Leaving the side hall and returning to the main path, the two discovered that the atmosphere of the Qing Emperor's Tomb had changed drastically.
The previously sparse traces of cultivators have now become denser, and the distant palace complex echoes with booming sounds and the sounds of battle, clearly indicating that the struggle for the opportunity deep within has entered a fierce stage. The air is filled with the scorching aura of blood and Spiritual Power collisions, and cultivators occasionally fly overhead, their expressions either panicked or filled with murderous intent.
Snow Empress instinctively protected the jade box in her arms, her eyes scanning her surroundings warily.
"No need to be nervous." Lin Hao walked with ease, as if strolling in a leisurely garden. " The Enlightenment Tea and the Azure Emperor's Token have already recognized you as their master. Unless you die and your cultivation dissipates, they are useless to others even if they take them. As for those three ants, they've escaped, so be it. If the Sun God Sect knows what's good for them, they should know who they can't afford to offend."
Upon hearing this, Snow Empress felt somewhat relieved, but still dared not be careless. She knew the cruelty of the cultivation world, where murder and theft were commonplace. Even with the protection of an unfathomable powerhouse like Lin Hao, one's own strength was the most important factor.
Instead of heading towards the most intense fighting area, the two followed a more secluded path towards the outer perimeter of the tomb. Lin Hao seemed extremely familiar with this place, weaving and twisting his way through several hidden killing formations and spatial rifts. Those places were littered with fresh bloodstains and broken fragments of magical artifacts, clearly the fate of those who had strayed in.
Snow Empress was secretly alarmed, feeling that Lin Hao's identity was increasingly mysterious and unpredictable. The Azure Emperor was a great Great Emperor attained enlightenment at the end of ancient times, at least tens of thousands of years ago. The layout of his tomb was profound and full of hidden killing intent. Even if the Holy Land's Holy Lord came with an ancient map, he would have to be careful. But Lin Hao was as if he were in his own backyard. This composure could not be explained by " Dao Yi secrets".
"Your Majesty, are you and the Azure Emperor... old acquaintances?" The Snow Empress finally couldn't suppress her curiosity and asked cautiously.
Lin Hao didn't stop walking. After a moment of silence, he said calmly, "He's an old acquaintance. What he owed me, he has repaid today."
His words were calm, yet they sent a jolt through Snow Empress's heart. Was he an old acquaintance of the Ancient Great Emperor? Then what was Lin Hao's background and age...? She dared not think too deeply, only feeling that the figure of the black-robed man before her grew ever taller and more profound.
After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a precipice appeared ahead. Clouds and mist swirled below the precipice, and the bottom was nowhere to be seen. Only a rusty bronze chain stretched across the two banks, swaying slightly in the cold wind and making a dull "creaking" sound.
"Once you cross this chain, you'll reach the outer perimeter of the tomb. From here on, you'll have to forge your own path." Lin Hao stopped at the edge of the cliff.
The Snow Empress was taken aback. "Your Majesty, won't you leave together?"
"I still have some matters to attend to." Lin Hao's gaze turned towards the depths of the tomb, where spiritual energy soared into the sky, and an ancient and majestic aura was faintly reviving. "The mess left behind by the Azure Emperor needs to be cleaned up by someone. You go first, refine the Enlightenment Tea, and stabilize your realm. If there are any important matters in the future, you can use the Azure Emperor's token to sense my location."
Having said that, without waiting for the Snow Empress's response, Lin Hao lightly flicked his sleeve.
A gentle yet irresistible force enveloped Snow Empress, steadily carrying her to the starting point of the bronze chains. The chains appeared broken and dilapidated, but when Snow Empress stepped onto them, they remained motionless, as stable as a rock.
"This chain is no ordinary iron; it is forged from the core of a star mixed with Void Divine Metal from the void. It can cross the void and is also a test of one's character. Walking across it will benefit your cultivation." Lin Hao's voice came with the wind, and his figure gradually faded away, as if merging into the void.
