Burial Mound Grounds.
Qin Sheng and Ye Fan sat facing each other, both sighing.
"I'll study this half of an Emperor Weapon first and see if I can use it to leave this place."
Ye Fan nodded and began cultivating.
Within the Sea of Bitterness, the Swallowing Heaven Devil Canopy was quiet, showing no unusual activity.
Qin Sheng carefully infused it with Divine Sense, magical power, and vital essence. The Devil Canopy reacted slightly, greatly surprising him.
"There seems to be no one else's imprint on the Swallowing Heaven Devil Canopy?"
An Emperor Weapon was an alternative continuation of a Great Emperor's life, the vessel of their Great Dao.
The Emperor Weapons of Extreme Dao forces such as Yaochi and the Jiang Family were nearly impossible for outsiders to seize. Without their cooperation, even if outsiders obtained their Emperor Weapons, they would find them difficult to activate.
This was because those Extreme Dao forces had, generation after generation, left indelible life imprints or other marks upon their Emperor Weapons.
Even while an Emperor Weapon's divine spirit slumbered, it would instinctively acknowledge only them and not outsiders.
Bloodline, inheritance... Emperor Weapons would safeguard all of it for their deceased masters.
If Yaochi's Emperor Weapon were lost, they could employ certain methods to summon it back from afar.
Thus, Emperor Weapons could be considered exclusive weapons.
Qin Sheng had already prepared himself for the possibility that the Swallowing Heaven Devil Canopy bore the imprints left by the Ruthless lineage and that he would be unable to activate it.
Yet unexpectedly, the Swallowing Heaven Devil Canopy was remarkably clean.
Thinking of the Swallowing Heaven Devil Jar in Tu Tian's possession, Qin Sheng became thoughtful.
"The Ruthless lineage definitely knows that the Jar Body is in Tu Tian's hands. The reason they haven't recalled it is likely not because they don't want to, but because they can't."
"The Swallowing Heaven Devil Jar is undoubtedly special. Refined from Ruthless's corpse, with her Primordial Soul hidden inside it—other than Ruthless herself, who could truly control it?"
"Leaving behind an Immortal imprint is simply impossible..." Qin Sheng sighed inwardly.
"This Emperor Weapon truly combines two extremes. Its activation threshold is extremely low, with no requirements for bloodline or inheritance."
"But truly claiming it and awakening its divine spirit as one would with other Emperor Weapons is almost impossible as well."
Still, this was good news for Qin Sheng.
If the Swallowing Heaven Devil Canopy had carried the Immortal imprint of the Ruthless lineage, then the moment he took the canopy outside, he would probably be making a wedding dress for someone else.
Now, he no longer needed to worry about that problem.
"Immortal, something isn't right here."
At that moment, Ye Fan spoke, frowning.
"The vital essence here is too thin, nearly nonexistent, yet another special substance fills the air."
"Another special substance?" Qin Sheng asked doubtfully.
"When I cultivated just now, my magical power barely increased, but my physical body was nourished," Ye Fan said.
"I can't explain it clearly for the moment. You'll understand once you experience it yourself."
Hearing this, Qin Sheng circulated the Demonic Art. The next second, he sensed the special substance Ye Fan had described.
In his perception, tiny red motes floated all around them. After being absorbed, they settled into his physical body and slightly increased its strength.
This was a substance that purely strengthened the physical body. It had no effect on Divine Sense or magical power.
As Qin Sheng continued absorbing the red substance, his internal organs and bones were deeply nourished as well.
The Heaven Devouring Demonic Art could dissolve all things!
Qin Sheng further activated the profound essence of the Demonic Art. The red substance was converted, nourishing his five Divine Treasuries and advancing him toward Dao Palace Perfection.
After a while, Qin Sheng nodded and said,
"It is indeed as you said. But the Ancient Scripture I cultivate is rather special; all kinds of energy and substances can be used by me."
"What a miraculous Ancient Scripture." Ye Fan was somewhat astonished.
When it came to devouring and utilizing all kinds of power, the Dao Scripture was certainly inferior to the Heaven Devouring Demonic Art.
