Chapter 327 The Ancient Corpse of the Immortal King!
With that deafening roar, the spatial rift was torn open as if by a pair of invisible giant hands.
The rich aroma of herbs wafted towards us like ocean waves.
After just one breath, Xiao Yan felt the divine fire that had just been ignited within him grow even stronger.
The disciples of the major sects who were originally on the verge of exchanging blows all shifted their attention at this moment.
They all activated their magical artifacts and rushed into the crack in a frenzy.
The young man in brocade sat on the back of the snow-white beast, his face alternating between pale and flushed.
He gave Xiao Yan a deep look, snorted coldly, and then turned around and rushed into the crack.
"Alright, stop looking." Li Changsheng patted Xiao Yan on the shoulder.
"Be careful once you go in. This place is nothing like the Celestial Court; people can really die here."
Xiao Yan nodded.
He knew in his heart that the reason why his punch had been able to intimidate his opponent was because of the explosive power of his physical body after being baptized in the Dragon Transformation Pool, which caught his opponent off guard.
If it were a real fight, his cultivation level at the early stage of the Divine Fire Realm would indeed be at a disadvantage.
The greenwood flying boat slowly started and entered the ancient realm along with the flow of people.
The moment I stepped through the crack, the surrounding scenery changed abruptly.
There were no birdsong and fragrant flowers as I had imagined, nor were there any miraculous herbs covering the ground.
As far as the eye could see, there was a dark red wasteland.
A tattered blood moon hung in the sky, its light dim and oppressive.
The ground was covered with huge craters and broken mountains, and there were even white skeletons scattered in the soil from an unknown era.
A gust of cold wind blew by, stirring up a cloud of red sand.
"Why does this place feel so eerie?" Zi Yan hid behind Li Changsheng, clutching the hem of his clothes tightly.
"What if that fierce-looking bird suddenly appears?"
"A place of great misfortune must hold great opportunities." Li Changsheng looked at a black cliff that pierced the clouds in the distance.
"The aura of the Immortal King's Elixir is coming from over there. Let's go take a look."
The airship flew low over the wasteland.
Along the way, Xiao Yan saw many cultivators who had arrived earlier already fighting fiercely over one or two inconspicuous spiritual herbs.
The sounds of magical artifacts clashing and the shrill screams added a touch of desolation to this wasteland.
After flying for about half an hour, the view suddenly opened up ahead.
The black cliff came into view.
Below the cliff, hundreds or even thousands of cultivators had gathered.
They gathered in small groups, each occupying a favorable position.
Directly in front of these people, halfway up the cliff, a hazy golden light was flickering.
The rich aroma of medicine emanated from the golden light.
"That is…" Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes.
Within the golden light, one could vaguely see a plant shaped like a small dragon, its roots embedded in the cracks of the rocks, and its leaves swirling with Daoist runes.
"It looks like the remnant root of a longevity elixir!" Li Changsheng gasped.
Although this clone was only there to guide the way, it couldn't help but feel a jolt upon seeing such a legendary object.
Even a mere remnant of a Celestial King's Elixir is enough to make a True Immortal envious.
No wonder those great religious leaders have come here.
At this moment, the area below the cliff had already subtly divided into several factions.
At the forefront were three groups of people, representing the three strongest Immortal King lineages.
On the left are the descendants of the Nine Heavens Divine Mountain. Several tall young men stand next to a ferocious beast whose body is covered in lightning, holding weapons that shimmer with lightning.
On the right are disciples of the Ten Thousand Swords Immortal Sect, a dozen of them carrying long swords and standing in a sword formation, exuding a sharp sword aura.
The central location is the Wuji Dojo, where Xiao Yan had previously clashed with Xiao Yan outside the rift.
The young man in brocade robes was sitting on a rock, directing his men to set up an array.
Standing beside him was an old man in black robes. Although his eyes were closed, the aura emanating from him made people around him afraid to approach.
"A protector at the Quasi-Immortal King level." Li Changsheng lowered his voice.
"Damn it, a 100% chance of winning is still a bit too low."
Xiao Yan looked at the old man, his brows furrowing slightly.
If a fight really breaks out, this old man will be a big problem.
"Senior brother, what should we do?" Xiao Yan asked.
"Wait." Li Changsheng found a secluded corner and stopped the flying boat.
"This medicine is not fully mature yet. Whoever makes the first move will become the target of everyone's criticism."
"Let's just hide in the back and watch the show. We'll wait until they've fought enough before we act accordingly."
Xiao Yan nodded.
He sat down cross-legged, placed the Eight Desolations Annihilation Ruler on his knees, and closed his eyes to rest.
Xiao Shihao, however, is someone who can't sit still.
He wandered around the wasteland, sometimes turning over stones to look for insects, sometimes lying on the ground to smell the soil.
