Chapter 2156: Resurrection

The patterns on the altar lit up, and shimmering lines extended in all directions. The entire mausoleum emanated an overwhelming presence, as if it had come alive in that instant.

On the other side, Gonggong's crystal skull snapped up. "Yu's aura!"

The Demon Emperor, standing nearby, felt a stirring in his heart. This Yu seemed to be his great adversary; a chance had arrived...

"Follow me!" Gonggong had already materialized a black robe, covering everything but his skull, which remained bone. With a wave of his sleeve, he transformed into a mass of black mist and vanished.

The Demon Emperor naturally wouldn't miss such a good opportunity. With a flash of his figure, he too disappeared from his spot.

For Earth Immortals, space no longer posed any obstacle.

Only Crown Prince Jinwu was left bewildered. He instinctively wanted to chase, but he knew nothing of the Earth Immortal realm and had no idea where the two had gone.

Feeling the silent, deep, and massive ancient tomb, like a monstrous beast waiting to devour someone, a chill ran down his spine.

Spreading his hands, he cried out frantically, "I haven't boarded yet! I haven't boarded yet!"

The next second, a golden light flashed, and the Demon Emperor's figure suddenly appeared beside him, grabbing his shoulder before both vanished from the spot.

Meanwhile, Zu An placed the Nine Cauldrons onto the altar. Not long after, a rumbling sound echoed, and a large crack suddenly appeared in the ceiling, from which a section of steps extended downward.

Xiangliu seemed to recall something from the past and was momentarily lost in thought.

Zu An seized this opportunity, pulled the three women back, and instantly teleported up the steps.

Xiangliu awoke as if from a dream and told Fuyou, "You stay here. I'll go see what's happening."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure vanished from the spot.

Fuyou, wounded by dragon energy, had healing as his top priority and naturally had no objection.

As Xiangliu entered, the descending steps suddenly began to turn transparent, then vanished.

Even the crack in the ceiling disappeared, leaving the entire ceiling perfectly smooth, as if nothing had ever happened.

At this moment, the surrounding air warped and rippled. Immediately after, Gonggong, the Demon Emperor, and his son arrived.

"Master!" Fuyou quickly bowed to Gonggong.

"What happened to you?" Gonggong was startled to see Fuyou so heavily injured.

The Demon Emperor was equally surprised. From their previous interactions, he knew Zu An's combat power couldn't be simply measured by his rank, but he never imagined it would be so exaggerated.

An Earth Immortal reduced to such severe injuries?

Fuyou was weaker than him, but not by much. This meant facing Zu An and his group would also be very dangerous for him.

He felt somewhat fortunate that Fuyou had "cleared the path" by taking the hit first. Otherwise, if he had fought them based on his previous impression of Zu An, he might have suffered a great loss.

"That kid could use the dragon energy here. I was caught off guard and suffered a huge loss," Fuyou said bitterly. To be defeated by an 'ant' he looked down upon was truly humiliating.

"So he was responsible for the dragon vein power just now," Gonggong said, also somewhat surprised, looking around. "Where are they now?"

"Just now, a space suddenly opened above us, and a flight of steps appeared..." Fuyou briefly recounted what had happened.

"Yu!" Gonggong gnashed his teeth, clearly understanding something. He directly transformed into a mass of black mist, searching for the hidden space.

This grand tomb was clearly meticulously arranged by Yu, filled with complex and profound formations. Even Gonggong might not find it quickly.

Watching Gonggong disappear, the Demon Emperor did not follow him this time but remained in place.

Fuyou, nearby, frowned. "Why are you still here?"

The Demon Emperor smiled at him. "You're injured. I'm here to keep you company."

"I don't need your company. Go help the Master," Fuyou scoffed.

"No, you do." The Demon Emperor subtly walked behind him, his hand hidden behind his back growing long, razor-sharp claws...

Meanwhile, Zu An and the three women ascended the steps, only to discover a hidden top level in the ancient tomb.

This level contained various magnificent statues and exquisite murals, all arranged like stars orbiting the moon around a massive bronze coffin at the very top.

"This is..." Zu An and the others had initially intended to examine the murals, but their attention was involuntarily drawn to the colossal bronze coffin.

Gonggong's stone coffin had been imposing enough, but compared to this bronze giant, it was more than just a size smaller.

At this moment, black and green energies swirled as Xiangliu appeared. Just as he was about to attack the group, he also caught sight of the bronze coffin opposite them.

"Yu!" Xiangliu's voice was a mix of excitement and fear, as if unpleasant memories had been triggered.

The others were startled. Was Yu lying inside this coffin?

A realization dawned on Zu An. No wonder his Nine Cauldrons had subtly felt a summoning power ever since entering this secret realm; he had just used them to activate the mechanism here.

He never expected that the alchemy cauldron he had inadvertently obtained from Shen Xuzi at the Imperial Academy was actually the legendary Nine Cauldrons.

However, he quickly grew puzzled again. If these were the Nine Cauldrons, why were they so miniature?

After all, the legendary Nine Cauldrons were said to be nine colossal artifacts.

By this time, Xiangliu had regained his composure and let out a series of neurotic laughs. "Hahahaha, back then, when we were sealed, I thought it was worse than death. Yet, here we are, the defeated, resurrected, while you, the victor, have turned to dust. Who could have imagined such a dramatic twist?"

Zu An and the others looked at him in surprise. Since their first encounter, aside from his nine-headed, snake-bodied form being unsettling, he had always maintained the image of a refined and gentle young master in his human guise. This was the first time they had seen him so unhinged.

Zu An couldn't help but ask, "If you all could survive until now, why couldn't Yu, who was stronger than you?"

Perhaps it was the joy of seeing his old adversary dead, or something else, but Xiangliu didn't rush to attack. Instead, he replied, "It's different. Under normal circumstances, we wouldn't have lived this long either. No one can withstand the power of time. Even becoming an immortal doesn't truly grant eternal life."

Zu An keenly grasped the information revealed in his words. Did that mean even after becoming an immortal, one could still die?

"But we were sealed at our peak, our freedom restricted, which was worse than death. Yet, this had an advantage: because we were sealed, the passage of time had little effect on us. Once the seal is broken, we can revive," Xiangliu said with a sneer, looking at the bronze coffin. "But who in this world likes to be sealed? Being sealed is not much different from being dead."

Zu An and the others nodded inwardly. Sealing could indeed prolong one's existence, but it meant losing all freedom, even consciousness. This 'prolonged life' was only from the perspective of other observers; for the individual, their lifespan wasn't extended at all. On the contrary, they were sealed for a very long time, and if the seal wasn't broken, they might truly exist in a state worse than death indefinitely.

"Yu was the victor back then. He naturally lived his life freely and gracefully. That long span of time would have been enough for him to die several times over," Xiangliu said. Then he looked at Zu An and his group. "Alright, I've answered your questions. Don't resist needlessly. Come back with me to see the Master. I can vouch for you and spare your lives."

Zu An suddenly widened his eyes, looking behind Xiangliu. "Yu... has he revived?"