Eternal Sacred King Chapter 511 to 521
Chapter 511: Righteousness
Knowing that the Great Qian Ruins was not a friendly place, Su Zimo did not dare to be careless and descended slowly at the boundaries. He only headed in after checking out the surroundings.
Even a capital as majestic as such was now reduced to rubbles and broken walls, turning into a ruin.
As he walked across the mud and debris, Su Zimo was emotional.
Be it immortality or demonic cultivation, the reason why most cultivators cultivated was because of the word longevity.
However, who could withstand the power of time?
In the ancient era, there were multiple emperors and countless mighty figures and patriarchs. But now, all of them were gone, leaving nothing but legends.
Su Zimo did not know much about the Great Qian Ruins and neither did he dare to advance too quickly. His ears twitched and his gaze intensified as he channeled the technique of universal sight and hearing to sense for activity around him.
Along the way, he came across a few cultivators and there were also Qi Refinement Warriors and Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
All of those cultivators were extremely cautious and wary. When they caught sight of Su Zimo, they had cautious expressions and hid far away, detouring around him.
In these ruins, apart from the danger present here, it was also extremely common for others to kill for treasures!
In the blink of an eye, two hours passed.
Su Zimo did not receive any rewards from the ruins. He merely found some broken shards of spirit weapons in the debris which he tossed away casually.
Naturally, he did not encounter any danger as well.
It was late at night right now and the moonlight was pure. The entire place was eerily quiet.
“Strange,”
Su Zimo frowned.
“Ah!”
Suddenly, a tragic shriek sounded nearby!
Su Zimo’s heart skipped a beat. After pondering for a moment, he decided to check it out.
If he knew the source of the danger, he could prepare himself for it as well.
In a flash, he sped towards the origin of the sound.
Not long after, he caught sight of a Qi Refinement Warrior standing on the spot. His back was facing Su Zimo and although there was a clear lifeforce coming from him, he did not move at all.
A few cultivators stood and watched from far away, not daring to close in with fear in their eyes.
Coughing gently, Su Zimo asked with a raised voice, “Fellow Daoist?”
When the Qi Refinement Warrior heard Su Zimo’s voice, his body moved and he turned around slowly.
Su Zimo was petrified when he caught sight of that person’s appearance.
The person’s forehead was dark and his lips were purple. Against the moonlight, his pale face seemed extraordinarily frightening as he let out a sinister smile.
When he saw that smile, Su Zimo’s hair stood on end.
“Hehehehehe!”
A creepy laughter sounded from the person as he grinned before lunging towards Su Zimo with open arms.
Su Zimo calmed down before long.
He might have been stunned if he had encountered something as such back when he had just stepped foot into the cultivation world.
But now, he was already a Golden Core and even if he hadn’t encountered something as such before, he could roughly guess what was going on!
Su Zimo did not dodge or avoid the attacking Qi Refinement Warrior. Reaching out, he slapped the person’s forehead gently without exerting any force and shouted softly.
“How dare you harm someone, demon! Get out!”
“Ah!”
A shriek came from within the Qi Refinement Warrior’s body.
A ghost flew out from the top of his head – it was difficult to see as it was illusory and transparent.
When it sensed Su Zimo’s aura, the ghost was horrified and fled into the distance right away.
The Qi Refinement Warrior’s body shuddered and his lips and face regained some color.
However, that person was frail and weak, falling down limply as he panted heavily.
“Thank you, senior,”
The Qi Refinement Warrior panted while expressing his thanks.
“Take a while to recover and leave this place as soon as possible. If you linger longer, you might die!” Su Zimo remarked darkly.
“A-Alright.”
The Qi Refinement Warrior nodded hurriedly.
The thing that possessed the Qi Refinement Warrior was a little ghost that did not have much Dharmic powers. At the most, it could only attach itself to the bodies of mortals and low level cultivators. This was the possession by ghosts that is widely known in the mortal world.
While little ghosts were troublesome, they did not dare to provoke three types of people.
The first type was cultivators with strong Dharmic powers.
Most Foundation Establishment Cultivators would already have no need to fear little ghosts.
The second type was people with a strong Yang blood qi.
Be it cultivators or mortals, as long as they were fit, strong and had a robust blood qi, they could defend against most demons and illnesses.
Now that Su Zimo was at the tsunami blood realm, his blood qi was akin to a blazing sun even without him channeling it – there was no way a little ghost would dare approach a burning furnace!
That was the reason why little ghosts all wanted to avoid Su Zimo along the way, let alone close in to him.
The third type was people who were filled with righteousness and just.
Those who were educated and possessed righteousness.
Righteous people could compose themselves in the face of temptations and threats.
The reason why some people would never fall ill with their mortal bodies despite being jailed and having to endure those terrible environments was because they possessed righteousness!
Predecessors always mentioned that one must not be corrupted by wealth, bend their integrity due to poverty or bow down against power.
In reality, that was the realm of righteousness!
Mortals often mention that one would not fear ghosts if they hadn’t done anything guilty – this was also the same logic.
As long as one did not commit acts of guilt, their hearts wouldn’t weaken out of fear; those that were righteous were always fearless!
Back when he was young, Su Zimo had even heard about some legends when he was studying.
For great scholars with immense wisdom and righteousness, in their twilight years, even with their weak mortal bodies, a single shout was enough for them to keep evil at bay – their shouts could shock the ghosts into dust!
10,000 years ago, millions of lives were killed in this place overnight. As such, the aura of vengefulness was strong and there were many wandering ghosts left around with their grievances.
Given the large number of little ghosts, there were bound to be malicious ghosts born from them!
Little ghosts were troublesome but they would not harm one’s life.
Malicious, ferocious and evil ghosts were those that killed!
Even for Foundation Establishment Cultivators and Golden Cores, a slight misstep could cause them their lives!
Su Zimo continued advancing and as the night got darker, he entered deeper into the ruins as well.
Not long after.
A tragic laughter sounded in all directions; it was unpredictable and caused one’s hairs to stand on end!
Smirking coldly, Su Zimo did not stop and continued forward.
Swoosh!
An evil gust of wind welcomed him.
Su Zimo’s black hair swayed gently and his expression was calm – there wasn’t a single trace of panic in his eyes.
“If you continue forward, I’ll take your life!”
The shrill voice of a woman could be heard from the evil wind.
Su Zimo was unmoved.
He had just walked a dozen meters ahead when a hazy phantom appeared behind him, dressed in blood-colored robes with long black hair touching the floor.
A menacing face could be seen faintly from between the black hair.
The malicious ghost reached out with both hands, lunging towards Su Zimo silently with its purplish-black fingernails.
Su Zimo seemed oblivious to it.
The moment the hands of the malicious ghost touched Su Zimo’s body, its expression changed and it shrieked.
Su Zimo’s bloodline surged and shone with streaks bedazzling lightning!
The power of thunder was the most righteous energy in the world and was the greatest counter to evil entities.
The malevolent ghost would not have expected that Su Zimo’s bloodline would possess the power of thunder. Instantly, it was struck by the thunder and dissipated into ashes, disappearing.
Right from the beginning, Su Zimo’s footsteps had not stopped at all.
Initially, there were other malevolent ghosts surrounding him. When they witnessed that, all of them scattered in unison.
Chapter 512: Otherworldly Soldiers Crossing
In the night, Su Zimo continued advancing and was getting nearer to the center of the Great Qian Ruins.
Although he came across some spirit stones and weapons along the way, they were not valuable and were commonly seen in the markets.
The Great Qian Ruins existed for 10,000 years and countless people have been here during that period of time.
The relatively safe areas at the outer perimeter were most likely ransacked thoroughly long ago.
If one wanted benefits, the greatest possibility would be at the depths of the ruins right in the center!
Su Zimo guessed that the outer perimeter of the Great Qian Ruins was mostly filled with little ghosts that did not have much power.
As he ventured deeper, he came across malevolent and evil ghosts.
If he were to continue advancing deeper into the center of the ruins, there was a high chance that he would meet with danger that could threaten Golden Cores!
As he looked down at the gigantic ravine that ran through the ruins from midair, Su Zimo felt a sense of trepidation.
Before long, he gradually stopped and gazed across, murmuring softly with a look of shock, “Was this the palace back then?”
At the front, a series of towering pitch-black walls stood piercing into the clouds majestically. Although it looked obvious that they were old, it also displayed the dominance of this palace back in the past!
Even the sight of the debris alone was enough to shock Su Zimo!
Against the palace walls, any cultivators would seem like an insignificant ant.
If the Asura Yan Beichen had not told Su Zimo about it, he would not have been able to imagine that a capital as huge as this was destroyed by a divine dragon overnight!
What a pity for such an empire.
Su Zimo lamented internally and entered slowly.
The moment he entered the vicinity of the palace, his expression changed and he frowned.
He felt a cold chill piercing his body!
Given Su Zimo’s immensely strong blood qi that could repel evil, the fact that he was able to sense chills meant that this palace was far from simple!
What a malevolent energy!
Su Zimo thought as he checked out his surroundings.
A prolonged stay in this palace would result in malevolent qi entering one’s body. Over time, it would result in massive issues within one’s body and could even reduce their lifespans.
Even with Su Zimo’s formidable blood qi, he did not dare to linger too long in this place.
“Seems like not only did many people die in this palace, their cultivation realms were not low either! Otherwise, such a terrifying malevolent qi wouldn’t have been formed!”
Just as he was about to move forward, his ears suddenly twitched.
“Hmm?”
Su Zimo’s eyes lit up and he shuffled his footsteps, stealthily dodging to the side and hiding behind a fake mountain without touching the ground with his heels.
Ta! Ta! Ta!
Before long, a series of dull footsteps sounded, marching in unison.
Gazing over, Su Zimo saw that there was a squadron of more than a thousand soldiers strolling over from a small path nearby.
All of those soldiers were armed and wore ancient armor that was filled with rust. Each of them wore helmets and were expressionless, emanating a frosty aura as though they came straight from Hell!
