The group made their way through the stone cave atop the withered cliff, pressing deep into the earth vein. Along the ground, source stones appeared at intervals, casting the entire ancient cave in a crystalline, luminous glow.

Drip, drip!

Water droplets fell from the cave walls, flowing with five-colored light. As they struck the ground, the sound rang out crisp and melodious, like music being played on fine strings, lending the ancient cave an even deeper stillness.

Ye Fan and the others walked through the cave’s alternating light and shadow, their hearts unable to find calm. The vast and torrential aura from deep within the earth vein pressed down on them, making it difficult to breathe.

If nothing unexpected occurred, that aura belonged to a divine spirit’s corpse — yet even compared to a reawakened paramount sacred weapon, it was a cut above, surging like a vast ocean, causing their very souls to tremble.

Clank, clank…

The faint sound of iron chains rattling drifted through, barely perceptible — yet in this desolate cave, it was especially terrifying, as though it were the ghostly sounds of the underworld, a demon struggling free from its shackles.

Whooo…

As they advanced several more li, the wind moaned and howled, blowing in from the other branching passages. A chill laden with yin energy swept over them. Those side passages were pitch-black, like abyssal chasms.

They did not investigate, nor could they afford to. Heaven only knew what lurked in those dark offshoots. For now, they pressed forward along the main earth vein, the one that glowed with radiance.

Crack!

Along the way, they occasionally encountered unusual source stones embedded in the cave walls. When pried loose, they emitted crisp sounds and were wreathed in brilliant, swirling radiance.

They even excavated several divine source stones, whose brilliant light illuminated the ancient cave like a dreamscape.

“This ancient divine spirit truly knew how to choose a location. I suspect that if this place were fully excavated, a considerable amount of source stones would be found — it is genuinely precious ground.”

The qi from ahead grew more and more powerful, weighing down on their hearts. It was like facing a towering demonic mountain that pierced the clouds — waves of palpitation washed over them, and there was a suffocating sensation.

“At this rate, none of us may even be able to approach the divine spirit’s coffin. We may still be far off, and our bodies will crack apart long before we arrive.”

Divine spirits — they had left even the emperors of the Primordial Age and the Great Emperors of the Desolate Age perplexed and uncertain of their existence. Now they might be on the verge of witnessing a miracle.

Ahead, a grove of ancient trees blocked the path, which was astonishing in itself — that such towering ancient trees could grow within this subterranean world.

In the glow of the source stones, the grove appeared vibrant and verdant, lush with vitality. Yet all of them sensed dangerous qi emanating from within.

Aooo…

A hair-raising shriek tore through the air — no different from the howling of an evil ghost. In a single instant, every hair on every body stood on end.

Swoosh!

A dark shadow lunged like a demon, pouncing murderously toward the group. Gusts of malevolent wind swept forward, and a ferocious, murderous aura struck them full in the face.

“Demon Ape!” Duan De cried out in shock, his face going white as snow, stumbling backward step by step.

Everyone’s expressions changed. They all retreated. This was a ghost ape roughly one zhang tall, its entire body covered in black scales that gleamed with dark light, surrounded by a wretched and murderous aura.

Its two eyes brimmed with venomous hatred, as though it faced a mortal enemy of ten lifetimes. Its hook-like claws reached out, intent on gutting the group.

“This is a creature spawned within an ancient tomb — extremely difficult to deal with, supremely dangerous!” Duan De shouted, warning the others.

Clang!

Duan De brought forth an iron seal and pressed it down like a mountain — yet beneath the Demon Ape’s sharp claws, sparks flew, and it was reduced to iron powder.

It was worth knowing that every single item on the Chubby Duan was a rare and precious treasure. Yet even his artifacts could not withstand a single strike from the Demon Ape, which gave some measure of how terrifying this creature was.

Aooo…

The Demon Ape let out a piercing howl, like a wrathful specter escaped from the underworld, and lunged again. An ordinary person would have been frightened to death on the spot.

Hum!

Dongfang Ye made his move. He wielded the sole sacred bone left behind when the ancient saint transformed into the Dao, a streak of golden light flowing across it as he swung it out with brutal force.

Ahhh…

The Demon Ape let out a miserable shriek. With extraordinary agility, it retreated in a flash, swift as a ghost, evidently deeply afraid of this golden sacred bone.

