"Latercomer, halt your steps. Below lies a land of extreme peril!"
The ancient stele was indestructible, with supreme laws circulating upon it. However, what surprised Ye Chen even more was a line of text left upon the stele. It was naturally written in a special ancient script, but the fluctuations were the same, allowing him to sense its true meaning through spiritual resonance.
The one who left this stele was undoubtedly a supreme powerhouse, incredibly powerful. Even after an unknown span of time, the Dao principles remained, not completely worn away, allowing one to perceive the might of the one who left it. At the very least, it was an ancient Great Sage, possibly even more powerful.
Yet, such a supreme powerhouse had left this inscription, warning latercomers not to venture below.
This couldn't help but make Ye Chen suspicious and wary. What was hidden within the cavern below that could make even a supreme powerhouse so fearful, forcing them to leave a stele as a warning?
However, bubbles brimming with vitality continuously rose from within. This might very well be the true source of the Undying Divine Spring. No matter what, he could not stop here, for the hope of reviving Yu Qing lay below.
Naturally, he made thorough preparations. The Human Sovereign Pagoda shot out from the crown of his head, hovering above him, and the Primordial Battle Body Great Halberd also appeared in his hand.
With two supreme imperial weapons protecting him, it was enough to safeguard his person.
He passed through the cavern and descended into the tenth layer of the underground lake.
He proceeded with extreme caution, sweeping his gaze in all directions. Although no immediate crisis appeared, an intuition told him this place could be very dangerous. He absolutely could not let his guard down.
Ye Chen opened his Eyes of the Heavens, but the tenth layer was very special, capable of blocking prying eyes. Even someone as powerful as Ye Chen could not see the entire panorama; beyond a certain range, his vision could not penetrate.
Moreover, the tenth layer was surprisingly vast, far larger than the nine layers above it. Ye Chen descended a full thousand zhang, yet still had not reached the lakebed, and it was difficult to see the surrounding environment clearly—it was a deep, pitch-black expanse.
However, Ye Chen deduced the true location of the spring's eye by tracing the direction from which the bubbles rose.
As he gradually descended, he suddenly saw a massive object lying on the lakebed, so enormous it defied description, grander and more colossal than a mountain range.
But upon closer inspection, his pupils instantly contracted.
For this was not some underwater mountain range, but a massive Starry Sky Behemoth, and one that had reached maturity. Its body was larger than a star, stretching for tens of thousands of li, astonishingly huge. It simply lay there on the lakebed, motionless, devoid of all life, leaving only a corpse. This made his heart race.
One must know that a Starry Sky Behemoth that has reached maturity could at the very least rival an ancient Great Sage. Especially one of such immense size, its power would be unimaginable. Yet now, it had silently perished in the depths of the tenth layer underground lake. How could one not feel shocked?
At the same time, Ye Chen slowly adapted to the tenth layer. His gaze grew profound, piercing far enough to see the tenth layer clearly. He couldn't help but suck in a cold breath.
The tenth layer underground lake was far too vast, unlike what he had imagined. It was like a world completely submerged in water, with no end in sight.
The dark lakebed was strewn with far too many corpses. There were remains like the Starry Sky Behemoth, larger than stars, and some smaller ones—some humanoid, some recognized Primordial Ancient Beasts, some from alien races, and some unrecognizable living beings, very peculiar and vastly different from known forms.
But there was no doubt: every corpse lying on the lakebed had been immensely powerful in life. Even though all life force was extinguished, a wisp of supreme aura remained, testifying to their former might.
Yet, an unknown number of such powerful beings' corpses densely covered the lakebed of the tenth layer. All of this gave Ye Chen a chilling, hair-raising feeling.
Why were so many powerful existences lying dead here? This was almost identical to what he had encountered in the Sea Eye World within the Chaotic Sea of the Ancient Emperor Realm.
Just what was the reason for all this?
Was this the 'land of extreme peril' indicated by the mysterious supreme powerhouse on the ancient stele? Did the tenth underground layer hide some terrifying being?
Ye Chen, with the Human Sovereign Pagoda above his head and the Primordial Battle Body Great Halberd in hand, quietly circulated his divine power to its peak, vigilant against any sudden danger that might appear in the tenth layer.
How had all these powerful beings perished, all gathered in the tenth layer underground lake? This forced Ye Chen to be extremely cautious, for his very life might be at stake.
However, as he proceeded, all was calm. No real crisis emerged. But Ye Chen never let down his guard, for everything was far too bizarre, compelling him to remain vigilant.
*Splash... Clank...*
Suddenly, Ye Chen heard a peculiar sound—the clanking of chains again, very similar to that in the Sea Eye World of the Chaotic Sea. Could there be some special connection?
At this moment, Ye Chen looked into the distance. His Eyes of the Heavens could see much farther now. In the far distance, an immense, boundless figure faintly appeared, far larger than the Starry Sky Behemoth, even larger than the Realm Beast guarding the Profound Ancient Gate in the Divine Realm of the Ancient Emperor Realm. Its true size was simply impossible to discern.
Upon its body were coiled massive Great Dao Chains, each thicker than a mountain range, woven from supreme Great Dao runes and Dao marks. They crisscrossed, thoroughly imprisoning this terrifying existence within the tenth layer underground lake, or more accurately, within this lakebed world.
Ye Chen's expression changed abruptly, for this scene was exactly the same as in the Sea Eye World.
Moreover, he could feel the aura emanating from this colossal figure—how immensely powerful it was! Even bound by the Great Dao Chains, it remained vast and mighty, as if capable of destroying all heavens.
A Sovereign!
At the very least, it was at the Monarch realm, just like in the Sea Eye World.
Could it be that the 'land of extreme peril' warned of by the supreme powerhouse on the ancient stele referred to this Monarch realm terrifying existence, identical to the one in the Sea Eye World?
Suddenly, that terrifying being opened its enormous purple eyes, far larger than stars, and looked at Ye Chen. An overwhelming sense of oppression abruptly assaulted him, making Ye Chen feel as if his Battle Sacred Body was about to explode.
Too terrifying!
*Hum—*
The Human Sovereign Pagoda descended, releasing myriad layers of chaotic ancient qi. The Primordial Battle Body also trembled slightly, golden light flashing as it passively awakened to resist the Fierce Beast's pressure.
Only then did Ye Chen breathe a sigh of relief, but that immense pressure still remained, difficult to dispel.
The fearsome giant beast looked down upon Ye Chen from above and actually spoke coldly: "Human brat, you have been to the depths of the Sea Eye World in the Tai Sheng Huang Realm of the Sealed Universe, haven't you?"
Ye Chen felt his scalp go numb, staring at it in shock. "Could you be—"
"That's right, I am another one of it!" the terrifying Fierce Beast declared, its voice shaking the tenth layer underground lake, stirring up the silt until it boiled, muddying the entire lakebed world.