" Dragon Transformation Ninth Heaven, barely passable." Lin Hao nodded, but his tone remained calm.
Snow Empress remained silent. She knew that in Lin Hao's eyes, perhaps only those truly extraordinary talents could catch his eye.
As time passed, more and more people arrived. Among them were some Ruthless among the independent cultivators, whose powerful auras were no weaker than those of Saint-level individuals.
Suddenly, a deep, muffled roar came from the depths of the Nether Abyss.
"Boom--"
The entire earth trembled, and the black mist above the Nether Abyss churned violently, as if some enormous creature was about to emerge from it.
"It's about to be born!"
Everyone's spirits lifted, and their gazes were all fixed on the abyss.
The black mist churned more and more violently, and a huge, phantom palace could be vaguely seen slowly rising from the depths of the abyss. The palace was ancient and mottled, exuding an aura of vicissitudes, and was carved with various demon totems: true dragons, Divine Phoenix, qilin, kunpeng... lifelike, as if they might come to life at any moment.
" The Demon Emperor's Tomb! It really is the Demon Emperor's Tomb!"
"The tomb of the Azure Emperor! If one could obtain the Fortune within, soaring to the heavens would be just around the corner!"
The crowd was excited, and many people could no longer contain themselves and rushed towards the abyss.
"Idiot."
Jin Man opened his eyes, gave a cold laugh, but made no move.
Sure enough, those who rushed to the front screamed in agony as soon as they approached the edge of the abyss. Countless black tentacles suddenly emerged from the black mist, binding them and dragging them into the abyss, leaving them no chance to resist.
"It's the Nether Ghost Vine! Wasn't this thing supposed to have been extinct for a long time? How could it appear in the Nether Abyss?!"
"Legend has it that the Nether Abyss is an ancient battlefield, filled with extremely heavy Yin energy, so it's not surprising that it gave birth to the Ghost Vine. But with so many Ghost Vine, entering the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm would be a dead end!"
The crowd paled and dared not approach rashly any further.
"Hmph, a mere Ghost Vine dares to block the way?"
A clear, cold voice rang out, and from the direction of the Jade Lake Holy Land, a fairy in white robes emerged. Her beauty was unparalleled, and her temperament ethereal, like a fairy from the moon palace descending to earth. She gently raised her hand, scattering a petal.
The petals, though seemingly delicate, burst forth with dazzling celestial light upon falling into the black mist. Wherever they passed, the Ghost Vine withered and crumbled, clearing a safe area.
"It's the World-Purifying Immortal Lotus of the Jade Lake Holy Land! Legend has it that this lotus can purify all the filth in the world, and it truly lives up to its reputation!"
With the white-clad fairy leading the way, the Jade Lake Holy Land's group was the first to step into the abyss. Seeing this, other forces also displayed their various methods and followed closely behind.
The Ji Family unleashed an ancient mirror; its light shone so brightly that the Ghost Vine crumbled upon it. The Jiang Family's illusory Solar Divine Furnace burned, evaporating the black mist. The Great Xia Dynasty's divine ship charged recklessly, the Ghost Vine unable to even get close...
Soon, all the major powers entered the abyss, leaving only some rogue cultivators and small forces still hesitating and observing.
"Let's go." Lin Hao took a step and walked towards the abyss.
Snow Empress followed closely behind, circulating the Taiyin True Scripture. Moonlight flowed across her body, freezing and shattering the approaching Ghost Vine. She was now at the Dragon Transformation Third Heaven, and with the support of the Ice Emperor's Heart, her Lunar Power was incomparably pure, so these Ghost Vine could not get close to her at all.
The two continued downwards, and the deeper they went, the heavier the yin energy became, and the more Ghost Vine appeared. They even began to see ghost soldiers and generals, wielding decaying weapons, wandering in the mist and attacking any living person they encountered.
"Roar!"
