Chapter 2359: The Power of Spirit Devouring

And this so-called “mouth” was actually a jagged slit filled with fangs that had suddenly appeared beneath the tiny figure’s face.

The headless body of the Bloodlight Serpent writhed frantically within the tiny figure’s mouth, spurting black venomous blood several feet high from the wound.

A crystalline glow shimmered across the golden figure’s surface, and all the venomous blood was instantly repelled by an invisible force.

The tall elder was utterly horrified by this sight.

But before he could even form another thought, the golden figure’s eyes suddenly flashed with a cold light as it glanced icily at the distant elder.

In an instant, the tall elder felt a chill on his skin as two crystalline sword lights abruptly shot out from the void right in front of him.

The two sword lights appeared unremarkable at first glance, but with a single sweep, they slashed toward the elder’s protective barrier at an inconceivable speed.

*Crack!*

With a crisp sound, the cyan barrier trembled violently upon contact before shattering into pieces.

The crystalline sword lights flashed once more, and the elder felt an intense coldness rush toward his face. Panicking, he no longer held back—his brow furrowed as five-colored radiance condensed, suddenly materializing into a five-colored shield that expanded to several zhang in size, shielding his entire body.

The massive shield was covered in intricate spirit patterns, with countless dazzling runes flickering faintly.

*Thud! Thud!*

Two crystalline sword lights struck the shield one after another.

The first sword light collided with the shield, erupting in a blinding radiance and violent fluctuations.

Though the sword light dissipated into nothingness, the shield was left with a deep crack.

When the second crystalline sword light arrived instantly and struck the same spot, the five-colored shield could no longer resist and was cleanly split in two.

With no further obstruction, the second sword light swept downward.

All of this seemed complex, but in reality, it happened in an instant.

To the tall elder, it felt as though he had just summoned his five-colored shield when it was split apart with a loud crack, followed by a flash of cold light—then everything went black.

To an outside observer, the elder’s head was severed in a single sweep of crystalline light, tumbling to the ground with a heavy thud.

Almost simultaneously, the massive crimson flood dragon phantom behind him suddenly exploded, sending bolts of lightning wildly lashing out in all directions.

*Whoosh!*

A crimson orb shot out from the elder’s headless body, inconspicuously blending into the lightning as it streaked toward a certain direction.

*Thump!*

The golden figure vanished in a swirl of golden light, reappearing in the next moment directly in front of the crimson orb.

With a mere lift of its arm, it forcefully smashed the orb down to the ground.

As the crimson glow in the crater faded, an infant—about the same size as the golden figure—was revealed, its face twisted in a mix of fury and terror.

The infant suddenly gritted its teeth, formed a hand seal with its tiny hands, and was immediately enveloped in a thick crimson mist, its body crackling with scarlet lightning as if preparing to unleash some forbidden technique.

But at that moment, a thick crystalline sword light materialized behind the infant without warning and silently slashed down with a cold flash.

*Squelch!*

The crimson mist split apart, revealing the elder’s infant form, its face frozen in disbelief before it let out a final scream—its body cleaved in half from top to bottom, dissolving into motes of spiritual light before vanishing entirely.

Thus, the renowned Crimson Thunder Ancestor met his end at the hands of the Gold Devouring Beetle King.

Only then did Xue Po, who had retreated to the side earlier, finally exhale in relief. She stepped forward and bowed deeply to the golden figure, her face alight with joy.

“Thank you for saving me, Senior. Without your intervention, I might not have escaped his clutches.”

“I was merely following my master’s orders. Now, continue with your task. I will remain in the shadows.”

The golden figure spoke in a thin voice before raising its hand and summoning the elder’s storage bracelet into its grasp. Then, with a flicker, it vanished without a trace.

Compared to when it had first taken human form, the Gold Devouring Beetle King had clearly grown far more intelligent.

Xue Po bowed once more toward where the figure had disappeared before casting a regretful glance at the two puppet remains of the Body Integration Stage. Then, with a graceful movement, she departed the area.

Though she had avoided the heavily restricted buildings nearby, she had yet to sense any trace of her true self. Convinced that her original body was not trapped in this region, she immediately set off for the next location.

Having witnessed the Gold Devouring Beetle King’s terrifying power, she now felt emboldened to explore deeper into the forbidden grounds.