Otherworldly soldiers crossing!
Su Zimo’s heart skipped a beat.
Otherworldly soldiers crossing was formed from the lasting misfortune, vengeance, grievance and malevolence of soldiers that died on the battlefield or troops that met with untimely demise.
When the malevolent qi was too strong, it would even materialize into the images of otherworldly troops of the past.
In reality, all of these soldiers were already dead. However, their consciousness was stuck in the moment that they were dead as they continued with their missions in an orderly manner.
For example, the thousand-odd soldiers here were tasked to patrol the palace before their death.
Even 10,000 after their deaths, the otherworldly soldiers that were conjured maintained their vigilant stance and continued patrolling the palace against enemies!
All of a sudden!
The otherworldly squad that had initially passed the fake mountain paused and their leader turned around slowly, gazing towards Su Zimo’s hiding spot.
The leader of the otherworldly squad was not weak and the aura he gave off was similar to an early-stage Golden Core at least!
Furthermore, he had extremely keen senses!
Su Zimo had just recognized the otherworldly soldiers crossing and his pores emitted a faint bloodline qi. Instantly, the leader of the squad noticed.
Given the icy environment, the slight heat of blood qi could be sensed instantly by the strong otherworldly soldiers!
Su Zimo was extremely quick to react as well as he locked his pores, stopped his heart and sealed his blood qi in the blink of an eye.
At the same time, he closed his eyes.
That way, he would not be noticed by the otherworldly squad leader not far away from the glint in his eyes.
Those otherworldly soldiers were not alive after all and did not possess the five senses – they merely existed relying on their familiarity with the place as well as their remnant consciousness.
The eyes of the otherworldly squad leader shone with a demonic red glint and lingered for a long time at Su Zimo’s area. When he didn’t notice anything unusual, he turned back and led his squad to continue patrolling.
After the otherworldly soldiers left, Su Zimo heaved a sigh of relief and darted out from behind the fake mountain.
Given his current strength, he did not have to fear those otherworldly soldiers.
However, if he were to engage in a battle with them, otherworldly soldiers from other parts of the palace would definitely be attracted over by the commotion!
A mere patrolling squad had more than a thousand troops.
In that case, an army of this palace would definitely range in the millions!
That was a massive number!
If those otherworldly soldiers were to charge over endlessly, Su Zimo would be embroiled in a tough battle.
If there was any unstoppable existence within the otherworldly soldiers, he would definitely be in danger!
However, with his Inner Core condensed, Su Zimo possessed the power of universal hearing and would dodge any patrolling otherworldly soldiers.
For anyone else, this palace was a treacherous place with dangers lurking everywhere.
However, it wasn’t anything much for Su Zimo.
Gradually, he entered the depths of the palace.
With so many otherworldly soldiers gathered in this palace preventing ordinary Golden Cores from entering the depths, there was a high chance that great treasures could be hidden within.
As he continued advancing, Su Zimo gradually noticed something amiss.
Something seemed to have happened within the palace.
There were otherworldly troops converging towards the North endlessly!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sound of galloping was like thunder as the ground quaked. In Su Zimo’s vision, there were even thousands of mounted riders charging towards the North with a furious killing intent and a dark aura.
There’s other intruders that alerted the otherworldly soldiers!
Su Zimo deduced almost instantly.
The sound of killing, shouts and horses galloping were mixed over that side.
The murderous echoes shook the heavens!
Unless they had extraordinary means, they would have to pray to survive against the encirclement of so many otherworldly soldiers.
Su Zimo did not have the energy to go save anyone he did not know about. Just as he was about to change directions and head the other way, he exclaimed softly with a startled expression.
“Not good!”
His ears twitched for a little and he was alarmed, rushing towards the North without hesitation.
Chapter 513: Trapped in the Palace
In the night, within the Great Qian Palace, the sounds of killing shook the heavens. The surrounding otherworldly aura was immense and torrential, almost engulfing the entire skies!
“Xuan Yi, let’s go! We can’t hold out anymore!”
The person who spoke was a beautiful middle-aged lady drenched in sweet sweat. Talisman runes shone in her hands as she tossed them out, scattering like butterflies, as though she had an endless supply.
The beautiful middle-aged lady was the peak master of Ethereal Peak’s Talisman Peak, Perfected Golden Core, Liu Hui!
Beside Liu Hui, two other Golden Cores released spirit arts and flying swords, fighting against the surrounding otherworldly soldiers.
The two of them had a few wounds each and looked pale, seemingly unable to hold out any longer.
One of them was Array Peak’s master, Xuan Yi.
The other person was wearing a set of white robes soaked in blood. Wielding a three feet long green sword, he revealed an edged frosty sword qi and was a sword cultivator.
The three of them took a spot each in a triangular formation and their feet shuffled continuously, looking out for one another.
However, there were simply way too many otherworldly soldiers that charged from all directions, as though they were endless. Wave after wave, they lunged forward and attacked Xuan Yi and the other two repeatedly.
The three of them were on the verge of dying!
Gritting his teeth with an indignant expression, Xuan Yi could only remark darkly, “Retreat!”
“It’s probably not going to be easy for us to retreat now,”
The white-robed sword cultivator said softly with a terrible expression.
The three of them caused quite a commotion and otherworldly soldiers rushed over from other parts of the palace continuously.
The otherworldly soldiers that came later on were extremely strong!
Initially, the patrolling otherworldly soldiers were only at the strength level of early and mid-stage Golden Cores. But now, there were late-stage Golden Core otherworldly soldiers joining the fray.
The situation was turning deadlier!
The three of them retreated endlessly but were trapped by endless otherworldly soldiers. As though they were stuck in a swamp and had difficulty moving, their speeds became slower and slower.
The longer things dragged on, the worse the situation would be for them!
All three of them were injured. Although they were consuming elixirs repeatedly, given the fact that they were in an environment filled with malevolent qi, their injuries could not heal up and bled continuously.
Furthermore, the malevolent qi entered their bodies through their wounds and over time, the damage to their meridians, dantian and bloodline would intensify and turn progressively worse!
In the end, even if the three of them were not killed by the charging otherworldly soldiers, they would have their meridians and core frozen by the malevolent qi and die with their Daos dissolved.
Moreover, among the three of them, Liu Hui was already in a terrible condition!
Her lips were purplish and her footsteps were sluggish. Her spirit energy was thoroughly expended and her Golden Core was shrouded by malevolent qi, about to fall at any moment with difficulty circulating.
Although their triangular formation was great, it wouldn’t be able to function if one of them was down.
At that time, the circumstances would be even worse for the three of them!
“Pfft!”
Flashes of blood appeared.
Liu Hui grunted and a nasty gash appeared on her abdomen as blood flowed endlessly.
Xuan Yi’s expression changed starkly and he took a step forward, supporting Liu Hui who was about to fall. Waving his robes, he let out a tremendous amount of spirit energy that knocked back the incoming otherworldly soldiers, pushing them back like dominoes.
“Ziyue, break out of the encirclement with all your might! I’ll cover the back!”
When he saw the wound on Liu Hui, Xuan Yi frowned and a hint of frenzy could be seen in his eyes.
Slapping his storage bag, Xuan Yi took out a couple elixirs and devoured them in a single mouthful.
At the same time, he summoned 12 supreme-grade flying swords!
Clang! Clang!
The swords quivered and buzzed endlessly.
“Hexagonal Sword Formation!”
Xuan Yi’s Golden Core channeled to its limits and was already throbbing in pain. Controlling the 12 flying swords, he conjured two Hexagonal Sword Formations and blocked the otherworldly soldiers that were coming from behind him.
Two Hexagonal Sword Formations appeared in midair and shone brightly with a bedazzling radiance!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
More than ten otherworldly soldiers lunged over. When they struck the Hexagonal Sword Formations, they turned into ashes and dissipated in the air.
Xuan Yi did not have a Golden Core phenomenon. However, he was a Sword Formation Master.
With his Hexagonal Sword Formations, he was strong enough to fight against some Golden Core phenomenons!
Up ahead, the white-robed sword cultivator took a deep breath of air and swallowed a few Spirit Regeneration Elixirs. Letting out a long roar, the sword in his hands quivered as he shouted, “Golden Core phenomenon, Ethereal Sword Rain!”
Pitter-patter! Pitter-patter!
Raindrops fell endlessly.
A rain descended behind the white-robed sword cultivator and it poured heavier and denser, shining with an endless gleam of sharpness.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Many of the otherworldly soldiers at the front fell to the ground one after another after being pierced by the sword rain, turning into malevolent qi before dissipating.
At the very least, a few hundred otherworldly soldiers vanished with the release of the Golden Core phenomenon!
Up ahead, a vast empty space came into sight.
“Let’s go!”
The white-robed cultivator bellowed and charged first with his sword, paving the way forward.
Xuan Yi carried Liu Hui with his arms and followed close behind.
They did not get far when the sound of galloping could be heard behind, rumbling like thunder. Even the ground started quaking uncontrollably, as though thousands of troops were charging over!
“Watch out!”
The white-robed cultivator’s expression changed.
The otherworldly soldiers at the front seemed to have received some sort of an order as they scattered in unison.
A large number of troops wielding spears and riding otherworldly horses formed an awl-shaped formation, charging over murderously to clash against the white-robed cultivator’s Golden Core phenomenon.
Boom!
There was a deafening sound.
A few riders at the front fell off their mounts.
However, the Ethereal Sword Rain phenomenon also showed signs of falling!
Another clash would be sufficient to dispel the white-robed sword cultivator’s Golden Core phenomenon!
“Xuan Yi, Ziyue, just leave. Don’t bother about me,”
Liu Hui’s expression was grim and her meridians, bloodline and body were freezing up after being sealed by the malevolent qi. She was extremely weak and no longer had the strength to fight.
“What nonsense are you talking about?!”
Xuan Yi had cultivated for more than three hundred years and had a warm personality, rarely getting emotional.
