Shrouded Sky

As night fell, yin energy surged into the heavens. Dark clouds pressed down like ink, crows cried mournfully, and the world was steeped in a terrifying and desolate atmosphere.

Thousands of Yin Soldiers and Yin Horses charged forth, men shouting, horses screaming, iron armor gleaming, murderous intent rising skyward like a flood. The very earth trembled and roared.

The scene was overwhelming. Countless savage beasts galloped, dark and dense as a tide across the horizon, forming an iron flood that crushed everything in its path. Whatever stood before them was shattered to dust beneath their weapons.

The yin wind howled. Ancient trees were uprooted and smashed apart in mid-air, sending splinters and leaves whirling chaotically.

The murderous aura swept over everything. Trees, vines, even massive boulders dozens of meters long were shattered instantly as though nothing could withstand the charge of the Yin Soldiers and Yin Horses.

“Buried deep below must lie a divine treasure, an unparalleled secret hidden away!”

Many cultivators could not restrain themselves. Hearts aflame, they surged forward.

By now it needed no explanation. Everyone knew that beneath this land lay a great mystery. Even if it was not the Nine Secrets, it was certainly extraordinary.

In mere moments, thousands of Yin Riders had already surged out. Such a massive force was rarely seen. It was hard to imagine what lay beneath to give rise to this.

Under the night sky, magical light erupted as countless cultivators unleashed their treasures against the black tide of Yin Soldiers.

Crack!

“Ah!”

A shocking scene unfolded. The dozens of cultivators at the forefront saw their treasures shatter, their bodies split apart. In the first clash, they perished miserably.

Blood sprayed, heads fell, and when thousands of Yin Riders thundered past, the corpses were trampled into pulp. Nothing could halt their advance.

The Yin Soldiers were too strong. Their Yin Horses terrifying. Weapons flashing cold, cultivators could not stand against them.

With a deafening roar, thousands of Yin Soldiers bellowed together. Black yin energy surged like a tidal wave, blotting out the land until the clouds nearly pressed upon the ground.

All retreated in fear. Such a horde was beyond imagining. To fight one alone meant certain death.

Another roar shook the heavens. Thousands of Yin Riders shouted together. The aura of death surged skyward, and some cultivators were shaken from the air. Their fate was tragic, trampled into blood and mud.

Boom… boom… boom…

From deep within the ancient necropolis came the sound of war drums, low, mournful, echoing dread.

At once, the Yin Soldiers and Yin Horses on the ground leapt into the sky, galloping upon the void, charging upward with their iron weapons raised, slaughter intent boundless.

Everyone was stunned. These Yin Soldiers were far stronger than imagined, they could all fly! They were a terrifying force of battle.

They moved swiftly, like a black tide surging in from every direction.

In the heavens above, where most cultivators were gathered, not all could evade in time. Many were forced into combat.

Clang! Clash!

The black mist rolled, iron armor gleamed, and weapons collided in a battle of life and death. The Yin Soldiers’ strength was overwhelming. Hundreds of cultivators were surrounded and could not hold.

Weapons broke, blood spurted, and when the Yin Horde charged through, hundreds were ground into flesh and perished.

Yet, in the struggle, some Yin Soldiers were also destroyed, dissipating into black mist that faded into the air.

“Boundless Heavenly Lord…”

A voice of mercy, resounding like Daoist scripture, echoed across the sky. The simple ancient Daoist temple of blue stone appeared above the necropolis.

“Boundless Heavenly Lord…”

Those four words repeated endlessly, like an ocean tide of righteous sound shaking the heavens. The disciples of the Absolute Dao Sacred Ground had acted, employing supreme Daoist arts to suppress the vicious Yin Soldiers.

At the forefront, a young Daoist maiden’s voice sang, pure as heavenly music, melodious, soothing. Her sacred tones filled all of heaven and earth.

From the ancient temple radiated ripples of sound, waves flowing outward like water. Many grew calm.

The thousands of Yin Soldiers and Yin Horses, under her celestial voice, began to fade, retreating in fear, attempting to flee back into the necropolis.

“Boundless Heavenly Lord…” The Daoist girl’s voice rang like pearls falling on jade, clear and resonant, echoing across heaven and earth.

The Yin Soldiers could not escape. They dissolved swiftly into mist. Within moments, more than half had vanished.

The divine tones flowed like water, cleansing all directions. The army scattered like smoke. When the celestial voice ceased, not a trace of Yin Soldiers remained. Even the void itself seemed purified, peaceful under the starry sky.

Many gasped in awe. Then admiration arose, indeed, the Absolute Dao Sacred Ground’s methods were exalted and wondrous. That young Daoist maiden had purified thousands of Yin souls with nothing but immortal voice.

Duan De nodded.

