Chapter 1096: All Saints Gathered

Ye Fan's heart was stirred. Seeing the magnificent palace cast from bronze once again, he thought of Ji Ziyue and all the incidents when they had accidentally stumbled into the Immortal Palace, and his heartstrings trembled.

In this place, the old bronze block within him was exceptionally sensitive, and just like before, it seemed to be stimulated, suddenly "reviving."

This place was terrifying. The bronze palace, seemingly connected to immortals, appeared to have come alive. Unlike before, it was now glowing on its own, trapping all three ancient saints.

It was colossal, as tall as a small mountain, having consumed an unknown amount of bronze. Now, it was mottled with green rust, bearing ancient marks of time.

The heavy rust traces spoke of profound antiquity, yet they did not diminish its splendor. Billions of strands of immortal light shot out, twisting into supreme dao marks, densely covering the area.

This was an attempt to refine the three ancient saints!

They roared, pushing against the entrance of the bronze palace, exhausting all their cultivation to resist, barely preventing themselves from being completely absorbed.

Ye Fan clearly remembered that when he and Ji Ziyue had first entered the Bronze Palace, its interior was desolate and lifeless. There were no such phenomena then; it was like a tomb, devoid of immortal light and dao marks, otherwise, they would likely not have escaped alive.

"This ancient bronze palace holds an extraordinary secret related to immortals..." Duan De swallowed hard.

"It... actually appeared inside the Ruthless Emperor's tomb. It seems there's a strong karmic connection with her," the Black Emperor said, its large, bronze-bell-like eyes gleaming.

The collapse of the ancient tomb this time might be related to the Bronze Immortal Palace. The aura it emitted intensified the cracks in the high ground here, leading to a complete collapse and the formation of a sinkhole.

Compared to the Bronze Immortal Palace, the three ancient saints were as tiny as ants. This was mainly because the bronze palace was enormous and emitting infinite immortal light.

Clearly, they had spotted Ye Fan and his companions. Huo Tan's pupils, black and unfathomable like dark suns, emitted strands of dark light, sweeping over them with an arrogant, condescending air, as if looking down on ants.

Unfortunately, he could not break free, nor could he rush over or attack.

Ye Fan, Duan De, and the Black Emperor were fearless. The three trapped saints could barely protect themselves, stuck there with their survival uncertain.

"Primordial Qi... so much?!" The Dragon Horse's four hooves sparked with light as it circled the bronze palace from a distance, appearing to have boundless energy.

Ye Tong's mouth also fell open in an expression of disbelief. He asked, "Master, is this where your cauldron came from?"

"The Ruthless Great Emperor is incredible. What is she doing? She's unearthed a chaotic immortal land. Is she trying to forge the strongest immortal weapon? With so much primordial qi to cast a cauldron and repeatedly refine it, who could withstand a single strike?" The big black dog was also shocked.

Outside the Bronze Immortal Palace, the Primordial Qi of All Things swirled, forming vast expanses like mountains and seas, layer upon layer. It was as heavy as a star field, making one feel breathless, with immeasurable dao marks interwoven within.

Any single wisp of primordial qi could crush a mountain ridge. How heavy must so much of it be, condensed together? Did ancient Great Emperors forge weapons with it, intending to shatter other Emperor weapons with a single strike?

For an ordinary person, finding even a wisp of primordial qi would be a great stroke of fortune. Yet, now there was so much, densely covering the area like clouds, ancient, grand, majestic, and immense – a true miracle.

"Rise!"

Ye Fan shouted loudly. Inside his forehead bone, a golden miniature figure opened its eyes, stood tall, and stepped forward, using dao marks as its battle armor and the cauldron as its weapon.

The Cauldron of the Primordial Qi of All Things hovered above its head. The golden miniature figure let out a clear cry, and the small cauldron rapidly expanded, flying forward, beginning to greedily absorb the vast amount of primordial qi!

"You dare..." Huo Tan was enraged, finally turning pale. He could not speak, unable to maintain his composure.

Even without its source, this immense amount of Primordial Qi of All Things was a divine material incredibly difficult to find anywhere in the world. If obtained, it would be an unimaginable stroke of fortune.

What was most precious? Naturally, the weapons of ancient Great Emperors. And this primordial qi was precisely what a Human Emperor prepared for forging weapons; its value was immeasurable.

The other two ancient saints' expressions changed. They were willing but powerless, unable to even protect themselves, so how could they stop this?

