“The divine medicine is right before our eyes, damn it, yet we can’t get close!” the Great Black Dog fumed with irritation.

Had it not been for the corner of the Void Emperor’s formation array protecting them, they would have long since been unable to endure it — their bones and flesh would have been torn apart by the ancient coffin’s terrifying killing intent.

To say nothing of the Black Emperor, even Ye Fan and the Battle Sage Ape were utterly helpless. They had already come this far, and to retreat now would truly be too bitter a pill to swallow.

“The coffin couldn’t possibly contain the corpse of an ancient great emperor, could it…” the Great Black Dog considered this possibility, and shuddered violently.

The vermilion ancient coffin lay horizontally in the void, buried beneath countless chunks of divine source. The primordial aura struck them head-on, as though they had been transported to a land of distant antiquity.

In a trance, ancient trees soared to the heavens, savage dragons and primordial creatures roamed freely, war and flames raged across the vast earth, and battlefields stretched endlessly across the great wilderness — until at last a great emperor of antiquity arose and brought peace to all eight desolate regions.

The Great Black Dog leapt up as though someone had stepped on its stub of a tail, saying, “Look carefully and see if there are any markings — surely it truly cannot be a great emperor?!”

At that moment, it was trembling with terror, gripped with dread, even seized by the impulse to flee for its life — a heartfelt awe and panic toward the ancient great emperors.

“There are no markings…” Ye Fan murmured to himself. They circled the ancient coffin from a wide distance, but found not a single clue.

“It’s fine — all the ancient great emperors are dead. There’s no need to fear whoever it is.” The Great Black Dog steadied itself by force, rallying its own courage.

In the present age, the sovereigns of remote antiquity and the human race’s ancient great emperors had long since ceased to exist. Once they had calmed down, though their hearts still harbored dread, it was no longer so extreme.

Ye Fan, the Black Emperor, and the Battle Sage Ape each extended their divine consciousness, carefully and cautiously probing, trying to get to the bottom of things.

Yet they all shuddered at almost the same instant, every face drained of color — that invisible killing intent severed even their spiritual perception, nearly obliterating their divine consciousness entirely.

Unable to probe inward, they could only close their eyes and sense the energy flowing from it, using that to deduce everything within the great vermilion coffin.

“Father…”

None could say how much time had passed before the Ape suddenly cried out, his entire face full of shock, so overwhelmed with agitation that his body was visibly trembling.

Within the ancient coffin, he had glimpsed the Battle Sage Elder Ape, lying quietly without the slightest movement — the supreme majesty of an immemorial sovereign flowing forth in boundless waves.

“Wushi the Great Emperor!”

At the same moment, the Great Black Dog also cried out in shock. Its eyes, large as bronze bells, had gone perfectly round, and it too was shaking.

Each of them had perceived a different presence — one a sacred sovereign, the other an ancient emperor. They were both left utterly speechless, staring dumbly, sensing the energy that emanated from within.

“Why did we see different things?” the Ape asked with puzzlement.

The ancient corpse within the coffin could evidently affect the mind and spirit, conjuring a sense of deep reverence and longing, compelling those who sensed it to stand in awe.

“What did you see, young one?” the Black Emperor pressed.

Ye Fan opened his eyes. “I only saw chaos. Nothing else — nothing inside, no corpse at all.”

Three entirely different outcomes. They exchanged bewildered glances, then merged their divine consciousness together and sensed carefully, until at last they all wore expressions of astonishment.

Inside the ancient coffin was half a corpse, as though someone had severed it — dripping with fresh blood, white bone-ends exposed and jagged, as if it had only been placed there not long ago.

“Is this the true reality?”

They confirmed it again and again, and could only perceive a half-formed, hazy corpse — long since gone cold over countless years, without a trace of life remaining.

“Not one of the ancient great emperors survived…” the Great Black Dog gave a long sigh, falling into prolonged silence.

“What are you trying to say?” Ye Fan asked.

“Ten Thousand Dragons’ Nest — it exhausted every mystery and transformation between heaven and earth, yet left behind only a single corpse. Not even a hint of suspense. All the great emperors of antiquity have perished.” The Great Black Dog sighed.

“The fate of the human great emperors mirrors that of the immemorial sovereigns!” the Battle Sage Ape lamented as well.

The Black Emperor’s expression was complex. It fixed its gaze on the True Dragon Immortality Medicine, turning things over endlessly in its mind, as though many thoughts had surfaced.

The great emperors of antiquity had never met one another — only after one person had returned to the earth would another emerge into the world, leaving many to feel the weight of that regret.

