Chapter 39

I have some.

You actually have such a divine object?!

Duan De raised his head and glanced, seeing Yang Zhu hand over a scoop of divine nether soil; he was instantly shocked, his eyes wide open.

These were obtained by Yang Zhu last time from the Demon Saint Yin Tomb; I didn't expect they'd come in handy just now.

Hehe, this time it's at least ten out of ten sure!

Overjoyed, Duan De became even more meticulous about the unknown formation lines after carefully finishing; the yin wind is extremely perilous, one misstep could get him killed here.

The Great Emperor's Dao Field is unlike any other; even someone as profoundly accomplished as Duan De cannot afford the slightest carelessness.

When the final step was completed, Duan De was already drenched in sweat from exhaustion.

Setting up the formation lines consumes not only many materials but also greatly drains the soul; it's not something that can be easily accomplished.

Are you confident?

At least about eighty percent, Interconnected Dao Master.

Yang Zhu nodded, saying nothing; even if an accident occurred, he had means of self-preservation, getting them out safely is no problem.

Go on!

Duan De held the Eight Trigrams Mirror, struck it with a palm, the formation lines instantly activated, a mighty power emanated, enveloping them.

Yang Zhu's vision blurred; when it cleared, he and Duan De had arrived at the bottom of the deep pit.

Hahaha, truly worthy of being a Dao Master!

Seeing the scene below, Duan De couldn't help but laugh triumphantly.

They arrived at a vast underground space, very open, at least several hundred meters wide and tens of meters high.

There wasn't much here, only a massive Dao Field standing at the very center.

Yang Zhu and company had taken just a few steps when they saw a skeleton seated on the ground; no one knows how many ages have passed, its belongings long weathered away, leaving only a frame of bones.

Even so, the dry bones remained crystal clear and translucent, smooth as jade, untouched by wear despite countless ages.

A saint's skeleton!

Duan De exclaimed, feeling a lingering trace of saintly might from the bones; one can imagine how formidable their cultivation had been.

This is a good thing...

Duan Beamed, his grin stretching to his ears, for he knew a saint's body is treasure; even the bones are immensely useful, an excellent material for crafting divine artifacts.

Finding a saint's skeleton here, you're still this happy?

Yang Zhu shook his head helplessly and continued forward.

Of course, this is a saint...

Duan De instinctively retorted, but his smile froze in the next instant as he realized.

This skeleton is clearly not the owner of this place; meaning someone entered later and got trapped here to die! Thinking of this, Duan De felt a chill down his spine and cursed: 'Damn, even a saint fell here?'

Since we're already here, we can't let this treasure go.

Duan De tried to collect the skeleton, but the moment he touched it, it turned to blowing ash, puffing away with the wind.

Damn it! Not even leaving the bones for the Dao Master! Truly damned...

Now the scoundrel Daoist is vexed, swearing nonstop.

The two continued toward the central Dao Field, along the way seeing many more skeletons, without exception their flesh undecayed, at the very least they were mighty figures.

Duan De refused to give up, examining each one, but most turned to ash upon fingertip contact, vanishing between heaven and earth.

Haha, finally we have a gain! Fortunately, the effort wasn't wasted; this guy actually found a relatively recent skeleton, which, though many parts scattered upon touch, left two intact leg bones beneath.

Yang Zhu didn't care about those; he just wanted to examine this Dao Field up close, the things left by the Ruthless Great Emperor must certainly be extraordinary.

The Dao Field is circular, a dozen or so meters wide, lacking the luster of jade or the miraculous effects of divine materials, appearing as ordinary stone construction.

Around the edge of the Dao Field, four stone pillars stand evenly, each under two meters tall, their carved patterns pitifully few—just some utterly ordinary scenery of fish and insects.

No matter how you look at it, the Dao Field lacks any grandeur; it's more fitting to call it a stone platform.

No matter how you look, you can't link it to the Great Emperor's Dao Field! 'Strange, could the Dao Master have slipped up?'

Duan De was also surprised; after carefully inspecting the Dao Field, he still found nothing.

Yang Zhu circled the Dao Field observing; suddenly his foot struck something, he looked down and discovered it was a piece of bronze.

The bronze piece was palm-sized, square and intact, without any damage.

"What is this?"

When Yang Zhu picked it up, his soul shuddered for a moment, as if something had trembled.

The bronze piece bore no writing or pattern, only mottled rust, looking utterly ordinary.

Yang Zhu tried to probe the bronze piece with his soul to see if it hid any secret, but the instant his soul touched it, countless profound truths imprinted themselves in his mind.

"Nine Secrets!"

Yang Zhu froze, realizing this was actually one of the Nine Secrets, the Former Word Secret! The Former Word Secret was created by the Heavenly Venerable of Extinction; it cultivates the primordial spirit, and when mastered to the utmost allows one to predict the future. Few have ever grasped this secret, making it a relatively rare existence among the Nine Secrets.

"I never expected to find it here today!"

Soon, Yang Zhu was wholly drawn in by the Former Word Secret's content, began trying to comprehend and master it, and gradually entered a special state.

"What have you found…"

Duan De, who had been carefully examining the Dao field, called out; seeing no answer, he turned to look, and only then discovered that Yang Zhu was already sitting cross-legged on the spot, divine light continually bursting from his brow.

"What's going on? Could he have gained some opportunity?"

Seeing this, Duan De went inside to check; after finding nothing amiss, he began to wonder about the cause.

He also saw the bronze piece, carefully picked it up, and examined it in his hand.

"You've sensed its content? But this is just a broken bronze piece; there's nothing at all."

No matter how he examined it, he found no clue, as if it had instantly become an ordinary bronze piece.

I didn't expect you to be really lucky; forget it, Daoist Sir is going to look elsewhere.

Helpless, Duan De placed the copper piece back where it was, then continued to loiter around the Dao Field; wherever there might be treasure, he visited them all.

At this moment, Yang Zhu's mind was tranquil and ethereal, silently comprehending the profound content of the Preceding Character Secret; his soul and spirit gradually gained divine splendor in this process.

Yang Zhu truly lives up to being an Imperial Son; his talent is extraordinary, and in just an hour he mastered the Preceding Character Secret entirely! From then on, he already possessed four of the Nine Secrets! Now, Yang Zhu cannot be harmed by anyone below the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm, not even an Imperial Son.

After mastering the Preceding Character Secret, his soul and spirit again underwent a qualitative increase; combined with the One Qi Transforms into Three Purities technique, he can absolutely unleash earth-shattering power.

"I didn't expect to obtain the Nine Secrets here."

Yang Zhu can probably count on it; this is definitely the Ruthless Person's Dao Field, and while comprehending the copper piece, the 'One Thought Flower Opening' seemed to be triggered a bit.

That is one of the Ruthless Person's forbidden techniques; even though the Nine Secrets are rare, it is difficult to provoke a reaction.

Then there is only one possibility: the copper piece was once stained with the Ruthless Person's aura!

(End of Chapter)