Eternal Sacred King Chapter 411 to 420
Chapter 411: Ground Dragon
There were too many Ancient Blood Mosquitoes as they filled the skies and swarmed over like locusts.
Even though they knew the weakness of the Ancient Blood Mosquitoes, it was inevitable for them to have openings in their defense, allowing the Ancient Blood Mosquitoes to close in!
Those bloodstained, thin and long mouthparts were extremely sharp. Once a cultivator was pierced by them, bloody holes would be formed and they would be sucked dry in the blink of an eye, leaving behind nothing but a skeleton!
Initially, cultivators died as the group continued ahead, causing gaps in the formation.
Under Tang Yu’s lead, the group gathered even more closely and tightly, covering the gaps so that the formation wouldn’t be destroyed and torn apart.
Although they were similarly at six meridian Foundation Establishment, Su Zimo’s spirit energy was much richer than the Battle Hall cultivators of Elixir Yang Sect and was comparable to that of a seven meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivator!
Coupled with his supreme-grade flying swords and Ethereal Sword, Su Zimo’s 18 flying swords created an immense amount of damage ahead and were unbeatable!
No Ancient Blood Mosquito could reach him as blood mists appeared continuously ahead along with the tragic cries of the former.
With Su Zimo taking over most of the attacks, the pressure on Ji Chengtian and Yan Jun lessened significantly and the group continued pushing forward.
Even without turning back to look, Su Zimo could sense cultivators falling to the ground repeatedly, unable to get up.
In that Fog Valley, one was as good as dead if they suffered serious injuries.
Since those cultivators chose to enter the valley in pursuit of Elixir Pool Sect’s treasures, they had to accept the dangers they were currently facing!
Su Zimo was not a saint and did not have the energy or will to save everyone. All he could do was ensure that the front of the formation was preserved as much as possible and lead the group through the obstacles ahead.
An hour later, the group of them broke out from the encirclement of the Ancient Blood Mosquitoes.
The surrounding Ancient Blood Mosquitoes were gradually minced by the flying swords and fell.
“Everyone, take a rest and treat your wounds. Use elixirs to recover your energy,”
Tang Yu declared with a heave of relief after breaking out from the Ancient Blood Mosquitoes.
Su Zimo frowned and did not comment when he heard her decision.
The cultivators stopped in their tracks and started bandaging their wounds while consuming elixirs, panting heavily with pale faces.
Everyone looked towards Su Zimo at the front with complicated expressions.
Previously, none of them could understand why Tang Yu was willing to offend the Four Mounted Bandits just to recruit Su Zimo.
But now, all of them realized how terrifying Su Zimo was!
After that battle, he was calm and composed as usual. Compared to them, he was worlds apart.
People like Tang Yu and Uncle Liang understood everything even better. If Su Zimo had not paved the bloody path in front of them, they would have lost at least half of their group of cultivators!
But now, they had only lost slightly more than a hundred cultivators after breaking free from the Ancient Blood Mosquitoes.
Not long after, when Su Zimo saw that everyone had consumed elixirs and treated their wounds, he came before Tang Yu and said softly, “Let’s hurry and leave. This is not a good place to linger.”
There was less than an hour before nightfall.
Time was extremely pressing for the group from Elixir Yang Sect – the longer they lingered in the valley, the more danger they would face!
Furthermore, what they faced earlier was just a group of Ancient Blood Mosquitoes.
There were many remnant and variant beasts that had yet to appear.
Su Zimo had a feeling that pure-blooded ferocious beasts would definitely appear once night fell!
At that time, the valley would be a nightmare for all the sects and cultivators!
Tang Yu nodded.
Just as she was about to speak, Yan Jun sneered, “Su Zimo, you have a strong physique and can continue on the road. However, you’ve got to consider the feelings of others!”
His voice was very loud, as if he was intentionally speaking to others.
Many cultivators looked towards Su Zimo with displeasure upon hearing that.
Tang Yu hesitated when she caught sight of their expressions.
Loudly, Yan Jun declared, “Everyone, there’s no need to be anxious! Resting a little more won’t make a difference!”
Su Zimo smiled and did not say anything more.
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, he sensed something and a cold glint flashed through his eyes. Spinning around, he looked towards the back of the formation.
“What’s wrong?”
Tang Yu asked hurriedly when she saw Su Zimo’s strange expression.
Before she finished speaking, the ground at the back of the cone-shaped formation began to tremble. Gradually, it turned soft and weak, showing signs of sinking in!
It was as if some terrifying creature was about to break out of the soil!
“Hurry, let’s go!”
Su Zimo shouted.
Tang Yu also sensed that something was amiss and yelled, “Everyone, follow me! Let’s leave this place quickly!”
Bang! Boom! Boom!
The ground at the back collapsed suddenly and dark red tentacles as thick as a water bucket extended from beneath, yanking the cultivators underneath!
“Ground Dragons! It’s Ground Dragons!”
Uncle Liang exclaimed in shock.
Ground Dragons were not dragons and usually lived underground. Although they were shaped like anacondas, they had no scales and their bodies were filled with spiral patterns instead. They were dark red in color with no eyes and were extremely sensitive to light and trembles on the ground.
There was a huge circular mouth on their heads with rims of sharp fangs within and they could grind any living beings into mincemeat with every squirm!
The most terrifying thing was that Ground Dragons had an exceptional regeneration capability!
Even if they were cut into several pieces, they could recover to their original states as long as they dug back underground and rested!
Any living being that was dragged underground by a Ground Dragon was most likely doomed and even ancient remnant beasts were no exception!
Although Su Zimo had warned them, most cultivators at the back took it lightly and were completely defenseless; some of them even assumed lotus positions on the ground.
The moment the ground caved in, those cultivators were dragged underground by the Ground Dragons with only time for a single tragic cry for help.
Some cultivators soared into the air hurriedly but they were devoured by the Ground Dragons in a single mouthful they could react, causing blood to spray everywhere in a miserable manner!
Some cultivators summoned their flying swords hurriedly to cut the Ground Dragons into two.
However, the Ground Dragons did not die and still possessed extremely powerful killing power even with half their bodies left!
The ground was stained scarlet with blood.
“Hurry, run!”
“We have to get out of here quickly!”
A series of shouts sounded within the chaos.
The cone-shaped formation was created once more, albeit somewhat scattered, and they rushed towards the valley under Su Zimo’s lead.
The cultivators only managed to shake off the Ground Dragons after a full 15 minutes of escaping and slowed down.
Most of them were drenched in sweat with fear and unease.
This escape had too much of a toll on everyone’s mental state and energy; even Ji Chengtian’s forehead was covered with a layer of sweat.
Su Zimo looked as per normal.
His eyes were bright, his breathing was steady and his physique seemed unlimited like the vast skies and bottomless seas.
It seemed like everything that happened was insignificant to him!
Tang Yu looked down at the remaining Elixir Yang Sect cultivators with a sorrowful expression.
Elixir Yang Sect only lost slightly more than a hundred people after breaking free from the Ancient Blood Mosquitoes.
However, they had only lingered for a moment longer at that place and almost two hundred cultivators were dead!
Recalling Su Zimo’s suggestion, Tang Yu felt even more guilty!
She bore at least half the responsibility for the deaths of over two hundred cultivators!
If only she had been more decisive, perhaps...
Chapter 412: To Kill a Way Out!
Many cultivators glared at Yan Jun begrudgingly – if not for his actions, those two hundred or so of their sect mates might not have died!
Feeling guilty, Yan Jun coughed softly. “I didn’t mean it either, I just wanted to let everyone get more rest.”
Some cultivators could not help but laugh coldly. “Ha, easy for you to say! More than two hundred fellow disciples died here because of that remark of yours!”
“That’s because they aren’t strong enough. Don’t follow us into the valley if you’re afraid of death!”
“Senior Brother Yan, we’re all from the same sect! How can you say something like that!”
“That’s enough!”
Sensing that the tension was strong and that they were only going to argue more intensely, Uncle Liang hollered and stopped the commotion.
Feeling frustrated, Tang Yu raised her brows slightly and waved her hand. “Everyone, quieten down. I made the wrong decision earlier on.”
She took a deep breath of air and came to Su Zimo’s side, asking softly, “Fellow Daoist, what should we do next?”
“We can only continue our journey and try to locate the Elixir Pool Sect ruins as soon as possible. That’s the only way for us to avoid the threat of the demon beasts in the valley.”
“Alright.”
Tang Yu commanded for everyone to continue.
They didn’t advance far when the fog in front of them surged. Several thousands feet away, an Azure Feathered Eagle was flapping its wings, speeding towards them at an extremely fast speed with deep killing intent in its eyes!
An ancient remnant beast!
After running for nearly two hours in the valley, an ancient remnant beast had finally appeared!
Using the guise of the fog, the other cultivators did not notice any signs of the Azure Feathered Eagle at all. However, Su Zimo’s eyes were extremely sharp and he sensed it long ago.
“Condense!”
