Time waited for no one. After a brief exchange of words among the leading high-level Foundation Establishment cultivators, they quickly traversed the sea of raging flames within the [indiscernible] boundary of the Earth Flame Barrier, heading toward the Imperial Tomb ruins.

Ye Qin activated his water-element protective light shield to ward off the intense heat, flying low above the ground on his sword. The flames at this level were equivalent to fireballs cast by cultivators at the first or second layer of the Qi Refining stage—relatively weak and posing little threat to him. However, he distinctly felt a peculiar force within the Earth Flame Barrier, subtly compressing his light shield, causing his mana to deplete several times faster than normal. This appeared to be an inherent effect of the barrier, one he couldn't escape.

Ye Qin glanced worriedly at the surrounding cultivators. Many Foundation Establishment cultivators were already sweating profusely. Especially those at the higher stages of Foundation Establishment; their expressions were grim, and the speed of their sword flight had slowed. The higher a cultivator's cultivation base, the greater the impact of the Earth Flame Barrier, and the pressure they endured was extraordinarily intense.

Ye Qin remained silent. Judging by the situation, those at the lower Foundation Establishment stages, like himself, actually had it somewhat easier.

The cultivators kept flying forward, simultaneously taking out various mana-restoring items, such as mid-grade spirit stones, to sustain themselves longer. Of course, if they possessed spirit wine that could rapidly restore mana, that would be even better, allowing for easier recovery.

Yet, spirit wine was scarce, and few were willing to use it lightly.

The mana replenishment from mid-grade spirit stones ultimately couldn't keep pace with the accelerating consumption. What was most unsettling was that this sea of fire seemed boundless; they flew on without reaching the end. After two or three hours, many cultivators had lost nearly half their mana, showing clear signs of agitation.

They lacked confidence in whether they could cross this sea of fire before their mana was completely depleted. If they couldn't break through within two or three hours, even as Foundation Establishment cultivators, they would succumb to mana exhaustion and burn to death in the flames.

"Sect Leader Shi, how vast is the range of this Earth Flame Barrier? How much longer until we fly through?" a red-robed cultivator shouted anxiously.

"It will take another two or three hours to fly across. If you can't bear it, then turn back. This Sect Leader didn't force you to come to these Imperial Tomb ruins." Shi Hanyang glanced back at the source of the voice, recognizing a newly arrived Foundation Establishment cultivator, and spoke coldly. He was under the greatest pressure and would not respond to such complaints.

The cultivators continued flying, gradually falling into silence.

Two hours later. Whoosh. The small vanguard group of slightly over a dozen mid-level Foundation Establishment cultivators finally broke through the Earth Flame Barrier, emerging into an underground world. Those who arrived first were neither the high-level cultivators at the eighth or ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, nor the low-level ones at the first or second layer, but rather the ten-plus cultivators situated in the middle, spanning the third to fifth layers of Foundation Establishment.

Ye Qin was among them. Compared to the distress of the other cultivators, the pressure he felt was less, and with a sufficient supply of spirit wine, he felt much more at ease. By this time, only a small portion of his mana had been consumed. Ye Qin looked around.

The area was vast, spanning perhaps several dozen li. To his astonishment, five or six li ahead of them stood a magnificent underground city, shrouded in darkness. Even in the gloom, one could see traces of collapse and damage in numerous places on the dark structures.

The entire city was utterly silent.

"This… this city is the Imperial Tomb ruins!?"

A yellow-robed cultivator, also at the third layer of Foundation Establishment, revealed a look of pleasant surprise. After enduring four or five hours of flight through the sea of fire, finally standing before the Imperial Tomb ruins made the journey worthwhile. The thought of the treasures left behind within the ruins from millennia past filled him with intense excitement.

"Should we act immediately? We only have four days left; the sooner we get inside, the sooner we can find the relics."

"That's unwise. This Imperial Tomb ruin feels somewhat sinister! It's not too late to wait until everyone else arrives before making a move."

The other Foundation Establishment cultivators who arrived simultaneously voiced their objections. The silent, dead city before them felt like an enormous, slumbering beast, exuding an inexplicable, heavy pressure.

It seemed as if something within the city was watching them; the feeling was exceptionally strange.

Suddenly, Ye Qin's heart tightened, and he turned his head toward a corner of the city wall. He thought he saw several clumsy, humanoid black shadows flicker briefly on the ramparts before vanishing. However, the distance was too great to discern exactly what was moving.

"What was that?"

Many cultivators were scrutinizing the city before them, and upon witnessing this, they exclaimed in low, uneasy voices.

"Could someone else have already entered these Imperial Tomb ruins?"

"Impossible! We’ve been guarding the entrance passage to the Imperial Tomb ruins the entire time. We are the first to arrive; no one could have entered before us."

"Unless it’s cultivators who remained here forty or fifty years ago?"

"But this is a notoriously dangerous place. Who could survive in such perilous conditions for so long?"

Whoosh!

Another dozen-plus figures of cultivators rushed out of the sea of fire. Among them was a man in crimson robes who seemed quite familiar with the situation here. Seeing the black shadows on the city walls, he let out a cold laugh.

"Why the fuss? Those are just a few puppets from within the Imperial Tomb ruins. Surely you know that the cultivators of the former Saint Emperor Cultivation World were masters of artifact forging, puppets, and Soul Arts? Many puppets in these Imperial Tomb ruins are still active."

