Chapter 1291: 妖皇洞

**Chapter 1292: The Demon Emperor's Cave**

The vast lake was tranquil, shrouded in mist, spanning thousands of miles. No creature dared to intrude. On the shore, ancient trees were lush and vibrant. Spiritual herbs grew on the sheer cliff faces, emitting wisps of fragrance.

Ye Fan was meditating dozens of miles away. In recent days, he had caused many strange phenomena, which had long alarmed the Nine-Tailed Alligator Dragon in the lake. Yet, it had not appeared, enduring silently. This was because it had witnessed the unusual sight of the person on the shore: numerous scriptures appeared, like ancient characters cast from metal, revolving around his body. The spectacle was astonishing.

The Nine-Tailed Alligator Dragon was a Sacred Beast, the overlord of this region. Unlike ordinary beast cultivators, its strength was incredibly potent, and its immortal root was extraordinary. In the past, it had killed more than one Saint to seize this aquatic dwelling and obtain ancient inheritances. Its talent made many elder ancient beasts extremely apprehensive.

Yet today, its heart pounded with fear. It felt as if it were being targeted by a ferocious beast, a chill spreading from head to toe, its entire body turning cold. This had never happened before. Was there a beast more ferocious than itself? It was simply ironic!

"True dragon blood flows within me! No one fully knows my potential; I am the strongest lineage from ancient times, yet now a being wants to hunt me!?" The Nine-Tailed Alligator Dragon raged. It surged from its aquatic dwelling, coiling on a reef, revealing its enormous body. Its entire body was golden, as if cast from gold, gleaming brightly, dazzling the eyes, and possessing an explosive power within. This was a colossus: a golden body, densely covered in scales, radiating golden light, with a true dragon's head, an alligator's body, and nine tails, hundreds of meters long.

"It's that human!" The Nine-Tailed Alligator narrowed its eyes, sacred radiance flowing from its golden body as it lay on the reef, feeling extremely wary within. This human, meditating by its aquatic dwelling for so many days without leaving, and even venturing deep into the lake, filled it with unease.

That person strode across the water, his physique robust, black hair cascading down, eyes profound, with an ethereal, fairy-like grace. Yet, his slender frame seemed to contain power capable of refining the universe, sending shivers down the dragon's spine. Ye Fan's body radiated light, serene and peaceful. He appeared effortless and detached, yet he exerted immense pressure, like an immortal king treading upon the waves.

"Human, halt! You have entered my territory. This is a provocation and disrespect," said the Nine-Tailed Alligator Dragon. Golden light erupted as its body moved, its golden scales clanging, scattering vast swathes of brilliant radiance as sacred might permeated the air.

Ye Fan did not stop. Behind him, the Dragon Horse neighed loudly, its hooves creating a thousand massive waves across the boundless green waters, a surging expanse that crashed forward.

"Human, and your mount, stop at once! I have not interfered with you; do not blame me for being impolite otherwise," shouted the Nine-Tailed Alligator Dragon.

"A Sacred Beast with partial dragon blood flowing within, a rare variant from ancient times—not bad. Become my subordinate," declared the Dragon Horse.

"Vile horse, you are going too far! I've endured again and again, yet you press closer with every step!" The Nine-Tailed Alligator Dragon roared, its golden body causing the thousand-mile-wide lake to boil as it swept towards the Dragon Horse and Ye Fan.

A great battle erupted. The Dragon Horse and the Nine-Tailed Alligator Dragon fiercely fought, their qi and blood reaching for the sun and moon, their battle intent tearing the sky. This was a world-shaking battle between Sacred Beasts. The Nine-Tailed Alligator Dragon roared. For so many years, it had always been the one stirring up trouble; no one had ever dared to provoke it actively. Just a few days prior, it had devoured over a dozen human powerhouses, including some at the Saint realm, who had become its blood food, far from being its opponents.

Ye Fan's Daoist robe fluttered, his hair glistening, flowing over his chest and back. He used Source Art to sense rare heavenly treasures in this place, searching carefully. It had to be said, the Nine-Tailed Alligator Dragon was a tough opponent; it fiercely battled the Dragon Horse for a long time, evaporating the lake water for thousands of miles around and turning the mountains and rivers for tens of thousands of miles into ashes, yet it did not fall.

