Chen Nan climbed the nine steps and resolutely walked towards the main entrance of the hall. The Tiger King was pulled by the ear and followed him a few steps forward, but when it reached the pitch-black, lightless maw of the demon, it refused to go any further, its four tiger paws digging forcefully into the ground.
Chen Nan whispered, "Lecherous Tiger, run!"
Tiger King Xiaoyu shook its head frantically, raised one of its paws and gestured wildly, its eyes filled with terror.
Seeing that it refused to move, Chen Nan used his profound skill to lift it off the ground by the neck, and then walked into the main hall. Although Xiao Yu kept struggling, it could not escape Chen Nan's strong hand.
The moment Chen Nan stepped into the main hall, a chill swept over him; despite the sweltering summer heat, the palace felt as cold as an ice cellar. He placed the Tiger King on the ground, and the tiger trembled. Its body rapidly shrank, and then with a "whoosh," it leaped onto his shoulder, its two small tiger paws gripping a lock of his hair tightly.
"Lustful tiger, unleash your claws!" Chen Nan whispered.
Xiaoyu gripped him tightly, refusing to let go despite his scolding, her expression one of fear and unease. Chen Nan had no choice but to leave her on his shoulder and slowly walked forward.
The only sound in the empty, pitch-black hall was the echo of monotonous footsteps; otherwise, there was only deathly silence. In this darkness where one could not see their own hand in front of their face, Chen Nan relied on his keen senses to grope his way forward.
After walking forward for nearly ten zhang, a few steps appeared at his feet, and a stone door on the stone platform blocked his way. As he pushed the stone door, Xiaoyu let out an uneasy low growl, then lifted his collar and "whoosh" burrowed into his arms.
"I'm so angry! You pervert, you scared me to death! You actually tried to crawl into my arms..." Chen Nan yanked it out and threw it on the ground. But Xiao Yu immediately jumped onto his shoulder and grabbed his hair tightly.
"Cowardly as a mouse, he must be a reincarnation of a rat, not at all like a tiger."
Chen Nan pushed open the stone door with force, revealing a very spacious hall. The walls were inlaid with pearls that emitted a faint green light, making the hall appear particularly eerie, like a gloomy underworld.
When he saw the scene inside, he gasped in shock, his scalp tingling. Two rows of desiccated corpses stood on either side of the hall, their dried flesh tightly wrapped around their emaciated bones, their twisted features extremely ferocious. Chen Nan's heart pounded wildly, and he almost thought he had stepped into the underworld.
"Cough..." An old cough suddenly rang out in the hall. Chen Nan was so startled that he jumped up. Xiao Yu, who was hiding on his shoulder, fell down, but it immediately darted back. Chen Nan grabbed it and unconsciously tightened his grip, squeezing Xiao Yu until its eyes rolled back. Only when Xiao Yu slapped him did he hurriedly let go.
He quickly retreated, but found the stone door already closed and he couldn't push it open. Xiaoyu growled uneasily on his shoulder, her eyes constantly scanning the surroundings.
An aged voice echoed in the hall: "Young man, don't speak so rashly. I've been here the whole time; I've never hidden myself. You're the one who barged in for no reason, so why are you blaming me?"
Chen Nan used his keen senses to search the hall again and again, but found nothing. Apart from him and Xiao Yu, there was no sign of life in the hall. He felt a chill run down his spine.
After a long while, the aged voice rang out again: "It is fate that we meet. I never expected that someone would set foot here. Young man, let's have a chat."
Chen Nan said, "You won't even let me see you. Isn't that a bit too insincere?"
"I really wasn't hiding. Since you insist on seeing me, just keep moving forward."
Chen Nan walked forward step by step, while Xiao Yu nervously looked around on his shoulder. When they stepped between the two rows of mummies, it "whooshed" back into Chen Nan's arms, leaving only its little tiger head sticking out to warily observe the surrounding movements.
