The Foundation Establishment cultivators gathered in the hall were utterly shaken by the sudden news that the Emperor’s Tomb ruins were about to open, and a clamor of discussion immediately erupted.

"What exactly is this Emperor’s Tomb ruin, and what benefits lie within that would warrant us risking our lives to venture there?"

"Hee hee, what exactly lies within, this old man cannot say for sure. But the Five Great Sects have jointly monopolized this ruin for hundreds of years. If they hadn't deployed to the Spirit Mist Cultivation Realm, we would never have found this opening."

"This ruin is the largest relic site in the Sacred Emperor Cultivation Realm, said to still hold many lost immortal techniques and spiritual treasures." "But all those things have long since been scoured clean by the cultivators who entered before. What could we possibly gain now?"

"Impossible. If they were all gone, why would the Five Great Sects still station personnel at the ruin entrance year after year, barring outsiders? Now that they’ve gone to the Spirit Mist Cultivation Realm, they have no time to attend to this ruin. To miss such a rare opportunity would be a terrible waste."

After a good while, the voices of contention gradually subsided, and all eyes turned back to Shi Hanyang. After all, this news had been released by him; only Shi Hanyang, the Sect Master of the Setting Sun Sect, truly knew the full situation.

Shi Hanyang was quite pleased with the awe displayed by the cultivators. Once the murmurs had died down sufficiently, he spoke slowly: "The descent of the Earth Fire Tide is not fixed; it usually happens once every thirty to fifty years, lasting approximately five to six days each time. This has never changed. As long as one exits within that timeframe, they will be safe. This Emperor’s Tomb ruin was previously occupied exclusively by the cultivators of the Five Great Sects, forbidding entry to outsiders. Now, two years ago, the Five Great Sects launched a massive invasion into the Spirit Mist Cultivation Realm and are too preoccupied to manage such matters. It is the perfect time for us minor sects to slip in and explore the Emperor’s Tomb ruin. Brothers, you must realize that an opportunity like this, once missed, may never present itself again."

All the cultivators in the hall fell silent, contemplating whether to go.

Ye Qin harbored a hidden layer of concern. The opening of the Emperor’s Tomb ruin was indeed the ideal moment to search for rare, scattered treasures. However, such a fortunate event should be kept intensely secret; the fewer people involved, the less likely disputes will arise over discovered treasures. For Sect Master Shi to announce it so publicly, rallying everyone to go, felt distinctly anomalous.

It wasn't just him who held this apprehension; many other cultivators shared this doubt and voiced their questioning.

"This ruin is an exceedingly perilous place. If only a few people enter, not only will they fail to find treasures, but they will likely face mortal danger. Every time the ruin opens, the more people who enter, the safer it is. Spiritual treasures are desirable, but only if one has the life to enjoy them. In the past, the cultivators from the Five Great Sects always acted in concert. Based on my calculations using the Divination Art, the passage to the Emperor’s Tomb ruin should open within the next three or four days. We best not waste time. Those willing to follow this Sect Master to the ruin may depart with me; those unwilling, I will not compel you. Everything is at your discretion."

After offering a brief explanation, Shi Hanyang walked out of the hall with an air of carefree abandon.

Immediately, a significant number of cultivators followed him out.

There is a saying that wealth is sought in danger, a principle applicable to ordinary mortals and equally so to cultivators pursuing eternal life. Among those present in this hall who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, which one had not courted death to seize that sliver of immortal chance? If they didn't venture out, were they simply waiting for immense fortune to fall into their laps?

The majority of the cultivators in the hall were swayed. Regardless of past grudges or debts owed between them, such vast wealth demanded that these issues be temporarily shelved until treasures were secured.

...

From Cliff East Retreat, over a hundred streaks of multi-colored light shot out, heading towards the distance.

This group was led by Shi Hanyang of the Setting Sun Sect, Ma Dongyan the grey-robed cultivator, and more than ten other high-level Foundation Establishment cultivators—totaling nearly a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators. It could be called a formidable expedition, encompassing almost more than half of the elite cultivators from the Land of Chaos.

Before leaving, Ye Qin sent a sound transmission talisman to Hou Qianji.

Hou Qianji, who was guarding the foot of the cliff, received the golden talisman and quickly put on a distressed expression, turning to Tie Dadan: "Senior Qin is going to the Emperor’s Tomb ruin and wants us to stay here in the market... That ruin is a place of great peril! Back during the Sacred Emperor Cultivation Realm War, countless cultivators died there! Why are they suddenly heading there?"

Tie Dadan was equally stunned by this turn of events. "Senior Qin is going to the ruin? Old Hou, what about us two? Are we still robbing the Red Cloud Sect’s main headquarters?"

