At Jia Nan Academy, a statue stood on the plaza near the Heavenly Burning Training Qi Tower.
A new batch of students, led by their instructors, were heading to the Heavenly Burning Training Qi Tower for their first training session.
As they passed the plaza and saw the enormous statue, someone asked, "Who is that? The Headmaster?"
"No, that's Senior Xiao Yan, the most outstanding student Jia Nan Academy has ever had," an older student, watching the commotion, replied.
"A student?"
"Yes, according to students from the Central Plains, after Senior Xiao Yan left the academy, he joined Starfall Pavilion and became the Medicine Saint's closed-door disciple. He himself is now a ninth-grade Alchemist Master."
"A ninth-grade Alchemist?"
The students hearing this news for the first time were all astonished.
"Speaking of which, Senior Xiao Yan didn't graduate that long ago, only about ten-odd years."
"Wow, then he's really wonderful," a slightly playful voice rang out.
The students followed the sound and discovered that at some point, a young man had appeared in their group, dressed in a black classical robe, wearing a matching pointed soft hat, and with a monocle embedded over his right eye.
Amon raised his right hand, adjusted his monocle, and looked at Xiao Yan's statue, a look of deep interest on his face.
"Who are you?" A new student frowned. He was certain this guy wasn't among this year's new students.
"Me? A fun-seeker."
Amon's figure suddenly vanished, reappearing at the bottom of the Heavenly Burning Training Qi Tower.
A white-robed old man was sitting cross-legged, cultivating with his eyes closed.
Amon waited for him to finish a cycle before speaking, "Hmm, this Sealed Artifact is still the same as before."
The Guardian Elder instantly stood up, turning his head to look behind him, his eyes filled with shock.
With his strength as a Dou Huang, he hadn't even sensed anyone behind him; no, he still couldn't sense anyone. Apart from sight, it seemed all his other sensory methods had failed.
"Your Excellency, you..."
Before he could finish, Amon interrupted, "It might become very dangerous here in a bit. You'd best stay far away, the farther the better, as I don't know what kind of commotion will be stirred up. Hmm... I need to go down to do something."
Saying that, he easily passed through the Sealed Artifact without causing any damage to it.
Seeing this, the Guardian Elder dared not be careless and immediately evacuated the students, sounded the alarm, and sent someone to notify Grand Elder Su Qian.
Su Qian arrived quickly. After hearing the Guardian Elder's report, he understood that this was definitely a powerful individual beyond his comprehension.
Aside from anything else, the ability to pass directly through the Sealed Artifact without damaging it in the slightest was something even Elders Qian Mu and Bai Lie, who had broken through to Dou Zun, couldn't do.
"You all continue evacuating the students. I'll go call out those two old fossils."
Su Qian's tone always became less pleasant whenever he mentioned Qian Mu and Bai Lie.
Amon submerged into the Magma, heading downwards.
Some short-sighted Flame Lizardmen tried to attack him, but before they could even move, white circles appeared over their right eyes.
Two white Flame Lizardmen looked at Amon from afar and did not stop him.
They recognized Amon; they had seen him leave the bottom of the Magma before, an existence suspected to be the Grave Keepers.
"It's him, the Grave Keepers."
"Why is he coming to God's Cemetery again?"
Amon gave the two lizardmen a smile, which scared them into quickly retreating a long distance.
Without wasting time, his body became transparent and ethereal, bypassing the resistance of the Magma, and he submerged faster.
Soon, he reached the end of the Magma, crossed the spatial Split Level, and arrived in the space where the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Cave was located.
Eternal darkness and silence enveloped the entire space, permeated by an ancient and Vicissitudes aura.
Amon, familiar with the way, looked towards a ball of light in the darkness and flew towards it.
The light ball was located at a massive stone gate, tens of thousands of feet tall, and an endless plaza in front of it.
Amon landed on the plaza, gazing up at the enormous stone gate, and looking at the four ancient characters "Ancient Emperor Cave," the corners of his mouth slightly curved into a smile.
He walked forward, extended his right hand, and placed his palm on the great door. In the past, he needed fragments of ancient jade as a guide to find weak points on the Sealed Artifact to barely open a passage. Now, without any auxiliary items, he could easily open a "door" on it.
A pure light screen bloomed from his monocle, starlight glittered, and layers of illusory doors flickered in his eyes, reflecting on the great door of the Ancient Emperor Cave.
A "door" large enough for a person to pass through was thus opened.
Amon stepped into the starlight door and entered the Ancient Emperor Cave.
The Ancient Emperor Cave was still the same; faint mist floated, enveloping the entire space, and all sounds of heaven and earth were silent.
In this vast, boundless space, a landmass floated in the sky.
Upon entering the cave, Amon, like a meteor, swiftly streaked across the sky, passed through the vast plains on the landmass, and landed before an ancient stone palace.