"You lecherous tiger, come out now!" But this time, no matter how Chen Nan pulled it, Xiao Yu's little tiger claws held firmly to his clothes and refused to come out.
"Hehe, little cat, didn't you come here a hundred years ago? Do you miss this old man and have come back to see me?"
Upon hearing this, Xiaoyu was stunned and could no longer stand still. She scrambled out of Chen Nan's arms with a "whoosh," climbed onto his head, stepped on his face, and grabbed his hair to look around.
"You pervert, how dare you put your nose on my head! You've made me furious!" Chen Nan yanked it off and threw it at the feet of a dried-up corpse.
Tiger King Xiaoyu let out a low growl in fright, then quickly ran back to Chen Nan's feet, its little tiger paw nervously gripping his trouser leg.
"Hehe, little cat, you're still as timid as you were a hundred years ago. I'm not going to eat you, so what's there to be afraid of?" The aged voice echoed throughout the hall, its origin indistinguishable.
Chen Nan walked a few more feet forward when a dried corpse next to him suddenly turned around and grinned at him, its white teeth gleaming with an eerie light.
"Roar!" Xiaoyu roared and ran several meters away. At this moment, its fur stood on end as it stared in terror at the dried corpse in the distance.
"Ah!" Chen Nan cried out in surprise, taking seven or eight steps back. He felt a chill rise from the depths of his heart, a coldness spreading from head to toe. He drew the long sword from his back and shouted, "Are you human or a ghost?"
The "mummy" walked out from the line of corpses. He was all skin and bones, and his gait was mechanical and stiff, just like a zombie.
He laughed, "You're still alive, but you're not far from death." Then he waved to Xiaoyu in the distance and said, "Little cat, a hundred years ago you accidentally entered the Demon Palace and didn't even notice me when you left. Now that you've seen my true face, are you still as afraid as before?"
Looking at the living skeleton that resembled a zombie or a vengeful ghost, Xiaoyu was filled with fear. It had already grown larger and was ready for battle.
Chen Nan stared in disbelief at the "mummified corpse" before him, saying, "You...you're really still alive? How could this be?"
"Yes, I am indeed still alive. Don't be afraid, let's have a good talk. I haven't seen a living person in years."
This time, when Chen Nan circulated his profound energy, he finally sensed the faint life pulse within the "dried corpse," though it was intermittent and almost devoid of any signs of life. Chen Nan was certain that this was indeed an old man with a trace of life; he must have used some kind of sonic technique to make it impossible to discern his location.
Chen Nan slung his longsword over his shoulder, took a few steps forward, and stood facing the old man less than ten feet away. Xiao Yu, however, refused to come closer, watching them in fear from afar.
The old man said, "I imagine you must be filled with doubts right now?"
Chen Nan said, "Yes, it's almost unimaginable that such a terrifying hall could exist in the middle of these vast mountains. May I ask you some questions?"
"Yes, you may ask any questions. I am nearing the end of my life, and if I do not reveal my secrets now, I fear I will never have the chance again."
What kind of place is this?
"The Demon Palace... Could this great palace have been created by a demon?"
"It was created by an ancient god."
"If it was created by gods, why is it called the Demon Temple?"
"Because that ancient god felt that he had fallen and was no longer worthy to be called a god."
"How did he fall into depravity?"
"He fought a fierce battle with another fallen ancient god for a divine treasure. Although he managed to defeat his opponent, he was also seriously injured and on the verge of death, and remained in the human world ever since."
Chen Nan's heart stirred. The master of this demonic palace was very likely one of the ancient gods recorded on the parchment scroll unearthed in the City of Sin. However, the contents of the parchment scroll differed somewhat from what the old man had said.
The old man said, "Young man, have you heard about the two ancient gods before? Otherwise, why don't you show any shock?"
"Yes." Chen Nan recounted the legends of the ancient god of the City of Sin.
The old man sighed, "I never imagined that the battle of the gods thousands of years ago would be recorded, but it differs from the facts."
