Xiao Yan’s sudden drastic change in expression also caught the attention of Little Healer Immortal and the others. Everyone was startled, and they carefully asked, “What’s wrong?” Xiao Yan took a deep, cold breath and gazed at the Star Plucking Old Ghost and his companions, who were drawing closer to the stone seat. An ominous feeling suddenly arose in his heart. In the next instant, he grasped Zi Yan and Qing Lin by his side and sternly said, “Retreat quickly!”
“Huh?” Such an odd move by Xiao Yan left Little Healer Immortal and the others completely baffled. Nonetheless, they had great trust in Xiao Yan’s words, so even though they were very perplexed about his actions, they immediately followed suit and hurriedly moved with him.
As Xiao Yan and his group hastily retreated, the Star Plucking Old Ghost and his party also entered within several feet of the stone seat. With burning eyes, they stared at the cross-legged skeleton, which represented a Dou Sheng, a level that still held irresistible allure even for them. A Dou Zun strong expert might be called the pinnacle of power on this continent, but they were still far from reaching the true peak.
The transition from Dou Zun to Dou Sheng was almost a qualitative leap, with the gap being nearly insurmountable…
“Is this the skeleton of a Dou Sheng?” The Star Plucking Old Ghost stared at the skeleton, now tinged with a pure white, licking his lips involuntarily. His footsteps then lunged forward again, and he reached out to grab the skeleton with his large hand.
“Chi!”
Just as the Star Plucking Old Ghost’s palm was about to touch the skeleton, the space around it began to ripple. It then transformed into countless, extremely sharp, spatial thorns piercing the Star Plucking Old Ghost’s palm fiercely.
The slight pain in his palm made the Star Plucking Old Ghost halt, withdrawing his hand quickly only to find a pool of blood leaking from his palm. Drops of that blood lightly splattered onto the cross-legged skeleton.
Seeing the blood stain the white skeleton, a wave of intense unease quietly welled up in the Star Plucking Old Ghost’s heart.
“Star Plucking Venerable, what’s going on?” Several Soul Palace experts, surrounding the Star Plucking Old Ghost, noticed his sudden pause and, equally confused, asked hesitantly.
Ignoring their inquiries, the Star Plucking Old Ghost’s gaze remained fixated on the drop of blood seeping into the skeleton. At that moment, the blood began to infiltrate the bones like water soaking through cotton.
When the blood fully soaked into the skeleton, the Star Plucking Old Ghost’s pupils shrunk sharply. In that instant, he sensed an unanticipated resurgence of some lifeforce from the seemingly lifeless skeleton, one that must have lay here for innumerable years.
“Oh no, retreat, quick!” Reacting swiftly, as soon as he detected the resurgence, the Star Plucking Old Ghost roared and simultaneously stamped the ground, launching his body backward like a streak of lightning.
The Star Plucking Old Ghost reacted quickly, but the other Soul Palace experts were a beat slower. Hence, after a short moment of confusion, they started to retreat. But it was already too late.
Just as they began to fall back, the cross-legged, pure white skeleton atop the stone seat trembled gently, and from its hollow skull, two clusters of faint, blood-red light started flickering.
“Ah!”
As the bloody glow appeared, the skeletal Dou Sheng slowly lifted its head. A deafening roar like thunderbolts burst forth from its mouth, filling the air!
The dreadful roar instantly manifested as solid sound waves, spreading like a storm with the stone seat at its center, engulfing everything in sight.
“Boom!”
The first victims to be struck by the sound wave storm were those lagging Soul Palace experts. Their bodies crumpled under the pressure like sandbags hit by cannonballs, exploding into clouds of blood that permeated the surroundings.
“Gah!”
Even the Star Plucking Old Ghost couldn’t entirely evade the sound wave attack. However, his formidable power and swift reaction prevented him from being instantaneously vaporized into a mist of blood. But as the sound waves swept over, it still agitated the energy currents within his body, leading to a groan, indicating he’d been wounded.
