With the guidance of the manuscript, Ye Chu continued to delve deeper. Naturally, the closer he got to the centre, the more terrifying the killing aura became. Occasionally Ye Chu would take a wrong turn, and immediately a surging force would erupt outward. Fortunately, Ruoshui and Qing Wenting acted in time, allowing him to escape unharmed.
The killing aura grew thicker. By the time they neared the centre, it had become so terrifying that even great cultivators felt their scalps tingle. They moved with extreme caution, fully exerting their own power to shield themselves and resist the erosion of the killing aura. Even so, the spiritual energy protecting their bodies was still devoured and corroded by the killing aura, making them struggle greatly, yet they had no choice but to persevere.
What left them puzzled was that the one leading at the very front, Ye Chu, walked freely in such an environment. Although his face had turned ashen grey, he was still very much alive.
This made everyone exchange glances involuntarily. They all saw the astonishment in each other’s eyes. They thought to themselves that if an ordinary person had their face turn like that, they would have died long ago. Yet this fellow was still moving about as if nothing were wrong.
Ruoshui was equally surprised. A trace of contemplation flickered in her eyes.
Ye Chu walked at the forefront. At this moment, he also began to feel the strain. Although his physique was special, facing such ferocious killing aura still made his body feel uncomfortable, even making breathing difficult. While it would not take his life, the suffering was very real.
The pain in his body reminded Ye Chu of the notes from that great cultivator who was a killing aura practitioner. The notes described refining killing aura into spiritual energy for one’s own use.
Ye Chu did not know what methods killing aura practitioners used to transform killing aura into spiritual energy. The notes did not explain that part. And precisely because of this, Ye Chu felt a sharp pang of regret. Such terrifying and pure killing aura, if he could refine and absorb it, his strength would surely surge dramatically.
But right now, he could do nothing about it. He could only use his body to condense it, turning it into one killing pearl after another that appeared in the palm of his hand.
…
Of course, Ye Chu had tried various methods to refine the killing aura and merge it into himself for his own use, but none had succeeded.
The main tomb was not very large, yet Ye Chu still proceeded with great caution, taking quite some time before he finally reached the centre indicated by the manuscript. Ahead was an archway entrance. Five-coloured light flashed within it, while killing aura surged and roiled like churning clouds.
“Ah…”
With a miserable cry, one great cultivator finally could no longer withstand the erosion of the killing aura. He screamed once as the spiritual energy protecting his body was breached. The killing aura enveloped him completely. The yin-cold corrosive aura seeped into his body. In just a few breaths, the man turned into a pile of white bones and collapsed on the path.
Seeing a great cultivator die so miserably, everyone could not help drawing in a sharp breath. Cold sweat broke out on their backs. They felt their hair stand on end. The killing aura was too terrifying. Even a great cultivator had been reduced to bones in an instant. Then just how horrifying must the source of this killing aura be?
The death of one made the others feel sympathy. Everyone’s expressions turned grim as they looked towards the archway entrance ahead.
“This is the place!” Ye Chu said to Ruoshui. He nodded and shot forward into it.
Ruoshui followed closely. Qing Wenting and Ji Die were also unwilling to fall behind. Although the other great cultivators felt fear, the temptation of the treasures was too great. They could not resist and each shot forward into the centre.
As everyone moved, the cloud-like killing aura at the archway entrance surged violently. It struck several great cultivators. Two more could not withstand it. Their protective spiritual energy was eroded, and they too turned into white bones and fell to the ground.
The surviving great cultivators had pale faces, clearly having suffered considerable injury.
Upon entering such an environment, black spots appeared on Ye Chu’s forehead. Killing aura seeped into his body. He felt pain as though knives were cutting him. Even the spiritual energy inside him was on the verge of being eroded and destroyed by the killing aura.
Ye Chu’s heart jolted. He quickly concentrated his spiritual energy in one spot to prevent it from clashing with the killing aura. With his meagre strength, he absolutely could not afford to confront the killing aura head-on. If it truly invaded and destroyed his spiritual energy, all the cultivation he had done over these three years would be ruined.
Passing through the archway, everyone arrived at a brightly lit space. It was not large, yet exceptionally open and clean. Astonishingly, there was not even a trace of killing aura here. Standing in this place, one could feel the aura of sun and moon, as though it were a patch of clear, sunny land.
Compared to the gloomy tomb passages before, this place was like a paradise on earth. The brightness and clarity felt almost unbelievable.
Golden light shimmered throughout the entire space. When illuminated by the golden glow, a warm feeling like spring surged through their bodies. All previous fatigue and discomfort vanished completely. Everyone’s gazes followed the golden light. At the very centre of this space stood a crystal coffin. The coffin was not large, about two metres long and less than one metre high. It simply stood there quietly, without anything particularly remarkable about it.
Yet upon seeing this crystal coffin, everyone’s eyes blazed with fervent light. They stared straight ahead. Some great cultivators even trembled uncontrollably at the shoulders.
The empire’s prince had been escorted in by two great cultivators. Now, seeing this crystal coffin, his entire body shook with excitement.
“The general’s true tomb! The genuine general’s tomb!” The empire’s prince’s face flushed red with exhilaration. Even his imperial ancestor had never seen the general’s tomb, yet he had.
Ruoshui, Ji Die, and the others stood before the crystal coffin. No one could remain calm. Looking at the jade coffin with flowing light halos, their faces carried traces of reverence.
This was a peerless powerhouse. His might made entire regions tremble in fear. One man had single-handedly supported a vast empire. Because of him, no foreign clan had ever dared provoke the empire.
He possessed peerless elegance and world-shaking power. Yet in the end, such a man still lay here.
Everyone felt awe and admiration, yet they could not help sighing inwardly.
They mourned the strong one and recalled his peerless might. But at the same time, they were excited about the peerless items they were about to obtain.
Everyone’s eyes fell on the golden book placed atop the jade coffin. The vast golden light emanated from there. The golden book carried a peerless aura. Even from afar, everyone could tell how extraordinary it was.
“Nine Heavens Golden Sand, forged under the radiance of sun and moon into a golden book. The legend was true after all,” the empire’s prince muttered dazedly, staring at the golden book suppressing the jade coffin. Shock filled his heart uncontrollably.
When everyone heard his words, their heartbeats quickened.
Nine Heavens Golden Sand and sun-moon radiance. Each was a peerless item beyond mortal imagination. Only the strongest figures in the world could utilise them. Otherwise, even if one obtained them, they could not be refined.
Yet now, they had been forged into a single page of a golden book, lying quietly there.
Qing Wenting’s beautiful eyes shot out rays of disbelief. “The great general truly obtained a treasure from a figure at the level of solely supreme across the nine heavens and ten lands?”
Although the great general had been terrifying back then, there had never been rumours of him obtaining Nine Heavens Golden Sand or sun-moon radiance. The only explanation for possessing such things now was that the great general had once received the legacy blessing of a supreme-level invincible peerless figure.
The legend was true: the great general had truly been connected to a supreme-level figure. Then this item must be a peerless cultivation method for refining the primordial spirit.
Everyone’s eyes turned red. A supreme-level cultivation method was the foremost in the world. Items from such a figure could not be compared to even a million heaven and earth artifacts. In the world, nothing could surpass the cultivation methods of figures at the invincible level across the nine heavens and ten lands.