Ch. 57 - A Page From The Scripture

Among all the powerful figures present, the fastest by far was the golden-haired demon. With a flap of her wings, she shot through the air like two streaks of golden lightning, becoming the first to arrive at the ancient temple. She spread her wings and pushed against the tightly shut five-colored jade doors.

Chi!

Unexpectedly, a burst of five-colored god-light erupted from the doors, blasting her away. Despite her power as a greater demon, she tumbled back five or six times in the air. The other cultivators gasped, becoming more cautious. They all summoned their weapons and charged forward, trying to open the Demon Emperor's tomb.

The entire temple was refined from five-colored god-jade, as though it had torn through time from the ancient past. It emanated a sense of age and history. Crystalline and radiant, the ancient temple was engraved at its base with ancient characters, dragon-shaped letters were bold and forceful, phoenix-shaped ones elegant and sweeping, turtle-shaped ones steady, and qilin-like ones grand. These imperial demon glyphs from before the Desolate Era were majestic and powerful.

These characters contained mysterious power. Every time someone tried to force the temple open, they were blasted back by the divine light flowing from the glyphs. No one could even get close, let alone push open the doors.

Boom!

Several demon lords and powerful human cultivators launched a coordinated attack, purple bronze cauldron, golden sword, Eight Trigram mirror, draconic-scale blade, all struck the temple doors at once. Finally, with a thunderous rumble, a small crack opened.

Immediately, an ancient aura surged outward. A massive life force burst forth like a raging sea, blasting everyone outside away in an instant.

Thud.

That deep, heavy heartbeat-like sound rang out again, stronger than ever. Everyone's expression changed as pain throbbed in their chests. But no one backed down. Once they stabilized themselves, they charged toward the temple.

Chi chi chi!

Divine light sparkled as countless weapons clashed, emitting sharp metallic sounds. Human cultivators and demon lords fought shoulder to shoulder before the radiant five-colored temple. Another battle erupted. No one wanted to let the other side enter first. Everyone wanted to be the first to step inside.

Before the grand temple, dazzling lights filled the air. Baleful energy surged into the heavens. Both sides were going all out. This was a battle of life and death, no one held back. The Demon Emperor’s tomb was simply too important.

The brilliant lights shook the sky. Weapons radiated divine brilliance, clashing violently. Killing intent filled the heavens as divine power churned. The area in front of the temple was almost boiling with energy.

The battle was fierce. Within less than fifteen minutes, one of Lingxu Cave Heaven’s Grand Elders began to falter. Eventually, he was pierced through the chest by a demon lord. Half of his shattered heart was torn out on the spot. Blood sprayed into the air and soaked the demon lord, making him look utterly savage.

The sect master of Lingxu Cave Heaven remained calm and cold. Forming seals with his hands, he traced strange runes in the sky, activating his purple bronze cauldron. Endless purple mist erupted, swallowing two demon lords instantly.

“Boom!”

Purple godfire blazed high into the sky. Gut-wrenching screams echoed from within the cauldron as the two demon lords were refined alive, reduced to nothing more than wisps of smoke.

Far away, Ye Fan watched in horror. Such brutal combat was terrifying. As someone from the modern world, he found it hard to accept. He began to question whether being a cultivator was even worth it.

At that moment, a brutal battle also erupted at the volcano between the lightning bird, other ferocious beasts, and the elders of Lingxu Cave Heaven. A hideous beast with a huge mouth, long fangs, and coarse fur tore an elder in half. Blood sprayed everywhere. The corpse fell to the ground in pieces, gruesome beyond belief.

Nearby, a Lingxu elder summoned a Demon-Slaying Blade and cleaved a ferocious bird in two. The blade radiated cold light for dozens of meters. Blood flowed freely. It hovered in the air, glowing ominously.

Among the dozen or so terrifying beasts, the lightning bird was the most fearsome. With incredible speed, it soared skyward and used its golden claws to rip apart a divine war-drum summoned by an elder. As it dived, it summoned hundreds of bolts of lightning. Thunder roared, and dazzling lightning fell like blades, each dozens of meters long.

Crack!

The elder tried to flee on a divine rainbow, but he couldn’t outpace the lightning. He was struck all over and charred black. After a few twitches, he fell into the volcano and was devoured by the molten lava.

The battle was a bloody slaughter. Humans and demons alike suffered heavy casualties, each fighting for the chance to enter the Demon Emperor’s tomb first.

“So this is the life of a cultivator…” Ye Fan murmured, deeply unsettled. This wasn’t the free, soaring life he had imagined.

