A wave of ecstatic shouts erupted as the Bronze Ancient Palace finally opened! Then, a chillingly calm female voice echoed, cutting through the fervor. “The entrance will remain accessible for half a day. The opportunities within the Bronze Ancient Palace, however, will persist for half a year!”
The announcement spurred a frenzy. Countless cultivators, like a shower of shooting stars, plunged into the ancient structure. A blinding, searing light exploded from within, swallowing them whole as if the very palace were a hungry abyss.
Lu Xuan glanced at Ji Fuyao and the other two. “Alright, let’s go,” he said casually. The rest of the Grand Dao Sect contingent also ascended, following their lead.
A chorus of “Chii! Chii! Chii!” ripped through the air as myriad streams of light surged before Lu Xuan. A bizarre, twisting force of rules manifested, instantly tearing Lu Xuan and his disciples apart. Within the newly formed spatial fissures, terrifying gales, sharp as razor blades, began to flay their skin. Lu Xuan glanced down, noting faint red lines appearing on his own. With a mere thought, the profound power of his Nine-star Emperor-tier Medical Attainment flowed through him, instantly mending the cuts as if they had never been.
A profound “Om!” resonated through Lu Xuan’s Sea of Consciousness, a sharp, piercing pain momentarily flaring. Before his inner eye, a thousand colossal suns seemed to ignite, their blinding light coalescing into countless, resplendent Dao Patterns that pulsed like ethereal lanterns. This was clearly power far beyond the Emperor Realm. The next instant, with a soft “thud,” Lu Xuan found himself on solid ground. Only Chen Changsheng remained by his side; the others from the Grand Dao Sect were nowhere to be seen.
Before them lay a desolate, untamed wilderness. It stretched endlessly, a landscape of bizarre hues and jagged, alien rock formations, truly a wasteland. The sky arched impossibly high, and in the distance, mountains were rent asunder, their peaks scarred, while colossal, ancient bone remains littered the ground. Lu Xuan gazed upwards, observing the sun, moon, and stars in the void, which rotated in an eternal dance, a manifestation of the fundamental principles of Heaven and Earth.
After a moment of careful observation, Chen Changsheng murmured, “These are likely Supreme-tier Dao Patterns, Master.”
Lu Xuan nodded. “Let’s make our way to the regions beyond the Emperor Realm. If any opportunities present themselves along the way, we’ll simply pick them up.” Chen Changsheng assented. A gentle divine radiance emanated from beneath their feet, and they ascended into the air, soaring towards the distant horizon.
A day later, Lu Xuan and Chen Changsheng arrived at a Demon Tomb. The demonic power here was immense, a surging, ancient aura utterly distinct from the demons of the Southern Wilds. The colossal Demon Tomb itself resembled a fallen mountain, its surface scarred by countless millennia. Numerous cracks now marred its exterior, through which streams of Dao Rhyme continuously flowed, making the entire structure gleam like a fallen moon resting upon the earth.
Chen Changsheng’s expression grew serious. He produced a black, ancient-looking disk, its surface etched with forgotten symbols. “Master,” he began, “there’s an aura of an Outer World Great Demon lingering here, undying and indestructible. This place must contain supreme treasures.”
Lu Xuan, without a word, activated his Insight Eye. Instantly, his pupils blazed like twin stars, effortlessly piercing the depths of the Demon Tomb. All Sealing Restrictions, no matter how ancient or potent, were rendered utterly meaningless. He saw a grand palace nestled within the tomb, its halls filled with countless bone remains. Deep inside, numerous Emperor-tier supreme treasures pulsed with divine radiance, their light a dazzling inferno.
Lu Xuan murmured, a faint smile playing on his lips, “Ah, just some rather unremarkable Emperor-tier resources.”
Chen Changsheng could only stare, speechless.
Lu Xuan chuckled, then, with a casual flick of his wrist, produced a comfortable lounge chair and settled into it. “I’ll point the way,” he said, “you can send your Wooden Puppet Clones in.” Chen Changsheng swept his sleeve, and several Wooden Puppet Clones shot forth, morphing into a group of grey-robed elders who then strode purposefully towards the Demon Tomb.
With Lu Xuan’s effortless guidance, the Wooden Puppet Clones moved as if on solid ground, bypassing every Sealing Restriction with uncanny precision. They reached the palace without a single hitch, and the numerous puppets immediately began to thoroughly plunder the supreme treasures within.
Chen Changsheng watched, visibly stunned. “Master,” he exclaimed, “in just a few breaths, you’ve completely unraveled all the restrictions of this Demon Tomb?”
Lu Xuan merely shrugged. “The Bronze Ancient Palace,” he stated nonchalantly, “holds no secrets for me.”
A silent, monumental wave crashed within Chen Changsheng’s heart.