"With just the two of us, going would be suicide. What else can we do? Wait here and see if Senior Qin can return."

Hou Qianji sighed dejectedly. "Our hopes for success rest entirely on Senior Qin. If Senior Qin doesn't come back, we'll have to pledge allegiance to another sect and continue being mere lackeys."

...

After flying for a day, the collective of Foundation Establishment cultivators arrived at a vast expanse of mountainous plains. The Land of Chaos was mostly composed of treacherous peaks and towering ranges, so finding such a flat plain was rare.

The ruins of the Sacred Emperor City lay at the center of this plain. The city spanned dozens of li, and remnants of massive, moss-covered bluestones still marked the bases of the surrounding walls, stretching across the plain. Within the city, many collapsed palace foundations were visible, utterly ruined, everywhere bearing the marks of devastating magical force—marks that had not been eroded by millennia.

From these ruins of the vast city, one could faintly discern the former splendor and prosperity of this Immortal Fate City.

The hundred-plus Foundation Establishment cultivators flying over this area involuntarily halted, gazing upon the massive city ruins. A sense of shared sorrow, realizing their own eventual fate, inevitably arose.

Ye Qin was surprised.

Judging by its scale, this Sacred Emperor Immortal Fate City was no less grand than Spirit Mist Immortal Fate City. The cultivators who once resided here likely numbered no less than tens of thousands, perhaps even reaching hundreds of thousands at their peak.

It was hard to imagine what sort of power was required to annihilate such an Immortal Fate City. Such a colossal cultivation hub was now reduced to scattered bluestones and overgrown weeds. The ruthlessness of the Cultivation World was evident.

Ye Qin had initially assumed these ruins were their final destination, but clearly, that was not the case. Shi Hanyang and the others merely hovered above the city ruins for a brief moment before continuing their flight northward.

Ye Qin questioned some of the accompanying cultivators and finally understood one crucial detail.

The Sacred Emperor City ruin and the Sacred Emperor Tomb ruin, though one was above ground and the other below, occupied the same location. However, the passages connecting the two had been destroyed long ago; one could not enter the Tomb directly from the City. They had to enter the underground Tomb from a different location.

The Sacred Emperor City had been completely destroyed, and because cultivators frequented the site, no treasures remained. But the Sacred Emperor Tomb had only been partially ruined; its mechanisms and structures were still functional, and many relics remained inside.

Half a day later, the cultivators stopped at a perilous peak on the northern cliff face of the City ruins. Here, a massive fissure plunged vertically into the earth, seemingly bottomless. The group finally halted. Shi Hanyang took the lead, flying directly into the depths of the chasm.

The assembled cultivators followed, descending.

Ye Qin realized the entrance to the passage must be within this fissure.

He hesitated slightly, then followed the others into the rift. Since he was already here, there was no reason to retreat now. The nearly one hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators present were all sharp-witted individuals. If this large group dared to risk coming here, the Emperor’s Tomb ruin, while dangerous, must not hold a danger sufficient to wipe out all of them.

The interior of the fissure was pitch black. The dazzling, multi-colored magical artifacts of the cultivators illuminated the area, making the surroundings clearly visible.

The deeper they descended into the fissure, the hotter it became.

After dropping for several tens of li, they could see magma bubbling up from the cracks in the earth below. The scorching earth-fire washed over them, carrying an oppressive heat. They finally stopped, retracting their artifacts and landing on the huge, uneven rock formations lining the fissure walls to rest momentarily.

Ye Qin cautiously surveyed the surroundings. There were no apparent tunnels leading to the underground Tomb. Though puzzled, he saw that the other cultivators were meditating to recover their spiritual power, so he refrained from asking. He found a suitable rock, sat cross-legged, and settled down.

After nearly half a day, Ye Qin finally noticed a subtle change: the underground magma was continuously sinking. In just a few hours, it had receded by over ten zhang.

Was this the Lava Tide Shi Hanyang mentioned? Every thirty to fifty years, this lava tide, influenced by the alignment of the sun and moon stars, would drop to its lowest point. At that time, the passage would be revealed—the optimal moment to enter.

Realizing this, Ye Qin understood how to access the passage and waited patiently. The Foundation Establishment cultivators possessed extreme patience. He had no idea how long they waited, but the bubbling magma continued to recede, dropping nearly a hundred zhang. Finally, a long, narrow natural crack appeared on the subterranean rock face. The magma within this narrow gap had long since drained away.

"This lava tide will last for about five days. We have five days to search for treasures within the Emperor’s Tomb ruin."

