Chapter 280: Entering the Underground Palace

Chapter 284: Entering the Underground Palace

Within the great canyon, the tomb was like an abyss.

Only a corner of its city gate was visible, making it impossible to estimate its true grandeur and scale. Countless shadowy soldiers and horses surged out, an unending stream.

The exceptional disciples from several major Sacred Lands had already ventured deep inside. Numerous major sects and other influential forces followed closely, slaying the shadowy soldiers and forcing their way in.

"Boom," "boom," "boom"... War drums thundered from the depths of the underground palace. Shadowy soldiers surged out like a black tide, and many cultivators met their untimely demise.

However, for the sake of the Nine Secrets, many powerful forces refused to retreat. A vast number of cultivators charged in, wielding their weapons and engaging in a fierce battle with the shadowy figures and horses.

Then, some unleashed Lihuo, incinerating large swathes of the enemy, turning swaths of shadowy spirits into nothingness.

"Kill!" Shouts of battle filled the air. The fierce fighting resulted in countless corpses scattered across the ground. The shadowy soldiers and horses were incredibly powerful and brave, trampling many people into bloody mud.

It was only an hour later that the shouts of battle gradually subsided. No one knew how many had died. The area in front of the city gate was a gory crimson, a muddy expanse where flesh and soil mingled, and pools of blood lay stagnant, a horrifying sight.

The city gate finally fell silent. The shadowy soldiers and horses had drastically reduced in number, almost disappearing, and no longer rushed outwards. Most of the surviving cultivators had already pushed inside.

"Everyone, are we still going in?" a cultivator asked, his face pale and body trembling slightly.

About a hundred people stood before the gate, all looking grim, with some female cultivators retching. Their strength wasn't sufficient, so they had observed from a distance until now.

"There aren't many shadowy soldiers left. It's probably safe now; we can go in," another pale-faced cultivator said.

"This ancient tomb is too terrifying. It's not a place we can freely enter and exit. Deeper within the underground palace, there will likely be even more powerful shadowy spirits," someone countered.

In the end, a small number of people entered, while most, being more rational, rushed out of the great canyon and returned to the surface.

Three figures descended from the sky, arriving before the underground palace and looking inside.

"Daoist Duan, are you going in?" Ji Ziyue asked.

"Let's wait a bit longer." Duan De was calm, showing no signs of hurry.

Ye Fan chuckled, "Aren't you worried someone else will obtain the Nine Secrets?"

"Aren't you in no hurry yourself? Good things can't be rushed. Just because they went in first doesn't mean they'll get anything," Duan De replied calmly.

"Buzz!" Suddenly, the underground palace shook violently. The oppressive yin energy inside grew heavier, causing many cultivators to exclaim in surprise, followed by the resurgence of battle cries.

Duan De's expression changed. "I knew it wouldn't be that simple. The truly formidable entities are just appearing now."

Low roars and fierce combat filled the depths of the underground palace, creating chaos and continuous screams.

"Are you sure this is truly the tomb of that ancient aristocratic family? I feel like something isn't right," Ye Fan asked.

"It's certainly not right. There are too many shadowy spirits. Such entities typically require an extremely long time to form," Duan De said, frowning.

Half an hour later, the depths of the underground palace finally grew much quieter. The roars ceased, and soon after, some people stumbled out.

These individuals were disheveled, pale-faced, and severely injured. Many had horrifying claw marks on their bodies, and some had their arms torn off.

"What's it like inside? What did you encounter?" Duan De, feigning a simple, honest demeanor, leaned forward and asked with feigned concern.

"Damn it, don't even ask! It's a ghost nest in there, full of malevolent spirits everywhere. The deeper you go, the more powerful the things you encounter,"

"I don't know which son of a bitch discovered this grand tomb and dug up the Yellow Springs Water. To hell with the Nine Secrets! It cost me an arm!" a burly man cursed incessantly, stumbling away.

Duan De rubbed his nose and said nothing more.

In just fifteen minutes, many people rushed out of the underground palace, all of them having lost their nerve and unwilling to risk further.