"Human Sacred Body, you killed my subordinates and seized my fortune. This is a great grudge. If I break free, I will kill you a hundred times, and even the Victorious Fighting Buddha would have nothing to say," Huo Tan said, his voice eerie.

"We can settle that when you break free. Right now, I don't have time for you. Go find a quiet place for yourself," Ye Fan said nonchalantly.

At this moment, he was in high spirits, using his cauldron to absorb the massive primordial qi, integrating it into the cauldron walls, melting it into one.

Following the "Soldier" character secret art, his cauldron floated up and down, clanging. The primordial qi, like ten thousand streams flowing into the sea, twisted and collapsed the void with its pressure, merging with the cauldron, becoming inseparable.

The Primordial Qi of All Things merged into one, becoming the material for the Ruthless Emperor's weapon, a rarity seen once in eons. Huo Tan's envy and roar were, naturally, to be expected!

The cauldron, being the essence of primordial qi, now blended perfectly with the vast amount of qi, emitting a life fluctuation as if a divine spirit's will was about to be born within it.

"You might take it, but you'll have no life to use it," Huo Tan said with a chilling smile. He was filled with audacity, his murderous intent completely undisguised.

If he could move, he would undoubtedly attack immediately, crushing Ye Fan into dust. He felt immense regret.

"You won't get that chance. Even if you've become a Saint, it doesn't mean you won't fall. You should worry about yourself," Ye Fan laughed.

He didn't care at all. What could be more exciting than perfecting one's Dao-proving weapon? His cauldron, like a vast ocean, absorbed all the primordial qi, its dao marks interwoven.

"Number Twenty-three, you'd better watch your mouth, or I'll give you a slap and make you roll like a donkey," the Dragon Horse uttered a stream of nonsense.

As it spoke, it raised a hoof, ready to kick Huo Tan, kicking him while he was down, hoping he would die with regret in the Bronze Immortal Palace.

"Stop!" Duan De quickly intervened, urging it not to act rashly.

The Bronze Palace, with its billions of strands of immortal light, was capable of swallowing even Ancestor Kings. If they rashly attacked and were also swallowed, they would be in serious trouble.

"This balance cannot be broken. If they are fortunate, they will escape; if not, they'll just have to wait for their demise," the Black Emperor added.

Ye Fan finished his work. The cauldron had become immeasurably heavier, though fortunately, it had long been refined so that its weight did not burden him. If he were to smash it out now without using any magical power, ordinary opponents would likely be instantly reduced to dust.

"Kid, such a valuable item has fallen into your hands. You need to compensate us, or we'll split it. If it were anyone else, this Emperor would have snatched it long ago!" the big black dog clamored.

"When we killed the Heavenly Sovereign's Son, you dug out a lot of good stuff from his body. How come I didn't see you hand any of it over?" Ye Fan exposed his past deeds.

"Immeasurable Heavenly Venerate, since this is your Dao-proving item, this humble Daoist also has the virtue of benevolence. When the time comes, just give me a larger share of the Enlightenment Tea and other treasures from the Undying Heavenly Sovereign's palace."

"And mine too..." the Dragon Horse chimed in.

The three exceptional individuals shouted in unison. Ye Tong, being dutiful, would not think of splitting his master's treasures.

Not far away, the three ancient saints sulked, watching helplessly as these juniors took away the exclusive immortal materials of an ancient Great Emperor. Now, they were even audaciously discussing how to divide the spoils, filling the saints with immense hatred.

Huo Tan, in particular, was furious enough to burst a lung, because the Dragon Horse kept calling him "Number Twenty-three," and from its tone, it clearly wasn't a compliment. It eyed him disdainfully, not treating him as a Saint at all.

"Hmm..." Duan De furrowed his brow, as if sensing something.

"Not good, a Saint has arrived. The array patterns I set up are reacting, and my heart is pounding," the Black Emperor's expression changed.

Currently, not being Saints themselves, they lacked the capital to establish themselves securely. Naturally, they were cautious, having set up various array patterns before entering. These would provide a warning whenever a Saint arrived.

Without a word, the Black Emperor took out its chessboard array platform, opened a void portal, and immediately vanished, quickly disappearing from the area.

"What a pity. Beneath the Bronze Immortal Palace, there's a chaotic immortal land, likely filled with divine treasures," Duan De said regretfully.

"Such a waste!" The Dragon Horse was even more restless, but there was nothing to be done. With Saints arriving, they had no choice but to retreat.