Snow Empress turned around and saw that the cliff edge was empty. She took a deep breath, bowed solemnly to the spot where Lin Hao had stood, and then turned to look at the bronze chain that stretched across the abyss, with no Other Shore.
The chains were no wider than a palm's breadth, and below them churned gray clouds. Divine senses probing into them were like mud oxen sinking into the sea, instantly swallowed up. Furthermore, a strange gale blew up from the abyss, icy cold and piercing straight to the soul. This was no ordinary passage, but a perilous place.
The Snow Empress calmed her mind, activated the Taiyin True Scripture, and Leng Yue appeared on her body. She took a step forward and landed steadily on the chains. The chains swayed slightly and emitted a long, resonant metallic sound.
The first hundred meters were relatively smooth, but the fierce wind required Spiritual Power to protect the body. However, in the middle section, a sudden change occurred!
The gray clouds beneath the abyss suddenly churned violently, transforming into hideous ghostly hands that roared silently as they reached out to grab the Snow Empress. These ghostly hands were not physical entities, but rather formed from the remnants of resentment, killing intent, and lingering souls mixed with the earth's yin energy, specifically designed to devour the souls of living beings.
The Snow Empress's eyes turned cold. She pointed her fingers like a sword, and the Lunar Power condensed into an ice crystal sword aura, which she swept out horizontally.
Sizzle!
Several ghostly hands were shattered by the sword energy and turned back into gray mist. However, the gray mist was unpredictable, and in an instant, more ghostly hands condensed and rushed forward one after another. What was more troublesome was that although the howls of the ghostly hands were silent, they directly impacted the soul, causing the Snow Empress's sea of consciousness to tremble slightly. Illusions appeared before her eyes, as if she saw the tragic scene of countless cultivators falling here, and heard mournful howls in her ears.
"Inner demon illusion? Mere lingering thoughts, how dare you disturb my Dao heart!" Snow Empress shouted, a point of icy blue light shining between her brows. That was the initial activation of the power of the Ice Emperor's Heart. An extremely cold and pure aura spread out, instantly freezing and purifying the surrounding gray mist. The ghost hand shattered upon touching it, and the illusion melted away like ice and snow.
She quickened her pace, swiftly traversing the chains, leaving a trail of ice crystals in her wake, causing the ghostly hand to retreat.
With the Other Shore in sight, only a few dozen feet remained.
Just then, another unexpected event occurred!
"Roar--!!!"
A deep, violent roar, seemingly from the depths of the underworld, suddenly erupted from the deepest part of the abyss! The entire bronze chain shook violently, groaning under its strain, and rubble rained down from the cliff face.
Snow Empress swayed, quickly regaining her balance, and stared in horror at the abyss.
The churning gray mist was suddenly pushed aside by a terrifying force, revealing a dark red light below. The light resembled magma or a sea of blood, radiating a suffocating heat and a stench. Within this "sea of blood," a pair of house-sized, scarlet, and savage eyes slowly opened, locking onto the Snow Empress bound by chains!
In those eyes, there was no rationality whatsoever, only the most primal and insane desire for destruction. Wherever his gaze fell, even the void seemed to burn and distort.
"This is... a malevolent spirit of the earth veins? No, this aura... is mixed with the resentment of imperial blood?!" The Snow Empress gasped, her hair standing on end, feeling an unprecedented threat of death.
This monster was far beyond her ability to contend with! Just a glance from it made her Spiritual Power stagnate and her soul ache.
"Waaaaah--!"
Her scarlet eyes suddenly blazed brightly, and a dark red breath, mixed with fragments of molten lava, blood, and violent laws, surged forth from the bottom of the abyss like a world-destroying torrent, heading straight for the Snow Empress on the bronze chains! Wherever it passed, the gray mist evaporated, black flames ignited in the void, and even the chains forged from Star Divine Metal began to rapidly turn red and soften!
Snow Empress's pupils contracted sharply. This attack was unavoidable! The chains were narrow, leaving no room to maneuver, and retreating was also a dead end. Before she could even exhale, the terrifying pressure made her bones crack, and the moonlight protecting her body flickered erratically.