The night had just fallen. Yin energy surged toward the heavens, dark clouds pressed down, the sky black as ink, crows cried mournfully — a scene of grim and harrowing dread.
Thousands of yin soldiers and yin horses — men shouting, horses neighing, iron armor flashing cold light, killing intent soaring — came sweeping in like a great flood. The earth shuddered and rumbled beneath them.
The spectacle was utterly awe-inspiring. Thousands of savage beasts charging in one dense mass, a dark, boundless tide stretching across the horizon, becoming a torrent of iron and steel that crushed all resistance in its path. Wherever the iron halberds turned, all was ground to dust.
Yin winds howled. The great ancient trees on the surface were torn out by their roots and shattered to pieces in the air above. Splinters and wild leaves scattered chaotically.
It was a surging tide of destructive killing intent. Trees and old vines were pulled straight out of the earth and hurled skyward. Even stone blocks dozens of meters in length were instantly pulverized.
Nothing could stop these yin soldiers and yin horses. Where the spear tips pointed, anything possessing physical form was obliterated.
“There are priceless treasures deep in the ground — a hidden trove of world-shaking magnitude!”
Many cultivators could no longer contain themselves. Their hearts surging with excitement, they rushed forward.
Without anyone needing to say a word, everyone knew: there was a great secret buried beneath this earth. Even if it turned out not to be the Nine Secrets, it was surely something extraordinary.
In just a brief moment, several thousand yin soldiers and yin horses had emerged. Such numbers were exceedingly rare. What lay beneath was beyond anyone’s imagination.
Under the night sky, brilliant light flashed as many cultivators brought out their treasure weapons and unleashed them against the yin soldiers and yin horses surging like a flood.
“Crack!”
“Ahh…!”
Something shocking happened. The dozens of cultivators standing in the front line had their treasure weapons shattered and their bodies cut down. In a single confrontation, they met with disaster.
Blood spurted, heads fell, and the thousands of soldiers and horses swept through, trampling dozens of corpses into a pulp. There was no way to stop their advance.
Powerful yin soldiers, terrifying yin horses — where the iron halberds pointed, no cultivator could withstand them.
“Roaarrr…!”
Thousands of yin soldiers howled. Black yin energy surged and swelled, driving the earth into complete darkness. The dark clouds nearly pressed down to the ground itself.
Everyone fell back. With so many soldiers, each one formidable, gathered together they were enough to strike terror into the heart. To fight alone against them would mean certain death.
“Roaarrr…!”
Thousands of yin soldiers and yin horses bellowed. A death-laden aura erupted upward, shaking a small number of cultivators from the sky and sending them crashing to the ground below — only to be trampled into a bloody pulp as the army charged through.
“Thoom — thoom — thoom…”
From the ancient burial site deep in the earth, the sound of drums reverberated — low, muffled, and mournful — filling all who heard it with dread.
The yin soldiers and yin horses on the surface instantly rose all at once into the air, riding through the void, killing their way up into the sky.
Yin energy coiled across the heavens. Thousands of soldiers in their dark mass, black as a starless night, brandishing iron halberds, charged toward the gathered cultivators.
Everyone was stunned. The might of these yin soldiers far exceeded all expectations. Every single one of them could ride the air and fight in the sky — they were a terrifyingly powerful combat force.
And they were fast. Like a great black tide, they surged forward relentlessly.
There were far too many cultivators in the sky to avoid them all. Some were caught before they could flee and were forced to fight back.
“Clang — clang — clang…!”
Black mist churned, iron armor glinted cold, weapons of all kinds clashed in a life-and-death struggle. The yin soldiers were formidable fighters. More than a hundred cultivators became encircled, and they couldn’t hold on.
Where the iron halberds swept, weapon after weapon was shattered. Flowers of blood blossomed. The yin soldiers swept through in one wave, and where the blade tips pointed, a hundred people became a pulp of flesh — perishing in misery.
Yet throughout this, a considerable number of yin soldiers were also cut down and destroyed, dissolving into black mist that scattered through the sky.
“Infinite Heavenly Honored One…”
A compassionate Daoist chant rang out like the resonance of the Grand Dao itself, filling the heavens. The plain, unadorned ancient Daoist hall built entirely of blue stone appeared in the sky above the great tomb.
“Infinite Heavenly Honored One…”
These four words continued to ring out, vast as a great tide, profound and righteous. The Daoyi Holy Land had made its move, bringing forth supreme Daoist methods to suppress the fierce yin soldiers.
Leading the chant was the voice of a young female Daoist — like heavenly music, remarkably beautiful, melodious and pleasing to the ear, the sacred sound filling every corner of the sky and earth.
From that ancient Daoist hall, ripples spread outward like waves of water, sound waves flowing in all directions. Many people grew still and calm.
And those thousands of yin soldiers and yin horses, under the celestial sounds of the young female Daoist, began to grow transparent and faint. In a panic they rushed toward the ground, trying to retreat back into the underground palace.
