Buddhism, originating from the immortal heritage of that distant, untraceable Mythical Era, has spanned two epochal ages and become one of the most powerful legacies in the current myriad realms.
Because in the last Mythical Era, which reached the pinnacle of prosperity and glory, Buddhism gave birth to a true Emperor and Sovereign Supreme One, known as Buddha Tathagata. His dharma power was boundless, transcending the Three Realms and existing beyond the Five Elements. He was one of the most powerful existences throughout history.
In the previous epoch, he pioneered another path of cultivation: the Buddhist Path, cultivating Buddhist power.
"Buddha Tathagata, an exceptionally brilliant figure who pioneered the Buddhist Path, taking the salvation of all living beings as his mission. Yet, even someone as powerful as him disappeared during the great cataclysm battle of the Mythical Era," Old Yan sighed with emotion.
The Mythical Era was once supremely prosperous and glorious, giving birth to Emperors and Sovereigns and countless powerful beings. It was far more powerful than the current myriad realms, to an unimaginable degree. However, it later experienced a great cataclysm for unknown reasons. Those most powerful Emperors and Sovereigns vanished, and the Tenth Heaven also disappeared at that time, becoming the greatest mystery in history, puzzling countless people throughout the ages.
Even in his previous life, Ye Chen only had a superficial understanding of the great cataclysm of the Mythical Era and could not delve deeply into its causes.
Time is truly the most terrifying weapon in the world. It buries many things, making the truth behind many mysteries impossible to trace.
"If you ever become an enemy of Buddhism in the future, be careful. This sect has deep involvement with Samsara," Old Yan warned.
The Purple Mansion Sacred Land was vast. Just its outer mountainous forests were unimaginably expansive, spanning tens of thousands of li, with numerous mountain ranges and towering, peculiar peaks.
Under the sweeping efforts of the many young prodigies, the numerous Heaven and Earth Treasures in the outer regions of the Purple Mansion Sacred Land were completely gathered. Even Ye Chen, who followed at a steady, unhurried pace, obtained seventeen. Aside from three that were over a thousand years old, the rest were around a few hundred years old.
However, Ye Chen was already quite satisfied with this harvest, as it was practically effortless gain.
Naturally, those with the greatest gains were the young geniuses like the Saints and Saintesses walking at the forefront. Each was incredibly powerful, either at the False King level or very close to it, making others extremely wary of them.
Although there was no longer the interference of the sinister aura, many people, driven by greed, launched sneak attacks on others, aiming for the Heaven and Earth Treasures they carried. Most of the attackers came from immortal forces, acting without restraint, while those robbed were mostly individuals who had emerged victorious from the quota competition.
In just a hundred-li journey, no fewer than eighteen ambushes were witnessed.
Even Ye Chen was ambushed. Someone had been following behind, saw that he had gathered over a dozen Heaven and Earth Treasures, and, driven by greed, chose to strike.
Unfortunately, the person they wanted to rob was Ye Chen, the Great Demon King Yue, publicly recognized as the first Immortal True King of the new generation. This was no different from having the audacity of a leopard.
Boom—
Ye Chen made his move. He showed no mercy, stepping forward as an invisible spatial ripple rapidly spread out, swiftly covering this mountain valley and directly forcing out the seven young powerhouses hiding within.
Immediately, Ye Chen restrained the seven of them in the void. No matter how they pleaded for mercy, it was useless. He flicked his Spirit Rhinoceros Sword Finger, and a circle of destruction expanded, annihilating the mountain peak and directly slaying the seven young powerhouses, leaving none alive. They were all people who harbored covetous intentions.
After effortlessly suppressing and killing seven young powerhouses, those with similar covetous intentions in the distance all immediately retreated, no longer wanting to act. Only then did they suddenly remember that Ye Chen was also a fearsome figure at the King level.
Provoking such a person was purely no different from seeking death.
For the rest of the journey, it was, in a way, peaceful.
The young powerhouses advanced together, picking clean the many Heaven and Earth Treasures along the way before quickly heading towards the interior of the Purple Mansion Sacred Land.
Although they encountered some residual formations along the way, causing some young powerhouses to meet misfortune, their blood staining the mountain forests, more people passed through without major incident.
Half a day later, after traversing numerous mountain ranges, a vast and magnificent metropolis suddenly appeared before them.
The city walls, built from dark giant stones, stood a hundred zhang high, bearing numerous mottled marks—traces left by time and war, crossing the long river of history and still clearly engraved on the walls, difficult to erase.
The ancient city was grand and enormous, having existed for an unknown number of years. It was originally the dwelling place of the clansmen of the Purple Mansion Sacred Land, later gradually developing into a metropolis. One could see that it was once incomparably prosperous, with continuous halls and pavilions everywhere. But now, they had all collapsed into ruin, with countless large trees and vines entwining these structures.
Within the ancient city, there was no sign of life. Not even ordinary beasts like birds or animals were present in any significant number. Only vines added to the scene, leaving it utterly empty and silent.
