Chapter 1898: Being Unwelcome

The outside world was bustling with activity, but the Shen Yuan had fallen into silence. The last Honghuang Taizi had been slain, bringing the great battle to an end.

In the pitch-black Shen Yuan, blood soaked the ground, with corpses scattered in disarray.

In just a short moment, over a hundred Honghuang Taizi had met their demise.

Perhaps even in death, they couldn't believe that a hundred primordial princes had been wiped out by just three people. At least on the road to the Yellow Springs, they wouldn't be alone—they could pass the time chatting about life's ideals.

"This group of taizi is filthy rich!"Ming Jue hugged a storage bag, meticulously counting its contents. The lifelong collections of the Honghuang Taizi were extraordinarily abundant—there were no less than several million yuan shi, and countless other items like secret scrolls, magical tools, and elixirs.

"Comparing oneself to others is truly depressing."Xiao Chen was also sorting through his share, sighing in amazement.

"Compared to these, I'm more curious about the treasures below."Ye Chen spoke as he dove downward.

At the mention of treasures, Ming Jue and Xiao Chen's eyes lit up. They quickly stowed their storage bags and followed Ye Chen. After all, something that could draw a hundred Honghuang Taizi together had to be no ordinary prize—likely something truly grand.

The You Yuan was incredibly deep, and the three of them didn't know how long they descended before finally landing.

At the bottom of the abyss, there was no light, only utter darkness, desolate and eerie, like a spatial black hole. Even Ye Chen and his companions couldn't help but shiver, as chilling gusts of wind swept through.

What surprised the three most was that, with their keen eyesight, they could barely see their hands in front of them, and their divine senses couldn't extend outward. It seemed a mysterious force was blocking everything.

Ming Jue waved his hand and summoned nine illuminating spirit pearls, each as large as a wine jar. They radiated brilliant divine light, casting a glow that pierced the darkness.

Only then could the three see their surroundings clearly. The area spanned over ten thousand zhang in radius, with black soil and not a blade of grass in sight. Half-buried in the earth were ancient bones and broken weapons, their age impossible to determine.

Mist swirled around the place, and faint outlines of ancient bronze pillars could be seen. Some stood upright, while others lay toppled and crooked, clearly damaged by the chaos of battle.

"The terrain forms a Nine Dragons Arching the Abyss pattern, and there's a profound array hidden in the invisible, concealing the secrets of this place."Ming Jue hovered with the illuminating spirit pearls above his head, scanning the area and occasionally tapping the bronze pillars.

"The real treasures are deeper below—there's a vast spatial realm beneath the ground."Ye Chen lowered his head and narrowed his eyes. Although his Reincarnation Eye was sealed, his vision remained sharp enough to detect the hidden world underground.

"The question is, where's the entrance?"Xiao Chen also lowered his head and squinted, sensing the hidden realm below.

"If it were that easy to find, those hundred Honghuang Taizi would have already entered and we wouldn't have wiped them out."Ming Jue glanced around, stomping his foot lightly on the ground at each spot.

The three fell silent and split up, each with a spirit pearl hovering overhead, searching for the entrance.

After a thorough search, they found nothing and regrouped under their spirit pearls, frustrated.

"No choice— we'll have to force it open."Ming Jue cracked his neck forcefully. "We'll break through directly."

With that, he leaped into the air and swung his palm like a divine blade toward the ground.

A sharp clang echoed as his palm struck what felt like profound steel, sending him stumbling backward.

Ye Chen and Xiao Chen frowned at the sight—the ground looked soft, yet it was incredibly hard.

Ming Jue felt it most acutely; it wasn't the earth itself that was tough, but a mysterious force reinforcing it. His palm had clashed against that very force.

Buzz!

Xiao Chen summoned his great halberd, gripping it with both hands and infusing it with dao principles and his origin essence. He swung it down with all his might.

Bang!

Another clang rang out, and Xiao Chen was flung back, his arms exploding with blood. He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

This hard? Ye Chen refused to believe it. He stepped into the air, clenching his golden fist and channeling thousands of secret techniques, along with Chaos Dao principles and his bloodline power, before slamming it toward the ground.

But he fared no better, sent flying even farther with his dominant golden fist now mangled and bloody. When he landed, a sweet taste filled his throat, and he coughed up blood, wincing in pain as he shook his hand.

"I don't buy it."Ming Jue snorted and summoned an immortal sword.