But now, he was agitated and his eyes were reddened as he shouted.
“Sigh, I’ll only be a burden to you guys if you take me along. At that time, none of us will survive,”
Lying in Xuan Yi’s embrace, a tender look flashed through Liu Hui’s eyes as she whispered, “Xuan Yi, I know how you feel about me. I’m afraid... we won’t have that affinity in this lifetime.”
When he heard that, Xuan Yi turned calm instead.
“Liu Hui, since you know how I feel, you should know that I definitely won’t leave you!”
Xuan Yi’s gaze was resolute as he held Liu Hui’s ice-cold hands, not willing to let go as he laughed. “I’ve been a coward towards relationships for my entire life. Today, I’m finally brave.”
Turning around, Xuan Yi nodded to the white-robed sword cultivator and said calmly, “Ziyue, leave first. I’ll accompany her.”
By accompanying her, it meant that he was going to die with her!
“Fellow Daoists, you guys...”
The white-robed cultivator looked anxious and did not continue speaking.
Xuan Yi smiled gently. “The path of cultivation is limitless without any end in sight. Even if we truly attain longevity and end up dying old in loneliness, what’s the point of that?”
“This is fine. Liu Hui and I will take this opportunity to head down and accompany our old bro, Wen Xuan, lest he gets bored below! Haha!”
Xuan Yi laughed once more as he hugged the woman in his embrace tightly.
At that moment, it seemed as though the two of them were the only ones left in the world.
It wasn’t everyone who could embrace death with such an open mind.
Boom!
At that moment, another bang sounded.
The white-robed sword cultivator’s Golden Core phenomenon was shattered by the otherworldly soldiers!
Without any protection, the three of them were completely exposed against the dense otherworldly troops!
Chapter 514: Breaking Free
“Instant Thunder!”
Suddenly, a voice sounded. It wasn’t exactly clear given the commotion of the battlefield.
However, right after, the tides of the battlefield shifted!
Snap!
An incomparably dazzling thunderbolt tore through the dark clouds and descended among the otherworldly troops!
Electric snakes slithered around in a blinding manner, turning the entire place into a sea of lightning.
Crackle!
There was a deafening and crisp sound.
At least a thousand otherworldly soldiers were devoured by the sea of lightning and turned into dust!
The sheer number of strong otherworldly troops at this part of the palace was not the only reason why it was so dangerous.
More than that, it was because the troops were created from malevolent qi. Even if the cultivators were beaten down, they would only turn into malevolent qi again.
All it took was a period of time for the defeated otherworldly troops to spawn again. Their numbers would not diminish and could even be said to be endless!
However, malevolent qi feared thunder.
The thunder earlier smited thousands of otherworldly soldiers into dust and their malevolent qi was purged as well – they could not respawn anymore.
“An expert came for us?”
The eyes of the white-robed sword cultivator lit up as he turned around and urged, “Xuan Yi, an expert is here! Take Liu Hui with you and we’ll try again to kill our way out of this!”
“That noise from earlier?”
Xuan Yi furrowed his brows with a confused expression.
“It seems to be that lad, Zimo?” Liu Hui commented weakly.
Before her sentence was completed, the sound of clothes fluttering arrived.
It came at an extremely fast speed and arrived before them almost instantly!
A green figure stood in midair with swaying black hair. His eyes were deep and sparkled like stars as he gave off a terrifying aura.
“Zimo, it’s truly you!”
Xuan Yi exclaimed.
The person who arrived was Su Zimo who had barged into the palace as well!
Pshew! Pshew! Pshew!
Not far away, rows of archers knelt on the ground and shot out long arrows lined with malevolent qi. A flurry of them arrived instantly, like a swarm of locusts!
“Watch out!”
Xuan Yi exclaimed.
He was clear about the strength of those otherworldly soldiers.
In this palace, the otherworldly soldiers that were spawned were almost representative of the massive, unstoppable army that guarded the palace in the Great Qian capital of the past!
There were many different types of soldiers and they were powerful.
Apart from patrolling troops, there were archers as well as light and heavy-armored mounted riders!
Furthermore, all of them were Golden Cores!
If armies of Golden Cores could range in the millions, it would mean that Golden Cores were everywhere and Nascent Souls were plenty as well.
The might of the Great Qian Empire could be seen from that fact alone.
The malevolent arrows that were fired were extremely swift but Su Zimo was faster.
He did not bother to deal with the malevolent arrows at all as he descended quickly.
All of the malevolent arrows missed!
It was a deafening crush.
Su Zimo was like a human-sized ferocious beast, causing the ground to shudder as he descended before Xuan Yi and the other two.
“Follow me!”
The situation was dire and the otherworldly soldiers were charging once more. Whipping out Blood Quencher from his storage bag, Su Zimo did not waste time on needless words as he led the way and paved a path.
“Zimo, watch out! Those otherworldly soldiers are not easy to deal with!”
Xuan Yi reminded hurriedly.
Naturally, he could tell that Su Zimo had already formed a core.
However, the strength of those otherworldly soldiers were increasingly powerful and could even destroy the Golden Core phenomenon of the white-robed sword cultivator. Even at late-stage Golden Core realm, the three of them ended in such a helpless situation.
Su Zimo had just cultivated to early-stage Golden Core realm. Despite his amazing potential and strong trump cards, if he was encircled by the otherworldly soldiers, he might have to die in regret here as well!
Clang!
Blood Quencher quivered and let out a blood beam.
Circulating his bloodline, Su Zimo slashed out and the blood beam expanded with lightning crackling on it in a terrifying manner!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The light-armored mounted riders that charged over from the front were swept over by Su Zimo domineeringly and dissipated instantly!
They were completely helpless.
The otherworldly soldiers that could destroy the white-robed cultivator’s Golden Core phenomenon could not withstand the sharpness of Su Zimo’s blade!
What a strong blood qi! Impressive!
The white-robed sword cultivator was secretly in awe.
“Please follow closely behind me!”
Su Zimo continued advancing with Blood Quencher and his speed wasn’t affected at all.
He displayed an extremely terrifying saber technique with his hands.
Phantoms appeared everywhere as blood qi spread out.
The killing intent of the saber technique was immense and every single strike was fatal, aiming for one’s life. Coupled with Blood Quencher, everywhere the blood beam touched, people and mounts would fall – no one could stop Su Zimo for a moment!
That saber technique was none other than Asura Saber, imparted to him by the Asura, Yan Beichen.
Although Su Zimo practiced it in private after the battle at Ethereal Peak, it was against thin air and he could not feel the excitement of a massacre and a massive battle.
At the same time, he could not truly comprehend the intent of Asura Saber.
But now, with the help of the surrounding otherworldly soldiers, Su Zimo was practicing his technique while breaking free from the encirclement!
Ghosts howling, blood flow, Hell, white bones, phantom, corpse...
Every single attack felt increasingly familiar.
Su Zimo carefully experienced the intent of his attacks and felt the changes of the saber technique.
“Fellow Daoist, the direction isn’t right!”
A short while later, the white-robed sword cultivator frowned and said deeply, “We’re now headed towards the depths of the palace. We’re getting further away from the outer perimeter!”
Su Zimo replied, “The commotion caused here was too great and there are at least millions of troops waiting outside. It’s not too realistic if we want to kill our way out.”
In reality, given his strength, it wasn’t considered difficult if he wanted to kill his way out.
If Su Zimo could kill his way in, he could naturally do the same in reverse.
But now that he was with the group of three and Liu Hui was severely injured, that made things difficult.
With a calm expression, Su Zimo analyzed, “If those otherworldly soldiers retained their memories from 10,000 years ago, there must exist places within the palace that they’re not permitted to enter casually!”
“Once we enter, we’ll find those places and that will ensure our safety temporarily!”
Xuan Yi nodded and hugged Liu Hui while summoning sword formations, defending against the incoming otherworldly soldiers. “Let’s listen to Zimo!”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Before long, a deafening sound of horses galloping sounded in a shuddering manner. Instantly, the debris and rocks in the ruins started bouncing.
The sound came from the front and back!
Xuan Yi and the others narrowed their gazes and looked.
The otherworldly soldiers that chased them from behind dispersed and a dark cloud shrouded over with a terrifying malevolent aura. It was dull, heavy and suffocating!
That dark cloud gradually condensed into a series of mounted riders.
Wielding long spears, the mounted riders had short spears hanging from their backs and they wore a tight, ancient armor all over.
The only things that were exposed were a pair of grisly bloodshot eyes!
“Heavy-armored mounted riders!”
The white-robed sword cultivator’s expression turned terrible.
Earlier on, the light-armored mounted riders condensed by the malevolent qi could already shatter his Golden Core phenomenon with ease.
If these heavy-armored mounted riders were to charge over, their iron hooves would be able to drown them in an instant, killing them without a corpse remaining!
It was the same in front of them!
Millions of heavy-armored mounted riders rushed over with a torrential momentum!
“Don’t be afraid, I’ll settle them!”
Su Zimo’s voice sounded once more, calm and composed without any emotions.
For some reason, when he heard that voice, the uneasy heart of the white-robed sword cultivator calmed down instantly.
Chapter 515: Palace Forbidden Grounds
“Kill!”
A leader of the mounted soldiers raised his long spear and growled from the depths of his throat with a bloody glint in his eyes.
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
The remaining millions of heavy-armored mounted riders chanted with a mighty aura while withdrawing the short spears on their backs at the same time, throwing them towards Su Zimo and the other three with their full strength in unison!
Buzz! Buzz!
Millions of short spears that gleamed coldly tore through the air and let out an ear-piercing sound.
This was equivalent to millions of Golden Cores attacking at the same time and the force of it was much stronger than the arrows.
Dense and clumped, they covered the skies and almost drowned Su Zimo and the other three!
The white-robed sword cultivator had cultivated for more than a hundred years and had been through countless life-and-death experiences. Yet, he still felt his heart palpitate at this scene and could not contain himself properly.
