Chapter 1461: Fisherman's Profit

"But the Demon Emperor's cultivation is too high; it would be too dangerous for us to face him," Yu Yanluo couldn't help but say, the scene of her previous capture still vivid in her mind.

"It's different now," Zu An said confidently. "Sister Yan and Sister Yun have largely recovered from their injuries, and I have the Divine Sun-Shooting Bow. Even against the Demon Emperor, we'll have a fighting chance."

Yun Jianyue rolled her eyes. "You just got a divine artifact and now you don't know your own limits. Do you really think the Demon Emperor, who dominated an era alongside the Human Emperor, is easy to deal with? Even at our peak, the Ice Stone Woman and I were several major realms below him. Even with you and the Sun-Shooting Bow, we're still no match for him."

Yan Xuehen nodded. "Unless your Sun-Shooting Bow can land a hit instantly, with his cultivation, he won't give us a second chance to strike."

A heavy feeling settled in everyone's hearts. They knew that given the Demon Emperor's power, a one-hit kill was highly unrealistic.

Zu An chuckled sheepishly. "We've encountered too many powerful beings recently; after getting used to it, I got a bit ahead of myself."

Ever since entering this unknown land, they had encountered countless Earth Immortal-level figures, some even more powerful than the Demon Emperor, which had unconsciously raised his expectations.

Nevertheless, he added, "But it's come to this. Even knowing the danger, we have to take the risk, or we'll never leave this secret realm."

Yun Jianyue nodded, patting his shoulder with approval. "Well said. If you're not convinced, fight!"

As the Demon Sect Leader, she naturally possessed such a temperament; otherwise, she wouldn't have been audacious enough to storm the imperial palace and directly confront Zhao Hao.

Yan Xuehen and Yu Yanluo were calmer, but they also understood that staying in this area would be a waste of time. If the Demon Emperor resolved the formation core first, they would all be finished.

Therefore, weighing the pros and cons, they also concluded that heading towards the Demon Emperor was the wisest decision.

Zu An then summoned the Wind-Fire Wheels and said to the three women, "I'll take you. Don't waste energy flying yourselves; use every moment to recover your cultivation."

The three women didn't refuse. After helping Zu An shoot down the nine suns, they had been left near exhaustion, and even after all this time, they hadn't fully recovered.

With the Demon Emperor confrontation imminent, every bit of recovered cultivation meant a greater chance of success.

As for Zu An holding their hands or even putting his arm around their waists, they had long grown accustomed to it after everything they had been through.

Zu An took the three women on the Wind-Fire Wheels, heading towards the source of the recent energy surge. His hands remained proper; at this moment, his mind was entirely focused on the upcoming plan, leaving no room for romantic thoughts.

The Wind-Fire Wheels truly lived up to their reputation as a Heaven-grade artifact; even with several extra passengers, their speed was unaffected.

It made sense; powerful cultivators in the cultivation world could easily move mountains and seas. The slight weight of a few lithe women was insignificant.

The three women, meanwhile, took the opportunity to circulate their energy and hastened their recovery.

After flying for an unknown duration, the group drew closer to where the battle energy had erupted.

From above, Zu An looked down at the endless mountain ranges below, which stretched out like slumbering dragons. He couldn't help but let out a sound of surprise.

"What's wrong?" Yan Xuehen opened her eyes, her cool, beautiful gaze fixed quietly on him.

She had long yearned for the "Love Stronger Than Gold" bond to be broken, and now that it finally was, she thought she was free.

Yet, it felt no different from before, except for a newfound emptiness in her heart, as if she had lost something.

Sensing that her aura had reverted to the coldness he first encountered, almost as if she were distancing herself, Zu An sighed inwardly. He feared that he and she could never return to how things were.

However, at this moment, he couldn't dwell on such thoughts. He composed himself and replied, "This place is dense with dragon veins; it's truly an excellent feng shui treasure land, perfectly suited for an imperial tomb."

