Eternal God Emperor: Only I Am Emperor One

Chapter 173 Offensive and defensive changes
After falling thousands of feet, the surrounding temperature became increasingly high. Even though he had already achieved physical sainthood, Di Yi still felt extremely hot, as if his body was about to melt.

Deep underground, there are even more ancient swords, but they are all ordinary and have no supernatural properties.

They plummeted another thousand feet, and the temperature began to drop rapidly, as if the poles had reversed, becoming icy cold, with black ice crystals mixed in with the soil.

A moment later, Di Yi landed on a broken ancient stone wall.

The stone wall was carved with many patterns, but they had all become blurred and the specific content could not be seen. Only a human figure holding a sword remained, holding a long sword with a special appearance, and seven stars flashed on the blade.

The stone wall emitted a faint light, which the Emperor could clearly see even underground.

He stared at the figure for a moment, and suddenly, the world spun before his eyes, and his consciousness seemed to be cleaved apart by a sword.

Fortunately, the Heaven-Sealing Sword revived on its own, releasing a special power that protected him.

When Di Yi came to his senses, he discovered that the figure on the stone wall had actually moved.

"This is... Sword Seven?"

Emperor Yi was greatly shocked and began to examine the document closely.

After mastering Sword Six, the next step is to cultivate Sword Seven and attempt to reach the Sword Saint realm.

The figure on the stone wall had reached a level of profound understanding of Jian Qi that was as simple as returning to the basics. Every sword strike was aimed at the very essence of swordsmanship. When it fell into Emperor's eyes, it was like a heavy hammer striking the soul, deafening and resounding.

Before his eyes, the single figure multiplied into ten, a hundred, a thousand...

The surrounding environment changed from a cramped and dark underground space to a starry sky.

His thoughts kept wandering, his consciousness seemed to merge with the heavens and earth, and he lost the concept of time.

After an unknown amount of time, Di Yi reopened his eyes, his body surging with sword energy. He had comprehended the first nine levels of Sword Seven in one go, leaving only the last level, Sword Without Regret, uncomprehended.

He is just one step away from becoming a sword saint.

"How much time has passed? I remember practicing swordsmanship in the starry sky for ten years. No, it's just an illusion; at most, only half a day has passed in reality."

Emperor Yi was shocked and looked at the stone wall. The figure on the stone wall was still there, but it had lost its divine power and become ordinary.

He didn't know who left the stone wall, but the fact that it allowed him to make such great progress in swordsmanship in such a short time meant that the owner of the stone wall must have been a remarkable senior swordsman, perhaps even a sword god.

"Sword Tomb truly lives up to its reputation as one of the four great sword-wielding holy lands of the Kunlun Realm, on par with Sword Pavilion. Beneath its surface, countless treasures and inheritances related to the sword path are hidden."

Di Yi released his spiritual power and dug the entire stone wall out of the soil. The stone wall was seven or eight zhang long, nearly three zhang high, and one zhang thick.

By storing the stone wall inside the World-Stabilizing Banner, Emperor Yi made a new discovery.

Beneath the stone wall lay a rusty sword hilt, lying quietly in the soil, its age unknown.

The Heaven-Sealing Sword reacted, resonating with its hilt—the very source of the previous summoning.

Di Yi stepped forward and picked up the sword hilt. It wasn't heavy and was not much different from an ordinary holy sword. The inscriptions on it were concealed and indistinguishable, making it impossible to tell its rank.

But when holy energy was infused into it, the hilt instantly became incredibly heavy, like a holy mountain pressing down on the palm of the hand, almost causing it to slip from the grasp.

Flames countless times more domineering than the Divine Fire of Annihilation surged from the hilt of the sword, causing the sword's rules in the world to erupt violently, and even the ancient swords buried underground trembled.

Emperor Yi quickly dispersed his holy aura, and the sword hilt immediately returned to its original state, and the surroundings returned to calm.

"With such power, this is most likely the hilt of the Stellar Divine Sword, and it just fell into my hands like this?"

Di Yi was overjoyed. This was the Stellar Divine Sword, the sword of the Sword Ancestor, and one of the Ten Divine Weapons of the Kunlun Realm.

Even just the hilt of a sword is an indescribable gain for a sword cultivator.

After carefully sheathing his sword, Di Yi didn't linger any longer and rushed towards the exit above him.

Emerging from the crack, the surrounding magma had mostly solidified. Just as he had predicted, the ten years in the starry sky were merely an illusion; not much time had actually passed.