I guess only Nascent Souls can survive against such an attack?
A thought flashed through the white-robed sword cultivator’s mind.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
At the same time, a clear sword buzzing sound reverberated through the world, tearing through metal and rock with an endless sharpness!
The white-robed sword cultivator was extremely familiar with such a sharpness.
To begin with, he was someone that cultivated the Dao of the sword.
Instinctively, the white-robed sword cultivator turned towards the sound.
As Su Zimo waved his sleeves, 18 supreme-grade flying swords hovered in midair.
The swords quivered and spirit light shone brightly.
As though they were alive, the 18 flying swords moved unusually and interweaved in midair, leaving behind streams of sharp, cold sword qi.
As they interweaved, the sword qi sliced the void into pieces and formed an extremely mysterious formation.
“Candlelight Sword Formation!”
Su Zimo hollered softly.
18 flying swords gathered at the same time with their tips pointing out, resembling a blazing sun radiating with a supreme sword qi. It formed in front of the white-robed sword cultivator and the other two, defending them with a gigantic disk made of swords that spun wildly!
Boom!
Thousands of short spears struck the Candlelight Sword Formation and let out a deafening bang!
The entire void seemed to have quivered.
Right after, the world went silent!
The white-robed sword cultivator’s eyelids twitched rapidly – this scene had caused his heart to leap into his throat.
The Candlelight Sword Formation paused for a moment.
Quivering slightly, it let out a creaking sound as though it could disperse at any moment!
Xuan Yi’s expression turned a little pale.
If that sword formation could not hold out, they would be engulfed within a world of spears instantly and die without any corpse left!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
After a momentary pause, the Candlelight Sword Formation began spinning wildly once more, destroying all the incoming short spears as they turned into malevolent qi and dispersed in the air.
The white-robed sword cultivator was tongue-tied and stunned.
That sword formation managed to defend against the attack of millions of heavy-armored mounted riders!
The battle of Ethereal Peak spread within the territory of Great Zhou and he too had heard about the monster incarnate of Ethereal Peak that was at Extreme Foundation Establishment realm and could kill beyond his level.
However, he truly did not dare to believe that Su Zimo would possess such terrifying might with a single attack!
The Candlelight Sword Formation had nine levels to it.
Level 1 required 9 flying swords, Level 2 required 18 while Level 3 required 27!
Su Zimo had already comprehended the Candlelight Sword Formation to Level 3.
However, he had just formed his core and did not manage to refine new flying swords yet.
One of the reasons for his trip to the Great Qian Ruins was so that he could seek out the legendary connate spirit fire and refine a new set of 27 flying swords!
Every additional flying sword increased the power of his attacks.
The power increase of nine additional swords together with the force of the sword formation was indescribable and its might would be terrifying!
While the white-robed sword cultivator was shocked out of his mind, Su Zimo was not pleased.
The Level 2 Candlelight Sword Formation could only be used for defense passively and was nearly smashed apart.
If he could create a Level 3 Candlelight Sword Formation, it could even charge forward and mince the millions of heavy-armored mounted riders into ashes, let alone the malevolent spears.
With the Candlelight Sword Formation blocking behind, the heavy-armored mounted riders could not approach them for the time being.
Up ahead, before the heavy-armored mounted riders arrived, Su Zimo took the initiative and joined his thumb and middle finger to form an obscure hand seal of the Buddhist monasteries.
Fiend Suppression Seal!
The ink-black malevolent qi in the skies started dispersing, as though they sensed something.
Boom!
There was a deafening sound.
A golden palm descended from above, radiating with a golden brilliance that tore the heavens apart. Repressive void currents started surging towards the heavy-armored mounted riders in a frightening manner!
The golden light spread and malevolent qi started dissolving, akin to snow meeting with a scorching sun.
The Dharmic powers of the Buddhist monasteries were the best counters to evil.
At Foundation Establishment realm, Su Zimo could not unleash the true might of the Fiend Suppression Seal.
But now that he had formed a core, the power of his Fiend Suppression Seal had increased significantly!
Yet, Su Zimo frowned after attacking.
Something was still not right!
Although the might of the Fiend Suppression Seal had increased significantly after he arrived at Golden Core realm, Su Zimo could still sense that he had yet to unleash the true potential of the Fiend Suppression Seal.
Compared to the Fiend Suppression Seal that was displayed by that reverend of the Buddhist monasteries in the Buddha Bead, his Fiend Suppression Seal was still inferior be it in terms of power, force or intent.
Before he could contemplate further, the Fiend Suppression Seal had already descended!
Boom!
The gigantic palm smashed heavily on the ground and countless otherworldly soldiers were smited into dust as their malevolent qis were purified by the Fiend Suppression Seal.
Up ahead, an empty area the size of a palm formed.
All the otherworldly soldiers stopped for a moment in their tracks, not daring to advance as though they were stunned by the power of the Fiend Suppression Seal!
Su Zimo continued going forward in the hazy night and with his powerful vision, he vaguely caught sight of a dilapidated structure up ahead.
Quite a number of otherworldly soldiers revolved around the structure but none of them entered.
There were many forbidden grounds within the palace that even the troops guarding the palace could not step foot in casually!
“Let’s go there!”
Su Zimo pointed forward and strode over in huge steps.
The white-robed sword cultivator and Xuan Yi who was carrying Liu Hui followed closely behind.
As though they could sense that Su Zimo’s group wanted to enter the structure, more otherworldly soldiers swarmed towards them and attacked wildly.
Su Zimo changed his saber force, turning from a sinister saber technique with torrential blood qi into a majestic aura with tides rumbling!
A single slash caused a countercurrent.
Coupled with the sound of tsunamis, the might was horrifying!
Even the attack formed by the heavy-armored mounted riders could not stop Su Zimo’s footsteps.
At the back, the Candlelight Sword Formation defended them.
At the front, Su Zimo swung Blood Quencher in huge motions.
Countercurrent, Raging Tides, Vortex and Ripple – Su Zimo fought in all directions and broke through the layers of obstacles, eventually bringing Xuan Yi and the other two with him into the structure!
The endless otherworldly soldiers behind them surged over.
However, all of them stopped in the tracks when they arrived before the structure.
None of the otherworldly soldiers dared to take a single step in!
When they saw that, the white-robed sword cultivator and Xuan Yi heaved a sigh of relief, finally calming down.
Chapter 516: A Drop of Blood
Now that he was fully relaxed, the white-robed cultivator finally experienced aches all over his body. His spirit energy was nearly entirely exhausted and his robes were sticking to his body, long drenched in sweat.
That escape had pushed his stamina to its limits!
Instinctively, he turned to look at Su Zimo.
However, that look gave him a shock.
Normally, given the fact that Su Zimo was right at the front and took on most of the attacks while summoning the Candlelight Sword Formation and conjuring a spirit art with such a terrifying might, he should be the most exhausted.
But now, he was standing on the spot looking calm and breathing steadily. It seemed as though he still had energy left and he did not break a sweat at all!
What sort of a stamina was that?
Was he a monster?
The white-robed cultivator took out a couple of elixirs and consumed them. After taking a breather, he cupped his fists towards Su Zimo and said sincerely, “Thank you for rendering your assistance, Fellow Daoist Su. I am Li Ziyue, a cultivator of Ethereal Peak. I was originally exploring outside and had only returned recently.”
Su Zimo nodded and shifted his gaze, looking at Li Ziyue’s sleeve.
There was an emblem of a flying sword etched on it.
That was the emblem of Spirit Peak’s master!
Xuan Yi remarked, “Ziyue is one of the few cultivators in the sect who managed to comprehend a Golden Core phenomenon and he’s also a sword cultivator. As such, he can be considered as the number one of the Golden Core realm in the sect and has returned this time round to take over the position of Spirit Peak’s master.”
“I’m ashamed,”
Li Ziyue shook his head hurriedly and said with a bitter smile, “I’m not worthy of being the number one of Golden Core realm. Fellow Daoist Su’s strength is above mine. Your reputation truly precedes you, impressive.”
In the cultivation world, cultivators lived for hundreds and thousands of years and strength reigned supreme.
Although Su Zimo was only a young man in his twenties right now, he had already formed his core and was in the same realm as Li Ziyue – there was nothing wrong with the both of them addressing one another as fellow Daoists.
If Li Ziyue started speaking to Su Zimo with an arrogant attitude and the tone of an elder just because he had lived for more than a hundred years, that would be unwise of him.
Perhaps it might be acceptable within the same sect.
However, if it was outside, there was a huge possibility that a large fight would breakout and one could even get themselves killed!
“Peak Master Xuan Yi, why did the three of you enter this place?”
Su Zimo changed the topic and asked confusedly.
What happened for three peak masters of Ethereal Peak to leave the sect together?
Xuan Yi sighed and replied, “Your master’s foundation was hurt during the battle at Ethereal Peak and he requires a Tribulation Tiding Elixir to recover. Otherwise, there’s a 90% chance that he’s going to fail in his attempt to breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm.”
Su Zimo’s heart skipped a beat.
He knew that the disheveled old man was injured but he did not expect the impact to be this great!
“The Tribulation Tiding Elixir is a Grade 3 Elixir and there are a few spirit herbs within that are too rare to be found. We couldn’t find them in several marketplaces. However, some of the legends state that those spirit herbs might be able to be found within the Great Qian Ruins and that’s why we’re here,”
Xuan Yi continued, “We did not find those spirit herbs in the outer perimeter of the ruins and I didn’t heed Ziyue’s advice and ventured deep into the center of this place. Sigh, I nearly caused all of us to lose our lives here.”
“Cough!”
Right then, Liu Hui who was lying in Xuan Yi’s embrace coughed a couple of times. Her mouth opened slightly as she spat out a mouthful of black blood that carried a dark malevolent qi.
Su Zimo turned to his side and took a glance with a calm expression.
However, Li Ziyue’s gaze narrowed as he lamented, “The malevolent qi has entered her blood!”
