Dust swirled, leaving the entire arena in disarray!
Above the void, Ba Yue stood tall, surveying the devastated scene. "It seems... I may have misjudged my strength a bit."
"As expected of someone who has endured the two nine-thunder tribulations!"
Ye Xuan licked his lips, watching as Ba Yue utterly dominated the two peak-ultimate experts of the Flaming Sun Ninth Heaven. He mused that even his current strength might not match this level.
"Pfft... cough, cough~~"
As the dust settled, two bloodied figures were revealed. These were Scorpion Old Eighth and the Scarlet-Eyed Heavenly Kirin clan expert. At this moment, their combat power was all but depleted, and even a Flaming Sun First Heaven realm cultivator could likely finish them off.
"You!"
"Impossible~~"
The Scarlet-Eyed Heavenly Kirin's eyes bled as he stared intently at the figure in the void, who resembled a war god. "Who exactly are you!?"
"You clearly only possess peak-ultimate strength at the Flaming Sun Seventh Heaven, yet your combat power far surpasses that of peak-ultimate experts at the Flaming Sun Ninth Heaven!!"
"Heh heh, my identity is not something you are worthy of knowing."
As his voice faded, Ba Yue once again clenched his right fist in the void and then retracted it. An incredibly terrifying pressure instantly suffocated the two, their pupils dilating as they seemed to realize something.
"No~"
"Bastard, even as a ghost, I won't let you go!!"
*Puff*
*Puff*
Two sounds echoed in the arena. The next moment, two clouds of blood mist erupted, and the figures of Scorpion Old Eighth and the other were no more. Ba Yue's single strike had directly crushed them.
Yes!
You read that right. Two peak-ultimate experts of the Flaming Sun Ninth Heaven were literally crushed into oblivion.
"Tsk tsk, the Chaos Heavenly Demon Physique, it's simply... a divine artifact for cross-realm combat!!"
"Too strong!!!"
Even Ba Yue was startled by his own combat prowess. Damn it, he never expected his power to be so much greater than he had imagined.
"Trying to escape~"
Just then, two wisps of soul essence transformed into streaks of light, attempting to flee using遁法 (Dùn fǎ - escape technique). "Still too naive."
With a flick of his wrist, Ba Yue formed a hand seal. A bizarre energy giant hand then materialized, imprisoning the two souls. "I shall see then, who exactly are you?"
"【Soul Searching Technique · Activate】!"
Indeed, Ba Yue was employing the extremely vicious 搜魂术 (Sōu hún shù - soul searching technique). The damage inflicted on the soul of the victim was irreversible; it could range from minor injury to complete annihilation of the soul.
"Ah~~~"
Two piercing screams echoed, followed by Ba Yue's brutal and domineering soul-searching.
A quarter of an hour later!
Scorpion Old Eighth's and the other's soul essence was crushed in Ba Yue's hand. They had vanished from the world entirely, beyond any possibility of salvation, even by a Da Luo Golden Immortal.
However...
Ba Yue's face held no hint of a smile, only grave seriousness.
"Senior, may I ask... what information did you obtain?"
Clearly, the unease on Ba Yue's face suggested much.
"Myriad Beast Palace."
Ba Yue murmured, then his gaze swept towards a certain direction. "I never expected that the Myriad Beast Holy Land was hidden so deeply, and was merely... a facade for the Myriad Beast Palace."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Ye Xuan became even more suspicious. Ba Yue, having regained some composure, continued, "Alliance Leader, we might be in big trouble."
"This Myriad Beast Holy Land is no simple matter. It is merely an outer branch of the Myriad Beast Palace, and with countless branches like the Myriad Beast Holy Land, the Myriad Beast Palace is spread across the entire Endless Territory. And the Myriad Beast Palace is outrageously powerful..."
"However, those two were merely low-level powerhouses. They only knew a portion of the Myriad Beast Palace's information, but even so..."
"The supreme expert they knew of, the one who ambushed me a million years ago, Que Wudi, is one of the Ten Heavenly Venerates of the Myriad Beast Palace. Ten thousand years ago, he had already reached the peak of the Divine Tribulation realm, and he endured the four-nine thunder tribulation!!"