"I refuse to believe it! I can't subjugate a subordinate I've set my sights on!" the Dragon Horse snarled furiously.

The Nine-Tailed Alligator Dragon was even more alarmed. It was a rising Sacred Beast, feared by many ancient beasts, invincible among its peers, having never encountered an opponent. Who knew there was an even more heaven-defying ferocious beast than itself, battling it until it vomited blood and barely survived.

"Eight Steps of the Heavenly Dragon!" the Dragon Horse bellowed. Its hooves struck like heavenly drums, shattering the vast sky. A massive golden alligator dragon plummeted, crashing to the ground, covered in blood.

"How about becoming my subordinate?" the Dragon Horse asked, casting a sidelong glance.

"You're dreaming!" the alligator dragon roared, spitting out a magic artifact—a Saint artifact—which was about to burn itself away, refusing to yield even in death.

"I won't stop you if you choose to commit suicide, but afterward, I plan to skin you and make dazzling golden alligator-skin combat boots," the Dragon Horse said leisurely.

This was the Dragon Horse's battle, and Ye Fan did not participate. He had discovered an anomaly in the great lake: it had completely evaporated during the battle between the two ferocious beasts, yet instantly refilled with water.

"It's an ancient cave dwelling, suppressing a rare heavenly treasure." He used Source Art to observe the world's momentum, discerning its profundities. With a single strike, a Saint-level formation collapsed, emitting soaring brilliance.

"No!" the Nine-Tailed Alligator Dragon cried out, utterly shocked. Ye Fan had actually shattered an ancient formation with a single strike! It was practically a heaven-piercing sword qi.

Inside the underwater cave dwelling were some magic artifacts, cultivation methods for Sacred Beasts, and even supreme secret techniques for refining dragon blood and evolving towards a true dragon. This greatly astonished the Dragon Horse, leaving it utterly dumbfounded. After suppressing the Nine-Tailed Alligator Dragon, it eagerly studied these ancient methods. Ye Fan scanned them with a glance, pondered for a moment, and noted down a few useful methods. Other beast cultivation paths were useless to him.

He proceeded deeper into the water cave, reaching the innermost part of the ancient dwelling. He stood quietly before a stone wall for a moment, then pressed his hands against it, pushing with world-shaking divine power. A dull thud echoed as a section of the stone wall was moved aside. Within the ancient dwelling was another, even more mysterious cave. Tens of thousands of years had passed, and even the Nine-Tailed Alligator Dragon's generation had not discovered this inner cave. The Nine-Tailed Alligator Dragon outside the dwelling was dumbfounded. Its aquatic dwelling had existed for many years, with generations of venerables succeeding one another, yet none had discovered its core secret.

Clearly visible, swathes of shimmering light shot out, emitting auspicious colors. They pierced through the aquatic dwelling, spread across the great lake, and dyed the entire sky with brilliance. Not to mention the Dragon Horse and Nine-Tailed Alligator Dragon, who were close by, even distant cultivators would know that an ancient treasure had definitely appeared.

"Ancient Demon Race Heavenly Tome!" the Nine-Tailed Alligator Dragon cried out, its eyes reddening. It had guarded a mountain of treasures in vain, failing to obtain the most crucial item, unaware of the divine treasure merely inches away.

These were nine pieces of ancient celestial jade, each imbued with ancient charm, flowing with a sense of antiquity, and emitting a peaceful, ethereal glow. If Ye Fan's Source Art hadn't been profound, he would never have discovered this inner cave, as it had, after all, eluded many generations.

He extended his divine sense, examining the contents of the Ancient Demon Race Heavenly Tome. He saw imprinted sets of symbols; the nine jade pieces were all different, recording distinct methods. This greatly surprised Ye Fan. It was not a complete ancient scripture, but rather remnants of profound and mysterious Dao traditions from the demon race that had long been lost. For example, methods for purifying blood, allowing a Sacred Beast to gradually develop dragon blood, which would then be refined and purified. These were far more complete than what was found in the outer cave dwelling.

