15: Chapter 17 Guarding the Stone General: A Fierce Battle (Part 1)

The sound of the third Bronze Ancient Palace door slowly opening was heavy, as if it came from the depths of the earth.

It wasn't the "click" of gears turning, but the teeth-grinding "creak" of metal rubbing against rock.

What poured out from the door gap wasn't light, nor was it darkness, but a viscous, pale yellow mist.

The mist carried a rich, earthy smell and... a faint scent of blood.

Lin Ye stood before the door, his Chaos Domain already quietly unfurled.

A five-meter radius of grayish mist enveloped the five of them, isolating them from that uncomfortable aura.

He reached out, probing into the pale yellow mist behind the door gap.

The texture was peculiar—not the feeling of flowing gas, but like reaching into some kind of viscous liquid, with distinct resistance.

Furthermore, the temperature was very low, even lower than the nighttime temperature of the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Land, as if it could freeze blood.

"There is something in the mist." The crescent moon mark on Su Qingyue's forehead glowed slightly. "It's... tiny particles of earth-attribute crystals, and there is a faint life fluctuation."

"It's not a living creature." Lin Ye withdrew his hand. "It is 'Earth Spirit Mist' derived from a Formation. Inhaling it for a long time will erode the Meridians and cause the body to gradually petrify. Stay close to me and do not leave the range of the Chaos Domain."

The five of them formed a line, Lin Ye in the lead, Su Qingyue second, Chen Hao third, and Qingfeng and Mingyue bringing up the rear, stepping into the mist one by one.

Their vision was instantly taken away.

Visibility was less than three meters; even with a Cultivator's eyesight, they could only see blurred outlines.

The ground beneath their feet was no longer bronze plates, but rough, uneven rock.

Every step they took made a "rustling" sound—the friction of their boots against the tiny crystal particles on the rock surface.

The Chaos Domain propped up an oval-shaped safety zone within the mist.

When the pale yellow mist touched the edge of the Domain, it was slowly devoured and converted.

However, the conversion speed was very slow, and Lin Ye could feel his Divine Power consumption accelerating.

After walking about twenty meters, an outline appeared ahead.

Was it a... platform?

No, it looked more like a huge, circular arena.

The mist became thinner here, allowing them to see the general environment: a circular arena about fifty meters in diameter, with the ground paved with dark cyan stone slabs engraved with complex Formation patterns.

In the center of the arena stood a statue.

It was a four-meter-tall stone statue, humanoid in shape, clad in heavy armor, and holding a battle axe taller than a person.

The surface of the statue was covered with thick, grayish-white stone, but on the edges of the armor and the axe blade, a dark cyan metallic luster could be discerned.

It maintained a posture of kneeling on one knee, with the battle axe stuck in the ground in front of it, head bowed, as if in deep sleep.

And around the statue, over a dozen... corpses were scattered.

Some were human, others non-humanoid.

Those corpses were also covered in grayish-white stone; some had completely petrified and merged with the ground, while others still retained the postures they had in life—struggling, fleeing, or charging forward.

"This is..." Mingyue's voice trembled. "The remains of previous intruders?"

"Yes." Lin Ye nodded. "They have all been petrified. It seems this statue is the guardian of the third level."

He walked over to a relatively intact corpse.

It was a human Cultivator wearing ancient-style armor, maintaining a posture of holding a sword to block, but both the sword and the arm had turned into stone.

There was a huge piercing wound on the corpse's chest, with smooth edges; clearly, it had been killed in one blow by some kind of Sharp Weapon.

"Caused by the statue's battle axe." Lin Ye judged. "When these people broke in here, the statue was activated, and then... they were all wiped out."

Chen Hao gripped his long saber: "Then we..."

"Prepare for battle." Lin Ye looked at the statue. "It hasn't been activated yet; it should require a trigger condition. But since we have reached this point, battle is inevitable. Rather than triggering it passively, we should actively prepare."

He began to set up the tactics.

"Qingfeng, Mingyue, you two stand at the edge of the arena and be ready to provide support and long-range assistance at any time. Your Dao techniques might not be very effective against the statue, but you can interfere with its actions."