—

Ten days later, near the colossal gate outside the Ten Thousand Moon Mountain Range, the thousands of high-level cultivators who had gathered earlier had inexplicably retreated over ten miles away, watching the gate from a distance while occasionally pointing and murmuring among themselves.

At the edge of the basin, only about five to six hundred Blood Sky clansmen—clearly belonging to the same faction—remained, setting up an enormous super formation that enveloped the entire basin.

Their uniforms bore the insignia of the Blood Bone Sect, marking them as elite disciples.

At the forefront stood two leaders.

One was an elderly man with deep-set eyes and a hooked nose, draped in white feathered robes.

The other was an exceptionally short and plump woman, her cheeks marked with black spirit patterns, making her strikingly ugly.

The auras emanating from these two were terrifyingly profound—they were both unfathomably powerful Great Ascension cultivators.

As they watched the Blood Bone Sect disciples diligently setting up the formation, they conversed in low voices.

“Hmph, I knew that old freak Xiao wouldn’t stay in Blood Crane City for so many years without reason. Sure enough, he obtained the true key to the Heavenly Tripod Palace and kept it hidden from us. If not for a slip-up from Lady Wanhua’s subordinates, we might still be in the dark,” the hook-nosed elder snorted at the woman.

“Heh, you can’t blame him. Though we belong to the same sect, there’s little camaraderie between us. If either of us had obtained the key, we’d have kept it hidden too. After all, treasures are far more satisfying when hoarded alone rather than split three ways,” the woman replied. Despite her grotesque appearance, her voice was unexpectedly sweet, like that of a young maiden.

These two were none other than the other two Great Ascension elders of the Blood Bone Sect.

“True enough. Rumor has it that the Heavenly Tripod Palace holds the legacy of the Heavenly Tripod True Person. Had we known, we certainly wouldn’t have let him enter alone. But then again, I’ve heard there’s more than one true key to the palace. Even without our interference, other Great Ascension cultivators would have stepped in. Hiding it wasn’t necessarily wise,” the hook-nosed elder sneered.

“Enough of this. What’s done is done. Though we got wind of it, we arrived too late—those with the keys have already been inside for days. Now, we have no choice but to set up this formation and wait for them to emerge before claiming our share,” the woman said indifferently.

“Based on past experiences, the exit points are somewhat randomized. Only about twenty to thirty percent of them will reappear here—most will likely be teleported elsewhere,” the elder mused.

“Twenty to thirty percent is ideal. If everyone emerged here at once, even with the formation, we’d be no match for so many. After all, most of those who entered are peers with abilities on par with ours. With fewer numbers, we stand a better chance of securing a portion of the treasures. This formation may not even need to be activated—it’s merely a bargaining chip,” the woman replied confidently.

“So that’s your plan, Fellow Daoist Ruyi. No wonder you brought so many disciples. A brilliant strategy!” The hook-nosed elder chuckled, clapping his hands.

—

*BOOM!*

A deafening explosion echoed as a crystalline wall shattered into fragments under the strike of Han Li, who had transformed into a giant ape.

The colossal ape took a single stride and stepped onto a teleportation formation that had been hidden behind the crystal barrier. In a blur, it vanished without a trace.

The next moment, the ape-form Han Li found himself hovering above a small mountain peak over a thousand zhang high, the temporary light formation beneath him dissipating with a *pop*.

His electrifying gaze swept the surroundings, taking in the area with perfect clarity.

Though the mountain wasn’t particularly tall, it spanned a vast area, its edges bordering seven or eight regions enclosed by light barriers—one of which was the place he had just broken free from.

After a moment of contemplation, Han Li seemed to reach a decision and prepared to fly toward one of the regions.

But just then, a spatial fluctuation rippled nearby. About a li away, another light formation abruptly appeared in midair, and three figures emerged in a swirl of radiance.

Han Li’s eyes narrowed slightly upon recognizing them.

The trio, equally startled to see the giant ape, exchanged hushed words before flying toward him with clear hostility, their auras flaring.

Without hesitation, the ape-form Han Li raised a massive furry arm and slashed it through the air toward them.

*BOOM!*

An invisible force erupted into a violent gust, surging toward the three.

“What’s the meaning of this? Do you intend to fight us?” one of the three gaunt elders snarled as they swiftly dodged, splitting up to evade the attack.