HSSB953: A fight breaking out at once
To Phoenix Ritual Mountain’s Wutong Slope, this Daoist temple was virtually like an ultra-massive pit that they had fallen into.
If not for the fact that Three Foot Mountain was also of the World beyond Worlds and had no need for legacies of the Prime Clear lineage as they were also currently struggling desperately in trying to pass through the main hall, Zhuang Chaohui might suspect that they had known of this beforehand.
He might believe that the half-broken whisk had been given to Wutong Slope purely to harm them.
Still, from the looks of it now, Three Foot Mountain probably did not know of the actual background of this Daoist temple too.
Looking at the statue of the Lord of Numinous Treasure before them and thinking of how their two powers had gone all out trying to enter, Zhuang Chaohui and his senior apprentice-uncle both found this utterly laughable and ludicrous as they wanted to smile yet were unable to force that smile out.
So many people had died, so much effort spent. Yet, things had ultimately ended like this.
Zhuang Chaohui dared not think about this any further. Just thinking about it, he already felt so depressed he wanted to vomit blood.
He looked at his senior apprentice-uncle, both of them having similarly gloomy expression on their faces.
“Let us continue. Since we have already arrived here, we cannot just return empty-handed,” Zhuang Chaohui inhaled deeply, “Martial arts of the Prime Clear lineage aside, if there are any treasures that remain, we would be able to bring peace to the souls of the deceased up in heaven.”
As the other side had needed to rely on the local restrictions to obstruct their group, having fled after the restrictions had failed to claim their lives, this meant that their abilities must be limited.
“Otherwise, we could also simply return and take care of those of Three Foot Mountain, venting things out on them.”
Zhuang Chaohui had an icy cold expression on his face, “Senior apprentice-uncle, I cannot accept it if we were to do nothing and leave just like that!”
Looking at the idol of the Lord of Numinous Treasure, that middle-aged man sighed slowly towards the heavens, “While that accursed Three Foot Mountain is damnable indeed, it is unknown even if they can make it past the protective restrictions. There is no need to concern ourselves with them.”
“We will advance then. We have got to find out who it was that schemed against us at the very least so that we will be able to wreak vengeance on them in the future.”
Their nirvanic rebirth could only be used once. This chance had already been depleted.
Having lost even their Sacred Artifacts, they had to be even more careful after this.
While their enemy seemed only able to scheme, they dared not be complacent.
Still, if they fled sootily defeated just like this, let alone Zhuang Chaohui, even this middle-aged man would feel unresigned.
They left the great hall with despondent expressions on their faces, heading deeper into the Daoist temple.
Meanwhile, Ah Hu who had originally been guarding the front hall had involuntarily scratched his head upon noticing that someone had passed through the restrictions and entered the great hall, “What fearsome figures are these? Even the simultaneous blast of three tribulations couldn’t kill them?”
He shrunk back his neck, leaping onto Pan-Pan’s back. One man, one beast, they traversed the great hall, charging towards the back.
Ah Hu dared not linger this time as he abided by Yan Zhaoge’s instructions, quickly retreating once he discovered that he was unable to hold them back.
Enemies who were able to pass through those restrictions without dying were most likely not ones he and Pan-Pan could deal with.
The other side might be heavily injured and in grave peril. Still, if that was not the case, they might also be able to take them down.
“It is just that not knowing their identity, I cannot report it to Young Master,” Ah Hu thought as he sat on Pan-Pan, allowing him to run freely.
As Pan-Pan was Yan Zhaoge’s steed, there was naturally some sensory connection between them.
Despite the numerous miraculous aspects of this Daoist temple, Pan-Pan still quickly located Yan Zhaoge.
Arriving in that secluded room, peeking inside, Ah Hu leapt up in fright.
Seated cross-legged, Yan Zhaoge held a jade talisman inside the room with one hand even while forming a sword seal with the other.
From Yan Zhaoge’s body extended numerous black lines which encompassed the entirety of the room, including its walls, ceiling and roof, as they intersected all about.
