Chapter 282: The Holy Lands
The once-beautiful city of fifteen thousand years ago now lay reduced to a single expanse of rubble, buried beneath dust and sand, leaving almost nothing behind.
A large number of cultivators appeared at this ruin site. Golden Wing Little Peng King, the Divine Physique of the Jiang Clan, Holy Son Yao Guang, and Ji Haoyue stood on four sides, their battle intent soaring high as they surveyed the world with disdain, like four deities descending upon the mortal realm.
At the horizon, a massive divine ship hung in the sky, and one war chariot after another raced forward, causing the heavens to tremble repeatedly.
"The Dayan Holy Land and the Wanchu Holy Land!" Yao Xi's beautiful eyes shot forth divine light.
Two pairs of incredibly sharp gazes descended from the divine ship and the ancient war chariot respectively, as if they could pierce into a person's very bones, exuding a power that made one shudder. The heirs of these two Holy Lands were truly startling!
The Dayan Holy Land and the Wanchu Holy Land had immense backgrounds. The terms "Dayan" and "Wanchu" carried extraordinary significance, both being among the most ancient Holy Lands of the Eastern Wasteland.
Suddenly, purple qi came from the east, boundless and limitless, noble beyond words, sacred and inviolable, enveloping the eastern sky.
Purple qi from the east—ethereal and vast—had been regarded since ancient times as an auspicious and sacred omen, a sign of harmonious energy.
A floating immortal palace appeared, riding the purple qi as it approached, hazy and indistinct, surrounded by purple radiance that tinged the entire sky with a sense of immortality.
"The Zi Mansion Holy Land has sent people!" Duan De said, squinting his eyes.
They did not ride war chariots, nor did they steer divine ships; they directly used a purple immortal palace as their means of travel, tearing through the void as they arrived, leaving everyone in awe.
Zi Mansion, according to legend, was the dwelling place of immortals. A sect daring to take such a name naturally possessed immense power.
Silently and without a sound, a Daoist temple materialized, appearing high in the sky. It was filled with endless Dao resonance, as if it had stood there since ancient times. Many people had not even noticed when it had appeared.
It was not grand, nor was it adorned with pearls or beautiful jade. It was built entirely from ordinary blue stone, plain and unadorned, yet it gave one a feeling of the boundless Great Dao.
"The Dao Yi Holy Land has also sent people!" Ji Ziyue's small mouth formed a perfect O shape, her surprise evident.
The purple immortal palace hung in the sky, while the ancient Daoist temple stood unmoving. Many young disciples from the two Holy Lands had arrived, all dressed in Daoist robes. Among them were several female Daoists, like fairy maidens descending to the mortal world.
However, their strongest heirs did not emit any powerful divine energy. They all stood quietly in the air, making no move.
It was obvious that they had no intention of clashing at this moment.
At the site of the former Li City, aside from the Jiang Clan, the Ji Clan, Yao Guang, and the Jade Pool, other Holy Lands were also arriving. The Nine Secrets had shaken the world, and this masterless divine art had made everyone unable to sit still.
Fierce beasts roared, shaking heaven and earth. In the distant sky, aside from Wu Zhongtian, Li Heishui, and Jiang Huairen, more young people had arrived, joining them. All the descendants of the Thirteen Great Bandits of the Northern Domain had gathered.
"Rumble..."
A ferocious ancient ship, a thousand zhang long, resembled a desolate ancient beast. Its dragon head was held high as it rode the wind and waves, and the Demon Clan had sent out their experts.
Behind the thousand-zhang ancient ship, dozens of war vessels followed, guarding its surroundings. Yan Ruyu stood on the ancient ship, stopping in the distant sky, watching everything here. By her side, three young Demon Clan experts stood shoulder to shoulder with her.
The Nine Secrets had startled the world, and more and more people were arriving. Aside from the Holy Lands, all the major powers had also sent people. No one would miss this opportunity. These were masterless Nine Secrets—whoever obtained them would keep them.
