Chapter 57: A Page of Golden Book

**Chapter 57: A Page of Golden Scripture**

Among the powerful cultivators, the golden-haired demoness was undoubtedly the fastest. As her wings flapped, two golden lightning bolts seemed to streak across the sky. She was the first to reach the ancient hall, spreading her wings as she pushed against the tightly shut five-colored jade door.

"Hiss!" To everyone's surprise, a burst of five-colored divine light erupted, instantly flinging her backward. Even a powerful demon like her was sent tumbling five or six times. The others gasped, daring not to be careless. They all summoned their weapons and surged forward, intent on opening the Demon Emperor's tomb.

The entire ancient hall was forged from five-colored divine jade, appearing as if it had transcended time from primordial antiquity, imbuing observers with a sense of temporal depth and historical presence. Numerous ancient characters were carved into the sparkling hall's foundation: vigorous dragon-shaped script, soaring phoenix-shaped script, profound Xuanwu-shaped script, and grand Qilin-shaped script. Resembling dragons and phoenixes, turtles and qilins, these characters were like iron hooks and silver strokes, majestic and powerful – the very Imperial Demon Script from before the Primordial Era.

These characters possessed mysterious power. Each time the cultivators attempted to approach, they were repelled by the circulating five-colored divine light, unable to get close enough to push open the ancient hall's door.

"Boom!" Several great demons, along with cultivators from Spirit Void Holy Land, launched a combined attack. The purple copper cauldron, golden sword, Bagua mirror, and dragon-scale blade all simultaneously struck the ancient hall's door, finally shaking it. Amidst rumbling sounds, a crack appeared.

Instantly, a primordial aura assailed them, accompanied by powerful life fluctuations surging like a vast ocean, which immediately flung everyone outside backward.

"Dong!" The dull yet powerful sound grew even more terrifying, causing everyone present to change their expressions as they felt a painful throbbing in their chests. Yet, no one hesitated. After stabilizing themselves, they immediately surged towards the magnificent ancient hall.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss!" Lights flashed, and various weapons bristled with divine radiance, clashing repeatedly and emitting clanging sounds. Demon cultivators and human practitioners crowded before the five-colored ancient hall, where battle erupted once more. No one wanted the other side to gain an advantage; everyone desired to be the first to rush inside.

In front of the magnificent ancient hall, dazzling light shone and demonic energy surged skyward. Both sides fought with true fervor; this was a life-or-death battle. No one held anything back, as the Demon Emperor's Tomb was simply too important to them.

Blazing light flickered, and the sky itself seemed to tremble. Various weapons bristled with divine light, striking horizontally and vertically. Killing intent pierced the heavens, and divine power surged, making the area in front of the ancient hall nearly boil with energy.

The battle was extremely fierce. Within half a quarter of an hour, a Grand Elder from Spirit Void Holy Land was steadily forced back, gradually losing his footing. He was then impaled through the chest by a great demon, half of his shattered heart ripped out alive. Blood spattered, staining the demon's body and making him appear incredibly savage.

The Sect Master of Spirit Void Holy Land had an icy expression. Forming hand seals, he traced strange trajectories in the sky, causing the purple copper cauldron to vibrate. Endless purple mist billowed forth, instantly drawing two great demons into the cauldron.

"Boom!" Raging purple divine flames soared, and heart-rending screams erupted from within the copper cauldron. The two great demons were instantly melted alive, leaving only two wisps of faint smoke to drift out.

From a distance, Ye Fan was repeatedly shocked. Such brutal combat was truly terrifying, and as a modern person, he found it somewhat difficult to accept. He seriously pondered whether becoming a cultivator was meaningful and worth the cost.

Just then, a fierce battle also erupted between over a dozen ferocious birds and beasts on the volcano and the elders of Spirit Void Holy Land, equally tragic. A wide-mouthed, tusked humanoid beast, covered in fur over half a foot long, looked incredibly grotesque. It instantly tore an elder into two halves, blood splattering and shattered remains falling in a horrific sight. Nearby, another elder from Spirit Void Holy Land summoned his Demon-Slaying Blade, vertically cleaving a ferocious bird in half. Cold light glittered within tens of meters as the blade shone brilliantly, dripping with blood, suspended in the air – a truly gory scene.

Among the dozen or so super-ferocious birds and beasts, the Lightning Bird was especially terrifying. Possessing extreme speed, it soared skyward, extended its golden sharp claws, and instantly tore apart the divine drum an elder had summoned. As it swooped down, it also brought hundreds of lightning bolts with it, dense and incessant, accompanied by rumbling thunder and flashing electricity, resembling dozens of shimmering, meter-long blades falling from the sky.

"Crack!" The elder from Spirit Void Holy Land soared upward on a divine rainbow, but he still could not evade the attack. He simply couldn't outrun hundreds of lightning bolts; his entire body was charred black from the electricity. After trembling a few times, he plunged into the volcano crater, where he was engulfed by the surging magma.

This battle was filled with gore and slaughter. Both humans and demons suffered casualties, as everyone fought desperately, each wanting to be the first to rush into the Demon Emperor's Tomb.

"Is this what a cultivator's life is like...?" Ye Fan muttered to himself, his heart deeply unsettled. This was completely different from the life he had imagined—soaring on divine rainbows, carefree and unbound.

"Perhaps different cultivators have different paths," he mused. As he spoke, his eyes cleared, revealing a resolute gaze. "Since I've chosen this path, I must walk it step by step. My destiny cannot be controlled by others. I must become strong..."

