Chapter 975: One After Another

Chapter 975: One After Another

"What is that?"

As the two communicated via voice transmission, Long Teng exclaimed in surprise.

Hearing his words, everyone turned to follow his gaze.

There, a fragmented scene appeared: Gods and demons clashed fiercely in the sky, spirit beasts roared, war chariots crushed through the void, figures constantly fell into the emptiness, and others charged defiantly into the nine heavens. The entire world seemed drenched in blood.

"Guard your mind!"

Tai Xu Gu Long said gravely, "This is formed from the shattered divine senses of the war dead, capable of bewildering the mind."

Upon hearing this, Long Teng, Xiao Chen, and the others bit their tongues to regain clarity, withdrawing their gazes from that direction.

"There's a fierce creature ahead; avoid it!"

Ye Chen, leading the way, steered far clear of a broken sword fragment. It was wrapped in black qi, a manifestation of killing intent, intertwined with resentment that none of them could approach.

The group pressed deeper, and the further they went, the more eerie it became. The wailing howls, like a curse, never ceased.

Unknowingly, they stepped into a blood-red you lin.

"My soul!"

As soon as they entered, Nan Ming Yu Shu, who had been silent, suddenly spoke, startling everyone.

Moreover, Nan Ming Yu Shu's face had turned extremely pale, her body trembling uncontrollably as she stared fearfully in that direction, as if seeing something terrifying.

"Yu Shu?"

Qian Shang Yue and Da Chu Huang Yan each took one of her hands.

Ye Chen furrowed his brow; Nan Ming Yu Shu was once again showing signs of that strange state from the past.

"Father Emperor!"

On this side, Long Teng suddenly cried out, causing Xiao Chen and the others beside him to turn abruptly, but they saw nothing.

"Don't startle like that," Xiao Chen said sternly.

"I really saw my father emperor," Long Teng panted, still staring in that direction.

"It's not me; I didn't take anything; I didn't see anything." Meanwhile, Nan Ming Yu Shu had become frantic, like a frightened girl, burrowing into Qian Shang Yue's arms.

"Seal!"

Tai Xu Gu Long immediately sealed her cultivation to prevent her from going mad and alerting the fierce creatures here.

"Father Emperor!"

Long Teng suddenly shouted again, about to step out of the protective barrier.

"Seal!"

Zi Xuan acted, sealing his cultivation as well.

Now things were complicated; before finding anything useful, the two imperial descendants had already become deranged one after another.

"The resentment of the war dead is too strong," Tai Xu Gu Long said gravely. "It's eroding their minds."

"Even the Feng Huang Qin suppressed here can't cleanse this resentment?" Zi Xuan murmured.

"Keep an eye on them." Ye Chen glanced at Long Teng and Nan Ming Yu Shu, then continued deeper.

After some time, the group finally emerged from the eerie blood-red you lin.

Along the way, Nan Ming Yu Shu and Long Teng were more troublesome than the other, one acting wildly and the other muttering incoherently. Fortunately, Tai Xu Gu Long and Zi Xuan had sealed their cultivations; otherwise, the two might have caused chaos in the Shi Wan Da Shan forbidden grounds.

Ahead lay a stretch of pitch-black scorched earth, barren of any vegetation. Looking closely, faint ghosts could be seen drifting by, sometimes showing grotesque expressions, other times appearing utterly lost.

As they walked, Ye Chen suddenly stopped, narrowing his eyes at what lay ahead.

His Xian Lun Yan pierced through layers of mist, revealing a majestic figure standing there, back turned to them, like a motionless statue.

"Father Emperor!"

At Ye Chen's side, the usually calm Xiao Chen suddenly shouted and stepped out of the protective barrier. No one knew better than him whose silhouette that was; it was etched deeply in his soul.

"Come back!"

Tai Xu Gu Long and Ye Chen quickly reached out, pulling him back.

"This time, it's not an illusion from resentment eroding the mind," Zi Xuan said softly, gazing at the figure with its back to them. "He truly exists."

"That's my father emperor," Xiao Chen said, tears welling in his eyes. After countless ages, seeing that silhouette again left him choked with emotion.

"Be careful around us," Ye Chen warned, taking the first step forward and cautiously avoiding the drifting ghosts.

Before long, the group reached the figure's back.

Xiao Chen couldn't help but extend his trembling hand, gently touching the silhouette.

But as soon as he made contact, the figure turned to ash, dissipating before their eyes.

"Father Emperor!"

Xiao Chen lunged out of the protective circle, trying to grasp the ashes.

Seeing this, Ye Chen reached out and pulled him back.

"Be careful!"

Meanwhile, Tai Xu Gu Long and Zi Xuan struck out with divine light, obliterating two attacking ghosts.

"This is getting stranger by the moment!"

Ye Chen scanned their surroundings warily, while the Xiao Chen he held began to show abnormal signs—sometimes dazed, sometimes fearful, his body shaking and face turning pale.

Helplessly, he sealed Xiao Chen's cultivation.

Boom!

Suddenly, a thunderous boom made everyone tense, their gazes snapping in one direction.

Bang! Boom!