"This is also a fortuitous opportunity. You possess the Sacred Physique, and there are not many things capable of increasing your physical strength."
Qin Sheng said, "This means your potential and foundation are growing, and your base is becoming ever more solid."
Ye Fan nodded, agreeing with Qin Sheng's words.
For cultivators of the Shrouding the Heavens World, the Primordial Spirit was the most important, followed by the physical body, then magical power.
Situations where magical power was exhausted during battle basically never occurred.
"What do you think this special substance is?" he asked curiously.
Qin Sheng thought for a moment and looked toward the blood-colored ground.
"It seems to be flowing out from the earth. It's very likely related to this soil."
No matter how Qin Sheng looked at it, the soil resembled bloody mud.
Suddenly, inspiration flashed through Qin Sheng's mind.
"Yezi, this soil can release mysterious substances. Do you think the Gray Fog outside might be the same?"
"That's very possible!" Ye Fan's eyes lit up.
The two tried it and discovered that cultivating within the gray mist allowed them to absorb a substance capable of strengthening Divine Sense.
Qin Sheng's brow shone. Within his Sea of Consciousness, the tiny Primordial Spirit was exceedingly adorable and multicolored.
A large amount of spiritual substance was absorbed, causing the Sea of Spirit beneath the Primordial Spirit to ripple with multicolored waves. It was incredibly wondrous.
Compared with his pitch-black Sea of Bitterness, Qin Sheng's Primordial Spirit was even more extraordinary.
"This place really is an excellent place." Ye Fan was somewhat delighted.
Qin Sheng carefully assessed the speed of their progress and shook his head.
"Staying here is not a long-term solution."
Improving the physical body and Primordial Spirit was an extremely precious opportunity to ordinary people, but they had broader skies awaiting them.
Ten days later, Qin Sheng held the Swallowing Heaven Devil Canopy in his hand and tried to activate it.
A sudden change occurred.
A black vortex appeared on the Swallowing Heaven Devil Canopy. The vortex spun quietly, and Qin Sheng and Ye Fan felt no suction at all, yet somehow...
That small black mound of earth was drawn into the Devil Canopy!
At the sight of this, Qin Sheng's heart nearly stopped.
Ruthless's grave had been destroyed?
What was the Swallowing Heaven Devil Canopy doing?! It had truly gone demonic, hadn't it?!
Ye Fan was also badly startled. Though curious, neither of them had ever entertained any thoughts about that mound. They had been extremely respectful.
Who could have known that the Swallowing Heaven Devil Canopy would suddenly pull something like this?
An innately evil Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon—I'll personally...
"Immortal, there's something here."
After the black mound was sucked away, what lay beneath it was revealed.
There was no corpse. Only a white bloodstained garment was buried below, a woman's garment.
"A cenotaph?" Ye Fan asked.
Qin Sheng took a deep breath. "Most likely."
Whom the bloodstained garment belonged to, he could figure out with Ye Fan's toes.
"What happened to that pile of black soil?"
Qin Sheng checked his Sea of Bitterness, and his expression became exceedingly strange.
The black mound had been transferred into his Sea of Bitterness, where the Swallowing Heaven Devil Canopy rested atop it as before.
So the Devil Canopy had found its previous home uncomfortable and moved its old "furniture" inside?
After Qin Sheng explained the situation to Ye Fan, the two fell silent as they looked at each other.
After a long while, Ye Fan made a suggestion.
"Why don't we dig up some soil elsewhere and build another grave?"
A good idea.
Since you, the "older brother," had said so, surely the "younger sister" would have no objections.
The two were people of action. They quickly dug up some red soil and restored the burial mound to its original appearance.
After finishing everything, Qin Sheng wiped his forehead.
What a sin. Someone, please save us!
Another two months passed, and Qin Sheng and Ye Fan still had not found a way out.
But that day, outside the Sacred Land Ruins, a plump Daoist appeared.
He stared at the Sacred Land Ruins, his eyes shining brightly.
"This Daoist master has calculated with his fingers that this place is fated with me. The right time, the right place, the right person—wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!"
"Boundless Heavenly Venerable, this Daoist master's luck has arrived!"
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