The Place Where an Ancient Great Emperor Died and Was Reborn

The Place Where an Ancient Great Emperor Died and Was Reborn

Duan De did not believe Qin Sheng and the others. He wandered around this stretch of land himself, but apart from that tomb, he found nothing.

The fat Daoist cursed those two black-hearted bastards in his heart for not leaving him anything. They truly deserved heavenly punishment!

"What exactly did you obtain?" Duan De forcibly squeezed out a smile and tried to calm himself.

"You know me. I'm not the sort of person who covets others' treasures. I merely wanted to help share your burdens!"

Ye Fan could not help but mock him. "Last time, you outright snatched my psychic weapon."

Duan De explained with a righteous expression, "Last time, I was merely fooling around with Brother Ye. Even if Immortal Qin had not shown up, I would have returned the psychic weapon to you."

"Fellow Daoist," Qin Sheng said,

"you can fool others, but don't fool yourself too."

"Alas, the world misunderstands me far too much." Duan De sighed.

"Fellow Daoist, you said it yourself—this is an Emperor's Daoist Arena," Qin Sheng said.

"If there really were something here, how could people like us possibly shake it?"

"The Demon Emperor's Tomb is proof enough!"

"By the way, speaking of that, Daoist, how did you make it out of the Yin Grave alive?" Ye Fan asked.

Duan De looked miserable and pained. "Don't mention it. I nearly died down there. Fortunately, I was more skilled and barely managed to escape."

"There is great terror within the Demon Emperor's Yin Grave. The killing intent is unparalleled. Supreme figures from holy lands and aristocratic families have already perished inside."

Qin Sheng was not surprised. The Demon Emperor's Yin Grave truly "buried" the Qing Emperor. No matter how many people went in, there would never be enough to die.

For Duan De to escape the Yin Grave, he had likely paid no small price. After all, every one of his reincarnations began from zero, and he had to cultivate his way back up step by step.

However, this fat man had too many tricks. Even during periods when his cultivation was low, he would at most suffer a little more and end up somewhat bedraggled. His life would not be in danger.

"You really didn't obtain anything?" Duan De refused to give up.

"Really, nothing." The two gave the same answer.

"That shouldn't be. There should be Chaotic Ruin Dust here."

"What is Chaotic Ruin Dust?" Qin Sheng asked.

"Show me the treasure you obtained, and I'll tell you."

Clearly, Duan De did not believe them at all. Yet the two kept their mouths shut, adamantly insisting that they had gained nothing.

Duan De cursed furiously in his heart. Left with no choice, he came before the tomb, his expression shifting unpredictably.

Qin Sheng hurriedly said, "Fellow Daoist, don't tell me you're thinking of digging up this tomb?"

"If you want to die, don't drag us down with you!"

"Daoist, don't act rashly." Ye Fan also hurriedly advised him. "Think about the Demon Emperor's Yin Grave!"

"After finally discovering an Emperor's Daoist Arena, returning empty-handed is truly unbearable!" Duan De let out a long sigh.

"You're courting death." Qin Sheng shook his head.

"What kind of figure is an Emperor, and what realm are you in now? Perhaps you are special and capable enough to believe you can leave safely."

Qin Sheng said meaningfully, "But some things inevitably have consequences once a cause is planted. You may be fine now, but the future may not be so certain."

"How heavy is the karma of an Emperor? It is enough to crush the ages!"

Qin Sheng was completely certain that if Duan De had come here alone, he would definitely have dug up this tomb.

In the original story, after Duan De obtained the Swallowing Heaven Devil Canopy, he was extremely wary of mentioning Ruthless. At times, he even seemed afraid of her.

The reason for that must have been that Duan De had done something to wrong Ruthless.

Considering this dead fat man's profession...

What he had done was obvious.

He had dug up Ruthless's tomb. How could he not be afraid?

Qin Sheng even suspected that Duan De might have touched that bloodstained robe, which most likely belonged to Ruthless.

There was no need to question whether Duan De had the nerve. This dead fat man was bolder than the heavens.

