Chapter 1510: Imperial Blood Case

The deepest part of the forbidden zone was scorched earth. In the outer areas, mountains had collapsed, rivers had dried up, and the land was a desolate, lifeless wasteland. Inside, however, it was a crimson, bloody scene, with shattered bones and chunks of flesh scattered everywhere, a truly shocking sight!

The blood was vibrant red and translucent, emanating an immortal divine glow. Although most of its essence had dissipated, it was still awe-inspiring, and a powerful sense of pressure permeated the air.

Imperial blood!

In an instant, these three words sprang into Hun Tuo and Ye Fan's minds.

The entire center of the forbidden zone was a tragic and vivid expanse, glowing with a faint red light. There were many puddles of this imperial blood, along with fragments of white bones stained with streaks of blood and bits of flesh, a sight that made one's heart pound.

An aura capable of severing spirits and seizing souls permeated the area. This was not a tangible, powerful force, but an invisible spiritual pressure that was felt more intensely by stronger individuals.

Ye Fan and Hun Tuo felt their blood boil, and their forehead bones emitted a faint, precious light, as if they were bearing dozens or even hundreds of massive stars. The Divine Platform within their brows felt as though it would explode.

Calming their minds, focusing their thoughts, and exercising self-control, they quickly stabilized their mental states. They deliberately refrained from using their spiritual or physical power, choosing not to resist the pressure, behaving instead like ordinary mortals.

The pain of torn spirits and sundered bones slowly subsided, and the two finally stabilized. The overwhelming, evil-defying pressure ahead no longer targeted them directly but instead clashed with the imperial artifacts.

Neither the dark blue gourd nor the green bronze cauldron above Ye Fan's head diminished in radiance; instead, they shone even more brilliantly.

Porcelain Doll and the other children, who hadn't initially perceived the danger, immediately understood the gravity of the situation upon seeing Ye Fan and Great Saint Hun Tuo's reactions. This place was fraught with peril!

"An Emperor fell here, his body shattered. The Path to Immortality is truly terrifying, causing an ancient supreme being to meet such a tragic end," Ye Fan sighed.

Great Saint Hun Tuo's expression was grim. Such an outcome was deeply affecting; even a supreme being, invincible through the ages, had a day of sorrowful demise, dying tragically on the path to the immortal realm. It truly sent shivers down one's spine.

There was no head, no face, no discernible true form. The ancient Emperor had completely exploded, shattering into pieces, bloody and oozing, emitting a vivid red light that sent chills down one's spine.

Among these remnants, the only perfectly preserved part was a right hand, smooth as jade and possessing a terrifying divine power. If it were to strike someone, even a Quasi-Emperor would be annihilated, body and soul.

Alas, it now lay motionless ahead; everything was over. The ancient Emperor had failed in his attempt to cross the Path to Immortality, perishing and fading away.

This was the tragic conclusion on the Path to Immortality: an ancient supreme being's sorrowful end!

Ye Fan had heard many legends, but what he saw before him was the most tragic scene on the Path to Immortality: an Emperor-level figure utterly obliterated. How devastating must that have been?!

Further ahead, chaotic mist obscured and severed the entire small world, indicating that the Path to Immortality ended here, having been shattered.

This individual had failed in the trial and met a desolate end.

"Who is this person? Could it be the Undying Sovereign?" Ye Fan murmured to himself.

Great Saint Hun Tuo's heart skipped a beat. To the Myriad Ancient Races, that name was supreme; even after countless ages, he remained the paramount deity in the hearts of many ancient clans.

Furthermore, a legend had persisted among many great clans that the Undying Sovereign might not have died but instead achieved immortality!

In truth, this was unsubstantiated. Perhaps it was a myth and glory elaborated from people's reverence for their supreme deity. No one knew the truth.

"It couldn't be the Undying Deity," Hun Tuo shook his head, refusing to accept the notion. "He was invincible in the mortal realm. Even if he embarked on the Path to Immortality, he wouldn't be defeated. He's called the Undying; this obstacle couldn't have caused his demise."

"But he came here, buried a coffin, and left behind a human skin. His flesh and bones were nowhere to be found. Could it not be him?" Ye Fan's eyes gleamed with sharp light as he spoke.

In fact, Ye Fan himself didn't entirely believe it was the Undying Sovereign, because he had previously heard another person's roar on the battlefield outside, and it seemed the Undying Deity had gained the upper hand.

"Has there ever been an era in this world where two Emperors coexisted?" Ye Fan asked.

Hun Tuo shook his head. To his knowledge, there hadn't been. However, recalling the Age of the Heavenly Emperor, he hesitated. That was a complex and grand era; it was rumored that powerful individuals of the same rank might have coexisted, though there was no definitive evidence.

The two circled the shattered mountains and rivers, observing the shocking blood and white bones. The Emperor's body was fragmented, and most of its essence had seeped away, yet it remained profoundly unsettling.

Of course, the primary factor was the spiritual pressure, which affected stronger individuals more profoundly, causing their hearts to tremble and their limbs to quiver.

"To have fought to this extent on the Path to Immortality, this person seemed on the verge of entering, but alas, ultimately failed at the last hurdle and died tragically here."

"The timing of this person's era was off. He tried to force his way in with his awe-inspiring cultivation, but it was destined to fail."

The two discussed their desire to retrieve a piece of the Emperor's bone, as even with most of its essence gone, it was still a rare immortal material. However, they were unable to act because the glowing blood and bones were still interwoven with indestructible Great Emperor array patterns.