“So such a thing truly exists in this world — this is a demon monkey! Damn it, in a real fight, this thing could tear apart a peak powerhouse with its bare hands!” The Old Blind Man was stunned.

“This is the third time I have encountered one. The first two times were in the ancient tombs of the Featherization King and the Star River King — I nearly died both times.” Duan De said, still shaken to the core.

The Demon Ape bared its teeth ferociously, its black scales glinting. It glared at the sacred bone with fierce intensity but did not dare advance. Then it suddenly let out a long cry — like the shriek of a night owl.

Swish, swish…

Before long, four more demon monkeys burst out from the ancient forest. All of them stood one zhang tall, ferocious and savage, surrounding the group.

“Legend has it these are transformed from the reanimated corpses of supremely powerful ancient figures. Five of them have come at once — we are in grave danger!” The Old Blind Man sucked in his breath through his teeth.

The group fell back together. The demon monkeys did not dare attack either — they were deeply terrified of the saint’s arm bone, and continued to emit low, threatening snarls.

“The longer this drags on, the more certain it is that they will attack. This is very bad!” Ye Fan frowned.

Duan De gritted his teeth and said, “You’ve forced me to play my hidden card.” He brought out an ancient bronze lamp — dark and unassuming, its flame perpetually burning without ever going out. He opened the lamp shade, and instantly a nameless qi began to emanate from within.

The flame was incomparably gentle and sacred, bathing the ancient forest in brilliant radiance and luminous splendor.

The lamp was not especially blinding, yet its light traveled boundlessly far, penetrating every inch of space, leaving no shadows to hide in, its sacred aura permeating everywhere.

The five demon monkeys recoiled in terror, crying out ceaselessly — furious yet afraid, even trembling uncontrollably, their bodies shaking against their will.

“This lamp…” The Old Blind Man was stunned. He stared at it intently and said, “The oil in this bronze lamp — could it have been taken from a saint’s body?”

The moment those words were spoken, the other members of the group were shocked beyond belief, their expressions betraying utter disbelief.

“That’s correct. The lamp shell itself is nothing special, but the oil within was extracted and rendered from the body of an ancient saint. It will never be extinguished and can ward off misfortune and attract good fortune.” Duan De confirmed it. He had brought this lamp out from the Underworld King’s tomb, and when he first laid eyes on it, the shock had kept him from sleeping for three days.

With the saint’s oil lamp brought out, the five demon apes retreated in fear. The light of the oil lamp and the aura it exuded filled them with a terror originating from the depths of their souls — they dared not linger.

In truth, the arm bone left behind when the saint transformed into the Dao was more precious. However, it was far too restrained in nature, not radiating supreme saintly might outward — and so its effect was not as potent as this peerless oil lamp.

“Don’t put this lamp away. Heaven only knows what lies ahead, and I’m still worried the divine spirit’s manifestation might appear again.” The Old Blind Man voiced his concern.

“Outside, thousands of people are chanting the Rebirth Mantra and the Salvation Scripture in unison, and boundless divine light has sealed off the Heavenward Staircase. Can the divine spirit’s manifestation still get in?”

“That’s hard to say. Most likely there are other paths it can take.”

After these few exchanges, all five felt tense within, dreading an encounter with that true supreme evil demon of the age — who in this world could subdue him?

Clank, clank!

Ahead, the sound of iron chains swaying rang out clearly, raising the hackles on one’s skin — as though they had arrived in the underworld itself.

A black river flowed in silence — still and calm, flowing to block the path ahead, like a black abyss, nearly enough to swallow the mind and soul of anyone who gazed upon it.

It was perfectly tranquil — not a single wave, not even a ripple — yet its darkness was profoundly disturbing. If one stared at it for too long, even the spirit and soul would begin to crumble.

“This is… True Yin Extreme Water!”

“On any ordinary day, even a small gourd’s worth of this water would be treasured beyond measure by any cultivator — yet here there is an entire river of it!”

Everyone was dumbstruck, and simultaneously filled with a profound dread. This place was strange and terrifying beyond measure.

Here, their divine power was suppressed even more severely. Even Duan De’s Star River could no longer fly — they could not cross by soaring over.

