Creak—!

Accompanied by a grating sound, the heavy hall door, sealed for eons, was slowly pushed open by Zhou Feng.

An indescribable, vast pressure, like a bursting dam, surged out from the crack in the door!

Zhou Feng, who was the first to bear the brunt, instantly paled.

He felt as if he had been violently struck by an invisible mountain, his body staggering back several steps uncontrollably, almost falling to the ground.

The others were not much better.

As the pressure swept over them, everyone felt their Souls tremble, as if they would be completely crushed by this power in the next second!

They instinctively circulated the Qi within their bodies, barely managing to resist the impact and stabilize themselves.

Their hearts were filled with shock.

Just a wisp of Qi escaping from the opening of the door possessed such terrifying might!

What kind of terrifying existence was hidden within this great hall?!

Once the pressure subsided slightly, everyone, with an extremely solemn mood, turned their gaze towards the inside of the hall door.

The sight before them made them all hold their breath simultaneously.

The entire hall was excessively spacious.

The floor was paved with an unknown black jade, smooth as a mirror, reflecting the soft glow of the crystals on the hall's ceiling, like a deep starry sky.

On both sides of the hall stood four enormous pillars of pitch-black stone.

Carved upon these pillars were various strange and exotic beasts in different poses; their faces were ferocious, their fangs bared, as if they could break free from the stone pillars at any moment and devour people.

And in the deepest part of the great hall, atop a high flight of steps, rested an immensely huge throne.

Upon the throne sat a majestic figure.

It was a giant clad in heavy armor.

He sat there silently, and even though endless years had passed since his demise, the domineering aura of a ruler still lingered.

The armor was dark gold all over, inscribed with complex and ancient runes; every line seemed to contain power capable of destroying heaven and earth.

Beneath the armor was a king who had long since decayed over countless years.

Flesh and blood had long turned to dust, leaving only a skeletal frame of bone, silently supporting the eternal majesty that belonged to an emperor.

Just a single glance.

Everyone present felt an uncontrollable urge to prostrate themselves in worship.

It was as if countless years ago, they had been humble subjects, prostrate at the feet of this king, as lowly as dust.

“Thud!”

With a muffled sound.

Liu Zi'ang, the lowest Rank among them, actually felt his legs weaken, and he uncontrollably knelt towards the direction of the throne!

His eyes became somewhat hazy, as if his Soul was awed by that supreme majesty.

“Young Master!”

The grey-robed elder standing beside him, quick-eyed and quick-handed, grabbed his arm, pulling him back from his dazed state.

Liu Zi'ang suddenly snapped back to his senses, his face instantly turning crimson.

He coughed twice, and to alleviate his embarrassment, quickly found a topic, looking at Zhou Feng beside him.

“Zhou... Zhou Feng, do you know who this king is?”

Zhou Feng's face also showed a well-placed shock and reverence.

He shook his head, a hint of emotion in his voice.

“The ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) era is too ancient; no records of this king can be found in today's historical documents.”

He paused, his gaze fixed on the skeleton, his tone growing more solemn.

“However, from my observation, this king, during his lifetime, was absolutely a figure standing at the pinnacle of the world's pyramid.”

“His Profession Rank... is very likely SSS-Class!”

SSS-Class!

These three words struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer!

That was a mythical existence!

In any era, an SSS-Class Professional was an absolute king!

In today's world, only that one individual from the Free Federation, by his own power, has elevated the Free Federation to the throne of world hegemon, unshakeable by anyone!

At this moment, facing the remains of an SSS-Class powerhouse, even if it was just a skeleton, everyone's hearts couldn't help but feel genuine admiration.

Liu Zi'ang took a deep breath, tidied his clothes, and bowed solemnly towards the direction of the throne.

Then he was the first to step forward, slowly entering the great hall.

The others followed closely, filing in.

After everyone had entered the great hall.

An unnoticed shadow, like a phantom, silently slipped in through the crack in the door, merging into the shadow of one of the giant stone pillars.

Zhou Huai, controlling Moria, surveyed his surroundings.

He couldn't help but be awed by the grandeur of this great hall.

This aura was far more imposing than any imperial palace hall he had seen on television in his previous life.

Unfortunately, it was too spacious, lacking a bit of human touch.

His gaze immediately began to search the hall.

With the experience of the pendulum of life, his understanding of Divine Artifacts had deepened.

Divine Artifacts were not always radiant and overtly powerful.

When their Qi was restrained, they might look no different from ordinary objects.

Therefore, observation had to be more meticulous.

Besides Zhou Huai, everyone else present was also constantly searching for traces of Divine Artifacts.

However, this great hall was simply too empty.

Apart from the four stone pillars and a throne, there was nothing else.