“Liu Hui, how are you?!”
Xuan Yi’s expression changed starkly as he took out a few jade bottles hurriedly. Opening the bottles in a flustered manner, he fed all the elixirs in them to Liu Hui.
“It’s useless,”
Liu Hui sighed gently.
After it enters the body, malevolent qi can be purged by elixirs and the immense spirit energy of one’s Golden Core if it did not enter deep into the bloodline.
However, she was too severely injured!
The malevolent qi had already infiltrated her bloodline and was circulating along with it, eating into her heart.
It won’t be long before her heart stopped beating.
“D-Don’t...”
Xuan Yi was extremely anxious and his voice was quivering.
He could naturally sense that Liu Hui’s condition was getting worse; her body was turning colder and her heart was beating fainter!
However, he was helpless towards such a situation.
If he had the fresh blood of a pure-blooded ferocious beast that he could feed Liu Hui, that might be able to contain the malevolent qi within her body.
However, they were in a ruin with countless otherworldly soldiers patrolling around them – there was no way for them to get out.
They were surrounded by silence. Apart from the few of them, there were no other living beings, let alone pure-blooded ferocious beasts.
Right then, Su Zimo suddenly came before Liu Hui and squatted down. A wound appeared on his wrist area, clearly inflicted recently.
He extended his wrist and placed his wound beside Liu Hui’s lips.
The moment a drop of blood dripped out, her injuries started healing!
Xuan Yi’s mind was in a state of chaos and he was only watching everything subconsciously.
That drop of blood shimmered with a divine light and emanated a pure and terrifying aura.
The moment that drop of blood entered Liu Hui’s mouth, a massive surge of energy burst forth, rippling through her body like a hurricane and entering all her limbs!
The malevolent qi within Liu Hui’s body could not defend against it and was purged before long.
Her heart was pounding with a sturdy strength!
Rather than a drop of blood...
It was akin to her devouring a blazing sun!
The entire process happened within a couple of breaths.
By the time Xuan Yi returned to his senses, a flush of scarlet had already returned to Liu Hui’s face and her body was gradually turning warm – even the massive gash on her abdomen was starting to heal!
“This...?!”
Both Xuan Yi and Li Ziyue were stunned.
Although there was the saying of lead mercury amalgam and tsunami blood in the cultivation world, the power of blood for cultivators that specialized in spirit energy and Dharmic arts were way too far from those.
Most cultivators did not have direct knowledge towards the power of bloodline.
But now, Li Ziyue and Xuan Yi – whose combined ages amounted to almost 500 years – finally witnessed what the power of blood was like!
Li Ziyue sized up Su Zimo as though he was looking at a monster, remarking internally, “A single drop of blood from him already contains such immense power. There’s no wonder why his stamina is so strong.”
Another while later.
Liu Hui’s condition recovered immensely and she could already manage to walk with Xuan Yi’s support.
“Thank you, Zimo!”
Xuan Yi was delighted and turned to thank immensely.
Looking at the otherworldly soldiers gathering outside, Su Zimo frowned and said darkly, “Peak Master Liu Hui is fine now. Let’s continue inside and leave the line of sight of these otherworldly soldiers first.”
Although they could not enter, the fact that all those otherworldly soldiers were gathered here was not good either.
“Alright!”
Xuan Yi supported Liu Hui and the three of them followed behind Su Zimo into the depths of the forbidden grounds.
Along the way, Su Zimo would stop occasionally and survey their surroundings.
Judging from the signs left behind, he deduced that there was a high chance this was a woman’s chamber in the past.
From the large surface area and intricate design of the structures, this woman must have had a significant position in the palace back then!
Su Zimo brought the three of them and maneuvered in this place, vanishing from the line of sight of the otherworldly soldiers before long.
The otherworldly soldiers outside did not have a mind of their own at the end of the day. After patrolling for a short while, they began to disperse.Chapter 517: Unlucky Place
Outside the palace.
More than 20 figures flew through the air, growing clearer against the hazy night.
When they arrived, it could be seen that they were all traveling without any external objects beneath their feet – all of them were Golden Cores.
The Golden Cores were dressed in the same attire and had a bright moon with many stars embroidered on their clothes. A sect badge hung from their waists etched with a moon and sun.
Their leader had the most immense aura and his black hair swayed. With a fair complexion, his eyes resembled bright stars that shimmered in the night.
“Senior Brother Qian, why did you stop?”
A Golden Core behind him asked softly with a respectful expression.
The leader curled his lips and looked in a seemingly casual manner towards a dark place nearby. Before long, he retracted his gaze as his eyes flashed with a look of mockery. “It’s nothing much. Something seems to have changed in the palace.”
“Are we still going to enter it?” The Golden Core behind him asked.
“Of course!”
The leader smiled. “All the otherworldly soldiers of the palace are gathered towards a single direction. Let’s take a look and check out what happened.”
With that said, the Golden Cores rushed towards the depths of the palace and disappeared in the night before long.
After that group of cultivators vanished, eight figures appeared from a dark place nearby, emitting sinister auras similar to ghosts in the night!
“Senior Brother Mo, there’s quite a few people from Stellar Luna Sect!”
A Golden Core whispered warily.
One of the eight figures had a dark expression and was scrawnier. Faintly visible against the night, he harrumphed coldly. “What’s to be feared about the Stellar Luna Sect? Shadowless Sect isn’t weak either!”
“Their leader seems to be a paragon of Stellar Luna Sect, Qian Xinyu!”
“I heard that Qian Xinyu inherited the ancient phenomenon of Stellar Luna Sect, the 92nd rank of the Phenomenon Ranking, Solar Luna Stellar Lumen.”
Another person frowned and remarked darkly, “Earlier on... Qian Xinyu seemed to have noticed us.”
“It’s alright.”
The scrawny man said coldly, “If it comes to a death bout, I, Mo Xiaofeng, am not scared of him! Let’s enter the palace to check things out as well!”
Mo Xiaofeng waved and brought his seven sect mates with him into the palace.
Before long, another group of cultivators descended.
There were more than ten of them in this group, wearing scarlet robes and seemingly covered by blazing flames.
Judging from their attire and sect badges, it was obvious that they came from one of the top super sects of the Tianhuang North Region, Blaze Columbus Valley!
Although Blaze Columbus Valley was not within one of the nine immortal sects, their strength was not to be underestimated.
Their leader was a tall man with a fiery gaze. He was none other than the genius of the Blaze Columbus Valley inner sect disciples, Wang Yan.
“Fufu, what a crowd,”
Wang Yan roared in laughter. “To think that cultivators of Stellar Luna Sect and Shadowless Sect would be here too. This is good, I’ll see for myself how much Qian Xinyu and Mo Xiaofeng have grown in the past few years!”
Before his laughter ended, Wang Yan led the way into the palace.
...
Depths of the palace.
Su Zimo led Xuan Yi and the other two and continued exploring and advancing in the forbidden grounds.
The malevolent qi in their surroundings was getting heavier and Xuan Yi and the other two were not in great condition.
The three of them had injuries which could not heal completely given the environment. As such, their bloodline was flowing slower and their bodies were turning colder.
Noticing their condition, Su Zimo frowned to himself.
If they were to continue in that heavy malevolent qi, in less than a day, even without the threat of the otherworldly soldiers, the three of them would be in grave condition!
Unlike Su Zimo, they did not cultivate to the tsunami blood realm.
The malevolent qi could not get close to him at all.
Stopping in his tracks, Su Zimo said deeply, “Let’s take a rest first. Once those otherworldly soldiers disperse entirely, I’ll take the three of you to leave this place as soon as possible!”
He possessed universal sight and hearing and could notice the movements of the otherworldly soldiers beforehand, giving them a chance to hide in advance.
Xuan Yi and the other two nodded.
Su Zimo asked, “What other spirit herbs are needed for the Tribulation Tiding Elixir? I’ll look for it after sending you guys out.”
“Rain Frost Flower, Purple Cloud Lingzhi, Thousand Year Blood Ginseng and Qian Essence Grass,” Xuan Yi replied.
Su Zimo had dabbled in elixir refinement before and was familiar with spirit herbs. The moment he heard their names, he could not help but knit his brows.
Those four types of spirit herbs were way too rare!
They were rarely seen in recent years.
For example, Blood Ginseng could only be cultivated with the fresh blood of a living being and nurtured painstakingly, let alone a Thousand Year Blood Ginseng!
Pondering for a moment, a scene flashed through Su Zimo’s mind and he could not help but remark, “When I came to the ruins, I saw that there was a gigantic ravine in the middle of the ruins. Those spirit herbs might be found inside.”
“Psst!”
Li Ziyue was alarmed and gasped, shaking his head as he said with a frightful expression, “D-Don’t go in there!”
“Why?” Su Zimo asked instinctively.
Gulping, Li Ziyue asked instead, “Do you know how that gigantic ravine was formed?”
Su Zimo shook his head.
Li Ziyue replied softly, “It’s said that the ravine was created by that catastrophe 10,000 years ago! An ancestral level divine dragon fought and earthshaking war with the top experts of two great monasteries and the Great Qian Empire!”
“It was an extremely tragic battle and the capital was destroyed overnight. Countless experts, mighty figures and patriarchs of the two monasteries were killed as well.”
Su Zimo had heard the Asura, Yan Beichen, mention about the catastrophe before but he did not know the details.
He could not help but look stunned when Li Ziyue mentioned it.
A single divine dragon caused a catastrophe that killed countless living beings, toppling heaven and earth while causing countless stars to plummet.
Su Zimo felt a sense of trepidation when he thought about it carefully.
A few years ago, when he hid in the capital of Great Zhou after he and Night Spirit devoured a dragon egg, they were pursued by a divine dragon.
If not for a mysterious expert’s presence in the capital of Great Zhou that day, the catastrophe of 10,000 years ago might have repeated itself!
After a moment of silence, Su Zimo asked, “What happened after?”
