Chapter 1456: The Fisherman's Gain

"But the Demon Emperor's cultivation is too high; confronting him is too dangerous for us," Yu Yanluo couldn't help but say, the memory of her previous capture still vivid.

"It's different now. Sister Yan and Sister Yun have largely recovered from their injuries, and I have the Divine Bow of the Sun Slayer. Even against the Demon Emperor, we can put up a fight," Zu An said confidently.

Yun Jianyue rolled her eyes. "You just got a divine artifact and you're already overestimating yourself. Do you think the Demon Emperor, who along with the Human Emperor dominated an era, is easy to deal with? Even at our peak, the Ice Stone Maiden and I were several major realms below him. Even with you and the Sun Slayer Bow, we're still no match for him."

Yan Xuehen nodded. "Unless your Sun Slayer Bow can strike true with one shot, given his cultivation, he won't give us a second chance."

A heavy feeling settled in everyone's hearts, understanding that hitting the Demon Emperor with a single strike, given his power, was unrealistic.

Zu An said sheepishly, "We've encountered too many powerful beings recently; we got a little carried away after getting used to it."

Since entering this unknowable land, they had met countless Earth Immortal-level figures along the way, some even more powerful than the Demon Emperor, which had inadvertently raised his expectations.

"But it's come to this," he continued, "even knowing the danger, we must take the risk, or we'll never leave this secret realm."

Yun Jianyue nodded, patting his shoulder approvingly. "Good! If you're not satisfied, then fight!"

As the Demon Sect Leader, this was her nature; otherwise, she wouldn't have dared to storm the imperial palace and confront Zhao Hao head-on.

Yan Xuehen and Yu Yanluo were calmer, but they also understood that staying in this place would be a waste of time. If the Demon Emperor resolved the array core first, they would all be doomed.

Weighing the pros and cons, they also agreed that going to the Demon Emperor's location was the wisest decision.

So Zu An summoned the Wind and Fire Wheels and told the three women, "I'll take you. Don't waste your energy flying; use every moment to recover your cultivation."

The three women did not refuse. After helping Zu An shoot down the nine suns, they were nearly exhausted. Although a considerable amount of time had passed, they hadn't fully recovered.

With the imminent confrontation with the Demon Emperor, every bit of recovered power would increase their chances of victory.

As for Zu An holding their hands or even putting his arm around their waists, they had grown accustomed to it after all their previous experiences.

Zu An took the three women on the Wind and Fire Wheels, heading towards the place where the aura had just erupted. His hands were well-behaved; at this moment, his mind was completely focused on the upcoming plan, leaving no room for romantic thoughts.

The Wind and Fire Wheels truly lived up to their reputation as a Heaven-grade artifact; even with several extra people, their speed was completely unaffected.

It made sense; powerful cultivators in their world could easily move mountains and seas. A few light-footed women added little to no significant weight.

The three women seized the opportunity to circulate their energy and quickly recover.

After an unknown duration of flight, the group drew closer to the area where the combat aura had erupted.

From above, Zu An looked down at the endless mountain ranges, resembling dragons lying prostrate, and couldn't help but let out a gasp of surprise.

"What's wrong?" Yan Xuehen opened her eyes, her clear, cold beautiful gaze fixed on him.

She had longed for the "Love Stronger Than Gold" bond to be broken, and now it finally was. She thought she was finally free.

Yet, she felt no significant difference from before. The biggest change was a hollow feeling in her heart, as if she had lost something.

Sensing that her aura had returned to the detached coolness he first encountered, almost a sense of estrangement, Zu An sighed inwardly, realizing that he and she might never return to the way things were.

However, at this moment, he couldn't dwell on such thoughts. He composed himself and replied, "This place is dense with dragon veins, truly an excellent feng shui treasure land, perfectly suited for an emperor's tomb."

