Shi Yan sat atop the Obscure Talisman Pagoda, his expression solemn as he racked his brain for a strategy to shatter the light barrier.
He remained unaware that at this very moment, the entirety of the Sea of Ruin was in an uproar following the deaths of Yebole, Telega, Faloni, Ling Mei, and the Tates. Experts from the Soul Clan, Xuantian Clan, Devourer Clan, Black Demon Clan, and Ancient Demon Clan, all situated within the Sea of Ruin, had confirmed the demise of their respective juniors through various channels.
A proclamation was issued by the five clans: they would dedicate all efforts to hunting the perpetrator, mobilizing forces to scour the entire Sea of Ruin.
Be it the surface or the seabed!
At this instant, experts from the five clans surged out from the islands scattered across the Sea of Ruin. Members of the Phantom Race were also making inquiries everywhere, urgently seeking the return of Mei Ji.
The Sea of Ruin erupted as if ignited by gunpowder, its sudden turmoil far exceeding what many had anticipated.
Soon, news regarding the Primordial Ruins somehow leaked out, and someone also revealed the existence of the Obscure Talisman Pagoda, setting off a frenzy among powers outside the original seven clans as well.
The Sea of Ruin became utterly vibrant, teeming with figures. Martial artists began stirring in every corner—on the surface and beneath the waves—all searching for something.
...
“If we cannot leave this place swiftly, Napu Dun will surely arrive. I understand the Soul Clan’s methods, and I know the terror that Napu Dun embodies. Through Tate’s death, he should be able to faintly perceive our direction,” Ming Hong’s expression gradually grew heavy. “With Napu Dun’s cultivation level, once he locks onto our bearing and pursues us with full force, he will arrive faster than we imagine…”
Ming Hong’s words placed greater pressure on the group.
Audrey and Mei Ji chose silence, hesitant to speak at such a juncture, fearing they might anger the Divine Lord or Ming Hao, thus inviting unnecessary trouble upon Shi Yan.
The Divine Lord’s icy gaze swept over Shi Yan, the cold sneer on his lips growing more pronounced. He was rapidly losing patience.
“If he cannot undo the restraint here, you will all accompany him to the grave!” the Divine Lord scoffed, his eyes flicking toward Audrey and Mei Ji, sending a chill down their spines.
“I am here. You cannot touch Audrey,” Ming Hao stated with equal coldness.
Mei Ji felt a chill deep in her heart. After a moment’s thought, she forced a smile. “You certainly possess the strength to kill me, but if Shi Yan fails to break the seal here, even if I die, you won’t live either. To be precise, none of us can escape. Napu Dun alone is enough to annihilate us all!”
This declaration only made Ming Hao and the Divine Lord more volatile and impatient, their expressions turning uglier.
“All of you, shut up!” Shi Yan’s roar suddenly descended from the sky. He looked pointedly at the Divine Lord, then at Ming Hao, and said coldly, “Both of you, silence yourselves!”
As he spoke, the Obscure Talisman Pagoda abruptly burst forth with billions of dazzling rays of light, surging violently and descending with crushing force toward the Divine Lord and Ming Hao, projecting immense pressure. “Here, you two could kill Batu Mu and Gan Fu; I can kill you too! Do you really think so highly of yourselves?”
The Obscure Talisman Pagoda suddenly emanated a terrifying celestial might. It first floated into the air, then plummeted downward.
The Divine Lord and Ming Hao looked up, their expressions instantly turning grave, their eyes wide with shock.
At that moment, they finally realized how, in the previous instant, Shi Yan had manipulated the Obscure Talisman Pagoda to shatter the restrictive seals and barriers condensed by Ling Mei, Batu Mu, and the others with a single strike, tearing through their defenses!
Even under that prior intimidation, the Divine Lord and Ming Hao felt uneasy, secretly unsettled by the sheer, terrifying aura of power.
Now, Shi Yan, in a fit of rage, maneuvered the Obscure Talisman Pagoda toward the two of them again. This immediately shocked them awake, making them acutely aware that within this Primordial Ruin, Shi Yan, who possessed the Obscure Talisman Pagoda, was by no means a pushover they could casually manipulate.