He split out six flying swords that shot through the air, leaving streams of sword qi, forming a hexagonal sword formation that shone brilliantly!
It was extremely difficult to kill an ancient remnant beast considering the fact that they were on sword kinesis.
In order to save spirit energy, Su Zimo did not use the Candlelight Sword Formation right away. Instead, he condensed the Hexagonal Sword Formation and pointed forward, sending it through the air.
Many cultivators could not understand why Su Zimo suddenly attacked.
However, it did not take long before a bird’s tragic cry could be heard from the fog ahead.
A moment later, the Hexagonal Sword Formation returned and Su Zimo’s expression was unchanged, as if nothing happened.
As the group ventured deeper into the valley, there were no longer large swarms of ancient lifeforms. Instead, ancient remnant beasts started appearing.
Most of the time, Su Zimo attacked preemptively and killed the ancient remnant beasts before the latter could reach them.
Although they merely had close encounters as they ventured deeper, everyone’s expressions turned grimmer.
The skies had gradually darkened!
Everyone’s vision was reduced once more.
In the dark and empty valley, smelling the thick scent of blood in the air, everyone’s heart felt incomparably depressed and uneasy.
They had yet to find the Elixir Pool Sect ruins.
This meant that the group would have to continue in the night!
Before long, night finally fell and their surroundings were pitch-black.
Initially, everyone could still see a distance hundred feet in front of them. But now, that range had shrunk to thirty feet!
Before they knew it, their surroundings had gone silent.
There were no longer birds crying or beasts roaring. In fact, there weren’t even screams of cultivators anymore.
It was as if all the demon beasts hid themselves in an instant and vanished without a trace!
It was like the calm before a storm.
The silence was so eerie, sinister and frightening!
Under Su Zimo’s lead, everyone proceeded forward and could even hear their own hearts pounding.
The rustling of the withered leaves they stepped on sounded particularly piercing.
“W-What’s going on?”
“Why aren’t there any demon beasts left?”
Finally, someone could not bear the pressure and asked with a quivering voice, panting slightly.
Tang Yu was a little afraid as well.
She could even sense the aura of death in that darkness!
Right now, the only thing that could calm her down was that back view in front of her that was sturdy even if it was not broad.
It was as if their hope would not be extinguished as long as that figure did not fall.
The darkness before them was filled with unknown dangers.
However, Su Zimo’s footsteps did not stop at all as he continued advancing.
Suddenly, he came to a stop and his deep voice sounded. Although it sounded calm, its content was shocking!
“Everyone, prepare for a fierce battle. A beast stampede is approaching!”
Beast stampede!
The sound of those two words caused everyone’s hearts to skip a beat.
Narrowing his gaze, Su Zimo looked over and a cold glint flashed through his eyes as he said slowly, “Furthermore... it’s a beast stampede made up of ancient remnant beasts!”
“Ah!”
“What!”
The crowd was in an uproar.
A single ancient remnant beast was more than enough to give them all headaches.
In the ancient battlefield, who could survive if an ancient remnant beast stampede swarmed over them?
Which sect could live to see the next day?
“I-If we w-were to retreat now, c-can we escape?”
Finally, a cultivator could not endure the pressure and whimpered with a shaky tone.
Faint tremors were coming from the ground, as if a massive army was charging over. Although they could not see it, everyone could sense the violent aura that was coming from in front of them!
It was too late.
That person already knew the answer without Su Zimo replying.
The most worrying situation had arrived.
Furthermore, it was much scarier than they had imagined it to be!
The tremors on the ground were intensifying.
Even though the cultivators clearly know that there were countless remnant beasts that were charging towards them, the most frightening thing was that they couldn’t see anything against the cover of the fog!
Unable to withstand it, some cultivators sat wasted on the floor as their knees buckled against the tremors of the ground. They were mentally crushed as they cried helplessly.
In the face of death, cultivators were no different from mortals — they were equally insignificant and helpless without a single shred of dignity.
“What should we do?”
Tang Yu looked at Su Zimo and asked instinctively.
Su Zimo replied indifferently, “Of course we welcome them.”
‘Of course we welcome them!’
Those simple few words contained a fearless courage that overlooked everything!
Everyone, Tang Yu included, was thinking about how they should escape and survive. However, Su Zimo’s thoughts were opposite of theirs!
Tang Yu was invigorated as she turned to look at Su Zimo’s side profile.
Although it was in the night and Su Zimo’s face was a little blurry, his eyes were still bright as always, resembling two shimmering stars that illuminated the darkness.
Sensing something, Su Zimo turned slightly and smiled calmly, asking, “Or, do we have any other way out?”
Tang Yu was stunned.
That’s right... what other way out did they have?
By the time the ancient remnant beast stampede was charging over, they no longer had a way out.
Even if they were to turn and escape right now, they wouldn’t be able to shake off the pursuit of the ancient remnant beasts!
“Everyone, I know that you’re desperate right now. However, this is a test of life and death! Those that are fearful, weak and cowardly, will only be faced with a single outcome... death.”
Su Zimo’s voice sounded, resolute with conviction, “Since we have no other way out, we can only continue forward with the long swords in our hands...”
“To kill a way out!”Chapter 413: Plot
Bang! Boom! Boom!
The rumbling sound ahead of them was deafening, resembling thousands of horses prancing!
Most of the cultivators could not see it clearly yet, but Su Zimo could see the many ancient remnant beasts charging towards them amidst the billowing dust with endless killing intent in their eyes!
There was the Frost Leopard that emitted a chilling aura and had a layer of frost on its fur.
There was the Scarlet Flaming Bull with a robust physique and a pair of horns that were covered in flames.
There was the Moon Concealment Eagle that could hide the round moon and stir the clouds with every flap of its wings.
There was also the Soul Stealing Rat that was as large as a wild boar.
Every single demon beast in that stampede was an ancient remnant beast!
“GRAWR!”
The continuous howls of many demon beasts shook the world, causing everyone to shudder.
“Those that can’t keep up, good luck to you!”
With that said, Su Zimo withdrew a blood-colored saber from his storage bag slowly. With a tremble, the saber buzzed and gave off an intense blood stench.
Standing right at the front of the formation, Su Zimo was about to endure the first wave of attacks from the beast stampede head-on!
That was also the wave with the strongest aura and impact!
Before the beast stampede arrived, many cultivators were already frightfully pale.
“Ah!”
Suddenly, Su Zimo wielded Blood Quencher and strode forward in huge steps, roaring into the skies!
That roar broke metal and crushed rocks. It was high-pitched and dragged out, even drowning the howls of many remnant beasts!
At the front, the darkness was shifting and finally, monstrously tall figures appeared one after another.
They were finally about to meet!
In the face of those tall ancient remnant beasts, Su Zimo’s group appeared exceptionally insignificant like ants.
However, there was a torrential aura emanating from Su Zimo that was on par with the aura of the beast stampede!
Su Zimo waved Blood Quencher.
Instantly, the spirit light on the blade shone in a bright bedazzling manner, like a blood moon that radiated with a boundless blood beam.
Swoosh!
There was also the sound of tides surging coming from Blood Quencher, rumbling like thunder with a majestic aura!
Initially, some of the cultivators had already closed their eyes and had given up on resisting.
However, at that moment, an image of the boundless sea seemed to appear in their minds. It created towering massive waves but instantly, it was cleaved into two by a peerless light beam!
It was Countercurrent of Sea Calming!
When Uncle Liang caught sight of that, his expression changed and he exclaimed, “Saber force!”
As a Golden Core, he had an immense amount of knowledge. He focused his gaze and could not help but mutter to himself apprehensively, “That saber technique... could the rumors be true?”
Boom!
The beast stampede clashed violently against Su Zimo.
Right at the front was the Scarlet Flame Bull with its coarse skin and sharp horns. Before it even arrived, it was cut into two by the sharp blood beam emitted by Blood Quencher!
The incoming beast stampede that seemed like it could flatten everything had a bloodied path cut out by Su Zimo’s Countercurrent!
That slash was way too terrifying!
Not only could it clash head-on with the beast stampede, it could even split it apart!
Carrying Blood Quencher, Su Zimo continued advancing.
His bloodline had already started to circulate within his body and his eyes shone brightly. An aura that was even more ferocious than the ancient remnant beasts was exuded as his black hair swayed freely!
The cultivators followed him hurriedly.
Taking a deep breath of air, Tang Yu declared loudly, “Everyone, please try your best to protect yourselves. Don’t let the ancient remnant beasts break our formation and don’t stop in your tracks!”
Other than Su Zimo, the other six meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the group did not have secret skills as their trump cards and they were barely a threat to the ancient remnant beasts of the valley to begin with.
At the front, Su Zimo had been killing the ancient remnant beasts to create a path that was filled with blood and corpses.
As long as everyone could stay alive against the attacks of the ancient remnant beasts and followed behind Su Zimo, they had a chance of surviving!
However, it was extremely difficult to defend against the attacks of the ancient remnant beasts even if the cultivators defended with all their might!
