Chapter 360

Chapter 360: The Tomb Emerges

"Is this the power of offerings?"

Three days later, within a bedchamber.

As Ye Xu was cultivating, wisps of a strange power suddenly gathered from the heavens and earth, surging into his fleshly body.

The efficiency of the cultivation world was extremely high; in just three days, living shrines and divine idols had been erected, and the populace offered incense and bowed in worship.

This power had countless threads, some strong and some weak.

Among them, Ye Xu sensed the aura of the Ancestor of the Tian Jiao Divine Clan and the five true immortals. Their devout worship yielded a power far stronger and purer than that of ordinary cultivators.

"It is indeed a form of merit power," Ye Xu’s expression turned thoughtful as he murmured to himself. "However, the power of offerings is clearly much more impure. If converted to merit power, probably less than one ten-thousandth would remain."

It should be noted that the vast majority of people under heaven were common folk.

Their faith, no matter how devout, could only yield extremely limited power to convert.

However, their sheer numbers were enormous. Accumulated day by day, a small stream could gather into mighty rivers and seas, forming a colossal force not to be ignored.

The stronger one’s cultivation, the vaster and purer the power of offerings they would provide.

After an hour, Ye Xu had converted all the power of offerings into merit, integrating it into his Immortal Golden Body. Yet the resulting enhancement was minuscule.

"Girl."

Ye Xu called out.

"Big Brother." Xixi stopped cultivating. She had already reached the Great Perfection of the Cauldron Realm, merely a step away from the True Spirit realm. If Ye Xu hadn’t held her back, fearing her swift breakthrough might damage her foundation, she would already be a True Spirit realm cultivator.

"It’s time we left."

The disaster at Tian Jiao Divine City had been resolved; he had no reason to stay.

"Oh." The little girl sounded a little disappointed.

As her cultivation progressed, she grew increasingly fascinated by it. It was a world she had never touched before, filled with unprecedented novelty and curiosity.

Ye Xu sent a sound transmission to inform the Ancestor of the Tian Jiao Divine Clan, then departed with Xixi.

The moment they left, two powerful auras descended upon Tian Jiao Divine City.

"Immortal Kings again?"

The City Lord of Tian Jiao Divine City frowned and went to pay his respects.

The arrivals were two women.

Zhong Ling’s Divine Sense enveloped Tian Jiao Divine City, her expression shifting slightly. "It really was him."

"Unexpected. The people of this city have actually built living shrines for him, offering incense and fire in worship." A strange light also flickered in the eyes of the woman in the yellow dress.

"This man upheld the collapsing edifice, driving out the ancient divine clan of the Yuan Realm. That achievement alone deserves this special honor," Zhong Ling said lightly.

Offerings of Incense and Fire were nothing unfamiliar to her.

During the peak of the Ancient Divine Court, the Human Emperor had also received the worship of countless masses in the Lower Realms. However, the Human Emperor lacked merit cultivation methods and couldn’t harness the power of offerings, transforming it into personal strength.

"This junior, City Lord of Tian Jiao Divine City, pays his respects to you two Seniors," the Ancestor of the Tian Jiao Divine Clan said cautiously.

"When did he leave?" Zhong Ling inquired.

"A stick of incense ago."

"A stick of incense? Then he shouldn’t be far yet." The woman in the yellow dress narrowed her eyes sharply. "Your Highness, shall we pursue him immediately?"

Zhong Ling shook her head gently. "And if we catch up, what then?"

Ye Xu had defeated six Immortal Kings single-handedly in battle. Such strength could easily subdue her. Last time, before the Azure Realm’s world barrier, he had already shown mercy by choosing not to fight her.

Otherwise, she would have been nothing but a wisp of wandering spirit by now.

"Your Highness, should we destroy his living shrine? Sever his worship?" suggested the woman in the yellow dress.

The Ancestor of the Tian Jiao Divine Clan paled dramatically. What hatred did these two women bear against Ye Xu? They wanted to destroy the living shrine?

This shrine was the sole point of connection between Tian Jiao Divine City and Ye Xu.

"Unnecessary."

Zhong Ling’s expression remained calm. "Let us return."

"Prepare yourselves. The Void Tomb will open very soon."

Given the command from Her Highness, the woman in the yellow dress naturally dared not object.

The two vanished from Tian Jiao Divine City.

…

Ye Xu remained entirely unaware of the events in Tian Jiao Divine City.

He and Xixi were travelling through the Azure Realm, aiding the wounded and saving lives along the way.

One day later, the pair arrived in the southeastern region.

It must be said, though Dao King was a vicious and shameless individual, his governing abilities were formidable.

The Taihao Heavenly Sect’s conquest of the Azure Realm’s southeast had been swift, ruthless, and precise. A combination of the stick and carrot, employing both kindness and authority, left the hundred and eight cities of the southeast in eerie tranquility.

