At their head was a wolf-headed demon general clad in black-gold battle armor, emanating a heavy breath of death.
"That's one of the demon generals who served under the Demon Emperor back then, a guardian of the Demon Emperor's Tomb Grave. Be careful, fellow Daoist Cao!" Duan De looked alarmed. If he had faced these enemies himself, he would probably have been in a fluster. Gripping Ye Fan's clothes with both hands, he hid behind him.
Ye Fan's face darkened. This Unscrupulous Daoist Priest...
Su Yu looked calmly at the demon soldiers and generals. The instances in the early part of Shrouding the Heavens held no particularly great danger, and he was only an incarnation, so he had no need to worry.
His gaze flashed like lightning, and a beam of divine light shot from his eyes as he pointed at them from afar with his right hand.
"Freeze."
Purple light shot out in all directions, and threads of Dao principles swirled through the air, stirring up waves of powerful divine force. They surged forward and pinned all the Yin soldiers and Yin Generals in place, leaving them unable to move an inch.
No blood could be spilled in this cold pool, or a change would occur.
The three then entered the ground and reached the bottom of the cold pool. Darkness surrounded them, without a glimmer of light.
Su Yu activated his Source Heaven Divine Eyes and carefully examined his surroundings.
Ahead stood a weathered stone wall covered in moss, with lines of demon script carved into it.
Duan De also pulled out a small, exquisitely made bronze mirror, looking thoroughly serious.
He took out a succession of special instruments from his robes and armed himself to the teeth. Then he walked up to the stone wall with a thoroughly professional air, intending to uncover its secrets.
Su Yu gathered his thoughts and carefully comprehended the Dao principles on the stone wall with his divine sense. His Chaos Body was now nearing completion, and the myriad Daos of heaven and earth were very close to him.
He soon discovered the secret of the demon script.
Most of the demon script formed a killing array, but the Dao principles in some of the characters had a completely different resonance from the rest. Su Yu was very familiar with it: it was the Dao of space.
His gaze shifted slightly as he found a particular demon character. Not only did it emit traces of the laws of space, but it also held a faint, obscure trace of chaos.
Throughout the entire Shrouding the Heavens World, practically nothing associated with Chaos Qi was ordinary...
Chapter 71: The Immortal Cauldron's Green Copper
"Hum..."
Su Yu's divine eyes fixed on the demon character, faint purple light quivering in them. The essence Qi of heaven and earth flowed into his eyes from every direction, radiating brilliant divine light. He gave off a terrifying presence, and dazzling rosy light bloomed before his forehead! The full pressure of the Immortal Platform Realm poured out, covering this space.
A glimmer of golden light flashed in Duan De's Bitter Sea. He pulled Ye Fan back a step, his face pale as he muttered things like "this defies heaven's reason" and "monster."
Ye Fan's expression also changed drastically, as though a heavy weight were bearing down on his soul. This pressure was even more terrifying than that of the demon on Mars. Back then, Su Yu had blocked most of the pressure from the crocodile clan, and they had merely lost control of their minds.
He looked at Su Yu, whose whole body was radiating light, then turned to Duan De in confusion. "Daoist Duan, what's going on?"
Duan De rolled his eyes and snapped, "You're asking this Daoist master? Who am I supposed to ask? Just wait!"
Suddenly, Su Yu stirred his thoughts. Colored light flowed and shone in his sea of consciousness, and a streak of silver flew from his Immortal Platform, transforming into a crystalline jade pagoda. It shed streams of silver radiance, and he formed a hand seal and sent out four streams of Chaos Qi.
The four streams of Chaos Qi flew out swiftly and branded themselves onto the four surrounding walls. Streaks of plain white spiritual light appeared, sealing off the cold pool and marking out a space.
Ye Fan recognized the jade pagoda. The Dao force and divine patterns on this weapon completely overturned his understanding. The Dao patterns on the pagoda were worlds apart from those on the sentient weapon in his hand. After only a brief glance, his eyes stung, and his soul felt a surge of fear.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed? You actually dared look straight at a Saint Weapon? You're awfully bold for a little Bitter Sea cultivator."
Duan De gazed at the Silver Moon Jade Pagoda in the water with burning eyes. Noticing Ye Fan's condition, he could not help warning him.
"A Saint Weapon?"
"A Saint Weapon is the weapon of an ancient saint. The laws of the Saint Dao are interwoven on it. How could someone in the Sea of Bitterness Secret Realm like you look straight at it?" the fat Daoist said with a look of contempt. Then he frowned and looked at Ye Fan in puzzlement. "Didn't you say you were an old acquaintance of this senior? How come you don't know anything?"
Ye Fan felt helpless. "I only started cultivating recently. I was still a mortal when I met this Daoist."
The damaged Silver Moon Jade Pagoda blazed with light. A terrifying presence of the Saint Dao streamed from its three broken eaves, like a Demon Mountain that shook the soul.
