Chapter 281: Emperor's Sleeping Palace

The Black Emperor was uncertain and hesitant, worried that someone might try to become an emperor using corpses.

Ye Fan shook his head and said, "There's no way a 'corpse emperor' could emerge. I hear sounds of a fierce battle inside. If such a being truly existed, all the cultivators from the entire Eastern Wasteland would be annihilated!"

The buildings were constructed from gold and jade, sparkling and radiating a brilliant yellow light, as translucent as crystal, seeming both real and illusory.

They ascended the steps. The jade stairs beneath their feet shimmered with auspicious light, devoid of any eerie aura. Instead, they were filled with fragrant floral scents, as the magnificent jade structures were encircled by flowers and plants.

Upon entering the first jade hall, a rich spiritual energy immediately enveloped them. Everything inside was bright and sparkling, with all artifacts meticulously carved from spiritual jade.

"Let's proceed separately to avoid drawing attention," Ye Fan said, leading the way forward.

The Black Emperor made its body even smaller, just over a foot long, like a mystical cat. It padded stealthily, moving quietly and unnoticed.

Inside the first palace, the ground was covered in blood. Many cultivators had met a violent end, their bodies almost completely mangled. There were also several 'yin soldiers' – no, perhaps they should be called 'yin generals.'

Although they had been struck down, they still appeared lifelike. They possessed a pair of two-meter-long black wings on their backs. When tapped with a finger, the wings rang with a metallic sound, indicating their indestructible nature.

"It seems peaceful, yet such creatures guard this place. This is truly not a benevolent land."

Ye Fan hesitated briefly before proceeding deeper. The second palace astonished him; the blood on the ground was deep enough to cover their feet. Besides the bodies of cultivators, there was also an eight-headed great serpent.

The enormous serpent lay dead, its blood pooling across the entire palace floor, submerging it in a pervasive, foul stench. "It's truly terrifying that such powerful flesh and blood could be born from yin energy," the Black Emperor remarked from a distance, clicking its tongue. "And to think it was still defeated in the end."

Ye Fan noticed the marks of a Great Desolate Halberd, indicating it was the Golden-Winged Little Peng King who had slain it. This future king of the demon race was indeed exceptionally brave.

"Tap," "tap," "tap"…

In the quiet palace, Ye Fan's own footsteps echoed. As he entered the third palace, a silver light surged towards him, accompanied by a foul wind.

Startled, he formed a hand seal and struck out. With a loud "clang," the creature was sent flying back.

It was a flying Yaksha, shimmering with silver light, its face ferocious. It possessed a pair of robust silver wings and let out a low roar, attacking him again.

This was Ye Fan's first encounter with such a creature. Legends said they possessed at least the strength of the Four Extremities Realm, making them incredibly powerful and difficult to deal with.

However, he was not afraid, for although this silver-winged Yaksha was terrifying, it was already on its last breath, half its body destroyed by a previous assailant, leaving it with little strength.

He swung his golden palm, like a Heaven-Overturning Seal, chopping down fiercely. With a "bang," the flying Yaksha was shattered.

In this hall, over a dozen silver-winged Yakshas lay dead. This was equivalent to more than ten cultivators of the Four Extremities Realm, yet they had all been killed by the disciples of the various Holy Lands.

The formidable strength of the younger generation's Holy Land successors was evident.

Likewise, there were also human cultivators' remains in the hall, indicating heavy casualties, with more red blood than silver, staining the ground crimson.

Soon after, Ye Fan entered the fourth hall, where even more human cultivators' bodies lay scattered everywhere, amidst swirling blood mist.

In this hall, there were six peculiar corpses. They were not human, but six Feathered Daoists, all skeletal and clad in Daoist robes.

Their skin and flesh were golden, dry and tightly stretched over their bones, with small feathers sprouting from their bodies. When touched, their bodies felt incredibly heavy, and their feathers resonated with a metallic clink.

These were not manifestations of yin energy. Instead, they were true cultivators who had entered nirvana, then refined and reanimated by malevolent spirits. Such powerful ancient corpses possessed incredible combat strength, surpassing the Four Extremities Realm.

"All six Feathered Daoists were killed, their powerful golden bodies broken. These Holy Land successors are truly terrifying."

Although Ye Fan was surprised, it wasn't entirely unexpected. After displaying their unique phenomena, individuals like Ji Haoyue and the Jiang Family's Divine Physique could fight across a secret realm, even slaying veteran powerhouses, let alone these six Feathered Daoists.

"This grand tomb is truly extraordinary, even having Feathered Daoists. I wonder what else will emerge. I'm getting suspicious again – could some reckless fool genuinely be trying to become an emperor using corpses?" the Black Emperor muttered to itself.

In the fifth palace, there were even more corpses on the ground, leaving no space to step. The floor was a mire of blood, with occasional splinters of white bone spattering onto the translucent jade walls.

"What happened here? Could everyone have died in this place?" A chill went down Ye Fan's spine.

Suddenly, Ye Fan sensed residual Extreme Dao power. At the same time, he discovered three peculiar shattered bones within the blood-soaked mud, which had a jade-like luster.

The Black Emperor exclaimed in surprise, "They are three wondrous jade-boned corpses! They must have been Great Powers in life, refined after death and reanimated by malevolent spirits. While not comparable to living Great Powers, they are still incredibly terrifying."

"They even managed to find the corpses of Great Powers…" Ye Fan was quite astonished.

It was clearly Yan Ruyu who had acted, using an Extreme Dao weapon to shatter the three wondrous jade-boned corpses. Traces of the Extreme Dao divine might still lingered.

