“Even the hidden measures I arranged beforehand were completely useless?”
At the moment the giant claw descended, Yan Sheng’s eyes still brimmed with disbelief.
“Idiot!”
The retreating Will of the Main God could only utter this sole assessment: “Prince Yong is the dragon’s scion of Great Zhou, bearing the fortune of the dragon. By devouring him, the ancestral dragon seized the key to the fetters left behind by Ji Yi in those days! To try and command it with a golden token is nothing short of courting death!”
“Haa!”
Countless thoughts flashed in an instant. The next moment, everyone present seemed to be enveloped by a massive furnace.
Dong! Dong!!
Dong!!! Dong!!!
The dull sounds, like beating drums, came from Yan Sheng’s body. Accompanying them was the sound of rushing water, like surging waves in a great river.
Despite being momentarily caught off guard, he was still a Martial Saint after all!
Cornered to the brink of death, this Martial Saint had finally begun to fight with his life!
“Yanmo Saint Body, Divine Elephant Defies Heaven!”
In an instant, Yan Sheng’s skin emitted a dull glow—not bronze, nor gold, but a dim hue laced with the aura of the Yellow Springs.
Roaring fiercely, he stretched out both arms, clearly attempting to block the dragon’s claw with sheer force.
“Yanmo True Body?!”
Witnessing this, the Will of the Main God scoffed disdainfully: “Finally revealing your true nature? Nothing impressive at all!”
Crack!
The dragon claw collided with the arm, producing a dull sound.
With the tremendous impact, Yan Sheng rapidly retreated backward. One of his arms was now grotesquely twisted, a hideous wound exposing pale flesh tightly clenched together, without even a drop of blood spilling.
Losing the initiative at the start had led to the immediate consequence of having an arm broken.
“Roar! Roar!”
Clearly, the dragon monster would not let him off so easily. Almost the moment Yan Sheng retreated, the massive black shadow followed like a shadow, rushing forward like a mountain collapsing and waves surging.
“Fiend! Take this sword strike!”
At this critical moment, a sword beam arrived alongside a mighty shout.
As the solemn voice of Chancellor Xiang resounded, the thick malevolent aura shrouding the ancestral dragon monster slightly dissipated. Seizing the opportunity, the Sword of Divine Punishment struck with a shower of sparks as it thrust forward.
Several scales fell off, each revealing coiled dark vapors resembling a hybrid of dragon and serpent, which let out wailing shrieks before dissipating.
Even with a Level-5 Confucian scholar and a Legalist executor combining their strength for a single strike, they could only manage to chip off a few scales from the beast!
“Damn it!”
On the contrary, Ta Tian, the demon king’s ally, felt his demonic energy surge violently, like boiling oil meeting water. Unable to contain himself, he shouted in frustration, “The righteous aura of Confucianism strikes without discrimination. Truly infuriating!”
“Confucian aura is inherently fierce by nature…”
The Will of the Main God shook his head: “What a shame… Although this aura can significantly suppress magical abilities and powers, against an ancestral dragon monster, it can only restrain the malevolent energy…”
Even without the terrifying influence of the malevolent aura, the current ancestral dragon monster remained an unshakable Level-5 demonic beast—swift as the wind and possessing immense strength. This was not something a mere shout from a Confucian scholar could dispel.
“Ta Tian, are you not going to act yet?”
Yan Sheng, having barely survived by luck, saw Cui Jue joining the battle and felt relieved. Immediately, he shouted again.
“Demon King Ta Tian, you distract this dragon monster first. I’ll open the tomb gate!”
Although he didn’t yet know what Wu Ming was up to, it was undoubtedly foolish to follow the opponent’s script, the Will of the Main God reasoned.
“Fine… But remember your promise!”
Ta Tian, the Demon King, spoke in a deep voice. With a sudden roar, he transformed into his half-human, half-bull demonic true form. His demonic aura surged forth, instantly capturing the attention of the Ancestral Dragon Monster.
“Roar! Roar!”
Facing this demon king, the ancestral dragon immediately abandoned the vulnerable Cui Jue and launched a vicious attack with a claw slicing through the air.
“Strength contest?”
The Ta Tian Demon King grinned, his already enormous arm swelling even larger. With veins bulging and popping sounds like bursting beans, he clashed with the dragon’s claw.
Boom!
A startling shockwave erupted outward, sweeping in all directions. Those with lesser cultivation even fainted on the spot, their eyes going white.
“Roar! Roar!”
“Moo!”
With two mighty roars, the dragon and bull illusions crashed into each other, engaging in a fierce battle, unleashing their power wildly.
“I’ve seen the imperial tomb map before!”
Yan Sheng, dragging his crippled arm with a pale face, approached the Will of the Main God, who was calculating the mechanisms of the giant gate: “Let me assist you!”
If they continued to linger in the domain of the ancestral dragon monster, the outcome would undoubtedly be tragic.
…
“A Zu dragon monster?!”
Outside the imperial tomb, as Shen Jianzi narrated, Yu Luoyan’s eyes sparkled with excitement: “How intriguing… This tomb is truly peculiar. Perhaps it even conceals the ancient ancestral dragon! Could it be Ji Yi?”
“No! It’s Di Gu! The founding ancestor of the Shang Dynasty, a descendant of the Xuan Niao!”
Shen Jianzi coldly added.
This “Gu” naturally referred to the formal name of the Great Zhou’s founding ancestor. A thousand years for Zhou, three hundred for Shang—names from 1300 years ago carried an air of antiquity and mystery, and were seldom known by many.