"What is the truth?"
"The master of this great hall was more skilled, and he severely wounded another ancient god, leaving him on the verge of death. Just as that ancient god was about to die, he suddenly self-destructed his divine body. Although the master of the demon hall was protected by precious armor, he was still critically injured. His divine power had weakened to its lowest point, and he could no longer sense the divine treasures lost in the mountains. He hurriedly collected the remains of the ancient god who had self-destructed his divine body and fled back here to recuperate."
"What happened next?"
"The master of the Demon Palace recuperated here for a period of time, and was horrified to find that his divine power was no longer easy to gather, and could only be maintained at a very low level. He went to the site of the great battle several times to search for lost divine treasures, but each time he returned disappointed."
Hearing this, Chen Nan became somewhat nervous and asked, "Um... where did the ancient god go afterward?"
The old man sighed and said, "He recuperated here for hundreds of years, but his divine power could never be restored. Once, after he went out, he never came back."
"Ah!" Chen Nan exclaimed in shock, "So the ancient god never returned... he simply vanished?"
"Yes, I really don't know whether his fate is good or bad given his limited divine power."
After listening to these words, Chen Nan took a long time to recover. He murmured, "It's unbelievable that a god is wandering the world..." Then he asked, "What is the relationship between those giants living outside and this demonic temple? Why do they worship this temple?"
"The ancestors of those giants were once subdued by the Old God and became his slaves. They contributed greatly to the construction of this great temple, and the black diamonds needed for the temple were all transported by them from distant mountains. The Old God is their deity, and although he has been gone for a long time, his divine power has been passed down among the giants from generation to generation. They have lived here for generations, guarding this demonic temple."
"But...why did they pile up so many bones beneath the Demon Palace?"
"This is one of the secrets of the Demon Palace." The old man pointed to the ground and said, "Beneath this great hall lies an exceptionally powerful savage beast. The reason the giant piled those bones outside the stone mountain was entirely to carry out the orders left behind by the ancient god. The ancient god set up a Nine Nether Bone Array here, condensing the power of heaven and earth and gathering the souls of all spirits to intimidate the savage beast underground, preventing it from coming up to do evil."
Chen Nan was stunned and horrified. The beast that had been suppressed by the god must have been extremely terrifying. Just thinking that it was only tens or hundreds of feet away from his feet sent chills down his spine.
"What kind of ferocious beast is this?"
"I don't know. No one except the master of the Demon Palace has ever seen it. We can only hear its roar occasionally."
Just then, a deep, furious roar suddenly came from underground. Although the sound was not very clear due to the layers of the main hall, it was still chilling to the bone. Startled, Xiaoyu quickly shrank to the size of a kitten and then jumped onto Chen Nan's shoulder. While warily watching the old man opposite her, who looked like a dried corpse, it twitched its ears to listen to the demonic howl.
Chen Nan had already heard the faint, eerie howling while observing from outside the main hall during the day. Now, he immediately understood. After the howling stopped, he asked, "Why did the ancient god trap it here? Why didn't it just destroy it in the first place?"
The old man said, "The ancient god brought it here from elsewhere, originally intending to tame it as a mount. However, the beast was fierce and refused to submit. The ancient god had no choice but to trap it under the main hall, hoping to subdue it slowly. But he was seriously injured in the divine war not long after and was no longer able to kill the beast. So he set up the Nine Nether White Bone Formation to prevent it from escaping."
"I see. I never imagined there was such a mysterious place deep in the mountains."
The old man said, "This is only one of the secrets of the Demon Palace; there is an even greater secret."
"Is there an even bigger secret?"
"Beneath this great hall not only is a ferocious beast suppressed, but a precious suit of armor is also sealed."
Chen Nan's heart stirred. He recalled a legendary suit of armor and couldn't help but ask, "What is the name of this treasured armor?"
Chen Nan exclaimed in surprise, "Ah, could it be... could it be the Xuanwu Armor that existed in ancient times?"