“The little Daoist of Absolute Dao Sacred Ground is truly extraordinary. Ji Clan’s future God-King King, you were born at the wrong time. You should have been unrivaled in the Eastern Wilderness, yet now there are others who can rival you.”

“Wretched Daoist! Stop stirring trouble!” Ji Ziyue rolled her eyes at him.

“Daoist, should we withdraw or stay?” Ye Fan asked.

Duan De replied, “We’re poor wanderers. Against the disciples of the sacred grounds, we’re outmatched. Ordinarily we’d retreat, but the situation is different now.”

Ye Fan nodded.

“With so many sacred grounds gathered, and this necropolis so unusual, perhaps we can fish in troubled waters.”

“Exactly. No need to hurry away.” Duan De agreed.

Yao Xi, Ji Ziyue, and Ji Haoyue were speechless. These two discussed so openly, hiding nothing from them.

Of course, both harbored their own schemes. They were not truly conspiring together.

Boom… boom… boom…

From the depths below, the drums sounded again. Yin energy surged like wolf smoke, blotting out stars and moon, plunging the sky into a vast ocean of black.

Clearly, the Yin Soldiers would soon charge out again. Cultivators on the surface grew pale, the necropolis was too ominous, its Yin spirits endless.

Suddenly, purple qi flowed from the east, bathing the sky. An immortal palace, ethereal and magnificent, appeared above the necropolis. Radiance fell like rain, streaming into the tomb’s entrance.

Heavenly music resounded. The celestial palace floated above like the loftiest pavilions of the Immortal Realm, dreamlike and unreal.

The purple qi was auspicious and harmonious, the perfect counter to yin energy. The gentle purple glow dispersed the black miasma like water washing away smoke.

“The Purple Mansion has acted. Was it one person, or many disciples together?” Ye Fan asked.

Duan De gazed at the immortal palace.

“If it was just one person… that would be truly remarkable. And most likely, it was just one.”

The purple qi faded. The necropolis grew calm again. Evidently, whatever lord lurked below realized its foes were formidable, and withheld its forces.

“This is ominous. I sense something below that none can resist.” Duan De frowned.

Then, a golden ancient ship hundreds of meters long flew in, dazzling and resplendent, suspended in the heavens. A sword light cleaved downward, splitting the earth wide open.

The disciples of Grand Ascension Sacred Ground had struck.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Swordforce like dragons, vast as mountains, tore through heaven and earth. The killing intent was bone-chilling. Many shivered uncontrollably.

The mighty sword aura crushed all before it, cutting deep into the earth.

Nothing could stand against it. Even distant observers felt its oppressive weight. It was like Heaven itself had unleashed slaughter. The stars seemed to shift, the cold seeped into bones, compelling even the proud to kneel in awe.

“The Grand Ascension Sacred Sword, truly defiant of the heavens. Reaching the utmost realm, able to sever all, evolving small worlds within its strike.” Yao Xi whispered.

“Such strength shakes the heart, awe-inspiring indeed.” Ji Haoyue, the God-King Physique, also nodded.

Soon, the ground was cleaved open. Layers of earth hundreds of meters thick were cut away. A vast, mysterious tomb was about to be revealed.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sword light raged like a true dragon, splitting the land violently.

At last, resistance was met. The golden ship pulled back, the Grand Ascension disciples ceasing their attack.

A massive rift opened. From within emerged an ancient subterranean palace, less a tomb than an underground city. A grand stone gate jutted out, majestic, towering, a corner of the ancient city revealed.

This ten-thousand-year-old city was intact and indestructible, etched with profound Daoist patterns preserving it perfectly.

The giant stone gate, once half open, seeping black mist, now suddenly slammed shut with a resounding boom, cutting itself off from the world outside.

“The human race’s Nine Secrets, let me see what makes them so famed!”

The Leviathan Prince moved first. In a flash of golden light, he descended into the rift, standing proudly before the stone gate.

“Tai!”

In his hand appeared a weapon black as ink, heavy as a mountain. The void itself shuddered beneath its weight. When he swung it, the air buzzed violently.

Clang!

He struck the stone gate with the Grand Desolate Halberd. The supposedly indestructible city gate cracked!

Crack!

The immortal necropolis’s gate could not withstand such might. Fissures spread.

Above, all were dumbfounded. The prince of the Leviathan God-King Race possessed strength so shocking that even the Grand Ascension Sacred Sword had not split the gate, yet he had smashed it open.

Clang!

On his third strike, the colossal gate shattered with a thunderous crash.

His strength was unmatched, truly power to uproot mountains, might to dominate the world!

Suddenly, a sound like a raging flood erupted. Endless Yin Soldiers and Yin Horses poured from the gate, charging at him.

“You think you can kill me?!”

Standing tall at the gate, the Leviathan Prince raised the Grand Desolate Halberd and roared: