Fang Chen's mind was filled with thoughts as he stared at the blood-red soil in the corner of the underground palace. The two footprints, one shallow and one deep, seemed to contain countless secrets of the City of Despair.
Fang Chen's intuition told him that the two footprints most likely came from Sovereign Fujian.
However, he thought of another possibility. If the two footprints really did come from Sovereign Fujian, then was all of this part of his plan?
Was his every move ever since he reincarnated into the Origin World and started cultivating again under the control of the powerhouses behind him?
His mind was in turmoil as he thought of many things.
However, he didn't dare to touch the blood-red soil at this moment.
The two footprints seemed to be sealing the power of the blood-red soil. It was obvious that the blood-red soil in the underground palace was different from what they'd seen before.
Fang Chen even felt a dangerous aura approaching.
He didn't dare to act rashly. Beside him, Elder Jia Yuan said in a deep voice, "The entire underground palace is empty. Only this corner has blood-red soil. I think the Ghost Artifact must be in this blood-red soil."
Even if it wasn't in the soil, it definitely had something to do with it.
Fang Chen didn't say anything. The three old men's eyes shone with golden light. When they took that step, they'd already disregarded life and death. They only had one thought in their minds, and that was to find the ghost artifact and then find the path to becoming a Sovereign.
No one and nothing could stop their determination.
Therefore, the three old men were rather excited at this moment. They walked past Fang Chen and Elder Jia Yuan and arrived in front of the blood-red soil.
Old Xiu couldn't wait any longer. He exchanged a glance with the other two and then stepped onto the shallow footprints.
Buzz!
The shallow footprints emitted a faint aura. Then, the blood-red soil changed. A trace of black seemed to appear in the bright red.
However, Old Xiu didn't care.
A smile appeared on his face. He thought he'd conquered the blood-red soil.
"The blood-red soil here doesn't seem to be scary," said Old Xiu.
Following that, the old man on the right also took a step forward and stepped onto the deep footprint. However, the result was beyond everyone's expectations.
When his foot landed on the deep footprint, the deep and shallow footprints suddenly underwent a tremendous change. It was like the Eight Trigrams of Tai Chi, releasing a vast and mighty power.
At the same time, the sealed power in the blood-red soil instantly surged out. It was majestic and shocking.
"Not good."
The old man in the middle of the thatched hut noticed the abnormality and shouted out a warning. However, it was too late. Two terrifying beams of light soared into the sky and blasted the two old men away.
Dong!
The two of them crashed into the ceiling of the underground palace and fell to the ground.
Ah!
Miserable shrieks rang out from their mouths. Fang Chen and Elder Jia Yuan turned their heads to look at them, and discovered that their feet were badly mangled, as if they were on the verge of collapsing.
Bang!
The old man in the middle of the thatched hut reacted quickly. He chopped off the feet of the two old men with two hand blades.
He had personally experienced the invasion of the blood-red soil. It was too powerful. If he didn't decisively cut off his feet, his Primordial Spirit would be injured and he would die a miserable death.
"What's going on?"
After calming down, the two old men endured the pain that spread throughout their bodies and asked in confusion.
"You two are too reckless," said the old man in the middle of the thatched hut.
At this moment, Elder Jia Yuan finally spoke. "Those two footprints are very strange. They're suppressing the power of the blood-red soil. The two of you stepped on each of the footprints, so you must have activated the seal and released the power of the soil."
The two old men's faces paled.
Fang Chen nodded. "It doesn't matter who left these two footprints. At present, the two of you don't have the strength to resist the invasion of the blood-red soil with your physical strength."
Although his words were unpleasant to the ears, they were the truth.
Even the old man in the middle of the thatched hut had been affected by the blood-red soil. If Fang Chen hadn't stepped forward at the critical moment and resisted with his physical strength, they wouldn't have been able to enter the underground palace.
However.
Entering the underground palace made the flames in their hearts burn even more fiercely.
After waiting for countless years, the most crucial moment had finally arrived. They lost their minds and were immersed in the joy of obtaining the Ghost Artifact.
However, they neglected the terrifying nature of the underground palace.
"Then what should we do?
We can't keep waiting here, right? "asked the old man in the middle of the thatched hut.
In fact, the old man in the middle of the thatched hut was filled with helplessness when he said this. He was a peak Saint Realm expert. No matter which era he was in, he could suppress his peers.
But now, he was in such a state.
Now, he kept a respectful distance from the blood-red soil.
He laughed self-deprecatingly and put away his arrogance. He lowered his status and seriously asked Fang Chen for advice.
This was because he knew that the latter was an expert who had mastered the complete cultivation system of the ancient civilization. Although he looked young, his combat strength was actually above the Ninth Level of the Saint Realm.
If there was one person present who could break out of this situation, it would be Fang Chen.
Fang Chen pondered for a moment and carefully observed the depth of the footprints. Then he said, "You've just activated the power of the seal and released part of it. If you continue to guide it and release it bit by bit, it won't be long before I can resist it with my physical body."
"What do you mean?" The old man in the middle of the thatched hut was stunned.
In just a single attempt, the two old men had already lost a foot each. Who would dare to give it a try?
"Brother Fang, Brother Fang … do you have any ideas?" Elder Jia Yuan asked.
He knew that since Fang Chen said so, he must have a solution. Otherwise, he wouldn't say it so casually.
As expected.
Fang Chen nodded and said, "The power under the deep footprints is very strong. I'll step on it while you two take turns stepping on the shallow footprints. Every time you step on the shallow footprints, the power will be released. At that time, you two will quickly leave the shallow footprints while I continue to step on the deep ones. The power will be absorbed by me and you two will be able to escape unscathed."
"Then, won't you …" Elder Jia Yuan shook his head.
"Don't worry. The power released in one go isn't strong. My physical body can withstand it." Fang Chen said with a smile, full of confidence.
Seeing this, Elder Jia Yuan hesitated.
The expression of the old man in the straw hut in the middle was solemn as he cupped his hands together and thanked Fang Chen. "This old man is unable to repay young friend Fang's great kindness. Once this matter is over, if the three of us are still alive, young friend Fang can feel free to call the three of us if you need us."