Chapter 1638: Paradise? A Cemetery!
The appearance of shocking scene made the experts standing within that idyllic landscape retreat several steps back unwittingly.
All of them could sense that there was a barrier around this paradise, yet even so, they could still sense the waves of heat emanating from the lava.
There were also the unearthly winds pushing the lava along, and heavenly flames and red lightning so dense, there were practically no gaps left. None of them had the confidence to say that they could survive such a hellscape.
That was despite the former God Emperorâs remnant spirit making it quite clear that the mausoleumâs transcendent fortune lay beyond the danger.
Such tempting rewards were right there before them, yet they still didnât dare be greedy.
Transcendence was naturally tempting, but to them, survival was actually even more important.
Wasnât seeking an even higher level of cultivation than those around them precisely for the purpose of living on?
Wouldnât proceeding into such danger in the name of transcendence be counterproductive?
Besides, the remnant soul said that so long as they meditated here, they still had a chance at transcendence.
âThis scene really is shocking.â The Great Sageâs fiery eyes shook. Although Old Lord Taishang had once refined him in flames, even he trembled in the face of such scalding lava.
âIâve troubled you.â
As everyone else gazed at the lava in shock and horror, Red Demon strode into peril without the slightest hesitation. When the others saw this, some scoffed that he didnât know his limits, while others were shaken by his heroic valor. Either way, Red Demon was now the center of attention. A situation like this needed someone to take the lead. Those who remained would see what happened to Red Demon before deciding whether to forge ahead or remain here.
Pure white heavenly flames rained down without pause, and lava burst upward from the ground.
It seemed like the end of the world, and the proud Red Demon seemed pitiful and insignificant by comparison. He cautiously avoided every last threat, endured the baptism of those piercing, unearthly winds, and gradually headed closer to the end.
âHeâs over halfway there.â
A full hour had passed, and this hellscape was only about a hundred meters across, yet heâd only gotten halfway through.
The crowd exclaimed over his good luck. To think heâd made it halfway there without dying amidst the lava! They also sighed with emotion over the difficulty of traversing this danger zone. Red Demon was, after all, one of the stronger experts present. And yet, it had still taken him so long just to get halfway through.
But at that moment, Red Demon, who was like a tiny boat drifting about the vast ocean, was suddenly stroke head-on by a bolt of red lightning.
He shook, then collapsed into the lava. From the perspective of those watching, he didnât even get the chance to struggle; the ashes of his corpse must have already intermingled with the lava.
âThis⊠Is he dead?â
It seemed it really wasnât easy to traverse the lava. Even Red Demon, with his deep, inscrutable cultivation, had to proceed with the utmost caution, yet in the end, even he had wound up dead without so much as leaving a corpse behind.
In a flash, the various imperial king experts were in uproar. In their heart of hearts, they had absolutely no desire to forge ahead into such peril.
âYou saw the results too. If you still donât believe the danger, youâre welcome to go ahead and test your luck. Of course, before that, Iâd like to give you a fair warning: the good fortune waiting beyond the lava is reserved for the Emperor Star. youâŠâ
Ye Zichen didnât know why, but for some reason, he saw a hint of playful ridicule in the remnant soulâs eyes.
Ye Zichen naturally didnât know the Second Eraâs Master of the Stars, but thinking about it, if heâd become master of the Emperor Star, he shouldnât be this sort of person. Especially in the face of life and death. Even if he wasnât the type to take pity on them, he at the very least shouldnât be playing with them like this.
Just as Ye Zichen was questioning the nature of the remnantâs smile, and before the remnant had even finished his speech, Gu Li led his followers and An Lu into the danger zone without hesitation.
âLetâs go!â
The soul remnantâs threats clearly had no effect on them at all. When he saw this, the soul fragmentâs eyes flashed with fury, but just as he was about to say something, that little loli and bulky man walked into the lava-filled danger zone too.
âThrowing your lives away!â
Shockingly, Red Demonâs death only encouraged more people to enter that perilous land. Those remaining in the paradise reacted as if they were watching a parade of idiots, throwing themselves into endless danger one after another.
UntilâŠ
They succumbed to the danger and perished.
Gu Liâs entire group died.
At least, Ye Zichen had seen them die within the lava. Furthermore, they didnât last as long as Red Demon had. They didnât walk as far, and their death went faster too.
The loli and her stalwart companion fell even shorter; they perished within the lava after less than a hundred breaths of time.
âGu Liâs dead?â Yang Jian stared, eyes wide. He didnât know what to say. In truth, Gu Liâs death was a good thing for them. And yet, whenever he saw Gu Li, he was convinced that if âthe good died youngâ, Gu Li was sure to live forever. He found it hard ot believe that Gu Li would die so easily.
Furthermore, he felt it was a pity about An Lu, that girl with the eyes so pure, just looking at them seemed to cleanse his soul. Sheâd followed Gu Li, that duplicitous scumbag, into peril and died with him.
âWhy didnât you stop them? Or at least stop An Lu?â asked Pu Jingwan.
Ye Zichen might not care too much about Gu Li, but An Luâs death was sure to make his heart ache.
