Unrivaled Martial Emperor

Chapter 877 - Heavenly Soul Holy Spring

Chen Fan knew that Shang Ziyan would not bring out the complete version of the map.

Even so, the partial map offered a far better understanding of the mountain range than their previous superficial knowledge.

With this information, the group seemed to be much more at ease, refraining from voicing further concerns.

Su Tong said through a voice transmission, “Chen Fan, I’m afraid this map is not very reliable.”

“It’s still better than us going in blind.” Chen Fan replied, “Let’s take it one step at a time. Just be on your guard.”

With the map issue settled for now, the group immediately flew into the depths of the mountain range.

Along the way, streams of light streaked past in the sky—other martial artists rushing toward the depths with incredible speed. They had all gotten information about this place.

The temptation of breaking through to the Manifestation realm was too much for the martial artists at the peak Heavenly Star realm and the half-step Manifestation realm.

While their natural talent meant they would eventually reach the Manifestation realm, the timeline was uncertain.

Now that a shortcut for them to reach the Manifestation realm in advance had appeared, why would they ignore it?

One step ahead was always a step ahead.

Perhaps everyone was at the same level now, but who knew what the gap between two people would be like in a decade or two?

While they might not rival Chen Fan’s group in strength, they were certainly far from weak.

As the group ventured deeper, they came across several fierce battles. A few squads were fighting the jiangshi wandering in the mountain range.

These jiangshi included both human martial artists and demon beasts that had been transformed after death. The sight sent chills down everyone’s spines.

The jiangshi all had very powerful cultivation when they were alive. Though their strength had diminished after becoming jiangshi, they remained deadly enough to threaten even peak Heavenly Star realm martial artists.

“Roar!”

Suddenly, a chilling roar erupted from beneath their feet. The earth heaved violently, and a massive, pale hand burst forth, reaching for Chen Fan’s ankle.

The hand was rough and unnaturally pale, its surface covered in a thin layer of eerie velvet-like growth—a telltale sign of a jiangshi that had cultivated to a high level.

Without any hesitation, Chen Fan stomped on the ground fiercely.

The earth cracked and buckled as if struck by a cataclysm. The terrifying force struck the large hand, making it explode, followed by the mournful screams of the jiangshi.

Though he had encountered jiangshi numerous times before, these were unlike any he had fought. Their strength and the hardness of their bodies were far superior, exceeding those of the jiangshi he had slain in the past by several levels.

However, it was obvious that this jiangshi could not threaten Chen Fan.

He was now so powerful that a single stomp could shake the earth. The force had then traveled through the ground, hitting the jiangshi trying to launch a sneak attack, ripping it apart with a devastating quake.

The jiangshi also sneak-attacked others, but they were all skilled enough to keep their calm and kill their ambushers.

The group continued forward. However, jiangshi continued to emerge sporadically, launching ambushes from the shadows.

These creatures came in two forms: humans turned jiangshi and demon beasts turned jiangshi. Among them, the demon beast jiangshi proved more troublesome.

Jiangshi were impervious to weapons, and the physique of demon beasts was much stronger than human martial artists. Once transformed, their resilience and power increased even further. Ordinary Grade-5 or 6 treasures could only leave white marks on them.

For reference, many Manifestation realm experts were only using Grade-5 or 6 treasures.

Of course, Su Tong and the others had all come from powerful demon sects, and their sects had equipped them with powerful Grade-7 treasures.

Still, the constant onslaught of jiangshi tested their limits. At one point, even a late-stage, half-step, Manifestation realm jiangshi appeared, forcing the group to join forces to bring it down.

The density of jiangshi in the mountain range was very high. Even with the group’s strength, it took them three days to arrive at the depths of the mountain range.

The entrance of a large tomb appeared in the group’s line of sight.

There were many carved sculptures around the entrance, but they all had been toppled over. Time had left its mark on them; algae covered their surfaces, and their carved forms—beasts' heads on human bodies—seemed to hail from an era long forgotten.

Other than those strange carved sculptures, there were also white candles. Despite their age, they burned steadily, their flames crackling and flickering with an unnatural vigor, as if they had been lit since ancient times.

Chilling auras kept blowing out from the entrance, piercing through the air like icy needles, as if trying to freeze the people.

When they arrived at the entrance to the tomb, Chen Fan sensed numerous powerful auras hiding nearby. Everyone was waiting for the opening of the tomb.

Probing gazes immediately descended on Chen Fan’s group, laden with hostility. It was evident that no one welcomed more competitors.

“Hmph!” Shang Ziyan snorted coldly, shattering the probing gazes and divine wills. He claimed a position near the entrance and stood silently, exuding a calm confidence.

Chen Fan and the others did not say a word. From the map, they already knew that this place should be the entrance of the tomb.

They used this time to recover the energy they had expended while fending off the jiangshi. The journey had been grueling, and the toll was significant for most of the group—though Chen Fan remained unfazed.

Several formation masters stood in front of the tomb, trying to decipher the tomb’s formations.

As this unfolded, a group of several dozen descended from the sky. Leading them was a young man, standing with a sword in hand. He was dressed in elegant robes, with handsome facial features, looking to be in his twenties. The demonic might emanating from him was very powerful.

This man stepped forward and came straight to those formation masters. “How is it? Any progress?”

“Young Patriarch, this formation is exceptionally complex, but we’re making progress. Half a day at most, and we’ll have it cracked,” said one of the formation masters.

“Hmph, useless trash, so slow!” That youth snorted coldly with great dissatisfaction. His aura also leaked out unrestrainedly. He turned out to be a peak, late-stage, half-step, Manifestation realm expert.

This aura also contained a stern warning for those who were eyeing covetously in the surroundings.

The murmurs rippled through the crowd, revealing a shared intent to capitalize on the inevitable chaos.

“Guan Wei is too arrogant. The tomb hasn’t even opened yet, and he’s already trying to intimidate all of us!” said someone in the crowd immediately with dissatisfaction. Their voice was very soft, seemingly very apprehensive toward Guan Wei.

“I know, right? So he is strong. Big deal! There are so many of us, it’s not like he can deter us all by himself.”

“Does he think no one would dare to compete with him for the Heavenly Soul Holy Spring just because of that? He thinks too highly of himself. God knows how many experts have their eyes on him now. He’s a huge target, and only he doesn’t know about it.”

“Hehe, let him strut around for now. When the time comes, there’ll be plenty of experts ready to take him down. It’s only a matter of time before this turns into a bloodbath. It’s perfect for us to fish in troubled waters and benefit from it.”

Meanwhile, Chen Fan also learned from the collisions of these people’s divine wills that the secret that could allow others to break through to the Manifestation realm was the Heavenly Soul Holy Spring.