The Masked Goddess of the Phantom Tribe pointed a slender, jade-like finger at the avatar of Ancestor Longshi, letting out a series of gasps in sheer horror.
Dule and his two companions froze in place.
Ancestor Longshi snorted coldly, raised his head to confront the monstrous ghost soul of the giant crocodile, and roared. The crimson giant lizard seemed instantly injected with a new surge of life energy, becoming vigorous once more, fighting the giant crocodile to a standstill.
The Dragon Lizard Continent shuddered ceaselessly, as if on the verge of upheaval. Blazing magma, like liquid fire, overflowed from countless gullies and abyssal pits beneath the earth.
The continent turned a uniform crimson, and numerous reddish-brown rocks pulsed strangely, much like massive hearts.
Roars like thunderclaps echoed up from the deepest parts of the earth. Ancestor Longshi’s true form seemed to be enduring unimaginable agony, letting out one last, unwilling struggle on the precipice of death.
The clansmen of the lesser tribes watched the bizarre transformation of the continent, many of their spirits trembling. Some yearned to intervene but felt their power utterly inadequate.
A faction had already lost all interest in the Dragon Lizard Clan's grand gathering and quietly retreated, seeking to avoid this nest of trouble.
However, many more, confident in their fortune or the strength of their respective realms, remained rooted, concealed in the shadows, searching for the opportune moment.
“My apologies for the abruptness; please forgive my rudeness, Ancestor.” The Masked Woman of the Phantom Tribe recovered her composure instantly, breaking into a sweet, soft, and gentle laugh. “It seems the Ancestor was prepared all along. Hmm, I also take a strong disliking to Xingge of the Soul Tribe. I wish the Ancestor triumph in advance.”
With those words, she detached herself and reappeared beside Yuan Mo of the Water Tribe, her voice turning cold. “Xingge is likely doomed!”
“Xingge is also at the Immortal Peak realm, no less powerful than Ancestor Longshi. Even if he was ambushed, he shouldn't be killed, should he?” Yuan Mo asked, bewildered.
The Masked Woman gazed into the magma pool's depths, her eyes glittering with complex light. “Tu Shiqi and Ya Yun of the Profound Heaven Tribe must be hidden underground, waiting for Xingge’s arrival. Combined with the might of Ancestor Longshi’s true form, I doubt Xingge will escape unscathed. That underground magma pool is where Ancestor Longshi’s true form resides; it must be fortified impregnably. Xingge should never get out.”
Yuan Mo was aghast. “When did Ancestor Longshi ally with the Profound Heaven Tribe?”
The Masked Woman shook her head.
She offered no reply, suddenly becoming intensely calm. With the subtle perception of her Soul Consciousness, honed to the Third Heaven of Immortality, she began to search the surroundings covertly.
She had made a new decision. Ancestor Longshi was not being schemed against. Xingge was definitely in deep trouble. Realizing she couldn't seize an Immortal Elixir from Ancestor Longshi amidst the chaos, she decided to pivot, preparing to target Shi Yan as her primary objective.
The seedling that merged with the soul-fragment of a Primal Being and understood Dark Energy—this was an unparalleled treasure. Even if the Phantom Tribe couldn't absorb him, he absolutely could not be allowed to benefit other racial powers!
She needed to confirm Shi Yan’s location!
Whoosh! Whoosh!
A monstrous ghost soul, forged from thousands of accumulated spirits, tore at the giant lizard just as the giant crocodile did. This particular ghost soul was the most unique among Xingge’s seven. It was humanoid, though dozens of times the height of a normal person, its face, physique, and movements mimicked human form.
This ghost soul was, naturally, Ming Hong, a powerhouse from the generation of Audrey’s ancestors.
Once refined into a vengeful spirit, he lost control of himself whenever Xingge engaged in combat, forced to cooperate in fighting the enemy. At this moment, he was helplessly attacking the giant lizard.
A strange ripple of fluctuation suddenly vibrated deep within his soul, causing Ming Hong, who was tearing at the lizard, to momentarily pause.
A thought bloomed in the depths of his consciousness: “My name is Shi Yan. Like you, I come from the Barren Domain. My companion is named Audrey; she is the child of Adela, the current matriarch of the Nether Emperor Clan. We were affected by the Primal Being Hui on our journey and were cast into this Void Sea, losing the direction back home…”
Ming Hong, transformed into a ghost soul, fought alongside the ten-thousand-meter-long giant crocodile against the giant lizard. A single thought buzzed relentlessly in his mind.
“We wish to return to the Barren Domain, and we also wish to help you gain liberation. How can we assist you?” The voice continued to speak slowly.
Ming Hong was ecstatic beyond measure.
“Adela’s child! It’s actually Audrey’s child!” he screamed internally.
Strictly speaking, he was a figure from the generation of Ming Hao and Adela’s grandfather, placing him at the level of Audrey’s great-grandfather. He had even instructed Ming Hao in profound truths. Since Ming Hao and Adela were full siblings, he naturally remembered her. By that count, Audrey shared a significant connection with him.
Even without that familial tie, merely because Audrey belonged to their Nether Emperor Clan, he would exert every effort to help.
—He had confirmed this fact through Audrey’s cultivation when he first arrived here.
They are kin! They are true family!
Having affirmed this, Ming Hong communicated silently with Shi Yan while simultaneously battling the giant lizard.
At this moment, Ancestor Longshi’s avatar, after giving final instructions to Dule, Ti Feng, and Walker, plummeted into the deep earth. Only the illusion of the giant lizard, coalesced from Ancestor Longshi’s power, remained on the surface, binding the giant crocodile and Ming Hong so they could not aid Xingge.
Thus, Ming Hong felt little pressure. Although constrained, his communion with his soul remained unobstructed.
