Everyone tried, but each was blocked by an invisible restriction, preventing them from entering. Their attacks had no effect; instead, they were repelled, causing them to get injured.
Ning Beichen had never encountered such a peculiar restriction and became very curious. He told everyone to stop trying and began to observe it himself.
While others couldn't see the restriction, Ning Beichen could. To him, it appeared as a series of intricate puzzles.
Ning Beichen spent three full days just observing.
After three days, Ning Beichen made his first attempt at deciphering it.
However, an hour later, Ning Beichen failed and had to give up, returning to his observation.
Liu Yilin and the others knew Ning Beichen had the ability to break formations, so they didn't dare disturb him. They waited patiently by his side, acting as his guardians.
Another two days passed, and then Ning Beichen attempted to break the formation for the second time.
This time, his attempt lasted longer, a full eight hours. Yet, Ning Beichen ultimately failed again.
Ning Beichen followed up with a third observation, which was much shorter, lasting only a few hours.
Then he proceeded with his third, fourth, and fifth attempts to break the formation.
He still failed. Even Liu Yilin and the others had never seen Ning Beichen spend so much time trying to break a formation.
"Beichen, why don't you take a break first?" Liu Yilin said to him with concern.
"I'm fine. I have a clue now. I'm going to try one more time. I'm very confident I can succeed this time."
After saying this, Ning Beichen began his tenth attempt to break the formation.
This time, Ning Beichen spent three full days. Just as everyone was losing hope, they suddenly saw the suspended tomb tremble. Then, a phantom bridge appeared before Ning Beichen and his companions. This phantom bridge was likely the path leading to the tomb.
"I've done it," Ning Beichen said, opening his eyes with joy.
"Beichen, you've suffered," Liu Yilin said, ignoring everything else and taking out a handkerchief. She gently wiped the sweat from Ning Beichen's forehead.
She had no grand ambitions; her greatest wish was to be with the person she loved forever.
"I'm fine. I made you worry," Ning Beichen said, holding her hand, much to the amusement of the others.
"Let's go, let's go inside and take a look."
Ning Beichen, holding Liu Yilin's hand, led the way onto the bridge leading to the tomb.
This bridge was similar to the ones they had encountered outside. After reaching the end of the bridge, they would appear in another location.
Ning Beichen hadn't understood why this was the case before. It wasn't until he spent nearly a month deciphering the restriction that he finally understood the reason.
This phantom bridge, while called a bridge, was merely an illusion. The bridge was far more complex, incorporating advanced spatial folding techniques.
The tomb they saw before them wasn't actually there at all; it was hidden somewhere unknown. They were transported here through this bridge, or rather, through some extremely complex spatial folding technology.
After a blinding flash of light, Ning Beichen and the others appeared inside a massive tomb. To call it a tomb was perhaps inaccurate; it was more like a colossal palace, but one without a sky.
Yet, it wasn't dark inside at all. Countless luminous gems floated overhead, keeping the place perpetually bright.
What attracted them the most, however, was the largest palace in the center.
This palace was magnificent and opulent, clearly extraordinary.
However, Ning Beichen was not overwhelmed by excitement. He cautiously probed the area, for if a true Emperor was buried here, it wouldn't be a trivial matter.
Even Venerables were not to be offended, let alone Emperors, who were beings far more exalted than Heavenly Venerables. Whether in life or death, how could they allow themselves to be disrespected?
As Ning Beichen expected, when he attempted to enter the main hall, a sword beam emerged from the void and struck directly at him.
Ning Beichen hurriedly blocked it with his Bronze Ancient Sword, but even so, he was sent flying backward, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
If not for his Prajna Golden Body, he would have lost half his life.
Seeing this, the others were terrified. The women immediately rushed to check on Ning Beichen.
"I'm fine. Don't worry. Such a powerful force! You must not go any closer," Ning Beichen said, getting up and wiping the blood from his face.
The others nodded hastily. If even Ning Beichen, a Heavenly Venerable, was repelled, then going closer would be suicidal for them.
"That must have been residual power left by an Emperor. If it were you, you would be dead," Ning Beichen told them, his voice tinged with lingering fear.
"Then what do we do? Are we just going to give up?" Luo Yingying and the others asked.
"No, the power left by an Emperor is finite. Once it's depleted, it's gone," Ning Beichen replied.
"Beichen, are you planning to use yourself as bait to exhaust the protective power left by the Emperor?" Jin Yuehe guessed worriedly.
"Yes, it's a last resort. Otherwise, we'd have to give up. But I'm not willing to. I don't expect any treasures or good things inside. I just want to experience the power of an Emperor more. This will be of great help to my improvement," Ning Beichen said.
Seeing that Ning Beichen had made up his mind, the women could only urge him to be careful.
Ning Beichen nodded. He wasn't reckless. If he couldn't withstand it, he wouldn't do it. But with his Heavenly Venerable strength combined with his Prajna Golden Body, Ning Beichen felt he still had a chance.
Ning Beichen's confidence wasn't due to foolishness. He believed that even if it was truly an Emperor's power, after so much time had passed, there shouldn't be too much remaining defensive power. Thus, he was confident he could exhaust it.
Following this, Ning Beichen began his seemingly suicidal endeavor, enduring the Emperor's attacks every day.
In the beginning, Ning Beichen suffered terribly. Even with his Prajna Golden Body, it was not easy.
However, there's a saying: you get used to being beaten. By now, Ning Beichen couldn't even be bothered to move. He would simply stand there, take a hit, and then lie down to recover.
Initially, he would cough up blood. Now, he didn't even bleed.
Furthermore, Ning Beichen discovered that being beaten also had its benefits. After enduring many blows, he found his cultivation had improved. Especially his Prajna Golden Body, which had already reached the Great Accomplishment stage, was now improving further.
This made Ning Beichen even more enthusiastic. Thus, the scene that made everyone's knees tremble unfolded: Ning Beichen endured beatings every day, but after each beating, he would soon be back on his feet, full of vigor.