An hour later, Chen Changsheng’s Wooden Puppet Clones returned. “Master,” he reported, “the haul this time was quite substantial.” They had retrieved two Nine-star Emperor Weapons, over a dozen High-star Great Emperor artifacts, a Supreme Spirit Crystal Mine, and even a stalk of Ancient Great Medicine! There were also Emperor-tier cultivation techniques and talismans, though many of the elixirs and spiritual herbs had unfortunately perished over time. Lu Xuan didn’t take a single item. “Lao San,” he said, “you keep it all. This Ancient Great Medicine, though withered, still holds immense vitality. It will be of great use to you.”
Chen Changsheng, intrigued, asked, “Master, don’t you have any use for it?”
Lu Xuan replied with a dismissive wave, “I’m still quite young, Changsheng. I hardly need Ancient Great Medicine to prolong my life.”
Chen Changsheng accepted the numerous Storage Rings, his eyes glinting with a shrewd light. “Master,” he proposed, “I believe there’s no need for us to rush to the realms beyond the Emperor Realm. With our combined efforts, we could practically clear this entire place out!”
Lu Xuan merely nodded. “That works too,” he agreed.
Just then, the void above them churned with rolling demonic qi, and terrifying auras of the Nine-star Emperor Realm surged forth. Drawn by the potent energies of the Demon Tomb, a Pig-headed Great Demon, flanked by several High-star Great Emperors, materialized from the sky. Boom! The formidable demons hovered in the air, their gazes fixed, condescendingly, upon Lu Xuan and Chen Changsheng.
A Great Emperor from the Giant Lizard Race frowned in confusion. “Lu Xuan? Chen Changsheng? What in the world are these two doing in the Emperor Realm area?” A chorus of mocking laughter erupted from the demonic contingent. “They’re practically begging for death!” The Pig-headed Great Demon sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. “Scum from Azure Mystery Peak, prepare to die!” He moved to stomp down, but the Giant Lizard Great Emperor quickly intervened. “Lord Demon General,” he urged, “Lu Xuan and Chen Changsheng are far more valuable alive. We can use them as leverage against the White Robe Great Emperor!” At this, the Pig-headed Great Demon waved a dismissive hand. “Then capture them!” The Giant Lizard Great Emperor extended a colossal hand, reaching out to seize Lu Xuan and Chen Changsheng.
Lu Xuan, looking utterly unbothered, turned to Chen Changsheng. “Lao San,” he said, a faint smile playing on his lips, “bring out the pot. Looks like dinner’s arrived.” Chen Changsheng, without missing a beat, produced the Dao Profound Iron Pot and began to light a fire.
The sight utterly dumbfounded the demon Great Emperors. What did this mean? Were they implying… they were to be eaten? A chilling thought struck the Pig-headed Great Demon. He frantically scanned their surroundings, his voice laced with a tremor of fear. “Is the White Robe Great Emperor here?”
As the Giant Lizard Great Emperor’s colossal hand reached out, a sudden shriek of agony echoed. Above them, brilliant Dao Patterns erupted, instantly sealing off the entire area! Boom! From the earth, heaven-reaching array patterns surged upwards like a celestial river, ensnaring the Pig-headed Great Demon and his companions within a formidable array. Witnessing this, Lu Xuan merely retrieved another lounge chair from his Storage Ring and settled back, completely at ease. “Truly,” he mused, “this place is no different from Azure Mystery Peak.” He simply waited for dinner.
Boom! An incomparably brilliant Heaven and Earth Momentum surged, a heaven-reaching power, vast as an abyss and deep as the sea, descended to suppress the demon Great Emperors. This was the Nine Dragons Sealing Heaven Array! Chen Changsheng had secretly deployed this Heaven-Reaching Array across a ten-li radius the moment he first entered the Demon Tomb to retrieve treasures. Now, wisps of insidious mist began to seep into the formation, and even the formidable Nine-star Emperor Realm experts found their strength rapidly waning. The demon Great Emperors unleashed frantic attacks, terrifying spiritual energy crashing against the array like an ocean overturning. But it was useless! Utterly useless! Their power was visibly diminishing. This time, Chen Changsheng had deployed an exceptionally potent dose of poison powder. In less than half an incense stick’s time, the demon Great Emperors collapsed, their combat power completely spent, and Chen Changsheng swiftly annihilated them.
As Chen Changsheng began to prepare the meal, he muttered, almost ritually, “Heavenly Dao Lord, dust to dust, ashes to ashes. These demon races harbored killing intent towards Master and me. It was not my hand that struck them down, but the inexorable Power of Karma that severed their threads! Now their souls return to the Southern Wilds, and their cultivation returns to Heaven and Earth. Let all causality be resolved!”
Watching Chen Changsheng’s solemn, almost theatrical pronouncements, Lu Xuan was utterly bewildered. What in the world? Since when was this part of the process?