At some point, boundless dark clouds had already gathered in the sky, lightning flashing and thunder rumbling, filling the world with an unusual sense of oppression. It felt like a storm was brewing, making everyone's hearts sink.
This seemed like an ominous sign.
Moreover, as time passed, thick mist gradually and completely covered the entire ruined ancient city, obscuring everything, making it increasingly hazy. It also blocked spiritual sense detection, which was very peculiar.
All the young powerhouses became many times more cautious, not daring to be the slightest bit careless.
Although filled with mystery, they clearly saw within the ancient city faint, colorful streams of light flickering. Faint, elusive medicinal fragrances wafted through the air, causing many to widen their eyes in excitement.
That was the scent of medicine, indicating Heaven and Earth Treasures of at least five thousand years, and not just one or two. Among them, there might even exist the most precious Ten-Thousand-Year Medicine Treasures, capturing everyone's attention.
"Hmm, I seem to have glimpsed countless Heaven and Earth Treasures inside the city, each easily over five or six thousand years old, even several priceless Ten-Thousand-Year Medicine Treasures of peerless value. Could I be seeing things?" someone couldn't help but mutter in astonishment.
However, it wasn't just him. Even other young powerhouses clearly saw that within the mist-covered ancient city, numerous Heaven and Earth Treasures exuding medicinal fragrance swayed and shone, rooted in the mist, appearing and disappearing, tugging at everyone's nerves.
"What? I actually saw Silver Snow Divine Iron flying about? How is that possible?" someone exclaimed in shock. He distinctly saw some silvery-white divine iron flashing past within the ancient city. Wasn't that a divine material for refining Saint Lord-level Dao weapons? A fist-sized piece was worth three hundred thousand jin.
"Ocean Blue Silver, Dao Pattern Purple Copper, Nine Suns Crimson Divine Essence... Heavens, I even saw priceless divine materials for Heavenly King-level ancient weapons dancing about. Among them, the Nine Suns Crimson Divine Essence was as large as a human head. Too precious. Even a Saint Lord would probably go crazy over it."
Other young powerhouses exclaimed one after another, witnessing various extraordinary divine materials for weapon refining flying within the ancient city. It was simply unbelievable, unprecedented.
Even the various Saints' eyes shone brilliantly at this moment, gazing intently into the ancient city. Although they couldn't completely see through the illusions, they could see numerous Heaven and Earth Treasures hidden within the mist, more and of better quality than those in the outer mountainous forests, their medicinal fragrances wafting around their noses.
They also saw various divine materials soaring into the air, as if having gained intelligence, dancing wondrously in the void.
There were even other treasures flying about, all dancing in the air, each one legendary in the void, tempting and stirring.
"Strange, peculiar. Why would those Heaven and Earth Treasures, divine materials, and other treasures fly about for no reason? Something abnormal must be at play," Ye Chen frowned, his sword-like brows knitting together.
Old Yan also said solemnly, "You need to be extra careful. This ancient city likely harbors great strangeness. Do not be careless."
"Naturally," Ye Chen understood.
But at this moment, many young powerhouses rushed into the ancient city, as they were all tempted by these treasures and wanted to seize them.
The Saints and Saintesses from the immortal forces also moved, but they were very cautious, not immediately charging in. Zhao Wudao and the Canglan Saint were the same. Even though they were powerful enough, in this sinister ancient city, caution was paramount.
Ye Chen heightened all his senses to their fullest, wanting to investigate the situation within the ancient city. However, even someone as powerful as him found his spiritual sense power greatly restricted, only able to detect movements within a radius of a hundred zhang.
The ancient city appeared desolate, with no signs of living creatures. Everywhere was only a silence that made one's heart tremble, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. There was no vitality at all, presenting a scene of gloom and terror, like a ghost city that made one's heart shudder.
Just from the size and structures of the ancient city, one could infer how prosperous and wealthy it must have been in its heyday, inhabited by countless clansmen of the supreme Sacred Land, with renowned experts, elders, and even some super-powerful beings residing within.
Unfortunately, nothing in the world is truly eternal. Even the supremely glorious and prosperous Mythical Era of the previous epoch encountered a great cataclysm. This supreme Sacred Land, which flourished over a hundred thousand years ago, could not escape such a fate. At its peak, it declined, completely falling into ruin within a single night.
Mist covered the ancient city, neither too thick nor too thin. With the naked eye, one could see everything within a radius of twenty zhang. Further out, even relying on spiritual sense power was of little use, as the mist could block spiritual sense detection.
Upon entering the ancient city, the numerous Heaven and Earth Treasures and other divine materials seen earlier seemed to have vanished, retreating into the deepest parts, making them temporarily impossible to find.
And at this moment, the mist suddenly became many times denser, almost to the point where one couldn't see their own hand in front of their face.
Many people disappeared, completely separated by the mist, unable to sense each other. This started to make many people panic.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, a piercing scream filled with despair echoed through this area, then abruptly ceased, causing everyone's expressions to change!