"Wuu… wuu…"

Suddenly, a wailing sound reached their ears, sounding utterly mournful and desolate. Someone was weeping, and judging by the voice, they were not too young and deeply sorrowful. The sound came from straight ahead.

Emperor patterns flickered in this area. Though they didn't spread outwards, they could distort space, severely interfering with one's sight and hearing.

Initially, Ye Fan and Hun Tuo thought it was merely an ancient, un-erased imprint and didn't take it seriously. However, after walking several tens of miles further and sensing an Imperial aura, they were startled.

In a mountain hollow, a blurred figure was weeping bitterly, prostrating before the blood and flesh at the center. Above the figure's head, a dragon sword gleamed brilliantly, emitting a dazzling light and continuously wailing.

The Grand Emperor Sword!

This was the supreme treasure of the Great Xia Imperial Clan in the Central Plains, left behind by its founder.

There was no need to think further; this person must have come from this immortal divine dynasty.

Ye Fan's heart jolted, and Hun Tuo instantly understood. Everything was now clear: the one who died in the center of the battlefield was the Grand Emperor, founder of the Great Xia Divine Dynasty.

The Grand Emperor had embarked on the Path to Immortality, failed in his forceful attempt to break through, and his body had shattered here!

This was a Great Saint, emitting an aura of decay, with not much lifespan left. There was no need to dwell on it; this was the "foundation" of the Great Xia Imperial Clan, now emerged.

This person must have been a descendant of the Grand Emperor; otherwise, why would he be so mournful? In the twilight of his life, he shakily stood up, cried out several times, letting the Grand Emperor Sword wail, and then finally departed.

He did not greet Ye Fan or Hun Tuo but simply walked away on his own.

It was not one of the ancient supreme beings, but rather the Grand Emperor. This truth made Ye Fan sigh softly, and Great Saint Hun Tuo was also stunned, remaining silent for a long time.

As for Porcelain Doll and the others, they kept their mouths shut, their small faces filled with seriousness, each holding their breath and concentrating, quietly listening and observing.

Ye Fan knew that the Grand Emperor had been here before, because during a battle years ago, he and others had ascended a ten-thousand-foot jade platform and discovered a diagram left by the Grand Emperor inside the Undying Sovereign's coffin.

"So this is the outcome! It's not an ancient Sovereign, nor the Undying Sovereign, but the Grand Emperor who perished!"

An ancient Emperor died here, filled with unwillingness. Not far away, imperial blood still burned, its flames unextinguished, a testament to his indignant residual will struggling against his fate.

Immortality, the hope of countless heroes throughout history. Yet there was no definitive record stating that anyone had truly achieved it.

Now, it seemed, all were tragedies. Even ancient Emperors had failed, leaving behind immense regret, falling in pools of blood on the Path to Immortality.

"What about the roaring in that battlefield?" Ye Fan murmured to himself, looking at Hun Tuo.

Reflecting now, that roar was truly horrifying. It seemed to be full of extreme anger and hatred towards the Undying Sovereign, shouting out fierce denunciations.

Hun Tuo also pondered; it was truly bizarre.

What had transpired in the past? How could such indignation leave its voice imprinted in the eternal void, still lingering to this day?

That terrifying voice, still present, was very likely a roar from an Emperor-level figure. Could it have been left by the Grand Emperor?

Anyone who connected the dots would inevitably draw certain conclusions.

"How exactly did the Grand Emperor die?" Ye Fan's expression showed a hint of peculiarity.

Great Saint Hun Tuo fell silent for a moment. There were clues pointing in one direction: it was highly probable that the Undying Sovereign had secretly attacked and ambushed the Grand Emperor.

But how was that possible? The Undying Sovereign was a figure from the early Archaic Era, the late Mythical Age, existing millions of years ago, while the Grand Emperor lived only tens of thousands of years ago. How could they have met? It made no sense.

"Could that old fiend, the Undying Sovereign, really have lived for such an immense period? How is that possible? If so, he wouldn't need to achieve immortality; he would already be immortal."

Hun Tuo, hearing Ye Fan's irreverence, didn't object. He merely frowned, thinking deeply for a long time, feeling a sense of dread and strangeness himself.

"Could it be that as the Grand Emperor forcefully broke through and opened the Path to Immortality, the Undying Sovereign ambushed him and stole his immortal fruit?" Porcelain Doll whispered.

The other young people looked horrified. These matters were too far removed from their understanding; Great Saints were already figures they couldn't hope to emulate, let alone Emperors. Yet now, they were privy to such a profound secret.

This was a bewildering and bloody case involving an ancient Emperor.

After speaking, Porcelain Doll shook her head again. This theory had a fatal flaw: who could live for millions of years?

Ye Fan's eyes narrowed, and he said, "Could it be that the Undying Sovereign eventually took that path? Perhaps the Primordial Ancient Mine was his creation, which allowed him to live for countless ages?"

Hun Tuo was startled and muttered, "Doing that could indeed allow one to live for an immense period, but it's too cruel. One would find it difficult to make any further progress in this life."

What he spoke of was now beyond doubt: the beings within the Primordial Ancient Mine were precisely those who had survived through such methods.

"The Undying Sovereign would never do that," Great Saint Hun Tuo stated. "He is a proud individual. Born to make the gods of all realms prostrate before him, he would sooner die than humble himself. He claimed to be the greatest of all time; how could he bow his head?"

Regardless, there was no corpse of the Undying Sovereign here. He had definitely visited and must have schemed for and obtained something.

"The ancient Emperors and Sovereigns can be counted. Let's return to that battlefield and carefully observe the imprints to determine who left them, and thus uncover the truth of this bloody incident," Ye Fan said, leading the way outwards, intent on finding answers.