Suddenly, a soft sound interrupted Ye Fan's thoughts. Pang Bo, lying on the ground, became shrouded in a hazy green aura, and a greenish-blue light slowly began to illuminate his body.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss!" Beams of light flowed out from Pang Bo's body. These were the Dao patterns laid by Elder Wu Qingfeng, the sealing power he had left. Yet, at this moment, they all surged out – the seal had failed!

Simultaneously, a faint green light bloomed in Pang Bo's Sea of Bitterness. Immediately afterward, his body jolted, and his eyes snapped open with a "swoosh," emitting two intensely demonic green rays.

Concurrently, strange runes appeared on Pang Bo's forehead and face; some were meaningless patterns, while others resembled ancient characters.

These runes, which seemed to be characters, sometimes resembled dragons and phoenixes, or a Xuanwu tortoise, or even a winding Tengshe snake.

Ye Fan was instantly startled. Although he couldn't decipher the meaning of the runes, he had heard the Transmission Elder mention that they bore a striking resemblance to the demon race's script.

With faint green eyes, Pang Bo sat up rigidly, then silently rose to his feet. He looked coldly at Ye Fan, seemingly intent on attacking, but his raised palm trembled, somewhat disobedient to his will.

"Pang Bo...!" Ye Fan called out loudly. He knew that Pang Bo's will was not entirely dormant and was certainly struggling to regain control of his body.

At the sound of the call, the body swayed, and the demonic patterns on his forehead and face significantly faded. However, a low growl erupted, and Pang Bo's body violently shook. Then, the greenish-blue light intensified, and his forehead and face became fully covered in demonic patterns before slowly calming down.

At this point, he stopped staring at Ye Fan and instead turned to look towards the volcano, a hoarse voice emerging from his lips: "I merely let you seal me on purpose..."

Ye Fan's heart instantly leaped with alarm; this unknown entity occupying Pang Bo's body seemed incredibly terrifying.

Meanwhile, the battle in front of the ancient hall grew fiercer. The hall's door had been pushed open, and both sides were now fighting intensely at the entrance. The Sect Master of Spirit Void Holy Land and two great demons had already stepped one foot inside.

Just then, Pang Bo glanced back at Ye Fan, then suddenly rose into the air, transforming into a green streak of light that shot towards the ancient hall above the volcano crater.

The struggle in front of the ancient hall was extremely fierce, a stalemate with casualties on both sides. Pang Bo's sudden appearance instantly startled the elders of Spirit Void Holy Land. Meanwhile, several great demons, upon seeing the demonic patterns on his forehead and face, also showed expressions of surprise and uncertainty.

However, no one had time to pay attention to him at that moment. The Sect Master of Spirit Void Holy Land and two great demons simultaneously stepped into the ancient hall. Pang Bo left a lingering afterimage in the sky as he followed closely behind the three powerful cultivators and rushed inside.

The sky was a blaze of splendor as the remaining two Grand Elders and several great demons also successively charged into the hall. Below, the Lightning Bird and other super-ferocious birds and beasts, along with the ordinary elders of Spirit Void Holy Land, all soared into the air and rushed towards the ancient hall.

"Dong!" Just then, the dull sound from within the hall resonated once more, far more violent and potent than before.

"Puff!" Two elders from Spirit Void Holy Land instantly coughed up mouthfuls of blood, stumbling backward out of the hall. Meanwhile, an arm-thick silver centipede's body cracked all over, then its silver-casted form broke into countless pieces, falling from the ancient hall.

Another ferocious beast, resembling a savage ox with a lion's head and covered in dense green scales, stood over a dozen meters tall and charged into the air like a small mountain. Yet, as soon as it approached the ancient hall, it was shaken by the dull sound and coughed up large mouthfuls of blood, a shattered heart expelled on the spot.

"Dong!" "Dong!" "Dong!"... The dull sounds continued incessantly. The super-ferocious birds and beasts and the elders from Spirit Void Holy Land who had initially rushed in all swayed and retreated, bleeding from all seven orifices and severely wounded. A few weaker individuals and some of the savage beasts had died inside, their chests split open and blood splattering, unable to escape the ancient hall.

From a distance, Ye Fan was shocked. What kind of power did the Demon Emperor's Tomb contain to be so terrifying? Although he was far away, he could still feel an increasingly powerful force, and the dull sound was becoming unbearable even for him.

The magnificent ancient hall was shaking. Inside, people were engaged in fierce combat, several great demons were roaring, and the Sect Master and Grand Elders of Spirit Void Holy Land were also letting out long howls.

"Bang!" A greenish-blue light flashed, and Pang Bo's figure appeared at the ancient hall's entrance, looking as if he had been blasted out. His face was ashen. He then heavily slapped several corpses on the ground, sending them flying with unknown force towards the mountain where Ye Fan was, where they fell heavily.

Ye Fan's heart stirred, for he noticed that Pang Bo, his face wreathed in green mist, had glanced in his direction before roaring and charging back into the ancient hall.

Ye Fan flipped over a few of the corpses and observed them carefully. He then discovered an anomaly on the body of a savage beast: faint golden light was circulating from its wound, so subtle that it would be nearly impossible to notice without close inspection.

"What's going on...?" Ye Fan extended a finger and probed the wound. He felt as if he had touched something, and then he pulled it out with two fingers.

Instantly, dazzling radiance surged forth, nearly blinding Ye Fan. It was a golden page, upon which flowed endless divine glory, splendid and captivating.

This golden page was heavier than metal. It was densely inscribed with countless ancient characters, so minuscule they were almost impossible to discern. Yet, each character seemed to shine like a star, radiating brilliant light.

Ye Fan's heart immediately began to pound rapidly, and he felt his mouth go dry. He squinted his eyes against the dazzling divine radiance emanating from the golden page.