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The real room.

Just about everyone who made it into the snowy mountains and didn’t perish beneath the vicious beasts’ claws reached the true room.

Imperial experts had “keen noses”. After countless pocket dimensions, they suddenly encountered a room that really existed. Anyone could guess that this was the place they’d been looking for.

Faced with their desires, humans revealed their greedy natures. Companions who’d traversed the snowy mountains, fighting vicious beasts side by side suddenly turned on each other. The miniature dimensions, the other rooms, had long since broken. Now, as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but a void. All that remained of the palace was the one room that everyone carefully protected even as they attacked with all their might. 

The Ocean Emperor and the others who’d gone off on their own had reconnected with Yang Jian and the others who’d followed Ye Zichen.

Their arrival calmed the imperial kings already fighting amongst themselves down a little. In terms of cultivation, they were inferior to the Ocean Emperor. If they wanted the fortune contained here, their only hope was to join forces. If they fought together, they might be able to take Xue Yang down.

But it was actually rather laughable: those who’d traversed the snow and found out about this place weren’t just these imperial kings.

Waiting until numbers dropped, then suddenly coming to their senses was an unfortunate part of human nature.

“I don’t think there’s any need for you to fight amongst yourselves.” Just as the gathered experts stared each other down, the door to the true room swung open, and a little loli and brawny man stepped out.

Everyone present had seen them before. Back when they went from the outer to the inner palace, it was the girl who’d told them what they needed to do.

But seeing her emerge from the true room left them all stunned. They’d all been fighting tooth and nail over it; no one let anyone else take even half a step inside. How had the girl gotten in?

“Kill them! They went into the room!” roared an imperial king. His eyes reddened, but just as he was about to strike, the stalwart man at her side took a single step forward. 

A ripple suddenly appeared in the pocket dimension outside the true room, sending every last imperial king flying.

When they saw this, the experts watching from the sidelines - including the Ocean Emperor and the Demon Emperor - turned serious.

“What exquisite mastery of the Grand Dao of Space.”

Although the imperial kings had been sent flying, they hadn’t suffered any real injuries. The ripples had, however, made them aware of the stark difference in power.

It was easy to use the Grand Dao of Space to hurt someone, but the man had sent them flying without injuring them.

This required a high degree of mastery.

If he could send them flying, he could undoubtedly have killed them, yet he hadn’t. That meant he bore them no ill will.

“Everyone….” The loli then walked over on her tippy-toes. After seeing her bodyguard’s strength, even Kui Lin took the two of them seriously now.

“After you got here, you immediately started fighting, right? None of you have actually seen the inside of this room yet.”

No one spoke, but inwardly, they nodded.

From the imperial kings to top experts like Xue Yang and Kui Lin, they’d been focused on holding the others back. No one was willing to let anyone set foot through that door.

All they knew was that it was the real room; none of them had seen its interior.

“I took a look inside. This is indeed the real room, and the room you’ve been hunting all this time, but it doesn’t contain the fortune you’re after. How about you take a look inside? The room isn’t small; it should be able to fit all of you.”

As she spoke, she stepped away from the door, and the experts really did step inside.

After passing the door’s threshold, they really didn’t see the grand fortune they imagined. All they saw were six paintings, as well as a few dried-up bloodstains.

“Someone got here first. It seems they saw the good fortune stored here and ran off with it.” One of the imperial kings frowned, but he couldn’t help but think it ridiculous. How many of them had fought and died for a treasure someone else had already claimed and left with?

Suddenly, they all heard a massive boom.

“Below!” The great emperors immediately locked onto the source of the noise. Kui Lin even went so far as to punch the wall. But strangely, the wall absorbed every last drop of power he unleashed; none of it remained to do any damage.

“You can’t break into the secret passage like that. The only way in is to infuse the power of the five elements into that white scroll. Only then will the door open.”

The power of the five elements. 

Yang Jian and the Great Sage looked at each other. The phrase “the five elements” immediately made them think of Ye Zichen.

“Ye-zi is still alive, and he’s gone into the secret passage.”

Gu Li had been telling them Ye Zichen was still alive all this time, but since they’d yet to actually see him, the Great Sage was still worried. But now, hearing that the five elements were needed to open the door, it seemed clear that Ye Zichen was the one who’d opened the seret passage.

But…

The booms emanating below were clearly the sound of someone fighting.

“I know some of you can control the five elements too, and I can even tell you the order in which you need to call upon the elements. However, the person inside was clever, and he left a seal around the blank scroll. Unless your mastery of the five elements exceeds his, you really aren’t fated for this place’s true fortune.”

“To tell the truth, it doesn’t look like any of you are better at the Grand Dao of the Five Elements than that guy.” Although the girl said that, quite a few experts who’d dabbled in the five elements swarmed around the paintings.

