At the entrance to the tomb, all sorts of poisonous plants grew, and the poisonous gas they released was so potent that even cultivators at the Dragon Transformation Realm dared not inhale it easily. The Snow Empress erected a protective barrier of Power of the Heavenly Dao to keep the poisonous gas out, and led everyone into the tomb.
The interior of the tomb was even more dangerous than the exterior, filled with traps and mechanisms, as well as mutated poisonous insects and ferocious beasts. But these were nothing to the Snow Empress; her Power of the Heavenly Dao was the nemesis of all evil. Before the poisonous insects and ferocious beasts could even get close, they were evaporated by golden light.
The group ventured deeper into the tomb and finally arrived at the main burial chamber. In the center of the main burial chamber stood a huge bronze cauldron, its surface engraved with patterns of various herbs, as well as images of Flame Emperor tasting hundreds of herbs. Inside the cauldron was half a cauldron of pills, emitting a rich medicinal fragrance. Just smelling this fragrance made one feel refreshed and invigorated, and even one's cultivation seemed to improve slightly.
" Shennong Cauldron!" Yun Shang exclaimed excitedly. As a disciple of Emei, she had a deep interest in alchemy, and the Shennong Cauldron was more precious to her than any other treasure.
Snow Empress stepped forward and reached out to touch the Shennong Cauldron. The moment she touched the cauldron, a green smoke suddenly billowed out from it, and the smoke transformed into the image of an old man, which was a wisp of the remnant soul of Flame Emperor.
"Descendant, you have finally arrived." The remnant soul of Flame Emperor Yan looked at Snow Empress with eyes full of compassion. "I have waited for you here for tens of thousands of years, just to hand over the Shennong Cauldron to you."
"Senior knew I was back?" Snow Empress asked in surprise.
Flame Emperor Yan smiled. "There is a special connection between the Five Emperors. Yellow Emperor told me that in the future, a woman with the Power of the Human Emperor will come to retrieve the Xuanyuan Sword, and also to retrieve my Shennong Cauldron. I have been waiting for this day."
"Senior, I need the Shennong Cauldron to reinforce the seal of the Gate of the Demon Realm. I hope you will grant my request," the Snow Empress said respectfully.
"Take it," Flame Emperor Yan waved his hand. " The Shennong Cauldron was originally intended for human use. However, I must remind you that the Shennong Cauldron contains the elixirs I have refined throughout my life. Each of these elixirs is priceless, but some of them are too potent for ordinary people to withstand. You must use them with caution."
"Thank you for the reminder, senior." Snow Empress bowed again.
The remnant soul of Flame Emperor nodded, transforming into green light and merging into the Shennong Cauldron. The Shennong Cauldron emitted a deep hum, and the runes on its surface began to flicker, slowly shrinking until it became the size of a palm, falling into the Snow Empress's hand.
"The second relic, the Shennong Cauldron, is in our hands." The Snow Empress put away the Shennong Cauldron and turned to the crowd, saying, "Next target: the Northern Wilderness, Chiyou's Tiger Soul Saber."
The Northern Wilderness, the northernmost part of the Land of Shenzhou, is a place Ice Seal year-round, barren of all vegetation, a forbidden zone within Life Forbidden Zone. But on this Ice Seal land lies the most powerful war god of ancient times— Chiyou.
Chiyou, a descendant of Flame Emperor, was the leader of the ancient Jiuli Tribe. He had a bronze head and an iron forehead, four eyes and six arms, and possessed immense strength, making him impervious to swords and spears. He once fought with Yellow Emperor for the world, engaging in a great battle at Zhuolu, but was ultimately defeated and killed. His weapon was the Tiger Soul Saber, which was said to contain an ancient tiger soul. It was said that every time the blade was drawn, blood would be drawn, making it the most ferocious weapon in the world.
The Snow Empress led everyone to the Northern Wilderness and, following the markings on the map, found the Tomb of Chi You. The Tomb of Chi You was built at the North Pole and was a huge, Ice Seal mausoleum. The area around the mausoleum was constantly swept by biting winds, and the temperature was so low that even spiritual energy would freeze.
