Chapter 521: The Black Emperor Emerges

Purple Mountain, underground.

In the narrow space, the surroundings were walls of purple rock, their texture hard; ordinary magic treasures could hardly break through their defense.

"Boundless Daoist, what grade of magic treasure is this golden shovel of yours? It's actually able to dig the earth beneath Purple Mountain into a tunnel," Xu Que asked.

"Ahem, if this Daoist tells you it's an Emperor Weapon, would you believe it?"

Duan De said while digging the tunnel.

"I believe, I believe," Xu Que nodded repeatedly.

"Fatty Duan, seeing you dig is exhausting, I can't bear to watch, let me dig for you," Ye Hei said.

Duan De, however, gripped the golden shovel tightly and said:

"Kid Ye, don't think this Daoist doesn't know what you're plotting? Digging the tunnel is a pretense, wanting to swindle my shovel is the truth, right?"

"How can you say that, Brother Duan De, we are brothers after all," Ye Fan said.

Xu Que took all of this in; as expected of Ye Hei, his ability to lie through his teeth was truly masterful.

It was no wonder he had a company go public and drove a Mercedes by the age of thirty.

"Calling me brother is useless. Other magic treasures this Daoist might give you, but this golden shovel is an Emperor Weapon!! Without it, how will this Daoist eat in the future?" Duan De said.

"Keep bragging, as if it really is an Emperor Weapon," Ye Fan changed his tone.

"High-grade imitation, not real, but it's a quasi-one, is that not good enough? In the entire Beidou, how many Emperor Weapons are there?" Duan De said casually.

"As expected of the Daoist. Daoist, let me dig for you, seeing you covered in sweat, that two-hundred-catty weight must be exhausting," Xu Que flattered.

Duan De glanced at Xu Que and said: "You kid aren't a good bird either. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. Staying with little Ye, I fear you aren't a decent person."

"Damn, you fatty Duan, how dare you talk about your Grandpa Xu like that," Xu Que retorted.

"Forget it, stop talking. Just let him dig. Once he finishes digging, he'll be exhausted and won't have the strength to snatch the treasure, then the treasure will be ours," Ye Hei said seriously.

"Old Ye, that makes sense," Xu Que nodded.

Duan De's expression changed; Ye Hei's words were truly malicious.

It was indeed very strenuous to dig a tunnel under Purple Mountain; if he succeeded, he would be nearly out of energy himself.

By then, if Ye Fan's shamelessness was anything to go by, he might really take all the treasures, wouldn't he be working for them for nothing? That would be a huge loss.

But if the golden shovel in his hand fell into Ye Fan and the others' hands, could he ever get it back?

"No, no. One must have morals and integrity. We agreed to split it equally, you can't do this," Duan De said hurriedly.

"Split equally, definitely split equally. Integrity, I, Xu Que, value integrity the most," Xu Que said.

Ye Fan was the same, but the more Duan De saw this, the less at ease he felt, so he said:

"It's not that you can't take this Daoist's shovel, but you must swear to the heavens. It must be the most ruthless oath; you absolutely cannot covet it or double-cross me."

"I have no problem with that," Xu Que said.

"Heaven above, I, Exploding Heavens Faction leader Xu Ergou, swear to the heavens: if I covet the Daoist's golden shovel, may I be struck by five thunders, hit by a car while walking, bitten by a dog, and may Ye Hei never find a girlfriend," Xu Que swore.

"..." Ye Fan.

"Heaven above, I, Ye Hei, swear to you: if I covet Fatty Duan's golden shovel, may divine thunder strike, may I step in dog shit while walking, be bitten by a dog, and on top of that, lose Xu Ergou's happiness for the rest of his life," Ye Fan followed suit and swore.

After hearing this, Duan De felt the oath was indeed ruthless enough, and only then did he feel at ease handing the golden shovel to Xu Que.

Subsequently, the three took turns digging the tunnel, drawing ever closer to the core area of the Purple Mountain Forbidden Area.