"Next, we need to figure out a way to get out."

Di Yi looked up at the sky. The underground space above was shrouded in special rules, making it difficult for him to carve out a passage to escape on his own.

Not far away, Yinghuo's figure appeared. Her injuries had healed, and she was confident enough to protect herself.

"This place is too strange. There is a Great Sage Ancient Corpse watching us covetously, and special rules of heaven and earth seal off the world. It is full of dangers. If we continue to fight, we will all die here. We must put aside our grudges for the time being and deal with everything after we leave this place." Yinghuo had already explored the surroundings but could not find an exit from the underground space. Instead, she was almost discovered by the Spirit-Communicating Ancient Corpse.

Emperor Yi nodded: "Your spiritual power is very strong, and you have a variety of ways to protect yourself. You also have the treasure of the Myriad Beasts Mirror. Killing you will not be an easy task. Even if I succeed, I will pay a considerable price. So be it, I will cooperate with you, the Undying Blood Clan, for the time being."

Emperor Yi landed on a solidified basalt rock and sat down on the ground, where the ground was still warm.

He took out a pot of tea, the Sacred Ancient Tea he had obtained from the talented woman of the Sacred Book, which he had not yet finished drinking.

The teapot was placed on the rock, and the tea was quickly warmed. Di Yi poured out a cup and sipped it as if it were fine wine: "Goddess Yinghuo, would you like to try some? It's the Sacred Ancient Tea of ​​Confucianism and Taoism. The Undying Blood Clan has been trapped on Manji Island for eight hundred years, so they probably haven't had the chance to drink it."

Yinghuo gently shook her head. Sitting with a cultivator who had achieved physical sainthood was too dangerous. Although the Sacred Ancient Tea was good, one had to be alive to drink it. She cautiously probed, "You went into the underground fissure for half a day. Did you find the source of the sword's cry? What kind of treasure is it that has such power?"

Di Yi chuckled and said, "There is no treasure. It is probably just a sword intent left by the ancients that was triggered by the previous tribulation of heaven and earth. After emitting a sword cry, it disappeared into thin air."

How could Yinghuo believe him?

She had clearly sensed an incredibly intense heat emanating from the ground, ancient and sacred, even more so than the Myriad Beasts Treasure Mirror. How could there be nothing there? Di Yi must have obtained a powerful treasure, using it as a trump card. Once she lowered her guard, she would pay a heavy price.

Yinghuo said sincerely, "You have the Heaven-Sealing Sword in your hand and can mobilize the ancestral holy soul of the Heaven-Sealing Sword lineage. You must have become the new generation of sword wielder of the Heaven-Sealing Sword. This is the underground of the Sword Tomb, and they certainly won't kill the sword wielder."

Then, she changed the subject: "Recently, the rules of heaven and earth in the Kunlun Realm have been changing, making it easier to break through realms and giving rise to a large number of geniuses. The times have changed, and a cruel era surpassing the past 100,000 years is about to arrive. As long as Lord Hades is freed, the Undying Blood Clan will become the new rulers of the Kunlun Realm. Someone as outstanding as you, if you join the Undying Blood Clan, will definitely be entrusted with important responsibilities, and you will be able to satisfy your needs for power, status, and resources. Even I might become one of your people."

Di Yi's gaze swept unabashedly over Ying Huo's delicate body, revealing everything except for a few parts through the blood-red veil.

She exudes an irresistible allure that makes your blood boil.

Emperor Yi was not averse to beautiful women, but for a thorny beauty like Yinghuo, he wanted to conquer her, not beg for her as a reward.

"If Hades were truly that powerful, how could he have been suppressed in the Netherworld Dungeon ten thousand years ago? The Undying Blood Clan's desire to become the ruler of the Kunlun Realm is nothing but a pipe dream. If the Goddess is willing to abandon darkness and embrace light, leave the Undying Blood Clan, and stay by my side as a maid, that would be a bright path."

Yinghuo merely sneered. She wanted to use lust to break down Di Yi's defenses, while Di Yi wanted to provoke her and expose her weakness.

Neither of them showed any sign of diminishing their desire to kill the other.

She continued, "The Undying Blood Clan has a great background, and the power behind them is beyond your imagination. Even Empress Chi Yao is just an ant trying to shake a tree. The rules of heaven and earth have changed, and the day that belongs to the Undying Blood Clan will come soon."