Where the black lines passed, the secluded room seemed to have become a world of its own as it became separated from the rest of the Daoist temple.
While Yan Zhaoge was just sitting there, in Ah Hu’s perception, it was like he was pressured, condensed into just a single point now.
The numerous black lines in the room all extended outwards from this single point.
Then, they intermingled alongside different dimensions.
There, they simultaneously formed an independent world of their own.
Still, this was not the most frightening aspect of it all.
The most frightening aspect was that from these black lines vaguely seemed to emanate an intent of death and extermination which was terrifying to the extreme. Just looking at them, Ah Hu shivered.
Yan Zhaoge now opened his eyes as he could not help but smack his lips upon seeing Ah Hu and Pan-Pan, “The protective formations were unable to obstruct our foes?”
Regaining his wits, Ah Hu hurriedly said, “Young Master, someone resisted the simultaneous eruption of the three tribulations.”
“That is remarkable indeed,” Yan Zhaoge was rather taken aback, “Go into more detail here.”
Hearing that the other side seemed to have vanished instantly before reappearing later, thus avoiding the remnants of the water of the Heavy River and the fire lotuses of miraculous fire, the corners of Yan Zhaoge’s lips curled, “They should not have forcibly resisted and survived through it then. Instead, they must have borrowed some obscure method.”
“It could even have been a death substitution art of rebirth which they used to avoid death here.”
Ah Hu said, “Afterwards, a second wave of people seems to have entered, being blocked by the remnants of the tribulations. Meanwhile, the first wave successfully overcame the restrictions. Seeing that, I did not continue hindering their path as I came in to look for you, Young Master.”
As they conversed, those black lines were retracted onto Yan Zhaoge’s body, next disappearing without a trace.
In this process, however, Ah Hu and Pan-Pan actually felt a little as though their life force was being drawn out of them.
The black lines all vanished. Grasping that jade talisman, Yan Zhaoge stood up from the ground.
Yan Zhaoge cocked his head slightly and listened, “Oh, they are already here…this feels a bit familiar.”
Exiting the secluded room, he saw two figures rounding a bend. They were a youth and a middle-aged man.
They were precisely the pair from Phoenix Ritual Mountain’s Wutong Slope that included Zhuang Chaohui.
Having discovered traces of someone in the interior of the Daoist temple, they had followed over.
As they were feeling all worked up, a white-clothed, blue-robed youth suddenly appeared before them, smiling cheerily as he waved in greeting, “Long time no see.”
As the two sides met, Zhuang Chaohui was stunned slightly, “Yan Zhaoge, it’s you?”
Yan Zhaoge smiled, “Enemies really meet on a narrow path indeed.”
Immediately afterwards, he strode forward, arriving in front of these two people at once!
The two were stunned momentarily before they simultaneously struck back towards him!
Blazing fire transformed into the terrifying blades of sabres, hacking towards Yan Zhaoge.
There was nothing to be said between the two sides. Their true abilities were thus exhibited at once!
Although Zhuang Chaohui had a deep impression of Yan Zhaoge from having clashed with him in the Clear Scenic Region of the Royal Reed Sea that year, Yan Zhaoge had still been at the Merging Avatar stage back then, primarily having been able to gain an advantage simply because of the black hole at the bottom of the sea there.
Now, however, Zhuang Chaohui was faced with a reality that was difficult for him to accept.
Yan Zhaoge raised a palm, the majestic, tyrannical Extreme Yang Seal resembling the blazing sun rising high into the sky.
The violent aura virtually caused his two foes to feel suffocated.
In an instant, they could only feel as if time had flowed in reverse and they were facing the golden lotus of miraculous fire and other powerful tribulations yet again.
“Even with the Extreme Yang Seal, this power is much too strong!” Zhuang Chaohui’s expression was even uglier than before, “The rumour in the southeastern Yang Heaven Territory that he single-handedly slew an expert of the eighth level of the Martial Saint realm is actually true?!”