In the fog of the night, everyone’s vision was reduced to a range of around ten feet.
Against ancient remnant beasts, ten feet was an almost instant distance.
The moment everyone caught sight of the ancient remnant beasts, the latter would have already lunged at them and it was too late to summon their flying swords or conjure spirit arts.
By then, many of them could only rely on their defensive talismans to survive the attacks before defending again.
However, most of them would be dragged away by the ancient remnant beasts, shredded and devoured in an instant.
With Su Zimo killing at the front, the pressure on Ji Chengtian and Yan Jun wasn’t too great.
From time to time, Yan Jun’s gaze would land on Su Zimo’s back with an occasional cold glint.
All of a sudden!
A Frost Leopard pounced towards him from the side. Before it closed in, Yan Jun felt a chilling intent and his limbs going cold.
He was at seven meridian Foundation Establishment after all and was completely able to defend himself with his sword.
However, a thought came to his mind as he suddenly crouched down, as if his legs had gone soft. Although he nearly fell down, he managed to dodge the attack of the Frost Leopard!
Initially, the right of Su Zimo’s back was covered by Yan Jun’s position.
Yet, with that sudden dodge from Yan Jun, Su Zimo’s back was now exposed to the Frost Leopard!
It was akin to Yan Jun letting an ancient remnant beast into the formation!
After missing, the closest target to the ancient remnant beast was Su Zimo.
Without thinking, the beast extended its paws towards Su Zimo’s shoulders, releasing claws that were as sharp as daggers!
The Frost Leopard opened its bloodied mouth and chomped down at Su Zimo’s neck with a cold aura!
From the moment Yan Jun dodged till the Frost Leopard chomping towards Su Zimo’s neck, everything happened in the blink of an eye – it was already too late by the time cultivators in the formation noticed what happened.
“Ah!”
Tang Yu’s expression changed as she yelled.
All the cultivators were fighting to survive in this intense battle and there was no one who had the energy to help others.
Furthermore, no one could save Su Zimo at all given that proximity!
Su Zimo seemed like he was oblivious to the Frost Leopard behind him as he continued to slash ahead.
Just as the Frost Leopard’s bloodied mouth was about to land on Su Zimo’s neck, the latter’s head spun around!
With a clang, it smashed against the Frost Leopard’s teeth.
Flashes of blood appeared.
The Frost Leopard’s teeth were broken and sent flying!
Right after, Su Zimo’s body retreated a half-step back. Gathering his entire body’s strength towards his back, his leaned backwards in a furious motion!
Bang!
The massive Frost Leopard was sent flying, turning into a mist of blood in midair!
Everyone was dumbfounded when they saw that.
An ancient remnant beast was smashed into sludge by a human!
Who would have believed it if they had not seen it themselves?
With widened eyes and an agape mouth, Yan Jun was shocked in disbelief.
What happened was completely different from what he had expected it to be!
How could this be?
That doesn’t make sense!
Yan Jun’s mind was in a mess.
Before he could resolve his doubts, Su Zimo suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned around.
Instantly, Yan Jun felt his heart clench as shivers ran down his body.
Chapter 414: Pure-blooded Ferocious Beast
“W-What are you doing?”
Yan Jun was flustered and his voice was quivering. He forced himself to calm down and explain, “I-I didn’t do it on purpose. I just lost my footing and nearly fell down! That was how that beast managed to sneak in!”
Tang Yu and the others merely witnessed the Frost Leopard pouncing towards Su Zimo but they did not know the reason why.
When they heard that, everyone frowned.
There was nothing wrong with Yan Jun’s explanation, but if Su Zimo had reacted slightly slower earlier, his neck would have been bitten by the Frost Leopard!
Su Zimo did not reply and merely looked calm with a hint of mockery in his eyes.
Suddenly, Yan Jun felt like he had nowhere to hide – Su Zimo was reading his thoughts completely!
“Y-You can’t kill me! I’m the only seven meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivator in the Battle Hall! Su Zimo, don’t be impulsive!” Yan Jun’s eyes darted around and he panted slightly, getting more nervous by the moment.
Two ancient remnant beasts crept over stealthily.
As if he had eyes behind his back, Su Zimo slashed with Blood Quencher in reverse, shooting forth a blood beam that slayed the two ancient remnant beasts on the spot!
Glaring at Yan Jun, Su Zimo suddenly remarked, “Do you remember what I told you before?”
“Ah?
“I warned you not to harbor any designs on me or the next time... your head will explode!”
Right after saying that, Su Zimo’s eyes lit up and his figure flashed, creating a series of surreal afterimages in his wake.
Yan Jun felt his eyes blur and by the time he wanted to retreat, Su Zimo had already arrived before him with a razor-sharp gaze that was filled with endless killing intent!
After meeting Su Zimo’s gaze, Yan Jun felt his eyes sting and tears flowed out, causing him to close his eyes instinctively.
From there on, he never opened his eyes again.
In front of everyone, Su Zimo slapped his backhand tightly against Yan Jun’s cheek.
Snap!
Yan Jun’s cheek sank in deeply and his skull shattered, distorting his facial features completely as everything else turned into meat sludge.
His corpse was sent flying and a group of ancient remnant beasts fought to devour it before it even reached the ground.
Even though Yan Jun was an Elixir Yang Sect cultivator, even though he was a seven meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the Battle Hall, even though Su Zimo was only an outsider, no one from Elixir Yang Sect objected to Su Zimo’s actions.
That was because all of them knew that they would have long been swallowed up by the ancient remnant beast stampede if not for Su Zimo!
“Let’s carry on! Everyone, don’t stop!”
After killing Yan Jun, Su Zimo turned around and led the cone-shaped formation forward once more.
Although his green robes were stained with the fresh blood of countless ancient remnant beasts, Su Zimo seemed as if he had infinite stamina.
At that moment, he resembled a God of War soaked in blood. His eyes shone brighter by the moment as he pushed forward, slashing Blood Quencher widely with valiance and ferociousness!
Even so, there were Elixir Yang Sect disciples that died continuously along the way, dragged into the beast stampede without a chance to escape.
The cone-shaped formation shrank endlessly.
Almost all the Battle Hall cultivators at the outer rim were injured and the formation might have long broken apart if not for the endless elixirs of Elixir Yang Sect!
The path ahead was pitch-black and nobody knew when the beast stampede was going to end nor where the Elixir Pool Sect ruins were at.
All they could do was follow Su Zimo instinctively and venture deeper into the valley.
Everyone was trying their best to hold out.
It was as Su Zimo had said – with no way out, their only option left was to continue forward!
Su Xiaoning followed the crowd forward endlessly.
She would attack as well. However, given her cultivation realm, she might not be able to break through the defenses of the ancient remnant beasts even though she was using a supreme-grade flying sword.
Night Spirit was silent and followed beside Xiaoning the entire time, looking nonchalant and lazy towards the beast stampede around it.
Massive in size and pitch-black all over, Night Spirit seemed to have melded into the night, leaving nothing but a pair of black eyes that shone with a disturbing glint from time to time.
All of a sudden!
In a mountain range far ahead, a series of rainbow lights shot out in succession, illuminating the skies and conjuring the scenery of a beautiful palace that was majestic and stunning!
Instinctively, everyone paused in their tracks and looked over with agape mouths.
Although nobody had seen what the Elixir Pool Sect ruins looked like, everyone realized the instant they saw that fairytale-like palace that it was the place they were painstakingly searching for!
Initially, nobody had any direction nor did they know where the Elixir Pool Sect ruin was located.
But at that moment, the lights in the distance became a beacon for all the cultivators in the valley!
“Rush!”
“Kill with your might! The Elixir Pool Sect ruin is right ahead!”
Although there was the guise of the night fog and nobody from Elixir Yang Sect could see what was going on far away, they could hear faint shouts coming from their sides.
They were not the only ones; Glass Palace, Malevolent Earth Sect and the cultivators of all the other sects that entered the valley were being attacked by the beast stampede.
Tang Yu declared with a joyful expression, “Everyone, hang on tight! The Elixir Pool Sect ruins are right ahead! As long as we can reach it, we’ll be safe!”
All the ancient sect ruins possessed immense defensive power and remnant beasts did not dare to enter at all.
Right now, there were only five hundred-odd people left in Elixir Yang Sect and they were all exhausted.
However, they were invigorated upon hearing Tang Yu’s words and their stamina seemed to have recovered.
Su Zimo’s expression was calm and did not feel much joy.
Something was amiss.
The beast stampede before them was formed with ancient remnant beasts – there must be traces of pure-blooded ferocious beasts behind them!
How else would such an orderly ancient remnant beast stampede be formed without the intimidation of pure-blooded ferocious beasts at the back?
“Roar!”
Suddenly, at the base of the Elixir Pool Sect ruins mountain range, a shuddering roar sounded, causing the entire beast stampede to pause for a moment!
