Supreme of the Heavenly Realm
Chapter 388 - 385: The Prisoner of the Third Layer

Chapter 388: Chapter 385: The Prisoner of the Third Layer

"What place is that?"

Ye Xuan was slightly stunned. The third floor of the ancient temple contained a means to deal with the Demon Dragon Venerable?

"You should know that each floor of this ancient temple has sealed a criminal deemed extremely vicious by Sky Demon Mountain, and one can only enter the next level after breaking the prohibition of the previous one..." Su Ying’s beautiful eyes gazed at the entrance to the third floor of the ancient temple as she spoke slowly.

Hearing these words, Ye Xuan also revealed a solemn expression. The three floors of this ancient temple were each more dangerous than the last, and the people imprisoned must be more significant with each level. His mother, Su Ying, had committed a grave sin but was only locked on the second floor. From this, it was evident that the criminal on the third floor was by no means ordinary.

"But the person on the first floor is already dead. Could it be that the person on the third level is also..."

"No,"

Su Ying shook her head, her expression very certain, "That man nearly destroyed Sky Demon Mountain a hundred years ago. In his presence, the Demon Dragon Venerable is nothing. It took two old monsters from Sky Demon Mountain to subdue him. Because of his special cultivation technique, even they couldn’t kill him. They could only inflict severe injuries and imprison him on the third level of this Land of Sin."

"If we can release this person, Sky Demon Mountain will undoubtedly be engulfed in a storm, turned upside down."

"Indeed."

Ye Xuan nodded. A hundred years ago, he nearly destroyed Sky Demon Mountain and, although now imprisoned in the Land of Sin with cultivation restricted, it was nearly impossible for him to make any progress. But that was only his cultivation level. Ye Xuan believed that, after a century, this being on the third level could not have made no progress at all.

If they could release him, it would indeed turn Sky Demon Mountain on its head.

There was no need to destroy Sky Demon Mountain—simply removing the Demon Dragon Venerable lineage would suffice. However, among the various clans of the Sky Demon Mountain, the Demon Dragon Clan held a preeminent position. To topple them would not be an easy task.

Furthermore, it was likely that others would not stand idly by.

The five of them arrived in front of the ancient stone door. When Ye Xuan’s gaze fell upon the door, he seemed to discern something. He then reached out and fiddled with it twice. With a "rumble," the stone door automatically swung open.

As the stone door opened wide, the five of them walked in.

Inside, they found an exceptionally vast space where the ground and surrounding walls had long since collapsed, revealing a series of huge cracks. The ground was not connected, appearing as if separated by small voids.

These voids were filled with thick chains, like giant pythons. The number of these chains was overwhelming, forming a web extending in all directions. At the other end of these chains, they all converged at one spot.

That place was a mountain of ice, an irregularly shaped mountain of ice.

It was not until they approached that they discovered a figure sealed inside the ice mountain. It was a gaunt middle-aged figure, reduced to practically skin and bones, indistinguishable from a corpse. If not for the faint trace of life Ye Xuan could sense from him, one might have thought he had fallen, just like the one on the first floor.

"He used the cold air here to form an ice mountain and sealed himself within it to ensure his survival."

Su Ying stared at the figure inside the ice mountain, her face also showing seriousness.

This person had been sealed on the third level for a hundred years. If it were an ordinary person, they would have long perished here. Even the strongest would have been trapped to death. This person’s decision to encase himself in ice was indeed clever.

Without much hesitation, Ye Xuan drew the Dragon Abyss Ancient Sword, channeled his True Qi into the blade, and slashed. The sword light stretched for tens of meters, and with a "crack," the ice mountain before them split in two.

As the ice mountain split open, the gaunt man within was revealed. His face was very pale, with a cross-shaped scar on each cheek, ice shards constantly falling from his body. At the same time, the life force within him started to grow stronger.

"This half-dead fellow is the madman who nearly destroyed Sky Demon Mountain a century ago?"

From behind Ye Xuan, the Snake Demon skeptically observed the skin-and-bones man before them. The latter seemed to possess nothing remarkable, his aura extremely weak. Could such a person really possess the power to shake Sky Demon Mountain?

It seemed hardly possible.

"Appearances can be deceiving. What you see is only him now. As for a hundred years ago, how could you possibly know what he was like?"

Ye Xuan shook his head. How could someone confined in the deepest part of the Land of Sin be insignificant? Otherwise, why make such an effort?

