Heaven-Surpassing Divine Emperor

Nine hundred kilometers.

For a Tier Two Demon Beast like the Sharp Sword Tiger, this was a journey of only two double-hours.

They traveled over mountains and across rivers. The Sharp Sword Tiger radiated the aura of the King of Hundred Beasts, scaring off any nearby Demon Beasts and ensuring their path was clear.

Jiang Chen sat straight on the Sharp Sword Tiger’s back until they finally arrived at the mysterious place the beast had described.

"So this is the mysterious place you mentioned?" Jiang Chen leaped off, a sharp glint in his clear eyes.

The place was nestled among a ring of mountains.

For hundreds of kilometers in every direction, there were only rugged, steep mountains of jagged, bizarrely shaped stone. An ordinary powerhouse would never be able to enter.

If the Sharp Sword Tiger hadn’t led the way, he doubted he would have ever discovered such a well-hidden location, even if he had passed nearby.

"It’s that lake up ahead. I discovered this place by chance years ago while chasing a human expert. I’ve tried to explore it, but every time I get near the lake, I get this feeling of being unable to breathe. My instincts told me it would be dangerous to get any closer, so I had to give up. Later, Black Wind and the others came too, but they were the same as me—none of them dared to approach the lake!"

The Sharp Sword Tiger crouched at Jiang Chen’s side and said respectfully, "My King, you must be careful later. The human I was chasing all those years ago was a True Martial Realm Powerhouse. He only made it to about fifty meters from the lake before his body suddenly exploded, killing him."

Even after several decades, the Sharp Sword Tiger couldn’t help but feel a wave of lingering fear as it recalled the fate of that True Martial Realm Powerhouse.

Jiang Chen frowned. ’Even a True Martial Realm Powerhouse couldn’t get within fifty meters? I have to see for myself just what’s so strange about this lake!’

"M-My King, can I wait for you here?"

The Sharp Sword Tiger glanced at Jiang Chen and asked cautiously.

Its body trembled slightly, terrified of angering Jiang Chen and being killed and stewed into tiger penis soup.

Jiang Chen glanced at it. "You’ll stay right here, got it? I’ve placed a soul imprint on you; I can find you no matter where you run. If you disobey me, I’ll cut off that thing of yours and stew it!"

"Understood, understood!"

The Sharp Sword Tiger nodded repeatedly, its expression like that of an obedient kitten. "Rest assured, My King! Little Sword absolutely will not run away!"

Jiang Chen got up and shot forward, approaching the bizarre lake.

Five hundred meters...

Three hundred meters...

One hundred fifty meters...

By the time he was a hundred meters from the lake, Jiang Chen could feel the air thinning, making it difficult to breathe.

’Something is definitely strange...’

His gaze hardened as he activated the Profound Yellow Undying Technique. A vortex formed within the True Essence Spirit Sea in his Dantian, and extremely condensed True Essence flowed out, spreading throughout his body.

The tension in his body immediately eased.

Jiang Chen pressed on. As he neared the fifty-meter mark, the terrifying pressure intensified, and his steps grew heavy.

He pushed the Profound Yellow Undying Technique to its absolute limit, increasing its circulation speed. Rays of golden True Essence Light burst from his body.

Gleaming like the sun and sparkling like the stars, the pressure on his body vanished. A moment later, he arrived at the lakeshore.

The lake water was a deep blue, as clear as jade. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

He could see straight to the bottom. The lake was devoid of life, but at its floor rested a pitch-black shadow.

Looking closer, Jiang Chen’s pupils constricted. Coiled at the lakebed was a human figure. A cloud of black Demonic Qi emanated from this figure; this was the source of the terrifying pressure that permeated the area.

GULP!

Jiang Chen swallowed instinctively. The Sharp Sword Tiger had discovered this place decades ago, which meant this figure had been in the lake for at least that long!

’If this is a living person, just how terrifyingly powerful are they?’

’And if it’s a dead person...’

’To possess such terrifying might even in death... wouldn’t their power in life have been even more monstrous?’

Jiang Chen took a deep breath. ’I have to see for myself exactly what this thing is!’

At that thought, Jiang Chen pushed the Profound Yellow Undying Technique to its absolute limit. A shimmering True Essence Light enveloped him, forming a protective layer of golden True Essence Power over his body. He took a deep breath, dove into the lake, and swam toward the bottom. The closer he got to the black figure, the more terrifying the pressure became.

The surrounding water, as if guided by an unseen force, crushed in on Jiang Chen from all sides.

It was like carrying a heavy mountain on his back!

If the Profound Yellow Undying Technique weren’t protecting his body, the water pressure alone would have been enough to flatten a Martial Arts Ninth Stage expert into paste.

HUMMM!

Suddenly...

The black figure seemed to lift its head. In the pitch-black depths of the lake, two blood-red beams of light shot out from its eyes. The beams were tangible, like rubies, and so terrifying they sent a chill to the bone. The surrounding water roiled violently, forming a crazed vortex that threatened to swallow Jiang Chen whole.

"Fuck!"

Jiang Chen’s expression changed. He struck the water repeatedly with his palms, sending out powerful waves of True Essence.

The True Essence slammed into the water, blasting columns of it upwards and forcefully shattering the vortex.

"Hmph!"

A cold snort emanated from the black figure, booming like thunder across the lakebed and causing the entire body of water to boil.

The black Demonic Qi coalesced into a giant, pitch-black palm that swatted down at Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen raised his sword, ready to ride the current and activate a Sword Technique. But at that exact moment, his right hand trembled uncontrollably. The Storage Ring on his index finger erupted with a brilliant black light. The instant the giant black palm touched this light, it dissolved into nothing.

The black light from the ring grew brighter and brighter, pushing back the churning water. The ring itself began to vibrate violently, as if a powerful force was trying to drag Jiang Chen toward the black figure.

’What’s going on?’ Jiang Chen was horrified. He immediately sent his Divine Thought into the Storage Ring.

Inside, he saw the little Black Gourd emitting a dazzling black radiance, repeatedly striking the spatial barriers of the Storage Ring as if trying to escape.

This whole strange phenomenon was originating from the little Black Gourd!

’Isn’t this the little Black Gourd I got from Jiang Hu? Why is it acting like this... Don’t tell me it’s related to that black figure at the bottom of the lake?’ With a flash of insight, Jiang Chen took the little Black Gourd out.

The moment it left the Storage Ring, the black light around the Black Gourd flared, forming a spherical orb of light that enveloped both Jiang Chen and the dark figure. With a WHOOSH, it shot toward the sky.

BOOM—

The black orb of light broke through the lake’s surface and landed steadily on the shore. The light receded, and the little gourd flew toward the dark figure.

The Demonic Qi that had been shrouding the figure’s body surged madly into the Black Gourd. Once the Demonic Qi was gone, the figure’s true face was revealed.

It was an old man with white hair and a beard, his face withered and gaunt.

The old man sat cross-legged with his eyes tightly shut. There was no trace of life left in him.

This was an ancient corpse that had been submerged at the bottom of the lake for decades, perhaps even a century!

’I can’t believe it’s a corpse. To think that someone who’s been dead for decades, maybe even a century, could still exude such a terrifying pressure... But how did he die? Why was he in this lake? And what does this Black Gourd have to do with this ancient corpse?’ Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow, a puzzled look on his face.

Just then...

The Black Gourd had finished absorbing all the Demonic Qi from the corpse. It trembled lightly with a HUM, and a crack started to spread from its base.

CRACK!

The Black Gourd broke in two.

A scroll of parchment quietly fell out from within the Black Gourd...