Chapter 1372: Mobilization
Pang Bo’s greatest fortune was obtaining the Green Emperor’s Divine Treasury in the Eternal Star Domain. Aside from a few handwritten notes, the most astonishing item was that jar of Evolutionary Divine Liquid, whose grade was impossible to determine.
Every time he took a dose, he almost had to undergo a tribulation. Its powerful effects even frightened him somewhat. Over the years, he had been restraining himself, afraid to consume too much.
This was because the Green Emperor had left behind a posthumous text, solemnly warning later generations not to rely on it excessively. If one wished to take it, each time they must first solidify their Dao foundation, otherwise great calamity would follow.
It was precisely for this reason that Pang Bo had not ascended to heaven in a single step over these years. He lived a life more arduous than even the most ascetic cultivators, constantly punishing himself year after year, tempering his body until it was almost forged into a Divine Demon Physique.
Although he exercised great restraint, his realm relative to ordinary people was still advancing by leaps and bounds. He was not far from the Saint King realm and could break through if he wished.
Upon hearing this, Ye Fan was startled. He knew that Evolutionary Liquid had nine grades, but the later grades could not appear in the world. The highest grade to emerge in the last fifty to sixty thousand years was only the sixth-grade precious liquid.
The Divine Liquid left by the Green Emperor was truly heaven-defying, difficult to assess in grade. But thinking about it, he relaxed—after all, this was the only Demon Emperor to attain the Dao in the Ancient Era!
“There shouldn’t be any side effects, right?” Ye Fan was somewhat worried, afraid that Pang Bo’s reliance on the Divine Liquid to build his Dao might leave hidden dangers affecting his future achievements.
“That’s not the case.” Pang Bo shook his head.
Over the years, he had strictly followed a Divine Demon Body-Tempering Technique left by the Green Emperor, being extremely harsh on himself. This was a forbidden secret art, nearly self-abusive, treating himself like a metal block, forging and refining in a blazing furnace countless times, constantly exchanging blood, washing and tempering his internal organs and bones.
“In the past few decades, I’ve undergone six or seven transformations, shedding quite a bit of old skin and broken bones.” Pang Bo said nonchalantly.
Ye Fan, however, felt a chill run down his spine. What a cruel method this was! Others progressed step by step, but this ancient technique was too violent and overbearing. It directly shed skin and squeezed out crushed bone fragments from within the body. Such a process was too intense, and at the slightest misstep, it could severely damage one’s vitality or even cripple a person.
One could imagine how much Pang Bo, usually so carefree, had suffered over the years. After stepping onto the starry sky, bitter cultivation occupied all his time. He rarely fought others, but he was constantly battling himself.
“Through all these years of experience, I dare say this jar of Divine Liquid is absolutely heaven-defying before the Saint King realm. Whether it will still be effective later is hard to say.”
Pang Bo indicated that in a short time, he could summon a heavenly tribulation. Together with Ye Fan, they could undergo it both internally and externally, forcibly breaking through the barrier of the ancient tomb.
Although separated by the great tomb, Ye Fan could see his form through the crystal wall at the entrance. He was astonishingly tall and imposing, like a reincarnated demon god. His arms were thicker than other people’s thighs, gleaming with a bronze luster.
“Not to brag, but if we fought at the same level, my physique might not be weaker than an Overlord Body. I might even be able to strangle him to death.” Pang Bo’s black hair cascaded like a waterfall, his eyes like golden lamps as he swung his arms. The sheer physical force made the void hum and tremble.
“Not bad.” Ye Fan nodded, a faint smile appearing on his face.
Back in their school days, he had looked delicate and refined, but his body was strong and powerful, earning him the nickname “Barbarian” on the soccer field. Only Pang Bo was strong enough to clash with him. Unexpectedly, it was still the same now, with Pang Bo not falling behind at all.
Ye Fan told him to adjust his physical condition as soon as possible. If he could undergo the Saint King tribulation at a critical moment, that would be ideal.
Pang Bo nodded. “Being trapped in this ancient tomb for the past few years, I’ve been holding back, afraid that undergoing a tribulation in the tomb would cause big trouble. Now my Dao foundation and physical body are solid enough. It’s the perfect time to break through.”
