A stench of blood and fetid air assaulted the senses.
A creature, three meters tall and hideously ugly, lunged at Ji Mo with its fanged maw agape.
Ji Mo's scalp tingled, his hair standing on end. A bite from it would surely mean his end.
At the brink of death, he reacted with lightning speed. In a blur, he snatched the shovel from Fan Jingxing's hand and plunged it into the monster's mouth.
The shovel pierced the creature's throat, emerging from the back of its skull.
The monster collapsed, killed in a single blow.
"Where's my precious shovel?"
Fan Jingxing took several seconds longer than Ji Mo to recover.
When he opened his eyes, he found the shovel gone from his hand and cried out in alarm.
Then he saw his shovel, and the corpse of the monster.
"Night Demon Sable! How can there be a demonic creature here!"
He exclaimed, a shiver of fear running down his spine.
This Night Demon Sable was a Demon Saint realm beast, equivalent to a Spirit Saint realm expert. If it had attacked him earlier, he would have had no chance of survival.
Fortunately, Mr. Ji had intervened in time and killed it instantly!
It was a pity that he hadn't witnessed Mr. Ji's display of skill firsthand, a great loss in his life.
"It's just a broken shovel, you really treat it like a treasure. I'll forge you a better one when I have time."
Ji Mo pulled out the iron shovel and returned it to Fan Jingxing.
Fan Jingxing's mind went blank. He hadn't expected happiness to arrive so suddenly.
A better shovel?
Wouldn't that be a dream-grade item!
Dream-grade equipment, also known as Emperor Artifacts, were rare, with even Spirit Emperors not necessarily possessing one.
"Something's not right, the air here contains dense demonic energy!"
Hui Neng, standing nearby, changed his expression drastically. He quickly circulated his spiritual energy to fortify his body, preventing the demonic energy from corroding him.
Fan Jingxing immediately followed suit, protecting himself.
Ji Mo only felt a slight chill in the air and no discomfort.
He curiously examined the demon sable's corpse on the ground, wondering if it was edible.
"As expected of Mr. Ji, he's not even afraid of demonic energy."
Hui Neng and Fan Jingxing looked at Ji Mo, who was unaffected, with immense admiration.
Outside.
The scene had completely erupted.
Ever since Ji Mo opened the stone gate, the terrifying power had vanished.
The cultivators, after confirming there was no danger, surged towards the stone gate, eager to claim the treasures left behind by Emperor Bai.
Upon entering, they immediately regretted their actions.
Screams echoed incessantly. Cultivators with lower cultivation bases could not withstand it, struggling in agony before perishing.
No one had anticipated the pervasive demonic energy within. A moment's carelessness and it would invade the body, corroding life force and essence.
Cultivators affected by the demonic energy suffered from rotting skin and blackening blood, slowly dying.
However, these gruesome sights did not deter the greedy cultivators. Emperor Bai's treasures were too alluring, and no one was willing to give up easily.
For wherever their eyes fell, treasure gleamed and spiritual herbs exuded fragrance, all of which stoked their avarice.
"We've struck it rich! This place is filled with all sorts of treasures and opportunities."
Everyone displayed their unique abilities, using various methods to resist the demonic energy before charging madly in all directions, scrambling for the treasures.
Instantly.
Competition, fights, bloodshed, and deaths began to occur.
The number of cultivators who died or were injured in the struggle for treasures far exceeded those who succumbed to the demonic energy.
Indeed, it wasn't the demonic energy that was terrifying, but the greed in people's hearts.
Amidst the crowd, one person thrived, not only unaffected by the demonic energy but also absorbing it to strengthen himself.
This place, a death trap for other cultivators, was a veritable paradise for him.
If Lin Zihan were present, she would have recognized this person as Ma Peng from the Heavenly Wolf Gang.
It was astonishing that Ma Peng, who had disappeared for so long as if evaporated, had reappeared here.
Even more surprising was that Ma Peng now exuded the aura of a Spirit Saint realm expert.
It was hard to believe that Ma Peng, who was merely at the Spirit Sect realm before, had become so terrifyingly powerful in just a few months.
Ma Peng did not linger, pressing deeper into the ruins.
His mission this time was to uncover the truth of Emperor Bai's tomb.
This was a command from Patriarch Jiuyou, to ascertain whether Emperor Bai was still alive.
Ji Mo rummaged through the demon sable, sighing, "This thing is too tough, difficult to cook. A shame."
Hui Neng and Fan Jingxing's scalps tingled. Mr. Ji was actually planning to eat the demon sable!
Demonic energy was considered potent poison to human cultivators; even a wisp of it could be fatal. The flesh and blood of a Demon Saint realm beast contained demonic energy that even immortals could not withstand.
Yet, Mr. Ji intended to eat it, which was incredibly bold.
"But this sable skin is quite good. It'll be perfect for making a new coat for Ah Li."
Ji Mo set his sights on the demon sable's fur, thinking of making a small sable coat for the little girl.
To him, the demonic beast that was terrifying to cultivators was no different from an ordinary wild animal.
As he skinned it, he casually asked, "Did you hear anything just now, or see any images in your minds?"
Hui Neng and Fan Jingxing both shook their heads. They had only felt a moment of dizziness, and upon opening their eyes, they saw Ji Mo kill the demon sable. Beyond that, they had noticed nothing.
"You really didn't hear Emperor Bai's voice or see any images?"
Ji Mo recounted what he had seen and heard.
Hui Neng and Fan Jingxing were utterly shocked.
Had Mr. Ji performed some heaven-defying technique, tracing back to the source, seeing through the past, and intercepting a sliver of truth from the river of time?
Emperor Bai had guarded humanity due to romantic love!
What kind of woman could make Emperor Bai willingly protect the mortal world?
Hui Neng gazed at Ji Mo with astonishment, finally unable to hold back his question, "Mr. Ji, could you possibly be Emperor Bai!"
Hui Neng, who practiced Buddhism, knew many secrets about reincarnation.
It was rumored that powerful beings with heaven-defying abilities could reincarnate, gradually awakening past-life memories as they grew.
Ji Mo's situation strongly resembled the recovery of past-life memories.
Furthermore, various signs indicated that Ji Mo had an inexplicable connection with Emperor Bai.
His residence was coincidentally built atop Emperor Bai's tomb, and while the stone gate had previously annihilated all cultivators, it showed no hostility towards Ji Mo and could be easily opened by him.
This suggested that Ji Mo was likely the owner of this place.
Fan Jingxing gasped, finding Hui Neng's deduction highly plausible. Ji Mo's origins were mysterious, his strength unfathomable. If he were indeed the reincarnation of Emperor Bai, then everything would make sense.
"Me, Emperor Bai? What a joke, that's impossible." Ji Mo shook his head.
"Reincarnation involves the 'mystery of the womb,' causing the forgetting of all past lives. However, under special conditions, past-life memories can be gradually restored. This place is Emperor Bai's遗迹, which has triggered a fragment of your memory, hence the truth is singular. Mr. Ji, you are Emperor Bai!"
Hui Neng analyzed with perfect logic.
"Restore my ass, I can't be Emperor Bai because I'm not from this world at all..."
Ji Mo blurted out, his haste causing him to accidentally reveal his biggest secret.
Then, realizing his slip-up, he quickly fell silent.
Not from this world?
Could Mr. Ji truly be from the upper realms!
Hui Neng and Fan Jingxing gulped, no longer daring to speak rashly.
Would they be silenced for accidentally learning of Mr. Ji's origins?
As expected, Ji Mo's face turned fierce. He approached them with a bloody knife, a sinister grin on his face.