Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Celestial Level Expert
Qin Li and the others narrowed their eyes against the last rays of the setting sun, staring intently at the few Martial Artists flying just above the water’s surface. Qin Li said slowly, "As expected, quite a few people have made it in here. I just wonder if there are any dangers inside these Ancient Ruins..."
Before Qin Li could even finish speaking, they witnessed an incredibly spectacular scene that left the four of them dumbfounded. Even the Little Fox and the Iron-armed Ape in the shadows felt an inexplicable sense of crisis suddenly wash over them. The Iron-armed Ape was the first to succumb to this overwhelming pressure. With a high-pitched SHRIEK, it transformed into a streak of white light and vanished from the mountaintop.
The White Fox also stood up, a sharp glint flashing through its eyes. She had encountered this phenomenon before. In fact, she had gone to explore the majestic and mysterious Ancient Ruins right after they first emerged from the water. At that time, a world-shaking aura had also erupted from within, making her instantly abandon any thought of going inside to investigate, and she had subconsciously kept her distance from the area ever since.
After all, Phoenix Lake itself was home to Spirit Beasts of immense, tyrannical power. ’Who knew if they had occupied that place?’ The White Fox herself was only a Spirit Beast that had just achieved Transformation. Here in Phoenix Lake, there were still a great many beings that could harm her. She certainly didn’t possess the same courage as these humans, who, despite their meager strength, charged in without any fear of death.
An animal’s senses are far superior to a human’s. Thus, in the eyes of the White Fox and the Iron-armed Ape, those ruins in the lake concealed immense danger, and they dared not approach. In the eyes of the human Martial Artists, however, all they saw was astonishing wealth!
As for danger, when had humans ever been afraid?
The few human Martial Artists also felt the world-shaking aura emanating from the Ancient Ruins. They exchanged a look, and far from showing any fear, their faces were filled with excitement!
They weren’t the least bit afraid of potential dangers. In fact, they would have been disappointed if things were completely peaceful.
The leader of the group was an old man in cyan robes. He was burly, and despite his white hair, he had the ruddy complexion of a young man. A powerful aura flowed from him, and his every gesture was filled with the majesty of one in a high position.
This man was none other than Chen Yihan, the Great Tributor, the strongest of the Royal Family’s fifty-four Celestial Level Tributors and a master at the peak of the ninth-stage Celestial Level! Grand Tributor Chen had been in seclusion for over twenty years. He would not have emerged if not for the appearance of the Ancient Ruins in Phoenix Lake, for even the current emperor was of his grand-disciple’s generation and always behaved as a junior in the Great Tributor’s presence!
Chen Yihan, now over 130 years old, was a true genius of the Martial Dao. He had reached the ninth stage of the Profound Level by age twenty and the ninth stage of the Earth Level by thirty. At thirty-five, he broke through the Earth Level to become a true Celestial Level expert, and by the time he was sixty, he had already cultivated to the ninth stage of the Celestial Level!
His power had reached the Transformation Realm, and of the Cyan Dragon Royal Family’s fifty-four Celestial Level Tributors, twelve were his disciples!
It was all because an emperor of the Cyan Dragon Kingdom had happened to help him once when he was young. To repay this debt of gratitude, he joined the Royal Family as a Tributor. The might of the Imperial Family allowed him to cultivate without a care, so he had remained there ever since, slowly rising from an ordinary Tributor to the rank of Great Tributor. By now, his position in the entire Cyan Dragon Kingdom was second only to the emperor; even the emperor himself had to treat him with utmost respect.
Fortunately, he was devoted to his cultivation and had little desire for power. Otherwise, overthrowing the dynasty would be as simple as a wave of the hand for Chen Yihan.
Of course, the Cyan Dragon Kingdom’s Imperial Family was not without power of its own. Rumor had it that members of the Imperial Family could be found in several of the legendary Mysterious Lands. Still, this demonstrated that the status of a powerful Martial Artist in the kingdom was far higher than that of the Civil Servants. It was only due to the long stretch of peaceful years that the influence of the Civil Servants had slowly begun to re-emerge.
For a full seventy years, from the age of sixty to this very day, Chen Yihan had focused on breaking through the Celestial Level. But alas, even with one foot already in the Venerable Realm, he had still not been able to make the final breakthrough.
The lifespan of a Celestial Level Martial Artist was around 170 or 180 years. Although it seemed like he still had decades left, for a Martial Artist of his caliber, a single period of seclusion could last ten or even twenty years. If he couldn’t break through, it was little different from simply waiting to die! The various splendors of the mortal world no longer held any meaning for people like him. Their true ideal was to pursue the ultimate pinnacle of the Martial Dao, to seek the legendary Celestial Shattering Realm!