After a while, Ye Fan left. The ancient continent returned to tranquility. Now, many cultivators were shocked by the Yellow Springs, and few came to this continent.
But half a day later, several figures flew over, gazing into the distance, observing the mountain ranges and surveying this continent floating in the universe.
If Ye Fan were here, he would surely recognize that the leaders were the Qilin Saint Envoy and the Vermilion Bird Saint Envoy. They had a strong target in mind, trying to find traces of Ye Fan.
“Whoever wants to kill the Sacred Body will inevitably come here. Maybe waiting by the tree is the best choice.”
“The master hasn’t expressed an opinion yet on whether to kill the Sacred Body of the Burial Emperor Star. We turned back this time because the tomb of an ancient Great Emperor has cracked open, and an immortal treasure is about to emerge.”
“No need to be deliberate. When he appears to rescue Pang Bo, we just need to strike at the critical moment, and we might send him into an abyss of eternal damnation.”
Soon after, they left.
However, not long after, others arrived, even more covertly, their cold eyes flashing with murderous intent as they explored the area.
The mountains were silent, all beasts dormant. This ancient continent felt oppressive. In the following days, mysterious experts frequently descended, watching from the shadows.
Even inside the tomb, Pang Bo sensed the anomaly, realizing that someone had come to investigate. Even without Ye Fan’s advance warning, he could judge from these signs that the situation was not optimistic.
“Could it be that the Great Demon God, Di Tian, Green Poem Fairy, Goddess, Human King, and other young supremes at the deepest part of the ancient path have all come? That seems unlikely. I sensed a trace of Sacred Spirit aura, as well as human antiques with declining qi and blood.”
Pang Bo’s heart sank. He had heard Ye Fan’s general account of his experiences—fighting Stone Men and forging a great enmity with that clan. Were they all coming to settle the score?
In the meantime, Ye Fan also came and learned of these developments from Pang Bo, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
“No rush. Adjust your state and remain flexible. I learned from the Dragon Horse that we’re about to break into the Great Emperor’s main tomb. That secret realm has captured many people’s hearts.”
Two days later, Void City was in an uproar. Great Sage-level figures mobilized, about to break through the void from which the Yellow Springs cascaded, advancing into the secret realm left by the ancient Great Emperor to see the Emperor’s corpse.
Not only Void City but the entire ancient path was shaken. Many powerful figures rushed over. Guide Envoys from various cities took to the road, and numerous sages descended.
One team after another entered the Star Ruins. War chariots rumbled, banners fluttered, and savage beasts roared, tearing through the sky.
A yellow river stretched across the cold starry sky, cascading from a void, exuding a deathly aura that made everyone who approached tremble in fear.
On this day, armies from all sides arrived at the opposite bank of the Yellow Springs, their camps clearly demarcated.
A group of soldiers clad in black armor was particularly eye-catching. Three to five dozen people wouldn’t have aroused suspicion, but this camp of several hundred exuded a dense deathly aura, puzzling everyone.
They were uniform and lacked vitality. At the center was a bronze coffin, as if it hadn’t been opened for hundreds of thousands or millions of years, covered in mottled rust, emitting a chilling fluctuation.
“The legendary inheritance… they still exist! They vanished for endless ages, yet today they appear formally!” A few senior figures were shocked after deducing the truth.
“Could it be that the Underworld truly exists in this world, the final resting place of all sages after death?!” Another old man said tremblingly.
The appearance of these strange beings triggered an uproar. Several hundred people weren’t many, but each was like a Death God, devoid of life aura. It was impossible not to be alarmed, and no one knew who commanded them.
In the Mythical Era, most powerful cultivators chose to dissolve into the Dao before passing away, a serious consideration to avoid falling into the Underworld.
The Underworld was an extremely ancient organization. Most people today didn’t even believe it had ever existed, but it had flourished during the era of the Ancient Heavenly Court’s rule.
Before even advancing into the ancient Great Emperor’s tomb, the place was already in turmoil. The emergence of the Underworld made everyone feel as if they were in the Mythical Era, finding it unbelievable.
