Chapter 1070: Immortal Skeleton Awakens

Chapter 1075: The Immortal Remains Revive

This aura permeated the sky outside, turning the existing gloom into a deeper, absolute darkness. Even the rainwater was affected, resonating with the change. Looking out, every raindrop throughout the Rain Realm seemed to come alive in that instant, deferentially turning towards the immortal remains.

Tombs rumbled and collapsed one after another, as countless skeletal remains crawled out from within. These beings, who appeared to be warriors in life, had seemingly been awaiting their master since their death. Now, as if their master had returned, a summons was initiated. And so, they returned. Howls and roars reverberated throughout the heavens and earth.

The source of all this, within the underground palace, was the revival of the immortal remains. All the Dao marks floating around emitted joyful tidings at this moment, rushing directly towards the immortal remains from all directions. Without any obstruction or hesitation, they merged into the remains the instant they made contact.

As authority returned and Dao marks emerged, the sense of revival grew even more potent. As the heavens and earth changed color and winds stirred clouds, all marks of inheritance converged like myriad rivers flowing into the sea, rushing directly towards the immortal remains. As these marks returned one by one, the various treasures of the Great Emperor also began to tremble.

Amidst echoing rustling sounds, the artifact spirits of these supreme treasures finally awakened from their slumber. The moment they stirred, they sensed their master's aura and converged with a whoosh. Consequently, armor materialized on the immortal remains, a long spear appeared on its right side, while its left side remained empty. A compass appeared beneath its feet, the sun, moon, and stars manifested above its head, and several rings orbited in layers behind it. Its presence was overwhelmingly powerful.

In contrast, the various masters within the underground palace all changed complexion drastically at this moment, their hearts filled with terror, and their expressions showing intense dread. As cultivators from the Demonic Feather Sacred Land, they were no strangers to Emperor Ming Yan, having personally endured the era over a millennium ago when he suppressed them. In fact, many of them had witnessed Emperor Ming Yan's rise with their own eyes. They understood Emperor Ming Yan's cruelty, and their reverence for him was once akin to worshipping a deity. It was only after repeatedly confirming Emperor Ming Yan's demise, and with many years having passed since then, coupled with substantial promises from a certain individual, that they finally gathered the courage to undertake this expedition.

The reason they still ventured forth despite such caution was ultimately greed. Due to Emperor Ming Yan's enigmatic nature, there were numerous external rumors about him. Some claimed he had joined a supreme organization within this starfield and received its tutelage. Others whispered that he had acquired an inheritance surpassing even that of the legendary Xia Xian. Still others asserted that noble blood flowed through his veins. And some believed he possessed extraordinary techniques capable of breaking through all constraints! All these theories explained why Emperor Ming Yan, who was only at the Soul Nurturing stage before his disappearance years ago, returned as a peak Great Emperor after many years.

Regardless, it was widely acknowledged that a causal link existed between his periods of extreme prosperity and extreme decline. Therefore, for the various masters of the Demonic Feather Sacred Land, uncovering this secret and seizing this opportunity was paramount to breaking through their own cultivation bottlenecks. Even if similar cycles of extreme prosperity and decline might exist, cultivators no longer pursued longevity alone; reaching the pinnacle, relative to others, was what truly made life without regret. Yet, deep down, they feared the most perilous scenario had indeed come to pass. Emperor Ming Yan was not dead!

Now, with the return of his inherited authority and supreme treasures, and the resurgence of his aura, the entire underground palace roared with immense power. They yearned to escape, but under the immortal remains' icy gaze, their Dao marks trembled, their physical bodies were bound, and their souls dimmed, rendering them incapable of flight.

Xu Qing and Er Niu felt the impact even more intensely. As they were not masters, facing such an aura caused their minds to churn violently. Fortunately, they had not entered the underground palace directly, allowing them to barely hold on for now. Earlier, as the shield-treasure was retrieved, the worm-like form of Er Niu's body weakly returned, merging with his own head to create the tender physique of a child. Thus, at this moment, he possessed the body of a child topped with an adult's head, presenting a strange appearance. His expression, however, was one of pure frenzy.

Under this aura, not only did they have to resist the immense pressure with all their might, but the shield-shaped Great Emperor treasure they had just acquired was also reviving, seemingly on the verge of being summoned back. After paying such a heavy price to obtain this treasure, for it to simply return like this… Xu Qing was unwilling, and Er Niu was even more vehemently so. "I sacrificed my very body to get this," Er Niu raged internally, "and you expect it to just answer your call?"

With bloodshot eyes, Er Niu, in his desperation, actually opened his mouth wide and swallowed the shield he was clutching tightly. The next instant, his belly swelled up as if he were nine months pregnant, looking as though it would explode. But Er Niu gritted his teeth, holding on with all his might, looking as though he would die rather than surrender it. Three breaths later, to Er Niu's alarm, his belly suddenly tore open, and the shield was clearly on the verge of breaking through and bursting out.