"Understood." The two nodded and retreated to the edge of the platform.

"Su Qingyue, set up your Three Talents Formation Flags in three directions of the arena—the Heaven Flag on the left, the Earth Flag on the right, and the Human Flag in the back. Once the statue is activated, start the Formation immediately."

Su Qingyue took out three small flags and, following Lin Ye's instructions, quickly inserted them into the specified positions.

Pale golden light seeped from the bottom of the flagpoles into the stone slabs, and faint energy lines formed between the three small flags.

"Chen Hao, you and I will be the main attackers." Lin Ye finally looked at Chen Hao. "The statue is Earth-attribute, and your God King Body has a certain restraint against the Earth-attribute. But don't fight it head-on; focus on skirmishing and look for opportunities to attack its joints."

Chen Hao took a deep breath: "Alright."

Everything was ready.

Lin Ye walked to the center of the arena and stopped ten meters away from the statue.

He raised his right hand, condensed a ball of Chaos Divine Power in his palm, and then... gently pushed it towards the statue.

The Divine Power ball slowly flew towards the statue, and the moment it touched the statue's surface—

"Hum!"

The statue woke up.

It didn't wake up slowly; it was instantly activated!

The grayish-white stone shell receded like a tide, revealing the dark cyan metallic body beneath.

Earth-yellow light lit up in the gaps of the armor; that was the manifestation of Earth-attribute spiritual energy.

The battle axe stuck in the ground was pulled out, and complex runes appeared on the axe blade, those runes lighting up with blinding golden light.

The statue raised its head.

Its "face" was a metallic mask without any facial features, with only two holes where eyes should be, and two clusters of dark yellow Soul fire burning within the holes.

The Soul fire flickered, locking onto Lin Ye.

[Stone General Guard (Elite)]

Rank: 18

HP: 8000 / 8000

Skills: Heavy Axe Slash, Earth Tremor, Petrifying Gaze, Rock Armor (Passive)

Description: The third-level guardian of the Bronze Ancient Palace, a combat Puppet created by combining ancient alchemy with Earth-attribute Laws, possessing terrifying defensive and destructive power.

Special Status: Formation Buff (When within a specific Formation, all attributes are increased by 20%)

Level 18 Elite! Eight thousand HP! And a Formation buff!

"It's coming!" Lin Ye shouted, while his figure flashed sharply to the left.

Almost the moment he dodged, the Stone General moved.

Without warning, without charging up, the huge body rushed out like a cannonball!

The battle axe brought with it an arc of golden light, slashing at the position where Lin Ye had just been standing!

"Boom—!!!"

The ground shattered!

A three-meter-long crack was split open on the stone slab, and crushed stone splashed like rain.

Just by the wind of the axe passing by, Lin Ye felt a stinging pain in his back—his protective Divine Power had been pierced!

-87!

This was just the aftermath damage after dodging!

"Such a powerful attack!" Chen Hao's expression changed.

"Don't just stand there!" Lin Ye yelled. "Su Qingyue, activate the Formation!"

Su Qingyue formed seals with both hands and chanted incantations.

The Three Talents Formation Flags inserted in three directions lit up simultaneously!

Heaven Flag—Pale golden light poured out, covering the entire arena.

Lin Ye and Chen Hao felt a surge of power in their bodies; attack power increased by 20%!

Earth Flag—Earth-yellow light seeped into the ground, and a thin membrane of energy appeared on the surface of the stone slabs.

Defense increased by 20%!

Human Flag—Pale blue light fell like rain, and the five people's Divine Power recovery speed increased by 30%!

The moment the Formation took effect, the Stone General seemed to sense a threat.

It gave up chasing Lin Ye, turned around, and its hollow eye sockets "looked" towards Su Qingyue.

Then, it opened its mouth.

No sound was emitted, but an invisible, heavy pressure surged towards Su Qingyue like a tsunami!

Skill: Petrifying Gaze!

Su Qingyue's pupils shrank sharply.

She could feel her body becoming heavier and harder, and grayish-white stone patterns began to appear on the surface of her skin!

This was an instant-death control skill; once completely petrified, even a god couldn't save her!

