The old monster roared, instantly suppressing all the low-level cultivators in the residential area who were trying to force their way into the palace. They had just witnessed the old monster's unparalleled arrow and felt the terrifying power fluctuations, as large as mountains. Almost all cultivators below the fourth rank retreated, quietly watching the commotion from the high-rise buildings far from the palace.
Chen Nan clicked his tongue in amazement. The old monster was truly terrifying. An ordinary bow and crossbow in his hands actually displayed power comparable to Hou Yi's bow. This was the difference in strength! An Eastern martial artist who was not far from the Martial Breaking Void Realm was simply too terrifying in strength!
The old monster's words were clear: experts below the fourth rank were not qualified to enter the palace; fourth-rank experts could only enter as spectators; only experts below the fifth rank were qualified to compete for the rare treasure that was about to be unearthed.
Inside the palace, figures moved about in great numbers. Many experts broke through the encirclement and rushed into the palace. The fourth-level experts stopped in their tracks on the upper floors of the palace far from the ancient library, not daring to cross the line any further. These people were men and women, young and old. It was impossible to see exactly how many there were in the darkness, but figures moved about on the buildings surrounding the ancient library.
With a few whooshing sounds, several figures flashed by, and soon nine martial artists arrived in front of the ancient library. Among them were black-haired, black-eyed Easterners and blond-haired, blue-eyed Westerners. Without a doubt, these individuals had all entered the realm of fifth-tier peerless masters.
Clearly, these people had all sneaked into the palace at night a few days ago and knew the exact location where the treasure was about to be unearthed.
Chen Nan gasped in shock. So many unparalleled masters had arrived all at once; he was certain there were others yet to be revealed. This night was truly a gathering of extraordinary forces. Top experts had all come forward.
Before the ancient library, all the peerless masters stood expressionless, silently awaiting the emergence of the extraordinary treasure. The area was eerily quiet. Just then, a bright light suddenly shone from the distant sky, revealing three elderly men with flowing long sleeves.
They flew in, stepping on a Taoist magic weapon that shimmered with light.
The fourth-level experts watching immediately began to discuss: "Even a cultivator who usually keeps a low profile has come to join in the fun. It seems the legend is true. The treasure beneath the palace must be something extraordinary!"
"The simultaneous appearance of three fifth-level cultivators is truly a rare occurrence, a remarkable event indeed!"
...
Three cultivators instantly arrived in front of the ancient library, put away their magical artifacts, and stood in a corner.
"Roar..."
Two earth-shattering roars echoed as two strange dragons from the west swooped down from the sky.
The first dragon to charge down was five zhang long, with three eyes on its head, ferocious and terrifying. Its green scales shimmered in the night sky. A layer of green flames seemed to dance on its body, clearly indicating that it was no ordinary dragon. A golden-haired old man sat atop it.
The other dragon was also five zhang long, with four thick claws that were disproportionate to its body. Its cold, sharp claws were a deep blue-green, gleaming with a chilling light. Its scales were red, also shimmering with light, like flowing crimson blood. Seated atop it was a blond-haired, hump-eyed Westerner.
The vast majority of the fourth-tier cultivators who were watching were there out of curiosity, believing that the "destined ones" for their accumulated resources and treasures would surely emerge from among those peerless masters. Although they had already been "eliminated," everyone was still incredibly excited because they had witnessed many legendary experts tonight.
"Could this be the sacred dragon of the West? It is truly bizarre!"
"Hmm, indeed peculiar. Today, I've witnessed the sacred dragon of the West. When will I be fortunate enough to see our Eastern dragon?!"
...
Then, magical elements surged violently, and two mages flew in from afar. Without a doubt, both were fifth-tier archmages. They did not land on the ground; mages dread close combat, and they dared not get too close to the Stopper.
In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen peerless masters had arrived in front of the ancient library, but Chen Nan felt that the truly formidable characters were yet to come.
"Hahaha..." A long laugh echoed through the air. The sound shook the entire palace, and everyone in the capital heard the earth-shattering laughter.
"Old monster Chu, you're not dead yet! You're over 170 years old. Do you still crave the fleeting pleasures of this world?"
A blurry figure appeared above the palace. He stood silently in the void, with no light flashing around him, like a shadow in the darkness.
"Old Li, you're still alive, so of course I can't die!"
The old monster roared, seemingly harboring a deep grudge against this person, and threw a punch upwards. A green light instantly illuminated the night sky, illuminating the world. A fierce burst of energy, like a surging Yangtze River, rushed towards the person in the air.