Suddenly, the starry river trembled, the universe twisted, and a figure appeared. Of medium height, he possessed the divine might to swallow the sun and moon, exuding a powerful essence of spirit!
Everyone was stunned. This was a peerless expert. Without anyone saying a word, people knew this person was extraordinary, undoubtedly at the pinnacle, standing at the peak of the Great Sage realm, perhaps even taking half a step further.
He was not old. His hair was thick and jet-black, his face ruddy and bright, his forehead glowing. He looked about forty or fifty years old, with a restrained, vast vitality.
In the distant sky, Ye Fan’s eyes narrowed. He saw a faint mark on his sleeve, very familiar—it belonged to “God”!
In the Eternal Star Domain, he had encountered this terrifying organization, which called itself God and killed cultivators on the Ancient Human Path.
“A peerless expert from the God organization. Since ancient times, this inheritance has been intercepting cultivators on the ancient path, acquiring various secret arts to strengthen itself!”
“Decades ago, the Dao Protectors launched a great purge, causing them heavy losses. How have they appeared again?”
People gasped, and many cultivators grew uneasy.
This was an organization that dared to roam the ancient path. It was neither good nor evil, but it had existed since ancient times, absolutely powerful, and its eternal survival was enough to show its terror.
“This person… is one of their main gods!”
This man was so powerful it made people tremble. His essence, energy, and spirit had reached the peak of the Great Sage realm, and he could even take half a step further. He was an extremely powerful main god, causing even the Dao Protectors to look solemn.
Dong!
The void shook and twisted. Above his head appeared a bronze cauldron, three-legged and two-eared, dripping strands of innate divine essence, ancient and majestic.
Ye Fan was surprised. This was the same type of weapon as his own, even bearing patterns of ancient ancestors, Kunpeng, True Dragons, and the like, somewhat similar.
“Boom!”
Suddenly, this person struck. The great cauldron emitted a vast fluctuation, cracking the cold starry sky. Carrying the will of the great universe, its divine might was world-shaking as it pressed forward.
Everyone’s heart trembled. Even the Human Clan Dao Protectors changed color!
However, to everyone’s great surprise, his target was not the cultivators on the Ancient Human Path, but the bronze coffin from the Underworld.
“Clang!”
The lid of that green-rusted bronze coffin suddenly trembled, shooting into the sky, colliding violently with the bronze cauldron. It shattered sun, moon, and starry river, unleashing world-destroying divine energy!
Even though they were far enough away and the Human Clan Dao Protectors acted to seal the area, many were still sent flying like straw men, thrown into the air, drenched in blood from the shockwaves.
People were horrified. They couldn’t imagine that if the Dao Protectors hadn’t intervened, the shockwaves might have destroyed everyone’s physical bodies.
The bronze cauldron flew back, hovering above the supreme main god’s head. His gaze was deep, and he said not a word.
The coffin lid also fell back, sealing the bronze coffin tightly without a gap. The Underworld side showed no excessive reaction either.
God suddenly attacked the Underworld, ending quickly, leaving everyone stunned and confused.
The starry sky calmed down, as if nothing had happened. People looked at each other, then suddenly noticed that several more camps had arrived, all extraordinarily powerful.
That stone chariot, about a meter long, had been seen by many. Pulled by a dragon and a tiger, it carried an extremely powerful Stone Man Sacred Spirit, sovereign over the realm.
On the other side, a group of Bull-Head Men appeared, covered in thick black fur a foot long. Each was over three meters tall, led by a Great Sage.
Ye Fan was dumbfounded. This was a group of… Bull Demon Kings! They were from the Great Strength Bull Demon Clan, but definitely not from the Big Dipper. They were experts from that clan’s home star.
What puzzled him most was that the leading Great Sage held a gleaming divine ring, radiant all over, with divine energy that shocked the world—it was the Vajra Ring.
Ye Fan was somewhat uncertain. Was this Laozi’s ox? He had seen an imprint left by that ox over two thousand years ago on the Ziwei Ancient Star Domain, and it really looked similar!