Chapter 256: The Mysterious Crack

The Demon Burial Sea lay a hundred li behind Demon Burial City. It was a vast ocean that seemed unremarkable at first glance, but upon its surface, wisps of blood mist rose slowly like hot steam.

Now, as he flew through the air and looked at the Demon Burial Sea, his face showed astonishment.

On the sea surface, a vacuum zone several thousand zhang in diameter had suddenly appeared. The seawater there had completely evaporated, and countless people stood watching, unsure of what had happened.

Legend had it that the Demon Burial Sea was where an immensely powerful ferocious beast had been buried. That beast could blot out the sun with a flap of its wings, plunging the world into darkness, and could swallow an entire sea with a single gulp.

Of course, these were just legends, not very credible. If such a beast truly existed, it would be truly terrifying.

When Lin Fan landed, he drew the attention of many, but they soon ignored him.

The Yao family of Demon Burial City had not expected such an event either.

That black beam of light had lasted for a full day and night. No one could approach it until today, when it finally disappeared. The several great sects had been drawn here and had discussed the matter.

Lin Fan hid among the crowd, not daring to attract attention.

The cultivators from the great sects who had come this time were all quite skilled, with Great Heaven realm experts among them. Lin Fan wanted to pull off a big scheme, but he had to know his limits.

Just then, Lin Fan's gaze sharpened as he spotted an unbelievable figure.

Lin Fan hadn't expected to see Zou Tenglong here, the man he had killed. His brows furrowed—something was wrong.

Zou Tenglong of the Qin Spirit Dynasty had clearly been killed by him, yet now he stood here unharmed. Moreover, sensing his aura, his cultivation seemed to have advanced further.

Then Lin Fan saw the man beside Zou Tenglong and was startled again.

No... no, the auras of these two were completely different from what he had sensed that day.

That Qin King had clearly been only at the Lesser Heaven realm, so how could he now be at the early stage of the Great Heaven realm?

Lin Fan was completely baffled by these two, utterly unable to understand what had happened.

...

"Yao Tian, this may be your territory, but the Demon Burial Sea is not your Yao family's domain. Now that an anomaly has appeared, everyone has a chance to go in and explore." At that moment, several big shots were discussing how to maximize their gains from the Demon Burial Sea.

"Brother Qinghuo, what do you propose?" Yao Tian, the current head of the Yao family, was more concerned about the anomaly than anyone else. If the Yao family could monopolize it, it would be a tremendous blessing.

But he knew that was impossible.

The blame lay solely with the anomaly lasting too long, making it impossible to conceal.

Now that several great sects had all arrived, even if the Yao family were formidable, they could not stand against them all.

"Simple: everyone who sees it gets a share. The Demon Burial Sea has never shown such an anomaly, so there must be a treasure hidden underground. Since we all know the entry method—only those below the Great Heaven realm can enter—how about our six sects plus your Yao family select disciples to go in?" said the middle-aged man in a green robe.

As for the scattered cultivators, they were all to be barred from entry.

"All those not from the six sects or the Yao family, leave now!" At that moment, Qinghuo glared at everyone present and spoke sternly.

The seven major powers were already too many; adding these scattered cultivators would be like a tidal wave. How could they let them get a free ride?

Some scattered cultivators were angry but dared not speak, eventually leaving silently, though others wore resentful expressions.

"The Demon Burial Sea—everyone who sees it gets a share. Why aren't we allowed in?" a scattered cultivator shouted.

"Yeah!"

"You can't be so overbearing just because you're powerful!"

...

Lin Fan hid among the crowd, watching quietly. He felt sympathy for these cannon-fodder troublemakers—weren't they just asking for death?

Sure enough, in an instant, Qinghuo raised his hand, as if wielding supreme laws, lifting the few who had spoken into the air, then pinched his fingers.

Crack...

Those disobedient scattered cultivators died on the spot.

"I said, all scattered cultivators leave, or don't blame me for being ruthless..."

...

At that moment, the scattered cultivators were terrified, staring at Qinghuo in fear. They hadn't expected him to kill without hesitation.

Lin Fan looked ahead at the entrance blocked by several great experts and felt at a loss. Forcing his way through was impossible.

Was he really going to have to give up?

"Blazing Flame Sect."

"Heavenly Passage Island."

"Immortal Spirit Sect."

...

Six great sects, six Great Heaven realm experts. As for the Yao family head, his cultivation was at the high stage of the Lesser Heaven realm, but Lin Fan knew that the Yao family ancestor was surely hidden in some void space, watching silently.

Lin Fan wasn't arrogant enough to think he could slip past several Great Heaven realm experts.

Especially since that damned Qin King, who had a grudge against him, was also at the Great Heaven realm.

"Sigh..."

At that moment, Lin Fan scratched his head, looking helpless. Was he really going to get nothing today?

Then Lin Fan noticed the maps in the hands of some scattered cultivators and was startled.

"Seven Saints Treasure Map"?

But it was only a fragment, incomplete.

So that was it—the reason so many sect disciples and scattered cultivators had gathered in Demon Burial City was the Seven Saints Treasure Map.

But who had spread it? As for the Seven Saints, that was impossible—they were all skeletons now, what could they do?

And what about that black beam of light? Could there be something else besides the Seven Saints Treasure Map?

"The Yao family and the six great sects are too much!" some scattered cultivators murmured as they left, reluctant but fearing for their lives if they stayed.

"What can we do even if they are? If we don't leave, we'll probably be killed here."

"Sigh..."

Qinghuo looked at the scattered cultivators, anger rising in his heart, and let out a thunderous roar.

"Get lost, now!"

The crowd was shaken by the roar, their minds trembling. A Great Heaven realm expert's roar, infused with the power of laws, was not something they could withstand.

"Boom..."

In an instant, the earth shook, and the Demon Burial Sea changed again.

Everyone's expression shifted, unsure of what was happening.

At that moment, the solid yellow ground suddenly began to stretch and crack, opening fissures. From beneath the cracks, a light shone, and a mysterious aura emerged.

At the same time, someone in the crowd shouted.

"This is the passage down! Everyone, hurry!"

Instantly, the scattered cultivators buzzed with discussion. Qinghuo's face turned cold. "Seeking death..."

In that moment, the sky and earth changed color. Qinghuo, a Great Heaven realm expert, was about to strike down with a palm to suppress everyone.

A giant hand condensed in the air, blotting out the sky, and a pressure descended from above.

Lin Fan's heart tightened. If he didn't run, he would die.

Then he leaped through the crack. Many scattered cultivators also jumped down. Men die for wealth, birds die for food—such dangerous places, though perilous, held benefits that made people forget all risks.