The old man nodded and said, "That's right, it is the divine armor from the legends of the original Immortal Fantasy Continent."
In the distant past, several weapons on the Immortal Fantasy Continent were regarded as celestial treasures and divine artifacts. Legend has it that if a top master wielded such a weapon, he could contend with gods and immortals. Unfortunately, these weapons often only appeared in legends, with only one appearing in the world occasionally, every thousand years.
Ten thousand years ago, Chen Nan saw the Houyi Bow, a treasure his father, Chen Zhan, had acquired by chance during his travels. Ten thousand years later, he saw the divine bow again, but everything had changed. He didn't know whether Chen Zhan had left the Houyi Bow behind and then vanished into the void, or...
Although Chen Nan had never seen the other legendary treasures, he knew of a suit of armor called Xuanwu. He never expected to learn of its whereabouts here today. Legend has it that this armor not only protects the body but also allows for counterattacks, making it both offensive and defensive—truly a marvel of nature.
"Are you telling the truth, sir?"
"It's true, this armor was indeed sealed beneath the Demon Palace. The Demon Palace's master obtained it by chance and cherished it as if it were his own life. If it weren't for this armor protecting him, he probably would have perished together with another ancient god in that divine war."
Chen Nan sighed, "In ancient legends, the Houyi Bow, which was as famous as the Xuanwu Armor, once shot down a god from the sky. I really don't know what's so magical about the Xuanwu Armor."
The old man said, "Treasures that have been passed down from ancient times must have something extraordinary about them."
Chen Nan said, "Old man, who exactly are you, and why are you here? I still don't know your identity."
The old man pointed to the two rows of mummies in the main hall and said, "I am just like them, a servant in the Demon Palace."
"Ah, they're still alive too?" Chen Nan exclaimed in surprise.
"No, they have been dead for many years. These people were servants of the gods throughout the ages. Because the cultivation techniques they practiced were all the Withered Wood Technique, they all looked like this after they died."
"Yes, before the master of the Demon Temple disappeared, he had a servant, the first generation of divine servants, who was also the only one who had ever seen the master of the Demon Temple. The first generation of divine servants was extremely loyal to the ancient gods and always hoped that the ancient gods would return, but he waited in vain for more than a hundred years. In his later years, he asked the giants outside to send him out of the deep mountains, where he took in a disciple in the City of Sin, and then returned here. This has been the case for generations since, and all the divine servants in the Demon Temple came to be in this way."
"Oh, I see."
The old man continued, "Time has passed, and thousands of years have gone by. Although this demonic temple still has servants, their hearts are no longer what they once were. The later servants have never seen the ancient gods, so how could they have any reverence? Besides, the servants have long since lost their purpose. Several generations ago, some people planned to stop taking on disciples, but they never made that decision. I have come to terms with it and have decided to stop taking on disciples."
"Are you... planning to leave?"
"I am over three hundred years old and about to die. What is the point of leaving? This is the best place for me to be buried."
"Ah, over three hundred years old?! Then your cultivation level must be..." Chen Nan couldn't continue. If what the old man said was true, then his cultivation level must have reached a level that ordinary people could hardly imagine.
The old man said, "Each generation of divine servants can live to be at least 150 years old. The cultivation methods passed down by the ancient gods are mainly for health preservation, not the kind of cultivation in the usual sense. In fact, the skills of the divine servants of each generation are not very high. They can only be considered ordinary experts on the continent. Take me for example. Although I am now over 300 years old, I am no match for you at all. I absolutely cannot fight against you."
"Oh." Chen Nan had indeed heard of such cultivators. It was a branch of the Daoist sect. These people did not pursue the increase of power; their purpose in cultivating themselves was only to achieve immortality.
The old man said, "I know my days are numbered, so I'm telling you my secret. The Xuanwu Armor has been one of the most legendary treasures of the continent since ancient times. I hope that people will know its whereabouts and that it will not remain buried underground for so long."