In front of the stone palace was an enormous plaza, with twenty-two massive pillars, thousands of feet tall, standing on either side, exuding a majestic and grand aura.
"Tsk, finally back here again," Amon chuckled, his expression unreadable.
He saw the giant statue of Tuoshe Ancient Emperor in front, and the Emperor Grade Young Pill standing on the statue's shoulder, looking down at him.
He greeted it calmly, "Hello, Senior Pill Emperor."
"What are you here for this time? I haven't felt any unusual movements from the Ancient Emperor Cave, and you still haven't gathered all the ancient jade."
Emperor Grade Young Pill's expression was displeased. If Amon hadn't now embodied his hope of leaving this cage, he would probably have been unable to suppress his inner anger and directly attacked.
Amon smiled, his expression unchanged:
"I indeed haven't gathered all the ancient jade, but I've become strong enough now to open a 'wider' 'door'.
"This is enough for you to leave the Ancient Emperor Cave. Look, I'm not smaller than you now..."
Saying that, Amon unleashed his aura. This aura was so vast that even this space, opened by a Dou Emperor, trembled.
Emperor Grade Young Pill's face slightly changed. Amon was already able to pose a threat to him. He hadn't expected this former ant to grow to a point where he had to take him seriously in such a short time.
However, despite his wariness, he felt more joy... He could finally leave this mansion that had constrained him for countless years!
"Very good. Since that's the case, then quickly open the passage and let me out."
Amon shook his head and said, "That won't do. Before opening the passage and letting you leave, I still need something from you."
Emperor Grade Young Pill raised an eyebrow, his eyes slightly cold.
Amon seemed oblivious to his change in expression and continued to speak to himself:
"That strand of your original Emperor Qi, I think you should have a way to separate it, right? It doesn't matter if you don't; I can figure out a way.
"There are quite a few people outside coveting that strand of your original Emperor Qi. Why not give it to me? All problems will then be solved.
"That way, no one will recklessly come to trouble you anymore. I will be the one who needs to worry, not you. You can be a happy ninth grade golden pill.
"Also, if you don't think this is enough, when I break through to Dou Emperor, I can open a planar passage and return two strands of original Emperor Qi to you, then protect you until you break through to Dou Emperor.
"You might think I'm dreaming, thinking that with your own strength, after going to the outside world, you can be invincible in this era where no Dou Emperor appears.
"But there's one thing you probably don't know: someone has almost gathered all the ancient jade, and the ancient jade contains the Hua Dan Divine Skill left by Tuoshe Ancient Emperor."
Pill Emperor looked at Amon coldly, as if looking at a clown, his voice icy and filled with undisguised anger:
"Bastard, are you trying to go back on your word? Even if I can never leave and will be trapped here forever, I will kill you."
Amon squeezed the monocle carved from crystal, smiled, and said:
"Hmm, I didn't expect you to agree anyway, as such conditions aren't exactly tempting. I just said it with a 'let's see' attitude.
"Alright, for the sake of you helping me take Candle Dragon's soul in the past, I'll give you a chance."
Saying that, he snapped his fingers, and brilliant starlight illuminated, layers of illusory doors drifted into the distance, finally forming a starlight door at the edge of the continent.
Amon pointed to the distant starlight door, which was only a small dot, and said:
"See that speck of light? That's the passage to the outside world I've forged. It will last for one day. Within that day, even if I die, it won't disappear.
"I am determined to get this strand of your original Emperor Qi, so let's have a fair fight.
"If I win, I get your original Emperor Qi. If I lose, you can leave the Ancient Emperor Cave and from then on, the sea is wide for fish to leap, the sky is high for birds to fly...
"You can cultivate diligently in the outside world until you break through to the Dou Emperor realm."
Emperor Grade Young Pill gazed at the small, twinkling starlight dot in the distance, a look of contemplation appearing on his face:
"Really? Is that really a passage to the outside world?"
Amon smiled and said:
"Indeed. It doesn't matter if you don't believe me; this time, I didn't bring the fragments of ancient jade in.
"You also don't need to worry about key fragments being left in the cave after you kill me, so you can act boldly and without hesitation.
"Someone outside has already basically gathered the ancient jade. The ancient jade is both a key and a Hua Dan Ring. If you encounter someone holding the ancient jade, you will be utterly defenseless.
"Hmm, if you want to agree to my previous conditions now, it's still not too late. I only want the Emperor Qi origin; I don't want your life.
"Once we start fighting, I won't be able to hold back."
The anger on Pill Emperor's face lessened slightly: "If you want to break through to Dou Emperor, you can completely obtain Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's inheritance. It's inside this statue, and I can open it for you."
Amon shook his head: "The path of the Heavenly Flame is not the path I wish to walk; this concerns the Dharma Body formed after breaking through to Dou Emperor."
Pill Emperor let out a cold snort: "Hmph, since you're looking for death, I'll grant your wish!"