Duan De spoke with a beaming smile, "Future Divine King of the Ji Clan, aren't you itching for a big battle? The various Holy Lands are appearing one after another. Although you are a Divine Physique, you might be able to fight one person, but with so many, you're certainly no match. Besides, some among them might not be weaker than you."
"Fatty Daoist, you're too wicked! Don't provoke my big brother!" Ji Ziyue gritted her small tiger teeth at Duan De.
"The Nine Secrets haven't appeared yet. I doubt anyone will make a move," Ji Haoyue said calmly. All his battle intent had been restrained, and his divine power had quieted down like still water.
As a Divine King Physique, he could clearly sense powerful killing intent and genuine threats. Once the Nine Secrets appeared, a great battle would surely begin, marking the first battle for the qualification of an Emperor.
After a moment, all parties restrained their terrifying killing intent, and this region fell into a temporary calm.
"The Eastern Wasteland has indeed ushered in a prosperous era. Prodigies are emerging all at once. If none of them die, the future will surely be a hundred flowers blooming, reaching an unprecedented peak," Duan De sighed softly.
"I'm afraid many people won't share your thoughts, Daoist," Yao Xi smiled, like a spring breeze stirring, extremely beautiful. "One or two heaven-defying prodigies are enough. If there are five or six or more, it will likely be a disaster and a tragedy. It's hard to imagine how brutal the collisions in the future will be."
She seemed to stand aloof from the situation, unwilling to get involved. But Ye Fan knew that Yao Xi was no simple person. If a real battle broke out, her strength would be terrifying. She possessed an unparalleled powerful divine sense, not weaker than his own. This was a deadly trump card that no one else knew about.
Duan De cursed, "These bastards are really cunning. Just now, they deliberately let their killing intent surge to intimidate everyone, and now they're secretly sending people to seize the last nine great tomb areas."
He had originally identified fifty-four great tomb areas, all located around the Li City ruins. Now, all parties were taking action. Forty-five had already been excavated, leaving only nine.
"Let's go. We need to act quickly, or someone else will beat us to it."
Ye Fan felt that everything else was illusory. He didn't care about fighting to the death. What mattered most now was actually finding the Nine Secrets.
The remaining nine great tomb areas were almost all occupied by others. When Ye Fan and his group charged over, they didn't trigger a great battle and smoothly secured a region. This was all thanks to Ji Haoyue being there.
Currently, he was one of only two Divine King Physiques in the Eastern Wasteland. Almost no one dared to clash with him. Even those who could stand on equal footing with him didn't want to engage in a life-or-death battle right now and tacitly avoided it.
Aside from the Holy Lands and the Demon Clan, disciples from other sects naturally dodged out of the way immediately. The might of the Divine King Physique was evident; its invincible divine prestige was deeply ingrained in people's minds, causing all to retreat.
"Daoist, are you confident in choosing this place?" Yao Xi asked.
Duan De's expression was calm as he said, "I have studied the art of tomb burial quite thoroughly and have some insights. Among the nine great tomb areas, I believe this spot has the highest chance of yielding the Nine Secrets."
"Is there any basis for that?" Ye Fan asked.
"Look here. This terrain is quite particular." Duan De pointed at the vast tomb area.
This place was terraced, rising step by step as if trying to ascend to heaven. In the distance, a river like a dragon roared and surged past. Standing here and looking into the distance, one indeed felt a sense of ease and comfort.
"The terrain rises step by step toward the heavens, and there's a silver dragon coiling past. This is the famous 'Silver Dragon Coiling Heaven' treasure site for yin dwellings."
Upon hearing this, the others looked around and found that it indeed matched the imagery he described. It truly seemed as if a silver true dragon was about to sweep across the high heavens.
"Ordinary people definitely couldn't be buried in a place like this. Those who can occupy such a tomb are mostly figures with extraordinary backgrounds. In the former Li City, the ancient aristocratic clan that cultivated the Nine Secrets was the most prominent, so I think this place is worth digging."