As she said this, Pu Jingwan glanced at Ye Zichen. She knew that heâd always seen An Lu like a younger sister.
âLetâs go.â
Ye Zichen had been quiet all this time, yet that was how he broke his silence. The great emperors at his side all stared in a daze, while Yang Jian and the Great Sage looked at him in disbelief.
âYe-zi, have you gone stupid?â Yang Jian was at a loss. âI think staying here sounds pretty good. Donât you think, monkey?â
The Great Sage glanced at the lava, then scratched his head. âI think so too. Yang Jianâs making a lot of sense.â
âLetâs go.â To their surprise, Ye Zichen reacted as if he hadnât even heard them. He simply walked straight into the lava.
When his friends saw this, although they were unwilling, they followed. If Ye Zichen went in, they couldnât possibly just leave him on his own.
It was much the same for the great emperors. Ye Zichen was the Emperor Star; like it or not, they had to ensure his safety.
Furthermore, they felt that Ye Zichen wasnât the type to just disregard the consequences of his actions. If heâd chosen to go inside, he might very well have discovered something they hadnât.
âItâs not an illusion!â
While Red Demonâs death had struck Ye Zichen a little, it was Gu Liâs death that really made him feel there was something fishy about all this.
He in no way believed Gu Li was dead!
Especially since, after Red Demon died, Gu Li nevertheless resolutely forged on ahead. Heâd even brought An Lu with him. This convinced Ye Zichen that something strange was going on.
As he watched from the outside, Ye Zichen thought the lava might just be some sort of hallucination.
But now that he was really inside, he realized that all of it, from the howling winds and lava to the heavenly flames and red lightning, were real.
However, they werenât as fierce as theyâd seemed watching from that otherworldly paradise.
The lava was hot, as were the descending heavenly flames, but not so hot that they could damage an imperial expert.
In that case, it was clear that while this placeâs hazards were no illusions, Red Demon, Gu Li, and the othersâ deaths were fake!
âYe-zi.â
Yang Jian and the Great Sage followed. They were completely focused on Ye Zichenâs safety, so they hadnât realized what was happening here yet.
âIs everyone here?â Ye Zichen glanced at those whoâd come in behind him. Every great emperor of the alliance, including Venerate Spirit Treasure, had followed him into this blazing hellscape.
âLetâs go, then!â
âBe careful! This placeâŠâ Yang Jian was just about to drag him back when he realized that the flames and lightning simply werenât all that scary.
âWhatâs going on?â
âIt seems that soul fragment was playing us.â Xuan Ji watched, and when a streak of flame next descended, she even reached out to touch it.
The pure white flames blazed on her palms, but they didnât do any damage at all.
âI thought there was something strange about these heavenly flames and that red lightning. Neither are at the pinnacle of their respective daos. Red Demonâs cultivation is no inferior to ours, yet after a single bolt of red lightning, he fell into the lava and died without so much as the chance to resist. Itâs rather suspicious.â
âThatâs true.â Empress Su Qingyan reached for the flames too. When she held them in her palm, they felt warm, but they didnât do her any damage. Then, she glanced back at that idyllic grassland. The remaining experts watched, their gazes just as terrified as before.
âWhat is the God Emperorâs remnant soul trying to accomplish with this? What good does keeping us there do him? As far as I know, the Second Eraâs God Emperor was compassionate to all. He shouldnât do something so disadvantageous for the Third Era.â
âThe God Emperor, naturally, wouldnât do such a thing. But what about other people?â laughed Venerate Spirit Treasure.
âOthers?â The great emperors froze, then thought back to what they knew of when the God Emperor had been buried here. âAre you saying that that soul fragment isnât the former God Emperorâs at all? And that itâs actuallyâŠâ
âAt a fundamental level, the Second and Third Eras occupy the same space. The Second Eraâs Master of the Stars failed to transcend, and his auxiliary and fated stars transformed into the stars of the night sky. Before he was buried in this mausoleum, the Second Eraâs Master of the Stars sealed that eraâs Demon Emperor. But who knows just where he sealed him?â asked Venerate Spirit Treasure.
In the primordial era, the demons had brazenly invaded god and yao territory.
Human and yao had no choice but to join forces to ward off the invasion. However, the demonic horde was too vast. Even together, they couldnât slow the pace of the invasion.
Countless lives were lost or ruined.
Since the then-God Emperor was also his eraâs Master of the Stars, he used his own soul to seal the Demon Emperor and end this calamity.
Without their leader, the demons broke out into in-fighting, giving the yao and gods a chance to catch their breath.
Afterward, the Four Great Auxiliary Stars buried the God Emperor here. But it was trueâŠ. No one knew just where that Demon Emperor had been sealed!
âThat remnant soul really is the Second Eraâs Demon Emperor!â exclaimed Xue Yang.
âIâm eighty to ninety percent sure of it,â chuckled Venerate Spirit Treasure. âIf so, then that âparadiseâŠ..ââ Chao Feng started to speak, but trailed off.
Venerate Spirit Treasure responded without hesitation, âWhat âparadiseâ? Iâm afraid thatâs simply that guyâs graveyard!â
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