Chapter 1466: Heart Sinks to the Bottom of the Valley

The people present felt their scalps tingle. "Master?" they wondered. "So these two are just subordinates? If mere subordinates are this powerful, how formidable must their master be?"

The Demon Emperor was equally astonished and enraged, gripping the phantom of Danzhu tightly in his hand. "Is this your father?" he demanded.

"N-no... no..." Danzhu trembled. "This aura isn't right. It's not my father."

"Nonsense!" the Demon Emperor retorted, having already realized that the sinister aura before them bore no resemblance to Danzhu's.

At that moment, a terrifying vortex appeared on the central stone platform, frantically absorbing the surrounding elemental energy. Even cultivators like Zu An, with their advanced cultivation, almost couldn't maintain control, feeling their internal energy surge outwards. They quickly channeled their cultivation to barely suppress it.

Zu An was secretly amazed. This suction felt somewhat similar to the Taotie Devouring Heaven Art, yet a closer examination revealed subtle differences.

However, he had no time to ponder these questions. Instead, he shouted to the Demon Emperor, "Quickly, stop him! If that entity inside fully awakens, none of us will survive!"

The being inside was clearly in the process of awakening, which should be its most vulnerable state. He wanted to go and stop it himself, but with such a terrifying suction, he feared he would soon follow in the dead fat man's footsteps. He believed only the Demon Emperor had the ability to intervene.

"Achoo!" Outside the cave, a mound of earth suddenly rose, and a figure burrowed out from within.

"Damn it, that was dangerous. Good thing I got out early," the voice muttered, shivering as it felt the cave behind it acting like a massive drain, ceaselessly drawing in the elemental energy from the surrounding world. If Zu An and the others were there, they would have been greatly astonished, for this figure was none other than Wu Liang, who had just been drained dry inside the cave!

At this moment, Wu Liang was in a sorry state. His formerly plump body was a size smaller, clearly indicating a significant loss of vital energy and spirit. A pained expression crossed his face. "Oh dear, I've lost another life. This trip to the secret realm was a huge loss, a huge loss. I absolutely must find some other treasures to make up for it."

As the last descendant of the Pangolin clan, he had plundered countless ancient tombs over the years, acquiring many valuable items. Once, in the tomb of a powerful Cat clan member, he had obtained the secret cultivation method of the "Nine-Lives Cat Demon," which granted him nine extra lives. Although it didn't extend his lifespan, it provided several chances to survive if he were to die unexpectedly.

He had used one life during a desperate situation in a tomb-robbing expedition years ago, and now he had used his second. The thought made the fleshy jowls on his face tremble; it truly pained him.

He resolutely walked in the opposite direction from the cave. On his way there, he had already noticed several other caves that might yield treasures. At the time, the Demon Emperor was solely focused on the Elixir of Immortality and immortal destiny, showing little interest in these other opportunities, which now conveniently fell to Wu Liang.

As for the terrifying tomb behind him, he knew that even his nine lives wouldn't be enough if he went back. His many years of tomb raiding had instilled in him the principle of "safety first." One needed to know their limits; anything clearly beyond one's capability should not be pursued.

He decided to leave it to the Demon Emperor and the others. If they could unravel its secrets, he could follow them out of this unknown land. If they couldn't and died inside... It didn't seem so bad to stay in this world. This world seemed to truly bear traces of immortals. He could raid a few more tombs, spend a hundred years or so accumulating strength, and then return to that great tomb in the future. By then, all the good things would be his, wahaha!

As soon as he thought of these advantages, his previous dejection vanished, and his mood brightened considerably. He walked with a carefree swagger, heading towards the setting sun, gradually disappearing over the horizon.

Meanwhile, Zu An and the others inside the tomb were not in such good spirits. They were struggling to hold on, feeling the terror emanating from the stone coffin up close. Hearing Zu An's words, the Demon Emperor's gaze sharpened. He naturally understood the reasoning, but he had been worried that if he acted, Zu An would reap the benefits.

However, the current situation left him no room for such considerations. Two golden lights, like miniature suns, suddenly appeared in his palms. The next second, he instantly teleported beside the stone coffin and directly blasted the crystal skull. He knew that the root of all this stemmed from the combination of the crystal skull and the stone coffin. If he could shatter it, or separate the two, he should be able to stop everything.