“I see…”
Yu Luoyan nodded silently, thinking to himself: “Others might not be aware, but the ancient texts in my Cave Sky Paradise do record that when the Great Zhou Dynasty was established, the Shang royal family suffered heavy losses, eventually being completely eradicated. While the outside world blames it on the chaos of war, in truth, it was Ji Yi’s vengeance! Only a handful of lucky ones managed to escape, concealing their identities ever since. Could this Shen Jianzi be a descendant of the ancient Shang bloodline?”
After the massive explosion, from the top of the imperial tomb, several beams of light flew out from the burial corridor, almost fleeing for their lives, and swiftly reached their side.
Roar! Roar!
Then, a deafening roar, accompanied by a black shadow, immediately burst through the imperial tomb, like an invincible demon reappearing in the mortal world, chasing after them.
“Demon King Ta Tian?”
Upon spotting the Ta Tian Demon King and the Will of the Main God within the demonic aura, the expressions of the group of Revenants instantly turned cautious.
Yu Luoyan further asked: “Where is the evidence you mentioned? Have you found it?”
“You are with them?”
Beside them, Yan Sheng, clutching his arm, instinctively edged closer to Cui Jue. The Legalist executor was also in a pitiful state, with even the Sword of Divine Punishment showing faint cracks and emitting radiant light, as if something was trying to break free.
After the chaos, only these four had managed to escape.
Yan Sheng felt utterly disoriented. This mission had not only led to the demise of Prince Yong, but also claimed the life of Chancellor Xiang and numerous elite troops. Most critically, they had achieved nothing substantial. He could only envision the grim prospects awaiting him upon his return—perhaps even punishment.
Now seeing the Will of the Main God familiar with this new group of mysterious intruders, he felt even more cautious and deeply regretful.
“Seems like they are from the Buddhist, Taoist, and Eclectic schools… What a pity for Chancellor Xiang!”
If Chancellor Xiang were still alive, a single roar from him would have rendered most of these cultivators useless!
Unfortunately, the old man was already in his eighties, frail and needing assistance to walk. In the chaos of the battle, there was no way he could have survived.
“Evidence?!”
The Will of the Main God’s expression immediately turned grim.
He had originally been confident about this mission, but never expected Wu Ming to have prepared such a grand trap! Even the entire imperial tomb was a deadly trap!
“There’s no time to explain further. We must flee first!”
“Roar! Roar!”
The ancestral dragon monster was drawing closer. Its chest now clearly bore a sword wound and a large hole. Inside the black cavity, a massive vortex of malevolent energy slowly rotated, continuously absorbing the surrounding evil qi to heal itself—that gaping wound was naturally the only injury inflicted by Chancellor Xiang’s final counterattack, in coordination with the Demon King Ta Tian.
“Quickly leave this place!”
The Will of the Main God shouted: “If this creature remains within the Nine Malevolent Deathlands, it will continuously absorb evil qi, becoming immortal and indestructible!”
He then turned to Yan Sheng: “They are all my friends, with no ill intentions!”
Having said that, he turned and rushed toward the entrance. Seeing this, even the other permission holders and the two, Yan Sheng and Cui Jue, dared not delay.
Ding!
With a crisp sword chime, Shen Jianzi stayed behind. His warm jade sword flew from his back, colliding with the dragon claw and sparking a string of fiery bursts.
At the sight of Shen Jianzi, the ancestral dragon monster unexpectedly paused for a moment, making Yu Luoyan’s eyes sparkle with intrigue and reinforcing a particular suspicion in his mind.
“Hurry! Hurry!!”
Moving swiftly like the wind, the group only felt relieved when they finally saw the entrance to the Bagua Surveillance Hall passage.
“As long as we escape, without the support of the malevolent aura, this ancestral dragon monster will be nothing more than a powerful demonic creature, and we’ll have plenty of ways to destroy it…”
The Will of the Main God’s eyes flashed with cold light: “Then… I’ll see how the Controller’s plan proceeds… Wait!”
Suddenly, his expression changed, and he halted his steps.
Boom!
An earth-shaking explosion suddenly erupted at the entrance of the passage. Intense flames swept outward in an instant, engulfing several permission holders who couldn’t escape in time.
Crash! Crash!
Massive boulders tumbled down, weighing thousands of tons, instantly blocking the only escape route.
“Gongsun Zhe, what are you doing?”
Yu Luoyan screamed wildly, her hair disheveled, completely losing her previous composure, nearly hysterical.
With no way forward and enemies behind!
This imperial tomb was underground. Although there were many extraordinary cultivators present, none were without the means to forcefully dig their way out. However, that would require a significant amount of time!
Especially with the dragon monster approaching rapidly from behind, this had become a death trap with no escape.
“What am I doing?”
A golden-armored divine general puppet, several zhang tall, stepped forward, and Wu Ming’s voice came from within: “Naturally, settling old scores!”
Controlling the puppet, he coldly pointed at the Will of the Main God: “I only want this man’s life! If you insist on interfering, be prepared for death!”
“Haha! Absurd!”
The Will of the Main God laughed loudly: “If I only wanted my life, why would you destroy the passage? You clearly intend to wipe us all out!”
Needless to say, this was the most reasonable conclusion. In an instant, everyone present changed expressions drastically, their gazes toward Wu Ming now filled with hostility!
Roar! Roar!
At that moment, the dragon’s roar grew even closer, causing sweat to bead on their foreheads.
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