"Is that so? Who can say for sure what the future holds? At least for now, two of the ten Blood Emperors of the Undying Blood Clan are already dead, and the Underworld Sword Tomb is impregnable. Empress Chi Yao left the Central Imperial City, perhaps specifically waiting for the powerful members of the Undying Blood Clan to appear so she could wipe them all out in one fell swoop," Emperor Yi said.

Yinghuo's expression changed slightly, and his heart was stirred. Empress Chi Yao was indeed the most feared existence of the Undying Blood Clan. If she left the Central Imperial City and was really heading towards the Undying Blood Clan, the Undying Blood Clan might not be able to stop her.

"Chi..."

In the instant she was distracted, Di Yi had already activated the hilt of the divine sword, unleashing a blazing strike containing destructive power.

Almost instantly, Yinghuo sensed the danger and immediately released her spiritual power to shield herself with the Myriad Beasts Treasure Mirror, while also activating the blood-red veil covering her body.

The veil is also a high-grade spiritual artifact, possessing extremely strong defensive capabilities.

"boom!"

With a single slash, the destructive power of the divine sword struck the Myriad Beasts Treasure Mirror, smashing it into Yinghuo's chest.

The fire phoenix formed by the purifying divine fire followed closely behind, arriving in front of Yinghuo, only half a zhang away from her. The divine fire ignited her spiritual power, spreading over the blood-red veil.

Yinghuo was sent flying by the sudden attack. In the nick of time, she managed to cast a protective talisman, but she was still blasted into the mud, rolling around in the black mud in a sorry state.

Di Yi's figure arrived in the blink of an eye. He did not use the hilt of the divine sword again. The sword strike he had just unleashed had already drained the holy energy from his body.

He attacked Yinghuo with his bare hands, without any set moves, each punch aimed at Yinghuo's beautiful face, trying to shatter her skull.

Yinghuo had no chance to activate the Myriad Beasts Treasure Mirror to release the ancient sacred beasts within. She could only keep using various life-saving techniques, and Di Yi pressed her to the ground, plowing a long furrow in her body.

Di Yi grabbed a corner of the blood-red veil and yanked it off Yinghuo's body.

A vast expanse of snow-white appeared before his eyes, but Di Yi remained unmoved and continued to hurl punches, hoping to seize this opportunity to kill the goddess of the Undying Temple.

Yinghuo was filled with shame and anger. The jade bracelet on her wrist shattered, and six blood-red figures rushed out. Each of them unleashed the battle power of a high-level saint, successfully blocking Di Yi.

Yinghuo rolled to her feet, her few remaining clothes having slipped off during the fierce battle, revealing her towering peaks.

Her face was no longer composed; she was pale and lost all color, as if she had truly faced death.

The aftershocks of their battle were strong, but even stronger battle shockwaves reached underground.

boom!
A deafening sound came from above, shaking the entire underground space. Above the underground space, mud and rocks kept falling, creating a crack a hundred feet wide.

The crack had barely appeared when it began to close.

Di Yi did not continue attacking Yinghuo, missing a good opportunity. He could no longer kill her in a short time. At present, escaping from underground was the more important thing.

Having repelled the six blood shadows, Di Yi soared into the sky, flew to the edge of the crack, and looked up to see a faint light appear above him.

Yinghuo regained control of the Myriad Beasts Mirror and, with six blood shadows, caught up. Her body was exposed, and she didn't care about Di Yi's gaze. At this moment, she only wanted to take the opportunity to break out of the underground.

The two stopped fighting; escaping was the most important thing right now.

A terrifying suction force emanated from the underground space, trying to pull them back.

Di Yi used the Heaven-Sealing Sword as a nail, embedding it in the mud and rocks to gain leverage, and struggled to escape upwards.

Yinghuo used six blood shadows to support herself, like a white stamen in a blood lotus, and her speed was even faster than Di Yi's.

Di Yi followed closely behind, not much slower, and soon he finally approached the source of the light, bursting out before the crack closed.

After bursting out of the rift, the six blood shadows on Yinghuo's body transformed into blood armor that enveloped her. However, before she could escape, she was struck by a sword aura flying from the horizon, spilling a large amount of holy blood.

Di Yi chased after them and witnessed this scene. His mind surged, and he unleashed a Soul-Seizing Seal, which struck Yinghuo squarely.

"what!"

After a shrill scream, the power of the Great Sage of Spiritual Power erupted from the blood-red light, enveloping Yinghuo and sending her flying out of the Underworld Sword Tomb.

(End of this chapter)