"You mentioned that Great Yu was the founding monarch of the Xia Dynasty, and the Demon Emperor's battle aura just came from here. Does that mean this is Great Yu's mausoleum?" Yun Jianyue asked curiously.

Zu An paused, startled. He hadn't considered that possibility before, only intending to meet with the Demon Emperor and pool their information. Her reminder suddenly made it seem highly probable.

Soon, the group landed in front of a mountain cave, from which the energy fluctuations emanated.

Zu An and his companions hesitated briefly before cautiously entering, remaining vigilant.

The cave entrance didn't look large, but inside, they found it winding and complex, with many branching paths.

Fortunately, the distant battle fluctuations served as a guide; otherwise, they would have wasted an unknown amount of time inside.

The entire cave continuously shook, with sand and stones constantly falling, as if it could collapse at any moment.

Occasionally, their path was blocked by fallen boulders, but this posed no challenge to Zu An's group, who simply blasted through the obstructing walls and continued forward.

"Something's not right about this cave," Yan Xuehen murmured, her delicate brows furrowing as they walked.

"What's wrong?" Zu An asked, startled, thinking they had stumbled into another trap.

Yun Jianyue explained, "How could an ordinary cave withstand Earth Immortal-level combat? It should have collapsed and been blocked long ago. Yet, look, even though stones fall occasionally, the cave's overall structure remains intact. That's not logical."

At that moment, Yu Yanluo's voice came. "I sense that the violent energy within the cave is being absorbed by its walls and transmitted to the surrounding mountains. It's as if this entire mountain range is collectively sharing the aftermath of the battle, which is why the cave remains intact."

Yan Xuehen couldn't help but exclaim, "What an ingenious design! To be able to dissipate the aftershocks of an Earth Immortal-level battle... I admit I couldn't do it, and I doubt anyone in the entire White Jade Capital could."

Zu An, however, was not surprised; instead, he was delighted. "That proves we've definitely come to the right place!"

Originally, there were many capable of such grand feats in this world, but the Heavenly Emperor Zhuanxu had recently severed the path between heaven and man. Those divine and mysterious beings were now completely isolated, beyond their reach.

Who else could be left besides Great Yu?

At that moment, the aftershocks of the battle inside gradually diminished, followed by a painful, mournful roar.

They had never heard this sound before. Even from such a distance, it sent shivers down their spines, suggesting that the creature making it was far from an ordinary beast.

Yun Jianyue quickly said, "The battle over there is coming to an end. Hurry!"

Whether they intended to capitalize on the situation by attacking or to negotiate cooperation, the best moment would be when both sides were severely injured.

Otherwise, once they recovered, their own party would be in danger.

Without further delay, they quickened their pace and rushed inside.

Not long after, the space abruptly opened up before them, revealing a massive cavern. In the distance stood a colossal gate, in front of which was an altar-like structure adorned with statues of ferocious beasts. These statues now lay scattered and toppled, clearly affected by the battle's aftershocks.

A grand flight of stairs had once led up to the gate, but now many steps were broken, and traces of fresh blood were visible, clearly left very recently.

In the very center of the space lay a colossal ferocious beast. It resembled a tiger but had a pair of wings and a terrifying, hideous face that one dared not look directly at.

However, its current state was pitiful; one wing had been completely torn off, bleeding profusely.

Its body was covered in countless dense wounds, which immediately reminded Zu An of Golden Crow Prince's Blazing Sun Sword Array, where his entire body's feathers could transform into golden sword energy. This, however, was clearly unleashed by the Demon Emperor himself, and its power was many times greater than the Golden Crow Prince's.

The beast lay on the ground, its belly rapidly rising and falling, its tail weakly curled. It was clear that it was taking in more air than it was exhaling.

Not far away, the Demon Emperor sat cross-legged, seemingly cultivating to heal his injuries. He, too, was in a sorry state; his crown had long since fallen off and was nowhere to be seen, and his hair hung disheveled around him.