Zi Yan followed behind him like a little tail.
"Little Stone, what are you looking for?" Zi Yan asked curiously.
Xiao Shihao dug a blackened bone stick out of the mud pit, wiped it on his clothes, and brought it to his nose to smell it.
"There's a smell of ferocious beasts in this soil, and a very powerful one at that," Xiao Shihao said, frowning.
"I feel like something's not right about this place."
He tossed the bone stick aside and patted the mud off his hands.
Just then, the golden light halfway up the cliff suddenly became dazzling.
"The medicine is ready!"
I don't know who shouted it.
The once quiet area below the cliff instantly erupted into chaos.
The people from Jiutian Divine Mountain were the first to make a move.
The tall cultivators roared and hurled their lightning weapons, which transformed into thick bolts of lightning that hurtled towards the Wuji Daoist Sect's camp.
"court death!"
The young man in brocade robes sneered.
The old man in black robes behind him suddenly opened his eyes, waved his sleeve, and a gray shield appeared in front of him.
The lightning struck the shield with a deafening roar, but it did not harm the people of Wuji Dojo in the slightest.
The disciples of the Myriad Swords Immortal Sect were not idle either.
More than a dozen people drew their swords at the same time, their sword energy crisscrossing and forming an impenetrable net of swords that enveloped the golden light on the cliff.
In an instant, the situation spiraled out of control.
Hundreds of independent cultivators and disciples from small sects also rushed forward in the chaos, hoping to take advantage of the situation.
The light of various magical artifacts intertwined, and blood and screams filled the entire wasteland.
Xiao Yan sat on the flying boat, watching the chaotic battle unfold before him.
He didn't rush to make a move, but instead carefully observed the moves of those great sect disciples.
"Although the sword formation of the Myriad Swords Immortal Sect is formidable, its weakness lies in the person in the lower left corner."
"The thunder magic of the Nine Heavens Divine Mountain is domineering, but it lacks staying power, with a half-breath pause between each cast..."
Xiao Yan was silently calculating in his mind.
Suddenly, a piercing scream drowned out all other sounds.
The dozen or so rogue cultivators at the forefront suddenly froze when they were still dozens of feet away from the cliff.
Their skin shrank visibly, and their flesh seemed to melt, turning into a dark red liquid that flowed down their ankles into the soil.
In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen people turned into stark white skeletons, scattering all over the ground.
This scene caused everyone fighting nearby to stop.
"What's going on?" The young man in brocade robes' expression changed, and he ordered his men to retreat.
No one answered him; only a clattering sound came from underground.
The once hard, dark red wasteland suddenly cracked open with wide fissures.
Immediately afterwards, a nauseating stench gushed out from the crack.
And to everyone's astonishment, a huge hand covered in green fur and with black nails clung to the edge of the crack and slowly crawled out.
It was a huge ancient corpse that was tens of feet tall.
Its bluish-green hairs stood on end like steel needles, each one dripping with a nauseating, viscous liquid.
The liquid dripped onto the dark red soil, making a sickening hissing sound and eroding the hard rock, creating deep pits.
Two eerie green flames flickered in the empty eye sockets of the ancient corpse, emanating a chilling aura that could freeze even the soul.
Its sharp claw gripped the edge of the crack, and its massive body was slowly being squeezed out of the ground.
"An ancient corpse demon, born from the remnants of the elixir of immortality, has a cultivation level roughly at the threshold of a quasi-immortal king."
Li Changsheng stood on the flying boat, his eyebrows slightly raised, his fingers flying across the sleeves as he made calculations.
"That old man from the Wuji Dojo is also a quasi-Immortal King."
When two tigers fight, one will surely be injured.
"If I intervene now, my chances of winning are only 99.99%."
At this point, he shook his head repeatedly and then affixed hundreds of concealment runes to the bottom of the Green Wood Flying Boat.
"It's too risky, it's like dancing on the edge of a knife."
"The defensive formation on this ship is still not secure enough. Let's retreat another 800 li."
Xiao Yan watched his senior brother's skillful yet heartbreakingly precise maneuver, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
At the bottom of the cliff ahead, the old man in black robes finally moved.
With a single step, an overwhelming pressure erupted from his withered body, forcefully pushing back the putrid corpse fumes by dozens of feet.
A divine image radiating endless golden light materialized behind him, wielding a giant axe that seemed to split the heavens, and fiercely cleaved towards the green-haired corpse demon that had just crawled out of the ground.
The two forces, both at the level of Celestial Kings, collided, causing the entire wasteland to shake violently.
The violent shockwave sent those unaffiliated cultivators and disciples from small sects flying, many of whom coughed up blood while still in mid-air.
