Chapter 166: Chapter 166: The Tomb Master’s Identity
In the depths of the Underground Palace, everyone endured a bloody battle to come here.
Ahead, a Stone Gate stood tightly shut, blocking their path forward.
"This should be where the main burial chamber is located, the Emperor’s Bone is most likely buried within." Someone spoke up.
Looking around, one could see this Stone Gate was extremely large and in a tightly closed state, opening it didn’t seem as simple as imagined.
However, everyone was not in a hurry to open the door, intending to make adjustments before attempting again.
After all, no one knew what unknown dangers existed behind this Stone Gate.
"The marks on this door... why do they feel familiar to me?" An elder of the Human Race came to the door, observing it with keen eyes.
In the middle of the Stone Gate, one could see special symbolic engravings, emitting an inexplicable aura, causing unease.
"This is... the mark of the Heaven-Reaching Sect?!"
Many seasoned experts approached, scrutinizing closely.
A moment later, the Supreme Elder from the Dao Inference Sacred Land exclaimed with a change in expression.
"What?!"
"Heaven-Reaching Sect!"
Upon hearing this, many present also changed their expressions dramatically.
"What is the Heaven-Reaching Sect?" But many were unfamiliar with these three words, raising questions.
An elder explained, "This was a Sacred Land from tens of thousands of years ago, once immensely prosperous. At that time, the Heaven-Reaching Sect Master was a dominant force, battling throughout his life, slaying countless great foes, and eventually proving himself as the Emperor..."
"But later, unexpected events occurred. It’s said that after this Sect Master became Emperor, for some unknown reason, his temperament abruptly changed, indiscriminately killing innocents, massacring millions across the world. Even the Heaven-Reaching Sect he built up was destroyed by his own hands, with tens of thousands of disciples slaughtered overnight."
"He was a true great devil, feared throughout antiquity, known as the Heaven-Reaching Demon Emperor!"
Even though tens of thousands of years have passed, many factions in the world still have records of certain events from that time.
Throughout history, whenever the name of the Heaven-Reaching Demon Emperor is mentioned, everyone changes color in fear.
"Could the legends be true?"
"It’s said back then, the Demon Emperor massacred the world, with millions falling like ants, whether Human Race or Ancient Race, countless died."
"Later, three Great Saints of the same era took action, battling fiercely against the Heaven-Reaching Demon Emperor beneath the stars."
"That battle lasted seven days and nights, it’s said that the Celestial Martial Four Domains—Eastern Desolation, Southern Region, West Desert, Beiyou—were initially one whole piece of land, and after that battle, they were shattered into four parts, forming the present scenario."
Celestial Martial is the name of this entire land, now split into four domains.
Such a vast territory, shattered into this state, one can only imagine how intense that battle was back then.
"Could this be the final site of that great battle?" Someone exclaimed, thinking of the Emperor’s Blood seen earlier, and the three Great Saint-level Corpse Puppets appearing in the Valley.
No one knows the true outcome of that battle back then.
Because after that, the Heaven-Reaching Demon Emperor and the three Great Saints were never seen again in the eyes of the world.
Many say that in the end, the three Great Saints fought to the point of exhaustion, eventually killing the Demon Emperor, causing him to vanish from the world.
Others say the Demon Emperor ultimately triumphed but was heavily wounded, likely hiding somewhere.
"Very possible!"
"The countless Corpse Puppets in this Underground Palace are likely those of the deceased Heaven-Reaching Sect disciples, refined into Corpse Puppets by the Demon Emperor to guard his Emperor’s Bone!"
The elders discussed, mentioning the Demon Emperor brought an involuntary look of terror on their faces.
"If this truly is the Demon Emperor’s Tomb..."
During the discussion, everyone exchanged glances, each seeing the fear reflected in the other’s eyes.
"What is there to fear?"
A strong Ancient Race person snorted coldly, "Dead for tens of thousands of years, what waves can he stir?"
"It’s said that back then, the Demon Emperor collected countless top-tier Magical Treasures. Now that he is buried here, those treasures are likely also buried as accompaniments here!" Many people’s eyes shone with greed, seeming eager to open the Stone Gate and enter the main burial chamber.
"Better to be cautious, the Demon Emperor’s burial here is likely full of traps, rushing in might bring more danger than fortune." An elder of the Human Race reminded cautiously.
"If you’re scared, feel free to leave. Our race has suffered so many casualties, finally coming here, how can we leave empty-handed?" A Dragon Race strongman spoke.
Soon, someone could no longer wait, directly stepping forward to try pushing open the Stone Gate.
"Hmm?"
But found the Stone Gate exceptionally sturdy, no matter how much force was exerted, it didn’t budge in the slightest.
"Let me try."
A strongman of the Demon Race, holding a Holy Weapon, stepped to the front of the Stone Gate.
"Boom!"
Without a word, he struck directly, using the Holy Weapon to hit the Stone Gate with force.
It felt as if the entire Underground Palace trembled at that moment.
But the Stone Gate remained unmoved, showing no signs of being broken open.
"Is it really this sturdy?"
Many were surprised, even a Holy Weapon couldn’t open the Stone Gate. Could it be that today, they will truly be stopped here?
"The Stone Gate has Array Patterns set by the Demon Emperor, to open it, one likely needs to break these Array Patterns first." An elder spoke after examining for a moment, reaching this conclusion.
Among the people present, someone recognized him as a strongman from the Void Sacred Land, known as Elder Fan, reputedly well-versed in Array Dao after many years of study.
"Elder Fan, your expertise in Array Techniques is acknowledged. In Beiyou, the number of people who can be compared to you are few, do you have any method to unlock it?" Someone inquired.
Elder Fan shook his head immediately, "The Array Patterns set by the Ancient Emperor, even speaking of it, across the current Celestial Martial Four Domains, there may not be a single person capable of breaking them."
Upon hearing this, everyone frowned, "So are you saying, we’ve all been busy for nothing today? With so many dead, was it all in vain?"
"Let me try."
At this moment, a calm voice came from somewhere in the back of the crowd.
The speaker was none other than Ji Chen.
Long before arriving here, he had sensed the existence of Array Patterns sealing on this Stone Gate.
Although not very confident, it wouldn’t hurt to try.
Because he couldn’t use cultivation here, he couldn’t change his appearance with Secret Techniques, so at this moment, he stepped out with his true identity.
"Hmm?"
"Ji Chen? You’re here too!"
Instantly, someone in the crowd recognized him.
Especially the strongmen of the Ancient Race, upon seeing Ji Chen, couldn’t help but furrow their brows, their eyes revealing a fierce glint.