“While I cannot immediately break the light barrier binding us, maneuvering the Obscure Talisman Pagoda to give you a little entertainment is still effortlessly within my means!” Shi Yan stated coldly.
The Obscure Talisman Pagoda plummeted from the heavens.
Streaks of light pierced down from above, like flowing streams, channeling into the viewing window within the Obscure Talisman Pagoda. In an instant, the pagoda’s manifested deterrence was several times more terrifying than before!
Under that pressure, crisp cracking sounds echoed from the bones of the Divine Lord and Ming Hao, as if they could not withstand the weight and were about to have their physical bodies explode.
That pressure was not directed at Audrey and Mei Ji; seeing the situation turn dire, the two had already retreated far away.
“This pressure is comparable to a blow from a Domain Ancestor! It is terrifying!” Ming Hong, perched on Audrey’s shoulder, couldn’t help but cry out, “What in the world are they doing? What time is it for this chaos? The juniors are ignorant, but the elders have also lost their reason! If this fighting continues, they might annihilate each other before the enemy even arrives!”
Audrey and Mei Ji were also filled with sorrow and vexation by this sudden turn of events, unsure how to intercede.
“Kid, you dare to make a move now? Are you truly unafraid of death!” the Divine Lord roared.
“Shi Yan! What are you playing at!” Ming Hao shouted as well.
“I want to tell you, even if I can’t break this restraint, it is not your turn to be nagging! I am right here. I’d like to see who you’ll make accompany you to death, who you’ll send to die?” Shi Yan sneered, his state bordering on frenzy. “Ming Hao, I am the Sovereign Lord of the Bloodthirsty lineage! Your harboring evil intent is treasonous ambition! I will show you whether the Bloodthirsty Sovereign Lord is someone whose authority you can challenge!”
The Obscure Talisman Pagoda descended like a colossal mountain, waves of terrifying fluctuations pressing down, forming energy light waves that bore down upon Ming Hao and the Divine Lord.
Ming Hao and the Divine Lord straightened their bodies, forced to use both hands to hold up the sky. One spun five planets in his hand, the other unleashed billions of clones surging forth, exerting their full strength to resist the complete descent of the Obscure Talisman Pagoda.
Gan Fu, Batu Mu, Yebole, Telega, Faloni, and the others were all profound experts of the Immortal Realm. Upon their deaths, the death essence within them, containing violent, despairing, and resentful negative emotions, poured into every acupoint on Shi Yan’s body.
Their Soul Altars were also devoured, releasing numerous memories that were not his own, which flickered rapidly through Shi Yan’s mind like a film, unsettling his spirit and gradually fueling his irritation. He was being subtly influenced by the negative emotions.
Because he couldn’t unlock the mysteries of the light barrier quickly enough, his temper frayed, making him more susceptible to the invasion of negative energy.
The Divine Lord’s cold, sarcastic taunts and Ming Hao’s cold observation, hiding treacherous motives, were all registered by Shi Yan. This finally ignited the violent, frenzied side within him. He stopped caring about deciphering the local light barrier, ignored the impending arrival of Napu Dun and the others, and when the volcano ignited, it suddenly erupted.
“Boom!”
The Obscure Talisman Pagoda pressed down over the heads of the Divine Lord and Ming Hao, with a buffer zone in the middle. This zone contained energy flowing out from the pagoda, as well as the energy of the Divine Lord and Ming Hao. Their energies collided head-on in the center, causing that area to dazzle to an intoxicating degree, with countless brilliant, dazzling lights exploding, more beautiful than the most seductive fireworks.
However, the resulting shockwaves of force were also terrifyingly immense!
The residual energy splattered outward, instantly pulverizing the scattered debris and broken structures in that area into fine dust. Everything with tangible substance turned to ash.
Audrey and Mei Ji were forced to retreat even further, lest they be caught in the crossfire of the three-way battle. The two women inwardly lamented, watching Shi Yan’s sudden violent madness guide events toward an irretrievable situation, filling them with bitter helplessness.
