Chapter 720 - 721: Martial Emperor’s Remains

As Martial Emperors at the Tier Eight Third Layer, Jiang Chonghuang and the others possessed incredibly resolute minds. They certainly wouldn’t abandon the exploration over a bit of danger.

"Alright, are you done talking? If so, I’m heading out. I have no time to waste here with you."

Zhan Shang spoke, his gaze cold, a flicker of excitement barely visible deep in his eyes.

"Let’s go."

In the end, no one was willing to stay behind, and they all began to ascend the flight of stairs.

"Young Master Ye, stick close to us and don’t wander off. If we run into danger, we can look out for you."

At that moment, Elder Xu Zheng of the Xu family suddenly sent a voice transmission to Ye Xuan.

Ye Xuan was taken aback for a moment, then he smiled. "Then I must thank you, Elder Xu Zheng."

Among the Xu family, Ye Xuan was only really familiar with Xu Zhen; his relationship with the others was purely transactional. He hadn’t expected this Xu Zheng to be so considerate. ’He seems like a genuinely good person.’

The staircase was eerily silent and filled with the stench of decay. A chilling aura emanated from all around, making one’s skin crawl.

"Do you guys feel that? It feels like someone is watching us."

a First Layer Martial Emperor asked, a hint of alarm in his voice.

"Huh? You felt it too?"

"I feel it too."

Everyone began to speak up, the hair on their arms standing on end. Each of them had felt it, though some more strongly than others.

It was a deeply unsettling sensation. The thought of a pair of eyes watching them from some unknown corner of the dark hall prevented anyone from relaxing.

Zhan Shang frowned as well, for he felt it too.

’The Ancient Demon Battlefield was the main stronghold of the Spirit Demon race. These ruins are most likely a palace belonging to the Demon Race from that time. But why does it feel so strange?’

He was secretly alarmed.

"You few, get up front and scout the path."

Just then, Diao Minghuang pointed to a few Martial Emperors and commanded in a cold voice.

These Martial Emperors were all at the First Layer of the Martial Emperor realm, and they shared a common trait: they all lacked powerful backgrounds.

Hearing Diao Minghuang’s command, the expressions of those Martial Emperors changed instantly. "Senior Diao Minghuang, our strength is meager, we..." they stammered.

How could they fail to understand? Diao Minghuang was forcing them to be cannon fodder. If there was any danger, they would be the first to die. A wave of terror washed over them.

"What? Unwilling?" Diao Minghuang cut them off, his gaze turning frigid. "When we were breaking the Restriction earlier, you expended no effort and waltzed right in. If you don’t contribute, why should you get a share of any treasure we find? We’ve let you live this long; it’s time you served a purpose. Otherwise, what use are you!"

As he spoke, a murderous glint flashed in Diao Minghuang’s eyes, terrifyingly cold.

"Senior Diao Minghuang, my strength is insignificant. I dare not dream of the treasures in these ruins. I shall take my leave now..."

One of the Martial Emperors, a humble look on his face, actually chose to give up. He turned to leave.

"You’re courting death!"

A vicious glint flashed in Diao Minghuang’s eyes. At some point, the saber at his waist had already been drawn.

SWOOSH!

A brilliant flash of light from the blade lit up the entire passageway. The Martial Emperor had no time to react before he was sliced in two at the waist. The terrifying blade energy surged into his body, and with a SPLAT, he exploded into a mist of blood.

A Storage Ring landed in Diao Minghuang’s grasp. His gaze was glacial as he said, "That man had ulterior motives. He pretended to forfeit, but he was actually going to sneak out and alert others. For the sake of everyone here, I had no choice but to execute him. Now then... do any of you others wish to ’give up’?"

His icy voice echoed through the passage. Strands of fresh blood dripped from the saber in his hand, and the sight sent a deep chill through the hearts of the remaining First Layer Martial Emperors.

At this point, their hearts were filled with nothing but regret.

They had all been blinded by the prospect of treasure, never stopping to consider if they would even get a share if any were found. Now they were trapped, unable to advance or retreat, left to the mercy of others.

"We won’t give up! We won’t!"

In the end, the designated First Layer Martial Emperors had no choice but to move to the front of the group and cautiously lead the way.

During this entire exchange, not a single person spoke up for them.

Even Jiang Chonghuang, who was widely regarded as a kind old man, didn’t say a single word.

Only after they were out front did Jiang Chonghuang offer some words of "comfort" from the rear. "Don’t worry. With so many of us behind you, you’ll be safe. We’ll intervene immediately if anything happens."

The men cursed him endlessly in their hearts. ’Timely intervention, my ass! If you’ve got the guts, you walk up front! I always thought that old bastard was a good man, but he’s just as shameless and despicable as the rest of them.’

But cursing inwardly was all they could do. Powerless to change their situation, they could only continue to walk cautiously ahead.

Waves of a putrid, foul stench assaulted them, making their stomachs churn. They didn’t know where the odor was coming from, but it bypassed their protective Profound energy and relentlessly seeped into their nostrils. They couldn’t disperse it no matter what they tried, and the fumes made their faces turn pale.