“Maybe… different cultivators walk different paths.” His eyes cleared. With a firm voice, he said, “Since I chose this road, I’ll walk it step by step. I won’t let my fate be controlled by others. I must grow stronger…”

Suddenly, a soft noise interrupted his thoughts. Pang Bo, lying on the ground, was surrounded by a misty green aura. Faint greenish light began to glow from his skin.

Chi chi chi!

Beams of light flowed out from his body, residual sealing power left by Elder Wu Qingfeng. But now the seals were breaking, the power dissipating!

At the same time, a ghostly green light erupted in Pang Bo’s Bitter Sea. His body shuddered. With a shua sound, his eyes snapped open, shooting out two beams of eerie green light.

Simultaneously, strange symbols appeared on his forehead and face, some mere lines, others resembling ancient text.

These symbols were shaped like dragons, phoenixes, black tortoises, and coiling serpents.

Ye Fan was alarmed. Though he couldn’t read them, he remembered hearing the teaching elder describe something like this. These were unmistakably demon script.

Pang Bo stood up stiffly and silently, staring coldly at Ye Fan. He raised his hand to strike, but it trembled, as if resisting.

“Pang Bo!” Ye Fan shouted. He could sense that Pang Bo’s consciousness hadn’t been completely suppressed. He was fighting for control of his body.

At Ye Fan’s call, Pang Bo’s body shook. The markings on his face and forehead dimmed slightly. But then came a low growl. Pang Bo’s body trembled again, and the green light flared even brighter. The demon markings intensified and glowed as his body settled again.

Now, he no longer looked at Ye Fan. Instead, he turned toward the volcano, his voice raspy as he muttered: “Letting you seal me was intentional…”

Ye Fan’s heart skipped. Whatever had possessed Pang Bo was terrifying.

Meanwhile, the battle at the ancient temple intensified. The doors had been forced open. The sect master and two demon lords already had one foot inside.

At that moment, Pang Bo looked back at Ye Fan, then suddenly rose into the air as a streak of green light, shooting toward the temple atop the volcano.

The ongoing battle around the temple didn’t stop. When Pang Bo appeared, the Lingxu elders were startled, and the demon lords showed uncertain expressions upon seeing the demon markings on his face.

But no one could spare attention for him. The sect master and two demon lords had already entered the temple, and Pang Bo followed close behind, leaving only a green afterimage.

The remaining elders and demon lords also rushed into the temple, one after another. Below, the lightning bird and other powerful beasts, along with the remaining Lingxu elders, all soared toward the temple as well.

Thud!

A loud, deep noise erupted from within the temple, far stronger than before.

Pfft!

Two Lingxu elders were immediately sent flying, coughing up blood. A silver centipede as thick as an arm cracked apart, its silvery body breaking into pieces and falling from the temple.

Another beast, shaped like a bull with a lion’s head and covered in blue scales, leapt into the air like a small mountain. But as it approached the temple, it was shaken so violently that it spewed blood and coughed up its shattered heart.

Thud, thud, thud…

The muffled heartbeats continued. The first wave of powerful beasts and elders staggered back from the temple, bleeding from every orifice and seriously injured. Some weaker cultivators and beasts died outright, chests split open, blood spurting everywhere, they never made it out.

Ye Fan, from afar, was deeply shaken. What kind of terrifying power lies within the Demon Emperor’s tomb? Even from this distance, the growing pressure was overwhelming. The deep sounds were becoming almost unbearable.

The magnificent temple quaked. The fighting inside intensified. Demon lords shouted commands, and the sect master and elders of Lingxu roared defiantly.

Boom!

A flash of green light, the figure of Pang Bo was thrown from the temple’s entrance, seemingly blasted out. His face was pale with fury. He picked up several corpses and hurled them down the mountain, all the way to Ye Fan’s hill.

Ye Fan’s heart stirred. He had noticed that the green-tinted Pang Bo had glanced his way before storming back into the temple.

Ye Fan flipped the bodies over and inspected them carefully. On one beast’s corpse, he noticed something strange, a few faint specks of golden light shimmering near a wound, barely visible.

“What is this…” Ye Fan reached into the wound and felt something. Using two fingers, he pulled it out.

Suddenly, blinding brilliance burst forth. Ye Fan could barely keep his eyes open.

It was a golden sheet of paper, glowing with divine radiance, brilliant and overwhelming.

The golden paper was heavier than metal, densely inscribed with countless ancient characters. Each tiny letter gleamed like a star, emitting its own dazzling light.

Ye Fan’s heart pounded violently. His mouth went dry. The radiant power from the golden scripture made him squint from the intensity.

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