"It's so cold!" Someone shivered; even with their inner energy protecting them, they could still feel the biting chill.
The Snow Empress frowned, activating the Power of the Heavenly Dao. Golden light enveloped everyone, isolating them from the cold. She led the group into the tomb, which was even colder inside than outside. Thick layers of ice covered the walls, and the corpses of ancient creatures could be vaguely seen within the ice.
"Be careful, there's danger here." Snow Empress suddenly stopped in her tracks. She sensed a powerful aura deep within the tomb.
Sure enough, when they reached the center of the tomb, a huge ice dragon emerged from the ice. The ice dragon was pure white, hundreds of feet long, and it opened its mouth wide, spewing out a cold dragon breath. Wherever the dragon breath passed, the air froze, forming a path of ice crystals.
"Step back!" Snow Empress roared, her golden token transforming into a giant sword. She swung the sword at the ice dragon. The ice dragon's defense was strong; the sword light struck it, leaving only a shallow wound. The ice dragon, in pain, attacked even more frantically, using its breath, claws, and tail in succession, and for a time, it was evenly matched with Snow Empress.
"Holy Maiden, we're here to help you!" Huiming led the Eighteen Warrior Monks to set up the Arhat Grand Formation, the Buddha Light Illuminates All, suppressing the ice dragon's Demonic Qi. Ling Feng led the Seven Sons of Wudang to set up the True Martial Grand Formation, sword energy crisscrossing, slashing at the ice dragon, leaving wounds. Yun Shang led the Nine Women of Emei to set up the Jade Maiden Grand Formation, Spiritual Power transforming into threads that bound the ice dragon's body.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Snow Empress activated the Power of the Heavenly Dao, and golden flames ignited on the golden giant sword. She leaped up and plunged the sword into the ice dragon's head. Golden flames surged from the sword, igniting the ice dragon's body from the inside. The ice dragon let out a miserable cry, its body began to melt, and finally turned into a puddle of water.
"That was close." Snow Empress wiped the sweat from her forehead and led the group forward.
The main burial chamber of Tomb of Chi You is even more magnificent than the Yellow Emperor Mausoleum and the Flame Emperor Mausoleum. In the center of the chamber is a huge stone coffin, covered with ancient runes. In front of the coffin is a large, blood-red sword with the shadow of a tiger faintly moving on its blade, exuding a fierce aura.
" Tiger Soul Saber!" Leng Yue exclaimed, his eyes fixed on the blade, filled with longing. He was a disciple of the Qingcheng Sect, practicing Sword Control Technique, but he had an innate, special affection for blades. The moment he saw the Tiger Soul Saber, he knew that this was the pursuit of his life.
Snow Empress walked to the Tiger Soul Saber and reached out to grasp the hilt. The instant she touched the hilt, a fierce aura surged from the blade, assaulting her consciousness. The tiger soul within the Tiger Soul Saber sought to devour her soul and possess her body.
"Hmph!" The Snow Empress snorted coldly, unleashing the full Power of the Heavenly Dao, and the golden light dispelled the malevolent aura. The Human Emperor's primordial power clashed fiercely with the malevolent aura within the Tiger Soul Saber, and the Snow Empress's consciousness remained unmoved under the Tiger Soul Saber's mental attack.
Seeing that it could not defeat the Snow Empress, the Tiger Soul Saber let out a resentful cry and finally submitted. The Snow Empress drew the Tiger Soul Saber, and the blade drew a blood-red arc in mid-air, exuding a fierce aura that caused everyone around to involuntarily take a step back.
"What a fierce blade." Snow Empress frowned and carefully sheathed the Tiger Soul Saber. She looked at Leng Yue, " Leng Yue, I see you're interested in blades. After this mission is completed, I can lend you the Tiger Soul Saber to study for a while."
Leng Yue was overjoyed, "Thank you, Holy Maiden!"