Ye Fan listened carefully, and it was only after some time that he heard sounds of fierce combat. The battle had resumed, far from their location.

He did not stop, proceeding towards the sixth ancient hall, a considerably long journey, spanning several miles.

Ahead, only the last radiant great hall remained, gleaming brightly in the pitch-black underground world.

The deep underground layers had been hollowed out. The sixth palace seemed exceptionally distant and ethereal, appearing to float in mid-air.

"The final hall! All secrets are there!" Ye Fan's heart pounded with excitement. Perhaps the Nine Secrets, perhaps something else – it was certainly an extraordinary place. He rushed forward swiftly.

In the dark underground, the Black Emperor moved with extreme agility, padding silently. It kept a distance, following closely behind.

Upon reaching the final hall, Ye Fan felt the immortal might of the Extreme Dao, a power that made him tremble involuntarily.

"An Extreme Dao weapon…" The Black Emperor's eyes gleamed, wishing it could snatch it away.

Inside this final radiant hall, a fierce battle was clearly underway. The intensity, even with the use of an Extreme Dao weapon, indicated the immense power of the opponents.

He did not immediately enter, stopping with the Black Emperor at a distance, waiting quietly.

"Boom!"

The entire underground world trembled, but the sixth hall remained resplendent and unbroken, still standing as before. It was evident that extraordinary Dao patterns were inscribed upon it.

Above this hall hung a plaque inscribed with four large characters: "Hall of Light."

"Thud!"

The underground continued to shake violently, with tremors originating from within the Hall of Light, yet it remained unshaken, never collapsing.

"Why does this Hall of Light look a bit familiar to me…?" the Black Emperor murmured, looking uncertain.

Just then, Ye Fan was startled. The magnificent jade structures had ended, but behind them, in the dark region, lay three colossal objects, not emitting any light.

"Those are... three coffins!"

His heart trembled. There were three coffins, the smallest of which was as large as a palace. The three grand coffins stood taller than one another, towering in the darkness.

"Six ancient halls and three grand coffins, combined, form the number nine – the most revered number by the ancients," Ye Fan murmured to himself.

"Boom!"

The Hall of Light suddenly shook violently, then instantly quieted down. The immortal might of the Extreme Dao diminished sharply, gradually returning to tranquility.

"Is it over?" Ye Fan prepared to act.

Suddenly, a great commotion erupted within the Hall of Light, as if something was being fought over.

"It's definitely over. Let's ignore those three coffins for now and go into the hall," Ye Fan said, rushing forward like a streak of light.

As they drew near, the Black Emperor's body trembled, and an expression of disbelief spread across its face. "It's… it!" it gasped.

"What did you see?" Ye Fan quickly stopped, halted his steps, and turned to look at it.

"What Hall of Light?! This is clearly the Great Emperor's former sleeping quarters! Which bastard moved it here and randomly changed its name?!" the large black dog cursed under its breath.

"What?!" Ye Fan's heart was shaken. No matter how much he pressed, the Black Emperor remained silent, refusing to say more.

Having no choice, Ye Fan strode into the Great Emperor's sleeping quarters.

This radiant hall was vast and deep. The immortal might of the Extreme Dao still permeated the air, yet many human cultivators were on the verge of intense conflict, nearly fighting amongst themselves.

In the center of the grand and spacious hall, a floating divine platform, entirely black, emitted streaks of auspicious light that cascaded downwards, appearing incredibly mysterious.

What was most captivating was an ancient beast skin scroll resting on the platform. It looked very ordinary, but it immediately excited everyone present.

Everyone wanted to rush forward, snatch it, and claim it for themselves, as it was very likely to be one of the Nine Secrets!

The strongest successors from the major Holy Lands—Dayan, Wanchu, Jiang Family, Zifu, Dao Yi, Ji Family, Yaoguang, and others—were all unharmed.

Inside the hall, Ji Haoyue, the Yaoguang Holy Son, Yao Xi, the Jiang Family's Divine Physique, the Yaochi Saintess, and others were all wary of each other, each wishing to act and seize the beast skin scroll from the black divine platform.

Ye Fan felt that one important person was missing: Yan Ruyu. Since she possessed an Extreme Dao weapon, how could she have disappeared?

"She's over there…"

He spotted an ancient pagoda in the hall. At first, he thought it was a mere decoration, but now he realized it was a terrifying weapon.

The ancient pagoda was translucent, and through it, one could vaguely see Yan Ruyu suppressed within its fifth level. Light shimmered in her hand as she resisted with an Extreme Dao weapon.

The pagoda had seven levels. On the topmost level, a blurry figure sat in meditation, controlling the ancient pagoda and suppressing Yan Ruyu.

Ye Fan gasped. This person was undoubtedly incredibly powerful. Although this ancient pagoda was a formidable artifact, how could it possibly compare to an Extreme Dao weapon? It was far inferior.

This individual, relying on sheer power, had sealed the demon race princess who wielded an Extreme Dao weapon. He was the guardian of the sixth hall!

Ye Fan's heart grew cold. None of the Holy Sons present had offered assistance. While Yan Ruyu contended with the formidable expert, they each harbored their own intentions.

The black divine platform floating in the center of the hall emitted auspicious lights that cascaded down, making one feel incredibly comfortable. The ancient beast skin scroll was within arm's reach, and the various Holy Land successors were ready to fight at any moment, yet no one dared to be the first to snatch it.

"What exactly is that dark stone platform, and how can it float in mid-air on its own?" Ye Fan transmitted with his divine sense.

The Black Emperor seemed highly agitated. "This, damn it, is a treasure—a Chaos Stone! It's the very bed where the Great Emperor once slept!"