If there was truly something, it would have been obvious long ago.

Just as everyone felt a slight disappointment.

Zhou Feng seemed to have suddenly discovered something, a perfectly timed look of surprise appearing on his face, and he pointed sharply towards the throne.

“Young Master Zi'ang, look quickly!”

“Could that item... be the Divine Artifact of this ruin?”

Hearing this, everyone looked in the direction he pointed.

Only then did they notice that on top of the skeleton giant's head, there was an ancient-looking crown.

The crown was entirely crafted from an unknown black metal, inlaid with nine gems of varying sizes, each emitting a deep glow, as if containing a starry sky.

Previously, everyone's attention had been drawn to the skeleton itself, completely overlooking the existence of this crown.

Now, looking closely, they realized this crown was extraordinary, exuding an indescribable aura of imperial power.

“Divine Artifact?”

“Is this the legendary Divine Artifact?”

Liu Zi'ang stared blankly at the crown, unable to help but swallow.

His already arrogant eyes were now replaced by intense fanaticism.

He instinctively took a step forward, but then, as if remembering something, he abruptly stopped.

He turned his head to look at Zhou Feng beside him, a rare, polite smile appearing on his face.

“Zhou Feng, by seniority, you are also my brother-in-law.”

“How about... brother-in-law does me the favor and takes that crown down for me?”

Zhou Feng sneered inwardly at these words.

Now he knows to call him brother-in-law?

This was clearly an attempt to make him go first, to be the cannon fodder that steps on a landmine.

However, the smile on his face grew even brighter, not revealing a hint of dissatisfaction.

“It is Zhou's honor to serve Young Master Zi'ang.”

After speaking, he bowed slightly, and a pair of wings, condensed from strong winds, suddenly materialized behind him.

He flapped his wings, and his entire being transformed into a streak of light, flying towards the throne.

He carefully hovered in front of the skeleton, extended his hands, and very slowly took the crown from the top of the skeleton's head.

The entire process was calm.

No mechanisms were triggered.

Seeing this, the stone hanging in the hearts of the people below finally settled.

However, just as Zhou Feng held the crown and prepared to turn back.

A sudden change occurred!

The pair of wings condensed from strong winds behind him dissipated without any warning!

“Not good!”

Zhou Feng's face changed drastically, and he let out a cry of alarm.

He plunged downwards like a kite with a broken string, falling clumsily, landing precisely in the arms of the skeleton giant!

Seeing this, the hearts of the people below leaped into their throats again!

Fearing that this fall would trigger some terrifying mechanism.

However, within the great hall, it remained utterly silent.

Nothing happened.

Zhou Feng scrambled up from between the skeleton's legs, a hint of an awkward smile on his face.

“A mistake, a mistake.” 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Seeing this, the others showed undisguised disdain on their faces.

Only Zhou Huai, hidden in the shadows, had an unusual glint in his deep eyes.

Just as Zhou Feng fell into the skeleton's embrace.

He clearly saw Zhou Feng's hand discreetly fumble around on the skeleton's breastplate.

Immediately after, he quietly slipped something into his clothes.

Zhou Huai's eyebrows couldn't help but twitch.

This Zhou Feng fellow was acting strangely.

His behavior, no matter how one looked at it, did not resemble someone visiting here for the first time.

Also, what was that thing he secretly hid just now?

While Zhou Huai was pondering, Zhou Feng had already taken the crown and flown back to Liu Zi'ang's front.

Liu Zi'ang eagerly took the crown, his smile almost overflowing.

He held the crown in his hands, turning it over and over, making sounds of wonder.

“This crown can actually change size at will.”

As he spoke, with a thought, the crown, which should have been worn by a giant, quickly shrunk to a size suitable for a normal human.

However, his excitement was soon replaced by a hint of confusion.

“It's just... this shouldn't be a Divine Artifact, should it?”

“Why do I not feel anything special about it?”

Zhou Feng, hearing this, suggested with a smile.

“Young Master Zi'ang, since it is a crown, it naturally needs to be worn on the head to exert its effects.”

“You might as well try wearing it.”

“This...”

A hint of hesitation appeared on Liu Zi'ang's face.

He instinctively turned his head, casting an inquiring look at the grey-robed elder behind him.

The elder's face was expressionless, but he calmly nodded.

Receiving an affirmative reply, Liu Zi'ang finally relaxed.

He took a deep breath and slowly placed the crown on his head.

He closed his eyes and felt it for a moment.

Then he shook his head in disappointment.

“No, this shouldn't be a Divine Artifact.”

However, no sooner had his words fallen.

A roar, like thunder, echoed without warning through the silent great hall!

“How dare you!”

“How dare you desecrate the sacred majesty of our Emperor!”