At the critical moment—

"Condense!"

She let out a clear cry, and the crescent moon mark on her forehead fully appeared, bursting with blinding silver light!

The extreme cold of the Vast Cold Spirit Body fought against the petrifying power, forming a thin layer of ice crystal armor on the surface of her body.

The power of ice and stone collided and canceled each other out, finally barely blocking the petrification effect.

But her face turned pale instantly; clearly, the consumption was huge.

"Attack its eyes!" Lin Ye seized the Opportunity, pushing the Chaos Domain to its limit, enveloping the Stone General's head.

In the gray mist, the Stone General's movements were noticeably sluggish.

It wanted to turn its head, but the metallic joints at its neck made a "creaking" friction sound, and the rotation speed was at least half slower.

Chen Hao seized the Opportunity, activating his God King Battle Intent!

Golden light surged from his body, and all attributes increased by 20%!

He leaped up, his long saber carrying sacred golden light, slashing towards the Stone General's left eye!

"Clang—!!!"

Metal clashed!

The blade hit the metal on the edge of the eye socket, sparking a trail of sparks.

A damage number floated up: -133!

Not high, but at least it broke the defense!

The Stone General felt pain and let out a silent roar.

It swept its right arm, and the battle axe, with a sharp whistle that tore through the air, swept towards Chen Hao in the air!

This attack was too fast; Chen Hao was in the air with nowhere to borrow force!

"Ice Wall!" Su Qingyue gritted her teeth and cast a spell again.

An ice wall half a meter thick condensed in front of Chen Hao.

The battle axe hit the ice wall with a "crack," shattering it, but the force of the axe was also blocked for an instant.

Chen Hao took the Opportunity to land and roll, narrowly avoiding it.

But the Stone General's attack was not over yet.

It raised its right foot and stomped hard on the ground!

Skill: Earth Tremor!

An earth-yellow shockwave spread out with the Stone General as the center!

The ground undulated like waves, and stone slabs were flipped up one by one!

Wherever the shockwave passed, the air distorted!

"Jump!" Lin Ye shouted.

All five of them jumped up at the same time.

But the range of the shockwave was too large; even after jumping, they were hit by the aftermath.

Lin Ye felt as if his legs had been hit by a heavy hammer, and his bones were groaning.

Their HP bars all dropped by a chunk.

-121!

-98!

-134!

-87!

-76!

Qingfeng and Mingyue had the lowest cultivation and were the most severely injured, almost falling when they landed.

"We can't let it continuously release area-of-effect skills!" Lin Ye gritted his teeth. "Su Qingyue, use ice-type skills to freeze its feet! Chen Hao, attack the joints with me!"

Su Qingyue nodded and pressed her hands to the ground.

"Frozen Earth!"

Pure white cold air surged from her palms, spreading like a tide to the Stone General's feet.

The ground quickly froze, and thick ice layers froze the Stone General's feet to the ground!

Although it could only last for five seconds, it was enough!

Lin Ye and Chen Hao rushed towards the Stone General from left and right simultaneously.

The Chaos Domain contracted, concentrating on the knee joint of the Stone General's right leg.

There were tiny gaps in the metal joints there, which was a place where the defense was relatively weak.

The Nameless Short Sword pierced into the gap!

Chaos Divine Power poured in along the sword body, detonating inside the joint!

-288! (Weakness Attack)

Chen Hao's long saber slashed towards the left knee joint; the sacred power of the God King Body had an extra restraint against the Earth-attribute.

-211!

Two damage numbers floated up, and the Stone General's HP bar clearly dropped by a small chunk.

But the Stone General's counterattack also arrived.

Even with its feet frozen, it could still attack.

The battle axe swung like a gale, chopping, slashing, sweeping, and lifting, each attack carrying the power to split mountains and crack rocks.

Lin Ye and Chen Hao wove through the axe shadows, narrowly escaping danger.

Three seconds.

Lin Ye's short sword left seven wounds on the Stone General, but none were deep.

The Stone General's defense was too high; even with the Chaos Domain weakening it, the Formation buff, and weakness attacks, each damage was only between 200-300.