"Peak Divine Tribulation? Is that... a realm beyond passing the Divine Tribulation?"
Hearing Ba Yue's words, Ye Xuan gasped. As expected, that Que Wudi was still alive, and his current strength was beyond anyone's imagination.
Of course!
Most crucially, the Myriad Beast Palace possessed numerous Heavenly Venerate experts and guardians, its power unimaginable.
A million years of planning. If not for this 【Soul Searching Technique】, they might never have known of the Myriad Beast Palace's existence!
Just then, a telepathic message appeared in Ye Xuan's mind.
"Hmm?"
Upon hearing the content of the transmission, Ye Xuan blinked in surprise. "The Glazed Holy Land is bathed in magnificent radiance, and the Corpse Burial Secret Realm is opening?"
"Corpse Burial Secret Realm!"
Upon hearing this, Ba Yue furrowed his brows. "If I calculate the time, it is indeed time for it to open."
"Oh?"
Ba Yue's reaction piqued Ye Xuan's interest in the Corpse Burial Secret Realm. "Senior, you know of the Corpse Burial Secret Realm."
"Of course."
Ba Yue listened, his gaze drifting towards a certain direction, which was precisely the direction of the Corpse Burial Mountain Range. "Over a million years ago, the Corpse Burial Mountain Range was a renowned existence throughout the Endless Territory."
"Legend has it that this Corpse Burial Mountain Range was a battlefield for countless Divine Tribulation realm experts. It opens once every ten thousand years, and the secret realm is fraught with danger, containing resources from Divine Tribulation realm experts. It is a place where risk and opportunity coexist..." Ba Yue spoke with familiarity, his thoughts drifting back to over a million years ago, recounting the untold secrets of the Corpse Burial Secret Realm.
"Opens once every ten thousand years, quite interesting!"
Listening to Ba Yue, a flicker of interest ignited in Ye Xuan's eyes. "Such a fortuitous encounter, wouldn't it be a shame not to seek it out."
...
Myriad Beast Palace, Headquarters.
*Swish*
At a certain moment, a figure appeared within the grand hall. The speed was astonishing, and the power immense, instantly filling every corner of the hall with an oppressive aura.
"Greetings, Invincible Heavenly Venerate!!"
Indeed, the figure who appeared was none other than Que Wudi, one of the Ten Heavenly Venerates of the Myriad Beast Palace, and Ba Yue's greatest enemy!
"Rise~"
A voice like a divine decree resounded. "Thank you, Invincible Heavenly Venerate!!"
As one of the Ten Heavenly Venerates of the Myriad Beast Palace, Que Wudi held a transcendent status and was the highest-ranking commander who appeared openly. As for the Palace Lord and the few Heavenly Venerates above him, they had not shown themselves for hundreds of thousands of years.
"This aura... Congratulations to the Tenth Heavenly Venerate for reaching the peak-ultimate of the Divine Tribulation realm!"
One of the Divine Tribulation realm Heavenly Venerates exclaimed, his eyes wide with awe as he respectfully offered congratulations, his gaze burning with undisguised fervor.
What!
Peak-ultimate Divine Tribulation, Lord Invincible Heavenly Venerate has broken through again!?
"Congratulations to the Tenth Heavenly Venerate!"
In an instant, within the hall, whether guardians or Heavenly Venerates, all were utterly astonished.
Que Wudi's lips curved into a smile. "I have heard that the Corpse Burial Secret Realm is opening. I wonder if any of you would be willing to venture there to seek opportunities."
"Invincible Heavenly Venerate, your subordinate is willing to go!"
At this moment, a trusted subordinate of Que Wudi, whose strength had already reached the Divine Tribulation realm for tens of thousands of years and would soon reach its peak, stepped forward.
"Oh?"
"Since Heavenly Venerate Wan Gu wishes to go, then take a few guardians with you."
Upon seeing his confidant, Tu Wan Gu, Que Wudi spoke indifferently, giving no opportunity to the other Heavenly Venerates. It was clear that he was showing favoritism. However, Que Wudi was unaware that Tu Wan Gu's trip to the Corpse Burial Secret Realm would almost lead to his demise, though that is a story for another time.