A group of ghostly soldiers discovered Lin Hao and Snow Empress and charged towards them with a roar. They had been dead for countless years, with only their remnant souls driving their corpses, but their strength was not weak, comparable to cultivators in the Dao Palace Secret Realm.
Just as Snow Empress was about to make a move, Lin Hao only glanced at her.
"Disperse."
Words became law. The entire troop of ghostly soldiers, along with the surrounding Ghost Vine, instantly turned to ashes and vanished into the mist.
Snow Empress was shocked, but dared not ask any questions, and simply followed silently behind Lin Hao.
The abyss seemed endless; the two descended for a full hour, still without seeing the bottom. The surroundings were pitch black, with only the faint glow of the magical artifacts of various powerful forces visible in the distance.
Suddenly, the sounds of fierce fighting and screams came from ahead.
"Get out of my way! I found this Nether Flower first!"
"Bullshit! Rare treasures belong to the capable; kill them!"
Clearly, some forces have already begun fighting each other for this opportunity.
Lin Hao didn't even glance at them and continued downwards. Although Snow Empress was tempted by the spiritual herbs, seeing that Lin Hao didn't care, she suppressed her thoughts and focused on traveling.
After another incense stick's time, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
At the bottom of the abyss lay a vast underground world. The sky was made of inverted stalactites, emitting Youyou glow that barely illuminated the space. On the ground, ruins were everywhere, vaguely revealing that it had once been a magnificent ancient city.
In the center of the ancient city, a massive palace is slowly rising from the ground.
The palace was cast entirely in bronze, covered in verdigris, and stood a thousand feet tall, majestic as a mountain. The palace gates were tightly closed, engraved with countless demonic characters, exuding a vast and ancient aura.
"The true entrance to the Demon Emperor's Tomb!"
Everyone was greatly encouraged and rushed frantically toward the palace.
But at that moment, something unexpected happened.
"Boom!"
The palace gates suddenly trembled and slowly opened a crack. A terrifying aura surged out from the crack, sweeping across the surrounding area like a flood.
"Puff!"
The dozens of people at the forefront were swept by this aura and instantly turned into blood mist, their bodies and souls annihilated.
"It's the Emperor's might! The remaining imperial might of the Azure Emperor!"
"Retreat immediately!"
The crowd was horrified and retreated frantically. But the imperial might followed them like a shadow, continuing to spread. Wherever it passed, regardless of cultivation level, everything was shattered without any power to resist.
"Snort!"
A cold snort rang out, and a golden light suddenly shot up from the Great Xia Dynasty's divine ship, transforming into a phantom figure dressed in a dragon robe, blocking the imperial might.
"It's the former emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty! He actually came in person!"
"That is a Holy Dharma Body, at least at the Saint King level!"
The dragon-robed phantom collided with the emperor's might, unleashing a deafening roar that shook the entire underground world. In the end, the emperor's might was blocked, but the dragon-robed phantom dimmed considerably.
"The Emperor's authority has dissipated; advance quickly!"
Someone shouted and rushed toward the palace gates again.
This time, without the emperor's obstruction, everyone passed through the gate smoothly and entered the palace.
Lin Hao and Snow Empress also entered with the flow of people.
The palace interior was even more expansive than the outside, like a small world. The sky was filled with illusory stars, the floor was paved with white jade slabs, and countless bronze pillars stood all around, carved with scenes of demon races waging war and performing sacrifices.
"Is this the interior of the Demon Emperor's Tomb?"
"The spiritual energy is so rich, it's more than ten times stronger than outside!"
"Look! There are cultivation techniques passed down on those pillars!"
Some sharp-eyed individuals noticed that the carvings on the bronze pillar were not merely patterns, but also contained ancient martial arts techniques. Immediately, someone sat down cross-legged to try and decipher their secrets.
But many more people rushed towards the depths of the palace. The greatest opportunity in the Demon Emperor's Tomb must lie in its deepest part.