With eight thousand HP, it would take over thirty hits!

Five seconds.

The freezing effect ended.

The Stone General shook its feet, and the ice layer shattered.

It took long strides, battle axe held high, and rushed towards Qingfeng and Mingyue, who were the most severely injured!

"Stop it!" Lin Ye shouted urgently.

Su Qingyue acted again, this time not an ice wall, but... ice mist.

She spread her hands to the sides, and dense white cold mist surged from her palms.

The cold mist spread rapidly, covering a ten-meter radius around the Stone General.

The temperature in the mist plummeted, the Stone General's movements slowed down again, and thick frost condensed on the surface of its armor.

Slow effect!

Qingfeng and Mingyue seized the Opportunity and retreated rapidly.

But the Stone General was clearly enraged.

It stopped its steps, inserted the battle axe into the ground, and pressed its hands together.

The earth-yellow light on the surface of its armor flared, and that light gathered on the battle axe like flowing water.

The runes on the axe blade lit up one after another, and the golden light was blinding.

"It's charging up a big move!" Lin Ye's expression changed. "Interrupt it!"

Chen Hao rushed up, his long saber slashing towards the Stone General's arm.

"Clang!"

The blade was deflected; a layer of rock-like armor appeared on the surface of the Stone General's arm—the Rock Armor passive was triggered, and physical defense was greatly increased!

Su Qingyue's ice cones shot towards the Stone General's eyes, but it lowered its head and blocked them with its helmet.

Qingfeng and Mingyue's Dao techniques blasted onto the Stone General, like a stone sinking into the ocean.

Seeing the charge-up was about to be completed—

A ruthless look flashed in Lin Ye's eyes.

He gave up dodging and rushed towards the Stone General.

The Chaos Domain contracted to the extreme, covering only his right fist.

The grayish mist condensed and compressed on his fist, finally forming a thin, almost tangible Chaos gauntlet.

Then, he punched the Stone General's chest—that was where the energy core was!

"Chaos... Break!"

The moment the fist hit the armor, time seemed to stand still for half a second.

Then—

"Boom—!!!"

A deafening explosion!

It wasn't an explosion from the outside, but one that blew up from inside the Stone General!

The Chaos Divine Power ignored the defense of the Rock Armor, penetrated directly through the armor, and detonated at the energy core!

The earth-yellow light and the Chaos mist collided violently, and a hole the size of a washbasin was blown open in the Stone General's chest!

-888! (Critical Strike!)

A terrifying number!

[part:gemini-3.0-flash]

The Stone General's charge was interrupted, and the golden light on its battle-axe instantly dimmed. It staggered back, and through the hole in its chest, a complex internal mechanical structure and a 'core' flickering with an earthy yellow light could be seen. The surface of the core was covered in cracks, its light flickering uncertainly.

"Now's the chance!" Chen Hao's eyes lit up as his long blade slashed toward that core.

But the Stone General's deathbed counterattack arrived.

It abandoned its defense, swinging its battle-axe in a horizontal sweep to force Chen Hao back. Then, it thrust a single hand into the hole in its chest and forcibly... ripped out that damaged core!

It didn't just take it out; it... crushed it!

*Crack...*

The core shattered, and earthy yellow energy poured out like a flood, all of it absorbed by the Stone General! Its body began to swell, earthy yellow flames erupted from the gaps in its armor, and its aura surged!

[Stone General Guard has entered Berserk State]

[Health Locked: 1000/8000]

[Attack Power increased by 50%]

[Defense decreased by 30%]

[Skill Cooldown reduced by 70%]

[Duration: 60 seconds]

"It's going all out!" Qingfeng exclaimed in shock.

In its Berserk State, the Stone General's attack power was terrifying to the extreme. Every swing of its battle-axe created a sonic boom, plowing deep trenches into the ground. Even if its defense was lowered, an attack like that would cause heavy injury if it just grazed you and certain death if it hit head-on!

"Scatter! Stall for time!" Lin Ye commanded. "Don't face it head-on, wait for the Berserk State to end!"

The five of them scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing in all directions across the area.