Listening closely, such sounds continued incessantly, as if a great battle was raging with considerable force.

"Are there still living people?"

Tai Xu Gu Long and Ye Chen exchanged glances.

"Let's go check!"

Ye Chen's Xian Lun Yan glowed with divine light, dispelling the murky mist as they slowly approached. They didn't stop until they reached a deep valley.

"That is..."

Di Fan and Da Chu Huang Yan both trembled, staring blankly at the valley.

There, two figures battled fiercely, both with imposing physiques and the bearing of emperors.

"Father Emperor!"

"Father Emperor!"

Di Fan and Da Chu Huang Yan spoke in unison.

"Indeed, it's Tian Zang Huang and Chu Huang!"

Ye Chen murmured, for he had seen the Dao imprints of Chu Huang and Tian Zang Huang during his heavenly tribulation. The two fighting in the valley looked exactly like them.

However, the battling Tian Zang Huang and Chu Huang were illusory figures.

Or more precisely, they were a kind of imprint; the two had once fought here, recorded by the Shi Wan Da Shan.

"Why would emperors from different eras meet and battle in the Shi Wan Da Shan?" Ye Chen said, full of doubt.

"This is strangely beyond my understanding." Even the all-knowing Tai Xu Gu Long frowned. The two emperors were separated by tens of thousands of years, yet they fought here—he couldn't fathom the reason.

"And then," Zi Xuan added quietly.

Tai Xu Gu Long and Ye Chen looked again, realizing it wasn't just Tian Zang Huang and Chu Huang; two more had joined the fight, both emperors—one was Yan Huang, the other Chen Huang, the founder of the three sects.

The four engaged in a chaotic battle. Though illusory, it was a world-shaking spectacle that left Tai Xu Gu Long and the others in awe.

"Father Emperor, that's my father emperor." Now, Da Chu Huang Yan and Di Fan's expressions also grew abnormal, muttering incoherently like madmen, restlessly trying to leave the protective barrier.

Helplessly, Tai Xu Gu Long and Zi Xuan sealed their cultivations as well.

"Keep an eye on them!"

Ye Chen cleared his throat, turning to the still-sane Zhou Tian Yi and Qian Shang Yue.

Among the seven imperial descendants, five had now become muttering madmen.

Ye Chen's expression turned odd. If Zhou Tian Yi and Qian Shang Yue also ended up like Nan Ming Yu Shu and the others, would the elders of the Da Chu imperial clan come after him for answers when they left?

"Let's leave this place!"

Withdrawing his gaze, Ye Chen turned away immediately. They couldn't linger in this valley; if Dong Huang and Yue Huang appeared, Zhou Tian Yi and Qian Shang Yue might follow suit.

They continued deeper, encountering no major dangers along the way.

With Ye Chen's Xian Lun Yan guiding them to avoid threats, Nan Ming Yu Shu and the others remained frantic, while Zhou Tian Yi and Qian Shang Yue stayed alert, watching their surroundings as they followed.

"I've been here before!"

After half an hour, Ye Chen stopped, looking into the distance where evil spirits drifted.

It was here that he had lost Nan Ming Yu Shu years ago, and here that he had accidentally met Zhong Yan, the 98th generation holy lord of Yan Huang, inheriting the Yan Huang sacred artifact, Xuan Cang Jade Ring.

"What powerful evil spirits," Tai Xu Gu Long said, frowning.

"They were all peerless powerhouses in life; their resentment, evil thoughts, and malice are not easily contended with," Zi Xuan said softly. "The nian li here is especially thick, making the evil spirits naturally strong."

"Cover with death qi to block detection." Ye Chen waved his hand, spreading dead energy over the protective barrier.

The group moved on, bypassing the area of gathered evil spirits and entering a quiet path.

On both sides of the path, plants grew, but they were all black, shrouded in gray death qi. The vegetation seemed ancient, with vines trailing on the ground, and occasionally, traces of fresh blood could be seen on them.

After nearly an hour, they emerged from the quiet path.

As soon as they did, everyone froze, for they saw another person sitting under a massive tree, carving wood.

"Father Emperor!"

This time, it was Zhou Tian Yi's turn; his body trembled, and tears glistened in his eyes.

"Well, I should seal you first!"

Tai Xu Gu Long acted swiftly, placing a seal on Zhou Tian Yi.

Like Nan Ming Yu Shu and Xiao Chen, after seeing Dong Huang's illusion, Zhou Tian Yi began to mutter incoherently.

Ye Chen touched his nose, looking at the only one still clear-headed: Qian Shang Yue.

Qian Shang Yue smiled. "If I end up like them, feel free to seal me."

"With those words, I'm relieved," Ye Chen said with a cough.

"What a powerful great halberd." As they spoke, Tai Xu Gu Long marveled, his eyes fixed on a black rock wall where a war halberd was embedded.

"The things here can't be touched." Ye Chen patted Tai Xu Gu Long's shoulder and started walking.

But as soon as he took a step, he instinctively turned back, staring at the halberd just like Tai Xu Gu Long.

"That halberd looks so familiar," Ye Chen murmured. "It seems I've seen it somewhere before."