Hell Emperor.

Chapter 628 Ye Jie - Climbing the Pagoda

"The method to break the restriction ahead of time is very simple: use this bottle of holy blood."

As he spoke, the gray-robed man reached into his robes and took out a small bottle with a bright color and adorned with sparkling gems. At first glance, one could sense the extraordinary nature of what was contained within, enough to warrant a sacred name.

"really?"

Ye Jie frowned, not believing it. If the restriction was so easy to break, why would he wait outside? Wouldn't he have entered long ago? The man's actions made Ye Jie unable to trust him.

"Of course it's true. This bottle of holy blood in my hand not only cures all diseases, but also grants people boundless power. It's also very effective at breaking down formations. Even the restrictions outside the ruins can't stop its power!"

The gray-robed man spoke eloquently, but Ye Jie's lips twitched.

Even the highest-grade magical artifacts only focus on one aspect of their effects. No magical artifact can cure diseases, break formations, or even cleanse the body and transform one's bones. Even though the gray-robed man raved about the holy blood in his hand, Ye Jie didn't believe him at all. He only found the man more suspicious—was he just trying to bluff?

As if sensing Ye Jie's suspicion, the gray-robed man spoke up:

"Don't you believe in the power of holy blood? Here's what we'll do: I can use this to break the restrictions outside the ruins for you. In return, you must let me enter the ruins with you. And if there are any benefits in the end, you must share ten percent with me."

After some thought, Ye Jie realized that his conditions weren't unacceptable. Rather than waiting outside the ruins for months, he was willing to pay 10% of the harvest as compensation.

However, there was one more thing that puzzled Ye Jie:

"Since you possess holy blood and are able to break through the restrictions outside the ruins, why don't you go in yourself instead of waiting outside?"

When Ye Jie asked about this, the gray-robed man's expression turned solemn, and his tone revealed a hint of lingering fear: "That's because... there's something terrifying hidden in the ruins. With my strength, I'm no match for it. Although I can enter, it won't be long before it discovers me, and I'll end up returning empty-handed."

He paused, then looked at Ye Jie, as if he could see through Ye Jie's disguise to his hidden power: "But you are different. I have a feeling that with your strength, you will definitely be able to defeat the monsters in the ruins."

Ye Jie nodded. It seemed that the ruins were not a safe place either. In particular, the Peacock King, who was standing to the side, changed his expression drastically when he heard the name of the monster, obviously recalling some bad memories.

"Has that monster not been eliminated yet... When I came to explore the ruins, of the six immortals who accompanied me, only I survived. The rest perished within the ruins."

Ye Jie seemed to have thought of something and asked the man again, "You plan to come into the ruins with us? Aren't you afraid that after I've found something to benefit from, I'll turn my back on you and get rid of you?"

The gray-robed man simply shook his head: "You wouldn't do that. If you were really that kind of person, you wouldn't have eliminated Ah Da, much less let those children leave after eliminating Ah Da."

After reaching an agreement, the gray-robed man pulled out the bottle cap, and instantly a fresh and fragrant aroma wafted out. Even just smelling it made one feel a heat rising in their stomach. Even with Ye Jie's self-control, he couldn't help but want to snatch the small bottle and drink all the blood inside.

Ye Jie shook his head vigorously, finally suppressing the impulse surging within him. He calmed himself down and thought to himself that the bottle of precious blood was indeed extraordinary and unique. It seemed that it was not just hype; it possessed an extraordinary allure.

However, for some reason, Ye Jie sensed an unusually familiar taste in the blood in the bottle, as if it were not the first time he had seen it.

The gray-robed man chanted incantations and made hand seals. No one knew what he did, but a dazzling red light burst forth from his blood, enveloping the people around him. When the light subsided, Ye Jie was surprised to find that each of them was covered by a thin red film.

"Alright, with the protection of the precious blood, we will no longer be hindered by the restrictions and can freely enter the ruins."

The gray-robed man spoke slowly, as if afraid that Ye Jie would not believe him. He took a few steps forward and stepped over the brightly lit barrier into the interior of the ruins.

"We did it! Let's go in quickly!"

The Peacock King's face lit up with joy. It seemed that the person truly possessed some skill, capable of helping them enter the ruins ahead of time. The Peacock King still vividly remembered the spoils they had obtained deep within the ruins before. Now, entering with Ye Jie, even if it was just some things that Ye Jie didn't care about, it would be enough to satisfy him!

Ye Jie remained silent, his gaze fixed on the crimson membrane that enveloped him, and his expression gradually became solemn.

"what happened?"

Seeing that Ye Jie had not moved for a long time, the Peacock King couldn't help but urge him on. He was also a little puzzled as to why Ye Jie seemed to have become a completely different person after seeing the red membrane.