Even someone as formidable as the Star Plucking Old Ghost couldn’t withstand a single sonic roar from the Dou Sheng remains. Thus, for most within the grand hall, these sound waves acted like reaper’s scythe, claiming lives without mercy.
Several strong individuals in the great hall, still pursuing the remaining scroll bundles, froze as the sharp sound waves rapidly dispersed. Numerous figures hovering mid-air suddenly stilled, before exploding into mists of blood, permeating the whole place.
The sudden, ghastly spectacle jolted everyone out of the temptation of the high-tier Dou Technique. Their faces flushed with horror as their internal Dou Qi surged uncontrollably. Numerous figures fled the grand hall’s central area like frightened wild beasts.
As the sound waves dissipated amidst such harrowing carnage, the remaining survivors looked grim. Staring at the clouds of slowly dissipating blood, a profound dread filled all their hearts. Over a hundred people, including two Dou Zuns, had died under the relentless roar.
“Sonic attacks that can kill even Dou Zuns….” Those who escaped the ordeal shivered visibly. Even the Black Cloaked Elder from the Heaven Demonic Phoenix Clan was drenched in cold sweat.
“Star Plucking Old Ghost, what did you do?” Furious voices came from Tang Zhen and others, turning towards the also-escaped Star Plucking Old Ghost, roaring with anger.
Hearing Tang Zhen’s accusation, all the furious stares turned on the Star Plucking Old Ghost. They all knew this mess was caused by him.
Facing such an angry audience, the Star Plucking Old Ghost’s face twisted in bitterness. He hadn’t expected things to spiral this way. How could bones, devoid of all function, suddenly explode with such horrifying power?
Xiao Yan and his party managed to escape with no harm, but seeing the grand hall’s population halve in a second, they felt a chill run down their spines. The bones were terrifying indeed.
“The old man has no idea why the ancient bones suddenly unleashed that energy. All our mighty experts in the Soul Palace are gone,” the Star Plucking Old Ghost declared, trying to absolve himself. He knew that with so many powerful forces present, he couldn’t afford to offend them all.
“But if your blood hadn’t dropped onto the skeleton, none of this would have happened. Can you still evade responsibility now?” Upon hearing Xiao Yan’s cold remark, Star Plucking Old Ghost’s face changed, but with increasingly furious looks from everyone, he could only clench his fists and apologize.
“Indeed, I acted rashly, but the pressing issue isn’t about blame. If my conjectures are correct, the Dou Sheng skeleton is imbued with a residual will, and we can suppress it together,” the Star Plucking Old Ghost stated, emphasizing the need for immediate action.
“Just a hint of will can cause such dread. Another such blast could result in almost no survivors among us,” Tang Zhen replied somberly, grief-stricken by the loss of his own men.
“Since we’ve obtained the scrolls, let’s retreat while we can. This is just too terrible,” someone else added, their voice trembling with fear.
“It won’t be that easy. This residual will aims to eradicate all who ventured in. Escaping wouldn’t mean survival,” the Star Plucking Old Ghost warned.
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes, sensing the old ghost’s strong resolve to deal with the Dou Sheng remains. For someone usually cautious, this was odd, hinting at deeper stakes at play.
Amidst the chaos and rising panic, the sound of grinding bones resonated from the blood-misted grand hall. Instantly, all commotion ceased; every eye was glued to the center, the terror thickening.
Click, clack…
Skeleton sounds neared, not loud but deeply unsettling, striking at the core of everyone’s hearts, creating a suffocating atmosphere.
“Stay alert… stay close,” Xiao Yan advised Little Healer Immortal and others, his solemn tone matching the situation. This unforeseen rise of the Dou Sheng remains sent chills across the assembly, especially after that devastating attack.
All nodded in response, understanding the dire nature of this predicament.
Gradually, under all gazes, the mist parted, revealing a crimson-skeleton, slowly emerging. Pausing in front of the crowd, the empty sockets glowed red, and in an archaic, hoarse voice, it pronounced, “Intruders of the ruins… DIE!”
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