This sword was surrounded by Emperor Dao principles, but its power was weak, lacking any true imperial might. It didn't even resemble an imperial weapon—or rather, its strength was being suppressed by some force.

"The Tian Zun ruins can even suppress imperial weapons."Ye Chen was shocked, realizing that Ming Jue's imperial weapon had been reduced to Saint King level—more precisely, a Saint King-grade imperial weapon.

"Is Tian Zun really a great emperor?"Xiao Chen's eyes flickered with uncertainty.

"What the heck? Help out!"Ming Jue cursed.

Hearing this, Ye Chen and Xiao Chen snapped back to focus and joined in, pouring their surging magical power into the imperial sword.

The sword hummed and radiated imperial light, but it only displayed the Emperor Dao principles without any true imperial aura. Its power here was a fraction of what it would be outside, clearly restrained by the ruins.

Break!

As the three shouted in unison, the imperial sword slashed toward the ground.

A massive clang followed, shaking the entire abyss.

However, even with their combined effort and the aid of a Saint King-grade imperial weapon, they failed to open the passage.

"Even the imperial sword can't cut through—it's ridiculously tough."Ming Jue grimaced and clicked his tongue.

"Looks like brute force won't get us into that spatial realm."Xiao Chen wiped the blood from his mouth.

"Too bad none of us are experts in arrays."Ye Chen rubbed his brow.

No sooner had he spoken than his Chaos Cauldron flew out of his divine sea unbidden, trembling with a low rumble.

The cauldron was unusually active today, darting around wildly.

Ye Chen and the others watched in confusion, their eyes following its erratic movements.

Soon, the Chaos Cauldron halted in midair. Its surface glowed with golden Fleeing Armor Heavenly Characters, lighting up one by one and arranging themselves around the cauldron. They intertwined with the Chaos Dao principles in a dazzling dance.

In the next instant, the Chaos Cauldron plunged straight into the ground.

With a thunderous boom, it smashed a massive hole in the surface. Dazzling light burst forth from the hole, along with surging essence energy. Through the opening, they could see a vast spatial realm inside, shrouded in mist and ethereal haze, like a hidden paradise.

The three stared in astonishment. Earlier, their combined strength with an extreme dao imperial weapon hadn't even scratched it, yet the Chaos Cauldron had effortlessly created a huge gap.

As they stood there dazed, the cauldron trembled excitedly and shot into the hole like a streak of light.

Ye Chen glanced at the others, and they all moved to follow, chasing after it.

They entered, but two were immediately flung back out. It was Ming Jue and Xiao Chen, clearly tossed out, while only Ye Chen and the Chaos Cauldron made it into the spatial realm.

In just a second, the hole sealed itself shut, as if it had never existed.

"What the hell? Why just throw us out?"Ming Jue stabilized himself, grumbling curses.

"Clearly, we're not welcome."Xiao Chen gave an awkward smile. "I figure it's because of the Chaos Cauldron. It's forged from Da Luo Shen Iron and has deep ties to the legendary Da Luo Golden Immortals. Maybe it originated from this place and is returning home now. The ruins don't reject it or its owner, but we're outsiders."

"Your guess makes sense."

"Should we head out?"

"Not a chance—we're staying put."Ming Jue squatted down. "We'll wait for Ye Chen to come out and split the treasures."

"But only if we live to see it."Xiao Chen looked up. "Maybe you could contact your external clone. Things are getting lively in the Tian Zun ruins right now!"

At these words, Ming Jue raised an eyebrow and said nothing, reaching out to his clone.

Through the clone's vision, the two saw a massive scene: Honghuang clan members swarmed the area, forming a vast encirclement around the abyss.

Seeing that sight, Ming Jue's mouth twitched, and he instinctively stood up. "Such a huge operation."

"Over a hundred taizi lost— the Honghuang clan won't ignore that."Xiao Chen said.

"Let's go, quick!"Ming Jue bolted toward the exit at top speed. This was no joke; if they got surrounded, they'd be done for. The Honghuang clan's forces were overwhelming.

Xiao Chen followed close behind, ascending into the sky.

As for Ye Chen, the two weren't worried at all. That guy had plenty of ways to survive—he'd slain three great emperors, after all. Whatever storms came, he'd weather them, and even if surrounded, the Honghuang clan couldn't take him down.

The pair moved at blinding speed, exiting the abyss and heading in a direction with fewer Honghuang forces—it would be easier to break through there. As long as they avoided being encircled, they'd be fine; getting trapped would be disastrous.