Without the slightest hesitation, Xu Qing gritted his teeth and produced a needle. It was the Great Emperor's Needle he had acquired from Fu Xie previously. He immediately began stitching. This causal stitching, emanating from the needle, possessed formidable power, allowing Er Niu's torn belly to finally be sewn up. Concurrently, Xu Qing also retrieved the Great Emperor's Scissors and made a decisive snip. He attempted to sever the connection between the shield-treasure and the immortal remains. However, the effect was far from perfect. The connection remained, and Er Niu's stitched belly began to show signs of tearing open once more…

Just then, the large head behind them suddenly opened its mouth and inhaled softly. With that inhale, a powerful suction force erupted, pulling at Xu Qing and Er Niu. Their bodies trembled, and using this force, they finally managed to suppress, to some extent, the returning power of the shield-treasure within Er Niu's belly.

The various masters within the underground palace paid little heed to this scene, as they had no energy to concern themselves with external matters while confronting the immortal remains. However, the immortal remains itself perceived it. Opening its eyes, its gray gaze shifted to the stone door where Xu Qing and Er Niu stood. After a single glance, it withdrew its gaze, and when it turned back to the various masters… It opened its mouth and exhaled a deep breath. Following that, a heartbeat suddenly reverberated from its chest. Thump-thump. The sound carried astonishing power, like a heavy hammer pounding against their very minds.

Xu Qing and Er Niu spat out blood, feeling deafened, their souls trembling, and they recoiled weakly. The various masters within the underground palace, bearing the full brunt of the impact, found their hearts convulsing, and blood welled from their mouths. They struggled with all their might. The young man's physical body tore, and he tried to escape by soul-flight. The scholar's Dao marks shimmered as he attempted to turn a new page. The woman in palace attire and the elder likewise unleashed their trump cards, sparing no expense. The Fifth Master, embodied as Lin Kun, wore a bitter expression. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but ultimately did not utter a single word to the immortal remains of his master before him.

However, all their attempts to escape proved utterly futile before the immortal remains. They all failed. Perhaps it would have been different if they weren't inside the underground palace, but within this space, they were entirely within the immortal remains' domain. The absolute disparity in strength and status rendered all their efforts meaningless.

It seemed in no hurry, its gaze sweeping over each one before finally settling on the Fifth Master. After a moment, amidst the despair of everyone present, its right hand slowly lifted. A swathe of black flame suddenly unfurled from beneath its body, incinerating the altar and everything around it. After completely engulfing the ground of the underground palace, it coalesced into a black fire lotus! The appearance of this black fire lotus amplified the danger of the place immeasurably. Simultaneously, identical lotus flowers materialized instantly on the bodies of each master, blossoming in full.

Amidst the rumbling, the cultivators bound there could only let out shrill, mournful wails. The sounds permeated the entire underground palace. Just as everyone seemed destined to turn to ash within the fiery lotus, one of the two remaining unopened stone doors suddenly burst open. Black iron chains surged out rapidly, burning with black flames that seemed to share the same origin as the fire lotus. With a clattering sound, these chains moved with astonishing speed, completely disregarding the power of the palace's fiery lotuses as they shot straight towards the immortal remains. Not only were they astonishingly fast, but they also seemed to embody a causal law, instantly coiling around the immortal remains. As they bound it, their scorching power simultaneously erupted.

The chains appeared abruptly, and the moment they coiled, the black fire lotuses in the palace showed signs of being suppressed. The various masters seized this opportunity to unleash their powers simultaneously, deploying their respective techniques, and finally broke free. Concurrently, a black figure stepped out from the now open stone door. It was the black-robed figure.

Upon emerging, with just one step, he traversed the underground palace and appeared beside the immortal remains. He raised his right hand and snatched, remarkably without incident, the black crystal stone—the life soul of the Demonic Feather Great Emperor—from the immortal remains. Despite obtaining it so smoothly, the black-robed figure showed no surprise; instead, a grim expression appeared on its face, and its body abruptly retreated. As for the various masters, having just broken free, they swiftly moved to flee the area.

But just as they retreated, a hoarse voice slowly emanated from the bound immortal remains. "Seal."

The single word caused the underground palace's fiery lotuses to suddenly rotate and fully erupt, creating a terrifying suction force. All previously opened doors in every direction slammed shut simultaneously with a thud under this suction force, blocking all exits. Xu Qing and Er Niu, though they tried to evade, found it impossible. Their bodies were directly pulled into the underground palace by the suction, and the stone door behind them slammed shut.

As their expressions shifted in alarm, the entire underground palace simultaneously underwent a drastic transformation. The ceiling vanished, replaced by a rippling distortion, and the surrounding walls similarly contorted. The ground of the underground palace rumbled at this moment, then directly collapsed. It revealed a cavern. Beneath the cavern, astonishingly, lay another world. A transparent sea was visible, bathed in a crimson glow. And seemingly upon that sea, there was a gigantic, embryo-like sphere of flesh! Within it, a terrifying figure sat cross-legged, vaguely discernible!

Before they could make out the details, a blood-red vortex appeared between the underground palace and the world below, obstructing their view and rotating with a thunderous roar. A blood-red hand, covered in crimson bristles, abruptly extended from within this vortex. An aura even more astonishing than that of the immortal remains previously burst forth from this arm, lunging fiercely towards the black-robed figure.