Su Yu activated the Silver Moon Jade Pagoda. Saintly radiance flowed as it sent out a beam of divine light, breaking the seal on the stone wall and grinding away the killing array's runes. Then, still controlling the pagoda, he took out a withered leaf from within it. His right hand moved slightly, carving spatial array patterns onto the leaf.
Before long, intricate patterns appeared on the yellowed leaf, turning it into a special talisman. Su Yu held two fingers together like a sword and carved an emperor character onto the Bodhi Leaf.
Suddenly, both the Bodhi Leaf and the demon script remaining on the stone wall emitted silver light, slowly forming a doorway.
"Let's go," Su Yu said softly.
He then stepped into the gate of light, with Duan De and Ye Fan following close behind.
Unlike the filthy darkness outside, this was a sacred little world. Clouds and mist churned and drifted above a sea of clouds, where an enormous palace loomed in and out of sight. Its imposing grandeur was like a star domain, impossible to resist.
"There really is an instance here. What a surprise!"
Su Yu was somewhat struck by the discovery. He extended his divine sense to explore the little world, but suddenly frowned, sensing that something was wrong.
This little world was far inferior to the one in the Heavenbreak Mountains. Both its spiritual Qi and its space fell far short, and this sea of clouds was all there was within it.
This did not seem like the Azure Emperor's work. A little world created by a Supreme of the Extreme Dao should not have looked like this.
Beside him, Duan De stood upright on a Divine Rainbow with Ye Fan held in one hand. Looking at the little world, he exclaimed in wonder, "I never expected to find another world hidden in here. I've roamed great tombs for more than ten years, but I've never dug up an emperor's tomb! And now I've stumbled upon one, hahahaha!"
"I never thought you'd be a tomb robber, Daoist Duan," Ye Fan remarked, dangling from Duan De's hand. He had not reached the Life Spring Realm yet and could not fly.
Su Yu gave it no further thought. He took the two straight to the palace, then swept his sleeve and opened its doors.
The palace hall was very spacious. Two jade tables stood atop the highest steps, each bearing an ink-black casket.
Su Yu frowned slightly. His gaze swept over Ye Fan, then turned to Duan De, before he drew the caskets off the tables.
Ye Fan was somewhat startled. A change had occurred in his body: his golden Bitter Sea, the size of a soybean, hung in the darkness like a brilliant full moon.
The Green Copper in his golden Bitter Sea emitted rays of green light, shining alongside its golden radiance. Many mysterious Dao patterns appeared on the ancient-looking Green Copper, even more intricate and complex than those on Su Yu's Saint Weapon. The broken edge of the copper fragment was densely covered in Dao patterns, elaborate and unfathomable.
Su Yu's Immortal Platform-level divine sense broke straight through the restrictions on the black caskets and opened one of them. Inside were three tiny fragments of copper. They were quite ordinary, covered in verdigris, with nothing remarkable about them.
Duan De's eyes turned green at the sight. These were fragments of the Eastern Wasteland's supreme treasure that he had been dreaming of. There was absolutely no mistake this time: the Azure Emperor had specifically stored them in this little world.
Although they were not as big as the piece of Green Copper from before, only a tenth of its size, they were fragments of a supreme treasure. He did not mind their size.
Just as his gaze burned with desire, he glanced sideways at Su Yu, only to find that Daoist Cao looked utterly disdainful.
Su Yu felt put out. He had come all this way especially, only to find this thing.
"Tasteless to eat, a pity to throw away."
Emperor Zun's Immortal Ascension Cauldron was definitely one of the things Su Yu feared most. Emperor Zun's methods had not been revealed in the original story, and he did not want his arrival to disrupt the timeline.
The Immortal Ascension Cauldron should not be whole. Even if it were to be reunited, it should be used on the Road to Immortality, letting those Dark Supremes contend with Emperor Zun.
Su Yu glanced at the fat Daoist and saw that Duan De's eyes had turned green. He discreetly sensed the other man's Quasi-Emperor Artifact with his divine sense.
"Since we explored the Demon Emperor's Tomb together, everyone who sees it gets a share," Su Yu said indifferently. Two of the copper fragments in the casket fell into Duan De's and Ye Fan's hands.
Duan De was beside himself with joy. He cupped the copper fragment in both plump hands, handling it with the utmost care, his mouth spreading into a grin like a flower.
"You're far too generous, Daoist Cao. Ah, I haven't even contributed much. How could I accept such a grand gift?"
Before he had finished speaking, Duan De put the copper fragment away in the damaged bagua in his Bitter Sea.
Ye Fan, meanwhile, was stunned. This was different from that piece of Green Copper from before.
The three copper fragments had been stored in a little world and were definitely immortal treasures, yet Su Yu was not the least bit tempted.
Su Yu paid no attention to Fatty Duan's nonsense. In a somewhat foul mood, he glanced at Ye Fan, who was standing there awkwardly, and said indifferently, "Since I gave it to you, keep it."