The immemorial sovereigns were likewise — almost never had two ancient sovereigns appeared in the same era. All had emerged across separate generations, making comparison impossible.

“Nangong Zheng has also entered!” Ye Fan’s eyelid twitched, a premonition rising in his heart.

At the entrance to the Ten Thousand Dragons’ Nest, a man of incomparable heroic bearing with hair white as snow appeared inside the ancient cave in a single vanishing step — it was none other than the human race’s great power, Nangong Zheng.

“It’s fine. The Void Emperor’s formation array is unusual — I’ve already activated it. We’re hidden within the void; he won’t be able to find us,” the Great Black Dog said.

“Still, let’s avoid him first.” Ye Fan spoke.

“Very well. Time is pressing — let’s go deeper into the True Dragon’s former lair to search for immortal treasures.” The Great Black Dog moved forward step by step, constantly glancing back, its eyes fixed longingly on the True Dragon Immortality Medicine, yet utterly powerless to claim it.

Nangong Zheng charged straight toward the vermilion ancient coffin — his purpose unmistakable. Yet he too was unable to approach. Every step was a struggle; powerful as he was, wounds began appearing on his body.

Yet he did not give up. Resolute and unwavering, he continued to press forward toward the ancient coffin, determined to reach it.

“His will is iron — he’d rather die than not reach that ancient coffin. Is he trying to harvest the immortality divine medicine, or is it something inside the coffin he’s after?” Ye Fan was astonished.

“No matter — he has absolutely no way to get close. If he keeps going down that path, he’ll surely perish.” The Great Black Dog was unconcerned.

They pressed forward for several li. The ancient caves spread out in every direction — the dragon’s lair was immense beyond measure. Along the way they encountered yet another large chunk of divine source, within which an elderly white-haired figure was sealed.

Though it appeared tranquil, it inspired trembling dread. The elder within the divine source was like a boundless river of stars — capable of shattering this entire expanse of heaven and earth!

“Oudawoakumi…” Suddenly, a voice rang out behind the group.

“Damn it, what kind of bird-language is that!” the Great Black Dog grumbled — then its body went rigid. It came to its senses and slowly turned to look.

Without question, a primordial creature had spotted them. That was the language of the immemorial age.

Ye Fan’s heart lurched as well; he turned to look. Only the Ape remained relatively composed.

From an ancient cave shaped like a dragon, a youth of eleven or twelve emerged. Though humanoid in form, he was densely covered in purple scales, with bright, clear eyes carrying a faint trace of immaturity.

At the center of his brow a vertical purple eye had grown, radiating a clear luminescence — it was precisely through this eye that he had seen through the void formation array and perceived the group.

“Yaludaguxi…” The youth emerged from the ancient cave and continued to speak.

“What is he saying?” Ye Fan asked.

“He’s asking what race we belong to and how we got in.” The Ape replied.

“Aluyema.” The Black Emperor suddenly opened its wide mouth and produced these syllables, while a flash of light from its paw revealed a purple divine command token.

“Guniyaluyema?” The youth of the immemorial race seemed thoroughly astonished, staring blankly at the group.

“Aluyema!” The Great Black Dog nodded with great solemnity.

Ye Fan was completely dumbfounded. How did this wretched dog know the language of the immemorial age? It had even managed to stun this youth, and was doing so with an air of lofty superiority.

“What is it saying?” he asked the Ape in puzzlement.

“It says it is… the descendant of the Undying Celestial Emperor.” Even the Ape was astonished, staring unblinkingly at the purple divine command token in the Great Black Dog’s paw, saying, “That truly is… an ancient sovereign’s command token!”

The Undying Celestial Emperor — even in the immemorial age, that was nothing more than a legend, one impossibly ancient. It was said that this figure had almost transcended divinity itself, and was worshipped as a god in the hearts of all the races of the immemorial age!

Ye Fan was thoroughly bewildered. This wretched dog really dared to say such a thing — yet the purple ancient sovereign’s command token in its paw had genuinely silenced the other party.

The youth’s eyes had nearly popped out of his head. He stared at that mysterious ancient token, too stunned to utter a word.

“This command token was obtained from within the Undying Mountain. I only managed to learn those few phrases of the ancient bird-tongue. Help me bluff him along,” the Great Black Dog bared its teeth at the Ape.

“This…” The Ape trembled with agitation, staring at the purple command token. In a quavering voice he said, “Could the Undying Celestial Emperor have truly existed?”

“Ape, you’re being called on to speak!” the Great Black Dog said urgently.

