Chapter 1528: West Emperor

The spring was dark, and though its water was clear and pure, with no shimmering light visible, Ye Fan instinctively knew that its quality had ascended to an even higher level.

"It's comparable to the divine springs in the Primordial Restricted Zones!"

No wonder the legendary Jade Lake was renowned throughout the world in ancient times, with many great sects coming to seek its water. The spring's water quality was rare, comparable to the divine springs found within the great life-forbidden zones. Such water, whether used for alchemy or drinking, had miraculous effects; it could extend one's lifespan, making it a supreme treasure.

However, upon entering the ninth underground level of the Immortal Lake, Ye Fan immediately felt a colossal aura; his body felt as if it would explode, making him incredibly uncomfortable. This lake was vast, spanning dozens of miles in circumference.

The green bronze cauldron emitted a faint glow; if even with its protection the situation was this difficult, one could imagine how perilous this place was. Ye Fan activated his Golden Sacred Domain, shielding the child close to his chest.

"The aura of a Great Emperor!"

In an instant, Ye Fan realized why this was happening. This place held the power of ancient Great Emperors, containing things they had left behind, which was why terrifying fluctuations surged forth. Only such divine energy waves could make the green bronze cauldron glow, make the Emperor Sword tremble, and activate its autonomous defense!

The murderous aura was bone-chilling, making one tremble. When the Jade Lake was relocated, almost all ancient divine stones carved with formation patterns were moved away, so it was impossible for this place to be an Emperor's Formation.

"Oh my goodness!" the Divine Child exclaimed in a hushed whisper.

"What are you saying?" Ye Fan asked.

The little fat child pursed his lips and wiped away tears, on the verge of crying. After all, he was still a child, with a very simple mind.

"Don't cry, I'll hide you away."

"No, I want to see what's there!" The little fat child was very stubborn, secretly peering forward while wiping away his tears.

Even though it was full of danger, Ye Fan still felt like laughing. He shook his head, composed himself, and walked forward.

Next, with every step, he felt as if heaven and earth were collapsing. The Emperor's artifacts trembled, making the pervasive, god-slaying pressure almost unbearable for him.

Finally, he saw it: the immortal lake reached its end. There was a small pool, separated from the main lake, with crystal clear, luminous water that supported a light barrier. Within it, a woman sat cross-legged, her hair disheveled, her true face obscured. The light barrier was nestled against a stone wall, forming a small immortal pool that perhaps could be called the tenth level of the Immortal Lake, though it was only about a zhang in circumference.

"The Western Empress!"

Ye Fan was greatly alarmed. This was an intact woman, with no injuries on her body, unlike the Grand Emperor, whose powerful essence had dissipated after shattering. Thus, she was incredibly oppressive, making even those holding Emperor's artifacts feel unparalleled pressure.

Ye Fan was startled. He hadn't expected the drastic changes at the Jade Lake to be connected to the Western Empress. She had single-handedly founded this sect; was it also due to her that it nearly ended?

In the small spring pool, the woman was lifelike, divine principles flowing within her body. Although still several miles away, the pressure she exuded was suffocating. A strange aura permeated the air, emanating from the Western Empress's body, causing waves of trepidation and making one question whether she had truly died!

Suddenly, Ye Fan felt a chilling murderous intent. In a trance, he seemed to see a pair of eyes open among the woman's disheveled hair, a truly soul-stirring sight. Ye Fan could hardly believe his eyes. The woman opened her eyes? How was this possible? The Western Empress had died tens of thousands of years ago; everyone in the Jade Lake knew she had transcended. How could she still be alive!

In an instant, that terrifying gaze disappeared, feeling very unreal.

"An illusion, or did it really happen?" he couldn't help but murmur to himself, feeling a chill run down his spine.

"Ghost!" the Divine Child shrieked, kicking his little legs. Unfortunately, the space within the immortal source was limited, and he was so stifled that his face turned pale.

Ye Fan's heart skipped a beat. He pulled the child back decisively, feeling more and more that this place was eerie and terrifying, causing him waves of unease. He hadn't expected that even with an Emperor's artifact, coming here would be so unsafe.

In the dark Immortal Lake, shadowy figures flickered, as if something was moving through the water, making it look even more terrifying. Only the small pool was glowing.

"What did you see?" Ye Fan asked.

"I saw her smile at me," the Divine Child said with a trembling voice, his small face pale.

"Nonsense," Ye Fan rebuked softly. "Even my Origin Heaven-eye didn't see her smile; I only saw her open her eyes. How could you have seen it?"

"Really, I saw her smile," the Divine Child insisted firmly. "That face was very beautiful, but very pale, without a trace of color." He added that he hadn't seen the woman open her eyes.

After hearing this, Ye Fan felt a chill run down his spine. How could the two of them see different things? Who was mistaken? He said no more. He directly observed the little fat child's Immortal Platform to read his memories. Indeed, he saw a blurred and pale face, as if it were right before his eyes, standing opposite him.

Ye Fan's heart trembled. Suppressing the urge to scold, he felt this place become even more sinister. Was it truly haunted? But for cultivators, this notion was too ridiculous. At their level of cultivation, how could they still be afraid of ghosts? What were they, merely field energies formed by concentrated Yin qi, far incomparable to Saints.

That woman had Emperor-level fluctuations, and being at the bottom of the Jade Lake, she should be the Western Empress. What was happening? Why were such strange things occurring? It felt ominous. Furthermore, why did different people see different "scenes"? Was all this an illusion, or was there something strange about this Emperor's corpse, capable of influencing one's primordial spirit?