"It's nothing..." Ye Jie withdrew his gaze, suppressed his thoughts, and stepped into the ruins ahead with the Peacock King.

Once the barrier was crossed, the scenery before them underwent a dramatic transformation. The rubble and ruins that had been seen in the outside world were gone, replaced by countless magnificent and exquisite towers and the resounding chanting of Buddhist hymns that echoed through the sky.

Ye Jie was slightly taken aback. This was different from what he had seen outside. It was clear that the power of the restriction had obscured the full view of the ruins.

Beside him, the Peacock King trembled, his eyes filled with a mixture of nostalgia and wariness.

"Finally back here... This is the ruins of the Mauryan Dynasty! What lies within these ruins is the once most glorious Mauryan Dynasty, and its immortal guardians..."

The gray-robed man who entered first had been waiting for a long time. Now that Ye Jie and his companion had finally entered, he couldn't help but laugh and say, "This ruin is so vast that even if we spend decades, we might not be able to explore it all. Tell me first, what do you most want to find in the ruin?"

Ye Jie spoke slowly: "I need to find the Ming King Peacock Feather first. In addition, I have heard that the Peacock Dynasty reveres Buddhism and Taoism and has done a great deal of research on the mysteries of reincarnation. I also need to find knowledge in this area."

Peacock King remained silent. He had been brought here by Ye Jie and dared not ask for too much. Moreover, with his current cultivation level, he probably couldn't go too far in these ruins. Leaving alone would be a dead end, so he could only follow Ye Jie and hope to find some bargains.

The gray-robed man also spoke up, saying, "I have no interest in the magical artifacts and treasures here. You don't need to give me this part. I only want to explore the profound Buddhist knowledge. If there are any scriptures or books along the way, I can keep them."

The group quickly reached a consensus. After determining their target, Ye Jie looked around and saw nothing but tall Buddhist pagodas in front of him.

"Speaking of which...where are we supposed to go to find the treasures in the ruins?" Ye Jie asked, frowning.

The Peacock King had expected this: "Isn't it obvious? The treasures are naturally hidden in those pagodas. Let's go check out the nearest one first."

Led by the Peacock King, the group soon arrived at the foot of a tall tower. The tower was so magnificent that even hundreds of people could not encircle it, standing there like a pillar reaching to the sky.

The pagoda's gate was not locked. Pushing it open, the group entered and arrived at a spacious hall. Looking around, they saw exquisite murals painted on the walls, depicting countless soldiers wearing headscarves and wielding long swords.

As the group arrived, their actions seemed to trigger some kind of mechanism. The patterns in the mural twisted, and the soldiers, painted with pigments and supposed to be in the painting, came to life. They grabbed long swords and rushed out of the painting, determined to leave Ye Jie and his group here!
"Is it only the realm of mortals...?"

Ye Jie released his senses. These soldiers looked incredibly fierce, but their cultivation levels remained at the mortal level. There were very few immortals among them, and only a handful. Apart from their impressive appearance, they were not to be feared.

Before Ye Jie could make a move, the Peacock King acted first. A phantom image of a peacock appeared behind him. The phantom image leaped and shook, and countless sharp feathers shot out, piercing through the soldiers.

After the soldiers fell to the ground, they left no corpses, but turned into a wisp of smoke, leaving no trace whatsoever.

Only after all the soldiers were wiped out did the Peacock King slowly withdraw his attack. Although he couldn't put up any resistance in front of Ye Jie, he was quite confident in dealing with others.

The wisps of smoke that had transformed from the soldiers condensed in mid-air, then gathered again at the center of this level, constantly condensing and surging, as if something was brewing and being born. Finally, a large iron box appeared.

Upon opening the box, a long sword lay quietly inside, its style identical to the one the soldiers had previously carried. It emanated the unique aura of a sixth-grade magical artifact.

"A magical artifact..."

Ye Jie took out his longsword. With his current formidable strength, he certainly wouldn't be interested in this mere sixth-grade magic weapon.

However, through this experience, Ye Jie also gained a general understanding of the rules of this place. It seemed that as long as the enemies in the tower were eliminated, a reward could be obtained. Simply killing some enemies who had not yet become immortals would yield high-quality magical artifacts, making the reward quite generous.

He casually tossed the long sword to the Peacock King, and the group continued climbing to the next level.

Upon reaching the second floor, the enemies depicted in the murals this time were three people holding long flutes and playing snake-taming games. Their cultivation levels were far superior to those on the first floor, possessing the cultivation of a second-stage immortal. Moreover, the venomous snakes in front of them were at the third-stage cultivation level.

For anyone else, it would have been a tough battle, but the Peacock King wiped out these enemies with just a few moves.

Just like last time, after the enemy died, another box appeared in the center of the room. The difference was that this time the box was plated with silver and emitted a pure and holy light.

(End of this chapter)