“As long as Xingge lives, I cannot break free. If Xingge dies, I have a way to escape. I know the entrance to the Barren Domain. If I can free myself, I can take you back,” Ming Hong offered.
“Rest assured, Xingge is guaranteed to die this time. Besides Ancestor Longshi, Tu Shiqi and his wife from the Profound Heaven Tribe are waiting for him below. Furthermore, Ancestor Longshi has set up extensive defenses down there. If Xingge dares to descend, he will never see the light of day again!” Shi Yan guaranteed.
Hearing this, Ming Hong was truly overjoyed. He cried out, “Once Xingge is slain, I will definitely be free of his shackles! When that happens, I will give Audrey a surprise!”
“What surprise?”
“Heh, that’s a matter for our Nether Emperor Clan. Don’t press me on it,” Ming Hong replied.
The Phantom Tribe Masked Woman’s ethereal, bluish eyes suddenly brightened with sharp focus.
She moved again, instantly arriving at the entrance to the subterranean passage. She glanced upward toward where the giant crocodile and the giant lizard fought, pursed her lips, and let out a soft chuckle.
Amidst the laughter, she raised her hand and seemed to pull down an invisible object.
“Boom!”
On the rubble-strewn ground before her, a hazy shadow solidified into substance—it was Shi Yan, who had been concealing himself.
“Oh dear brother, what are you sneaking around for?” she cooed sweetly, stepping gracefully toward Shi Yan. “Hmm, you must have some kind of tacit understanding with Ancestor Longshi, right? I see it now. You must have conspired with Ancestor Longshi and the Profound Heaven Tribe couple long ago. Ha, you truly are wicked, forcing Xingge and Ancestor Longshi into an early war.”
Shi Yan’s divine body chilled. Watching her approach with that sweet smile, he felt a colossal mountain pressing down on his very soul.
This Masked Woman of the Phantom Tribe exuded a terrifying aura of deterrence. Now that Ancestor Longshi, Xingge, and the Profound Heaven couple were locked in battle underground, the Masked Woman must have felt the time was right to act personally and teach him a lesson.
“Kaka-kaka-kaka!”
A sound like clashing metal echoed from Shi Yan’s entire skeletal structure. Keen, sharp bone spurs and a pair of bone wings manifested from his body.
As his divine body underwent transformation, his vital energy, life fluctuations, and internal power all shifted.
His eyes flared crimson, and the acupoints across his body pulsed. The essence of the numerous slain martial artists nearby converged madly toward him, and a fierce, murderous pillar of light shot up from his crown, resembling a colossal, blood-red giant tree piercing the heavens.
“Dong! Dong! Dong!”
His heartbeat accelerated several times over, like a relentless, dense drumbeat. With every powerful throb, his blood seemed to boil and burn.
“Hoooooosh!”
Centering on him, the surrounding fragments of rock and shattered stars suddenly suspended themselves above the Dragon Lizard Star. Tens of thousands of stones flew up, swirling and tumbling violently in the void, faintly coalescing into a dazzling sea of stars. A vast, boundless stellar power, emanating from an unknown source, poured down and flooded this bizarre star chart resembling a galaxy.
“Boom!”
The strange astral sea map emitted a clear, cold, utterly annihilating radiance—a beam of starlight capable of destroying life-bearing planets shot toward the Masked Woman of the Phantom Tribe.
The Masked Woman’s sweet smile was long gone. Her clear, bluish eyes were filled with utter horror. Seeing the streak of starlight piercing toward her, the ferocious mask on her face seemed about to crack under the pressure.
“Such a cold-blooded heart, so ruthless even to your elder sister. You truly are skilled at crushing delicate flowers.”
The Masked Woman’s graceful, alluring figure began to dance on the spot. Beautiful, enchanting illusions of scantily clad women fluttered forth from her body. These phantoms, draped in sheer gauze, some holding jade plates, some bearing fruit, and others seemingly in the act of undressing, flew toward Shi Yan like the most exquisite celestial maidens from a dream, giggling and clinging to him.
The beam of starlight shot down.
One by one, the illusions of the young women dissolved into ash. Each time a phantom vanished, the starlight’s power diminished slightly, causing the Masked Woman’s eyes to twitch, as if expending a fraction of her own energy.
The starlight was completely neutralized before it could reach him, yet the seductive, enchanting women emerging from her body continued their provocations, one after another, smilingly enveloping him, intent on pulling him into a gentle embrace where he would never wake again.
“Sister only meant well, but you stubborn brat refuse to appreciate it, breaking my heart. Alas, Sister is helpless and must insist you accompany me for a visit to our Phantom Tribe to enjoy true pleasure. Rest assured, Sister will treat you well. Whatever the Profound Heaven Tribe can offer you, Sister can match—and the women of the Phantom Tribe are far more stunning than those of the Profound Heaven Tribe. Sister guarantees you will never want to leave…”
The Masked Woman chuckled lightly, watching the beautiful women cling to Shi Yan, secretly letting out a breath of relief.
Her technique, the “Goddess’s Serene Dance,” was a unique Soul Charm art of the Phantom Tribe, possessing a miraculous effect on any male creature in the world; it was nearly always successful.
She was certain that entangled by these goddesses condensed from her own soul consciousness, even the most iron-willed man would gradually melt and surrender willingly.
The alluring, seductive “goddesses,” incarnations of male desire, swept forward gracefully and pounced on him with charming eagerness.
Shi Yan’s eyes burned with passion, as if overcome by lust, lingering momentarily as he was gripped by the arms and legs by the bewitching ‘goddesses’ and carried aloft toward the Masked Woman.
The Masked Woman let out a delicate, tinkling laugh.
…(To be continued)RQ