The old man was briefly held back by the corpse demon, and the golden light halfway up the cliff immediately lost its strongest deterrent effect.
Upon seeing this, the young man in brocade robes had a glint of greed in his eyes. He transformed into a streak of light and headed straight for the withered root.
The disciples of the Myriad Swords Immortal Sect and the Nine Heavens Divine Mountain were naturally not to be outdone, and they all unleashed their trump cards, attempting to intercept him in mid-air. In an instant, dazzling spells and sharp sword energy shattered that void.
"A good opportunity."
Xiao Yan's eyes brightened slightly as he gripped the handle of the Eight Desolations Annihilation Ruler on his back.
He turned to look at Xiao Shihao, who was eager to try.
"Little Stone, let's see who gets that herb first!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Shihao immediately perked up and casually wiped his muddy little hands on the corner of his clothes.
"Eleventh Junior Brother, if you lose, you'll have to roast ten birds that big for me tonight!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the little guy kicked off the deck of the airship with both legs.
With a muffled "boom," a visible ripple spread through the space around the airship.
Xiao Shihao shot out like a cannonball, creating a gust of wind as he forcefully smashed through the chaotic air currents in front of him, soaring straight into the sky.
"This kid's strength has increased again." Xiao Yan shook his head and chuckled.
He didn't fall behind either. He lightly touched the air with his toes, his figure as light and agile as a swallow, yet carrying an indomitable and domineering aura, and followed closely behind.
Zi Yan hugged Li Changsheng's leg, poked her head out, waved her little fist, and shouted, "Go, Brother Xiao Yan! Beat that bad guy in fancy clothes to a pulp!"
Before the precipice, the young man in brocade robes, relying on the speed of his snow-white beast, was about to touch the hazy golden light.
The alluring aroma of the medicine seemed to linger in his nostrils. As long as he consumed this remnant root, he could perfectly step into the Heavenly God Realm and become the undisputed number one divine son in the lineage.
However, just as his fingertips were less than three inches from the stump.
Suddenly, a suffocating sense of oppression came from above.
A massive, dark gold ruler with mysterious patterns flowing across its surface, carrying the overwhelming force of Mount Tai, tore through layers of air and mercilessly crashed down on the top of his head.
"Who goes there?!"
The young man in brocade robes roared angrily, forced to withdraw his hand, and instead summoned an ancient bronze shield painted with a Xuanwu (Black Tortoise) pattern.
This shield is a treasure of the Wuji Dojo, capable of withstanding a full-force attack from a Heavenly God Realm expert.
"Snap!"
The moment the giant ruler made contact with the shield.
The young man in brocade felt an indescribable, terrifying force travel through the shield to his arms.
His proud peak True One Realm cultivation was as fragile as paper in the face of this pure physical power.
Cracks quickly spread across the surface of the bronze shield, which then shattered into countless pieces of bronze with a mournful cry.
The young man in brocade let out a muffled groan, his entire body flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the rocks below the cliff, creating a bottomless, human-shaped crater.
Xiao Yan carried the Eight Desolations Annihilation Ruler in one hand and landed steadily on the protruding rock of the cliff.
He looked down at the disheveled young man in brocade robes who was coughing up blood at the bottom of the pit, his tone so calm that it revealed not a trace of emotion.
"The foundation of a peak True One Realm cultivator seems to be nothing more than this."
Without any unnecessary sarcasm, this plain statement was like a resounding slap in the face to those self-proclaimed extraordinary successors of great religions.
On the other side, several burly disciples from the Nine Heavens Divine Mountain had just raised their lightning-sparkling weapons, preparing to launch a siege.
A small figure suddenly descended from the sky and landed directly on the back of their proud lightning beast.
Xiao Shihao tilted his head and punched the beast on the head.
The pureblood behemoth that had been so arrogant and spewing thunder didn't even have time to let out a scream before its eyes rolled back and it fainted. Its massive body collapsed with a crash, kicking up clouds of dust.
"Big guy, this mount is mine now." Little Shi Hao clapped his hands and gave the disciples of Nine Heavens Divine Mountain an innocent smile.
This sudden change brought the area below the cliff to a brief standstill.
Both the sword formation of the Ten Thousand Swords Immortal Sect and the other disciples of the Boundless Dojo stopped what they were doing and stared in shock at the two uninvited guests who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
A young man at the early stage of the Divine Fire Realm sent a Divine Child at the peak of the True One Realm flying with a single slap.
A toddler who looks like he hasn't been weaned yet knocked out a pureblooded lightning beast with a single punch.
What kind of monsters did the Primordial Celestial Court send?
On a flying boat not far away, Li Changsheng watched this scene and silently took out a recording stone.
"These two troublemakers are making such a big fuss. If things get out of hand, I'll have to take Ziyan and run away."
(End of chapter)