A gigantic demon beast appeared at the back of the beast stampede. Filled with pitch-black fur, it resembled a demon hound as it opened its mouth and spat out flames for hundreds of kilometers, incinerating everything in its path and burning countless cultivators into ashes!
Everyone was shocked.
“It’s a Huo Dou[1]!”
Su Zimo narrowed his gaze and remarked slowly.
Uncle Liang nodded as well with a grim expression. “That’s right, it’s a Huo Dou!”
The Huo Dou was a pure-blooded ferocious beast that was extremely violent and could spit flames. With luscious fur, it resembled a lion with an ugly face.
A pure-blooded ferocious beast had appeared!
“So what if it’s a pure-blooded ferocious beast? It’s just one! If we join forces, we’ll definitely be able to kill it!”
Far away in the fog, the voice of Xue Yang from Malevolent Earth Sect sounded, filled with killing intent.
“Whoo-hoo-hoo!”
Suddenly, the voice of a boy crying sounded from the foot of the mountain.
“Hmm?”
Su Zimo’s expression changed as he frowned. “Could it be...”
“Wu wu wu!”
The next moment, the child-like voice turned shrill and piercing. Many cultivators could not handle it and groaned as they clutched their ears, bending over.
The figure of a demon beast appeared under the illumination near the Elixir Pool Sect ruins. With nine heads, it resembled a hydra as it opened its mouths and cried like infants.
“Pure-blooded ferocious beast, Nine Neonate!”
Uncle Liang exclaimed.
[1] Mythical Chinese beast
Chapter 415: Supreme God Strength
“Psst!” Psst! “Psst!”
Before the cries of the infant could subside, a series of strange sounds came from the other side, resembling the hiss of a snake.
However, the sound was really loud.
Looking over subconsciously, everyone was shocked and took a deep breath of cold air!
There was truly a snake beneath the mountain range!
The gigantic snake coiled up from the ground and stretched its upper body, revealing a height over a thousand feet tall and scales the size of a basin!
The snake’s head could almost reach the top of the sky as it looked down at everyone with cold and vicious eyes, twisting the clouds with every breath!
Swoosh!
An evil gust of wind blew by and the gigantic snake swayed its forked tail that looked like a pair of hooks. They glistened coldly and emitted a foul smell – it was obvious that they were poisonous.
The long tail swept across the ground and the hooks at its tip pierced the bodies of nearly a hundred cultivators, causing blood to flood.
Many of those cultivators reacted quickly and managed to crush protection talismans first.
However, their protection talismans were like paper against the hooks of the gigantic snake and could not even withstand a single blow!
Many of the cultivators hung on the hooks with blood dripping down in a ghastly sight. They struggled and yelled as they were slowly sent into the mouth of the gigantic snake.
With a squirm of its throat, the gigantic snake swallowed almost a hundred cultivators in one gulp!
“Pure-blooded ferocious beast, Hook Snake!”
Even Su Zimo’s expression was turning slightly grim.
The current situation was obvious. If they wanted to get to the Elixir Pool Sect ruins, they would not only have to fight a way out from the beast stampede, but get through the defenses of the three pure-blooded ferocious beasts as well!
Furthermore, all three pure-blooded ferocious beasts were clearly at peak Foundation Establishment and had terrifying strength – this was far beyond what Su Zimo had expected.
It would be difficult if he wanted to kill three pure-blooded ferocious beasts given his current strength.
Unless... he chose to take on his demon form!
After assuming demon form, Su Zimo would become an extremely powerful existence that was even more terrifying than the pure-blooded ferocious beasts!
“Screech!”
All of a sudden!
A high-pitched roar pierced through the clouds at the horizon.
A massive bird soared through the skies with its golden body that was extremely piercing in the night. It had two horns on its head and spread its hundred feet wide wings, looking down with a sharp gaze.
With a swoop, the bird opened its sharp claws and tore two cultivators apart, splattering their meat and blood everywhere!
All the cultivators who entered the ancient battlefield were completely defenseless against the pure-blooded ferocious beasts!
After killing dozens of cultivators, the bird screeched again, looking excited with its cruel gaze.
“C-Could that be another pure-blooded ferocious beast?”
An Elixir Yang Sect cultivator asked with a trembling voice.
Uncle Liang nodded and gulped. “That should be a Gu Bird, one of the ancient pure-blooded ferocious beasts. It’s said that the bloodline of an immortal bird, the Golden Roc, flows within it!”
Tang Yu took a deep breath to compose herself and said slowly, “That’s the fourth pure-blooded ferocious beast.”
Uncle Liang whispered, “Young Master, retreat! Even if I have to give up my life, I’ll make sure you get to escape!”
Previously, Uncle Liang did not waver even against the beast stampede formed by the ancient remnant beasts.
However, upon seeing the four pure-blooded ferocious beasts, he finally had the intention to retreat.
Nobody in their group was a match for the pure-blooded ferocious beasts.
Even if they could break free from the obstructions of the pure-blooded ferocious beasts, it would be a miracle if even a tenth of their current five hundred cultivators could survive!
Tang Yu looked hesitant and turned towards Su Zimo instinctively.
Sighing, Uncle Liang lamented internally, “Although that lad’s methods are sharp and powerful, he isn’t a match for the pure-blooded ferocious beasts still.”
At that thought, Uncle Liang urged again, “Young Master, we have a chance to escape now that the pure-blooded ferocious beasts haven’t turned their attention towards us yet. If...”
Dong! Dong! Dong!
Before he could finish, Uncle Liang was interrupted by a series of dull sounds.
It was mighty and strong, as if someone was beating the heavenly drums!
The next moment, a gigantic white ape leaped out from behind the mountain range. Over a hundred feet tall, its massive red feet stomped heavily on the ground, giving off deafening bangs.
The ground was torn asunder and revealed a series of dark ravines!
Rearing its head and roaring, the gigantic ape drummed against its chest with its fists, giving off the dull sounds.
Right after, its gaze turned towards the group from Elixir Yang Sect, baring its fangs in a bloodthirsty manner!
“Not good!”
Uncle Liang was alarmed.
It was probably too late even if they wanted to retreat now.
They had already been targeted by a pure-blooded ferocious beast!
The fifth pure-blooded ferocious beast had appeared!
A white head with red feet and the appearance of an ape... the only pure-blooded ferocious beast that fit this description was a Zhu Yan!
“Roar!”
The Zhu Yan roared in the direction of Elixir Yang Sect and suddenly extended a massive palm, smashing the mountain range near it.
Instantly, the mountains collapsed and the earth cracked!
Everyone was dumbstruck.
That was the power of a pure-blooded ferocious beast!
It could crush mountains and split the earth, swallowing rivers with its mighty energy!
Hugging a gigantic mountain top with both arms, the Zhu Yan flung it towards the area where Elixir Yang Sect was!
Although the mountain top did not seem huge against the massive figure of the Zhu Yan, it seemed to cover the skies as it was thrown over.
That was no mountain top... it was an entire mountain!
Everyone merely felt their vision turn dark as the gigantic mountain crashed down towards them with a mighty aura, filling the skies with debris!
Even ancient remnant beasts would turn into sludge if they were crushed by that mountain.
“Hurry, run!”
Unable to withstand the pressure, someone shrieked and turned to run, wanting to get out of the radius of the mountain before it landed.
Tang Yu wanted to retreat but she realized that Su Zimo was rooted on the spot, looking at the descending mountain with a raised head as though he was scared stiff.
“Hurry, let’s go!”
Feeling her heart clench, Tang Yu hurriedly advanced and grabbed Su Zimo by the arm, wanting to drag the latter away.
Suddenly!
Su Zimo let out a long howl and the sound of a tsunami roared from within his body.
Tang Yu froze in her tracks and her expression changed slightly.
Channeling his bloodline, Su Zimo stomped on the ground heavily before leaping up, welcoming the descending mountain with both arms!
Boom!
When Su Zimo’s hands met the bottom of the mountain, gravel flew everywhere with a deafening sound.
His clothes were completely torn, revealing a pair of muscular arms with swelling muscles that intertwined like liquid steel!
Splash!
Pang! Pang! Pang!
Tsunami blood and tendons like a bowstring!
This was the limit of Su Zimo’s strength without assuming demon form!
The mountain was still descending.
Against the descending mountain, Su Zimo seemed incomparably small. In fact, he wasn’t even as large as the spilling gravel and looked laughable, like an ant trying to shake an ancient tree!
However, the mountain was stopped just as it was about to land on the ground!
An upright figure stood between the mountain and the ground, straight as a pencil with unbuckling knees and a fervent gaze, holding up an entire mountain with his supreme god strength!
Notwithstanding the many Elixir Yang Sect disciples, even the Zhu Yan who was watching from afar was dumbfounded, as if it could not understand what was happening.
“Ha!”
Taking a deep breath of air, Su Zimo channeled strength into his arms and lifted the mountain above his head, flinging it back in the opposite direction!Chapter 416: Severely Wounding the Zhu Yan
Along its way, the mountain splattered many ancient remnant beasts and an empty path appeared in front of them!
