Chapter 746: The Ancient Corpse in the Boulder

Ye Tianling knew that the Emperor’s Path Thunder Inference King had seemingly walked a path of solitude and loneliness—one fraught with tragedy and hardship, yet also one of invincibility and desolation.

Although he greatly admired such a path, he was unwilling to walk it himself.

Ye Tianling stood before the massive waterfall, lost in thought for a long time, but ultimately decided not to proceed.

He quickly retreated and activated his Eye of Celestial Secret to scan the area.

He was searching for the real Thousand Shadows Pool.

The Thousand Shadows Pool from his memory was clearly not a real place, but merely a restricted memory domain he had entered. It was like stepping into the world of a Projection Stone to witness a vision of the world’s transformation.

Now, Ye Tianling knew that the key opportunity—or rather, the greatest reward—of the Hidden Dragon Demon Cave was likely located at Thousand Shadows Pool.

Thousand Shadows Pool was a Cold Pool with cliffs, but none of the mystical clouds or waterfalls from his vision.

Activating his Eye of Celestial Secret and using the Space-Time Tracing Method, Ye Tianling began his Inference of the surrounding environment.

Finally, he locked onto a direction. He then executed the Kunpeng Hidden Dragon Technique’s Body Technique, mounted his Xuanyuan Celestial Evil Sword, and flew off.

Along the way, Ye Tianling passed over many desolate mountain ranges and sheer cliffs.

At one point, Ye Tianling stood upon a stretch of crimson earth. It was a boundless, desolate, and bleak expanse where the land had been turned to ruin.

After traveling for less than half an hour, Ye Tianling arrived before a black mountain peak.

It was a massive mountain, and upon it rested an enormous boulder.

The boulder was stained with shockingly vivid blood.

Ye Tianling had already spotted the boulder from a distance while on the crimson earth.

As he drew closer to the great black mountain, the boulder looked like a head riddled with countless wounds—a gruesome, bloody, and conspicuous sight.

Ye Tianling hadn’t encountered a single prodigy along the way.

While a thousand prodigies was a large number, in the vast expanse of the Hidden Dragon Demon Cave, they were but a drop in the ocean.

The probability of encountering another person was close to zero.

Ye Tianling flew up to the mountain peak. A powerful force of decay washed over him, making him extremely uncomfortable. It was as if waves of resentful Dao Sound were reverberating through the world, filling one’s heart with grief.

An aura of Silent Extinction, utter isolation, and despair assaulted his mind and Soul, weighing down his spirit with oppressive pain.

Even with his formidable willpower, Ye Tianling could barely withstand it.

Finally, he unleashed his Bloodline Power in a Blood Sacrifice, igniting the Samadhi Celestial Fire to wreathe his body. Only then did he manage to dispel the terrifying, oppressive assault of the Dao Sound.

He then stood quietly, his gaze fixed on the blood-soaked boulder and the jet-black cliff face, a shudder running through his heart.

The immense boulder emanated a terrifying, oppressive force. Its awe-inspiring, blood-soaked aura also stirred a strange sense of familiarity within Ye Tianling.

Ye Tianling approached the boulder. After a moment of contemplation, he unleashed his peerless Emperor’s Qi Sword Body Talent Bloodline, gently channeling the Power of the Emperor Sword into the stone.

BOOM—

The moment his power entered the stone, the energy of his Emperor’s Qi Sword Body began to drain away as if being devoured by a black hole, flowing out of him at a savage rate.

Startled, he tried to pull his power back, but it was too late.

Ye Tianling himself was nearly pulled in, but fortunately, the terrifying Devouring effect lasted only for an instant before it vanished.

Then, the blood-red boulder cracked open. An overwhelming aura erupted, surging through the world and rippling out in all directions.

When the shockwave washed over Ye Tianling, he felt no pressure. Instead, a jolt ran through his body. His face paled instantly, and his eyes filled with profound shock and disbelief.

"How... how could this be?"

Ye Tianling’s sword hand began to tremble. As he gazed at the scene before him, his heart grew heavy, and a deep, heart-wrenching sorrow welled up inside him.

Inside the cracked Blood Stone was a hollow, blood-red wasteland.

The space looked like a miniature version of a blood-red wasteland.

An enormous corpse lay silently within.

The body radiated an incredibly sinister and bizarre aura. What should have been blood-red fur had completely turned into a sickly, mold-like green.

The tufts of green fur were enough to make one’s blood run cold.

Moreover, the shape of its head bore a striking resemblance to the outline of the Blood Stone outside.

It was a person Ye Tianling knew all too well.

In fact, this person had once helped him immensely!

This was none other than the once peerlessly magnificent Feng Chaoge!

The former Law Enforcer, the Guardian of the entire Buried Soul Star Domain.

Yet now his corpse lay here, covered in green fur.

The sight was both shocking and horrifying.

Ye Tianling’s heart was incredibly heavy. This was the real Feng Chaoge, stripped of his former magnificence and his peerless, invincible presence.

He recalled how Feng Chaoge had given him the Star Disc and passed on the opportunity to comprehend the Celestial Dao Rule Domain.

It was because of that Star Disc that he had found a path forward!

It was also because of Feng Chaoge’s inheritance and the Nirvana Nine Transformations he taught that Ye Tianling was able to defy the heavens and be reborn in numerous life-or-death situations.

Moreover, it was thanks to Feng Chaoge’s protection that Ye Tianling had managed to survive several fatal encounters.

It was no exaggeration to say that without Feng Chaoge, the Ye Tianling of today would not exist.

And now Feng Chaoge, this peerless member of the Celestial Beauty Race, this former Guardian of the Soul Realm Battlefield, had met such a wretched and tragic end here.

Ye Tianling remembered scene after scene from their past together.

That was why the death of Feng Chaoge—his mentor, his friend, a man of peerless magnificence—caused Ye Tianling such unbearable heartache.

"Why... why are you gone? I haven’t even fulfilled my promise to you, haven’t avenged you yet..."

Tears welled up in Ye Tianling’s eyes.

He hadn’t cried in a very long time, but now, faced with Feng Chaoge’s fate, tears streamed down his face.

Ye Tianling let out a long sigh. He then bowed deeply three times, paying his respects to Feng Chaoge.

"After this, we likely won’t meet again. I need to sever our ties—this is to prevent my enemies from discovering you and eliminating you prematurely! Also, rest assured, those enemies are definitely not your friends or family. So, if the opportunity arises, you don’t need to hesitate in the slightest."

Feng Chaoge’s last words seemed to echo in Ye Tianling’s ears.

At the same time, the memory of Feng Chaoge’s voice and smiling face appeared once more in his mind.

"If... if one day you truly master the Law of Fate, then please... avenge me."

Feng Chaoge’s last wish resurfaced in his thoughts.

He was still him, and yet, he was no longer him.