"Alright, it's our turn to go in. If we don't, there won't be anything left," Duan De decided, preparing to move.

Ye Fan said, "This humble Daoist doesn't want to go in. This place doesn't feel right; there probably aren't any Nine Secrets here."

Ji Ziyue also halted. If her brother couldn't handle the entities inside, there was no point in her going in now. She felt it would be more appropriate to seek help from an elder.

"In that case, this humble Daoist will go obtain the Nine Secrets alone," Duan De said, then vanished inside the city gate with a flash.

"Little Daoist, you should quickly get away from here." Ji Ziyue pondered for a moment, then flew out of the great canyon and soared into the distance.

This place was too dangerous. Even if one tried to fish in troubled waters, they would likely gain nothing, as the shadowy spirits were inexhaustible. Ye Fan did not act rashly and continued to wait outside.

Suddenly, the figure of a large dog entered his sight. The Black Sovereign, like a lone wolf, darted down the steep terrain from the top of the great canyon.

Ye Fan had not only changed his appearance but also fundamental aspects like his scent. Even if this was a dog spirit, it couldn't identify him by smell.

"Black Sovereign... Over here!"

The big black dog heard the call, started in surprise, and looked over, baring its fangs.

"It's me. Don't make a sound; use spiritual transmission." Ye Fan hadn't expected it to come here. His mind, which had settled, became active again. This fellow could break even a Great Expert's restrictions, so entering the underground palace with it would likely have a certain success rate.

The big black dog's face darkened. "I was just looking for you! I went with you to the Undying Palace to rescue someone, and I got absolutely nothing for my troubles. All that effort for you was for nothing."

"Has your conscience been eaten by a dog?!"

"Damn it..." The big black dog was so angry it almost lunged forward.

Ye Fan transmitted, "Don't get mad at me. That old demon was clearly sealed within your divine bell. How could you not have obtained the ancient scripture?"

"That menace temporarily merged with my divine bell. I can't refine it, so I can't obtain the ancient scripture at all," the big black dog said, greatly annoyed.

Ye Fan chuckled, "That's simple. When Pang Bo comes out in the future, I'll have him take you as his mountain-guarding divine beast and impart an unsurpassed ancient scripture to you."

The big black dog looked displeased. "Kid, do you believe I'll yell 'The Root of All Things' Mother Qi is here again,' and a group of people will rush over and tear you apart?"

"Alright, we're two grasshoppers on the same rope. Let's not argue. Let's go into the underground palace together now and see what benefits we can get."

"You want this Sovereign to help you break restrictions, don't you?" the big black dog said, as if it had seen through Ye Fan's intentions.

Ye Fan maintained a composed expression. "This place is a ghost nest. I'm letting you in because I think you might gain some benefits. There probably aren't many restrictions to break."

"If you want this Sovereign's help, just say so directly. Don't make it sound like I should be grateful to you," the big black dog snarled.

"I wanted to ask you if you can inscribe Dao patterns that allow for void traversal?" Ye Fan looked at it seriously.

The big black dog proudly declared, "Who is this Sovereign? First and foremost, unparalleled in heaven and earth. There are no Dao patterns I cannot inscribe. As long as you provide the source materials, I can even send you to Central Province."

"Really? Or are you bluffing?" Ye Fan's interest was piqued.

"Naturally, it's true."

Ye Fan's eyes lit up, and he urged, "Then let's not waste any more words. Quickly start inscribing now. I don't need it to traverse a million li, just a thousand li through the void will do. It'll serve as our escape route later."

"Inscribing such things requires special materials. Do you have any Profound Jade Platforms?" the big black dog asked, rolling its eyes.

"I've collected some." Ye Fan threw out a large piece several meters long, dark and translucent, with glimmering points of crystal light.

There was another reason he hadn't entered the underground palace: the major Sacred Lands were determined to obtain the Nine Secrets, and their Grand Elders had certainly arrived, likely sealing off the area from outside.

Now that the Black Sovereign was here, if it could inscribe void-traversing Dao patterns, it would effectively resolve this hidden concern for him.

