“Drip, drip!” In the silent space, the footsteps of Li Xiaotian and the others echoed. Despite their utmost caution, sounds still emerged, keeping their hearts in a constant state of tension.
Suddenly, a black palace materialized before everyone’s eyes, unleashing a terrifying, bone-chilling killing intent.
“Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!” Several people present involuntarily spat out blood, quickly retreating.
It was a square palace, standing silently, emanating a formidable aura that chilled everyone to the bone.
It hadn’t appeared suddenly; it had always been there. Li Xiaotian and the others had simply been advancing, their vision opening up, which led to its discovery.
“Big Brother, so strong!” Long Yi’s face was pale, his body trembling slightly. The palace’s aura made him feel an urge to prostrate himself.
Li Xiaotian, however, could control his body due to the presence of the Sky Tablet, though he still found it difficult.
The blood within him boiled, his energy surged, and his body felt so stiff he couldn’t move forward.
“Hoo!” Li Xiaotian took a step back, and the oppressive feeling immediately vanished.
His expression was grave. Merely approaching the palace made one feel so uncomfortable, and the weaker individuals present even experienced old wounds flaring up.
“Is the strong being within slumbering? Is he still alive?” Long Yi whispered, filled with shock. Even facing a peak Emperor-level expert hadn't given him such a feeling.
Li Xiaotian frowned. Given the current situation, none of them could get close to the palace. Furthermore, he had no idea about the circumstances of the being inside.
The interior of the bronze ancient gate was vast. Besides the plaza they had encountered earlier, the only other feature was this palace.
He had initially thought it belonged to an ancient faction, but now it seemed more like the abode of a lone powerful being.
Even if he hadn’t seen the resting places of other resurgent factions, he knew that a faction’s slumber would not be as simple and empty as this. Even his Dragon King’s Palace had individual palaces for everyone, including Long Yi, besides his own main palace.
And here, there was only one palace!
Li Xiaotian recalled the carvings on the grand gate: a colossal figure with countless smaller figures surrounding it.
And the scene within the gate, with tens of thousands of armored warriors guarding the palace, corresponded to the carvings on the gate.
“Hoo!” Li Xiaotian exhaled deeply, controlling the Sky Tablet and attempting to advance again.
“Rumble!” As soon as he took a step forward, the heart-stopping, terrifying pressure engulfed him, rendering him immobile.
Li Xiaotian tried to take another step, but no matter how hard he tried, his body wouldn’t obey.
“Drip!” Li Xiaotian retreated a few steps, and his body immediately relaxed. He gazed at the black palace in the distance, his eyes gleaming.
Heavenly level. The existence within the palace was definitely a Heavenly-level expert, possibly even stronger than the Blood Sea.
After all, even when facing the Blood Sea, he hadn’t felt such pressure.
“Seal this place. Don’t let anyone approach. Also, send people to investigate the situation here.”
Li Xiaotian commanded. With the current circumstances, he couldn’t enter the palace.
“Big Brother, will the being inside awaken? Is it safe to stay here?” Long Yi asked, clearly frightened. He was truly terrified; if the powerful being within the palace were to awaken, they would all be doomed with a single move.
“Unclear.” Li Xiaotian shook his head. Truthfully, if there had been another way out, he would have wanted to leave this place immediately. His instincts warned him against it.
Moreover, the power of the being in the palace was incredibly terrifying. With such strength, it was illogical that they couldn’t protect their subordinates while in slumber.
Yet, now, all the armored individuals in the plaza were dead, turned to dust. This was highly abnormal.
Even families like the Tian family, with only three Emperor-level cultivators, had many people who managed to revive.
“Let’s retreat first. Have people guard here and prohibit anyone from approaching,” Li Xiaotian instructed. His inability to enter the palace was primarily due to his insufficient strength. Since there was no way to enter now, it was better to seize the opportunity to cultivate. Once his strength improved, even if the being within the palace awoke, he would at least have the means to protect himself.
After a while, Li Xiaotian and the others returned to the bronze gate. Although they had witnessed the scene in the plaza, seeing it again still instilled fear in many.
Back in the initial plaza, Li Xiaotian placed the Sky Tablet in the center and then examined the surrounding stone pillars. Their contents were identical, all detailing cultivation techniques for demonic soldiers.
Li Xiaotian pondered, concluding that it must have been a powerful individual who had established a faction on their own, commanding tens of thousands of demonic soldiers.
Li Xiaotian shook his head. This setup seemed rather peculiar, resembling a general leading a massive army.
However, the method of having all subordinates cultivate demonic soldier techniques was too cruel and ruthless.
After exploring, Li Xiaotian sat down near the Sky Tablet to cultivate. Ultimately, improving his own strength was the most crucial thing.
Currently, the weakest among Li Xiaotian’s subordinates possessed the strength of a War God. Of course, those who practiced demonic soldier techniques had all reached the King level, forming a formidable force.
However, they lacked Emperor-level cultivators. Even if they were to leave, they would be unable to compete with those resurgent factions.
Li Xiaotian closed his eyes and examined his body. Earlier, to escape, he had circulated the Blood Sea’s cultivation technique, which had enhanced his physique. However, this came with repercussions.
He was trying to find a way to strip the energy from his blood, but no matter how he tried, the energy in his blood could not be removed; instead, it continued to grow stronger.
Li Xiaotian frowned. The Blood Sea was not to be underestimated. Recalling the scenes he had witnessed within the Blood Sea, it seemed that the Blood Sea was an enemy of humanity.
If he couldn’t resolve the influence of the Blood Sea’s cultivation technique, he might be controlled by it if they encountered each other in the future.
He had to find a solution! Li Xiaotian murmured to himself. His current strength was still too weak, and he lacked understanding of the mysterious and unpredictable methods of martial artists, preventing him from solving the Blood Sea issue.
However, he felt that the current problem was temporary. The Blood Sea could be sealed, and it was even intimidated enough to refrain from entering the combat zone by the Bronze Ancient Hall, indicating that its power was not yet absolute.
And if he could reach the level of the Bronze Ancient Hall, the Blood Sea issue would be easily resolved.
Of course, this was the most foolish and slowest method.
Li Xiaotian shook his head slightly, abandoning the struggle with the blood energy and focusing wholeheartedly on cultivation.
He had already reached the peak of the King level, only a hair’s breadth away from the Emperor level. He needed to break through as soon as possible.
In the plaza, everyone except for the soldiers cultivating demonic soldier techniques was diligently cultivating. Even Ye Qingmei was cultivating.