“Infinite Heavenly Honored One…” The young female Daoist’s beautiful heavenly sound rang out, word by word, like pearls of jade rolling to the ground, echoing across the vast expanse.
The yin soldiers found no escape. They faded rapidly, dissolving into mist. In a brief moment, more than half of the thousands of soldiers and horses had vanished.
The heavenly sound was like water washing clean the ten directions. The soldiers and horses dispersed on the wind. When those moving sounds at last fell silent, all yin soldiers were gone. Even the void itself had been purified — a sweep of serene clarity, stars and moon glittering.
Many people drew sharp breaths, then couldn’t help but feel admiration. The people of the Daoyi Holy Land were truly graceful and wondrous in their methods. That young female Daoist had purified thousands of yin spirits with her immortal sound alone — an astonishing feat.
Duan De nodded. “The little female Daoist of the Daoyi Holy Land is truly exceptional. Future Divine King of the Ji Family — you were born at the wrong time. You should have stood unchallenged across the Eastern Wasteland, but now you have several rivals who can match you.”
“Wicked Daoist, stop stirring the pot.” Ji Ziyue gave him a resounding roll of her eyes.
“Daoist, are we two retreating, or staying?” Ye Fan asked.
Duan De answered, “We are without backing, and we can’t compare with the disciples these holy lands have sent. We should by rights withdraw — but the situation has shifted somewhat.”
Ye Fan nodded. “So many people from the holy lands have arrived, and the ancient burial site below is clearly far from ordinary. Can we not fish in troubled waters?”
“Exactly. No need to rush off.” Duan De was in full agreement.
Yao Xi, Ji Ziyue, and Ji Haoyue were at a loss for words. These two, in front of everyone, without any attempt at subtlety, were brazenly discussing their scheming in plain sight.
Of course, each of the two harbored their own ulterior motives and were by no means truly consulting with each other.
“Thoom — thoom — thoom…”
The low drums from deep underground sounded again. Yin energy billowed out, rolling like signal fires, instantly blotting out the stars and moon and plunging the sky into darkness like a vast ocean.
It was obvious: the yin soldiers and yin horses were about to emerge again. The cultivators on the surface blanched. The great tomb below was ferocious — the yin spirits, no matter how many were destroyed, never ran out.
Purple qi surged in from the east, brilliant light filling the sky. A hazy immortal palace flew over the great tomb, and shimmering violet light rained down like scattered stars, pouring straight into the tomb passage.
Celestial music drifted down from the palace above, like an immortal pavilion from the heavenly realm — distant and dreamlike, feeling surreal and otherworldly.
The purple qi swirled gently, incomparably auspicious and harmonious — a blessed and sacred omen, perfectly suited to counter yin energy. The violet light, flowing like water, extinguished the signal-fire yin energy.
“Have the Purple Mansion’s people made their move — is one person acting, or are multiple young disciples doing the purification?” Ye Fan asked.
Duan De gazed up at the purple immortal palace. “If it’s one person acting alone, they are truly no simple figure. But that is very likely the case.”
The purple qi faded, and the great tomb grew still. It was clear that whatever held dominion below now understood the people above were not to be trifled with, and chose not to press the attack.
“Something is very wrong here. I have a premonition that there is something below that cannot be opposed!” Duan De’s brow creased with worry.
At that moment, a golden ancient ship several hundred zhang in length came sailing through the air, hovering across the sky, blazing with brilliance. A single sword beam fell, instantly cracking the earth open.
The Dayin Holy Land had made its move.
“Clang — clang — clang…!”
Sword energy like a dragon, as thick as a mountain range, pierced through heaven and earth with a bleak killing intent that made people shudder. Many could not stop themselves from trembling.
Ferocious sword intent, toppling the withered and rotten, slicing apart the earth!
Nothing could stand in its way. Even those watching from far off could hardly bear it. Like the heavens unleashing lethal intent, the stars wheeling and the sky shifting — a chill that reached to the marrow of one’s bones, and facing such a sword radiance compelled one to want to drop to one’s knees in reverence.
“The Great Dayin Holy Sword — as devastating as rumored,” Yao Xi murmured to herself. “Brought to the ultimate boundary, it will sever all things and embody the myriad small worlds of the cosmos.”
“Tremendous power, shaking hearts and minds, truly awe-inspiring.” The Divine King Physique, Ji Haoyue, also nodded.
Before long, the earth had been carved open, the soil layers sliced away to a depth of several hundred meters. The mysterious great tomb was about to be revealed to the world.
“Clang — clang — clang…!”
The true-dragon sword radiance struck the earth with tremendous concussions.
But the sword radiance met with resistance. The golden ancient warship, several hundred zhang in length, withdrew. The Dayin Holy Land stayed its hand.
What remained was a vast rift — the ancient burial site was exposed. Below was an enormous underground palace, quite unlike a conventional burial chamber. It resembled an ancient city, one corner of its grand gateway now laid bare before all eyes.