Li Ziyue sighed gently and lamented, “Everyone knows about the aftermath. The capital of Great Qian was destroyed and that gigantic empire broke apart while the two great monasteries disappeared from Tianhuang Mainland.”
“Is that divine dragon still alive?” Su Zimo asked again.
Li Ziyue shook his head. “It’s said that other super sects of Tianhuang Mainland were alarmed by that battle and more than one emperor came forth! Eventually, with the combined forces of a couple of emperors, with the painful price of a few emperors dying, the divine dragon was killed here and buried in that ravine!”
A blood stench filled the air as the event was being recounted.
The atmosphere was turning extremely repressive!
Li Ziyue whispered, “The ravine’s name is called the Dragon Burial Valley and the divine dragon was buried 10,000 years ago with the blood of old emperors and the death of patriarchs. It’s an extremely unlucky place.”
“Rumor has it that even Dharma Characteristic Dao Lords and Conjoint Body Mighty Figures could not make it out alive!”
When he said that, a sinister gust of wind blew past.
Instantly, Li Ziyue’s face turned frightfully pale as he shuddered, not daring to say anything more as though he was afraid something unlucky might happen.
Chapter 518: Bronze Square Tripod
Su Zimo went silent.
At the mention of Dragon Burial Valley, even he felt a chill, let alone Li Ziyue.
It was as though a pair of eyes was watching them from the darkness, causing their hairs to stand on end!
Su Zimo shrugged his head to compose himself.
The blood of emperors and the death of patriarchs buried the divine dragon.
There must be countless dangers lurking in that unlucky place. If it was somewhere a Conjoint Body Mighty Figure could not make it out alive from, he would naturally not take the risk as a Golden Core.”
However, the Rain Frost Flower, Purple Cloud Lingzhi, Thousand Year Blood Ginseng and Qian Essence Grass were extremely rare spirit herbs – where should he look for them?
The Tribulation Tiding Elixir was way too crucial for the disheveled old man.
Without that elixir, the disheveled old man would have to endure a tremendous risk to attempt at a breakthrough. Otherwise, he could only wait till his lifespan was eaten up and die of a weakened blood qi.
Su Zimo strode in deep thoughts.
Before long, he felt a dull pain as though he stepped on something.
He did not think much about it and continued walking. After a while, he started wondering.
Even without circulating his Inner Core or invoking his blood qi, his body was tough enough to defend against weapons.
What could it be that could cause him to feel pain?
A treasure?
10,000 years ago, a capital was destroyed overnight alongside two great monasteries. Countless treasures were buried in the ruins.
However, Su Zimo did not find anything along the way.
The forbidden grounds in the palace that he was in was extremely unusual and there was quite a high chance that a great treasure might be buried within!
Turning back, Su Zimo took more than ten steps before he came to a stop, glaring at the ground beneath his feet with a deep gaze.
Under the stone slabs and dust, a piece of metal protruded with a dull green gleam.
Frowning slightly, Su Zimo waved his sleeves and cleared the slabs in the surroundings. More of the metal was revealed, looking like the handle of an object.
Grabbing the handle, Su Zimo pulled it outside.
“Hmm?”
Su Zimo’s expression changed slightly.
That unknown object that was buried in the ruins merely budged slightly!
Freeing both hands, Su Zimo’s eyes lit up as he grabbed the piece of metal. His bloodline surged and he exerted his entire body’s strength, yanking upwards with a deep grunt!
Bang! Boom! Boom!
The ground shook violently and almost sank in!
Coming forth from the ground, a gigantic object gradually came into view.
It was a bronze tripod.
Tripods were the most mysterious objects in Tianhuang Mainland.
In the cultivation world, tripods, cauldrons, pagodas and bells were the most difficult weapons to control and they were not sharp – any cultivator that could use those four types of weapons were not to be trifled.
All four types of weapons had a common feature.
All of them had empty space within.
They could restrain and lock up living beings or other weapons.
The four types of weapons possessed different Dharmas and Daos. To begin with, each of them had different mysterious powers that were frightening!
For example, the bell possessed the power of sound.
In the monasteries of the cultivation world, most of them possessed the gigantic bells of Buddhism.
Each time the gigantic bells rang, the sounds of Sanskrit would reverberate and evil demons, ghosts and monsters would not dare to approach.
As for cauldrons, they possessed the power of incineration right after they were refined.
Among them, the tripods were symbols of dignity and power.
Tripods were pillars of nations and Daos – a single suppression from them could stabilize the four seas and the eight desolates!
They possessed supreme powers and had an absolute position!
In the cultivation world, most of the tripods referred to three-legged round tripods.
Three legs, two handles and one base. Innately, they fit the cosmic rules and the obscurities of the Dao.
The tripod before him was a four-legged square tripod.
Unlike the three-legged round tripod that symbolized harmony with its roundness, the four-legged square tripod was defined and did not fit in with the world as it stood upright.
However, the defined shape of the tripod gave it a domineering look and a mighty aura!
If the heavens do not tolerate me, I’ll break the heavens!
If the earth does not tolerate me, I’ll trample on it!
If the world does not tolerate me, I’ll create my own world!
The four-legged square tripod was extremely similar to Su Zimo’s character.
The bronze square tripod was a meter tall. Placed upright before Su Zimo, it gave off an ancient aura – a single look was enough to tell that this was no ordinary object.
Unfortunately, the bronze square tripod was filled with cracks all over and was dim without luster. It seemed to have gone through something that caused it to be destroyed.
“What a pity.”
Xuan Yi shook his head and sighed. “I’m sure this bronze tripod must have been an incredible weapon back then. Even if it’s a connate spirit weapon, it’s now useless in this state.”
There were a couple of damaged connate spirit weapons in Su Zimo’s storage bag.
For example, although the Mystic Gold Silk Armor was destroyed with its spirit patterns dispersed, the armor itself was fine and there was even a broken connate spirit pattern that was left behind.
As for the bronze square tripod before them, the tripod itself was almost completely destroyed and there was no chance of repairing it.
Even a slight knock would be able to break this bronze square tripod before them into useless metal shards.
Su Zimo gave a self-deprecating smile and lamented, “I must have thought too much. Now that 10,000 years have passed, even if there were any great treasures, others must have taken it away. How could there be anything left for me?”
Just as he was about to turn away, he frowned and looked at the bronze square tripod before him. His gaze shimmered, seemingly in deep thought.
A moment later, he narrowed his eyes that suddenly shot out two divine lights. Taking a deep breath, he channeled his bloodline and punched the bronze square tripod heavily!
Clang!
The fist and tripod collided.
There wasn’t the dull sound of flesh being struck. Instead, a metallic sound reverberated non-stop!
The bronze square tripod did not budge at all.
Su Zimo did not hold back with that attack at all.
Even if it was a perfect superior-grade spirit weapon, it would have been broken into pieces!
Expressionlessly, Su Zimo slapped his storage bag and took out his Coiling Dragon Seal.
His intent was clear.
He was going to test out the bronze square tripod!
Furthermore, he was testing it with a connate spirit weapon!
In any case, the bronze square tripod was already extremely battered and useless. There was nothing to feel sad about even if it was destroyed by the Coiling Dragon Seal.
However, if the Coiling Dragon Seal could not destroy it...
Tossing the Coiling Dragon Seal out, Su Zimo channeled his Golden Core and shot out a stream of spirit energy from his fingertip that entered the Coiling Dragon Seal.
The Coiling Dragon Seal shone brightly!
Six spirit patterns shimmered repeatedly before letting out a dazzling golden burst of light that resembled a blazing sun!
At Foundation Establishment realm, Su Zimo could not release the full might of the connate spirit weapon.
But now, a change happened when his power of Golden Core was injected into the Coiling Dragon Seal!
The divine dragon etched on the surface came to life in that endless golden light, roaring wildly into the skies!
It happened at almost the same time.
The Stellar Luna Sect, Shadowless Sect and Blaze Columbus Valley cultivators who had just entered the palace felt the shockwave of spirit energy bursting forth from the depths of the palace.
Looking over, they caught sight of a golden light shining vaguely in the night!
Qian Xinyu soared into the air and gazed at the direction of the golden light deeply. His eyes lit up as he chuckled. “Indeed, a great treasure has appeared. I’ll definitely be able to get into the top hundred of the Phenomenon Ranking in the ancient battlefield 20 years later!”
“It’s a connate spirit weapon!”
In the darkness, Mo Xiaofeng of Shadowless Sect came to a halt and his gaze burned.
Blaze Columbus Valley’s Wang Yan reared his head and roared into laughter. No longer hiding himself, he rose into the air and glared in the direction of Stellar Luna Sect and Shadowless Sect in an unbridled manner, shouting, “I’m going to get my hands on that connate spirit weapon!”
“Only the strongest can get their hands on that great treasure!”
Qian Xinyu sneered and sped towards the depths of the palace in a flash.
The many cultivators of Shadowless Sect and Blaze Columbus Valley made their move as well.
Chapter 519: Underground Palace
Boom!
A golden divine dragon coiled around the Coiling Dragon Seal and descended with a terrifying might.
The air currents exploded with a resounding bang!
Clang!
The Coiling Dragon Seal slammed heavily against the bronze square tripod, causing sparks to fly.
In the end, Xuan Yi and the other three were shocked!
The connate spirit weapon, the Coiling Dragon Seal, was repelled!
The golden divine dragon in midair let out a tragic cry, as though it was scared by something, and turned into a streak of golden light before retreating into the gigantic seal once more to hide.
The light of the Coiling Dragon Seal dimmed gradually.
Waving his sleeves, Su Zimo put away the Coiling Dragon Seal into his storage bag once more.
The bronze square tripod stood in its original spot, embedded deeply into the mud but without much changes to it.
Even after a full might smash of the Coiling Dragon Seal, the tripod looked the same, filled with cracks but it did not collapse entirely nor did it turn into a pile of scrap metal.
Even a supreme-grade spirit weapon would have shattered against the smash of the Coiling Dragon Seal!