Seeing this, the white-robed man and the crimson giant bear next to him both moved to confront and block the Demon Emperor.

Two golden wings suddenly emerged from the Demon Emperor's back, each feather a golden sword qi. Knowing that time was critical, he showed no mercy in his attack. The crimson giant bear roared, its fur instantly bristling like steel needles, blocking the golden sword qi head-on. Chunks of its fur were shorn off, but many feathers on the Demon Emperor's golden wings also grew dim.

The white-robed man snorted coldly. His left hand was wreathed in green flames, and his right hand conjured a black water dragon. They attacked the Demon Emperor from both sides. Even from a distance, a sour, putrid smell could be detected, along with an irritating sensation that stung the eyes.

"Poison!" Yun Jianyue quickly warned. She stared intently at the flames and black water unleashed by the white-robed man. Neither the color of the flames nor the water seemed normal, and she couldn't tell if one was poisonous or if both were.

Zu An clearly saw that both the white-robed man and the crimson giant bear were no less powerful than the Demon Emperor. Even if the Demon Emperor could fend them off alone, he certainly wouldn't have the energy to stop the entity in the stone coffin from awakening.

At this moment, setting aside his enmity with the Demon Emperor, Zu An was about to go and help when suddenly, the entire hall erupted in brilliant golden light. The hidden runes on the walls lit up one by one. Finally, they seemed to burst forth from the walls, transforming into golden whips of light that continuously lashed at the stone coffin. Roars of rage emanated from within the stone coffin. The sinister aura instantly faltered, and the terrifying suction weakened considerably compared to before.

Everyone was overjoyed. Yan Xuehen quickly said, "This is a seal left here by the builder of this ancient tomb. The entity in the stone coffin won't get out that easily." She was also about to step forward to assist Zu An in holding back the slightly weaker crimson giant bear, to buy the Demon Emperor a chance to strike.

At this moment, the phantom in the Demon Emperor's hand cried out excitedly, "It's Father's power! I can feel Father's power! Father, where are you? It's Danzhu! Please save me!" The Demon Emperor's heart sank. The current situation was already chaotic enough; if he were to attract the attack of the legendary Emperor Yao, even with three heads and six arms, it wouldn't be enough.

Only then did Zu An learn the phantom's name. He thought, "So this is Danzhu? How did he end up like this, enslaved by the Demon Emperor?"

Unfortunately, Danzhu's cries received no response from Emperor Yao. Instead, they caught the attention of the skull in the stone coffin. It turned its gaze towards Danzhu, suddenly opened its mouth, and a powerful suction emanated from it. The phantom of Danzhu could no longer resist and was directly drawn into it. Danzhu screamed in terror, knowing that if he were swallowed, he would immediately be annihilated. But alas, having been killed by the Demon Emperor and reduced to only a wisp of his soul, he had no strength left to resist.

The Demon Emperor's expression drastically changed, and he frantically tried to intervene. Unfortunately, the white-robed man opposite him reacted quickly. The green flames and black water merged, subtly forming the shape of a Taiji symbol (yin-yang fish), drawing an unpredictable arc.

The Demon Emperor was startled. In that instant, he felt a life-or-death crisis, realizing that if he didn't confront it with full strength, he might perish on the spot from this attack. Golden light emanated from his eyes, and a vision of a crimson sun appeared behind his head. He slowly clasped his hands together, confronting the Taiji symbol. With a terrifying boom, shockwaves spread outwards, even peeling off many of the array patterns on the walls, despite the tomb being specifically designed with formations to deflect and neutralize external destructive forces.

Both the Demon Emperor and the white-robed man grunted, each staggering back several yards. The Demon Emperor's blood churned. He thought that if he hadn't been seriously wounded in his earlier battle with Qiongqi, this blow would have been enough to severely injure his opponent. However, he also understood that the white-robed man opposite him seemed to have only recently awakened, and his strength had not yet fully returned to its peak. "How terrifying, then, must the entity in the stone coffin be?" he wondered. He abruptly turned his head to look, just in time to see the crystal skull swallow Danzhu's lingering soul. His heart immediately sank to the bottom.