The momentum of the mountain did not stop as it continued charging towards the Zhu Yan!
The Zhu Yan had a violent temperament and was easily enraged.
“Roar!”
Upon seeing that, it was furious as it stared with its bloodshot eyes. Panting out streams of steam, it pounded dully against its chest repeatedly.
The ant before it had not only stopped its attack, but was even retaliating!
That was a complete provocation of its dignity!
Gripping its fists tightly, the Zhu Yan punched violently towards the incoming mountain, as if it was trying to quell the anger in its heart.
Boom!
A deafening boom reverberated through every corner of the valley.
The mountain was smashed into pieces by the Zhu Yan’s fists, turning into huge rocks that fell from the sky as dust billowed.
Everyone was scared out of their wits as they opened their mouths with shocked expressions.
That power had exceeded everything they ever knew!
The only people capable of fighting against the pure-blooded ferocious beasts were probably only eight meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivators!
The mountain exploded and gravel flew everywhere. The dust was too thick, and coupled with the cover of the night fog, nobody saw that the Zhu Yan had to stagger backwards a few steps even though it managed to crush the mountain!
The flesh on its gigantic fists had split open with fresh blood flowing!
It was injured!
The scarlet blood triggered the Zhu Yan’s ferocity entirely!
“Aw! Aw! Aw!”
Roaring into the skies, the Zhu Yan charged in the direction of Elixir Yang Sect before the dust and smoke had even cleared.
Deep pits were dug as it stomped on the ground with its massive feet, creating spiderweb-like cracks in its wake.
The ground shook and the mountains trembled!
Naturally, there was no way that Su Zimo thought a mountain was enough to injure a Zhu Yan severely.
“If you guys find an opportunity later, rush forward with all you’ve got and don’t turn back no matter what!”
Turning around, Su Zimo instructed Tang Yu before taking a deep breath and charging forward with his Blood Quencher, ready for a massive battle against the incoming Zhu Yan.
He did not expect to kill the ancient ferocious beast, but at the very least, he wanted to divert the Zhu Yan’s attention to allow Elixir Yang Sect to run through its obstruction.
Right then, Su Zimo suddenly felt something arching his arm gently.
He turned over and was slightly stunned.
Before he knew it, Night Spirit had run to his side, bringing Xiaoning along with it.
At that moment, its head was lowered as it rubbed against his arm with its cheek in an intimate manner. It blinked its black eyes with a flicker of anticipation.
As Night Spirit grew older, it also turned mature and colder – such emotions were rare to see by now.
In the past, Night Spirit was like a small black dog that curled in Su Zimo’s embrace daily. As such, it would behave coquettishly as such from time to time.
Suddenly, Su Zimo’s heart skipped a beat as he recalled how Night Spirit hid in his embrace when the two of them escaped to the primordial ruins.
This was the same expression that Night Spirit had back then!
At that time, it devoured half of a dragon egg...
“You’re thinking of...”
Pointing at the Zhu Yan that was rushing over from afar, Su Zimo raised his brow slightly and did not continue.
“Growl.”
Night Spirit cried out softly and licked its lips.
How could Su Zimo not know what Night Spirit wanted when it was practically drooling by this point?
Normally, Su Zimo would not let Night Spirit leave Xiaoning’s side easily.
However, it was rare for Night Spirit to make such a request and he could not bear to reject it.
Before this, Night Spirit would not touch the flesh of any spirit beast or demon.
Even the meat of ancient remnant beasts did not interest Night Spirit and it would only consume a little.
Su Zimo could not figure out what Night Spirit liked to eat and he could not possibly hunt for dragon eggs for it repeatedly.
Now, he vaguely realized that Night Spirit’s food might be pure-blooded ferocious beasts!
Su Zimo was secretly shocked.
What was Night Spirit’s background for it to deem pure-blooded ferocious beasts as food?
Could it be even more terrifying than pure-blooded ferocious beasts?
When he recalled the greedy expression on Night Spirit’s face back in the primordial ruins when it looked at the dragon egg with fervent eyes...
Su Zimo found himself getting increasingly curious towards Night Spirit’s background.
“Be careful,”
He instructed as he patted Night Spirit on the head.
Without replying, Night Spirit melded into the night in a flash, vanishing without a trace.
Akin to a ghost in the night, Night Spirit moved silently and nobody apart from Su Zimo noticed what was going on.
At that moment, there were still ancient remnant beasts charging at them and tearing at their formation.
The group from Elixir Yang Sect huddled together, defending with all their might.
In front of them, the Zhu Yan was already far from the Elixir Pool Sect ruins and had entered the night fog, disappearing from everyone’s vision.
The only thing they saw was a pair of bloodshot eyes that resembled lanterns floating in the dark approaching rapidly!
The heavy footsteps were getting closer as well.
Each time it sounded, everyone felt their hearts skip along with it!
Tang Yu tried her best to open her eyes and look forward – she could seemingly make out a musky and mighty silhouette in the hazy night.
It was the pure-blooded ferocious beast, Zhu Yan!
Taking a deep breath of air, a resolute glint flickered through Uncle Liang’s eyes as he whipped out a flying sword from his storage bag, ready to strike.
Su Zimo’s expression was calm and his gaze was like water without any ripples at all.
All of a sudden!
The pair of lanterns in front of them came to a stop and the sound of the Zhu Yan’s footsteps disappeared as well.
“GRAWR!”
The Zhu Yan seemed to have encountered a situation as it shrieked heartbreakingly while its lantern bloodshot eyes shook repeatedly in midair.
Su Zimo hollered, “Charge!”
“Now?” Tang Yu was stunned.
“Now!”
Wielding Blood Quencher, Su Zimo sliced up two ancient remnant beasts that pounced at them and led the charge, pulling Xiaoning with his left hand.
Su Zimo did not know what Night Spirit’s true strength was at this point and whether it could kill the Zhu Yan.
However, he knew that it was the best opportunity for them now that the Zhu Yan had no time to spare!
“Ow! Ow!”
As if it had gone mad, the Zhu Yan howled insanely and had clearly descended into a frenzied state.
In the night fog, nobody from Elixir Yang Sect could see what was happening to the Zhu Yan.
They could only make out a vague black shadow on the pure-blooded ferocious beast’s back with the faint light that was shining from its scarlet eyes.
Those sharp claws extended stealthily with a cold shimmer in the night.
Poof!
There was a crisp sound.
After emitting a stream of blood, one of the bloodshot eyes turned dark.
Psst!
The cultivators gasped in shock.
One of the Zhu Yan’s eyes had been blinded by that mysterious black shadow!
“Aw aw! Aw! Aw!”
Yelping in immense pain, the Zhu Yan screamed as it barged forward crazily.
Some ancient remnant beasts that could not dodge in time were rammed to death on the spot while some others were trampled into meat sludge tragically without any corpse left behind!
With the Zhu Yan severely wounded, the beast stampede was dispersing!
Chapter 417: Arriving at the Ruins
Although everyone else could not see clearly against the night fog, Su Zimo could.
In that short while, the Zhu Yan had already gained dozens more wounds on its body that were so deep its bones could be seen. Its flesh was torn and its white fur was already stained with fresh blood.
The Zhu Yan grabbed Night Spirit that was on its back and yanked the latter down!
However, Night Spirit had already dug its claws into the Zhu Yan’s flesh long ago.
By yanking Night Spirit down, the Zhu Yan caused a large piece of its flesh to be ripped off with fresh blood spraying everywhere!
“GRAWR!”
The Zhu Yan had never suffered such injuries before and roared furiously as it grabbed Night Spirit and smashed it onto the ground!
If that smash was realized, Night Spirit would definitely suffer even with its physique!
In midair, a black shadow darted by.
Poof!
It was Night Spirit’s tail, piercing through the Zhu Yan’s arm.
In that instant, blood gushed out in a stream and one of the Zhu Yan’s arm was crippled on the spot!
It fell limply to the side and the Zhu Yan’s strength decreased. After rolling on the ground, Night Spirit got up safely and glared at the Zhu Yan coldly while licking its lips.
Su Zimo heaved out a sigh of relief.
In that short while, the Zhu Yan had already lost an eye and arm and there were dozens of wounds on its body that bled non-stop.
It panted heavily.
Initially, blood was a trigger for its ferocity.
But now, the Zhu Yan was afraid.
It was way too severely injured!
Ever since it was born, it had never experienced such serious injuries.
The Zhu Yan sensed a hint of death.
Looking at that black figure that was countless times weaker than it close in, the Zhu Yan felt an inexplicable sense of fear well in its heart while shattering his guts!
That fear seemed to originate from the depths of its bloodline, from deep in the memories of its lineage.
As if recalling something, the Zhu Yan shuddered. Its lone eye was filled with fear as it turned and fled without hesitation.
Su Zimo shook his head secretly upon seeing that.
The Zhu Yan might have had a chance of surviving if it chose to fight Night Spirit head-on with its life.