"Cough cough, I never expected that a green little kid like you could say something quite extraordinary."

At the moment the Snake Demon was somewhat incredulous, the gaunt man in his view suddenly lifted his head. His deep-set pupils flew open, emitting a sinister gleam, followed by a chilling voice that emanated from his mouth.

Within that gaze seemed to lie the abyss of Shura, an endless murderous intent, like a fierce ghost. Stared at by such eyes, the Three Demons behind Ye Xuan turned pale and involuntarily took a step back.

"How interesting. It appears that Your Excellency truly possess the rumored abilities. I would like to propose a deal to Your Excellency; are you interested?"

Ye Xuan certainly felt the pressure contained within the gaze, which was incredibly strong, and this was when the other party was in an extremely weakened state. If he were to fully recover his strength, wouldn’t he be even more powerful?

"A deal, you think you are worthy to negotiate a deal with me?"

The gaunt man’s ghost-like gaze fixated on Ye Xuan as if ready to devour him. However, this intimidation had no effect on Ye Xuan, who remained at ease and indifferently said, "Considering my cultivation level, indeed, I’m not worthy, but what about you? You are firmly sealed here, even in a worse position than me. What right do you have to talk about making a deal with me?"

"What a sharp-tongued kid."

The gaunt man’s eyes darkened, but he had to admit the reality that he was trapped in the depths of the Land of Sin, where the malevolent energy was gradually consuming his life. If he couldn’t escape from here, he would undoubtedly perish in this place.

"Let’s hear it."

The gaunt man looked at Ye Xuan with a flicker in his eyes.

"I will release the seal and help you escape this damnable place. In return, you must help me. Once we are out, you will follow my commands and join forces with me against the Demon Dragon Venerable. Of course, I don’t need your obedience for long, just one year: maybe even less. How does that sound?"

Ye Xuan’s eyes became focused as he spoke.

"Agreed,"

The gaunt man barely thought before agreeing; however, he then sneered, "But what if I agree? Do you really think you can help me break free? Don’t dream. The seal here was set by two old monsters of Sky Demon Mountain. Against that, what hope have you got of breaking it?"

His words carried complete disdain for Ye Xuan.

Ye Xuan didn’t care about the gaunt man’s mockery. Shaking his head, he said, "How will we know without trying?"

That said, Ye Xuan surveyed his surroundings. Chains crisscrossed in the air, forming a tight network of seals that pierced through the gaunt man’s collarbones and immobilized his body and limbs.

"Well, have you figured anything out?"

The gaunt man looked down with contempt, not expecting Ye Xuan to discern anything meaningful. To him, the seal was not something that Ye Xuan could even touch.

"Although these chains are tight and made of special material, they should not be enough to imprison you. The real issue must be the stone under your feet, right?"

After looking around and pondering for a moment, Ye Xuan’s gaze had moved to the feet of the gaunt man, focusing on a large, black, oval rock.

Through his keen soul power, Ye Xuan detected that the stone emitted distinct, extremely cold, devouring fluctuations. Moreover, there were other similar stones in this space that collectively formed the grand sealing array.

"How is that possible? You, a mere kid, have actually seen through it?"

The gaunt man’s face changed; he had thought Ye Xuan knew nothing, but he could no longer maintain that belief. In such a short time, Ye Xuan had discerned the key to the seal. Indeed, the Black Nether Stone under his feet was critical to his imprisonment. While the chains did bind him, without the Black Nether Stone, escaping the chains wouldn’t be so difficult.

"So what if you know? The Black Nether Stone is incredibly hard, honed by the cold forces of this land for countless years, it’s indestructible. If I were at full strength, perhaps I could shatter it, but with your cultivation, you are powerless," the gaunt man’s face showed shock for a moment before he quickly recovered, regaining his indifferent expression.

"Indeed, the Black Nether Stone is indestructible, but with ’it’, breaking it might not be impossible," Ye Xuan said, referring to the Dragon Abyss Ancient Sword on his back. As he spoke, he drew the sword, and a formidable ripple immediately spread out from around him.

"Supreme Grade sword!"

The gaunt man’s look suddenly turned eager. Ordinary weapons could not scratch the Black Nether Stone, but a Supreme Grade sword, with sufficient force behind it, could potentially break it. The gaunt man could never have imagined that Ye Xuan, a mere Fifth Grade Demon King, would possess such a valuable treasure.