These were not a single ancient scripture, but for Sacred Beasts of the demon race, they were all extremely important methods, broad in scope and not limited to one field.

"This must have been left by a generation's demon race prodigy. It was intentionally collected and organized, showing profound cultivation. Even if they didn't become an Emperor in the end, they must have been close," the Dragon Horse exclaimed after examining it.

The Nine-Tailed Alligator Dragon wished it could devour the Dragon Horse. This was originally its treasure, yet an outsider had gotten there first, filling its heart with unwillingness.

In one of the jade pieces, Ye Fan found hypotheses and explorations concerning some lost Dao traditions within the demon race. Only someone of unparalleled brilliance would deduce such things; the insights were sharp and perceptive.

"This might be something left by a demon race Great Emperor from their youth, before they attained Dao. It can be called a world-shaking heavenly tome!" Although this was not a true Demon Emperor scripture, it recorded what they dabbled in during their youth, as well as some deductions. Through this, one could glimpse some of their thoughts!

In a sense, while the methods recorded on the nine ancient jade pieces were exceptionally precious, they couldn't compare to the insights and deductions. This was a cultivation journal. "Through this, one can observe the sparks of thought of someone walking the path to emperorship. This is what's truly priceless!" The Dragon Horse repeatedly examined them, and generously showed a few pieces to the Nine-Tailed Alligator Dragon. Both felt their hearts pound, agreeing that these jade pieces were very likely left by an enlightened being in their youth.

Ye Fan silently observed for a long time. The Dao traditions themselves weren't very useful to him, but the thought process of creating Dao left him greatly impressed, giving him a sense of seeing an opponent across time and space.

"It's him... the Demon Emperor!" Ye Fan discovered an imprint, identical to the one seen in the Demon Emperor Hall in the Southern Ridge of the Big Dipper Star Domain. It resembled a demon god descending upon the world, and also a flying ancient character.

Regarding the Demon Emperor's existence, even the great demons of the Southern Ridge in the Big Dipper had no conclusive evidence, for he was too ancient. Even the Azure Emperor had to address him as 'Ancestor,' making it difficult for later generations to verify his true name. Legend had it that the Demon Emperor came from the depths of the starry sky, entered the Big Dipper in his later years, and resided in the Southern Ridge.

It was not uncommon for the demon race to walk the ancient human path; even now, figures like the Southern Demon continued to do so, simply because it was closer to their own homeworld. Just as some humans would eventually take the nearest ancient paths of the demon race, divine race, and others, ultimately converging towards the ultimate, sole ancient path. Of course, the dangers faced this way were immense. If one's identity were exposed, the attacks suffered could be many times greater; only those who defied the heavens would dare to try it lightly.

"So, how about it? Are you willing to be my subordinate? You can freely examine the Ancient Demon Race Heavenly Tome," the Dragon Horse shamelessly tempted.

The Nine-Tailed Alligator Dragon compromised, but naturally demanded to be treated as a brother, not a subordinate. The Dragon Horse reluctantly replied, "Fine, just don't let your cultivation fall too far behind mine. Also, help me find more Sacred Beast subordinates, the more the better."

Ye Fan let it be. Both the Great Demon God and Di Tian had subdued some subordinates; if the Dragon Horse wished to follow suit, he would offer his support.

"There's another box. Its life force is so strong; what's inside?" the Dragon Horse wondered, unsure, as it spotted another wooden box on the stone table. Ye Fan opened it, and immediately a vibrant aura of life burst forth, precisely the life force he had sensed earlier.

"A... seed!" the Nine-Tailed Alligator Dragon exclaimed in surprise.

"Oh, what good fortune. This great lake actually holds such an ancient cave dwelling, containing a peerless divine treasure." The shimmering light from the cave dwelling shot skyward, alarming many powerful beings nearby. These were a group of human trial-takers, who arrived first.

One young woman, blessed with a beautiful face, smiled faintly and said, "I don't want to say much. Leave at once, and I won't make things difficult for you." Another man, clearly also a central figure, enveloped in divine halos, smiled and said, "Leave the items and go."