Ch. 277 - Ancient Holy Lands Arrive

The magnificent Beautiful City, once resplendent in its glory, has now become nothing more than rubble buried beneath sand and dust, almost nothing left behind.

At this ancient ruin, countless cultivators appeared. The Leviathan Prince, the God-King Child of the Jiang Clan, the Radiant Light Saint, and Ji Haoyue stood at four corners, their battle intent soaring, gazes overbearing, like four divine beings descending upon the world.

At the edge of the sky, enormous divine ships crossed the heavens, while war chariots thundered forward, shaking the very firmament.

“Grand Ascension Sacred Ground, Primordial Beginning Sacred Ground!” Yao Xi’s beautiful eyes shone with divine light.

From the divine ship and ancient chariot came two pairs of unfathomably sharp eyes, as though they could pierce straight into a person’s bones, so powerful that they made one’s heart tremble. The inheritors of these two sacred grounds were terrifying beyond belief!

Grand Ascension and Primordial Beginning Sacred Grounds carried immense weight in origin. The words “Grand Ascension” and “Primordial Beginning” held extraordinary meaning, for they were both among the oldest sacred grounds of the Eastern Wilderness.

Suddenly, purple qi surged forth from the east, boundless, dignified beyond measure, holy and unassailable, covering the heavens in the east.

Purple qi drifting in, ethereal and vast, had since ancient times been considered an auspicious omen, a sign of peace and harmony.

An immortal palace floated in the sky, carried by purple qi, hazy and misty, surrounded by flourishing splendor, dyeing the heavens in immortal light.

“Disciples of the Purple Mansion Sacred Ground have come!” Daoist Duan De squinted his eyes as he spoke.

They had not come riding war chariots, nor steering divine ships. Instead, they traveled upon a purple immortal palace, soaring through the void, astonishing all who witnessed it.

Purple Mansion, the very name was said to be the dwelling place of immortals. For a sect to dare adopt such a name, its strength was naturally immeasurable.

Without a sound, a Daoist temple manifested in the skies, as though it had always been there, timeless and unmoving, filled with endless Daoist rhythm. Many had not even noticed when it appeared.

It was not magnificent, nor adorned with pearls or jade. Built from ordinary temple stones, plain and simple, yet it gave the impression of the boundless Great Dao.

“The Absolute Dao Sacred Ground has also sent people!” Ji Ziyue’s small mouth opened wide in shock.

The purple immortal palace floated across the heavens, the ancient Daoist temple stood immovably, and disciples from both sacred grounds arrived in numbers. They all wore Daoist robes; many among them were female cultivators, appearing like celestial maidens descending upon the mortal realm.

Yet none of their true inheritors released divine might. They all stood quietly in the air, without expression or action. Clearly, they had no intention of fighting at this moment.

At the ruins of Beautiful City, beyond the Jiang Clan, Ji Clan, Radiant Light, and Jade Pool, other sacred grounds also hurried over. The Nine Secrets had shaken the world, this unclaimed divine technique was enough to unsettle every force.

Savage beasts roared, shaking heaven and earth. In the distance, aside from Wu Zhongtian, Li Heishui, and Jiang Huairen, more youths arrived, joining them. The descendants of the Thirteen Warlords of the Northern Region had all gathered.

Boom!

A ferocious ancient ship, a thousand meter long, sailed forth like a primordial beast, its dragon head raised high, splitting the winds and waves. The demon race had dispatched its strong ones.

Following behind the thousand-meter ship were dozens of warships, surrounding it in escort. Yan Ruyu stood upon the grand ship, gazing across the scene, with three young demon elites standing side by side with her.

The Nine Secrets had shaken the world. More and more people arrived. Not only the sacred grounds, but every major force sent people forth. None would miss such a chance, for the Nine Secrets, unowned, would belong to whoever seized them.

Daoist Duan De smiled as he said: “Future God-King King of the Ji Clan, weren’t you itching for a great battle? Now that so many sacred grounds have appeared, even though you’re a God-King Physique, you can perhaps fight one or two, but with so many gathered here, you’re surely no match. Besides, among them are some who might not be weaker than you.”

“Fat Daoist, you’re awful! Don’t provoke my brother!” Ji Ziyue bared her small tiger-like teeth at him.

“The Nine Secrets haven’t emerged yet. Likely no one will act for now.” Ji Haoyue’s expression remained calm. His battle intent withdrew, his godpower became tranquil like water.

As a God-King Physique, he clearly sensed the immense killing intent and true threats in the air. Once the Nine Secrets emerged, it would certainly mark the start of a great battle, and perhaps herald the rise of the next Grand Emperor!

In that moment, everyone withdrew their killing aura, and the area fell into a strange calm.

“The Eastern Wilderness truly faces a flourishing era, so many prodigies emerging together. If they all survive, the future will bloom with countless flowers, reaching an unparalleled peak.” Daoist Duan De sighed.

“Not everyone shares Daoist’s optimism.” Yao Xi smiled, her beauty radiant like a spring breeze, and said: “Heaven-sent prodigies, one or two are enough. But if five or six emerge at once, it may be more disaster than fortune. The future clashes will be unimaginably tragic.”

