Only after making the trip himself and dealing with Han Feiyu's grandfather, Han Yishui, did Chen Yu return to the thatched cottage where he lived.
By then, Ye Fan and Pang Bo had returned as well.
They stared at the bodies of Han Feiyu and his companions, their faces full of astonishment.
After learning what had happened, they looked even more astonished.
"You... sent his whole family, old and young, straight to heaven?"
Pang Bo was rather stunned. "That... you really did kill them without holding back."
They inwardly admired him, even as his willingness to kill shocked them.
They had never expected their Teacher Chen, who usually looked so amiable and easy to get along with, to be so decisive and ruthless once he actually acted.
Han Feiyu had brought people to provoke him, and that very day, his grandfather and uncle had both joined him in the grave.
"That's the cruelty of the cultivation world."
Chen Yu smiled, still wearing his usual warm, amiable expression. "If you dare provoke someone, you must be prepared for them to dispose of you, and even for disaster to befall your family."
"If you don't want your actions to implicate your own people in the future, you'd best be more decisive."
"Of course, Han Feiyu's family was no loss."
"After all, they provoked you two first. Even if we hadn't dealt with them now, they would certainly have caused more trouble later."
Pang Bo and Ye Fan wholeheartedly agreed.
While cultivating in Spirit Ruins Paradise, they had never actually intended to provoke anyone. Yet simply because they had eaten divine fruits, Han Feiyu's uncle had set his sights on them, wanting to refine them into divine pills that extended his lifespan.
Had they not died, they would inevitably have come looking to trouble Ye Fan again.
Now things had worked out nicely: the whole lot had been wiped out in one fell swoop.
"Counting the days, it's about time I left."
Chen Yu said, "From here on, how you fare will depend on yourselves."
Judging by the timing, the opening of Qing Emperor's Tomb was drawing near.
Of course, he could originally have stayed a while longer.
But after this incident, he felt rather awkward about remaining.
However weak Spirit Ruins Paradise was, it would hardly remain indifferent after someone killed two of its elders. It would inevitably come looking to trouble Chen Yu.
Although Chen Yu was not afraid of such things, it was still best to avoid them where possible.
"I'll give these to you. Decide for yourselves what to do with them."
Chen Yu continued, "Remember to keep your mouths shut. Don't let anyone know I did it."
"It doesn't matter much to me, but I'm afraid it might bring you trouble."
As his words fell, a number of things appeared there, all junk he had previously searched out from the two Elders Han.
Chen Yu had no use for these things, but simply throwing them away would have been a bit of a waste, so he left them to Ye Fan and Pang Bo instead.
Things beneath Chen Yu's notice were just right for the two of them at present.
After all, they were utterly penniless now. Having anything to use was good enough; they were in no position to be picky.
Ye Fan and Pang Bo started in surprise. They were just about to ask him to stay, only to discover that Chen Yu had already vanished from before them.
By the look of things, he had simply left.
They exchanged a glance, momentarily speechless. In the end, they could only engrave Chen Yu's kindness in their hearts and begin sorting through the pile of junk before them.
"How are things going?"
After leaving Ye Fan and Pang Bo, Chen Yu sought out Yan Ruyu and asked about the latest developments.
After some time apart, Yan Ruyu looked rather frazzled, and her face had grown considerably more haggard.
Clearly, her efforts during this time had once again come to nothing.
That was indeed the case.
To open the Azure Emperor's Mausoleum, the Azure Emperor Lineage had tried virtually every method and exhausted considerable resources, yet in the end, they still could not find the Azure Emperor Lineage's entrance.
Nothing was more vexing than having hope plainly before their eyes, yet somehow being unable to grasp it.
"Your Highness, your art of divining heaven's secrets is unrivaled in this world. Might you perform a divination for us?"
Upon learning that Chen Yu had arrived, Elder Qing hurried out and earnestly implored him, hoping he could perform another divination.
Clearly, after repeated failures, they had pinned their hopes on Chen Yu.
After all, judging by what had happened before, Chen Yu's art of divining heaven's secrets was simply heaven-defying.
Since he could successfully divine even the location of the Azure Emperor's Mausoleum Tomb, could he also divine a way to open Qing Emperor's Tomb?
"A Great Emperor's tomb involves karmic ties that run too deep. Forcing a divination would likely bring heavenly punishment, something even the sages of antiquity could not withstand were they alive."
Chen Yu shook his head, letting a trace of pallor appear on his face at just the right moment to indicate that the injuries from his previous divination had yet to heal fully. "Divining the entrance to Qing Emperor's Tomb is impossible."
"However, I do have a premonition about when the Azure Emperor's Mausoleum will open."
"What did you foresee?"
At Chen Yu's words, Elder Qing was first disappointed, then overjoyed, and hurriedly pressed him for an answer.
"In a few months at the earliest, or a few years at the latest, Qing Emperor's Tomb will surely open."
Chen Yu spoke softly. Though his voice was quiet, his tone carried certainty.
Hearing this answer, Elder Qing was instantly delighted.
To them, arduous attempts were nothing. Their only fear was that, after trying every possible means, Qing Emperor's Tomb would still remain closed.
Now that they could obtain a definite answer from Chen Yu, it was undoubtedly an extraordinarily fortunate thing.
They resumed their efforts.
Two or three months passed, and they still had not found the entrance to Qing Emperor's Tomb.
But just as disappointment filled their hearts, a violent change suddenly began.
Boom!
A terrifying sound suddenly rang out, as though an incomparably fearsome deity had begun to awaken, its heart slowly beginning to beat.
The sound was like thunder, like war drums, like the heartbeat of the world, resounding in waves in every direction.
With the ruins behind Spirit Ruins Paradise at its center, everyone who heard the sound shuddered. They felt utterly stunned, the blood and Qi throughout their bodies boiling beyond all control.
"This is..."
At the sound, those present first froze, then wild joy spread across their faces. "Our ancestor's mausoleum has emerged!"
"That must be it!"
Without the slightest hesitation, they charged straight toward the center, where an entirely new sight met their eyes.
Above those ruins, a grand phenomenon had begun to manifest.
The ground of the ruins shook and began to split apart, revealing the sight beneath the surface.
There lay vast stretches of seething magma, within which multicolored radiance now bloomed. A magnificent hall was faintly visible, and supreme imperial might spread through the air, making everyone around it bow in submission, boundless in its terror.
"Our ancestor's mausoleum is in there!"
Gazing at the sight before him, Elder Qing said excitedly, "It's breaking through the seal. It's about to emerge!"
Without the slightest hesitation, she immediately acted, attempting to pull that palace out ahead of time.
Unfortunately, all her efforts came to nothing.
The Demon Emperor's Mausoleum could not be violated. Although it held no particularly terrifying dangers, any attempt to affect it was futile. They could only wait for it to break free of the seal on its own.