"Even grave robbing has its reasoning... Daoist, you really know a lot. You must have practiced on quite a few tombs, haven't you?" Ji Ziyue asked, gritting her small tiger teeth.
"Rumble..."
The earth shook with a loud noise as the group forcefully opened a path, digging downward toward the depths of the ground.
However, even after going more than a hundred meters deep, they still hadn't encountered any ancient tomb. It was all rock and dead soil, not at all like a place where anyone had been buried.
"Daoist, you've chosen the wrong spot. There's no ancient tomb here—it's empty ground." Everyone was disappointed.
"No, there must be something down there. Over ten thousand years have passed; this feng shui treasure site couldn't have gone unburied." Duan De insisted on continuing to dig.
After digging another three hundred meters downward, they finally heard a loud rumble, sounding hollow, as they broke through to the deep underground.
Duan De's prediction had been correct. Deep within the earth lay an ancient tomb, and it was on a large scale. A surge of yin qi immediately rushed up.
"Fall back quickly!"
Everyone flew backward, retreating to the surface. The foul air sealed underground for several thousand years was manageable, but if it had been over ten thousand years, it could even dissolve a cultivator's life force.
"How about that? What did I say? Everything is within expectations." Duan De's face was flushed with excitement.
It was now dusk, and the last rays of the setting sun were about to disappear. A few old crows, unafraid of humans, cawed incessantly on a withered tree.
"Daoist, can we go in now?" Yao Xi asked.
"Wait a little longer. We'll enter after the sun goes down," Duan De replied.
"Why?" Ji Ziyue was puzzled.
"I'm afraid there might be something down there. Let's not go in first; let it come out instead." He looked composed, as if he had plenty of experience.
"It seems you've been in quite a few tombs, Daoist." Everyone didn't know what else to say.
"Rumble..."
From deep within the earth came the sound of thousands of troops and horses galloping. The noise was so loud it was terrifying, like a tsunami, deafening!
Then, a chilling yin qi surged upward, like the arrival of the coldest winter. Even cultivators couldn't help but shiver.
"This is bad. This tomb is no ordinary one. There are extremely malevolent things inside, probably very dangerous."
"Boom!"
Rolling yin qi shot into the sky, instantly darkening the heavens, like endless black clouds surging in to cover the sky.
"It's worse than I imagined. There are great malevolent beings down there, turned into spirits or demons, and in large numbers. There might even be existences we can't handle." Duan De's face flickered with uncertainty.
This commotion naturally alerted everyone immediately. Many cultivators rushed over.
Even Ji Haoyue, as a Divine King Physique, couldn't intimidate them, because Golden Wing Little Peng King, Holy Son Yao Guang, and others had also arrived. The top young experts from the Dayan, Wanchu, Dao Yi, Jiang Clan, Zi Mansion, and other Holy Lands all charged over, followed by the leading figures of the Demon Clan.
The heirs of various major sects and the Thirteen Great Bandits swarmed in, surrounding the place completely.
"Boom!"
Just as the sun set and night fell, a bone-chilling sound came from deep within the earth. It was hard to describe what it was.
Then, rolling yin qi surged into the sky, like endless black clouds sealing off the heavens.
"Rumble..."
Thousands of troops and horses galloped, the earth shook violently, and in the next moment, wave after wave of soldiers and horses burst forth, their killing intent soaring to the heavens.
These beings all rode various fierce beasts, holding long spears and iron halberds, clad in ancient iron armor that gleamed coldly.
"Powerful yin soldiers and yin horses! How can there be so many?!" Many people exclaimed.
In just a short moment, several thousand yin soldiers and yin horses had already charged out, shaking heaven and earth. The yin qi was so thick it couldn't be dispersed, and more soldiers and horses kept emerging from the ground.
"There are too many of them, and these yin beings are all powerful. How do we deal with this?!" Everyone's face changed color.
"How vast is the ancient tomb underground? It's already spewing out so many yin soldiers and horses. It's hard to imagine how many more are down there, and what is controlling them?!"