Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

To have traveled thousands of miles to this place, only to watch helplessly as someone else beat them to it?

Wasn't this a form of psychological torture?

All the Cultivators from outside Lei Province were restless and frustrated.

They could only pray that by the time they got inside, Ye Chen hadn't managed to plunder all the Spiritual Treasures within.

Of course, many more had already set their sights on Ye Chen himself.

Robbery and murder were common practices, committed by plenty of people from both the righteous and demonic paths.

...

'So this is the Dragon Prison Cave?'

Having arrived inside the Dragon Prison Cave, Ye Chen stared at the scene before him, his face etched with astonishment.

The first thing that met his eyes was a vast, ancient, and desolate land!

The sky was a dark, murky brown, and the land was a scene of utter ruin and decay.

Here and there, he could see a few rivers on the verge of drying up, their waters a deep black that looked as unsettling as clotted blood.

How did this look anything like a grotto-heaven blessed land?

'Why is the inside of the Dragon Prison Cave like this?'

Ye Chen frowned slightly, finding it hard to believe.

The scene before him was far beyond what he had imagined!

'Could it be that with each time the Dragon Prison Cave has appeared, the Cultivators who entered plundered most of the Spiritual Objects, and even the True Dragon Treasure Skill fell into someone else's hands?'

'After losing all its Spiritual Objects, the inside of the Dragon Prison Cave gradually fell into ruin!'

'Forget Spiritual Objects… you can't even see a single normal thing here. It's unbelievable!'

Ye Chen composed himself.

He had come all this way to the Dragon Prison Cave; he couldn't give up so easily.

Countless factions outside were eyeing him like tigers. He knew exactly how dangerous his current situation was!

'Since the Spiritual Objects here are next to none, or perhaps completely gone… there's no need for me to waste energy searching for treasures everywhere.'

Ye Chen quickly made a decision.

He planned to follow the map's directions to find the Juedi Sheng Lan first.

Then, he would start comprehending the hidden, gilded text within the Array.

Ye Chen sped off in the direction of the Juedi Sheng Lan.

Everywhere he passed was a complete mess, as if an astonishing number of powerful experts had engaged in an unimaginable slaughter across this desolate land.

The thick stench of blood could still be faintly sensed.

Before long, Ye Chen arrived at another empty stretch of land.

There weren't even any traces of battle here. It was a mottled and bleak landscape, with nothing but brown earth stretching to the horizon.

'What's going on?'

'The map clearly indicated that the Juedi Sheng Lan grows here, but from the looks of it now…'

'There's nothing here at all?!'

Ye Chen was stunned.

After all this effort, he had discovered that the Dragon Prison Cave was no longer a grotto-heaven blessed land.

Only a broken ruin remained!

'This shouldn't be happening!'

'The last time the Dragon Prison Cave opened, what did the inside look like then?'

'It couldn't have been this mottled and bleak, otherwise so many people wouldn't have been drawn here this time!'

Ye Chen frowned. Could some unforeseen change have occurred inside the Dragon Prison Cave?

But what was this change, and what caused it?

Was the gap in the Guardian Array also caused by this change, and not by the natural wear and tear of time?

The more Ye Chen thought about it, the more alarmed and uneasy he became.

Everyone had been deceived!

The inside of the Dragon Prison Cave had very likely become an empty shell!

And right now, he was the only one who knew!

'No!'

'I absolutely cannot return empty-handed!'

'The only thing I can be sure of now is that the inheritance within that gilded text must be extraordinary!'

'I have to hurry!'

A glint in his eyes, Ye Chen didn't dare to delay. He immediately flew toward the various array foundations where the gilded text was inscribed.

'This array foundation… I can actually refine it?'

Ye Chen was surprised.

When he reached one of the array foundations with the gilded text, he had originally just wanted to imprint the words in his mind.

But he soon discovered that after being seen, the gilded text would vanish completely.

And once the gilded text disappeared, the array foundation became incredibly fragile, and he was able to refine it with ease.

'Could there be some kind of connection between these array foundations?'

'What will happen once I refine all of them?'

Ye Chen's heart began to pound with excitement.

After discovering the desolate and ruined state of the Dragon Prison Cave's interior, he had indeed felt his heart sink.

But now, things seemed to have taken an unexpected turn.

The Dragon Prison Cave still held mysteries yet to be discovered!

He would be the first to uncover these secrets!

Just then, a series of astonishing roars echoed from the entrance of the Dragon Prison Cave.

'Are those guys starting to come in?'

Ye Chen's eyes flickered. It seemed he had to speed up.

No one knew what would happen when he collected all the gilded text and refined all the array foundations.

A faint sense of anticipation grew in his heart, and he couldn't help but quicken his pace.

...

"What... what is this place?"

"Is this really the Dragon Prison Cave?"

"Why... Why does it look like this?!!"

Just as Ye Chen had predicted, large groups of Cultivators began to storm into the Dragon Prison Cave!

However, when they saw the mottled and bleak scene before them, a sense of absurdity suddenly washed over everyone!

Disbelief appeared on all of their faces.

Many of the Cultivators entering the Dragon Prison Cave for the first time even began to doubt their own eyes.

How could the legendary grotto-heaven blessed land look like this?

The Undying Demon Lord stood at the very front of the crowd. He stared intently at the shattered continent below, a terrifying Evil Qi erupting almost uncontrollably from his body!

BOOM!

In an instant, a small mountain beside him, unable to withstand the ravages of the Evil Qi, directly crumbled into a pile of rubble.

"Are you kidding me..."

"Impossible, this is impossible!!!"

The Undying Demon Lord roared in fury, his voice like a series of crashing tidal waves, sweeping out in all directions!

Many of the weaker Cultivators had no time to dodge and were sent flying, severely injured and vomiting blood!

Everyone looked on in terror but dared not say a word.

"Hm? Why don't I see that guy?"

The Undying Demon Lord scanned the dense crowd, his gaze suddenly turning sharp.

"I have to find him!"