Fortunately, it was Duan De. If anyone else had done such things, they would certainly have died.

Qin Sheng's words seemed to touch Duan De, making him recall something as he fell into thought.

"Even if you want to dig it up, Yezi and I will absolutely refuse. We'll stop you," Qin Sheng continued.

The Swallowing Heaven Devil Canopy taking away that pile of black soil earlier had truly been an accident. Qin Sheng had never intended to dig up the grave.

The more one knew, the less one dared to court death.

Besides, he had received much kindness from Ruthless. Protecting her cenotaph was only right.

After a while, Duan De came back to himself and said irritably,

"You don't want to die, but do you think I do?"

"I've truly suffered a huge loss this time. I used so many treasures and got nothing at all..."

As Duan De spoke, he surveyed the surroundings. His eyes suddenly lit up. He crouched down, grabbed a basinful of red clay, and sniffed it, his face breaking into a grin.

"It wasn't a complete loss after all."

Ye Fan stared in disbelief. "Daoist, don't tell me you're planning to strip away the ground itself?"

What a locust!

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Duan De said.

"Today, this Daoist master will broaden your horizons. Do you know what kind of place this is?"

"An Emperor's Daoist Arena. You just said so."

"..."

Duan De was speechless. Then, pretending nothing had happened, he continued.

"It is said that an ancient Great Emperor once underwent the most crucial transformation of his life here. It was an exceptionally brutal and tragic rebirth."

"That Emperor's body exploded into a mist of blood, and his Primordial Spirit collapsed. He was nearly dead."

"The soil here contains an Emperor's blood?" Ye Fan asked in shock.

"In your dreams."

Duan De rolled his eyes. "If that sort of thing had not undergone special treatment, a single drop could kill countless people like us."

"After that Emperor completed his most crucial transformation, he recalled all his flesh, blood, and Primordial Spirit. However, the Dao resonance affected this land."

"The Dao resonance of his flesh and blood dyed the earth red, while the Dao resonance of his Primordial Spirit eroded the clouds. They separately nurtured special substances. You've stayed here for months, so you should have noticed something, right?"

The two nodded.

"For some reason, the Dao resonance has now dissipated, but those two special substances remain. If their essence can be refined, their benefits will be boundless."

Qin Sheng fell into thought. According to Duan De's explanation, could this be the place where Ruthless, in the twilight of her first life, transformed toward a flawless Chaotic Body in her second life?

That was indeed very possible, and it matched the cenotaph.

The Emperor body of her first life had already been refined into an Emperor Weapon. Burying her bloodstained robe here could also be considered burying her first life.

Ye Fan asked curiously, "Daoist, how do you know these things?"

Duan De smiled confidently. "Many ancient people deliberately left behind certain information so that the truth of their era would not be buried by history."

"And I am responsible for excavating it. Those ancient people and I may be considered kindred spirits across the river of time."

Grave robbing was grave robbing, yet he made it sound so refined and elegant.

"Fellow Daoist, do you have a way to refine the essence of those two special substances?" Qin Sheng smiled amiably.

Duan De said proudly, "Of course."

"Hahaha."

Qin Sheng laughed loudly. "Fellow Daoist, on this day, we have gathered together. Looking back on the past, those glorious years were beautiful."

"Looking toward the future, the bond between us is endless, with no end in sight."

"The essence of these special substances should naturally be split in half when we meet!"

Ye Fan nodded rapidly. "Exactly, exactly. Today, we obtained a fortuitous opportunity together in an Emperor's Daoist Arena. In the future, we may ascend together. That would make for quite a fine tale."

"Daoist, there's nothing more to say. We've decided to be your friends!"

Duan De's vision went black. Boundless fucking Heavenly Venerable.

How could there be people in this world even more shameless than me?

And there were two of them!

Looking at the two black-hearted bastards before him, Duan De truly wanted the heavens to take them away.

"Don't even think about it!" Duan De refused decisively.

"Unless you hand over the treasures you obtained here. Then I might consider giving you some of the special substance essence."

"We truly did not obtain any treasure," Qin Sheng said.