Furthermore, given the Coiling Dragon Seal’s reaction, it seemed as though it suffered slightly in that clash.
“It’s so tough?”
Li Ziyue was secretly stunned.
Pondering for a moment, Su Zimo walked forward and placed his palm on the bronze square tripod, injecting a stream of spirit energy into it.
The bronze square tripod had no reaction at all.
No matter what sort of a treasure this was in the past, the fact that it was destroyed to such an extent means that it could probably only be used to toss at people in the future.
Whisking up the bronze square tripod, Su Zimo placed it in his storage bag.
After pulling the bronze square tripod up from the mud, the ground sank in once more. Su Zimo’s nose twitched and he remarked softly.
“What’s wrong?”
Xuan Yi could not help but ask when he caught sight of Su Zimo’s expression.
“Underground...”
Frowning slightly, Su Zimo murmured.
Xuan Yi and the others could not smell it but his senses were extremely frightening after cultivating the Mystic Classic of the Twelve Demon Kings of the Great Wilderness constantly – he was even sharper than pure-blooded ferocious beasts1
Su Zimo caught sight of a whiff of medicinal fragrance from underground.
“Strange, why is there the smell of spirit herbs underground?”
Narrowing his eyes, Su Zimo thought to himself, “Could there be another world beneath this forbidden grounds?”
After a moment of contemplation, he made up his mind and stomped heavily on the ground!
It was a deafening crush.
The ground shook and countless mud slabs and dust collapsed. Su Zimo dodged to the side and a gigantic crack opened where he stood, spanning more than a hundred feet!
Rows of stone steps appeared one after another, leading downwards.
“This...”
Xuan Yi and the other two were dumbfounded with widened eyes.
As the crack surfaced, the medicinal scent from within was even more evident!
Su Zimo tilted his head and listened in. After a moment, he turned to Xuan Yi and the other two. “Go, let’s head down and take a look.”
“Be careful, we don’t know what’s below,” Li Ziyue revealed a worried expression.
“Don’t worry,”
Su Zimo shook his head.
Despite the massive commotion aboveground, it was still silent without any activity underneath – there should be no danger within.
The four of them walked down the stone steps and a long time later, they arrived at the bottom, surveying the place.
Before them was a gigantic underground palace!
Towering pillars stood one after another, filled with an ancient aura. Lining up in a mysterious order, they formed a massive underground palace!
The palace was extremely spacious and was hundreds of feet beneath the ground – even Golden Cores wouldn’t be affected if they soared into the air.
Furthermore, the air underground was refreshing and filled with a faint medicinal fragrance without any impurities – it was clear that there was another way for air to enter.
Compared to the sinister atmosphere in the ruins outside with little ghosts and otherworldly soldiers roaming everywhere, this place seemed like a paradise.
To think that despite the catastrophe 10,000 years ago that turned the capital into ruins, this underground palace was perfectly preserved.
In fact, it was even isolating the malevolent qi outside!
Without malevolent qi shrouding them, Xuan Yi and the other two looked evidently better and color was returning to their faces.
The four of them continued advancing.
The medicinal fragrance in the air was getting more intense and even Xuan Yi and the other two smelled it!
“It’s so fragrant!”
“By the looks of it, there haven’t been any intruders in this place. Perhaps there might be some spirit herbs preserved!”
Xuan Yi and the others were invigorated and continued forward hastily.
Before long, the four of them slowed down and stopped in their tracks. Their mouths opened slightly and endless shock filled their eyes!
Before them was a magnificent medicinal field that was separated into blocks with different spirit herbs. All of them grew in a splendid manner with a dazzling radiance, emanating robust spirit qi.
All of those spirit herbs swayed and let out a fragrant medicinal scent.
Even without any knowledge of elixir refinement, one could tell that those spirit herbs were already mature and were at least thousands of years old!
The Rain Frost Flower, Purple Cloud Lingzhi, Blood Ginseng and Qian Essence Grass that the Tribulation Tiding Elixir required were all present!
Furthermore, the Blood Ginsengs in this medicinal field were not just a thousand years old, but ten thousand years old!
The Blood Ginseng’s shape was already humanoid with its feet and arms vaguely forming.
With another ten thousand years, the Blood Ginsengs would have turned into spirits!
Apart from the four types of spirit herbs, there were plenty of other rare materials such as the Scarlet Flame Bamboo, Scarlet Moon Grass and Scarlet Flame Fruit.
Su Zimo and the others were delighted.
The value of this medicinal field was unimaginable!
When they got closer, the spirit qi was thicker and the medicinal fragrance almost materialized. With a slight whiff, Xuan Yi and the other two felt their injuries recovering.
Although they were in an underground palace, bright moonlight spilled down from above the medicinal field in a hazy and mysterious manner.
Raising his head slightly, Su Zimo caught sight of a series of magnificent crystals and gems at the top of the palace that could reflect the light from outside nicely onto the field.
From the outside, the underground palace could not be seen and it was merely in ruins.
However, through the crystals, everything outside could be seen from this palace!
It was truly an impressive design that was out of this world.
This was also the exact reason why this medicinal field was buried underground for 10,000 years without withering or being discovered by exploring cultivators.
Su Zimo took a walk around the medicinal field and was drawn to a particular spirit field in the middle.
Although it had a large surface area, there was only a single stalk of spirit herb in it.
It was scarlet all over and looked resplendent. Swaying gently, there was a green and red fruit at the top that was the size of an infant’s fist.
“What is this?”
Li Ziyue also took notice of the spirit fruit and asked instinctively.
“I think this is a Vermilion Fruit.”
Su Zimo replied with a smile and joyful eyes.
At the mention of Vermilion Fruit, Xuan Yi and the other two widened their eyes.
The Vermilion Fruit was one of the most famous spirit items in the world because it only bloomed once every 5,000 years before taking another 5,000 years to bear fruit. It was also known as the 10,000 Year Vermilion Fruit.
After consuming it, Golden Cores would experience a burst in their spirit energies and could rise a single minor realm!
For someone like Su Zimo, although he had just formed his core, if he were to consume the Vermilion Fruit, he could advance to mid-stage Golden Core right away!
That was not all.
The Vermilion Fruit was a great tonic for Golden Cores with immense benefits. It could change their physiques to a great degree and burn away all impurities in their bodies, extending their lifespans!
Of course, that was for Golden Cores.
If ordinary mortals or Foundation Establishment Cultivators were to consume the Vermilion Fruit, they would be burned to ashes in the blink of an eye!Chapter 520: Deep Underground
“I heard that the Vermilion Fruit is scarlet all over and resplendent. Why is the fruit green?” Li Ziyue asked curiously.
“It isn’t fully ripe,”
Su Zimo replied, “But by the looks of it, it should ripen within a month or so.”
Before it was ripe, the Vermilion Fruit was not a great tonic and even possessed immense poison!
If ordinary living beings were to approach it, they would be affected by the aura released by the Vermilion Fruit and would lose their minds, falling into a deep hallucination.
Most of these spirit items of the universe possessed the capability to protect themselves.
This place was unusually secretive and did not have much intruders usually.
Otherwise, there would be countless corpses around the vicinity of the spirit items!
The Vermilion Fruit could only be plucked after it was ripe.
Furthermore, once the fruit ripens, if it wasn’t plucked within a single day, it would fall off on its own.
Once the Vermilion Fruit makes contact with mud, all the energy contained in the fruit would flow back into the mud and return to the earth – it would be completely wasted.
Su Zimo remarked, “Let’s dig up all the spirit herbs in the outer perimeter of the Vermilion Fruit and give up on those inside. Don’t get close to the Vermilion Fruit by all means!”
“There’s no hurry. The spirit qi here is robust and the medicinal fragrance is rich. We can use the chance to cultivate here for a while and our injuries should be healed before long,” Li Ziyue remarked deeply.
Xuan Yi and Liu Hui nodded.
Su Zimo furrowed his brows slightly and did not speak further.
The most logical decision after discovering such a treasure ground in the Great Qian Ruins was to dig up the spirit herbs and leave as soon as possible!
The Great Qian Ruins was not a kind place.
Dangers did not come from the ruins alone, but also other cultivators!
If any intruders were to enter and catch sight of this medicinal field, needless to think, a bloodied battle would be invoked!
When he saw that Xuan Yi and the other two had already assumed lotus positions to heal up, Su Zimo did not interrupt them.
At that moment, he had two other doubts in mind!
Firstly, there should be ferocious beasts in the vicinity of this universal spirit item, guarding it!
Su Zimo believed that any ferocious beasts hiding here wouldn’t be able to avoid his detection.
But up till this point, he did not notice any trace or aura of any ferocious beasts.
That was way too strange!
Secondly, apart from the Vermilion Fruit, there was also the Scarlet Flame Bamboo, Scarlet Moon Grass and Scarlet Flame Fruit.
It was probably not a coincidence that so many spirit herbs with the power of flames was born in this place!
There was an extremely high chance that the rumors about the connate spirit fire in the Great Qian Ruins were true!
A clear spirit spring surrounded the medicinal field, emitting a rich spirit qi that nourished the spirit fields constantly.
Su Zimo meandered along the spirit spring and continued deep into the palace.
A thousand feet away, he arrived at the mouth of the spirit spring.
The mouth of the spirit spring was a gigantic pool that was gurgling with spring water, flowing continuously for 10,000 years.
This pool seemed like it was created for baths to be taken. Made with white jade, it was more than five meters long and had a depth of two meters.
Exquisite drawings of fishes, dragons, flowers and birds were etched around the walls of the pool.
Against the reflection of the jade, the clear spring water shimmered brightly and the fishes, dragons, flowers and birds on the walls seemed alive!
A flowering crabapple blossomed in the middle of the pool.
The spring water gushed and a misty fog spread.
In the haziness, an alluring body seemed to form above the flowering crabapple with a pleasant elegance. Beautiful as white-jade with a rouge tinge, it was extremely charming and reached into one’s soul!
