Eternal Heavenly Emperor

Chu Hao possessed strength but not the corresponding enhancement in Elemental Power, so he naturally had no fear.

The two fought fiercely, with the Qin Family War Emperor already having the absolute upper hand in strength. Yet, he still couldn't overcome Chu Hao's defense.

This guy was too ruthless.

A War Venerate-level Physique, Unique Life Spring, Taiji Tianyuan, Laws of Life—all these combined to grant a defense and recovery ability so powerful that it nearly drove one to despair. Even a desperate Qin Family War Emperor could do nothing to Chu Hao.

He burned his very self, yet still could only swallow the bitter pill of defeat.

Bang!

After his Dharma Aspect was completely burnt away, his heart was finally burst by a punch from Chu Hao, ending his life.

Chu Hao sheathed his sword, his gaze sparkling. Defeating a War Emperor with his own strength inflated his confidence and made him even more longing for the pinnacle of martial arts.

He looked once again at that great grave.

Seven-colored Divine Lotus!

Having now broken through to the Ninth Tier War Venerate, how high could he climb?

Chu Hao began to climb, the Unique Life Spring in motion, the Taiji Tianyuan unfolding. This time, the pressure decreased significantly.

The Ninth Tier represented a qualitative leap, akin to possessing the power of a War Emperor, but the pressure he faced was still at the Venerable Level, naturally making him feel much lighter, allowing him to reach the top of the great grave.

The lotus flower continually changed colors, with golden letters emerging.

This was the Laws!

Unfortunately, Chu Hao was merely a War Venerate and couldn't fathom them. However, if he were to consume the Divine Lotus... perhaps the Laws would then be engraved within him! Also, the Divine Lotus surely had other effects—enhancing his Physique, Soul Power, and Cultivation substantially.

Otherwise, how could it be worthy of the name "Divine Lotus"?

Chu Hao immediately reached out to pluck the Divine Lotus, but a strange thing happened—it shrank back into the soil and ran away!

Ran away...

Chu Hao's face twitched. It duly lived up to the name "Divine Lotus," having the sentience to flee with feet!

What to do, dig up the grave?

Chu Hao felt resistant at the thought. If it were him, how would he feel if someone disturbed his grave for a Divine Lotus after his death? But then he thought of the impending disaster. Innumerable War Gods would soon descend, so he needed to raise his cultivation as quickly as possible.

"Forgive me!" He bowed to the grave and immediately began digging.

The soil here was incredibly hard, as if it was cast from immortal gold, making it very difficult to dig. That was normal, since the gravity here was so immense that even ordinary soil would become extremely hard under such crushing pressure.

Moreover, under such gravity, even Chu Hao couldn't last more than a few minutes. He had to rest after digging a while, so his progress was slow.

Chu Hao wasn't in a hurry. There was no limit on how long one must stay after the Nether Palace opened.

Perseverance paid off. Almost a month later, he finally reached the depths of the grave. With a ding, he hit a hard object. Sparks flew from his Purple Crystal Sword at the contact.

It was a corner of something vermillion, like a piece of iron. Chu Hao continued digging, and soon, the true form of this object was revealed. It was actually a coffin, all in vermillion red.

A coffin beneath the great grave made sense.

This coffin was anything but ordinary. It withstood a strike from the Purple Crystal Sword. Given the hardness of the soil here, each of Chu Hao's strikes was full of strength, yet the Vermilion Coffin blocked it without even a scratch taken, indicating how tough it must be.

Too bad Fat Cat wasn't here; otherwise, that lazy cat would surely know what material this was made of.

But no matter how good the material, it was used for burial. Chu Hao had absolutely no intention of claiming it for his own. Grave digging was already heartless enough; opening the coffin would be downright inhumane.

Where was the Divine Lotus?

Chu Hao searched with his gaze and saw seven-colored light flickering on the coffin. The Divine Lotus emerged from the coffin, gently fluttering its petals towards him, as if calling out to him.

But as Chu Hao leaped towards it, the Divine Lotus zipped back into the coffin, treating it as a sanctuary.

Damn, what a cunning thing!

Chu Hao felt the urge to curse. Did the Divine Lotus know that he wouldn't open the coffin and was thus taunting him?

That's despicable!

Soon, the seven-colored light emerged again, and the Divine Lotus appeared from another part of the Vermilion Coffin, lightly swaying towards Chu Hao.

A blatant provocation.

Chu Hao was truly angered now. He bowed to the coffin and said, "My apologies to the senior inside. Forgive my disrespect. I will definitely burn more paper money for you later. If you know of my actions in the Nine Springs, please don't hold it against me."

With that, he pried open the coffin.

But the coffin was slippery, impossible to get a grip on. Chu Hao had to pull out the Purple Crystal Sword, slip it into the crevice between the lid and the coffin, and then pried with force.

So heavy!

With Chu Hao's current strength, he could lift a mountain, yet the coffin lid seemed heavier than a range of mountains. Even with all his might, the lid barely rose a smidgen.