He had reached a point where quiet meditation no longer yielded progress; further seclusion was unlikely to bring a breakthrough. Therefore, upon hearing that Ancient Ruins had appeared in Phoenix Lake, Chen Yihan didn’t hesitate for a moment. He brought sixteen powerful Celestial Level Martial Artists and rushed over with all haste. As for the fifty Earth Level and two hundred Profound Level Martial Artists, they had been brought by the Cyan Dragon Royal Family merely to block the other Martial Artists from various regions who were flocking to the area after hearing the news.
Entering the Phoenix Lake ruins without being at the Celestial Level was simply asking for death.
"On guard!" Chen Yihan commanded, his expression calm. His men scattered with great speed, weapons in hand, their gazes fixed warily on the spot where the aura was emanating.
The source of the aura appeared to be a great hall. Only a few meters of it were exposed above the water, but the structure was perfectly rectangular, over two hundred meters long and one hundred meters wide. Its roof was flat and smooth, looking as if it were paved with a single, massive slab of marble.
This wasn’t the first time Chen Yihan and his men had come. For the past few days, all seventeen Celestial Level experts had come together. Yet, each time they arrived, the powerful presence would vanish, its aura retracting completely. They didn’t dare to enter rashly. Furthermore, the water level of Phoenix Lake had been inexplicably, continuously dropping. They had wanted to wait for it to reach its lowest point before entering the Ancient Ruins, as that would be many times safer.
However, things had not gone according to plan. Over the last two days, they discovered that the water level of Phoenix Lake had actually started to slowly rise again!
This was terrible news. If the water level returned to its original height, exploring this place would become completely impossible.
The normal water level, after all, was over a hundred meters higher than the tallest structure currently exposed above the water!
To this day, no Martial Artist had dared to explore a hundred meters deep underwater, as it was no different from committing suicide. Chen Yihan even suspected that the *Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, Only I am Venerable* combat technique, taken from here a few years ago, was probably obtained by some lucky Adventurer during a time when Phoenix Lake’s water level had dropped. Otherwise, given that person’s strength, even a hundred or a thousand of them would have been throwing their lives away.
With the water level rising, they had to devise another plan. The best option was to lure this mysterious creature out. Only by eliminating it first could they enter the Ancient Ruins without worry.
Chen Yihan and his men had also discovered that, just as the legends said, the ruins were protected by a mysterious force. It was invisible to the naked eye, but they could all feel a fluctuating energy, like a dome, covering the entire complex of ruins that spanned over ten thousand square meters.
That was why, even after thousands or tens of thousands of years, the ruins would never be submerged in water!
"Great Tributor, do you think that thing will come out today? It seems more suspicious than any human!" a pale-faced, middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties said softly, gazing worriedly at the spot where the aura continuously pulsed.
"Unleash a fierce attack on that spot!" The Great Tributor gritted his teeth, pointed to where the aura was most intense, and said slowly, "One... two... three... strike!"
In that instant, several supreme experts of the Celestial Level unleashed their power, and beams of red light flared up from their bodies. The crimson glow emanating from Chen Yihan was especially dazzling against the dimming sky!
"Celestial Level!" Although Qin Li and the others had already suspected it, they were still visibly shaken. The straight-line distance from the mountaintop to the group was over five miles, yet the earth-shattering aura of the Celestial Level experts was still profoundly shocking!
"Now *those* are true experts!" Hu muttered, his eyes wide in astonishment.
Immediately after, several streams of incomparably tyrannical power slammed onto the flat roof of the ancient hall. A colossal BOOM, like a crack of thunder, echoed between heaven and earth. In the quiet of the evening, it instantly startled countless birds and beasts, sending them scattering in terror.
The roof of the ancient structure, which had stood for countless years, was blasted by the combined attack of the Celestial Level experts. A massive hole, dozens of meters in diameter, instantly exploded open!
Joy flashed in Chen Yihan’s heart. ’The protective energy shield really does only repel water; it’s useless against force!’ He had run several tests over the past few days before finally making this decision.
From the hole blasted in the roof, a thunderous roar suddenly erupted. The entire sky was instantly thrown into turmoil as winds howled and countless dark clouds rolled in.
The world-shaking pressure erupted with the force of a volcano!
"Again!" Chen Yihan roared.
From all directions, more than a dozen figures shot out like lightning—they were the Royal Family’s Celestial Level Tributors who had been lying in ambush on the shore!
At the same time, a behemoth shot out violently from the massive hole!
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It looks like getting a recommendation last week was a bit of a pipe dream. Oh well. To all my readers, feel free to just vote if you have some to spare. Xiaodao thanks you all for your support!