"You mentioned that Yu the Great was the founding monarch of the Xia Dynasty, and the Demon Emperor's combat aura just came from here," Yun Jianyue said curiously. "Does that mean this is the location of Yu the Great's tomb?"

Zu An was startled. He hadn't considered this possibility before, only intending to meet with the Demon Emperor and combine their information. Her remark immediately made him realize it was highly probable.

Soon, the group landed in front of a cave, from which the fluctuating aura emanated.

Zu An and his companions hesitated for a moment before carefully entering, maintaining their guard.

The cave entrance appeared small from the outside, but inside, it proved to be winding with many branching paths.

Fortunately, distant waves of combat served as a guide; otherwise, they would have wasted considerable time inside.

The entire cave continuously shook, with gravel and sand falling occasionally, as if it could collapse at any moment.

Sometimes, their path was blocked by fallen boulders, but this didn't deter Zu An and his group; they simply blasted open the obstructing rocks and continued forward.

"Something's not right about this cave," Yan Xuehen said, her delicate brows furrowing as they walked.

"What's wrong?" Zu An asked, startled, thinking they had fallen into another trap.

Yun Jianyue explained, "How could an ordinary cave withstand the power of an Earth Immortal-level battle? It should have collapsed and been blocked long ago. But look, although rocks fall occasionally along the way, the cave's overall structure remains intact. This is illogical."

Just then, Yu Yanluo's voice chimed in, "I sense that the violent energies within the cave are being absorbed by its walls and channeled into the surrounding mountain ranges. It's as if this entire expanse of mountains is collectively bearing the aftermath of the battle, allowing the cave to remain intact."

Her Medusa bloodline granted her a strong affinity for earth elements.

Yan Xuehen couldn't help but exclaim, "What an exquisite design! To be able to dissipate the aftermath of an Earth Immortal-level battle... I admit I couldn't do it, and I doubt anyone in the entire White Jade Capital could either."

Zu An, however, was not startled but delighted. "That proves we've come to the right place!"

While there were many capable of such grand feats in this world, Emperor Zhuanxu had recently severed the path between heaven and man, completely isolating those divine beings, making them unreachable.

Who else could be left besides Yu the Great?

At that moment, the aftershocks of the battle inside gradually subsided, followed by a painful shriek and roar.

They had never heard this sound before; even from a distance, it sent shivers down their spines, indicating that the creature making it was definitely no ordinary fierce beast.

Yun Jianyue quickly urged, "The battle there is almost over; hurry up and go!"

Whether they aimed to exploit the situation by attacking or to negotiate cooperation, the best moment would be when both sides were gravely injured.

Otherwise, once they recovered, their own party would be in danger.

The group no longer delayed, quickening their pace as they rushed inward.

Not long after, the space abruptly opened up into a vast area. In the distance stood a colossal gate, in front of which was an altar-like structure adorned with various statues of ferocious beasts. These statues were now scattered haphazardly across the ground, clearly affected by the recent battle's aftermath.

A grand set of stairs once led up to the gate, but now many steps were broken, and traces of fresh blood were visible, indicating they had been left recently.

In the very center of the space lay a massive fierce beast. It resembled a tiger but had a pair of wings and a terrifying, ferocious face that one dared not look at directly.

However, its appearance was quite wretched; one wing had been completely torn off, bleeding continuously.

Its body was covered in countless dense wounds. Zu An's mind stirred, recalling the Fiery Sun Sword Array of the Golden Crow Prince, whose feathers could transform into golden sword energy. This, however, was clearly unleashed by the Demon Emperor himself, its power many times greater than that of the Golden Crow Prince.

The fierce beast lay on the ground, its belly rapidly heaving, its tail weakly curled. Clearly, it was taking in more air than it was expelling.

Not far away, the Demon Emperor sat cross-legged, seemingly cultivating to heal his injuries. He was also in an extremely dishevelled state; his crown had long since fallen off to an unknown location, and his hair hung loosely and disarrayed around him.