“It really does resemble the ancient command token of the legendary Undying Celestial Emperor described in the tales…” The Ape’s eyes had gone perfectly fixed.

The Undying Celestial Emperor — in the hearts of the immemorial races, this figure surpassed all mythology. Whether the being had ever truly existed remained uncertain; yet in the minds of all races, it was the supreme, unrivaled divine being.

Nearby, the youth had been staring at the ancient sovereign’s command token with unblinking intensity. Then, astonishingly, he knelt down. Trembling fingers reached out, yearning to touch the purple token.

“Gudali na!” The Great Black Dog steeled itself and squeezed out this phrase.

“This is undeniably a sovereign’s command token — it contains a mysterious energy within, something that cannot be imitated!” The Ape excitedly turned it over and over in his hands, examining it from every angle. His own father had possessed a Battle Sage Sovereign’s command token, but it had been lost in the immemorial age — he had never been able to obtain it.

The kneeling youth murmured continuously, speaking at length. Only through the Ape’s interpretation could the meaning be understood.

This purple command token bore a profound connection to the legendary Undying Celestial Emperor — for upon it was inscribed his title, along with the sovereign’s mark that had endured across countless ages without fading.

“It may be a command token carved by an ancient sovereign in reverence of the Undying Celestial Emperor…” The Ape pondered carefully before arriving at this conjecture.

For the Undying Celestial Emperor was too impossibly ancient. It was said that nothing had ever been left behind, and whether this being had even existed was highly uncertain — even in the Ape’s own mind, the question was full of doubt.

“That came from within the Purple Mountain, didn’t it?” Ye Fan asked.

“It works, doesn’t it!” The Great Black Dog gave no answer.

Ye Fan’s heart trembled. The Purple Mountain, guarded by the Nine Dragons, was truly unfathomable — even what appeared to be the ancient sovereign’s command token of the Undying Celestial Emperor had been found within.

“Dogomiga…” The youth engaged the Great Black Dog in excited exchange.

The dog’s forehead was covered in a sweat of utter helplessness. It repeated the same four syllables: “Gudali na!” And with an expression bordering on plaintive resentment, it fixed its eyes on the Ape, entirely depending on him to take the lead.

The Ape steadied himself and began to speak, conversing with the youth.

“Tell him to lead us to see the immortal treasures. This is a dragon’s lair — let’s see if there are dragon eggs or shed shells remaining in the deepest part.” The Great Black Dog’s eyes burned with light.

“He says there are truly extraordinary divine objects here, but ordinary people cannot see them. However, he says that as descendants of divine beings, we should be able to perceive them,” the Ape explained at the side.

The Great Black Dog nearly leapt into the air, so overwhelmed with excitement that its whole body began convulsing. “This sovereign always knew that an ancient dragon’s lair would certainly have immortal treasures left behind!”

“He says he wishes to awaken his father-king to guide us.” The Ape added.

The Great Black Dog’s black face nearly turned green. If a sovereign of the immemorial age were to revive, nothing short of an ancient great emperor returning to life could save them.

“Tell him not to disturb the king…”

The Ape understood perfectly. They conversed at length, and together set off toward the deepest part of the dragon’s lair.

Though this youth was humanoid from birth, he was still too young and undeveloped in cultivation — the scales on his body had yet to recede. Yet despite all this, he was without question a true member of the royal bloodline.

The Ape was himself of the immemorial royal lineage, Ye Fan was humanoid, and the Great Black Dog held the ancient sovereign’s command token. The youth had not given the matter much further thought.

After pressing forward several more li, a world-shaking killing intent emanated from within one ancient cave. The bones of Ye Fan, the Black Emperor, and the Ape all crackled and groaned.

Beside them, even the youth’s heart was gripped by fear. His body trembled, and he gave the cave a wide berth.

“Another ancient coffin!” The Great Black Dog cried out in shock.

Inside the cave, countless shattered chunks of divine source had submerged a massive coffin, which lay suspended in the void. The incomparable terrifying killing intent originated from it.

“Why is there a second ancient coffin?” Ye Fan too was astonished.

The Ape conversed with the youth and his expression shifted to one of shock. “He says there are four coffins in total — each one more terrifying than the last. The final one rests within the sacred land at the heart of the Dragon’s Nest.”

“What — four ancient coffins?!” The Great Black Dog leapt to its feet in shock, then said, “I understand now. This absolutely belongs to the Ruthless One. No wonder Wushi the Great Emperor did not choose this place and sought out the Purple Mountain instead — this is the burial ground of the Ruthless One!”