Demon Emperor Kui Lin, however, merely narrowed his eyes and didn’t approach. He’d comprehended some of the Grand Dao of the Five Elements too, but he knew full well that in terms of mastery over this particular dao, he couldn’t compete with Ye Zichen.

They were just wasting their time here. What he needed to do now was leave as quickly as possible.

There were people fighting in the secret passage. Clearly, Ye Zichen wasn’t having such an easy time obtaining his good fortune. But it didn’t matter who got the good fortune in the end; Kui Lin still had ot leave. Then, all he had to do was guard the exit…

He blurred into a streak of light and disappeared. The great emperors who’d been watching him turned to each other and muttered, “Kui Lin left.”

“We should go too.” The Ocean Emperor glanced in the direction Kui Lin had left in. “Let’s wait outside.”

“But Ye-zi….”

“Don’t even think about it. You ought to well aware of Ye Zichen’s power over the five elements. No one here can beat him in that regard. We can’t open the passage, so there’s no point in lingering here. Ye Zichen is the Emperor Star, and he’s blessed by fortune. You ought to have faith in him.” Gu Li glanced at the Great Sage and said, “I’d encourage you to listen to the Ocean Emperor and leave as soon as possible. If Ye Zichen leaves only to bump right into Kui Lin, but we’re not there to protect him, he’ll really be in for trouble.” 

“Let’s go!” With one last look at the blank scroll, the Great Sage gnashed his teeth and turned to leave. 

Before long, all the imperial lords had left. The loli then turned to her bulky companion. “We ought to go back and give our report too.”

“We still haven’t confirmed whether or…”

“It’s definitely that Ye Zichen guy! Let’s go back and arrange for our clan to make contact with him!”

…

….

The thunder essence spirit led the way, while the water essence spirit still lazed about, and the fire essence spirit seemed to have attached himself to Gu Luolin. He lay in her arms with a perverse grin. 

It seemed it would be hard to win the fire essence spirit over. If Ye Zichen were female, he might have had a fighting chance. 

“Hey! Little baby!” Ye Zichen tagged along and called out.

When the thunder essence spirit heard that, he stopped and looked at Ye Zichen, his eyes cold, aloof, and flashing with hostility. “You talking to me?”

“Well, what should I…”

“Hmph! Just shut your mouth!”  With that, the thunder essence spirit turned and ignored Ye Zichen completely.

It was the thunder essence spirit who was leading Ye Zichen back to their base. Ye Zichen assumed he’d be relatively approachable. To think he had such a temper!

“Hey, little baby….”

“Don’t bother me! Talking is tiring.” The water essence spirit complained without so much as looking at Ye Zichen.

As for the fire essence spirit, Ye Zichen paid him no heed; he was completely immersed in Gu Luolin’s gentleness. Who’d pay attention a stinky brat like that?

….

What was up with these essence spirits?

He was the Master of the Emperor Star! Proficient in the power of the five elements! Why were they so unwelcoming? 

It hadn’t been long, but Ye Zichen had already divined the three essence spirits’ characters.

The Thunder Essence Spirit was a cold, proud, little tsundere.

The Water Essence Spirit was a lazybones.

The Fire Essence Spirit was a little perv.

He just didn’t know about the two he’d yet to meet, the essence spirits of wind and lightning. If they had as strong personalities as the three others….

Even if he recruited them, they’d be nothing but trouble!

Ye Zichen hurriedly followed the essence spirits. Once they’d walked a few hundred meters, the thunder essence spirit stopped.

Countless thunder essence particles gathered in his palm, so pure, Ye Zichen’s heart itched just watching them. Although the essence spirits had strong characters, if he really recruited them to his side, the power of his elemental arts would multiply manifold.

And that wasn’t all; the essence spirits were old hands at controlling their respective elements.

Take the fire essence spirit just now. Just to put on a show for Gu Luolin, he’d summoned a fire dragon, a feat Ye Zichen would have to go all out to match.

They were elemental essence spirits, which made them imperial kings of their respective elements.

WIth their support, calling upon the five elements would be as smooth as could be going forward.

Pure thunder elemental power gathered in the thunder essence spirit’s hand. Then, he gently smacked the air, and the space before them shattered, as if it were a transparent mirror.

The fire essence spirit called out to Gu Luolin, urging her to enter quickly. The water essence spirit seemed to have returned him, and his eyes flashed with delight as he leaped inside.

Ye Zichen wanted to follow them too, only for the thunder essence spirit to stop him.

“What are you doing?”

“You are indeed the Emperor Star. I can sense it. But your comprehension of the five elments is so shallow, I don’t respect you at all,” said the thunder essence spirit with a sneer. “Don’t get upset; I’m just telling it how it is. But then, you made it all the way here, so that means you really might be our new master. I can lower myself to work at your side, but my four brothers aren’t so magnanimous or self-sacrificing. You can go in, but…. if you do, you’re on your own!”