Chapter 1401: Luan Tree's Immortal Medicine

"A seal?" The Demon Emperor raised an eyebrow. Could it be that the ancient Great Emperor wasn't dead, but merely sealed away?

"Precisely," came the voice from the ancient tomb. "When my father reigned, many terrifying ferocious beasts appeared between heaven and earth. The most formidable among them were known as the Four Fiends. My father suppressed the Four Fiends, who naturally harbored deep resentment towards him. So, Emperor Shun assigned each of the Four Fiends to guard a seal, forming a grand cosmic array to suppress my father."

"The Four Fiends..." The Demon Emperor silently repeated the words, his face devoid of any expression.

Wu Liang, however, was terrified. The Four Fiends sounded formidable, capable of suppressing even ancient Great Emperors, who were powerful figures able to fly. Surely they were more potent than today's Earth Immortals. Unfortunately, he knew that anything he said would be useless; he wasn't in charge. He could only hope for an opportunity to escape midway.

The voice from the ancient tomb explained, "The Four Fiends are Hundun, Qiongqi, Taowu, and Taotie. By the way, since you just came from Yu Mountain, you must have encountered Taowu; I sensed its aura."

The Demon Emperor's expression shifted slightly. The monster he had encountered on Yu Mountain flashed through his mind. He hadn't expected even one of the Four Fiends to be as powerful as him, especially with the dense resentment it exuded, which was enough to erode his life force, making him cautious during their fight. What about the other three Fiends? Even someone as mighty as him could easily be overwhelmed.

At this point, the voice continued, "Do you remember how I just mentioned Gun, a descendant of the Black Emperor who contended with Shun during my father's reign? Hehe, Taowu was formed from his resentment after his death. I just sensed its reappearance. If I'm not mistaken, you must have already undone one of the seals."

"Undid a seal?" The Demon Emperor and the Golden Crow Prince looked bewildered.

Wu Liang, however, had a realization: "The giant stone turtle statue by Yu Abyss!" Earlier, even the Golden Crow Sacred Flame couldn't harm it in the slightest; it was only broken open by the Demon Emperor's full-power strike. The Demon Emperor knew he was skilled in mechanisms and formations, so this assessment was very likely correct.

"So, you only need to release three more seals, and my father will see the light of day again. Then everything can return to normal, haha." As if imagining his father's return, the voice from the ancient tomb laughed somewhat hysterically.

"Why should I help you?" The Demon Emperor's face remained unperturbed.

"Your Golden Crow Ancestor and my father were half-brothers. You are also descendants of the White Emperor. Knowing the truth, would you still allow the lineage of the Black Emperor to usurp the dominion that rightfully belongs to our White Emperor lineage?"

The Demon Emperor snorted, "Black Emperors and White Emperors—those are matters from tens of thousands of years ago. Open your eyes and look; times have changed. Who cares about Black Emperors or White Emperors now? I am already an emperor myself; I don't need to cling to so-called ancestors."

The voice in the ancient tomb roared for a while, accusing him of forgetting his heritage. But after some time, it seemed to tire of scolding and gradually calmed down. "It doesn't matter if you don't acknowledge us ancestors, but you still seek immortality, don't you?"

The Demon Emperor said coldly, "Otherwise, why do you think I'd patiently listen to you talk about these ancient, trivial matters?"

"Then you'll need to undo the seals even more. My father will be able to answer any of your questions then." The voice sounded as if its scheme had succeeded.

"I don't see the need for such trouble," the Demon Emperor scoffed. "Since you've lived this long, asking you would be the same."

No sooner had he spoken than he swung his hand, striking the ancient tomb's massive door and blasting a huge hole through it. Wu Liang watched in astonishment. The tomb door was usually the most robust part, blocked by thousands of tons of Dragon-Slaying Stone. Whenever he robbed a tomb, he had to dig a tunnel from the side. Yet, the Demon Emperor had just blasted it open with a single palm strike...

The Demon Emperor didn't linger. He walked straight into the ancient tomb, his attention entirely focused on immortality, with no mind for Wu Liang. Wu Liang was about to seize the opportunity to escape when the Golden Crow Prince grabbed him. "Let's go, enter together."

Wu Liang secretly cursed the Golden Crow Prince's ancestors, but dared not resist. Not only could the Demon Emperor kill him with a thought, even if he were inside, but even a one-on-one fight with the Golden Crow Prince might not go in his favor. The Golden Crow Prince's reputation as the "Young Emperor" among the younger generation was not mere boast.

After the two entered the ancient tomb, Wu Liang watched nervously. "Be careful..."

However, before he could finish speaking, the Demon Emperor had already walked straight inside. The tomb's mechanisms and formations activated, their power, in Wu Liang's eyes, was enough to utterly annihilate anyone who encountered them. Yet, the Demon Emperor occasionally flicked a sleeve or waved a palm, and more often than not, without even lifting a hand, he blocked these terrifying mechanisms head-on.