She seemed detached, not wishing to involve herself. Yet Ye Fan knew: Yao Xi was by no means simple. When the time came, her strength would be terrifying. Her spirit will was unmatched, a deadly trump card hidden from all.

Daoist Duan De cursed, “These bastards are too sly. They deliberately released killing intent just now to suppress everyone, but now secretly send people to snatch the last nine burial grounds.”

He had mapped out fifty-four burial sites around the ruins of Beautiful City. By now, forty-five had already been unearthed, leaving only nine.

“Go! We must act quickly, or others will beat us to it.”

Ye Fan felt everything else was secondary, life or death battles didn’t matter. The true priority was finding the Nine Secrets.

Of the final nine burial sites, most were already taken. Ye Fan and his group rushed forward, securing one without triggering battle, thanks to Ji Haoyue’s presence.

As one of only two God-King Physiques in the Eastern Wilderness, few dared challenge him. Even those who could rival him did not wish to gamble their lives now, mutually avoiding direct confrontation.

Other sects and factions retreated at once upon seeing him, proof of the terrifying weight the God-King Physique carried.

“Daoist, do you think this site is promising?” Yao Xi asked.

Duan De looked serene: “This poor Daoist has studied tombs deeply, I have some insights. Of the nine remaining sites, this one most likely holds the Nine Secrets.”

“On what basis?” Ye Fan asked.

“Look, this burial ground has much meaning.” Duan De pointed toward the vast necropolis.

The land rose step by step like a staircase to the heavens, with a river like a silver dragon surging past in the distance. Gazing upon it, one felt uplifted.

“The terrain rises heavenward, with a silver dragon coiling through. In the art of yin dwellings, this is a renowned Silver-Dragon Coiling-Heaven Treasure Ground.”

They all looked carefully and saw indeed what he described, the landscape truly seemed like a silver dragon ascending.

“A place like this wouldn’t house an ordinary burial. Whoever rests here must have had immense status. In Ancient Beautiful City, the family who held the Nine Secrets was the most exalted. Therefore, I believe this site is worth digging.”

“To reason out tombs like this… Daoist, you clearly have plenty of experience grave-robbing.” Ji Ziyue bit her small tiger teeth at him.

Boom!

The ground rumbled as they forced a passage downward, piercing deep into the earth.

But after digging a hundred meters down, they found nothing, only rock and dead soil, with no trace of a tomb.

“Daoist, you misjudged. There’s no tomb here, just empty ground.” They were all disappointed.

“No, something must be here. After tens of thousands of years, such a treasure ground could not have gone unused.” Duan De insisted.

After digging another three hundred meters, a loud boom resounded. The earth gave way to hollow space. They had reached an ancient mausoleum of immense scale. A rush of yin energy poured forth.

“Quickly!”

They all shot back to the surface. Yin energy sealed for thousands of years was dangerous enough, but after ten thousand years it could dissolve even a cultivator’s life.

“Well? What did I say? Everything is within my calculations!” Duan De’s face shone with pride.

By then, dusk had fallen. The last rays of sunlight were fading. A few old crows perched on dead trees cawed without fear of humans.

“Daoist, can we enter now?” Yao Xi asked.

“Wait. Once the sun fully sets, then we enter.” Duan De replied calmly.

“Why?” Ji Ziyue was puzzled.

“I fear something lies within. Let it come out first.” He appeared utterly composed, seasoned by experience.

“Seems Daoist has entered quite a few tombs before…” They were all speechless.

Boom!

From beneath, a sound like thousands of troops galloping erupted, deafening like a tidal wave.

“…This is bad. This tomb is not ordinary, something terrifying and ferocious is inside. Likely many, perhaps even existences we cannot contend with.” Duan De’s expression darkened.

The commotion alarmed everyone. Cultivators rushed over from all directions.

Even Ji Haoyue, the God-King Physique, could not suppress the scene, for the Leviathan Prince, Radiant Light Saint, and others also appeared. Soon the heirs of Grand Ascension, Primordial Beginning, Absolute Dao, Jiang Clan, Purple Mansion, and all major sacred grounds came forth, followed by leaders of the demon race.

The heirs of countless sects and the descendants of the Thirteen Warlords surged in, sealing the place shut.

Boom!

As the sun fully set and night fell, strange sounds beyond description echoed from deep below. Then, a boundless tide of yin energy surged skyward, shrouding the heavens in black clouds.

Rumble!

The ground shook violently. Within moments, armies burst forth, troops riding savage beasts, wielding spears and halberds, clad in ancient iron armor that gleamed coldly.

“Powerful Yin Soldiers and Yin Beasts, why are there so many?!” Cries of shock erupted.

In mere moments, thousands of Yin Riders had poured out, their killing aura soaring, yin energy thick enough to smother the world. And still, more soldiers kept rushing out.

“The numbers are overwhelming! These Yin Soldiers are all formidable, how can we fight them?!” Everyone’s faces changed.

“How vast must this underground necropolis be? To house such countless Yin Riders, what could possibly be commanding them?!”

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