Only once they reached the edge of the crater did they glance toward the human cultivators.

The muscular man with scaled arms shouted at the sect master, “Humans, you’ve gone too far! The primordial ruins were split in two, you already control Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven, and now you dare intrude on our territory to fight over immortal relics? Are you trying to start a war?”

Not far away, the massive three-meter-tall giant with two bull horns also roared, “If you want war, just try touching that temple and see what happens!”

But the sect master and the four grand elders were undeterred. One stepped forward and said, “This ruin was originally left behind by our human race. Now that a great treasure has reappeared, we naturally came seeking fortune. What’s wrong with that?”

“This ancient ruin is our home! You have no right to seize its treasures!” the armless, winged girl with flowing golden hair shouted coldly. “If you insist on intervening, don’t blame us for being ruthless.”

“This ruin was built by our ancestors. You’re just squatters. How dare you claim it as yours?” the sect master replied calmly, though with a commanding aura.

“My Flood Dragon Race’s ancestors left word: this place is not a human relic. It was the imperial capital during the peak of the demon race. It has nothing to do with you!” declared the horned serpent, whose claws and speech proved it was far more than a beast. Though not in human form, it was as intelligent and powerful as the others, just not skilled in shapeshifting.

“Impossible! All the architecture here is clearly of human design. What does that have to do with demons?” one of the grand elders from Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven retorted.

Tension rose on both sides. Neither would yield. All of this was over the ancient temple submerged in lava.

Thud.

Another deep rumble echoed from within the temple. Even the powerful demon lords and sect elders at such close range looked pained, the force was overwhelming.

Lava continued to boil. The brilliantly glowing ancient temple rose higher, nearing the crater’s rim. Its radiant aura surged, making it feel increasingly alive.

One demon being stepped forward, but the old Flood Dragon stopped him. “We’ve waited days already. What’s a little longer? Let it break the ancient seals on its own. If we interfere, something could go wrong.”

“Demon script, that’s demon script!” shouted the towering, horned giant suddenly. “Look, it’s imperial script from the demon race. This must be the legacy of a Demon Emperor!”

The temple, forged entirely from five-colored god-jade, shimmered like crystal. On its base were ancient carvings, some resembling dragons and phoenixes, others like tortoises or qilin. These were the Imperial Script of the demon race from before the Desolate Era.

“You humans have nothing to say now. Leave! This is the tomb of one of our demon emperors, it has nothing to do with you!”

At that moment, the temple radiated with terrifying power. Five-colored divine light coiled around it like a mist, overwhelming and majestic.

The sect master of Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven turned pale, then stared intently at the temple. As if remembering something, he grew visibly excited. “I know what this is. This is the tomb of the last Demon Emperor of the Eastern Wilderness!”

All the demon lords were shaken. They stared hard at the five-colored temple, eyes filled with uncertainty and shock.

The old Flood Dragon stood tall, extended half his body forward, and spoke gravely. “It’s true. This matches the description passed down from our ancestors. This is the resting place of our last emperor!”

No one had expected it. The temple, built from god-jade, was actually the tomb of the last Demon Emperor, hidden beneath the volcano all this time. Only now, as the seals weakened and the lava rose, had it resurfaced.

“The last emperor who unified the Eastern Wilderness' demon race, it must be him!” the sect master whispered, his expression dazed.

The demon lords straightened with pride. The old Flood Dragon said, “Good. You understand now. This is the sacred tomb of our last emperor. It has nothing to do with you. Leave at once!”

The other demon lords flared with astonishing power. Demon qi surged to the sky, blotting out the stars. The air grew heavy with killing intent.

But the sect master remained calm, even more excited than before. His voice trembled slightly. “Even if this is the tomb of your emperor, it still contains a treasure of the human race. Today, it must be reclaimed.”

“Nonsense! How could our emperor’s tomb contain human relics? You just want to loot it!”

The demon lords were furious. They stepped forward to block the humans, ready to fight at any moment.

But the sect master showed no fear. “What I say is true. Back then, the last Demon Emperor unified the demon race and posed a grave threat to humanity. At that time, one of our greatest treasures disappeared, rumored to have been taken by the Demon Emperor.”

“And the legendary celestial scripture, Dao Scripture, a volume went missing during that era too. Later, evidence surfaced pointing to the Demon Emperor. It's very likely that both the treasure and that missing volume are inside this tomb. Today, they must return to the world!”

The demon lords were stunned. Then, their eyes gleamed with fierce greed. Even though demons couldn’t cultivate human scriptures, they weren’t about to let go of something so powerful. As for the human treasure, if it existed, they wanted it too.

The sect master took a bold step forward, showing no fear as he faced off against the demon lords.

“Thud!”

Another muffled boom echoed. The temple, made of divine five-colored jade, was nearly free of the volcano. Its seals were rapidly fading. Rays of multicolored light shimmered. The tomb of the last Demon Emperor of the Eastern Wasteland was about to reappear fully.

Down below, among the surrounding palaces, the lightning bird and other terrifying beasts, and the dozen elders of Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven, began moving toward the volcano.

In the distance, Ye Fan had witnessed it all. His heart was in turmoil, but he lacked the strength to compete. He could only observe silently.

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