But now that its back was exposed to Night Spirit, it was dead for sure!
Su Zimo led the Elixir Yang Sect group ahead, sprinting in the direction of the Elixir Pool Sect ruins.
The beast stampede had dispersed, leaving only a couple of scattered ancient remnant beasts that no longer posed much of a threat.
As the Zhu Yan fled, the path ahead was clear.
On the other side, there were four other pure-blooded ferocious beasts that were keeping Glass Palace, Malevolent Earth Sect, Puppet Sect, Thousand Crane Sect and all the other sects outside.
Elixir Yang Sect was the first to arrive at the Elixir Pool Sect ruins!
Apart from Su Zimo who could still stand, Tang Yu and the rest were slumped on the ground, drenched in sweat. Their faces were pale as they panted heavily.
Everyone felt deeply exhausted after the journey!
The exhaustion came not only from the body, but also from the spirit.
The pressure of advancing at the boundaries of death where death was imminent was enough to make everyone feel exhausted!
Thankfully, they survived.
They rushed out of the encirclement of the Ancient Blood Mosquitoes, broke free of the Ground Dragon’s pursuit, paved out a path from the beast stampede and arrived at the Elixir Pool Sect ruins against the obstruction of the pure-blooded ferocious beasts.
Everyone felt surreal.
Everyone was laughing.
It was an indescribable joy that came from surviving a calamity.
Everyone revealed a hint of gratitude and reverence in their eyes as they gazed at the only figure that could remain standing among the crowd.
If not for that man, they would have died a long time ago.
Even Uncle Liang could not deny that he had underestimated Su Zimo still.
When he saw the ancient remnant beast stampede, Uncle Liang expected that the best outcome was if 10% of their thousand cultivators managed to survive.
When he saw the pure-blooded ferocious beasts blocking the way, he already had the intention to retreat.
He truly hadn’t expected that more than four hundred Elixir Yang Sect cultivators would have managed to arrive at the Elixir Pool Sect ruins alive under Su Zimo’s lead!
Tang Yu raised her head slightly and looked at Su Zimo’s back view with a dazed expression.
Just who in the world are you?
Suddenly, she was filled with immense curiosity towards Su Zimo.
“What was that mysterious beast that fought with the Zhu Yan?”
“I don’t know, I didn’t manage to see it clearly.”
“It’s fortunate that the mysterious beast appeared to help us or we would have been doomed.”
Some of the Elixir Yang Sect disciples discussed softly as they consumed elixirs to recover their strength.
After resting for a short while, Tang Yu stood up and clapped, declaring, “Everyone, now is not the time to rest. Let’s check out what treasures Elixir Pool Sect has!”
“Alright!”
Everyone replied.
The cultivators supported one another and stood up, entering Elixir Pool Sect under Tang Yu’s lead.
Despite the passage of time, many of Elixir Pool Sect’s palaces and buildings remained intact.
Before long, Xiaoning suddenly tugged Su Zimo’s sleeve.
He turned around and saw her pointing to her chest where a mysterious Elixir Furnace was placed!
“There’s a reaction?”
Su Zimo asked.
“Yes, it’s getting hotter,” Xiaoning replied.
Su Zimo nodded – the mysterious Elixir Furnace was most likely related to Elixir Pool Sect of the ancient era!
Everyone continued advancing while Su Zimo turned around and frowned slightly.
Night Spirit had not returned yet.
Logically speaking, this period of time should be enough for Night Spirit to kill the Zhu Yan. However, Su Zimo could not find any trace of Night Spirit at all.
He did not think too much about it.
In such an environment, even if Night Spirit met with danger, it would be able to escape unscathed given its alertness and methods!
The largest palace in Elixir Pool Sect was its Elixir Refinement Hall!
The Elixir Refinement Hall was right in front of them, especially striking in the ruins with its majesty and height of over a hundred feet.
Even from afar, everyone could still smell a faint medicinal fragrance.
Every single treasure in the Elixir Refinement Hall was something that Elixir Yang Sect wanted!
If the recipe for the Meridian Unlocking Elixir was preserved, it could only be in a single place – the Elixir Refinement Hall right before them!
Speeding towards the Elixir Refinement Hall, everyone arrived at its entrance before long.
Tang Yu raised her brow slightly as she gazed at the palace before her.
It was shrouded with a mysterious light that contained faint blurry words – a seal was still existent!
Reaching out, Tang Yu touched the door of the hall gently.
The moment her palm reached the surface, it was repelled by the power of the seal.
She was not allowed to enter!
This was a little tricky.
Frowning, she started thinking of a strategy.
A cultivator came forth and said, “Can’t we join forces to dispel the seal on the surface of this hall?”
“This seal has existed for countless years without being destroyed. How could it be dispelled so easily?”
Pondering for a moment, Uncle Liang said slowly, “Legend has it that the Elixir Refinement Hall is Elixir Pool Sect’s most important inheritance ground. Other than legacy disciples, nobody can enter easily! By the looks of it, that legend should be true.”
“Elixir Pool Sect has disappeared since the ancient era. How could there be any legacy disciples left?” A cultivator shook his head.
Chapter 418: Consciousness Inheritance
Right then, Su Xiaoning walked out slowly from the crowd with a dazed expression, as if she had entered a trance, and walked slowly towards the Elixir Refinement Hall before them.
Her chest shone with a mysterious brilliance.
As she approached the hall, the brilliance intensified and turned dazzling, almost enveloping Xiaoning’s figure entirely!
“This is...”
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Standing by the side, Su Zimo did not stop her.
Back in the capital of Great Zhou, he had already noticed that the Elixir Furnace was extraordinary. After entering the ancient battlefield, his conjecture was further verified.
Upon arriving here, Su Zimo could almost confirm that the mysterious Elixir Furnace had a deep connection to Elixir Pool Sect!
Right in front of everyone, Xiaoning walked towards the hall step by step, reaching out with her jade-like hand to touch the seal of the hall gently.
To everyone’s surprise, she was not repelled by the seal!
On the contrary, the mysterious emblems that revolved on the surface gathered towards Xiaoning continuously, as if they were attracted by something.
“Consciousness Inheritance!”
Uncle Liang exclaimed.
All the cultivators present let out envious expressions when they heard that.
In the ancient battlefield, elixirs and treasures were not the most precious things. The true opportunities came from obtaining the inheritance of ancient mighty figures and sects!
In truth, the Saber Mountain Spirit Sea was one of those.
In certain sects, true secret skills were not preserved in the form of cloth, bamboo slips or manuals, just in case they were leaked to outsiders.
There was a possibility that the Elixir Refinement Hall before them contained many elixir recipes of the ancient era.
However, the true secrets of Elixir Pool Sect must definitely be within that Consciousness Inheritance before them!
In other words, Su Xiaoning was the only one that obtained the true secrets of Elixir Pool Sect!
“Why is it her?”
Someone could not help but ask.
Tang Yu replied, “Xiaoning must be in possession of an extremely important token of the Elixir Pool Sect. The Elixir Refinement Master that this token belonged to must have been a legacy disciple of Elixir Pool Sect!”
Stroking his long beard, Uncle Liang said with great gratification, “There’s a chance for our sect to restore the former glory of the Elixir Pool Sect after this girl obtains its inheritance and joins our sect!”
Su Zimo was truly relieved as well..
Initially, the reason why Elixir Yang Sect took Xiaoning in was because they wanted to rope him in for his strength..
He was worried that she would suffer after joining Elixir Yang Sect.
But now, that worry was completely unfounded.
After obtaining Elixir Pool Sect’s inheritance, if Xiaoning were to cultivate diligently after joining Elixir Pool Sect coupled with the help of the mysterious Elixir Furnace, she would definitely turn out to be a top-tier Elixir Refinement Master with unlimited potential in the future!
Tang Yu came to Su Zimo’s side and whispered, “Don’t worry, Fellow Daoist Su, after returning to the sect, I’ll definitely take Xiaoning to the sect master along with Uncle Liang to report about this matter. Our sect master is an Elixir Refinement Grandmaster with high standards. Even until now, she has only accepted one personal disciple.”
“I’m sure she’ll definitely take a liking to Xiaoning and take her under her wing.”
Su Zimo nodded.
An Elixir Refinement Grandmaster!
Although Elixir Refinement Masters and Elixir Refinement Grandmasters sounded similar, their statuses were starkly different!
There wasn’t a single Elixir Refinement Grandmaster in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty!
Above Elixir Refinement Masters were Great Elixir Refinement Masters and Elixir Refinement Grandmasters were after that!
Many Elixir Refinement Masters have never been on the verge of reaching the level of a Great Master in their entire lives, let alone be a Grandmaster.
In the field of weapon refinement, there were also the titles of Great Master and Grandmaster.
Although Su Zimo had the help of his spirit perception and had even managed to refine a perfect spirit weapon, he was still only a Weapon Refinement Master.
He could only turn into a Great Weapon Refinement Master after becoming a Nascent Soul and gaining the capabilities to refine Dharmic weapons!