All of this was Dao King’s doing.

"I’ll take you to an auction."

The two entered an ancient city where a trading house called Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion was hosting an auction.

Entering the auction house for the first time, Xixi was jumpy with nerves.

But it didn’t take her long to settle in. Soon, she actively began placing bids.

After a round of bidding, they secured nine auction items in total.

"Keep them for yourself. Use them in your cultivation." Ye Xu smiled.

Xixi nodded.

Days passed one after another.

The celestial phenomena of the Azure Realm became wildly chaotic. Day and night became indistinguishable; constellations turned topsy-turvy.

The earth shell itself was tearing apart, with massive earthquakes erupting everywhere.

"It is coming." Ye Xu thought to himself.

The Tomb of Gods and Demons also fascinated him greatly.

This ancient relic, where Chaotic Demon Gods lay buried, was a relic from the same era as Pangu’s Daoist Temple. It could offer deeper insights into the history of the world’s creation.

Boom!

That day, the firmament of the Azure Realm suddenly tore open, seeming to fold together with the scars of the heavens. An eerie aura enveloped the entire realm, wreaking havoc on the earth, water, fire, and wind, warping the Azure Realm’s very climate.

The land shattered, the world barrier breached by chaotic energy. The Return to the Ruins began ascending ceaselessly, driven by an unknown force that seemed intent on merging into the Azure Realm.

"It’s happening!"

At this moment, the Taihao Heavenly Sect, the Human Emperor’s lineage, the Temple of Ten Thousand Paths, the divine clans of the Yuan Realm, and the scores of Immortal Kings and true immortals who had rushed here at the news watched with keen anticipation.

As for the survival of the Azure Realm’s mortal populace? That was none of their concern.

Ye Xu furrowed his brow slightly, channeling his magic power. He manifested thirty-six true immortal doppelgängers, which shot toward every corner of the Azure Realm, striving to save as many living beings as possible.

Amidst this celestial great change, ordinary lives were as inconsequential as dust—they were too fragile.

Rumble!

A deafening roar erupted. The land of the Return to the Ruins forced its way into the Azure Realm, shattering the entire domain. Bizarre energy saturated the world, twisting the Azure Realm’s fundamental laws.

As the two worlds fused, day turned to chaotic darkness. At the world’s heart, a strange black vortex gradually materialized.

It resembled an abyss.

"Is that the entrance to the Void Tomb?" The Dao King, standing beside Li Ruoshui, exclaimed in shock.

"It should be," Li Ruoshui gave a slight nod.

Streaks of light gathered before the vortex.

An overwhelmingly strange power radiated from the vortex. Where this power spread, Dao laws vanished, materials decomposed into their primordial essence—a state of raw chaos.

"This power is unique to the Chaotic Demon Gods. The Three Thousand Great Dao all evolved from it," Bai Muyue stated gravely. "This is indeed the Void Tomb’s entrance."

Rumble!

The vortex constantly writhed and expanded, tearing and devouring surrounding void. Its sphere of influence rapidly widened, covering millions of miles before its growth finally began to slow.

Yet, no one dared be the first to step into the Void Tomb.

Everyone knew untold fortunes lay within the Void Tomb, but none wanted to be the first to taste the crab.

Chaotic Demon Gods were beings on par with cosmic creators.

Facing relics of such beings demanded the utmost caution.

"Such timid fools!"

At that moment, a blue-robed Immortal King appeared. A wine gourd hung at his hip, his sleeves trailing loosely, long hair untamed. An aura of wild madness radiated from him, his eyes shining like twin stars.

He threw back his head in bold laughter as he strode barefoot through the void, step by step toward the vortex.

"Nightmare Immortal King?"

Someone recognized the figure.

"It’s him?" another Immortal King murmured in surprise. "I’ve heard his mastery of the Nightmare Dao is peerless and eerie beyond measure. A master at the Immortal King cultivation peak. Who’d have thought he descended to the lower realm too!"

"He wouldn’t miss a gathering this spectacular!"

The Nightmare Immortal King entered the vortex.

The instant he made contact, ripples spread across its surface.

Then, he vanished.

The observers stared fixedly, brows deeply knitted.

No one could tell if the Nightmare Immortal King had truly entered the Void Tomb or if peril had befallen him.

"Hesitation cripples ambition!"

"If you’re fated to die, so be it; if you survive, eternity awaits!"

"Charge!"

Unable to restrain themselves any longer, group after group of Immortal Kings and true immortals roared like beasts and surged into the Void Tomb.

In an instant,

hundreds of trails of light plunged into the vortex.

"Little one, stay within my Purple Palace safely during this time," Ye Xu chuckled. He tucked Xixi away into his Purple Palace before melting into the darkness and silently slipping into the vortex.