Shi Hanyang scanned the group and stated coldly, "If you do not emerge within five days, the passage will be sealed by magma again, and it won't reopen for another forty or fifty years. Don't blame me if you get trapped inside. The passage is open; brothers, follow me!"

He gave a sharp cry, leaped onto his flying sword, and shot toward the crack.

Seeing this, the assembled cultivators no longer hesitated. They immediately activated their protective shields to full power and urged their various magical artifacts—swords, blades, staves—forward, braving the occasional spurts of surging magma, rushing into the narrow fissure and speeding through its confined space.

After flying several li within the rift, they suddenly came to a halt.

Ahead of the crack lay an endless sea of crimson-flamed earth-fire, roaring flames filling every corner.

This intensity of earth-fire would not kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator outright. However, resisting the flames required maintaining a protective shield, and prolonged exposure would rapidly deplete spiritual energy; once exhausted, it was a certain death sentence.

No one dared to charge in rashly.

Shi Hanyang arrived at the edge of the sea of fire, his expression solemn as he stated:

"This sea of fire is the Earth Flame Barrier, a top-tier, large-scale barrier sustained by the continuous energy of the earth fire. It can last an exceptionally long time! When the Spirit Mist, Sky Vault Plain, and Ten Thousand Moon Lake cultivation worlds broke through the underground Tomb, they destroyed the majority of it. They established this masking barrier to prevent any cultivators from entering. However, they failed to anticipate that a subterranean fissure connected to the Tomb, and that the intensity of the earth fire fluctuates, affecting the barrier’s potency. When the lava tide recedes, the power of the Earth Flame Barrier drops to its absolute minimum. Beyond this barrier lies the Emperor’s Tomb ruin. This barrier is peculiar: the higher the cultivation, the stronger the repulsion; high-level cultivators above the Golden Core stage cannot pass through it into the Tomb. The lower the cultivation, the weaker the repulsion, allowing them to barely pass. Of course, if the cultivation is too low—say, Qi Condensation—the barrier's flames will burn them instantly, preventing entry. Thus, only Foundation Establishment cultivators can pass. The five Golden Core Ancestors of the Land of Chaos have coveted the Emperor’s Tomb ruin for years, but they have never been able to enter themselves. Each time, they dispatch Foundation Establishment cultivators from their sects to scout the situation inside. Forty years ago, this Sect Master was a disciple of the Red Cloud Sect and was fortunate enough to enter the ruin once during the last passage opening, so I am somewhat familiar with the conditions inside. Therefore, after entry, do not act rashly; it is best to stick together with this Sect Master to maximize our self-preservation within the Emperor’s Tomb ruin."

"Hmph, you weren't the only one who entered the Emperor’s Tomb ruin back then. Besides you, this traitor from the Red Cloud Sect, at least ten of us in this group have entered before. Our experience is not far less than yours."

The grey-robed cultivator Ma Dongyan, wearing a straw hat, spoke out with a cold, veiled sarcasm.

"Brother Ma, if you wish to act independently, I won't object. However, if you genuinely wish to gain anything within the Emperor’s Tomb ruin, it is best you stay with me. This ruin is fraught with extreme danger; this is no time to show off bravado. Our past grievances need not be settled here."

Shi Hanyang did not seem bothered by Ma Dongyan's mockery, maintaining his smile. Five Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Setting Sun Sect were participating in this perilous foray into the Tomb. He was not worried about being alone inside the ruin.

Ma Dongyan snorted but said no more, instead staring intently at the sea of fire ahead. Although he always cultivated in isolation, his strength was sufficient to protect himself in this dangerous place. Furthermore, what good was a large group if none of them survived?

Ye Qin hovered his flying sword before the sea of fire, silently observing the few leading high-level cultivators with a furrowed brow.

These nearly one hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators had unconsciously divided into over a dozen large and small factions. Cultivators from the same sect, or those who knew each other, generally clustered together for mutual support.

Instances of Ma Dongyan supporting lone cultivators were not uncommon, accounting for at least a third of the group.

Many cultivators watched the confrontation between Shi Hanyang and Ma Dongyan as if observing a spectacle. One was the Sect Master of the Setting Sun Sect, ranked sixth in the Land of Chaos; the other was a hidden cultivator of terrifying strength in the Land of Chaos. Neither could afford to offend the other.

There were few genuine leaders; most were high-level cultivators at the eighth or ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, and many seemed to harbor old resentments, eyeing each other suspiciously. Getting these cultivators from the Land of Chaos to act in unison was simply impossible.

It seemed that once inside the Emperor’s Tomb ruin, he could only proceed as opportunities arose, remaining cautious and striving to avoid being drawn into their covert struggles. When these people fought, there was absolutely no possibility of them holding back.