Wu Liang's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. Normally, when he robbed tombs, he was like a timid daughter-in-law, always cautiously guessing the tomb owner's intentions and guarding against the designer's traps. Even then, he often ended up in a sorry state. Yet, the Demon Emperor simply strolled through everything. When would he ever be that cool?

Although nominally an imperial tomb, this one was quite simple. They didn't walk far before arriving at the main burial chamber.

"You... what are you doing?" The voice from before sounded again, but this time it was no longer as profound or mysterious; instead, it was somewhat flustered.

The Demon Emperor couldn't be bothered with idle talk. With a wave of his hand, an invisible burst of energy shot out, shattering the sarcophagus directly. When they saw what fell out, everyone was startled. A skeleton had tumbled out of the coffin and immediately scattered into pieces upon hitting the ground. The surface of the bones had a jade-like color, indicating the original owner's high cultivation level in life. However, they had ultimately succumbed to the erosion of time, appearing dull and lifeless, with many parts seemingly shattered from the fall.

"After all these years, I'm finally out of this cursed coffin." The skeleton suddenly sat up, its jaw moving, producing the exact same voice as before.

"So it was you playing tricks." The Demon Emperor was both surprised and enraged.

The skeleton didn't answer. Instead, it spread its hands, seemingly inhaling, and displayed an expression of pure enjoyment—heaven knew how one could discern an expression on a skull. "Finally, I can breathe the air of freedom; it's so sweet."

Wu Liang couldn't help but mumble, "In your current state, can you even smell anything?"

The skeleton sighed. "I truly can't smell it anymore, but I can imagine."

Everyone: "..."

"Why are you in this ghastly state?" The Demon Emperor stared coldly at it. The skeleton's aura was incredibly weak; let alone him, even the weakest Wu Liang could easily destroy it.

"What else would I look like? After lying here for countless ages, my flesh and blood naturally withered away." The skeleton spoke as if recounting something unrelated to itself.

"Didn't you just mention immortality?" The Demon Emperor's face darkened like water. "So, you were deceiving me!"

A terrifying pressure spread out, making the entire burial chamber shake. Countless bits of sand and stone fell from the ceiling, and even Wu Liang in the corner found it hard to breathe. Clearly, after having his hopes for immortality raised and then being deceived, the Demon Emperor was truly enraged.

The skeleton was lifted into mid-air as if an invisible hand was clutching its neck. It struggled desperately but remained powerless, looking as though it could be crushed into fragments at any moment.

"The Sorbus Immortality Elixir!" As if sensing imminent destruction, the skeleton hastily uttered a phrase.

The Demon Emperor's heart stirred. "What is that?"

"On the Cloud-Rain Mountain of the Great Wilderness, there's a red stone where a Sorbus tree grows, bearing an immortality elixir. Eating it grants eternal life."

"Your 'immortality' is this ghastly state you're in now?" the Demon Emperor demanded sharply.

"I only hastily ate half of an unripe fruit back then, and my cultivation was insufficient to unleash the elixir's true effects," the skeleton said, clutching its throat. "Even so, it allowed me to live through countless ages, enduring until now."

"Where is this Cloud-Rain Mountain of the Great Wilderness you speak of?" A glint of fanaticism appeared in the Demon Emperor's eyes.

"I don't know," the skeleton quickly said, seeing the Demon Emperor's expression darken, "but my father knows."

***

Some people died, but not completely...

He took deep breaths of fresh air, his chest heaving. Confusion, bewilderment, and various other emotions flooded his mind. Where was this?

Then, Shi Yu subconsciously observed his surroundings, only to become even more disoriented. A single dormitory room? Even if he had been successfully rescued, he should be in a hospital ward now. And his body... why was there no injury at all?

Filled with questions, Shi Yu's gaze quickly swept across the room, finally settling on a mirror at the head of the bed. The mirror reflected his current appearance: around seventeen or eighteen years old, and quite handsome. His former self was a distinguished, handsome young man in his twenties, who had been working for some time. Now, this face looked no older than a high school student's...

This change left Shi Yu in a daze for a long time. Please don't tell him the surgery was a success... His body and appearance had changed; this wasn't a matter of surgery but rather some kind of immortal art. He had completely transformed into someone else! Could it be... he had transmigrated?

Besides the mirror at the head of the bed, placed in a spot clearly inauspicious according to feng shui, Shi Yu also discovered three books nearby. Shi Yu picked them up and saw the titles, which instantly made him speechless.

*Beginner Beastmaster's Essential Beast Rearing Manual**Post-Natal Care for Pet Beasts**Guide to Appreciating Beast-Eared Girls of Different Races*

Shi Yu: ???

The first two book titles were relatively normal, but what was up with the last one?

"Cough."

Shi Yu's gaze sharpened, and he reached out, but his arm quickly stiffened. Just as he was about to open the third book to see what it was, a sharp pain shot through his brain, and a flood of memories surged forth.

Icefield City.Pet Beast Breeding Base.Intern Pet Beast Breeder.Beast Tamer?