Tai Yuan, upon returning to the mainland, flew directly towards his clan's forbidden grounds.
Along the way, Tai Yuan tried various methods to call out to his clansmen, but the entire continent was deserted. No matter how he called, no one responded.
"Tai Yue, Tai Yan... can any of you answer me?"
Tai Yuan's voice was filled with sorrow, echoing across the desolate continent, moving Ye Ling and Yue Qing Ning.
Seeing Tai Yuan's state, Yue Qing Ning couldn't help but think of her disciples at the Tian Qing Dao Palace, her gaze dimming.
The Tian Qing Dao Palace was currently in a similar situation to the Chaos Divine Clan.
Ye Ling, noticing Yue Qing Ning's somber expression, felt a pang of sympathy. He patted her shoulder and comforted her, "Don't worry, they'll be alright."
Hearing Ye Ling's reassurance, Yue Qing Ning snapped back to attention and smiled at him, "You don't need to comfort me; I can handle it myself. For now, we need to focus on the Demon Emperor's inheritance."
"No matter what happens, that inheritance... absolutely cannot fall into the enemy's hands!"
Seeing Yue Qing Ning's smile, Ye Ling also smiled slightly and said firmly, "Yes... we will never let anyone else have the inheritance!"
Soon, Tai Yuan led Ye Ling and Yue Qing Ning to a mountain and stopped before a massive stone gate.
The stone gate was covered with numerous seals, and even several powerful barriers protected it, preventing anyone from approaching.
Even for Ye Ling in his current state, breaking the seals on the stone gate would require some effort.
Tai Yuan stood before the stone gate, composing himself, and said to Ye Ling, "Your Majesty, this is where my clan has guarded the Demon Emperor's inheritance for ages. There are several trials within. If Your Majesty is ready, we can begin at any time."
Ye Ling glanced at the stone gate and asked Tai Yuan, "What are the trials inside?"
Tai Yuan shook his head, "There is no record in our clan's ancient texts, and my clansmen were not qualified to enter the stone gate. I am also unsure of the specific situation inside."
"Is that so..."
Hearing Tai Yuan's answer, Ye Ling suddenly felt a sense of hesitation.
The outer realms were currently ravaged by dark forces, and this Chaos Divine Clan continent was the very source of those dark forces. No one could predict the dangers hidden within this continent!
If the Demon Emperor's inheritance also contained dangerous trials, and he became trapped within, he wouldn't be able to attend to matters outside.
Yue Qing Ning sensed Ye Ling's hesitation and said, "Ye Ling, you don't need to worry about us. The Demon Emperor's inheritance is right before us; we can't give up so easily."
Ye Ling replied, "Yes... we really can't give up. However, I'm still worried about you two. You should come in with me later. We'll face the inheritance together."
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Tai Yuan's expression changed slightly. He immediately knelt before Ye Ling, saying in distress, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely not permissible!"
"This inheritance is only for those of the Imperial Ancestor's lineage. My clan are merely guardians. To enter rashly... would be a great disrespect to our ancestors! I dare not overstep!"
Ye Ling retorted, "In this situation, who cares about respect? If I'm not by your side, you two will end up like everyone else, consumed by the dark forces and vanishing into thin air."
"I don't want to come out of the inheritance only to find you two gone."
Tai Yuan: "But..."
Ye Ling interrupted, "No 'buts.' If it were normal times, I wouldn't force you to enter. But this is an exceptional situation. If you don't agree to my request, I won't enter to accept the inheritance."
For Ye Ling, friends were paramount. He didn't want to reach the end of his cultivation journey only to explore the unknown path alone.
The feeling of fighting alone was truly unbearable.
Seeing Ye Ling's firm resolve, Tai Yuan knew he couldn't persuade him. He could only sigh heavily, rise, and bow deeply towards the ancestral shrine, saying with trepidation, "Esteemed ancestors, the circumstances necessitate this; please forgive the transgression of your descendant..."
After speaking, Tai Yuan performed a kowtow ceremony towards the ancestral shrine, showing the utmost respect.
Having completed this, Tai Yuan then said to Ye Ling, "I agree to enter with Your Majesty. Are you ready?"
Seeing Tai Yuan's agreement, Ye Ling smiled slightly and nodded, "Yes, I am ready. Please remove the barrier."
"As you command."
Tai Yuan replied respectfully and then stepped forward to the stone gate, exercising the power of the successive Chaos Divine Clan leaders to remove the barrier sealing the gate.
Rumble...
The stone gate slowly opened, releasing an ancient aura from within.
As the stone gate fully opened, Ye Ling could see a lotus platform in the center of the cave, upon which lay a set of pitch-black armor.
Other than that, the cave was empty.
Ye Ling gazed at the pitch-black armor on the lotus platform, took a deep breath, and walked in with Tai Yuan and Yue Qing Ning.
Bang!!!
The moment the three entered the cave, the stone gate slammed shut again, and an even stronger barrier rose, completely trapping Ye Ling and the other two inside the cave.
Yue Qing Ning paid no mind to the closed stone gate, her beautiful eyes sweeping over the pitch-black armor, and she asked curiously, "Is this Demon Emperor's inheritance this armor? It doesn't look very impressive..."
