Chapter 575: Departure

Yan Buji walks deeper into the depths, cautiously exploring the surroundings.

"No, no, should I be leaving?"

The surrounding silence is terrifying; based on Yan Buji's experience, a place so rich in resources cannot be unoccupied, nor can it lack a powerful nether beast holding sway.

How could I just keep walking?

Take profit now or go for another greedy grab?

Yan Buji's eyes flick, looking ahead.

"There, the core where yin‑ming qi converges—either an incredible treasure lies there, or it's the domain of a powerful nether beast."

Yan Buji grits his teeth: "Greed—it's been a hard‑won trip, and I may never come back. After this greedy grab, I'll head straight back to the Five Domains!"

What Huang Tian Soul?

I have no idea!

Who says you must keep a promise you made to someone?

If I can get out of the Nether Realm this time, it'll be a huge profit!

Yan Buji enters the core area and discovers an ancient, desolate mountain cave.

The moment he steps in, Yan Buji's body goes rigid, unable to move!

A terrifying aura constantly seeps from the cave, pinning Yan Buji to the spot, immobile.

Ji!

The Fate‑Defying Candle Night quickly pecks at Yan Buji's neck, apparently releasing some toxin, which finally restores Yan Buji's mobility.

"Sss! It hurts! What kind of poison is this?"

Ji ji!

Yan Buji sweats from the whole-body pain, feeling a ripping agony all over, but precisely because of that he regains movement.

"Is that so? A lethal toxin that can awaken human potential?" Yan Buji's face darkens.

Ji ji ji!

"If you can neutralize it, that's great."

Yan Buji doesn't like this kind of suffering, but sensing the terrifying aura from the cave, he subconsciously assumes a fearsome nether beast dwells here—so why didn't it strike him just now?

He waits a while, but nothing happens.

Hm?

Yan Buji looks oddly, walks to the cave entrance and observes up close for a while.

"Is there nothing?" Yan Buji is quite puzzled; the terrifying aura from the cave can't be fake, so why....

"Could it be that it's not home?" Yan Buji suddenly realizes.

It must be so.

Who would allow a thief to run into their house?

Unless the master is not home.

Yan Buji thinks his speculation is likely correct; otherwise a single aura could have frozen him on the spot—clearly, if the owner were truly home, they'd have killed him instantly.

Perhaps even reaching the cave entrance would be impossible; he'd have been killed outside.

Yan Buji steels his courage and steps into the cave, finding no array or seal guarding it, and the cave remains in its primitive state, clearly not a cultivator's hermitage.

The more like that, the bolder Yan Buji becomes.

If it were a great cultivator's hidden retreat, Yan Buji would probably have to kowtow three times and confess before leaving, even if the owner were absent.

But since it's a nether beast's territory, that's unnecessary.

"It should be my destiny, indeed the bold starve themselves, the timid starve to death!"

Yan Buji squints and walks deeper into the cave.

The cave is vast, as if a colossal creature hundreds of meters tall lives within; Yan Buji sees no Spiritual Material or Celestial Material, but notices some scattered scales nearby.

"This is....."

Picking up the ancient, weathered scales, Yan Buji initially thought a certain drake lived here, but on closer inspection the scales aren't dragon or drake scales, rather...

"Quite a peculiar scale, high quality, at least Fivefold Transformation."

Because these scales are so ancient, they likely fell off that nether beast long ago.

Yan Buji searches around for a while and finds just over a hundred pieces.

Not many, but perfect for refining a Shura Armor.

Continuing deeper, Yan Buji soon sees the interior's layout.

There's nothing, only a yellowed Stone Tablet placed on an altar.

Yan Buji, puzzled, walks over, carefully scans the surroundings, finds no sealing array, picks up the tablet to examine.

Hm?

"Is this a Six Paths Reincarnation Disk?"

Yan Buji, shocked, looks at the tablet which seems to depict a Six Paths Reincarnation Disk, and flipping to the back discovers a forging method?!

"A forged Six Paths Reincarnation Disk? Is this tablet also the nether beast's collection?"