Ye Fan's expression was uncertain. He truly didn't know what had happened to cause such eerie occurrences. He opened his Heaven-eye to scrutinize the situation thoroughly. Great Emperors were too mysterious and terrifying. The Western Empress's face was obscured by disheveled hair, and her slender, cross-legged body was almost half-hidden by her messy hair. He couldn't see through it. At this moment, only that blurred and pale face could serve as a reference; nothing else could be seen.

Ye Fan wide opened his Heaven-eye until his eyes felt like they would burst, but still couldn't see through. Moreover, that corpse actually gave rise to bursts of chaotic mist, making it even more terrifying. Suddenly, Ye Fan again felt waves of chilling coldness. The green bronze cauldron glowed intensely, the killing sword trembled slightly, its sword light flickering incessantly, and the Immortal Slaying Diagram on the sword body appeared blood-soaked, as if truly resurrected.

In a trance, a pair of cold eyes opened again, and there seemed to be a faint sigh, immensely mournful, filled with sorrow and grief. This was a contradictory scene: the eyes were so cold, while the sorrow echoing from the sigh was so profound. The two conflicted, making it very strange.

"Help, she's pouncing!" the little fat child shrieked, flailing his legs, his face filled with terror. If he could escape, he would have long since hidden behind Ye Fan. This was truly bizarre; different people had different perceptions. Ye Fan no longer knew what was real and what was fake.

He retreated again, then explored the Divine Child's sea of consciousness, discovering a pale and blurred face almost within reach, revealing an eerie smile and disheveled hair—it was extremely frightening. Even he gasped in cold air watching it. No wonder the little fat child was terrified, no longer daring to be stubborn and pleading for help.

Standing at a sufficient distance, Ye Fan and the little fat child slowly calmed down, but this place became increasingly sinister, as if they had fallen into the underworld.

"I'm scared, I want to leave," the little fat child finally relented, saying with great embarrassment.

"I'll put you away first," Ye Fan said.

"Then... I'll watch for a little while longer!" he said, pouting. Tears were almost flowing, and he refused to let Ye Fan put him away. Ye Fan was speechless. This little fat child was quite stubborn; he was clearly terrified, yet he wanted to compete with him, wanting to persevere.

"How come there's an extra person there?" the little fat child said with a trembling voice, blinking his large eyes.

Ye Fan looked, and a chill truly ran down his spine. There was an additional shadow emitting bursts of mist, making the small pool appear many times more terrifying.

"Another ghost? How did he get out?" the Divine Child whispered, wishing he could flee far away and never return.

The mist was very peculiar, enveloping the Emperor-level corpse. Even the Origin Heaven-eye couldn't see through it; only when it gradually dispersed could it slowly be perceived. A bloody arm, tinged purplish-blue, had grown some golden long hairs which were very jarring. There was a chill that permeated one's very bones, truly sinister and bone-chilling.

Ye Fan was stunned at that moment. After a closer look, his expression changed drastically, his pupils contracting sharply, as if he had seen a vengeful ghost! There were wounds on that arm, from which fresh red blood flowed, making his heart pound violently. A certain principle resonated with him, forming a connection.

"The blood of a Great Accomplishment Saint Body!"

Ye Fan immediately thought of this possibility because the more closely he observed, the more he felt a resonance. Through the Great Emperor's aura and the faint green light of the green bronze cauldron, his blood began to boil. How did this arm appear? Ye Fan took a few steps forward, unable to suppress his astonishment. He finally discovered that the small immortal pool was connected to a hidden cave, and the arm had been washed out by the water waves.

"A Great Accomplishment Saint Body!"

"Is this Emperor Wushi's father, the companion of the Western Empress?"

Ye Fan was dumbfounded, unable to utter another word. What he witnessed today was too shocking. He had seen the corpses of two supreme beings at once, and this might be the root cause of the drastic changes at the Jade Lake. He stared blankly. After a long time, he finally snapped back to reality at the Divine Child's urging. Ye Fan changed his position, peering into the small pool and the cave, wishing to see the true face of Emperor Wushi's father.

The cave was very hidden. He changed his angle repeatedly and found that inside, there was an ancient coffin, now open. A corpse lay outside, its arm resting against the Western Empress.

"How come there's golden hair on his body?!"

This was clearly something that grew later, as if something ominous had occurred, hence this change. The entire corpse was enveloped in wisps of mist, making it difficult to see clearly. But it was discernible that there were cracks on the forehead, with a fatal wound; presumably, his primordial spirit had been scattered back then.

"What happened?" Ye Fan had many unanswered questions, staring blankly at the two corpses.

Although quite far apart, he still felt as if he would be pulverized. Moreover, his Saint Blood surged uncontrollably when facing that Great Accomplishment Saint Body; their identical physiques made them resonate. Suddenly, as his blood boiled, an incredible scene appeared before Ye Fan's eyes, as if it were truly happening right in front of him.

It was a majestic man, with sharp, sword-like eyebrows extending to his temples and eyes as deep as the sea. He was strong and imposing; standing there, he made the sun, moon, and stars in the sky dim in comparison. He seemed like the master of the entire world, standing under the firmament and looking down upon the eight directions.

However, he was very tired at this moment, his body periodically emitted waves of purplish-blue qi, especially around his forehead, and golden hairs were continuously growing out from his skin. "I can't grow old with you anymore. Let me be free; send me on my way," he said, turning to an unparalleled beauty who likewise made the sun, moon, and stars dim, speaking with unspoken helplessness and profound reluctance.

The white-robed beauty's face was full of deep sorrow, tears streamed down, and she was immensely mournful. She tightly clasped his thick, wide hand.

"Our child, if unable to become an immortal, will still be able to re-establish the Heavenly Court and command the rise and fall of the heavens and earth!" At that final moment, when this man mentioned his child, his face was filled with radiant pride and confidence.