“Even a peerless Sovereign Master from the Central Province, arriving at this place, would be unable to fly!”

Above the black river hung a single iron chain, swaying and clanking with a dark metallic luster, glinting with faint, eerie light, stretching from one bank to the other.

“Shall we climb across?”

“We can’t. Look at the iron chain — there are creatures on it!”

They looked carefully, and every body went cold. Numerous corpses were entangled around the iron chain, their eyes opening and closing, emitting a greenish phosphorescent glow.

“Ancient supernatural corpses!”

“These were powerful experts who broke in from later generations — not beings from before the Primordial Age — and they perished here!”

On closer inspection, the iron chain itself was remarkable — it was known as Soul-Anchoring Iron, a rare and precious material, innately attracting corpses, capable of preserving them from decay.

No one knew how many years had passed, but no fewer than several dozen corpses were entangled on the chain. Every one of them was deeply unsettling. From their garments, it was clear they had existed across countless far-flung ages.

“Every single one was a supremely powerful expert — otherwise the corpses would not have achieved spiritual consciousness!”

“How do we cross?” The group was at a loss.

Suddenly, a white bone boat drifted soundlessly across the water, floating to the bank. It was constructed from several thousand snow-white skulls, and the sight of it inspired dread.

“This must all be the handiwork of the divine spirit’s manifestation. Otherwise, an ancient divine spirit would never arrange such terrifying things.”

“Board the boat. We have the saint’s oil lamp — ten thousand evils cannot approach us. Whatever nameless creatures may lurk in the True Yin Extreme Water, they will not dare come near.”

The five of them did not hesitate for long. They boarded the bone boat and drifted toward the far bank. Throughout the crossing, Duan De held the ancient lamp aloft, its auspicious light flooding the bone boat in brilliant radiance.

Splash!

The moment they stepped ashore, a monstrous wave erupted from within the river. A dorsal fin broke the surface — a blood-colored creature, serpentine like a dragon or flood dragon, sank back beneath the water.

“To survive within True Yin Extreme Water, this creature must have a terrifying origin!”

Ye Fan and Dongfang Ye were both astonished. Their physical bodies were extraordinarily powerful, yet neither of them would dare claim they could freely enter and exit a river of black True Yin Extreme Water.

“Press on quickly — I feel those Sovereign Masters, demon masters, and divine monks are nearly upon us. We must reach the ancient scripture and immortal treasures before them!”

Though they wished to quicken their pace, they could not move fast. The pressure grew heavier and heavier with each step. Even with various ancient treasures brought forth for protection, advancing felt like wading through mud.

“Is this the overwhelming aura of a corpse — or is there a paramount sacred weapon suppressing this place?!” They felt as though their bodies could barely endure it — as if their very bones might shatter under the pressure.

“We’re here — look, ahead lies an immortal realm!”

They arrived at the deepest part of the earth vein and finally laid eyes on the immortal burial site they had sought. Endless immortal qi rushed toward them, making one feel as though they might ascend to the heavens in a blaze of rosy mist.

Ahead, flowing mists and radiant luminescence stretched across a vast expanse of sky and earth. Ten thousand great dragons coiled and soared, boundless divine light swirling in the haze, immortal qi drifting in all directions.

There stood a towering dais, like a great pyramid — though without a pointed top, its peak completely flat. It was constructed entirely from five-colored jade stone.

This great dais stood ten thousand zhang tall, its jade platform ascending step by step. From any direction one could climb toward the summit. Endless immortal qi drifted in haze, as though one had arrived in the Immortal Realm itself.

“Ten thousand zhang tall — yet we are deep within an earth vein. There must be spatial laws and profound mysteries at work here!”

At ten thousand zhang, the jade dais was incomparably majestic. Chaos surged, immortal qi pervaded the air, ten thousand great dragons coiled around it — the sight was magnificent beyond words.

“We have finally arrived at the immortal burial site — look, there is a coffin atop it. That must be where the divine spirit is laid to rest!”

Their divine power was nearly entirely sealed, yet their divine sense and spiritual perception remained intact. They could feel the pressure — an ancient coffin resting atop the ten-thousand-zhang jade dais, bearing down upon all eternity with its weight.

“If we can open this ancient coffin, we will be the first in ten thousand ages to lay eyes upon a divine spirit!”