Su Zimo felt his heart skip a beat and shut his eyes hurriedly.
A moment later, he opened them again and looked over. There was nothing on the flowering crabapple except for the fog around it that changed endlessly.
The owner of the pool and medicinal field should have been a woman and her status in the Great Qian Empire should have been rather imminent!
Reaching out, Su Zimo splashed gently in the pond and his eyes lit up.
True enough!
The spirit spring was warm!
There had to be a powerful source of fire deep beneath this place!
He did not know what status this woman held in the past or how powerful she was to be able to create such a majestic palace underground in the capital.
Not only that, she made use of the powerful fire source underground to nurture a medicinal field and turn the spirit spring into a hot spring.
Circling around the hot spring, Su Zimo surveyed the ground with a keen gaze, seemingly looking for something.
In theory, there should be an entrance leading underground in the vicinity of this hot spring!
However, after circling a few times, Su Zimo discovered nothing.
A moment later, he suddenly stopped in his tracks and fixed his gaze on a divine dragon etched on the wall of the pool.
There was nothing wrong with that divine dragon. It was life-like and its claws, scales, horns and whiskers were realistic. However, one of its eyes was missing!
Was it an error in the etching?
Or could it have been washed away by time after 10,000 years?
Su Zimo shook his head.
The possibility of both guesses were extremely low!
Dot the eyes when you’re drawing a dragon
Those words came to Su Zimo’s mind as he murmured, “Dot the eyes, dot the eyes...”
Heading forward, he reached out and pressed gently on the spot where the dragon’s eye was missing.
That push caused the walls of the pool to sink in slightly.
Sensing the motion beneath him, Su Zimo soared into the air hurriedly.
The two stone slabs that he was standing on slid to both sides rapidly and revealed stone steps leading underground.
Su Zimo praised internally.
The structure could be considered as a piece of godly work. Even after 10,000 years, the mechanisms did not age and functioned as per normal.
Taking a whiff at the entrance, a cold glint shone in Su Zimo’s eyes.
He could sense a vague hint of demonic qi in the warm air current that was surging out!
In that case, the ferocious beast guarding this place should be hiding in the depths of this place!
With the possibility of a connate spirit fire existing beneath, Su Zimo would not give up despite knowing the possible dangers lurking.
Entering the tunnel slowly, he gradually disappeared into the darkness.
The two stone slabs above his head closed silently, leaving no gaps.
As Su Zimo ventured deeper along the descending stone steps, the surrounding temperature increased.
A long time later, he came to the end of the stone steps and was clearly at the bottom of the place. Before him, there was a dark tunnel that had an unknown destination.
Not daring to be careless, Su Zimo withdrew Blood Quencher from his storage bag and headed into the depths of the tunnel with narrowed eyes.
The temperature was getting higher!
His green robes were already so dry that a single spark could ignite them.
If not for the fact that he possessed tsunami blood and a shocking physique, no ordinary Golden Core would be able to endure this scorching heat!
If I’m not wrong, a connate spirit fire must definitely be hidden in the depths of this place!
Su Zimo was increasingly convinced.
The connate spirit fire was more important to him than the 10,000 Year Vermilion Fruit!
With the connate spirit fire, he could refine a new set of 27 flying swords and the power of his Candlelight Sword Formation would increase significantly.
Furthermore, he could attempt to repair his Mystic Gold Silk Armor and the Black Gold Arrows he found in the ancient battlefield.
If he could repair the Mystic Gold Silk Armor, it would mean that he would be in possession of a connate-grade defensive spirit weapon. Coupled with his physique, the power of ordinary Golden Cores wouldn’t be able to hurt him!
He might even be able to withstand the attack of an ordinary Nascent Soul!
As Su Zimo contemplated, a series of red lights flashed vaguely from the darkness ahead.
The deeper he ventured, the brighter and clearer they became!
Chapter 521: Little Fox
Before long, his vision cleared up.
This was a gigantic underground cave and everywhere in sight was a fiery red. The fog evaporated as the heat wave spread over.
Steaming lava flowed within the cave like a scarlet gooey river. From time to time, a bubble would pop up from the surface, causing sparks to fly.
If one were to focus their attention, they could see that there were translucent flames flowing on the surface of the lava, fluid with an extremely high temperature.
Connate spirit fire!
Licking his chapped lips, Su Zimo gulped.
He expected connate spirit fire underground but he did not expect so much of it!
Furthermore, the sight before him was simply way too shocking!
Burning red lava was everywhere with no end in sight and there was little ground for anyone to actually step on. There were only a few protruding rocks which were also scarlet from the heat.
This was a sea of lava and a world of flames!
It was too hot.
Even Su Zimo’s body felt a bit of burden given the heat and a layer of thin sweat appeared on his forehead.
He crushed a protection talisman.
A spirit light appeared around him, forming a faint light barrier that repelled the heatwave of the lava.
Now that he had cooled down slightly, Su Zimo meandered around the borders of the lava and headed in, sticking close to the walls.
There should be a demon beast hidden within!
He had to get rid of that latent danger or his weapon refinement would fail if he was interrupted by the demon beast during the process.
In fact, his life might be in danger!
It was hard to predict the strength of a demon beast that could survive in such circumstances. There was a high chance that it could even be stronger than him!
Up ahead was a turn.
After the turn was still a large ocean of lava.
However, there was a sizable piece of land in the middle of the lava, resembling a lone island in an ocean.
A demon beast that was the size of a small mountain sprawled on the land with its eyes closed. Its body was filled with scarlet fur that had no luster and it had a big, furry tail.
It was a Fire Fox!
In the fox race, once they cultivate to become spirits, they can take on human form and all of them were beauties – they could be considered as seductresses and were charming.
In the strange tales that were spread in the mortal realm, they were described as fox spirits that mostly seduced scholars and had an extremely bad reputation.
However, after entering the cultivation world, Su Zimo knew that the fox race was considered as a friendlier race among the demon races.
Despite that, he did not dare to be careless.
He glared at the demon fox for a moment.
It did not budge nor did it open its eyes.
In fact, Su Zimo could not even sense any bit of life from the fox!
It was already dead.
The fur on its body did not fall off and its flesh did not rot – it should have died less than a hundred years ago.
However, immediately after, Su Zimo had another doubt.
By the looks of it, that fox was clearly not at the end of its lifespan. If so, how did it die?
He could not see any bit of injury on the fox at all – what caused its death?
Since the fox was already dead, its demonic powers should have dissipated and disappeared a long time ago. Yet, where did the trace of demonic qi that he sensed when the entrance was opened up came from?
There’s other demon beasts hiding here!
The moment that thought struck him, he felt the sensation of being peeped at.
Shifting his gaze, Su Zimo caught sight of a black basket beside the fox’s corpse.
The black basket looked like a pot that was flipped on the ground with mysterious patterns etched on it, revealing a couple of holes.
The other holes shone with light.
However, a pair of them were pitch-black, seemingly blocked by two black balls.
“Hmm?”
Su Zimo muttered softly.
Right then, the black ball in the metal basket twitched with an unusual movement!
Those were no black balls – they were a pair of large eyes!
A living being was hiding under that iron basket and peering at Su Zimo through the holes on it!
The next moment, the iron basket was raised slowly and a little red thing popped its head out warily, revealing its true appearance.
Its flaming red long fur had a warm luster, like a blanket that one could not resist touching.
The little thing was red from head to toe except for its chest which had white fur. The combination of red and white caused it to look even more beautiful and charming.
Its ears stood and twitched gently while its large eyes blinked as it tilted its head slightly, looking at Su Zimo curiously.
This little thing should be the descendant of the dead demon fox and looked to be an adorable cub.
The eyes of the little fox shifted rapidly, filled with curiosity and doubt, similar to a child. Standing on its hind legs, it reached out with a pair of tiny paws and raised the big black pot...
When he saw that, Su Zimo broke out into laughter.
In part, he was laughing at himself for being overly cautious.
The little fox that was still a cub posed no threat to him at all.
At the same time, the posture of the little thing was simply way too cute.
When it saw Su Zimo’s smile, the little fox lowered its head embarrassedly – it was actually being shy in a manner similar to humans!
However, immediately after, as if it recalled something, the little fox raised its head and cried out anxiously.
With its tiny paws, it tried its best to gesture, wanting to say something. However, it forgot that it was still raising the iron basket.
There was a loud thud on the ground.
The little fox was covered by the basket once more.
Initially, this should have been a cute scene.
But this time round, Su Zimo did not laugh.
That was because he could not laugh!
There was danger!
If it was anybody else, they would not have understood the little fox’s cries and gestures.
However, Su Zimo cultivated as an immortal and a demon and had lived together with monkey, the spirit tiger, little crane and Night Spirit.
Although he could not understand the language of demons, he could make a rough guess.
Little fox’s meaning was clear – it was informing him that there was danger around!
This time round, his spirit perception did not give him any warning.
However, Su Zimo was certain that there was a terrifying existence hiding at this place!
That existence could even hide from his spirit perception!
Su Zimo’s conviction did not come from little fox’s warning alone.
It was because there was something else he finally understood.
There was only a possibility why the demon fox died here before its lifespan was up.
Another powerful existence killed it!
Apart from the little fox, there was another living being in this cave!
Instantly, Su Zimo’s hairs stood on end and chills ran down his spine.
He knew that he was now in grave danger and could die at any moment!
At the same time.
A mild vibration came from above the cave.
Anybody else wouldn’t have noticed those vibrations.
However, Su Zimo’s senses were way too strong!
He knew that intruders had arrived at the palace above.
Furthermore, there were quite a number of them!
This is bad, Peak Master Xuan Yi is in danger!
Su Zimo was alarmed.
In his moment of distraction, the lava flowing beside him splashed and a tall figure with a terrifying aura burst forth, lunging towards him.
It happened at almost the same time.
Xuan Yi and the other two in the palace above and Su Zimo in the cave all met with danger!
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