Chapter 191. The Small Cauldron Proves Its Worth Again, the Ancient Hall, Blood of an Immortal

"What do we do now? Just wait here?" The Three-Headed Ghost Ranker asked as a powerful killing intent churned within him. At first, he wanted to bide his time, but upon learning that Lu Yuan had slain even their scouts, he could no longer restrain himself.

He acknowledged Lu Yuan's formidable strength, but he still had some cards left to play. Combined with the strength of his two companions, success was all but certain.

As for whether Lu Yuan would come here at all—that was beyond question. Anyone could see that Guang Chengzi's greatest legacy lay within the great hall.

"No." The Ranker of the Primeval Daemon Race shook his head. "Killing him is important, but what matters more to us is whether we can obtain our own boons inside."

The Great Age had already arrived, and all would vie for supremacy. They were Rankers, prodigies among their kind, but within their respective clans, their standing was far from paramount. Compared to those ranked above them, they fell woefully short.

Among Rankers, the higher one's rank, the greater the disparity in both talent and bloodline. However, they refused to accept the idea of forever remaining beneath others. Why else would they have chosen to descend at the first opportunity, even at a considerable cost?

It was all in hopes of seizing this chance to rise and contend for a higher position.

"Very well. Let us find a way to enter the great hall first and seize the legacies within. We can deal with him afterward," Lei Xuan said in agreement. He absolutely had to kill Lu Yuan, and he was determined to do it.

The elders in outer space had already given them what they needed. Considering their level of strength and the trump cards at their disposal, dealing with Lu Yuan wouldn't be that difficult. Of course, they also couldn't let him evolve any further.

Immortal Guang Chengzi's legacy was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; it dwarfed even the importance of dealing with Lu Yuan.

At this, all three nodded in agreement. After all, everyone had their own selfish motives.

"Let's go!"

Having made up their mind, the three Rankers wasted no time and headed toward the great hall once more. They moved quickly, and before long, they arrived at its entrance. As for those wraiths, they posed no obstacle whatsoever.

The hall appeared magnificent and imposing, seemingly proving that it had witnessed the glory of antiquity. Scars from all manner of weapons marred its surface.

The three paid those details no mind, walking directly to the massive gate.

"I cannot tell what material this is made from, but it's an incredibly dense material," Lei Xuan said, pressing his hand against the gate with a solemn face. He knew that entering this hall would prove difficult.

"It doesn't matter. Let me give it a try." The Primeval Daemon Ranker stepped forward. The black fog shrouding his form was far denser and more powerful than before.

Without hesitation, he faced the gate and hurled a devastating punch at it.

Boom!

A wave of black fog rushed forward and stuck to the gate, battering it.

However, the gate remained unmoving and unscathed.

At the sight, Lei Xuan and the Three-Headed Ghost Ranker narrowed their eyes before joining the attack. They had no other method of entry; all they could do was rely on brute force.

Unfortunately, this place was connected to Immortal Guang Chengzi. How could three outsiders hope to shatter its gate by brute force alone?

In the end, they were forced to employ everything they had at their disposal, but they still failed to move the gate even in the slightest.

"This is just... what do we do now?" All three faces of the Three-Headed Ghost Ranker turned exceedingly ugly.

They had painstakingly made their way to this sacred land of a legendary immortal. They knew supreme boons lay within, but they had no way of claiming them.

However, none of them was willing to give up. There had to be a way inside.

"Wait, someone else is coming. I can feel it," Lei Xuan said.

The other two tensed, instinctively glancing behind them.

"It should be that human, Lu Yuan," the Primeval Daemon Ranker said before pondering briefly and adding, "Should we hide?"

"We should. If we truly cannot enter the hall, then at the very least, we must kill him," Lei Xuan replied. He planned to wait until Lu Yuan met the same dead end, and then they would ambush him.

They would surely catch him off guard. Against someone like Lu Yuan, a direct confrontation would prove troublesome. After all, everyone present had long acknowledged his terrifying strength.

Without delay, they withdrew from the gate and concealed their presence using their own techniques. Afraid of being discovered, they retreated even farther, certain this would ensure nothing could go wrong.

Not long after, a figure descended and landed directly before the gate.

It was Lu Yuan.

He did not immediately approach the gate. Instead, he stood in place as streams of light flitted across his eyes.

The Rankers of the three races had entered the secret realm before him. Their goal was undoubtedly the legacy within, but there was no sign of them, and the gate appeared as if it had never been opened.

Lu Yuan easily deduced what had happened. His Martial Dao Heavenly Eyes revealed traces of peculiar auras before him.

So they couldn't open the gate and left... or perhaps they chose to lie in wait nearby?

Lu Yuan smiled faintly. Without the Martial Dao Heavenly Eyes, discovering their traces would have been rather difficult.

However, their presence did not concern him in the slightest. He knew exactly how much those people were worth. So what if they were Rankers and prodigies of their races? He was not afraid of them at all.

What intrigued Lu Yuan was why they couldn't enter the great hall. He paid them no mind and approached the gate at a leisurely pace.

