Chapter Thirty-Two: The Resurrection of Emperor Guyang?

As they ventured deeper, more and more suns appeared in the sky above the secret realm.

Two, three…

By now, six suns hung suspended in the air, and their temperatures were far hotter than those outside.

Faced with this, many cultivators at the Dao Creation stage were overwhelmed with distress.

An Miao Ling, however, was barely affected, thanks to her Ice Phoenix bloodline, whose power, when slightly awakened, could lower the surrounding temperature.

Mu Qingqing benefited indirectly from this.

Because An Miao Ling possessed an ancient bloodline, Mu Qingqing was genuinely eager to befriend her.

Their conversations grew more frequent, and Mu Qingqing shared her cultivation insights with An Miao Ling.

Though these insights held little use for An Miao Ling, a reincarnated empress, they still earned her some goodwill.

The group pressed onward; the number of suns in the sky increased to nine, causing all cultivators below the Semi-Saint stage to retreat in despair.

Even two Semi-Saint cultivators turned back.

After an hour of nine suns blazing overhead, they all vanished.

The entire secret realm trembled, and suddenly everyone was teleported to the gate of a vast ancient city.

Above the ancient city gates were three large characters: Ancient Yang City.

Seeing the name, An Miao Ling seemed to recall something.

Beside her, Mu Qingqing said, “According to the records of our Haotian Empire, thirty thousand years ago there was a peak Emperor-stage triple-realm expert known as the Great Emperor Ancient Yang.”

“Then this secret realm is very likely a legacy left behind by the Great Emperor Ancient Yang.”

“I’ve heard that the Great Emperor Ancient Yang possessed the imperial weapon ‘Ancient Yang Blade,’” Mu Qingqing said with excitement.

Even the Haotian Empire only had one imperial weapon.

The difference between an Emperor-stage cultivator with an imperial weapon and one without was vast.

They were not the only ones aware of this; other prodigies from major powers also recognized the significance.

Especially Lan Feng and Jian Beichen, who both looked determined to claim it.

Boom!

The stone gate of the city lifted, and nearly all cultivators rushed inside.

An Miao Ling and Mu Qingqing followed closely.

But shortly after entering, screams echoed out.

The interior was swarmed by countless shadow soldiers, nearly every one possessing Semi-Saint stage strength.

Moreover, they employed coordinated attack techniques.

Several cultivators at the forefront were instantly taken down by a charging shadow soldier.

The shadow soldiers continued their assault, and when the cultivators tried to retreat, the city gates slammed shut.

A powerful formation enveloped the entire city, making escape by flight impossible.

An Miao Ling noticed the bodies of the fallen wither and dry out progressively.

She remained silent, knowing that warning others was futile.

Most cultivators had already been terrified by the shadow soldiers.

Only by restoring their confidence could they continue to fight.

She whispered to Mu Qingqing, then drew her Ice Crystal Sword and charged at the shadow soldiers.

Ssshh!

Under her blade, the shadow soldiers offered little resistance, each dispatched within three strikes.

An Miao Ling’s bold action awakened the others to the fact that the shadow soldiers were not invincible.

At this moment, many noticed the corpses drying up.

Spontaneously, they organized a counterattack.

The battle was brutal; when all shadow soldiers were slain, their group of nearly eighty had been reduced to ten.

The shadow soldiers’ remnants transformed into streams of shadow energy drifting toward the city’s interior.

Seeing this eerie sight, An Miao Ling decisively pursued the shadow energy.

If anything was truly afoot, stopping it now was their best chance.

Others hesitated briefly but soon followed; as heirs of major powers, they were not fools.

Deeper in the city, they found a palace where the shadow energy was gathering.

Inside the palace, they saw a blood-red bronze figure holding a broad sword, its tip resting on the ground.

On its finger was a storage ring.

The shadow energy was converging upon this figure.

Jian Beichen raised an eyebrow and swung his sword at the bronze figure.

Just as Jian Beichen’s sword was about to strike, the bronze figure moved.

Ssshh!

It abruptly raised its sword and launched a counterattack.

The clash sent Jian Beichen flying backward.

Everyone realized the gravity of the situation.

Some voiced their speculation.

“Could this bronze figure be the Great Emperor Ancient Yang? Is he absorbing the shadow energy and the blood essence of fallen prodigies to resurrect?”

“And the sword in his hand—could that be the Ancient Yang Blade?”

Many agreed with this analysis, both shocked by the possibility of the emperor’s resurrection and thrilled by the existence of an imperial weapon.

Mu Qingqing stepped forward and proposed, “Let’s not think about the imperial weapon for now; our priority is to deal with this bronze figure that seems to be the Great Emperor Ancient Yang.”

Her words received widespread assent.

“Agreed.”

“Let’s unite to take down the bronze figure first.”

They spread out, encircling the bronze figure and launching attacks with their weapons.

Facing so many attackers, especially An Miao Ling wielding a supreme imperial weapon, the bronze figure had to temporarily cease absorbing energy.

At this point, its strength had reached the second realm of the Saint stage.

Jian Beichen and others had undefeated records against first realm Saints but were clearly outmatched by a second realm opponent.

Yet they braced themselves; if the bronze figure continued absorbing energy, there would be no fight at all.

After half a quarter of an hour, they were thrilled to see the bronze figure’s aura weakening.

This meant victory was within reach if they held on a little longer.

While attacking, An Miao Ling secretly transmitted to Mu Qingqing:

“When the time comes, I’ll find an opportunity to deliver the final blow. The storage ring will be mine; the imperial weapon is yours.”

“Deal!” Mu Qingqing replied.

For powerful factions like theirs, cultivation resources were plentiful; what they lacked most was an imperial weapon.

After another half quarter of an hour, the bronze figure’s realm dropped to the first realm of the Saint stage, trending downward.

Its body was already marked with many wounds.

“Prepare,” An Miao Ling transmitted, then unleashed her supreme sword technique.

Yin-Yang Surge!

Immediately, black and white energies swirled around the Ice Crystal Sword, which thrust fiercely toward the bronze figure’s head.

Swish—

The Ice Crystal Sword pierced through the bronze figure’s skull, causing it to shatter.

Prepared in advance, An Miao Ling and Mu Qingqing seized the storage ring and sword and fled.

Others hurried after them, but the two women’s strength was formidable.

After several skirmishes, they managed to escape the secret realm.

Outside, they did not linger but continued traveling farther away.

At this moment, Mu Qingqing’s protector received news and quickly sent out a distress signal, rushing to assist their escape.

However, they had not gone far before being blocked by the arriving Lan Yang King.

Everyone’s expressions changed; they had not expected the Divine Lan Empire to dispatch Emperor-stage experts.

Seeing this, they temporarily abandoned any plans to seize the imperial weapon and storage ring.

Instead, they intended to observe how the Haotian Empire would respond to the Lan Yang King’s arrival.