The thought of Napu Dun and the other powerful figures of the Sea of Ruin rushing toward them while they were locked in combat made Audrey and Mei Ji want to weep tears of bitterness.
Why must this happen?
“Shi Yan, have you truly gone mad?” Ming Hao roared. His wisps of clones were gradually dissolving as they resisted the energetic impact from within the Obscure Talisman Pagoda.
Being crushed and pulverized by the energy within the pagoda, he felt his power draining away. Watching the Divine Lord descend into near hysterics, he secretly regretted his actions.
Regretted not intervening when the Divine Lord made his threats.
Regretted not fully grasping how dangerous Shi Yan—who controlled the Obscure Talisman Pagoda in this location—truly was!
“Hahaha, I’ve tolerated you two for a long time!” Shi Yan sat atop the Obscure Talisman Pagoda, grinning madly. “Today, I’ll risk everything, even my life, to show you some color! Did you really think you were invincible? If you were truly invincible, would you have been left trapped here by Hui for decades? If I don’t show you some real power, you’ll never learn your lesson! Do you really think you’re still paramount rulers!”
“Boom!”
The Obscure Talisman Pagoda pressed down with renewed force.
“Hah!”
The Divine Lord and Ming Hao bellowed, feeling as if entire continents were pressing down on their heads, making it hard even to stand firm.
Ming Hao, being merely a wisp of a spectral soul, was slightly better off; his soul merely grew blurry and swayed, consuming soul power.
The Divine Lord, however, felt cracking sounds erupting from his knees, as if they were about to shatter.
They suddenly realized that a crazed Shi Yan was even more intractable than the Bloodthirsty Sovereign Lord of old, because this brat reasoned with no one, cared nothing for the bigger picture, and feared no death. For the sake of momentary contest of will, this fellow dared to overturn heaven and earth.
When they realized this fact, their hearts ached. They wondered just how much power Shi Yan, who had obtained the Obscure Talisman Pagoda in this peculiar zone, could unleash.
In their hearts, they felt regret—regret for pushing Shi Yan into a corner, regret for speaking coldly and revealing hostility before fully assessing the situation.
Unfortunately, regret was a little late. Seeing Shi Yan’s eyes flushed crimson and his state one of madness, they knew no amount of persuasion or submission would work; they could only brace themselves and continue resisting.
Truly reaping what they sowed…
The two exchanged bitter, wry smiles.
Audrey and Mei Ji were also terrified, burning with anxiety, shouting loudly from the sidelines, pointing out the crucial detail that Napu Dun and the others were approaching, urging them to stop immediately.
“It’s useless. That kid’s eyes are blood-red; that’s the sign of berserk madness. I understand the Bloodthirsty lineage; once they display such an expression, it means they have lost all reason and will listen to nothing,” Ming Hong sighed.
“Then what should be done?” Mei Ji asked in horror.
“There is nothing we can do,” Ming Hong shook his head.
“Splash! Splash! Splash!”
Suddenly, colossal seawater poured down from above. The moment the sound of water was heard, everyone experienced a brief disorientation, their expressions blank.
However, it was only an instant before they realized what had happened, and they couldn't help but erupt in overwhelming joy. Mei Ji even shrieked uncontrollably, “It’s broken! It actually ruptured inexplicably!”
“I know! The Obscure Talisman Pagoda sucked up too much energy from the light barrier, causing the barrier’s defensive power to become insufficient to withstand the pressure of the seawater, which then crushed it! What incredible luck! That kid stumbled upon the solution completely by accident!” Ming Hong also cried out in amazement… [Author's Note: Recommending friend Lan Ling Xiaoxiao Sheng’s Full-Time Houseboy. That little fatty is currently striving hard for the monthly ticket ranking for his new book—book ID... you can find it on the monthly ticket chart. It’s quite lengthy, and this book is selling exceptionally well in Taiwan. I strongly recommend everyone go check it out!]
Finally, I weakly request monthly tickets; I will strive for a big burst tomorrow!! It seems today is 201314. Well, to all those who cast monthly tickets, I love you for a lifetime~~~ (To be continued) RQ