"Fellow Daoist, given our relationship, isn't it a little too distant of you to say such things?"

"Stop right there. We have no relationship whatsoever!"

Duan De stopped paying attention to them and began refining the essence of the special substances.

He had mastered a kind of Dao pattern. Once inscribed upon the body, it could briefly create the effect of using one's body as a Furnace.

When great cultivators of ancient times comprehended heaven and earth, they gained many insights. They copied those insights down and passed them on to later generations, eventually forming the Dao patterns studied by cultivators today.

It could be said that these were the manifestation of the "Dao," encompassing all things and possessing unfathomable, miraculous power.

Some Dao patterns could allow one to instantly cross billions of miles; others could interfere with the flow of time.

"Can't the essence be refined with an artifact?" Qin Sheng asked.

"These substances have special origins. Artifacts cannot collect them. Only the human body itself can gather them."

Duan De explained casually, "And the human body has limits. It cannot absorb them endlessly, or negative effects will appear."

Do not assume that because Duan De was the reincarnation of an ancient Heavenly Venerable, his current body could rival an Emperor's.

Back at the Qing Emperor's Tomb, when Duan De competed for psychic weapons at the Dao Palace and Four Extremes levels, his ass had even been stabbed bloody by those weapons...

Qin Sheng clapped his hands and laughed. "In that case, this is all the more a time for us to work together!"

"How much special substance essence can you refine alone, Fellow Daoist? If Yezi and I join in, that would be truly efficient!"

"Besides, you know that Yezi possesses an Ancient Desolate Saint Body. When it comes to the physical body, no one can compare."

Hearing this, Duan De was genuinely tempted.

"How about this, Fellow Daoist? You help us inscribe the Dao patterns. Afterward, the special substance essence we refine will be split ninety-ten!" Qin Sheng said generously.

"You get one, and I get nine? That would work." Duan De felt that Qin Sheng still had some conscience.

"We get nine, and you get one." Qin Sheng smiled.

Duan De bristled. They were treating him like some demon beast!

"You black-hearted brat, keep dreaming!"

"Fellow Daoist, calm down. Listen as I explain it carefully..."

After some back-and-forth bargaining, Qin Sheng, Ye Fan, and Duan De settled on the terms.

Fifty-fifty.

The two of them were in excellent moods. They had gotten a benefit for free. Wonderful!

As for Duan De...

Although he could obtain more special substance essence, he still felt utterly miserable.

Nothing good ever happened whenever he ran into these two shameless bastards!

Still, the dead fat man truly was a jack-of-all-trades. He knew a little about everything. After spending a day, he inscribed the "Furnace" Dao pattern onto all three of them.

Half a month later, Qin Sheng looked at the two dragon-eye-sized beads in his hand and sighed in admiration.

"These two essences are enough to cause a cultivator's body and Primordial Spirit to undergo a transformation. A fortuitous opportunity—this truly is a fortuitous opportunity."

"Fellow Daoist, thank you so much this time."

"Taking out what you obtained here and showing it to me would be a real thanks." Duan De said irritably.

"Daoist, you're too attached." Ye Fan spoke with a solemn expression.

"What is our relationship? We're practically blood brothers from different fathers and mothers. Don't fuss over such trivial matters."

"Good brother." Qin Sheng called out sincerely.

"How do we get out of here?"

"Hm?" Duan De noticed immediately and promptly changed his expression.

"So you have no way to leave this place. I can take you out, but I'll have to charge a travel fee!"

"Dead fat man."

Qin Sheng changed how he addressed him. "You'd better think this through. If we can't get out, don't even think about leaving either."

Duan De's current realm was still inferior to Qin Sheng's, not to mention that Qin Sheng had now obtained the Swallowing Heaven Devil Canopy.

Seeing the two glaring at him hungrily, as though they would pounce at any moment to keep him here, Duan De fell silent.

"Meeting you two bastards has truly brought me eight lifetimes of bad luck!"

Why had the Great Emperor who once cultivated here not left behind a killing formation to wipe out these two little brats?