In other words, in order for one to become a Great Master, they had to be accomplished both in their craft and their cultivation realm.
The sound of clothes tearing through the air sounded behind them. More cultivators had broken through the blockade of the pure-blooded ferocious beasts and were speeding towards the Elixir Pool Sect ruins.
“Everyone, stand in formation and protect Xiaoning!”
Tang Yu ordered decisively.
The most important thing for them right now was to ensure Xiaoning obtained Elixir Pool Sect’s inheritance without being interrupted.
Regardless of whether those arriving were friends or foe, Elixir Yang Sect would not allow a single mistake to happen in the inheritance process!
Before long, around twenty cultivators rushed over, looking wretched and filled with wounds – they were all cultivators of Thousand Crane Sect.
Shocked, Su Zimo hurriedly patrolled the crowd.
He only let out a sigh of relief after seeing that Leng Rou was fine as he walked over with Tang Yu.
“Sister Manman, are you alright?”
Tang Yu withdrew a few bottles of elixirs and handed them over.
Feng Manman looked listless and was covered with wounds. She thanked Tang Yu for the elixirs and hurriedly consumed them.
Although she had elixirs as well, the effects of hers could not compare to those of Elixir Yang Sect’s.
On the other side, Leng Rou was also badly injured and looked even more pale. However, her expression was cold as ever and a slight warmth only flickered through her eyes upon seeing Su Zimo.
Su Zimo also had some elixirs given to him by Tang Yu in his storage bag.
Because they were not perfect-grade, he wouldn’t consume them. As such, he took them all out and handed everything to Leng Rou.
She did not decline or stand on ceremony with Su Zimo.
After the bloody battle on the long street, the friendship between them had far surpassed that of ordinary fellow disciples.
Feng Manman consumed the elixirs and rested for a moment before she noticed the group from Elixir Yang Sect standing in front of the Elixir Refinement Hall. Shocked, she exclaimed, “There’s so many of you?!”
“What?” Tang Yu froze.
Sighing, Feng Manman chuckled bitterly. “It’s already a blessing that we’re able to survive against the pure-blooded ferocious beasts. There’s only twenty-odd of our thousand cultivators that are left. To think that you guys have more than four hundred cultivators remaining! That’s incredible!”
Tang Yu looked at Su Zimo without saying anything.
If he hadn’t fought at the front for the entire journey, Elixir Yang Sect would have been annihilated long ago!
“Also, we got lucky,”
Feng Manman sighed and said, “Initially, the pure-blooded ferocious beast, the Gu Bird, blocked us and we couldn’t get away. Later on, it seemed like it was attacked and couldn’t handle it. We only managed to get here by seizing that opportunity. Even then, there’s only these few of us left.”
“Ah! We saw the same thing!”
Tang Yu replied hurriedly, “The Zhu Yan was blocking our path but out of nowhere, a mysterious beast appeared and injured the Zhu Yan severely.. That was how we managed to get over here successfully!”
Su Zimo’s heart skipped a beat.
Initially, he was confused over why Night Spirit hadn’t returned after so long.
After hearing Feng Manman’s words, he gradually understood.
After killing the Zhu Yan, Night Spirit went to kill the Gu Bird as well!
Before he could finish his thoughts, Su Zimo heard little fatty’s voice from not far away.
“That’s bl*ody lucky! That Nine Neonate was way too scary! It spits fire and water that severely injures or kills upon contact! We can’t even get close to it! Luckily some black thing appeared out of nowhere and killed it or we would have all died there!”
Shi Jian remarked as well, “Yes, we saw that too. After killing the Nine Neonate, I think that black thing went off for the other two pure-blooded ferocious beasts, the Hook Snake and the Huo Dou.”
Su Zimo’s mouth cramped up when he heard that.
Chapter 419: Thank You, Night Spirit
“Bro, you guys are here too! That’s good, that’s good,”
Little fatty’s eyes lit up when he caught sight of Su Zimo and the others. He ran over immediately and his loose robes couldn’t cover all his trembling fats.
All six of them managed to arrive here despite their close encounters. Naturally, that was a cause for joy.
Feng Manman cupped her fists. “Thousand Crane Sect will not be laying a hand on anything in this Elixir Refinement Hall. We’ll head in and check out if there are any ancient talisman manuals that have been preserved.”
“Yes.”
Tang Yu nodded.
Leng Rou bid farewell to Su Zimo and the others.
Tomb Sect and Puppet Sect did not bring many cultivators into the valley to begin with and now, they were left with even less.
Little fatty and Shi Jian followed the commanders of their respective sects and left to venture deeper into the ruins in search of treasures and opportunities.
At that moment, a black shadow flashed not far away like a ghost. It crept stealthily to Su Zimo’s side without anyone noticing it at all!
Night Spirit had returned!
There was a bloody thing in its mouth, resembling a ball of meat as the stench of blood filled the air.
Su Zimo took a casual glance and paid no attention initially.
But right after, as if he thought of something, Su Zimo turned back and looked carefully, causing his eyes to twitch uncontrollably!
It was the Zhu Yan’s head!
Its neck area was clearly torn off by sharp claws and it was missing an eye. Biting on its snapped head, Night Spirit had returned just like that!
“Eh? Isn’t that Night Spirit?”
Tang Yu smelled the stench of blood and turned to see Night Spirit with a bloody thing in its mouth, standing beside Su Zimo.
“Yes.”
Su Zimo replied without saying anything more.
Tang Yu frowned slightly.
Suddenly, she realized that something was amiss.
Night Spirit seemed to have disappeared for a period of time, right after the Zhu Yan appeared...
However, everyone’s attention was drawn to the Zhu Yan and they were all trying their best to escape. No one paid any attention to whether Night Spirit was among them.
Tang Yu could not remember clearly as well.
No matter how she tried, she could not recall Night Spirit with them during that period of time, as if it had vanished into thin air.
Hesitantly, she asked, “Fellow Daoist Su, was Night Spirit with us the entire time?”
“Yes, it was,”
Su Zimo nodded with a calm expression.
“Then, what’s that?”
Pointing to the blood lump in Night Spirit’s mouth, Tang Yu asked in confusion.
Su Zimo replied ambiguously, “I don’t know either. It must have bitten that off the corpse of a random ancient remnant beast on the way here.”
By now, the Zhu Yan was completely disfigured. Its flesh was torn in a mess and its head was dyed red with blood – there was no way Tang Yu could recognize it.
Tang Yu was even more confused after asking.
Pondering for a moment, she could not come up with a conclusion and let the matter go for the time being.
After Tang Yu left, Su Zimo turned to Night Spirit and whispered, “Why did you lug that head back? Why didn’t you eat it outside?”
“Growl...”
Putting the Zhu Yan’s head on the ground, Night Spirit extended its paw and pointed to it before pointing to Su Zimo.
If anyone else saw it, they wouldn’t have understood what Night Spirit meant.
However, Su Zimo knew and he asked with a frown, “You mean to say that’s for me to eat?”
Night Spirit nodded and licked its lips with a trace of reluctance on its face.
Su Zimo smiled and shook his head. “You can have it. You haven’t eaten much good food all these years.”
Although Su Zimo devoured meat and drank blood back in Cang Lang Mountain Range for his demonic cultivation, it was for the sake of survival – he was a human after all.
Su Zimo truly did not have much appetite when he looked at that bloodied head.
When Night Spirit saw that Su Zimo had no intention of eating, it rubbed its head against him before stretching out its paw and piercing a hole on top of the Zhu Yan’s head.
A moment later, a milky white gooey liquid flowed out from the hole, giving off a fragrance that made one’s appetite whetted!
“This is...”
Blinking, Su Zimo seemed to have thought of something.
It was the Zhu Yan’s brain!
Back in the ancient manuals of Ethereal Peak, there was a remark at the end of the section about the Zhu Yan.
An ancient mighty figure ate its brain for food and praised, “The fragrance in your mouth is endless!”
It was clear how delicious the Zhu Yan’s brain was for an ancient mighty figure to give such an evaluation.
Night Spirit used its tongue to lick the brain that seeped out and revealed an intoxicated expression.
After a while, it lifted the Zhu Yan’s head again and handed it over to Su Zimo, indicating to him that he could just suck from the hole.
Night Spirit was becoming more and more humane and was clearly at the peak of Foundation Establishment. It could condense an Inner Core at any time and transform itself, taking on human form!
Su Zimo felt a sense of warmth in his heart but still shook his head nevertheless, saying with a smile, “Eat it. I’m still not used to eating something like this.”
Night Spirit turned to look at Su Zimo with slight disbelief.
It could not understand how someone would not like a delicacy as such.
Night Spirit only picked up the Zhu Yan’s head after ensuring that Su Zimo was truly unmoved. Sucking strongly from the hole in the head, Night Spirit drank the Zhu Yan’s brains cleanly with a couple of gulps!
It even licked its lips wistfully, yearning for more.
“Growl...”
