"Rumble."
This part of the world erupted with violent roars.
Space shattered, with cracks spreading densely around.
At this moment, under the clash of fists, the two saw each other's true faces for the first time.
Huang Tian, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, possessed a natural imperial bearing.
As for Chen Fan, though he might have appeared as an ordinary person on the surface, his demeanor, compared to Huang Tian, the Imperial Son, was by no means inferior.
The two separated instantly, but had clearly seen each other's faces.
They had already parted ways, and the storm that had been at their location began to rage, spreading outwards.
Huang Tian returned to his Heavenly Sword, looking down from above, uttering not a word.
"Heh."
It was Chen Fan, however, who looked up at the figure on the Heavenly Sword, without speaking.
Such a proud person.
But his pride was built upon absolute strength.
Last time, he had slain Huang Qi, and incidentally, Huang Tian's clone.
"Very good."
Looking at the figure on the Heavenly Sword, Chen Fan's gaze was icy.
Just wait. He would wait until they entered the Imperial Palace.
Huang Tian had arrived, and Ba Wang had arrived.
The fourth person.
An iron staff flew over.
The iron staff was the symbol of the Azure Emperor Palace.
The weapons of most people from the Azure Emperor Palace were iron staffs.
It was a figure like a deity, standing tall in the sky, surveying all directions.
More and more people arrived.
In just one hour, over a hundred people had gathered here.
Yes, over a hundred people.
Experts and prodigies were everywhere.
"Crack."
A bolt of lightning struck down from the sky.
The silver lightning was like sword light splitting the firmament.
The moment this person appeared, everyone looked up simultaneously, watching the figure who commanded lightning.
Before him, it seemed all other prodigies' brilliance was overshadowed.
"Lightning Child."
The Fisher's voice was extremely grave: "The peerless heavenly talent of Southern Continent, only twenty years old, who slew a Half-Emperor at the Emperor Dao realm."
Experts from the Southern Territory also arrived.
More and more people.
At a certain moment...
"Boom."
Another expert arrived.
"That is..."
The moment this person appeared, Chen Fan's head snapped up.
What was that?
In the sky, a divine vine tore through the heavens, and on the divine vine stood a group of figures.
As the divine vine appeared, the Fisher's voice changed: "From the Western Continent, the offspring of the White Emperor Palace's companion demon plant has actually arrived."
The companion demon plants of Imperial Palaces also had descendants.
Though unspoken, the status of each of them was no less than that of an Imperial Son.
Chen Fan hadn't understood before, but after conversing with a companion demon plant, he grasped their function.
They were beings that coexisted with heaven and earth.
More and more people.
Until figures from the Northern Continent appeared in the distance.
"Buzz."
At this moment, the heavenly talents from the Five Continents had all appeared.
Instantly...
A rift appeared on the outer wall of the abandoned Imperial Palace.
No grand spectacle occurred; the abandoned Imperial Palace simply waited for the convergence of the heavenly talents from the Five Continents.
The rift was vast, and a breeze carrying a faint scent of death blew out from within.
The Fisher suddenly spoke: "The Imperial Palace is another world within. I once entered an abandoned Imperial Palace, and I cannot say what it is like inside. Remember one thing: once we enter, the Imperial Palace will begin to crumble. The time of destruction is uncertain, but you must emerge before the Imperial Palace is destroyed."
"Otherwise, you will be annihilated along with the Imperial Palace."
"Let's go."
Chen Fan's expression was calm.
He glanced at the few people beside him: Wu Sheng, Tian Zai, and Huang Die, all of whom had ascended with him from the lower realm.
"Take care of yourselves, and survive."
At this moment, Chen Fan showed genuine emotion.
"Heh."
Wu Sheng grinned.
He said nothing and stepped directly into the rift.
At this time, many people had already entered.
Thousands of people entered one after another.
And in the distance, many more who had received the news were still rushing over.
The prodigies had entered first, so those who were not prodigies naturally had to follow.
...
"Buzz."
Chen Fan also stepped inside.
Before his eyes, it was as if stars were flowing, and the sensation of weightlessness was intense.
Chaos, void.
This was the passage Chen Fan traversed.
Chen Fan had entered.
Yet, there was no one around him; he was alone.
The shadowy figure vanished instantly, and at the same time, his face changed.
His once relatively delicate features transformed into a rugged face, with a touch of gloom. His nose slightly elongated, making it somewhat hooked, resembling a hawk's beak.
Yes, it looked very much like the Westerners from the lower realm.
And the moment he entered, Chen Fan also sensed that the most pervasive element here was the aura of death.
The dense death energy seemed capable of devouring everything.
Besides that, there were also the auras of myriad Daos, complex and mingled with rule attributes, wandering everywhere.
"Not right."
Chen Fan sensed his own body.
The clearest thing was his vitality, surging and dissipating outwards, inherently clashing with the death energy of this place.
However, Chen Fan quickly dispelled other powers, and the Death Dao manifested, enveloping his physical body.
Everything else was suppressed; only the death energy was somewhat compatible with this environment.
Now, others would not be able to tell.
"This place is truly becoming abandoned, it is already moving towards its demise," Chen Fan muttered to himself.
If the Immortal Realm were compared to the realm of the living, then this place would be like the underworld, with destructive death energy everywhere.
In an instant, Chen Fan had a clear perception.
His gaze swept around, his eyes flickering.
Where was this?
He didn't know.
Everything around was dilapidated.
Everything here was unfamiliar; the aura of death constantly swept across the sky of the Imperial Palace.
The sky was gloomy, with a setting sun hanging in the sky.
"Setting sun?"
Chen Fan was taken aback.
The sun and moon were also composed of rules. If even the sun was setting, it showed the extent of this place's decay.
Closing his eyes, he sensed his surroundings, but could not perceive any life force.
He didn't know if there were no people from the Immortal Realm nearby, or if they had all hidden their auras.
Anyone who wasn't an idiot would likely hide their aura.
...
Void, deathly stillness, desolation.
There wasn't even a place to stand. This cursed place, if Chen Fan hadn't known it was an Imperial Palace, he would have thought it was a wasteland.
It was unknown how long this place had been in ruins; a hundred years, a thousand years... time must have been very long.
He still didn't know which Heavenly Emperor had left this Imperial Palace; the companion demon plant hadn't said.
This place was dangerous everywhere.
He didn't know if there were any new generation cultivators. Capturing Huo Xing and others certainly wouldn't be something ordinary people could do.
Was it protected by powerful individuals?
He didn't understand.
"It's truly lonely."
Chen Fan muttered to himself, stepping forward into the oppressive atmosphere.
Here, danger was almost everywhere.
Danger was ubiquitous.
Every few steps, a crisis would appear.
Fortunately, Chen Fan's cultivation was strong enough to resolve crises one after another.
Thinking of those who came later, they would likely suffer heavy losses amidst the crises.
However, although this place seemed chaotic, there were many organized Daos that appeared from time to time, suggesting that all of this was likely the doing of the companion demon plant.
Walking through, he discovered that this must have been a vibrant region in the past, and he often saw remnants of civilization.
He wouldn't dwell on it any longer; he would continue to advance.