Fifteen minutes later, Ye Fan and the big black dog entered the underground palace. Of course, they didn't walk together, moving one after the other, and the big black dog had transformed into a two-foot-long common dog to avoid being recognized.

This underground world was incredibly vast. The deep and far-reaching underground palaces were connected, leading who knew where. It didn't resemble a single large tomb but rather an expansive underground fortress.

Along the way, they saw many corpses, and occasionally one or two shadowy soldiers would charge out. However, these couldn't stop Ye Fan, as it wasn't a charge of thousands of troops.

"Once we're inside, pay close attention to a stout Daoist. No, he's changed his appearance. He looks like this..." Ye Fan transmitted to the big black dog.

"Are you saying you want me to bite him at a critical moment and snatch treasures?" the big black dog asked, eyeing him askance. "How can you ask me to do such a despicable thing?"

"Actually, if I could, I'd gladly bite him myself, but my teeth aren't sharp enough, so I can't compare to you. That scoundrel is sure to find treasures. Just keep an eye on him, and you're guaranteed to return with a haul."

This ancient tomb was truly magnificent, like an underground palace. Stone pillars were carved with coiling dragons, and tomb walls depicted phoenixes, showing meticulous craftsmanship. One underground palace connected to another.

"Meow..." Suddenly, a piercing cat's shriek echoed. A streak of black light shot out from a stone hall, lunging at Ye Fan with the speed of black lightning.

It was a colossal creature, five to six meters long, with sharp claws over a foot in length. It resembled a large black cat, but its body was covered in scales, making it strong and powerful. Its teeth were like daggers, gleaming with cold light.

Ye Fan threw a punch, shattering the large black cat. Besides transforming into a dense cloud of yin energy, a pool of foul blood remained.

The Black Sovereign's expression turned serious. "A yin entity has produced blood. This place is truly ominous; it's probably been sealed for ten or twenty thousand years."

After penetrating several miles deeper into the underground palace, Ye Fan grew increasingly alarmed. He saw a shadowy giant soldier over ten meters tall that had developed flesh and blood, yet half its body had been severed, appearing to be a wound left by a Great Desolation Halberd.

Soon after, he successively saw dozens of shadowy soldiers whose bodies were covered in scales, with many shattered Dao Palace-level weapons scattered around them.

They looked as if they had been scorched, missing half their bodies. This strongly resembled the Saint Light Art of the Shaking Light Saint Child.

"Rumble, rumble, rumble!" Yellow water surged. A great river flowed through the underground palace, its yellow hue chilling to the heart, permeated by a putrid stench.

Not long after moving forward, Ye Fan saw many shadowy soldiers clad in golden armor, gleaming brightly and with rosy complexions, as if they had gained life. However, they had already been slain.

Subsequently, they saw several massive piles of withered bones, with large, ferocious serpents nearby. Then, they saw a blood lake, also frequented by creatures, though these seemed to have been intimidated by those ahead of them and did not charge over.

After advancing a total of over ten li, they finally reached the end of the underground palace, where the scenery had completely transformed.

The yin energy was swept away. Ahead was an expanse of pure light, dazzling and incredibly bright.

It was a stretch of magnificent, shimmering palaces, situated at the very end of the underground palace. They appeared exceptionally sacred, with auspicious colors blossoming and rays of light radiating in all directions.

The surroundings were lush green, with numerous exotic flowers and rare plants growing in this underground world.

"How strange! I thought it was a ghost nest, but it turns out to be a palace radiating sacred light," Ye Fan murmured, somewhat surprised.

These buildings were golden yellow, yet almost crystal clear and transparent, resembling both gold and spiritual jade, truly magnificent.

Upon seeing this scene, the big black dog was greatly startled. "Damn it, this Sovereign couldn't have seen wrong, could I? Such sacred power... Is someone trying to prove their emperorship through a corpse?!"

"Ji Haoyue, the Golden-Winged Little Peng King, the Jiang family's Divine Physique, and people from all the Sacred Lands have gone in. I wonder what they'll discover," Ye Fan said, a divine light in his eyes.