Bathed in green light, someone spotted a figure standing motionless in the air. It was an old man, emaciated and bald, his skin wrinkled and matted like a dried-up orange peel. Clearly, this old man was a contemporary of the old monster, his age unknown, and his appearance resembled that of a desiccated corpse.
Old Man Li pressed down hard with his right palm, and a burst of purple light swept down, colliding with the green light.
"boom"
A deafening roar shook the heavens and the earth, and a dazzling light illuminated the entire imperial city.
The enormous shockwave made it seem like a tornado was blowing in the air, and immense pressure enveloped all directions. The aftershocks that swept down made the entire palace tremble.
One can imagine that if the two hadn't been high in the sky, their attack would have destroyed half the palace. The people on the ground were utterly shocked; two sixth-level Eastern martial artists were simply too terrifying!
The ten peerless masters standing in front of the ancient library could no longer maintain their composure. Three of them immediately retreated and walked towards the fourth-level master who was watching from a distance.
Chen Nan secretly wiped away a cold sweat. Even with Hou Yi's bow in hand, facing such a master, ten lives wouldn't be enough to kill him. Even if, as the old monster said, the arrows were stained with his "divine blood" and their power would be multiplied, that would only scare a fifth-level master; it would be no match for a sixth-level old monster.
He now doubted what the old monster's purpose was in bringing him here. The current situation indicated that he was just a decoration and had no way to get involved.
"Hehe... You two old monsters really have a temper. Why bother with such a small matter from back then for decades? Nowadays, there are not many of your generation still alive. Every one that dies is one less..." A cultivator riding a magical artifact flew quickly from afar and stopped not far from the two old monsters in the air.
"Pah, you old monster Zhou, you're the one who should die!"
"That old man, he never says a kind word!"
The two old monsters simultaneously rebuked Zhou Laoguai, and the tense atmosphere between them seemed to ease considerably.
Chen Nan sensed a familiar aura. Upon careful recollection, he realized that this newly appeared terrifying powerhouse was actually the person the old monster had chased after that night.
The reappearance of another ancient monster caused the expressions of the peerless masters who had not yet retreated from the ancient library to change drastically. Figures flashed; three cultivators, riding magical artifacts, flew to a distant building, while two mages also quickly flew away. The two Holy Dragon Knights hesitated for a moment, but ultimately also mounted their Holy Dragons and soared into the sky, flying into the distance.
The unparalleled masters in the arena retreated unwillingly, and in an instant, only five people remained in the arena.
At this moment, the misty vapor surrounding the royal library began to swirl rapidly, making the already glowing library even brighter, with countless colorful lights shining through.
The three old monsters in the sky retreated to the back of the building, none of them daring to face the ancient library below. The three of them formed a tripod, floating in the air and looking down at the ancient library.
Chen Nan was shocked to see this and hurriedly jumped down from the ancient library, leaping onto a tall building not far away. Zhuge Chengfeng and the other four peerless masters guarding the four sides of the ancient library also hurriedly retreated.
Everyone understood that the extraordinary treasure was about to be unearthed, and at this moment the room was extremely quiet.
For the past month, strange phenomena have been appearing in the sky above the Chu capital's palace. Every night, endless spiritual energy from heaven and earth gathers into the palace, and the area near the ancient library is especially radiant with light.
But tonight is clearly different from usual. The essence of heaven and earth no longer seems to be gathering here. Instead, it seems that spiritual energy is beginning to emanate from the ground.
Thousands of rays of light burst forth from the ancient library, illuminating the surrounding area as if it were daytime. Rich spiritual energy rippled outwards like waves.
But soon after, a surge of energy rose from the ground, and everyone felt the earth tremble slightly. At this moment, the light emanating from the ancient book grew even brighter, its spiritual energy even more concentrated, and the library...
It actually made a "creaking" sound.
Clearly, the ancient library was on the verge of collapse due to the spiritual energy surge rising from the ground. Fortunately, Emperor Chu Han of the Chu Kingdom had already ordered his men to move the ancient books out beforehand; otherwise, the losses would have been devastating.
"Boom!"
Accompanied by a dazzling light, the ancient library collapsed with a rumbling sound, and spiritual energy overflowed from the surrounding area, with a radiant glow appearing on the ruins. It seemed completely out of place with the dilapidated scene.
A moment later, at midnight, a beam of light shot down from the sky onto the ruins like a pillar supporting the heavens. The dazzling beam of light seemed to connect with the celestial realm, shining brightly and illuminating the world!