The seven-colored light flickered; the Divine Lotus brazenly appeared again. Upon seeing Chu Hao prying the coffin, whoosh—it shrank back inside.

Huh?

Chu Hao suddenly discovered that the coffin lid had become much lighter. Without a moment's hesitation, he exerted his full strength in a burst, whoosh, and the lid flew off, crashing heavily against the excavated tomb wall before thudding to the ground.

Humming, a seven-colored light shone, many times more intense than before.

For a while, Chu Hao was blinded. After some time had passed, the seven-colored divine light finally dimmed and revealed a girl of incredible beauty lying within the Vermillion Coffin, her skin tender and delicate, her hair black as clouds, cascading like a waterfall.

Chu Hao felt a momentary sense of suffocation, this girl's beauty was in no way inferior to Su Wanyue or Gu Qingcheng, truly breathtaking. Even more eye-catching was the lotus flower tucked at the girl's hairline.

It was that very Divine Lotus!

Wait a second.

Chu Hao suddenly faltered, remembering how the coffin lid had been heavier than a mountain, but it had lightened right after the Divine Lotus "saw" his actions. Could it be... that the Divine Lotus helped open the lid from within?

Hiss, this Divine Lotus had lured him down here from the beginning intentionally, its purpose to use his strength to open the coffin.

But for what purpose?

Chu Hao looked at the girl whose features were lifelike, not at all resembling a dead person. But recalling what he had seen in the Nether River, the corpses there also looked as though they had just died or were merely sleeping.

This must be, then, someone from many years ago.

As much as the girl's beauty or noble status in life could attract attention, once dead, she was nothing but a rotting carcass, naturally incapable of drawing his gaze.

This Divine Lotus was very strange, purposely luring him here to open the coffin, but what for?

Moreover, since he and the Divine Lotus had opened the lid together, it implied that the Divine Lotus possessed terrifying power on its own. And its continuous emanation of the Light of Laws suggested at least a War God level of strength. Was this something a mere War Venerate could contend with?

Treasures are important, sure, but losing one's life over them is simply foolishness.

Chu Hao did not act recklessly and instead continued to observe.

The Divine Lotus seemed to have no other purpose beyond leading him here to open the lid. Now it was quiet, resembling a common flower in a vase rather than the provocative creature it had been moments prior.

Time passed quietly, and nothing changed.

Chu Hao was beginning to grow impatient and tried to move slightly, but the Divine Lotus was motionless. He moved closer, still nothing. He grew bolder and took another step, then another.

So close that he could even smell the subtle fragrance emitting from the girl's body—a scent that invigorated him as if he had ingested a Treasured Medicine, his pores opening wide and filling him with vitality.

This was astonishing, her physique acting like Treasured Medicine. Could it be that the girl was a Divine Medicine in humanoid form?

Not impossible.

If ferocious beasts could transform, why not Divine Medicine?

He slowly extended his hand towards the Divine Lotus, moving with extreme caution. He was prepared to retreat at the first sign of any change.

Closer, closer, closer.

Just as his hand barely touched the Divine Lotus, whoosh, the lotus shrank back into the girl's hair. Chu Hao gritted his teeth, reached out again to continue his attempt, but he failed to grasp the Divine Lotus and instead touched the girl's cheek.

Hum, a green radiance surged, causing Chu Hao to retreat in shock.

The girl's body was engulfed in green, ensnaring her figure as if alive, with strands forming characters within the light—characters he could not recognize.

Laws!

Chu Hao instantly thought, the girl must have been at least at the level of a War God in her lifetime for the Laws to materialize like this. But how could such Laws still be present after her death for so many years?

Whoosh whoosh whoosh, more brilliance arose, transmuting into a rainbow of colors, swirling around the girl.

A force expanded outwards, and boom, the girl's figure began to float in the air!

Chu Hao was stunned. Was this a resurrection?

But upon closer inspection, although the girl's skin was translucent and her beauty was breathtaking, there was no sign of life, clearly a dead person. Could it be that this power was the doing of the Divine Lotus?

Boom, the force turned into a whirlwind, with the girl suspended midair, her black hair rising skyward, her dress fluttering, like an Immortal about to fly back to the heavens, to resume her life as an untainted celestial being.

Chu Hao felt that this place was too eerie, with dead people not seeming dead, and living ones not looking alive, even a Treasured Medicine could jump around.

"Enough, if the young master doesn't want it, isn't that good enough?" He sensed the power and the swirling Talismans of Laws, understanding that it was impossible to take the Divine Medicine. He decisively gave up.

Hiss!

He suddenly froze. Had he mistaken, or did he see the girl's eyelids flutter?

It must be an illusion. How could a dead person come back to life? Even an Immortal Emperor didn't possess that power!

Chu Hao forced a laugh, trying to encourage himself.

Thump!

A faint tremble changed his expression.

That was... a heartbeat!

Not his own!

Thump, another heartbeat, steady and strong.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! The heartbeat grew faster, quickly reaching a normal human's rate!

(To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to qidian.com to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)