"Brother, I feel a bit stifled."

Xiao Nannan, who had been sleeping, spoke up, her little head drooping, her aura appearing weak.

Hearing this, Ye Fan showed a worried expression and said:

"Fatty Duan, how about we dig up first to change the air, and we can rest for a while too."

"No problem, we are already inside Purple Mountain, this Daoist will see where we can use as a foothold," Duan De said.

"Xu Ergou, dig three feet to your front-left and twenty meters upward, then nine meters to the right, then sixteen meters upward again. That should be a safe area; it won't trigger the Imperial Pattern and set off the Great Emperor Killing Array."

Duan De directed Xu Que; it just so happened to be Xu Que's turn to dig the tunnel.

"Okok!" Xu Que responded repeatedly.

"This golden shovel is indeed a divine artifact; there seems to be a very powerful force inside it. Even with my Golden Core cultivation, I can't shake it.

If I have this treasure, I'd dare to hammer even the old monsters of the Nascent Soul Stage.

I must think of a foolproof plan to take Fatty Duan's treasure."

What Xu Que was thinking about now was how to hollow out Duan De.

After all, what did the oath Xu Ergou made have to do with him, Xu Que?

Besides, they weren't even from the same world, not under the same heaven.

And Duan De's worry was not without reason; none of them were purely kind-hearted, and they all wanted to swindle each other—that was where the fun lay.

Half a quarter of an hour later, the ground of a cave inside Purple Mountain suddenly broke open. Xu Que, Ye Hei, and Duan De climbed out together. At a glance, it was gray and gloomy, filled with a decaying aura.

"As expected of Purple Mountain, it really is eerie. This Daoist feels his Primordial Spirit tingling," Duan De said, patting the dust off his body.

"Eh, this seems to be the entrance to a cave dwelling."

Ye Fan discovered a passageway to his left, close at hand, and was about to go in to take a look.

Duan De immediately pulled Ye Fan back and said seriously:

"Do you want to die? This is Purple Mountain; one wrong step and you'll be doomed forever. And this passageway looks like it has no traps on the surface, but there might be hidden mysteries. Let this Daoist calculate the fortune and misfortune."

Ye Fan was awestruck; he had been careless.

"But Nannan has already walked to the entrance of the passageway and is fine," Xu Que said.

Hearing this, Ye Fan then realized Xiao Nannan was not on his back, but on the side of the passageway entrance.

And she was jumping back and forth, completely fine.

"??" Duan De.

"Big brother, it's so dark here," Xiao Nannan said.

"Nannan, don't run around," Ye Fan said hurriedly.

"Strange, how strange. This poor Taoist clearly sensed that Imperial Patterns were laid out there; why is it that when Xiao Nannan is inside the Imperial Patterns, they aren't triggered?" Duan De was completely baffled.

"Is there a possibility that it's just in disrepair from age?" Xu Que said.

"This is a Nine Dragons Guarding a Pearl heaven and earth feng shui formation; even after another ten thousand years, it would be impossible for it to break," Duan De said irritably.

"Let's follow Xiao Nannan. This little girl has Great Luck and deep karmic fortune; she might just be our lucky star," Duan De said.

Originally, he had wanted to dig a tunnel, but at this moment, Duan De changed his mind.

Thus, following Xiao Nannan, the group successfully entered the secret chamber on the other side of the passage.

The secret chamber was not large, about seven or eight square meters, and was covered in dust.

Xu Que stepped on something, and upon closer inspection, it was an indescribable object, yet it was filled with spiritual energy.

He picked it up and examined it carefully but couldn't make anything of it, saying:

"Could it be a spirit stone?"

"How does it look like anything other than a lump of hardened poop to me?" Ye Fan said.

At this moment, Xiao Nannan discovered a large, strange stone in the corner of the secret chamber.

Inside the stone, a mangy, large black dog suddenly opened its eyes.

Happy Little New Year, fellow readers.