The underground palace, built over ten thousand years ago, was indestructible and perfectly intact. Without question, it was inscribed with profound Dao patterns that had preserved it from decay.
The pair of massive ancient city gates had originally been half-open, with wisps of black mist seeping out. But now they suddenly swung shut with a mighty clang, sealing themselves off from the outside world.
“The Nine Secrets of the human race — let me see for myself what is so special about them, that they could shake all under heaven.” The Golden-Winged Xiaopeng King let out a long cry and was the first to act. He transformed into a streak of golden light and descended into the great rift below, landing before the stone gates of the underground palace.
“Boom!”
In his hands materialized a weapon dark as ink — immensely heavy, depressing the void itself into a sunken hollow. When he swung it, the empty air hummed and vibrated.
“Clang!”
The Golden-Winged Xiaopeng King wielded the Great Desolation Halberd and struck the underground palace gates with a resounding blow that shook heaven and earth. The supposedly indestructible gates cracked.
“Clang!”
The undying underground palace could not withstand that impact. The cracks on the gates multiplied.
Above, every person watching was slack-jawed. The divine power of this future king of the Tianpeng race was world-shaking. The Great Dayin Holy Sword had not managed to force its way through, yet he cracked the gates by sheer physical force.
“Clang!”
The Golden-Winged Xiaopeng King swung the Great Desolation Halberd, and on its third crashing descent, the black ferocious halberd compressed the void itself. Those massive gates were struck with a great boom and shattered apart.
His physical strength was without peer — almost impossible to fathom. His might could be likened to moving mountains and covering the sky!
Suddenly, a sound like a world-flood came thundering. Countless yin soldiers and yin horses poured out from the underground palace, charging straight at the Golden-Winged Xiaopeng King.
“Do you really think you lot can kill me?!” He stood alone before the broken gates, the black Great Desolation Halberd in hand, and roared: “One Hundred and Eight Thousand Swords!”
In that instant, thousands upon thousands of golden beams erupted. Tens of thousands of golden great swords shook heaven and earth — a boundless, indiscriminate assault, destroying all that stood in their way.
“Clang — clang — clang…!”
The One Hundred and Eight Thousand Swords moved in unison. Every last yin soldier and yin horse that had charged forward was cut down. He alone stood in the center of it all.
The Golden-Winged Xiaopeng King’s build was powerful and imposing, his golden hair drifting freely in a wind of its own, wild and unbound, like a golden blazing sun in full brilliance. His eyes were extraordinarily sharp, like an unsheathed heavenly sword — the light they emanated made one’s heart palpitate.
“The Nine Secrets of the human race — I’ll take a look at them first!” He gave a great roar and charged into the underground palace.
“This is bad — the demon race absolutely cannot be allowed to take them.” The cultivators above shouted in alarm. Everyone surged into motion, killing their way into the underground palace.
The yin soldiers were inexhaustible. The only way to enter the city was to carve a path through yin death, one body at a time. Every powerful fighter led from the front, cutting through the vanguard.
The Divine Physique of the Jiang Family left only an afterimage and vanished in a flash, disappearing through the city gates.
The Holy Son Yao Guang — resplendent in sacred light, untouched by the ten thousand laws, like a great divine furnace — his divine flames surging to the sky, killed his way into the city.
Then the Dayin Holy Land, the Wanchu Holy Land, the Purple Mansion Holy Land, and the Daoyi Holy Land all sent their best descending into the underground palace, vanishing in flashes of light.
“Kill!”
Battle cries shook the heavens. Fighters from every path, disciples of every major sect, all rushed forward, unwilling to fall behind, clashing with the yin soldiers in fierce combat.
No one knew what lay in the depths of the underground palace, or how terrifying it was. Yet everyone scrambled forward, charging ahead.
The mist was thick. Even the Holy Maiden of the Jade Pool moved at last, no longer aloof — she entered the ancient city.
Then Yan Ruyu, like a divine lotus in full bloom bathed in rosy light, also vanished in a flash.
“Ziyue, wait here. Do not follow. Terrible battle is about to break out inside. I must go in.” The Ji Family’s future Divine King finished speaking and vanished in an instant, leaving only the phantom silhouette of a divine moon hovering in his place.
Yao Xi gave a soft laugh and was gone in the blink of an eye.
“Brother…!” Little Ziyue called out, but received no reply.
“Our chance to fish in troubled waters has arrived. Little upright one, let’s get ready.” The immoral Daoist chuckled slyly.
Ye Fan nodded. “I came only for the Nine Secrets. Everything else is nothing.”
“The Nine Secrets will be exceedingly difficult to obtain. There are most likely things inside that cannot be overcome.” Duan De paced slowly and did not immediately act.
“Kill…!” Battle cries shook the heavens. All around the underground palace, cultivators were everywhere, yin soldiers everywhere.