The Stone General chased after the nearest person, Mingyue, its battle-axe following her like a shadow. Mingyue fled in a panic, the axe blade grazing her back several times, shattering her protective spiritual Qi like paper.

"Mingyue!" Qingfeng wanted to rescue her, but was forced back by a gust of wind from the axe.

Just as Mingyue was about to be caught—

Su Qingyue suddenly stopped in her tracks.

She didn't run; instead, she turned to face the charging Stone General.

Her hands formed seals, and the crescent moon mark on her forehead brightened to its limit, even beginning to seep blood! She was overdrawing her Spirit Body's Origin!

"Vast Cold... Heaven Sealing!"

This was one of the ultimate skills of the Vast Cold Spirit Body that she had just comprehended and never used before. At the cost of overdrawing her Spirit Body's Origin, it would release an extreme burst of cold air in a short time, freezing everything!

Silver-white light erupted from her body, rising like a bright moon in the center of the area! Wherever the light touched, the air froze and time seemed to slow down. The charging Stone General's movements instantly came to a halt, its battle-axe suspended in mid-air, and the earthy yellow flames were frozen into ice sculptures!

The entire area was transformed into a frozen world!

But Su Qingyue also paid a price. She spat out a mouthful of blood, her face became as pale as paper, and her body swayed unsteadily. This strike had consumed all of her Divine Power and a portion of her Origin; she wouldn't be able to recover without ten days to half a month of rest.

"Now!" Lin Ye seized the Opportunity, and his Chaos Domain expanded once again, enveloping the frozen Stone General.

He didn't attack; instead, he... devoured.

The Chaos mist wound around the Stone General like tentacles, frantically devouring the earth-attribute energy within its body. That energy was converted into Chaos Divine Power, replenishing Lin Ye's consumption while also accelerating the Stone General's demise.

Chen Hao, Qingfeng, and Mingyue also attacked with all their might.

Ten seconds.

Twenty seconds.

Thirty seconds...

The freezing effect began to weaken. Cracks appeared in the layer of ice on the Stone General's body, and the earthy yellow flames reignited.

But its health had already dropped below the danger line.

"Final blow!" Lin Ye shouted, thrusting his Nameless Short Sword toward the hole in the Stone General's chest.

Chen Hao's long blade slashed toward its neck.

Qingfeng and Mingyue's Dao techniques blasted toward its head.

Su Qingyue barely managed to condense one last ice spike and shot it toward its eye socket.

The four attacks hit simultaneously!

-233!

-188!

-97+86!

-124!

The Stone General's health bar dropped to zero.

Its massive body froze in place, and the earthy yellow flames slowly extinguished. The armor lost its luster, and dense cracks appeared on the dark green metal surface. Finally, it collapsed like a sand tower, turning into a pile of broken metal and stones.

[Successfully killed 'Stone General Guard (Elite)']

[Obtained 80,000 Experience Points]

[Obtained Reputation +500]

[Obtained Items: Stone General Core (Fragmented), Guardian Rune x3, Bronze Battle-axe Fragment x7]

The battle ended.

The five of them slumped to the ground, panting heavily.

This battle had been too difficult. The Stone General's defense was ridiculously high and its attacks were terrifying. If Su Qingyue hadn't overdrawn her Origin at the end to use Vast Cold Heaven Sealing, and if Lin Ye's Chaos Domain couldn't devour energy, they might have really been wiped out.

"Sister Su, are you okay?" Chen Hao looked at Su Qingyue.

Su Qingyue shook her head, but her face remained pale. She took out several Medicinal Pills from her storage space, swallowed them, and closed her eyes to regulate her breathing.

Lin Ye had also suffered significant injuries. Forcibly using Chaos Divine Power to detonate the Stone General's core had caused massive damage, but the backlash had also damaged his Meridians. He swallowed a healing Medicinal Pill and began to circulate the Qi Guiding Formula to recover.

Qingfeng and Mingyue had the lightest injuries, but their spiritual Qi was completely exhausted, so they also hurried to recover.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the five of them were in slightly better condition.

Lin Ye stood up and walked to the remains of the Stone General.

Among the pile of broken metal and stones, three items were emitting a faint light.

