Invincible Soul Emperor

Xue Zhao followed Ye Qingchen’s indication and looked over. A trace of doubt flashed in her eyes. "That light... doesn’t seem quite right."

Ye Qingchen nodded. "Should we go over and take a look?"

Xue Zhao didn’t hesitate and nodded immediately.

The two of them carefully walked deeper into the cave. Scorching Lava was still flowing along the rock walls on both sides, but the atmosphere had become unusually oppressive.

That light grew brighter and brighter, as if guiding them forward.

They walked toward the inside, only to find that there was nothing but an ordinary cave around them.

Ye Qingchen made a circuit around and found that all these treasures were very ordinary.

He casually picked up a piece of crystal-clear jade. The surface of the jade emitted a soft glow, and within it a faint blue Spiritual Energy could be vaguely seen circulating.

However, when he infused a trace of Energy to probe it, he discovered that this piece of jade was nothing more than a mortal trinket. The Spiritual Energy it contained was pitifully little, at best suitable to make into an Amulet. To him, it was utterly useless.

He immediately tossed the jade aside without the slightest reluctance.

Next, he walked up to a pile of glittering Gold Coins. These Gold Coins shone under the surrounding light, appearing especially dazzling.

However, to Ye Qingchen, these were completely worthless. He shook his head and turned to the other side.

Not far away, an ancient-looking Longsword caught his attention. The sword was pitch-black all over, its blade covered with intricate Runes, as if it contained some mysterious power.

Ye Qingchen reached out and gripped the hilt. His hand gave a slight tremor, only to discover that this was just an ordinary Spiritual Artifact—sharp, but nothing special.

If placed in the hands of beginners, it might be enough to make a few novices fight over it, but in his eyes, it was still utterly useless.

After that, he looked at several stalks of Spirit Grass to the side. The leaves of these Spirit Grass were a vivid green, their roots translucent, exuding a faint, fresh fragrance.

Ye Qingchen examined them briefly and found that most of these Spirit Grass were Low Rank medicinal ingredients. They could be used in Alchemy, but their effects were limited and absolutely incapable of raising one’s Cultivation.

He shook his head and continued searching.

After all, since he was already here, it would be a waste not to take whatever treasure there was.

Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to an ancient Stele.

The Stele was covered with obscure, difficult-to-understand Runes, emanating a dense aura of antiquity. Ye Qingchen stepped forward to examine it carefully and found that this was actually a Stele recording an Ancient Formation.

Although the Formation was complex, it did give him some inspiration. His heart stirred, and he decided to put the Stele away.

Ye Qingchen looked around. Aside from this Stele, the other treasures all seemed insignificant to him. He sighed and muttered to himself, "Looks like the treasures in this Secret Realm are just so-so. Could it be we haven’t reached the place where the real treasures are kept?"

Ye Qingchen flicked his sleeve and turned, looking over at Xue Zhao beside him.

Xue Zhao, standing to the side and looking at these treasures, also shook her head.

She had thought there would be something impressive here.

These treasures were just as useless to her.

She casually picked up a gorgeous Luminous Pearl. The pearl emitted a soft glow all over, able to illuminate the surroundings even in the dead of night. However, in her eyes, such a treasure was nothing more than a decorative trinket—pretty, but without any substantive value.

She then picked up a dagger. Several sparkling gemstones were embedded in the dagger, and its blade was incomparably sharp. Xue Zhao gave it a light swing, and a flash of cold light traced through the air.

But she could feel that this was just an ordinary dagger—good enough for chopping vegetables—without any Spiritual Power within it. For someone whose Cultivation was already deep like her, it was completely useless.

Farther ahead, she saw an exquisite wooden box. Inside the box, a few Elixirs were neatly arranged. The Elixirs had a rich color and gave off a strong medicinal scent.

Xue Zhao picked one up and examined it closely, only to discover that these Elixirs were merely ordinary Healing Medicine. Although they had some effect on Low Rank Cultivators, for an expert like her who had already broken through several Realms, they couldn’t raise her Cultivation in the slightest.

Her gaze shifted and fell on a brocade robe inlaid with gemstones. The robe’s craftsmanship was extremely fine; every stitch and thread revealed the artisan’s skill. This robe might be a priceless treasure in the mortal world, enough to make countless princes and nobles flock to it, but in her eyes, it was nothing more than a flashy, impractical vulgarity.

Xue Zhao sighed softly and murmured to herself, "How strange. The stuff here isn’t even as good as my own treasures."

Ye Qingchen said slowly, "Do you think this place might be a smokescreen? They deliberately put these worthless things here to lure us in?"

Xue Zhao looked around and shook her head, somewhat unconcerned. "This place is so deep. Why would Xue Wei make a move on us here? But... that guy is insidious and cunning. It’s not impossible..."

Just as the two of them were about to leave, the entire cave suddenly began to quake violently, as if the earth itself were roaring. The surrounding rock walls started to collapse, and dust and rubble rained down, producing a deafening noise.

Ye Qingchen and Xue Zhao exchanged a glance, their eyes full of doubt and wariness.

Before they could react, the ground beneath their feet suddenly gave way. The two of them instantly lost their balance, their bodies plummeting downward against their will.

They hastily circulated their Energy, trying to steady themselves, but this abrupt change left them no time to respond.

Darkness closed in on all sides, as if they had fallen into a bottomless abyss. Only the howling wind and the echo of their own heartbeats sounded in their ears.

Ye Qingchen and Xue Zhao could only feel their bodies falling continuously. The air around them grew colder and colder, as if countless icy gazes were hiding in the dark, watching them.

In the end, the two of them crashed heavily onto the ground with a dull thud. Ye Qingchen quickly sprang to his feet. All around was deathly silent, the darkness thick as ink, wrapping them in. Xue Zhao also stood up. Feeling the chill in the surroundings, she couldn’t help but shiver.

They drew closer together, straining their eyes in an attempt to see their surroundings clearly.

However, the darkness seemed to devour all light; they couldn’t even see their own hands in front of their faces. Ye Qingchen took out a Luminous Pearl, and its soft light immediately spread out through the darkness. Though faint, it at least allowed them to make out some of the area around them.

This was a vast underground space. The stone walls all around were covered with moss and vine, and the ground was uneven, littered with broken bones and ancient relics, as if some brutal battle had once taken place here.

The air was thick with a smell of decay and dampness, making one feel oppressed and uneasy.

The violent shaking of the cave gradually subsided, but that sense of foreboding still lingered in both their hearts. Ye Qingchen and Xue Zhao looked at each other, each having roughly the same guess in mind.

Could this really be Xue Wei’s handiwork?

"Heh, looks like that guy really wants to play against us. But we’re not afraid of him!" Xue Zhao let out a cold laugh.