Crying once more, Night Spirit swayed its tail and nimbly circled it in front of Su Zimo.
Su Zimo focused his gaze and saw an egg-shaped object pierced on the tip of the tail. It was around the size of a fist and contained an emerald green liquid beneath its skin.
“This is... the Hook Snake’s gallbladder?”
Su Zimo pondered for a moment before probing.
Nodding, Night Spirit handed the gallbladder in front of Su Zimo, indicating for him to eat it.
If the Zhu Yan’s brain was considered as a rare delicacy, the Hook Snake’s gallbladder was considered as one of the rarest herbs in the world!
A single drop of the Hook Snake’s gallbladder juice would ensure that an ordinary mortal could live a long life healthily without any ailments.
For cultivators, their immunity systems would improve significantly after consuming it, allowing them to be resistant to most poisons!
Su Zimo fondled Night Spirit’s head and whispered, “Night Spirit, have it yourself. I can be considered immune to all poisons now so I don’t need it.”
Night Spirit went silent.
After a moment, its eyes lit up and it raised its head in Xiaoning’s direction, crying a couple of times.
“Are you saying that you want to feed Xiaoning the gallbladder?” Su Zimo asked.
Night Spirit nodded and made a few gestures.
Su Zimo understood.
Night Spirit was saying that it failed to protect Xiaoning from being poisoned the previous time round and that it wanted to give this to her as an apology gift. Xiaoning would not have to worry about getting poisoned in the future after consuming the gallbladder.
Su Zimo remained silent.
Be it the Zhu Yan’s head or the Hook Snake’s gallbladder, both of them were the most precious parts of those two beasts respectively!
After retrieving them, Night Spirit did not think of itself but him and Xiaoning.
It wanted to share the delicacy with him and help Xiaoning improve her constitution.
The reason why Night Spirit acted the way it did was because it treated Su Zimo and Xiaoning as its closest kin!
Su Zimo went up and hugged Night Spirit around the waist, patting it on the back while saying softly, “Thank you, Night Spirit.”
Chapter 420: Grade 2 Elixir Pool
A few more cultivators sped over from the direction of the valley, each of them panting with lingering shock.
Glass Palace and Malevolent Earth Sect were among them.
However, those two major sects had it even worse.
Apart from Pei Chunyu, Glass Palace only had eight people left and each of them were filled with injuries and had pale expressions.
It was the same for Malevolent Earth Sect.
In reality, if Night Spirit had not killed the other four pure-blooded ferocious beasts, it would have been difficult for the others to survive.
The only way out for them would be for a Sealer to kill the pure-blooded ferocious beasts by invoking their powers as Golden Cores!
This time round, Su Zimo finally caught sight of the Sealers of the two major sects.
An elderly man in golden robes stood behind Pei Chunyu. Although his hair was gray, his gaze was burning with dominance and his skin possessed a sparkling luster similar to a baby.
On the side of Malevolent Earth Sect, a skinny old man in black robes followed closely behind Xue Yang with a dark gaze resembling a ghoul.
The two Sealers had appeared!
Among the major factions, not all the super sects would send Sealers out with their teams. For example, Poison Sect, Puppet Sect and Tomb Sect of the four unorthodox groups did not send Sealers.
Pei Chunyu and the others arrived at the vicinity of the Elixir Refinement Hall and revealed shocked expressions when they swept their gazes across.
More than four hundred Elixir Yang Sect disciples had survived and made it here!
Although Glass Palace and Malevolent Earth Sect coveted the treasures within the Elixir Refinement Hall as well, they did not dare to force things given the number of people that Elixir Yang Sect had.
After a slight delay, Glass Palace, Malevolent Earth Sect and some other itinerant cultivators headed into the depths of the ruins.
Su Zimo gazed at the cultivators of the sects leaving thoughtfully.
A moment later, he patted Night Spirit on the head and whispered, “Stay here and guard Xiaoning. I’ll check out the depths of the ruins.”
“Are you really going to fight for the Meridian Unlocking Elixir?”
Tang Yu frowned when she noticed Su Zimo’s intention of heading into the ruins. “Xiaoning’s receiving the inheritance here and in order to prevent any accidents, we can’t leave. If you head in alone, you don’t stand a chance against all the elites of those major sects.”
“I must get my hands on the perfect Meridian Unlocking Elixir.”
Su Zimo replied with conviction and a resolute gaze.
Initially, he wanted to head into the depths of the ruins with everyone after Xiaoning received the inheritance.
However, by the looks of things now, Xiaoning wouldn’t be able to complete the inheritance process within a short period of time. Yet, Glass Palace, Malevolent Earth Sect and other sects have already ventured into the depths of the ruins – Su Zimo could not wait any longer.
“You have to be careful. They have Sealers with them. Don’t force yourself if the situation doesn’t look good.”
Tang Yu said, “I reckon that Xiaoning will definitely inherit the recipe for the Meridian Unlocking Elixir as well. If you don’t rush things, you’ll definitely get your chance to consume a perfect Meridian Unlocking Elixir in the future.”
“Got it.”
Su Zimo nodded and in a flash, a pair of spirit wings appeared behind him. He soared into the air and sped into the depths of the ruins.
Su Zimo had no idea where the Meridian Unlocking Elixirs were located within Elixir Pool Sect as well.
At that moment, he looked down with the help of the Ethereal Wings and relied on his shocking eyesight to survey the place continuously while his ears twitched intently to pick up news from the surroundings.
“East side, hurry! The elixir storage is there!”
“Ah! Hurry over!”
Vaguely, Su Zimo caught wind of some intermittent conversations.
Standing in the air, he looked towards the east and saw a series of spirit lights shooting into the air from a certain area with many cultivators heading over.
“There’s no mistake.”
In a flash, Su Zimo vanished from where he was.
...
East of the Elixir Pool Sect ruins.
From above, it could be seen that there were gigantic jade bottles made from rocks lying on the ground, resembling cave abodes.
The bottlenecks were the entrances of the caves where words were written. Although they were blurred, they were still recognizable.
Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3...
It was very obvious.
The Grade 1 cave abodes would naturally contain Grade 1 elixirs.
Grade 2 cave abodes would contain Grade 2 elixirs.
Grade 3 cave abodes...
There were a total of eight jade bottle-like cave abodes here!
In other words, there was a chance that the eighth jade bottle-like cave abode would contain Grade 8 elixirs!
Elixirs that were consumed by Golden Cores were only at Grade 3.
As such, what sort of cultivators were the elixirs meant for?
Of course, despite knowing that, the many cultivators that were gathered outside the cave abodes could watch helplessly.
That was because all the entrances had seals on them.
Even after countless years, the seals were still perfectly preserved.
None of the cultivators in the ancient battlefield could dispel the seal of the Grade 3 elixir cave, let alone the Grade 8 elixir caves.
At that moment, everyone’s gazes were fixed on the Grade 2 elixir cave abode.
That was because the Meridian Unlocking Elixir was a Grade 2 elixir!
“Everyone, no matter what, we have to first dispel the seal of the entrance.”
After a moment, Pei Chunyu stood out and declared loudly, “The sooner we dispel the seal, the sooner we can enter the cave abode and obtain the elixirs that we need. If we waste too much time here, more cultivators will arrive and we’ll all get less elixirs.”
“That’s right, let’s join forces to dispel the seal first.”
“I agree. As for the elixirs inside, everyone can fight for it after we enter the cave abode.”
The cultivators agreed.
“Bang!” Boom! “Bang!”
Under Pei Chunyu’s command, many cultivators summoned their flying swords at the same time, striking repeatedly at the entrance of the Grade 2 elixir cave.
A series of lights appeared and shimmered continuously at the entrance, radiating brightly.
As time passed by, the light gradually dimmed.
“The seal’s about to be dispelled! Everyone, let’s work harder!”
Some cultivators yelled excitedly.
The Sealers of Glass Palace and Malevolent Earth Sect did not do anything, merely watching coldly from the sidelines.
Although Sealers would not be devoured by the dimension if they did not use their powers as Golden Cores, they were already old and their bodies were failing. As such, they would not do anything casually.
At their age, each time they did something, it would be equivalent to shaving off the last bits of their life’s essence.
It was similar to old mortals in their nineties. If they took care of their bodies, they could still live a couple years more. However, if they did anything overly vigorous, they would die before long.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Yet another series of explosions occurred and cracking sounds echoed from the entrance.
A moment later, the light barrier shattered!
The eyes of the cultivators lit up as they rushed forward at the same time, swarming towards the entrance.
Although the cave abode was sealed for countless years, there was no rotten smell within it. Instead, it was filled with an invigorating medicinal scent!
The masses charged forward and before long, their vision opened up in the depths of the cave.
A gigantic spirit pool resided at the end of the cave abode.
Many jade bottles were floating on it, looking dense and compacted.
Each of those jade bottles contained elixirs.
The reason why the elixirs were not rotten after thousands of years was because they were nourished by the spirit liquid.
This was a true Elixir Pool!
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