The first was the Stone General Core—though fragmented and only a third of its original size, it still contained pure earth-attribute energy.

[Stone General Core (Fragmented)]

Quality: Rare (Blue)

Description: The energy core of the Stone General Guard, fragmented due to battle damage.

Effects:

1. Can be directly absorbed to gain a large amount of experience points and permanently increase Earth Attribute Affinity by 5%.

2. Can be used to refine earth-type Magic Treasures or Puppet cores.

3. Other uses unknown.

Current Energy: 41%

The second item was the Guardian Rune—three palm-sized, pale gold metal plates with complex runes carved on their surfaces.

[Guardian Rune (Set)]

Quality: Superior (Green)

Description: Defensive runes stripped from the Stone General's armor, containing the Earth-type Law of Protection.

Effects:

1. Can be inlaid on armor to increase defense by 10-30 points (depending on the armor's quality).

2. Collecting all three can activate a set effect: Automatically generates a layer of rock armor when attacked (negates 100 points of damage, 60-second cooldown).

Usage Requirement: Must possess basic knowledge of Artifact Refining.

The third item was the Bronze Battle-axe Fragments—seven metal fragments of varying sizes with sharp edges and residual rune traces on the surface.

[Bronze Battle-axe Fragment]

Quality: Common (White)

Description: Fragments of the Stone General's battle-axe, containing faint metal-attribute energy.

Effects:

1. Can be used as Artifact Refining Materials to increase a weapon's sharpness.

2. Collecting enough can reforged the battle-axe (requires at least a Great Master Artifact Refiner).

Current Quantity: 7/100

"Good haul." Lin Ye put the items away. "The Stone General Core goes to Hao; you have an earth-attribute Physique, so your strength should increase significantly after absorbing it. As for the Guardian Runes... Su Qingyue, you take one to inlay on your dress to boost your defense. The other two go to Qingfeng and Mingyue; your cultivation is lower, so you need them more to stay alive."

"I'll keep the Bronze Battle-axe Fragments for now until we find an Artifact Refiner later."

After the distribution, the five of them looked toward the depths of the area.

What the Stone General had been guarding was a stone platform about three meters high. On the platform sat a bronze treasure chest, its surface covered with ancient star maps. Those star maps were slowly rotating, as if simulating the movement of the actual starry sky.

"The final reward..." Chen Hao's eyes shone.

Lin Ye stepped forward and reached out to touch the treasure chest.

It felt icy cold and the chest was heavy. He tried to open it, but the lid wouldn't budge. Looking closely, there was a groove in the center of the lid with a shape that... perfectly matched the Bronze Formation Command.

He took out the Formation command and placed it into the groove.

*Click.*

The mechanism turned.

The lid slowly opened.

Inside the chest, there was only one thing.

It was a palm-sized, dark green, three-legged, two-eared small cauldron. The surface of the cauldron was covered in dense runes finer than a strand of hair, and those runes were slowly flowing as if they were alive. The cauldron was empty, but Chaos-colored mist could be seen churning within.

[Obtained: myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo (Growth-type Natal Artifact)]

Quality: Legendary (Gold)

Description: A cauldron embryo refined with myriad mother qi as its foundation and fused with the Chaos Law. It can grow and evolve along with its master, with the ultimate potential to transform into a Supreme Emperor Weapon that suppresses the heavens.

Current Attributes:

Attack +500

Defense +800

Attached Skills: Mother Qi Body Protection (Passive, 20% damage reduction), Chaos Devour (Active, can devour enemy attacks and convert them into its own energy, 5-minute cooldown)

Growth Conditions:

1. Devour myriad mother qi (Attributes increase with every wisp absorbed).

2. Fuse with other Advanced Materials (Can unlock new abilities).

3. Master's Realm increases (The cauldron embryo automatically evolves once for every Breakthrough into a major Realm).

Binding Status: Soul-bound, cannot be dropped, cannot be traded.

Usage Requirement: Must reach the Dao Palace Realm for initial refinement; can be used temporarily for now (effects halved).

The myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo!

A legendary growth-type Natal Artifact!

