Was the other side of the gate of light the location of the Emperor's Tomb?
Everyone stared excitedly at the gate of light, their eyes blazing with fervor, hoping to be the first to rush through.
However, upon seeing Ye Chen's heroic silhouette, everyone immediately hesitated. That tall and upright figure possessed an unshakable, majestic presence that made everyone dare not advance further.
If Ye Chen did not enter, no one dared to cross him and enter first, lest they be killed by this Emperor's Son-level figure.
"Let's go."
Ye Chen spoke up, addressing the supreme couple Chu Shuangyu and Divine Maiden Yun Tian, causing many to look at them with envy.
Tap, tap, tap—
Taking steps forward, they finally reached the very end of the celestial staircase. Ye Chen and the Immortal Couple from Moon Palace stood before the gate of light. Although the other side might be the location of the Emperor's Tomb, matters concerning the burial ground of an Emperor—an existence on par with the Heavenly Dao—demanded utmost caution. Even an Ancient Monarch would approach with extreme care, let alone them; they dared not be the slightest bit negligent.
Ye Chen opened his Heaven's Eye, but as he expected, nothing could be seen within the gate of light. An Emperor's aura circulated within, blocking all probing.
Whoosh—
The Chaos Great Cauldron appeared, hovering uncertainly above his head, releasing myriad strands of primordial Chaos Qi that submerged Ye Chen. Among them was also a large bronze halberd—none other than the Heaven Desolation Halberd. The primordial Chaos Qi merged into it, ready to awaken at any moment to guard against all tangible and intangible surprises.
Tap—
Having made all preparations, Ye Chen was the first to enter, allowing the Immortal Couple Chu Shuangyu and Divine Maiden Yun Tian to follow closely behind so he could protect them immediately.
Whoosh—
Ye Chen stepped through the gate of light and instantly entered another space. Unexpectedly, it was not a space containing an Emperor's coffin. There was no massive ancient tomb. Or, to be more precise, this was a great world—vast, immense, and unimaginably expansive.
Yet it was extremely desolate, just like the Primordial Continent. Barren land stretched for hundreds of millions of li, extending who knows how far. The earth was riddled with massive abyss chasms, with ruined mountain ranges, dried-up oceans, and a permanently crimson sky. Everything appeared so sorrowful.
Behind him, the Immortal Couple, Sheng Tian, Great Demon Gu Tian, Bei Ming Qi, and the other young Supreme Ones entered one after another, all stunned by the sight before them. The other Great Powers who entered subsequently were the same.
They all understood: this was a ruined Emperor World, once immensely prosperous but now completely devastated, its very essence dried up.
The abyss chasms, each tens or even hundreds of thousands of li long, represented the most terrifying battles of the past. They even saw countless fallen stars; the stars of the heavens had nearly all plummeted down. Billions of living beings had perished. In that desolate starry sky, only a few remnant stars hung in the void, forever stripped of their stellar radiance, their divinity extinguished.
What kind of great battle had occurred in the past to create such a scene?
Everyone was shocked. They strongly suspected this was the reason for the Emperor's fall. He must have experienced the most terrifying battle; the destruction of the Emperor World proved it all.
Boom—
A tremendous roar shook this desolate great world. Visible to the naked eye, from the central abyss chasm of the Emperor World—spanning tens of millions of li—blazing radiance erupted. Streaks of divine light shot into the sky, soaring into the clouds, illuminating this ruined and desolate Emperor World. A vast, destructive might was sweeping through.
Within, terrifying roars rose and fell. Emperor's might permeated the air, and nine-colored immortal light illuminated the heavens.
Everyone now understood: the abyss chasms on the Primordial Continent were connected to this central great chasm in the Emperor World.
However, it was clear the various Great Powers from the heavens had not yet been able to charge over, because the existence within the abyss chasm was too terrifying. Nine divine chains of Chaos Immortal Gold pierced through heaven and earth, possessing the most dreadful world-ending power, their brilliance illuminating past and present, unmatched by anyone.
"Could it be that the place the ancient path leads to is here? Why doesn't it point directly to the Emperor's Tomb?"
Many were unwilling. They had originally thought the other side of the celestial staircase's gate of light pointed directly to the Emperor's burial ground, but it was not so. They had only appeared in this desolate and ruined Emperor World. Did they still need to search for the Emperor's Tomb's location in this ancient Emperor World, far more vast than the Primordial Continent?
"Roar—"
The most terrifying roar suddenly exploded. The entire ruined Emperor World trembled violently. It came from the existence within the central great chasm. Faintly visible was an indescribably massive figure, boundless in size. Each of its pores was like a black hole, generating countless hurricanes.
Each strand of hair resembled a sky-piercing giant tree. Nine divine chains of Chaos Immortal Gold were entangled around its body, constantly clattering. It extended half its body—so enormous it was beyond description—shaking the entire Emperor World.
Everyone was utterly astounded. What kind of colossal ancient beast was this? It was countless times larger than stars. Perhaps each of its black hole-like pores could swallow the stars of the heavens. Its aura was immeasurable and endless, far surpassing that of an Ancient Great Power—it was an Ancient Monarch.
Boom—
The most fearsome battle was raging there. The terrifying giant beast within the central great chasm was fiercely fighting the various Great Powers who had come from across the starry skies. There were even Emperor's Weapons and six Sovereign Immortal Weapons engaged in a full-scale, intensely fierce battle.
"Look, what is that?"
Suddenly, an ancient path trial-taker noticed a half-ruined stele ahead of the group, embedded in the earth. However, the characters on it were too blurred, almost impossible to make out. A wisp of flowing divinity lingered upon it, as if describing something.
What could it be?
Ye Chen whooshed to the front of the half-stele. A strand of divine sense probed it, and he soon read a rather important piece of information: "Built the Heavenly Path, connected to the Emperor World, yet the Heavenly Path has reached its end. Laughable, a hundred thousand years of scheming ultimately turned to dust. Man can conquer heaven? How can heaven be conquered? Man's calculations are ultimately no match for heaven's will. Laughable, too laughable, hahaha—"
From it, he sensed a desolate sorrow, helplessness, and, more than anything, a powerful unwillingness.
Man's calculations are no match for heaven's will?
What did that mean?
And 'Built the Heavenly Path, connected to the Emperor World'—could it be that the celestial staircase was built by the person who left this stele?
What exactly happened back then? Why were such desolate, unwilling words left behind?
Finally, others discovered a few small characters at the very bottom of the stele. They were ancient, but everyone, including Ye Chen, managed to recognize them. In an instant, everyone, Ye Chen included, felt their hair stand on end.
The signatory: Nalan Yunxuan!
Yet Nalan Yunxuan was the founding Ancient Ancestor of the Nine Domains Divine Kingdom!