The first dozen or so cultivators who emerged were silenced upon hearing the explanation that they were puppets. Soon, nearly a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators burst free from the flame barrier, successively arriving in the underground world.

The more experienced cultivators showed no intention of immediately approaching the Imperial Tomb ruins. Instead, they sat down to rest, circulate their energy, and recover their mana. They only prepared to enter the tomb once all the cultivators had recovered.

Shi Hanyang, Ma Dongyan, and the other dozen-plus seasoned high-level Foundation Establishment cultivators, who had entered this place forty or fifty years prior, rested briefly before immediately gathering everyone to discuss how to enter the Imperial Tomb ruins.

Judging by their expressions, reaching this place had not brought relief, but rather a sense of facing a great enemy.

Ye Qin was surprised. Just how perilous were these Imperial Tomb ruins? Could a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators not handle a few mere puppets on the city wall? He had seen many puppets before; they were quite clumsy and not difficult to deal with.

He glanced at the distant, pitch-black city walls of the Imperial Tomb, suppressing his doubts, and silently made his preparations. His cultivation was mid-to-low tier among the group, and he had no understanding of this place; he resolved to follow the actions of the main body of cultivators.

As preparations began, many cultivators gazed at the distant city and spoke in low whispers.

"The Saint Emperor's Tomb is actually an underground city. It was the massive tomb prepared by the Great Emperor of the Saint Emperor Cultivation World for his post-mortem, not a city for living in. Therefore, its defenses are surprisingly powerful, equipped with various Dharma formations and puppets. Although most of the formation traps in the Imperial Tomb have been destroyed, for some unknown reason, the puppets here can never be eliminated."

"The Saint Emperor? He used a personal name for a major cultivation world? Why such a strange name?"

"That Saint Emperor Great Emperor was a high-level Nascent Soul cultivator who favored proclaiming himself with secular imperial titles. He was the only cultivator to ever rule the entire Saint Emperor Cultivation World. Back then, the cultivators of the Spirit Mist, Sky Vault Plain, and Ten Thousand Moon Lake Cultivation Worlds did not wish to see the Saint Emperor Great Emperor hold absolute power, so they jointly launched a surprise attack. Otherwise, how could the Saint Emperor Cultivation World have been so easily destroyed?"

"A Nascent Soul cultivator—that's a figure only heard of in legends!"

"Tsk, tsk, that Saint Emperor was quite unlucky. Reaching the late stage of Nascent Soul, yet being besieged and destroyed. Those capable of eliminating him probably had cultivation no lower than his own, at least Nascent Soul stage cultivators."

"The major cultivation worlds now haven't seen an Immortal of the Nascent Soul stage appear for ages."

Many Foundation Establishment cultivators shook their heads and sighed. Of course, it was only a momentary reflection. Achieving the Core Formation stage was harder than ascending to heaven for them; the Nascent Soul stage was something they dared not even dream about. They came here hoping to find enough fortuitous encounters to discover treasures left behind by the Saint Emperor Cultivation World.

"This Imperial Tomb is divided into three sections: the City Wall Zone, the Palace Wall Zone, and the Central Grand Hall Zone. There are large numbers of puppets guarding this tomb everywhere. Only a very few people can pass through the successive defenses of the city walls and palace walls to enter the central hall. Our time is limited; regardless of whether we gain anything, we must leave this Imperial Tomb ruin within four days, or death will be the only outcome," Sect Leader Shi Hanyang of the Setting Sun Sect gathered the cultivators in one spot, drew a rough outline of the city on the ground, and stated expressionlessly.

The cultivators had no objections. Even the other high-level cultivators did not oppose Shi Hanyang taking the lead, as his cultivation was the strongest; the strongest must serve as the leader for this operation.

"Let's go. Everyone must follow this Sect Leader closely and provide mutual support. Otherwise, if lives are lost, don't expect this old man to be merciful."

Shi Hanyang nodded with satisfaction, then floated up, gazing at the city with an unfathomable light in his eyes. He had ventured here decades ago, and now he risked returning—he was determined to succeed. Whether he succeeded depended entirely on this venture.

Now, dozens of swaying black shadows had appeared on the city walls of the Imperial Tomb, and the number seemed to be increasing.

Shi Hanyang led the nearly one hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators, forming a tight formation, and they charged toward the Imperial Tomb ruins on their swords.

Five or six li was merely a distance they could cover in a few breaths.

Just then, sporadic, faint points of light suddenly glittered across the dark city walls of the Imperial Tomb, numbering in the hundreds. No one knew what those lights were.

Ye Qin, nestled in the middle of the crowd, immediately felt as if he were being stared at by a venomous snake, sensing a fierce attack might come at any moment. His heart tightened, and almost without hesitation, he dodged behind a Foundation Establishment cultivator, simultaneously holding a golden sword artifact in front of him as a shield.

Hundreds of blinding beams of light erupted from the city walls. Each beam, some the size of a fist and a few as large as wooden basins, shot across several li and bombarded the approaching hundreds of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"That’s the Sky-Rending Bombardment Array! Form a tight formation, join forces to cast a barrier, and take turns blocking in front!" Shi Hanyang released a giant shield artifact, over ten zhang wide and long, letting out a sharp cry.