A flicker of doubt crossed Tai Yuan's eyes as well, "I'm also unsure of the specific inheritance... perhaps this armor possesses power comparable to a Creation God?"
In truth, Tai Yuan was also quite perplexed, unable to understand why the inheritance was a set of armor.
After all, at the realm of Chaos Dominator, cultivators' needs for external objects diminished greatly. Even if one scoured the world for divine metals and spent a lifetime crafting armor, its defensive capabilities might only be comparable to a protective barrier condensed from Chaos Qi.
The higher one's cultivation, the less need there was for divine weapons and sharp tools.
Tai Yuan had even considered that the Demon Emperor's inheritance might be a Dao Heart, but he never imagined that the Demon Emperor would leave behind a set of armor!
Ye Ling guessed, "Perhaps the Demon Emperor placed this armor here with a unique intention?"
As he spoke, Ye Ling walked towards the lotus platform and reached out to touch the pitch-black armor.
The World-Destroying Spirit Fire suddenly cried out, "Boy, stop! Stay away from that armor!"
Hearing the World-Destroying Spirit Fire, Ye Ling's eyes widened, and he reacted instinctively, retreating rapidly, away from the armor.
Boom!
The moment Ye Ling retreated, a large amount of black energy surged from the pitch-black armor, transforming into countless black hands that attacked Ye Ling!
Ye Ling moved in front of Tai Yuan and Yue Qing Ning, immediately condensing a rune barrier to block the black hands!
Splat! Splat! Splat!
A large number of black hands stuck to Ye Ling's rune barrier, beginning to corrode his runes!
An extremely terrifying and evil aura surged from the pitch-black armor!
Tai Yuan stared in shock, exclaiming, "What... what is going on? Why would the Demon Emperor's inheritance exhibit dark power?"
Ye Ling said grimly, "It seems the Demon Emperor's inheritance has been corrupted by those dark forces. This is a trap!"
"Tai Yuan, open the stone gate immediately! We shouldn't stay here long!"
"Alright, alright!" Tai Yuan's mind was in chaos, but he dared not hesitate. He immediately turned towards the stone gate and began to dismantle the barrier.
However, as Tai Yuan's spiritual energy touched the stone gate, a large amount of black gas emanated from within, severing Tai Yuan's spiritual energy.
Tai Yuan exclaimed anxiously, "No! This barrier has also been infected by the dark forces; I can't..."
"Tai Yuan, be careful!"
Yue Qing Ning suddenly interrupted Tai Yuan, slicing off his arm with her sword, and then kicking his hand away!
Tai Yuan's severed arm was swallowed by the black mist in mid-air!
Seeing this, Tai Yuan's pupils contracted, and a storm of shock surged within him!
Yue Qing Ning quickly said to Tai Yuan, "Those dark forces can corrode your spiritual energy. Don't use your power!"
"Mhm..."
Although Tai Yuan hadn't fully grasped the situation, he forced himself to calm down and heal his injuries!
Ye Ling condensed rune shields around Tai Yuan and Yue Qing Ning, saying, "It seems we've fallen into someone's trap. Your powers are ineffective against the dark forces. From now on, do not act, lest you be corrupted by the dark forces!"
"Understood! I will follow your command."
Yue Qing Ning now understood that she and Tai Yuan couldn't help much and quickly agreed.
After protecting Tai Yuan and Yue Qing Ning, Ye Ling immediately asked the World-Destroying Spirit Fire, "World-Destroying Spirit Fire, do you know something?"
The World-Destroying Spirit Fire stammered, "I'm not entirely sure of the specifics. You, you must be extremely careful and do not directly touch those dark forces."
Hearing the World-Destroying Spirit Fire's words, Ye Ling realized it might have some difficulties and didn't press for details. Instead, he asked, "Do you know the weakness of these dark forces? It can even corrode runes, so I fear my other powers might also be corrupted."
The World-Destroying Spirit Fire replied, "These forces have no weakness; they can only be crushed by overwhelming power. With your current strength, as long as you aren't ambushed, dealing with these forces is not difficult!"
"Oh, right! Absolutely do not use your Devouring Domain to absorb these forces! Even if you possess these forces, you will still be corrupted, perhaps even more severely!"
"I understand..."
Hearing the World-Destroying Spirit Fire's answer, Ye Ling gained some confidence. He immediately unleashed his full power, wiping away all the black hands clinging to the rune barrier, and simultaneously conjured a rune sword, cleaving the cave and the mountain in half with a single strike!
Then, Ye Ling grabbed Tai Yuan with one hand and Yue Qing Ning with the other, lifting them both into the sky!
"Roar—!"
A chilling roar erupted from the inheritance grounds, which Ye Ling had split open, and a torrent of black energy spewed forth!
The black mist that permeated the Chaos Divine Clan continent converged towards the inheritance grounds, forming a colossal entity!
An exceptionally powerful aura erupted from it!
"Chosen one, your time of death has arrived!"
As a shriek echoed, the surging black mist in the inheritance grounds transformed into a hideous ghost face!