“Nothing, just some fool who doesn’t know his place is chasing us,” Ma Liang said indifferently.
“Such an idiot who doesn’t fear death? Leave it to me, my lord,” Yang Lu replied respectfully.
“The pursuer is no weakling. You might not easily defeat him,” Ma Liang shook his head.
“Someone of that strength? Could it be that one from the Armored Pig Clan? What a coincidence,” Yang Lu was momentarily stunned, then his expression turned peculiar as if recalling something.
“Oh? You recognize who’s chasing us?” Ma Liang glanced at Yang Lu with interest.
“If I’m not mistaken, it must be the renowned First Supreme Elder of the Armored Pig Clan. His strength is said to rival that of us true spirits, and his reputation ranks him among the top five in the entire Spirit Realm,” Yang Lu said gravely.
“Top five? No wonder he dares to chase us alone. In that case, let’s give him a proper welcome and refine his soul into the main spirit of the Ten Thousand Souls Blood Seal,” Ma Liang sneered.
With a flick of his sleeve, a blood-red seal the size of an inch shot out, vanishing into the void in a flash of crimson light.
Yang Lu’s expression shifted slightly at the sight of the seal. He had witnessed its terrifying power firsthand when he and two other true spirits fought Ma Liang.
Had it not been for the seal’s overwhelming might, they wouldn’t have been forced to resort to the self-damaging Law Chains.
Just as Yang Lu was reminiscing with lingering fear, thunder rumbled in the sky behind them. A bone chariot over a dozen zhang long, wreathed in silver arcs, emerged and, after a few flashes, appeared a mere hundred zhang away, halting mid-air. At its helm stood a gaunt, elongated elder of the Armored Pig Clan.
The elder had grayish-white hair, sinister green eyes, and wore dozens of bone rings on his crossed arms. Two half-length bone banners fluttered at his shoulders, their surfaces murky with ghostly shadows and eerie wails.
“A true spirit?”
The elder’s gaze swept over the two before fixing on Yang Lu, his pupils contracting in shock.
“Oh? Sharp eyes to recognize my origin at a glance,” Yang Lu replied impassively, though surprised.
“If you are a true spirit, why slaughter my clansmen at our forbidden grounds and even destroy our cross-continental teleportation array?” the elder asked after a moment of hesitation, his expression shifting.
“Nothing personal. Your clansmen lacked discernment and offended my master. Death was their only atonement,” Yang Lu said dismissively.
“Master?”
The elder was truly startled now, his gaze shifting to Ma Liang.
After scanning the black-robed man’s pale face, a realization struck him—a recent piece of news he’d received. His heart sank, but his expression remained calm as he forced a smile.
“So it was my juniors who offended you first. In that case, I apologize on behalf of my clan. Let’s consider this matter settled. I have other matters to attend to and shall take my leave.”
With a light tap of his foot, the bone chariot crackled with lightning and began retreating.
“Heh, since you’re here, you’re not leaving,” Yang Lu sneered, stepping forward and summoning a massive black axe with a grab at the air. He swung it down fiercely.
A dark blade shot forth, transforming into a black tidal wave surging toward the chariot.
The elder’s face darkened. With a flick of his arm, a bone ring shot out, expanding to the size of a mu, its surface covered in gray-white runes as it collided with the black blade.
A deafening explosion followed.
The bone ring shrank back to its original size, while the black blade dissipated. Yet, the chariot’s retreat continued unimpeded, flashing over a thousand zhang away.
Just as the elder sighed in relief and prepared to turn the chariot for a full escape, a thunderous roar echoed in the sky. A mountain-sized blood-red seal materialized and descended slowly.
Though its descent seemed gradual, it blurred and reappeared silently above the chariot, a wave of law energy surging down first.
The elder’s heart clenched. He shook his shoulders, and the two bone banners shot out, expanding to over a dozen zhang each. Hundreds of ghastly apparitions surged forth, each with terrifying strength rivaling the Body Integration stage.
Simultaneously, over a dozen bone rings shot from his arms, some wailing eerily, others pulsating, each unleashing unique powers as they hurtled toward the seal’s shadow.
A series of explosions resounded in the air.
The bone rings shattered upon contact with the seal’s shadow. The apparitions disintegrated instantly under the seal’s law energy.
The blood-red seal continued its descent unimpeded.
The elder’s face paled. Without hesitation, he formed a hand seal, channeling his immense mana into the chariot.
Silver arcs erupted around the bone chariot as it twisted and transformed into a five-clawed bone dragon wreathed in lightning. With a roar, it attempted to teleport away.
Ma Liang snorted in the distance, forming a seal and pointing at the seal.
The seal’s shadow trembled, its surface flashing with crimson runes.
At the same time, several blood-red tentacles burst from the void around the bone dragon, coiling around it like chains.
Despite the dragon’s thunderous struggles, it couldn’t break free.
The elder, standing atop the dragon’s head, spat several mouthfuls of blood essence onto it.
The dragon roared, its body swelling rapidly within the lightning, expanding to over a thousand zhang in moments, attempting to break the tentacles by sheer size.
But the elder’s heart sank—the tentacles grew with the dragon, remaining tightly coiled. In a flash, they transformed into a rolling river of blood, trapping the dragon completely.
The elder’s expression turned grim. A scan of the seal’s overwhelming law energy sent a shiver of fear through him.
“Fine! If I must stay, then let me witness your immortal techniques firsthand!”
With a furious resolve, the elder slapped his head, and his skull split open. A golden-armored miniature version of himself flew out, holding a crimson spear and a bone bell, with a grotesque ghostly face on the back of its head.
The miniature figure twisted, splitting into over a dozen identical phantoms.
Each phantom raised its spear, unleashing crimson flames that merged into a massive fire serpent with multiple heads, which lunged at the seal.
Simultaneously, the phantoms tossed their bone bells, which grew to several zhang in size, filling the air with resonant chimes.
……
“Interesting. To think someone on this continent dares to strike first, gathering forces against me. The Helian Merchant Alliance—wasn’t the expert I killed and refined in the Blood Sky Continent also from this group? Since they’re so eager to die, I’ll pay them a visit and wipe them out first,” Ma Liang sneered, releasing the lifeless corpse of the elder, which plummeted from the sky.
“The Helian Merchant Alliance? Their strength is formidable, perhaps even rivaling the Horned Race. You should be cautious, master,” Yang Lu advised respectfully, having witnessed the ease with which Ma Liang dispatched a peer.
“The stronger they are, the better they serve as an example. If they rally the continent’s forces, it’ll only delay my true mission. But first, I must confirm whether my target is on this continent,” Ma Liang mused calmly.
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