He reached out and touched it.

Ancient, dense, and timeworn auras intertwined and pressed down on Lu Yuan like a mountain. Upon sensing them, Lu Yuan immediately concluded that he would never be able to enter the hall through conventional methods.

"This is rather troublesome." Lu Yuan's eyes narrowed as he sank into deep thought. The Rankers of the three races had to have encountered the same predicament and ultimately had no choice but to withdraw.

However, he had a solution to this predicament.

He flicked his wrist, and a small, green bronze cauldron appeared.

Yes, it was that cauldron again.

The small cauldron had once helped him enter the Primordial Dragon Hall and also obtain the blood essence of Shennong. In the face of another impenetrable barrier, Lu Yuan couldn't help but be reminded of it.

The green bronze cauldron contained mysteries that still eluded him, but he could still make use of it.

Lu Yuan decided to give it a try. Without another word, Lu Yuan drew a deep breath, set the cauldron on the ground, and sliced open his palm. Then, he squeezed his palm, allowing his blood to fall into the cauldron.

Moments later, light spilled from the small cauldron, and the flight flew toward the gate as if it had a will of its own.

Buzz!

A buzzing noise echoed in his head.

It worked!

Lu Yuan's expression lit up with elation. The small cauldron's true identity and origin remained unknown to him, but for now, it was like a universal master key.

At this critical juncture, Lu Yuan ensured that a portion of his senses was keeping track of his surroundings. The Rankers of the three races were nearby. If they were to appear and ambush him, it would throw his plans into chaos.

Before long, the light emanating from the small cauldron engulfed the gate. A few moments later, rippling waves akin to the surface of a water being disturbed appeared across the gate.

The waves appeared gentle and subdued. At the sight, Lu Yuan extended his hand and watched as it phased through the gate.

It seemed like he now had a one-time chance to enter the great hall!

Just then, the three prodigies moved and rapidly closed in on him.

Lu Yuan smiled. He retrieved the small cauldron and stepped through the gate.

Since he could enter the great hall, there was no reason for him to waste any time on them. He could just deal with them later once he was done with his business in the great hall.

Besides, his senses were telling him that the ritual allowed only one person to enter at a time.

Sure enough, the rippling waves of light vanished as soon as Lu Yuan disappeared into the gate. In no time, the gate returned to normal.

"No! He actually got in!"

The three prodigies arrived just in time to see Lu Yuan walking into the gate.

Without hesitation, they rushed forward. They had to enter the hall.

After all, Immortal Guang Chengzi's legacy was inside. Whoever obtained it would profit massively. For now, they could even set aside the orders from above for the sake of it.

An opportunity had presented itself before their very eyes. How could they possibly let it slip away? When they made contact with the gate, however, they realized that it was exactly as before.

They still couldn't enter the hall.

"How did he do it? Did he do something special?" The Three-Headed Ghost Ranker's expression twisted with shock. He could not understand it at all. Had Lu Yuan come prepared?

"We miscalculated. We should have stayed near the entrance." Lei Xuan slammed his fist on the gate. He looked grim, as he had just watched an opportunity slip through his fingers.

"There's no use dwelling on it now." The Primeval Daemon Ranker spoke up. "In the end, we are going to attack Lu Yuan. Let him enter and claim what's inside. Once he's out, we'll find a way to take them away from him."

"Exactly. The treasures that an immortal has left behind are definitely being protected by powerful arrays and restrictions. We'll wait outside and take them all for ourselves once he comes out of there," the Three-Headed Ghost Ranker said, agreeing to the suggestion.

There was no alternative, as they simply could not enter the hall. What else could they do at this point?

"Fine! We'll wait for him to come out!" Lei Xuan had no other choice. Hatred burned in his eyes. He felt awful, feeling like a treasure that was supposed to belong to him was snatched away by a thief.

The three split up in three different directions and sat down. Their gazes were transfixed on the gate.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan entered the hall and found that it was unlike what he had imagined. The hall was vast and empty; there were no elevated platforms and no furnishings. He saw only four colossal pillars that were so thick that several people would be needed to encircle one.

In the middle of the four pillars was a Dao diagram where yin and yang swirled in harmony.

However, none of these were important.

The moment Lu Yuan stepped inside, he felt an unprecedented pressure bearing down on him. It shook his very soul; it was like an ancient mountain had descended to crush him. He was instantly paralyzed, unable to move even an inch.

Amidst the vast emptiness of the hall were dried bloodstains on the floor. They had long dried up, making it impossible to determine how many years it had been since they were spilled.

When Lu Yuan's gaze reached the farthest end of the hall, he finally saw where all the pressure was coming from. It originated from an iron wall, where a single character was written in blood.

The character was written in a script unknown to the modern era. It seemed even more ancient than the ancient era itself, and determining when it was written as well as its origin was simply impossible.

Lu Yuan strained his eyes, drawing upon every ounce of his comprehension and intuition to stare at the character until he finally grasped what it represented—Immortal!