Restriction

After retching for who knew how long, they finally wiped their mouths, their faces pale and drawn.

Nie Li took the lead and headed straight ahead.

The others did not even dare touch the skeletal remains.

There were also weapons and suits of Battle Armor that looked well preserved, but no one really had the heart to take them. After all, these were the belongings of the dead, and disturbing them might weigh on their consciences.

But Nie Li spoke first. "We need to take everything here."

His words startled everyone.

Du Ze walked over. "Nie Li..."

Nie Li's expression remained resolute. "I also feel sorry for the terrible fate they suffered. But that is precisely why we must strengthen ourselves at any cost. Otherwise, Glory City will become a second Gulan City sooner or later."

Seeing Nie Li's expression, everyone's heart jolted.

Indeed, Nie Li was the only one who had seen Glory City in ruins.

Having returned through rebirth, Nie Li would stop at nothing to ensure Glory City's survival.

No one said anything more. They silently began gathering the weapons, Battle Armor, and other items scattered around.

Each time they collected something, they bowed with their hands clasped before the remains, their expressions solemn in prayer.

The pills had all spoiled and could no longer be taken. They collected dozens of weapons and suits of Battle Armor, along with a Soul Stone that could greatly accelerate a Gold Rank Demon Spirit Master's cultivation.

Nie Li's attention, however, was fixed on a coffin in the middle of the hall.

It was a stone coffin, about three meters long and roughly one meter wide and high. Its surface was covered in densely packed runes. Even Nie Li could not decipher them, though they felt vaguely familiar.

Nie Li could sense terrifying fluctuations of soul force radiating from the stone coffin. That was also why none of the skeletal remains lay within three meters of it.

Seeing Nie Li staring intently at the stone coffin, Ye Ziyun came over, curious to ask what was going on.

But the instant she came within three meters of it, she felt as though her head would split apart. Pain twisted her face as she staggered backward.

"Zi Yun!"

Nie Li hurriedly caught Ye Ziyun by the shoulders and supported her.

"What happened?"

"What's wrong?"

The others came over as well.

Ye Ziyun touched her forehead, still shaken.

"I don't know. There seems to be a restriction on this stone coffin. The moment I approached it, my head felt like it was splitting apart."

Xiao Ning'er took a dagger out of her Space Ring and approached. The same thing happened to her as to Ye Ziyun, though her slightly stronger willpower allowed her to take a few more steps. That only made her head hurt even worse, however, forcing her to retreat.

Lu Piao said, "Huh? Goddess Zi Yun and Goddess Ning'er both get splitting headaches when they approach the stone coffin, so why was Nie Li perfectly fine when I saw him examining it up close just now?"

"I'll go up and take a look myself. Stay down here and wait. Whatever you do, don't come up."

Nie Li went to investigate personally, and just as Lu Piao had said, nothing happened when he approached the stone coffin.

After examining it closely, he found that none of its runes matched any of the scripts he had studied from the Sacred Empire's era through the Age of Darkness.

For some reason, the aura it gave off also felt a little familiar.

Waves of energy rippled over the stone coffin as well, likely soul force left upon it by some powerful expert.

Nie Li placed his hand on the stone coffin.

Suddenly, streams of white light began flowing from the coffin. They shot skyward, then slammed into Nie Li.

"Aah!"

The agonized scream gave everyone a terrible fright.

When had Nie Li ever screamed so horrifically?

"Nie Li!"

"Nie Li!"

Ye Ziyun and Xiao Ning'er immediately rushed toward the stone coffin.

The surrounding restriction instantly activated, holding them firmly at a distance of about three meters from the coffin.

But neither girl cared. Even as wounds appeared all over their bodies, their eyes remained fixed on Nie Li beside the stone coffin.

"Everyone, stand back!"

An aged, commanding voice rang out.

Ye Xiu and Chen Fei appeared in the hall.

"Lord Ye Xiu!"

"Uncle Chen Fei!"

Ye Xiu and Chen Fei stared at the stone coffin with grave expressions.

The soul force contained within it terrified even these two Black Gold Demon Spirit Masters.

These children had been injured so badly merely by approaching within three meters of the coffin. What, then, would happen to Nie Li at the very center?

Without hesitation, both men merged with their demon spirits and charged forward, intending to force their way through the restriction and bring Nie Li out.

Boom!

Ripples of soul force surged like irresistible ocean waves, sending the two Black Gold Demon Spirit Masters flying!

Everyone was stunned. These two were Black Gold Demon Spirit Masters, yet they had been thrown back while still two meters away from the coffin!

Chen Fei stubbornly refused to believe it and forced himself to charge again.

This time, the restriction rebounded even more fiercely, hurling him dozens of meters away. He only stopped when he crashed into the hall's wall, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

What about Nie Li?

There was nothing they could do now except pray for him.

Nie Li desperately defended the last remaining portion of his Soul Sea while frantically devouring the white light.

A furious roar echoed throughout the hall. Once Nie Li absorbed the white light into his body, its impurities were immediately expelled, cleansing his meridians and marrow. Even his soul force surged, propelling him straight to Bronze Three-Star.

Taking waterskins out of his Space Ring one after another, Nie Li frantically poured water over himself, rapidly replenishing the moisture that had evaporated from his body.

"That feels amazing!"

The surrounding restriction no longer targeted anyone, and they hurried forward to gather around Nie Li.

"Nie Li! Are you all right?"

"Nie Li, how are you feeling?"

"Take a Nine-Turn Pill first!"

Seeing everyone in such a panic, Nie Li did not know whether to laugh or cry and hurriedly explained that he was fine.

Only after Ye Xiu personally examined him and found that not only was the boy unharmed, but his body had also grown considerably stronger, did everyone finally relax.

"All right, all right. Zi Yun, Ning'er, you two should get your wounds treated first."

Because the two of them had charged too far forward earlier, they had suffered several wounds that had yet to be bandaged.

Unable to hold back her emotions, Xiao Ning'er threw her arms around Nie Li. She had truly been terrified just now, afraid that something would happen to him here.

She had already resolved that if anything happened to Nie Li, she would never go on living alone.

Ye Ziyun was the same. She had been so worried that tears had spilled from her eyes.

But in his current position, Nie Li seemed able to hold only one person.