Sword Sovereign of the Celestial Emperor

"Hahaha, there really is a Profound Void Crystal at the head of the statue!"

An elder with graying hair held a Profound Void Crystal in his hand, his face ecstatic. The value of a single Profound Void Crystal far exceeded his entire wealth; this trip to the Dark Tomb was not in vain.

On the scene, many martial artists were as frenzied as the elder. Chu Ming shook his head. Right now, their vision was blinded by greed, and those capable of obtaining a Profound Void Crystal like the elder were but few.

The majority of Guiyuan Realm Fifth Layer experts were no match for these statues. Though their combat power was comparable, the statues felt no pain, feared no death, and possessed an unyielding life force.

Only the likes of Hanakage Hiromi, Hu Kui the Black Armor King, and three Black Armor Guards posed any real threat to the statues.

Hu Kui the Black Armor King wielded a Long Saber in his right hand, resembling a wild beast unleashed from its cage. The saber light was incredibly fierce, illuminating an area. It took only three slashes to shatter a statue.

In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, out of the more than one hundred Guiyuan Realm experts who entered, only about thirty remained. Most of them were injured to varying degrees, and the ground was covered with piles of rubble, vaguely resembling their original human forms.

Sigh!

The surviving martial artists breathed a sigh of relief. Bloodstains were everywhere, corpses scattered across the ground.

"Quick, look! The blood on the ground is rapidly disappearing!"

A shocked voice called out. Everyone hurriedly looked down to find the blood on the ground seeping below. In an instant, half of the blood had vanished, adding to the eerie atmosphere. Everyone felt a chill in their hearts.

"The Dark Zenith was no benevolent figure when he was alive. The perils inside the Ksitigarbha Gate are certainly more than this."

An elder in a gray robe hesitated. He had already obtained a Profound Void Crystal and felt he had a good chance to breakthrough to the Guiyuan Realm Sixth Layer if he exchanged resources outside. There was no need to risk his life here.

Swoosh!

With that thought, the gray-robed elder swiftly returned the way he came, turning into a phantom and disappearing before everyone's eyes.

Several other Guiyuan Realm experts, sharing the same thoughts, also rose to leave shortly after the gray-robed elder started.

However, no more than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, those who left returned, their faces indicating unfavorable experiences.

"The Ksitigarbha Gate has inexplicably closed. We can only move forward now."

The gray-robed elder spoke slowly, his face heavy.

Chu Ming had anticipated this outcome. They could not exit, and those outside couldn't enter; they had no choice but to proceed.

Swoosh!

Chu Ming chose a direction and departed swiftly. With Hanakage Hiromi, Ghost Kill, and Hu Kui among the main group, any treasures that appeared would be quickly seized by the trio. Moreover, Chu Ming had numerous secrets he couldn't afford to be revealed.

After Chu Ming, several martial artists left the main group, their thoughts mirroring Chu Ming's.

"Let's go!"

Ghost Kill said sternly. He had obtained over a dozen Profound Void Crystals from the statues, a staggering harvest.

.....

Chu Ming crossed three or four palaces after leaving the main group, but they were all empty.

"Could I have chosen the wrong direction?"

Chu Ming silently wondered.

Beneath the Ksitigarbha Gate, red veins connected to the ground like a giant network, with red liquid wriggling within.

At the other end of the red veins was a blood mass as tall as a person, muddled with flesh, resembling a beating heart. Whenever a bit of the red liquid flowed in, a red glow flashed across the blood mass, and its pulse grew stronger.

"Kill, more intensely! Just a little more!"

From the blood mass, a blood-red figure emerged, its features indistinguishable, but an aura of evil constantly swirled around it.

"I have waited five hundred years; my Black Blood is finally about to see the light of day!"

A muttering voice sounded in the underground, unnoticed by Chu Ming and the others within the Ksitigarbha Gate.

Swoosh!

Finally, after half an hour, Chu Ming arrived before two stone gates, tightly shut with no gaps. But Chu Ming's Soul Power sensed powerful spiritual energy waves from within, indicating treasures hidden behind the stone gates.

"Leave immediately, or face my wrath!"

A commanding voice rang from behind Chu Ming. He turned to see the gray-robed elder who had led the departure now before him, his face withered, his body radiating strong spiritual power, clearly a Guiyuan Realm Fifth Layer cultivation.

Swoosh!

Chu Ming said nothing, gripping the sword hilt, unleashing a radiant sword light, sharp and intense.

Slash!

Immortal Sword Intent, unleashed!

Void Sword Intent, unleashed!

The sword light sped towards the gray-robed elder, who angrily retaliated, producing a giant palm of red light from his burning right hand to meet the sword light.

Rip!

At the instant of contact, the red giant palm was split in half, the red light dissipating; the elder's strength was far inferior to Blood Asura Sect Master Zong Ze.

Slash!

The sword reversed, the light flying, a warm splash of blood instantly landing on Chu Ming's hand. The gray-robed elder retreated hurriedly, a blood mark appeared on his chest. Had he been a step slower, he would have met his demise.

"You'll pay for this!"

Fearing Chu Ming would strike again, the elder left quickly after uttering a threat.

After the elder left, Chu Ming approached the two stone gates.

Clang!

The Conjugate Sword was an Earth Level Middle Tier sword, yet it only left faint white marks on the stone gates. Chu Ming infused his spiritual power, sharpening the sword aura, causing the blade to deeply penetrate upon contact.

Sparks flew and scattered like a fiery rain. With the Conjugate Sword, Chu Ming carved a human-sized gap in the stone gates.

Rumble!

The gap shattered, stones flying. Chu Ming stepped into the stone chamber, his face momentarily moved. Behind the stone gates, the entire area was covered with Spirit Stones, tens of thousands in number, yet that wasn't the part that astonished Chu Ming the most.

What truly amazed Chu Ming was that all these Spirit Stones were Upper Grade Spirit Stones, containing spiritual power a hundred times more concentrated than Middle Grade Spirit Stones.

Swish!

With a flick of his sleeve, Chu Ming collected all the Upper Grade Spirit Stones into his Storage Ring. Upper Grade Spirit Stones could only be used for cultivation by Guiyuan Realm experts. Though his combat power rivaled that of the Guiyuan Realm, his meridians were not yet sufficiently resilient.