The eleventh level was even more vast than the tenth. He couldn't even sense its end. It might very well be larger than the continent itself!
At this moment, the sky was filled with flying hell creatures: some resembled King Ayura's mount, with worm-like bodies and butterfly wings, while others had lizard bodies and bat wings. On the ground, various hell creatures were stampeding, including the familiar two-headed hellhounds and colossal wolves he had never seen before, their bodies entirely engulfed in flames. Their types were bizarre and diverse, and their appearances were ferocious and terrifying. The auras they emitted were exceptionally powerful; without exception, all were at or above the Eight-Aperture Nascent Soul stage. He even sensed several wisps of aura from the Spirit Transformation stage. Jiang Fan was filled with awe: "There are even Spirit Transformation realm beings here! Even an ordinary Spirit Transformation realm expert would likely struggle to escape unscathed. It must have been incredibly difficult for the seniors of the Divination Pavilion. Today, I will investigate and clarify everything for you."
Relying on his invisibility, Jiang Fan made his way to the front of the hell creatures. Only then did he discover that they were furiously pursuing a beautiful woman with blood-red hair, a silver gown, and cold, stern features. Her eyes were closed, and she was utterly lifeless, clearly a corpse. Despite how many years she might have been dead, she remained remarkably lifelike, retaining the majesty of a high-ranking individual. It was easy to imagine that when she was alive, she must have been a being above all others. Her identity was not difficult to guess: The Empress of the Bloodthirsty Asura Clan, Dongfang Canyue! Who was also the Asura Saint Son's own mother!
The formidable pressure she emitted prevented the hell creatures from approaching, creating a vast vacuum zone around her. Beside the Empress's corpse, walking side by side, was a beautiful Asura woman with a look of triumph on her face. It was none other than Tiange! At this moment, she finally revealed her true cultivation: a Nine-Aperture Asura!
However, Jiang Fan did not act rashly. Tiange was from the Dark Asura Clan, skilled at controlling puppets, but could she really control someone of Empress Dongfang Canyue's Asura Emperor level? There had to be something strange about her. It was better to wait and observe first.
She looked into the distance, her gaze fixed on a towering stone pillar that pierced the clouds, and a hint of excitement appeared in her eyes: "The legend is true! Ten thousand years ago, a Lord of the Hell Realm, unwilling to see his territory carved out by the Nine Sages of the Central Lands, activated his realm artifact, the Void Pagoda, to open a passage between the two realms. The eleventh level, where we are, is already deep within the Hell Realm. Once the Void Pagoda is activated, the ground beneath our feet will disintegrate, fully connecting with the Hell Realm. At that time, the Hell Realm's army will be able to pass through the Void Pagoda and reach the surface of the Central Lands directly!"
Jiang Fan's expression grew solemn. This was exactly as he had surmised! Indeed, this eleven-level underground world was actually a complete, massive artifact. The Divination Pavilion at the very top was the apex of the artifact. The eleventh level was its base. It connected upwards to the Central Lands and downwards to the Hell Realm. That Immaculate Holy Altar was the artifact used to activate the Void Pagoda. A trickle of cold sweat ran down Jiang Fan's back. He finally understood why Spirit Transformation realm cultivators were forbidden entry to the continent, and Sages were halted. What would be the consequences if someone with malicious intent activated the Immaculate Holy Altar, connecting it to the Hell Realm? The Hell Realm's army would sweep in and invade the Central Lands! The Central Lands were only one-twentieth the size of the Hell Realm, and the number of experts below the Saint realm likely followed a similar proportion. Should the two sides clash, the consequences would be far more terrifying than the ancient giant invasion! They could still contend with the ancient giants, but a Hell Realm invasion would mean utter annihilation!
Tiange stared at the stone pillar, her excitement becoming even harder to conceal: "It's said that a thousand years ago, after the Central Lands suffered a great defeat, the Hell Realm planned to exploit their weakness and activate the Void Pagoda. It was Ancient Sage Yunhuang who placed the remains of a fallen ancient sage on the eleventh level. With the powerful saintly might that still lingered, it suppressed the Void Pagoda, preventing its activation. Otherwise, the Central Lands would likely have long since become territory of the Hell Realm."
Jiang Fan's heart grew heavy. The answer the Divination Pavilion had sought for a millennium was now revealed. There was indeed an ancient sage in the underground world, but he was not merely sleeping; he had fallen. A wave of inexplicable sadness welled up in his heart. The path of hope that generations had pursued for a thousand years turned out to be nothing more than a mirage. Fortunately, a thousand years later, the current inhabitants of the Central Lands had risen up, resisted, and fended off the catastrophe. Moreover, they were about to organize a counter-offensive to venture into the Heavenly Realm. The seniors of the Divination Pavilion would surely be comforted upon hearing this news.
"You've heard enough; you should come out now." Suddenly, Tiange spoke to the empty air. Jiang Fan was startled. Had he been exposed? But he quickly realized that Tiange wasn't speaking to him. Tiange's eyes glowed with a faint blue halo, and a small blue wisp of soul-fire slowly floated out from them. In mid-air, it transformed into a hazy mist, then coalesced into a pale-skinned, delicate-looking boy in white robes with refined features. Though an Asura, he appeared slender, lacking the typical robust build of his race. "Cough, cough..." The boy in white coughed once, then looked at the stone pillar ahead and said: "The Saint from the Central Lands is indeed here; I can sense his presence."
Jiang Fan's pupils contracted. Within Tiange's soul, there was an unfathomable remnant soul hidden! The feeling it gave Jiang Fan was like staring into an abyss, sending shivers down his spine. It was similar to how he felt when he first saw the white-robed skeleton. Of course, the white-robed skeleton's remnant soul was clearly far more complete, incomparable to the boy in white before him. But it still caused him immense unease. No wonder the Imperial Astronomers, when they tried to forcibly search Tiange's soul, suffered a soul-level backlash. So, this was the entity hidden within Tiange's soul!
Hearing this, Tiange's eyebrows lifted in delight: "I've finally waited for this day. As long as I refine the corpse of the Central Lands' Saint into a puppet, in an era where no Saints appear, who in the Three Realms can stand against me?" Her purpose for coming here was actually to control the Saint's corpse! Jiang Fan's expression shifted. Once the Saint's corpse left the eleventh level, wouldn't the Hell Realm be able to activate the Void Pagoda and connect the two realms? This Tiange was utterly disregarding the safety of the entire Central Lands! If he had known this earlier, he should have killed her then to eliminate future troubles!
The boy in white said, "Don't be careless. That is, after all, a Saint from the Central Lands. Even after a millennium of death, their lingering power is still formidable. One misstep, and even my remnant soul could be destroyed." Tiange took out a black crystal, about the length of a forearm, engraved with peculiar eye patterns. Just a glance made one feel as if their soul would be swallowed by those eyes; it was extraordinarily eerie! "Heh heh, with the Dark Asura Clan's suppressing realm artifact, a mere Saint's remains can still be controlled as a puppet!" Jiang Fan finally understood why the Dark Asura Clan had issued an Asura Emperor-level bounty for her. This woman had actually stolen the realm artifact of the Dark Asura lineage! No wonder she was able to control Empress Dongfang Canyue's remains. With the realm artifact in hand, what difficulty was there in controlling an Asura Emperor's remains?
23042 · 0 · 54
26524 · 0 · 80