"I have a few Pills here. Take them. They should help a bit."

Seeing their expressions, Ye Xuan shook his head and suddenly tossed out several Pills, which landed in their hands as streaks of light.

The men were all stunned and turned to look at Ye Xuan.

"Don’t worry, they’re not poisoned," Ye Xuan said calmly. He then took out several more Pills and handed them to Xu Zhen and his group. "You should take one as well."

Xu Zhen and his companions trusted Ye Xuan, so they took the Pills without hesitation. The foul stench that had been clinging to them instantly lessened a great deal.

In truth, since they were walking behind the scouts, the stench was already less potent for them. Now, with Ye Xuan’s Pill, it was almost completely gone, leaving only a faint odor.

When the First Layer Martial Emperors saw this, they quickly took the Pills as well. A look of shock appeared on their faces as their pale complexions regained some color. Clearly, the Pill had greatly mitigated the effects of the stench.

The men looked at Ye Xuan, a hint of gratitude showing in their eyes.

Diao Minghuang and the others were secretly amazed. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Don’t tell me you’re an Alchemist? I wonder what kind of Pills those are. Why not bring them out and share with everyone?"

Although their cultivation bases were high, they too were suffering from the stench, each of them wearing a miserable expression.

Ye Xuan smiled faintly. "My apologies. These Pills were specially refined for me by someone before I came here. I only had a few, and now they’re all gone. Seniors like Diao Minghuang possess such profound cultivation, I’m sure you have no need for Pills just to ward off a bad smell."

Diao Minghuang and the others couldn’t tell if Ye Xuan was telling the truth, but the fact remained that he didn’t offer them any Pills. They couldn’t help but let out a cold snort in displeasure.

The group didn’t linger on the subject and started moving again.

Ye Xuan followed beside Xu Zhen and the others, looking perfectly at ease, but in reality, he was observing his surroundings with extreme care.

He didn’t know when this staircase had been built, but it was saturated with the smell of decay. A strange energy flowed through it, and he couldn’t identify the material it was made from.

Besides the environment, Ye Xuan also kept some of his attention on the others in the group.

Zhan Shang’s behavior, in particular, drew most of his attention.

From the moment they broke the Restriction to when they entered this staircase, Zhan Shang hadn’t shown the slightest hint of shock. Instead, he seemed faintly puzzled.

’Zhan Shang was sealed in Ancient Yang City for over ten thousand years. He must know a great deal. Perhaps he knows what this mysterious place really is.’

Ye Xuan speculated inwardly.

Suddenly, the men at the front stopped in their tracks, staring ahead in horror.

Ye Xuan was startled and followed their gaze. The staircase had come to an end, opening onto a vast platform. And upon that platform lay scattered, broken skeletons.

Around the skeletons were various weapons, but like the bones, they were all badly decayed.

Although the skeletons were in pieces, certain details and features clearly indicated they belonged to human Martial Artists.

"Why are there skeletons of human Martial Artists here?"

Everyone was shocked and rushed onto the platform.

"Could someone have gotten here before us?"

one Martial Emperor asked, his voice filled with doubt.

"Are you kidding? One look at these skeletons and you can tell they’ve been decaying for ages—hundreds, if not thousands of years. It’s very likely other Martial Artists have been here before."

"That can’t be right. If this place had been discovered before, there would be records of it in the continent’s history. But I’ve never heard anything about this mysterious place ever appearing."

While the others were speculating wildly, Ye Xuan remained silent. He walked forward and began to examine the skeletons and decayed weapons up close.

Though these Profound Soldiers had decayed, they still retained their original shapes. There were swords, sabers, axes, halberds, and other types of weapons.

However, perhaps because too much time had passed, their forms remained while their substance had been completely destroyed. A light touch was enough to turn them to dust, which scattered in the wind.

"Young Master Ye, have you noticed anything?"

Xu Zhen and his group came forward and asked cautiously.

Ye Xuan’s expression was grave. "The tier of these Profound Soldiers is extremely high. My preliminary estimate is that they are at least Tier Eight Profound Soldiers. Not a single one is below Tier Eight."

"What?"

Everyone was startled.

"Kid, are you spouting nonsense?" Diao Minghuang said coldly. "If all of these are Tier Eight Profound Soldiers, that would mean all the Martial Artists who died here were Tier Eight Martial Emperor experts. Do you really think that’s possible?"

"Hey, over here! There’s a corpse that’s still mostly intact."

Suddenly, someone shouted. Everyone immediately looked over. Not far away, a skeleton was half-kneeling on the ground. Its body was twisted, and the bones were covered in tiny holes, but it was far more complete than the others.

"Nine Heavens Martial Emperor."

A sharp glint suddenly flashed in Ye Xuan’s eyes as he spoke in a solemn tone.

"Are you kidding me? You’re saying that corpse belongs to the Nine Heavens Martial Emperor?"

A Martial Emperor scoffed, his disbelief clear.