Chapter 368: 211, Exit Heavenly Abyss, meet the head of Falling Star Sect.
One fox and two people had been on the run for an unknown amount of time, perhaps for the duration it takes an incense stick to burn.
From the depths of the abyss, melodious celestial music drifted out, accompanied by a surge of yin energy. This energy, mingled with a Five-colored Radiance, startled the attacking Undead, granting the one fox and two people a moment of respite.
This was an ethereal immortal palace. Starlight twinkled around it, and ten thousand strands of Immortal Qi coiled about its surface.
"Is this the West Emperor Palace?"
"The West Emperor Palace only surfaces once every one hundred years with the eruption of telluric energy. Why has it appeared twenty years early this time?"
The Undead, who had surrounded and were trying to intercept Xu Xing and the other two, communicated via Divine Sense, thoroughly perplexed. Although the Heavenly Abyss grew some Undying Medicine, the amount was a mere drop in the bucket. Most of the Undying Medicine they possessed had been plundered from the West Emperor Palace.
"My apologies, Fellow Daoist Gongyang," the red-haired fox, the transformed Nangong Ancestor, said to Xu Xing, who was behind her. She had stopped just outside the restrictive enchantments of the West Emperor Palace. "I was desperately trying to preserve my life just now, and channeling this Jade Coffin took all my focus, so I couldn’t inform you and Friend Yin in time..." Her power was limited; while channeling the Jade Coffin, she couldn’t spare the attention to notify Xu Xing and Yin Shou. Besides, if she had revealed the Jade Coffin’s existence earlier, Xu Xing and Yin Shou might have coveted the precious treasure.
"It’s no issue..."
"It was an urgent matter, and you acted as necessary."
Xu Xing and Yin Shou both voiced their understanding, not blaming Nangong Ancestor. In reality, however, both men had mentally blacklisted Nangong Ancestor once more. However, regarding the day’s events, both Xu Xing and Yin Shou had been well-prepared. After all, Nangong Ancestor had betrayed them previously, launching a sneak attack on Ao Lin of the Extinct God Sect during a critical battle. That previous betrayal was a harsh lesson, still vivid in their minds, as both had personally experienced it.
The West Emperor Palace stood majestically in the dark void of the Heavenly Abyss, like a brilliantly shining star, incredibly dazzling. Soon, ninety percent of the powerful Undead in the Heavenly Abyss had gathered at this location.
"Once the restrictive enchantments on the West Emperor Palace vanish, these Undead will have no restraints. We’ll be trapped here and killed..." Yin Shou said, a hint of anxiety in his voice. The palace was surrounded by innumerable Dao patterns. These Dao Principles restricted the movements of the Undead, but they also confined Xu Xing’s group.
"Wait a moment. Don’t be impatient," Xu Xing gestured for Yin Shou to remain calm. He possessed a drop of Shi Yuyan’s Golden Blood, which would make entering the West Emperor Palace relatively easy for him. However, Nangong Ancestor had now become an unpredictable variable, and he didn’t want to be the first to act. Clearly, the Jade Green Coffin that Nangong Ancestor, in her fox form, had previously held in her mouth concealed a significant secret. Nangong Ancestor was the weakest among them. Once the Undead could move freely again, she would be the first to face their wrath.
Indeed, after waiting for about a quarter of an hour, Nangong Ancestor could bear it no longer. She once again brought out the Jade Green Coffin. Bathed in its pale green light, the Dao Principles constricting her began to recede, and she laboriously started towards the West Emperor Palace.
The being within this coffin... is also a fox demon... Xu Xing’s pupils turned silver as he activated his Dharma Eye to scrutinize the Jade Green Coffin, attempting to discern the corpse within. However, the Jade Green Coffin was of too high a grade; all he could perceive was the indistinct silhouette of a white fox.
"Fellow Daoist Gongyang, Friend Yin, please follow closely behind me," Nangong Ancestor said, having reached Xu Xing and Yin Shou under the protection of the Jade Green Coffin.
Xu Xing must have a way to break through the restrictive Dao Principles of the West Emperor Palace, she surmised. He just hasn’t employed it yet. Offering him a favor now is a good way to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances. After all, the Jade Coffin can protect one person, so it can just as easily protect three.
Half a Moment later, the three of them entered the West Emperor Palace.
"This layout... it’s very similar to the War God Palace," Xu Xing remarked. As he walked into the palace and saw the interconnected jade pavilions and halls, a sense of déjà vu washed over him. He looked up at the ceiling of the hall; it was a Minor Celestial Star Battle Array.
Mo Fei... he mused. Is the Spatial Channel leading out hidden in an internal ’War God Temple,’ just like at the War God Palace?
The War God Palace’s design was ingenious. It’s highly probable that when Shi Yuyan designed the West Emperor Palace, she adopted a similar layout. Besides, Shi Yuyan cultivated the "Cauldron Heart Technique," making her a successor to War God Cai Bai in a way, he thought.
"AWOOOO!"
Suddenly, as the three of them traversed a corridor, a bloodcurdling wolf howl erupted from a nearby garden. It was a two-headed wolf, entirely black and covered in snake-like scales, standing about ten feet tall. Its lunge created a fierce gust of wind, powerful enough to knock someone off their feet. Its dagger-like, chillingly white fangs snapped at the trio.
"Heavenly Door Divine Incantation," Yin Shou intoned calmly, reciting a few lines of the spell. A golden gate materialized from the sky, directly obstructing the two-headed wolf’s advance. Then, he recited a few more incantations. The two-headed wolf’s body exploded, its Divine Soul dissipating into nothingness, killing it instantly.
The trio continued along the corridor. Occasionally, they encountered other bizarre and ferocious beasts.
"We might be the first living people to have ever broken into the West Emperor Palace," Yin Shou remarked. The Undead were all beings from ancient times, existing in a state between life and death, much like the spirits of the Netherworld Wasteland; they weren’t considered truly living.
Soon, they reached the end of the corridor. There, the trio saw a Main Hall. Upon opening the doors to the Great Hall, they saw three coffins inside. Behind these coffins stood a nine-story Bone Tower. The Bone Tower was over a hundred feet tall. On its highest level sat a hazy figure, its hands moving as if performing some kind of incantation or seal.
"Fellow Daoist Gongyang..."
"Friend Yin..."
"Please, save me...!"
The instant the Great Hall doors opened, Nangong Ancestor had dashed towards the middle coffin. But halfway there, she whirled around, her clear voice trembling with terror, as if confronting some unspeakable dread.