No, such an important item wouldn't just be left here.

Yan Buji senses something off, his eyes flick.

"Go! This thing might be something I can forge; the nether beast may return!"

Yan Buji darts out of the cave, triggering the Heaven Gate Law to vanish on the spot.

After a long while.

The severely wounded Nether God Emperor and that person appear before the cave; the Nether God Emperor, furious, says: "Damn Outer God, you actually used foreign power!"

"Nonsense, I can only use external power!"

The Nether God Emperor said angrily, "If it weren't because I don't understand the power of the outside world, I wouldn't have lost!"

"Stop the nonsense." The man waved his hand, "I'll take the Soul of the Later Earth."

"Hmph!"

The Nether God Emperor spat out a golden radiant bead, which flew into the man's hand.

The man smiled, "Alright, the matter is settled. Whatever you do afterward I don't care; just don't come disturb us."

"You!"

"You should first look at your own home; your house was stolen and you're still brooding here?" The man gave a faint smile and turned to disappear.

The Nether God Emperor was stunned for a moment, then carefully sensed the surroundings:

"Damn thief! Who, who the hell dares to run here and steal things from me?!"

The Nether God Emperor let out a startled cry and rushed into the cave to take a closer look.

"Damn it!" Staring at the altar where the Stone Tablet had been, the Nether God Emperor's face darkened, and he immediately sighed:

"Fine, the Soul of the Later Earth is gone; recreating the Reincarnation Wheel is impossible."

Just then, the Nether God Emperor realized that the scales he had shed tens of thousands of years ago were all taken by that thief, which made his teeth itch with anger.

"That thief is truly audacious!"

Thinking that, the Nether God Emperor walked out of the cave and glanced around nearby.

He then saw that the nearby Celestial Material had been completely swept away, but he showed little reaction, only a hint of puzzlement.

"How did that thief come from this direction?"

The Reincarnation Tree Sea is its domain, so it naturally knows every corner of the Reincarnation Tree Sea; discovering that the thief's path came from the east, it was also quite puzzled.

For a thief to come from the east and get so close to its cave dwelling, logically the thief couldn't have been lurking here continuously, unless it was half‑asleep and completely oblivious to the outside world.

Thinking this, the Nether God Emperor advanced, suddenly spotting a group of people bursting from an ancient tree, followed by a formidable figure wielding a beam of light.

"You? Chang Wu!" The Nether God Emperor widened his eyes; seeing the light in Chang Wu's hand, he instantly realized something.

"Ah! Detestable thief, detestable Martial Cultivation! To hide the Huang Tian Soul in my domain?!!!"

Seeing the Nether God Emperor go mad, Chang Wu was stunned for a moment, then laughed, "Looks like that one has already taken the Soul of the Later Earth."

"Give me back the Huang Tian Soul!"

"No way! Nether God Emperor, you want to fight me?!"

"Return the Huang Tian Soul to me!"

At this moment the Nether God Emperor was utterly insane, apparently having never realized that the Huang Tian Soul he coveted was right under his nose; had he discovered it earlier and gathered the Huang Tian and the Soul of the Later Earth, he would have broken through long ago!

Now it's ruined: the Soul of the Later Earth was stolen, and seeing the Huang Tian Soul taken right under his eyes makes him a complete failure, a total waste!

Originally, the Nether God Emperor knew he couldn't defeat the outer gods and also knew he couldn't retain the Soul of the Later Earth, so he handed it over.

But now, seeing the Huang Tian Soul within the Reincarnation Tree Sea, still so close to his cave dwelling yet unnoticed, has driven him insane and made him exceedingly angry.

The great battle erupted instantly, while a few Martial Cultivation practitioners beside them gritted their teeth.

"What do we do?"

"Wait!" Hong Chengtao gritted his teeth, covering his wound, "If they start fighting, there might be a chance to take the Huang Tian Soul!"

Ye Zhilong's face twitched.

Those are two Great Vehicle Stage great adepts!

"Are you mentally ill, unable to see the situation, preparing"