"The Primordial Qi of All Things is temporarily entrusted to your hands, and your heads can remain on your shoulders for now. I will come to collect them!" Huo Tan said menacingly.

"Number Twenty-three, just calmly wait for death," the Dragon Horse's blunt retort almost choked him.

*Whoosh!*

With a flash of light, they vanished from the underground world.

In the distance, mysterious fluctuations spread as a domain gate opened. A woman with fiery red hair emerged, her physique slender and agile. She was a powerful ancient race member.

"The Blood Lightning Queen has arrived!"

Many people exclaimed in surprise. This was a Saint King who had appeared at the Jade Lake Assembly and once contended with the Divine King Jiang. For such a figure to personally descend today, the situation was clearly escalating, and even those of her stature could no longer remain calm.

She did not act rashly. After circling the abyss for a long time, she finally took a step down. When she reached a distance from the Bronze Immortal Palace, she saw the three ancient saints trapped.

"Boom!"

Half an hour later, with a massive roar, the Blood Lightning Queen surged up, her body covered in bloodstains and nearly exploding. Behind her, three other figures were in an even more wretched state, their primordial spirit fires almost extinguished and their bodies severely mangled.

"Ah..."

After rushing up, they all cried out, filled with rage. There were immortal treasures underground, yet they were unobtainable; a single Immortal Palace was enough to suppress and kill anyone!

Huo Tan, in particular, felt extremely aggrieved. Taunted by Ye Fan and the Dragon Horse, and watching helplessly as the Cauldron of the Primordial Qi of All Things was plundered, his audacity and indignation were indescribable.

"Human Sacred Body, I will surely kill you. Not even a resurrected god could save you!" Huo Tan roared.

With a thunderous boom, the sound waves resembled heavenly lightning. Many cultivators near the great tomb had their bodies crack, and those with weaker cultivation directly disintegrated, turning into blood mist. It was no exaggeration that a Saint's wrath could lead to countless corpses.

"Quite a big claim. I wonder, if a true deity were to descend one day, how would you fare?" an ancient voice drifted over.

Without a sound, Wei Yi, the old Saint from the Heavenly Xuan Holy Land's stone workshop, appeared. He stood there, unperturbed as an ancient well, like a withered piece of wood.

The Blood Lightning Queen's expression changed as if facing a formidable enemy. No Human Saint was ordinary. At the Jade Lake Assembly back then, a single white-robed Divine King had slaughtered countless ancient Saints, their blood splattering across the sky, leaving their race severely weakened.

This old Saint's depth was unfathomable even to her. Her heart pounded, and she dared not make any rash moves.

Wei Yi stood there, silently making some deductions. Then he furrowed his brow, said nothing, and his figure blurred, vanishing into thin air.

At the same instant Wei Yi disappeared, he took many cultivators from the high ground with him, teleporting them into the distant sky.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, the Bronze Immortal Palace, instantly towering tens of thousands of feet, shot up from the sinkhole. Countless immortal lights emanated from it, glowing like a sun. Inside, a bloody "immortal" transformed into a streak of light, reflecting in the void, cutting across ancient and modern times.

The Blood Lightning Queen, Huo Tan, and the others rapidly retreated, their bones creaking. They nearly exploded in that spot, covered in blood, almost suppressed to death.

"What a magnificent Immortal Palace, truly extraordinary. It's hard to imagine who could have punched such a large hole inside it and forced their way out," an ancient voice said. Great Saint Hun Tuo appeared on the horizon.

Behind him, several ancient saints followed, advancing and retreating with him, clearly determined to obtain the divine treasures within the great tomb.

On the other side, a figure appeared before the Human Race, white robes fluttering. It was indeed the Divine King Jiang Taixu, who had also revealed his presence.

The moment the Divine King appeared, the scene instantly descended into chaos. Many ancient races trembled, and even some Ancestor Kings felt a chill throughout their bodies. At the Jade Lake Assembly, the peerless Divine King alone had terrified them to their very core with his slaughter.

"Heh, this bronze palace is related to immortals. Why don't we open it together and see what's inside?" A very ancient figure descended, startling many. It was the Great Saint from the Myriad Dragon Nest.

An Emperor's tomb had triggered an immense upheaval. Many ancient kings and several Great Saints could no longer remain still; they wished to open it and obtain the secret of becoming an immortal.

"The tomb of a Human Emperor... it's difficult for outsiders to disturb it," Jiang Taixu muttered to himself.