Duan De also smiled at Ye Fan and said in a very kindly manner, "Little brother, this treasure is too precious. The waters of the Big Dipper run too deep; you can't handle it. Why don't you let me have it? How about I trade you three sentient weapons for it?"
He then took out three crystalline sentient weapons, each flowing with beautiful radiance.
Ye Fan looked at the fat Daoist unhappily. "Daoist Duan, I also have three sentient weapons. How about I trade you three sentient weapons for yours?"
"Little brother, we can talk this over. Four sentient weapons, how about that? Hey, hey, hey, don't leave! Take my advice, you really can't handle it!"
Paying no attention to the little drama between the two, Su Yu turned his gaze to the other casket. The ink-black casket was made of a very unusual material that could actually block his divine sense.
One disappointment is bad enough. Don't let the other one be copper fragments too. Azure Emperor, why did you like collecting the Immortal Ascension Cauldron so much? It's not as if you had any friendship with Emperor Zun, Su Yu grumbled inwardly.
Chapter 72: Feathered Green Gold, Ji Ba
Su Yu sent his divine sense into the ink-black metal casket, broke through the seal and restrictions on its surface, and gently lifted the lid with his right hand.
The instant a crack opened beneath the lid, a brilliant green light shot out of the black casket. Ripples spread through the void, wave upon wave like feathered wings, resembling a Flying Immortal.
The divine object in the black casket bloomed with the most gorgeous light, illuminating the entire hall in a dazzling, tranquil, and sacred glow.
"Divine Source radiance! Feathered Green Gold!"
Duan De cried out, recognizing the two divine objects at a glance. His face flushed bright red, and he wanted to move closer for a look. In particular, no one could resist a dreamlike immortal material such as Feathered Green Gold.
Ye Fan's eyes also widened. He could not resist these two divine materials either, though his attention was not on the same thing as Duan De's. He was staring at the piece of Divine Source. The golden Bitter Sea within him churned, stirring up waves, while the blood and Qi in his flesh surged, yearning for life essence Qi. The piece of Divine Source contained a rich abundance of it.
Su Yu removed the lid completely. On a black tray lay a piece of sky-blue Divine Source, enclosing a piece of green-gold metal. Dreamlike and translucent, it seemed to have life flowing through it and was many times more beautiful than the world's most flawless jade marrow.
Even someone who did not recognize it would know it was an immortal material. An extraordinary presence flowed from it, as though it did not belong to this mortal world. One glance showed it was a divine object, full of vitality. Layer upon layer of feathered patterns covered its surface, and indistinct visions of Flying Immortals appeared around the Immortal Gold.
This was a fist-sized piece of Feathered Green Gold! It was flawless and utterly dreamlike, as though it could breathe, drawing in and expelling the essence Qi of heaven and earth. Dazzlingly brilliant, it displayed ripples like feathers.
"Immortal Gold left behind by the Azure Emperor? And it just happens to be Feathered Green Gold."
Su Yu also looked at the Feathered Green Gold in some surprise. He was not very familiar with this kind of Immortal Gold.
Although he had received the Heavenly Emperor's Son's inheritance and possessed quite a bit of Immortal Gold, and this amount was not enough to move him, this was the sixth kind of Immortal Gold material he had obtained. He was one step closer to his goal of nine-colored Immortal Gold.
The Azure Emperor's reign had been too short. He had entered the Desolate Pagoda early to develop an Immortal Domain, so he could not have collected much Immortal Gold. Having a piece like this was already quite good, and it happened to be one Su Yu lacked.
After admiring the immortal material for a moment, Su Yu put it into the Silver Moon Jade Pagoda. Duan De watched the Immortal Gold disappear with longing eyes, his face a picture of heartache.
He reluctantly looked away, then remembered how he had personally thrown away the Green Copper earlier, and sorrow welled up in his heart.
"This Daoist master suffered a huge loss today. Ah, I actually threw away such a big piece of Green Copper. I hate it!"
Ye Fan held back a smile and said nothing. He was a little afraid of exposing himself. Two pieces of Green Copper floated in his Bitter Sea, one large and one small, not joined together, along with a page of golden paper. They were all treasures, and his gains this time had been enormous.
Su Yu flew above the palace and took another look at it, but the result disappointed him again. The Dao patterns on the palace went no further than the Saint Dao, and it was not a magical artifact at all. The entire palace was connected to the little world and could not be moved.
The son of fortune plus the reincarnation of a Heavenly Venerate were worth only a fist-sized piece of Immortal Gold.
It's better than nothing. At least it wasn't all copper fragments. This trip wasn't a complete waste after all, Su Yu consoled himself inwardly.
Not many locations of Immortal Gold were specified in the original story. Apart from the Divine Mark Purple Gold Pagoda inside Mount Kunlun on Earth, there were only two places on the Big Dipper where Immortal Gold could be found: the Immortal Tear Green Gold in the ruins of the Feathered Divine Dynasty on the Central Continent, and the Phoenix Blood Red Gold left behind by Emperor Hengyu in the Primordial Ancient Mine.