Lin Ye's breathing quickened.

In his past life, it wasn't until the third year after the game's Fusion that he had obtained a growth-type Natal Artifact by chance, and its quality was only purple Epic-grade. Even that one had increased his combat power by an entire level.

And now, on the third day of the server opening, he had obtained the gold Legendary-grade myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo!

This was simply... a Heaven-Defying Opportunity!

"This is..." Su Qingyue walked over, her pupils shrinking the moment she saw the small cauldron. Even with her knowledge, she could sense the extraordinary nature of this small cauldron—that aura that seemed capable of suppressing the heavens and evolving all things far surpassed any Magic Treasure she had seen before.

"A Natal Artifact," Lin Ye said softly. "Growth-type. It can evolve along with me and eventually... become an Emperor Weapon."

An Emperor Weapon!

Those two words made everyone gasp.

In the Shrouding the Heavens Universe, what did an Emperor Weapon signify? It was the exclusive weapon of a Great Emperor-level existence, capable of shattering stars and suppressing eternity with a single strike! Even if it only had the 'potential' to become an Emperor Weapon, it was already a supreme treasure that countless Cultivators dreamed of!

Lin Ye held the small cauldron in his palm.

The cauldron embryo seemed to sense the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body within him; it vibrated slightly and then turned into a streak of dark green light, sinking into his Dantian.

Within the Bitter Sea of his Dantian, the myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo floated above the Chaos Dao Seed. The cauldron slowly rotated, and the myriad mother qi it emitted merged with and complemented his Chaos Divine Power. Lin Ye could feel that his cultivation speed had increased by at least thirty percent! Furthermore, the 'quality' of his Chaos Divine Power was also slowly improving, becoming purer and heavier.

"With this, the time it takes for me to break through to the Dao Palace Realm can be shortened by at least half." Lin Ye opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing within them.

"Congratulations, Brother Ye!" Chen Hao was sincerely happy for him.

Qingfeng and Mingyue were also full of envy, but they knew that a treasure of this level was not something they could covet. Being able to follow Lin Ye and earn this much experience and rewards was already a huge gain.

Lin Ye looked back the way they came.

The third level of the Bronze Ancient Palace had been cleared, and according to the rules, they could leave at any time. But...

His gaze shifted further into the depths of the area.

There was another door there.

It wasn't a bronze door, but a... light gate.

A pale gold, semi-transparent light gate. Behind the gate, distorted scenes could be faintly seen—not scenes of this era, but... fragments of some ancient battlefield? Or a projection of the future?

"That's..." Su Qingyue saw it too.

"A hidden stage," Lin Ye said in a low voice. "The ultimate secret of the Bronze Ancient Palace. In my past life... no one ever triggered it."

Or rather, everyone who triggered it died, so no information ever leaked out.

"Are we going?" Chen Hao asked.

Lin Ye fell silent.

According to his memories of his past life, the Bronze Ancient Palace only had three levels. After clearing the third level, one would be automatically teleported out and receive the first-clear rewards.

But now, a fourth door had appeared.

Was it because he cleared it ahead of time? Or was it because the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body had triggered some hidden mechanism?

"I'll go take a look," Lin Ye finally decided. "You guys wait for me here. If I haven't come out after ten minutes, or if something goes wrong with the light gate, leave the ancient palace immediately and don't worry about me."

"I'm going with you." Su Qingyue stood up; though her face was still pale, her eyes were determined.

"Me too!" Chen Hao gripped his long blade.

Qingfeng and Mingyue looked at each other and also nodded. "Benefactor Lin, though our strength is low, more people means more strength."

Lin Ye looked at the four of them and finally smiled. "Alright, then... let's all go together."

"But before that, let's restore ourselves to peak condition."

The five of them sat cross-legged and focused on recovering.

What they didn't know was that behind the light gate, those silver-white eyes that had been watching everything were waiting quietly.

"Is it finally... coming?"

"Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body, myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo..."

"Let me see how far you can go in the 'Corridor of Time'."

The eyes slowly closed.

The scenes behind the light gate began to distort and change at an accelerated pace.

As if preparing for a... trial that spanned time and space.