Chapter 131 - 130: How Dare You Hit My Dog? An Immense Golden Light, Roaring Like a Dragon
Yan Qingyue was clearly stunned by the old monk’s reply.
’Is... is that it?’
And perhaps because she was young and inexperienced, she had never heard of any of the "dying men" Wu Tianming mentioned.
The Emperor’s Guard Hall, an institution first established by a previous emperor, was simply too mysterious.
Coming to her senses, she couldn’t help but ask, "Lord Wu, what if you can’t stop them? Or what if there aren’t enough of you?"
Wu Tianming shook his head. "That would no longer be our concern. We old men will already be dead—dead from old age, or dead in battle."
"Once a person dies, that’s the end of it."
"How can we worry about what happens after we’re gone?"
"When that time comes, it will be up to you young ones to figure something out!"
"Er..."
Yan Qingyue was a bit dumbfounded by Wu Tianming’s answer.
Perhaps it was because he had lived for so long, but Wu Tianming seemed to have accepted it all. He spoke slowly, "Don’t feel too pressured. What power in this world is eternal and Immortal?"
"It’s just one act ending and another beginning."
"Even a legendary Great Power of the Dragon Mansion Realm will one day see their Divine Spirit shatter and their life come to an end. What hope does a mere mortal Dynasty have?"
"If Great Xia cannot escape this calamity, then it is destined to be. There is nothing we can do to change fate."
Yan Qingyue was stunned, momentarily unsure how to respond.
But just then, the old monk, whose eyes had been cloudy and whose expression was one of utter exhaustion, suddenly had a divine rainbow erupt from his gaze!
In an instant, his decaying body, like a withered tree greeting spring, became majestic and upright!
He radiated an incomparable brilliance!
It illuminated the vast Emperor’s Hall as brightly as the midday sun!
"It seems the first calamity you spoke of is almost here."
Wu Tianming flicked his sleeve. With a rustle of his robes, he took the hall’s light with him and vanished without a trace.
"So be it! It is only a battle. This old one is off."
"If I do not return!"
"Take this key, open the deeper gates of the Emperor’s Guard Hall, and awaken those old fellows..."
"Remember, on the annual Soul-Summoning Festival, do not forget to polish my lamp."
"It is the law, and also a way to remember..."
The ancient voice faded into the distance.
Within the vast Emperor’s Guard Hall, only Yan Qingyue remained, her face indistinct, clutching a golden key, along with the candle lamps flickering with an eerie blue fire.
...
「A hundred miles from the Great Xia Imperial City, in the mountains.」
A massive Fist Seal was imprinted on the ground, emanating a faint pressure that had severed the trade route.
At this moment, a man and a woman stood before the deep crater of the Fist Seal, their gazes fixed upon it.
After a long while, the burly man spoke softly, "Let’s go."
"Yes, Big Brother!"
The two were about to leave.
When suddenly, as if sensing something, they stopped in their tracks.
The burly man, whose name was Hun, turned his head toward a certain direction.
The red-eyed woman, whose name was Qi, also turned to look.
At the end of the desolate path, they saw an old monk in a green robe, treading on shattered reflections of sunlight as he slowly ambled forward.
His movements seemed slow, step by step, yet his speed was incredible!
In just a few blinks of an eye, he was before them.
The old monk, so ancient he looked as if he had one foot in the grave, narrowed his wrinkled eyes and looked at the pair.
Hun looked back at the old monk, his expression turning cold.
The old monk slowly brought his hands from behind his back and clasped them in a salute.
"Ahead lies the Great Xia Imperial City. I hope you two fellow Daoists will stop here and proceed no further."
The burly man, Hun, spoke with a smile in his eyes. "And what if I insist on going?"
The old monk’s expression remained unchanged as he replied softly, "That is fine. It will simply mean a battle."
As soon as these words were spoken, the world fell silent!
A slight smirk appeared on Hun’s cold face.
It was wild, and even more sinister!
"On your own?"
Hun took a step forward!
Then, he looked down at him condescendingly. "An old monk hiding deep in the Imperial Palace, with little life left, on the verge of death?"
The next moment, a profound Demon Qi, powerful enough to overturn the heavens, swept out in all directions like a Celestial Blade, filling the sky!
It rushed toward the old monk like a black ocean current, threatening to overwhelm him!
The terrifying scene was like the end of the world!
The old monk let out a long sigh. His entire body straightened, becoming exceptionally tall and firm. Radiating a magnificent brilliance, he met the attack head-on!
The two peerless figures clashed violently in the sky above!
BOOM!
...
BOOM!
A burst of flame erupted, startling the unprepared Zhang Wei.
After finishing work, Zhang Wei and Su Bai had gone for a stroll through the streets.
They hadn’t expected to run into a group of acrobatic masters performing on a stage.
Driven by curiosity, the two approached to watch.
"Bravo!"
When the ball of fire transformed into a sky full of gorgeous petals that rained down, releasing a rich fragrance, Zhang Wei couldn’t help but clap and cheer.
Beside him, Su Bai also showed a look of surprise and delight.
’This transformation is quite interesting!’
...
「In the mountains a hundred miles away.」
"COUGH, COUGH..."
Wu Tianming clutched his chest, his body hunched over, coughing uncontrollably as if he were trying to hack up his own organs. His aura was weak.
Not far from him, the burly man named Hun watched the old monk with a blank expression.
His hands hung naturally at his sides, blood dripping from his fingertips, mixed with bits of flesh!
It was not his own, of course.
The area around them, once known as the Hundred-Mile Mountains and later renamed the Thousand-Foot Abyss, was now a shattered, devastated mess!
Craters, rubble, splintered wood, and ravines were everywhere!
A profound Demon Qi, laced with deep killing intent, permeated the entire area!
"COUGH, COUGH!"
After a long fit of coughing, Wu Tianming slowly straightened up. A trace of melancholy crossed his face as he lamented.
"I must say, sometimes I truly envy you Ancient Demons with your powerful and extraordinary bloodlines!"
"We are clearly at the same Realm."
"Yet your lifespans are many times longer than ours!"
"I’ve grown old, after all! My strength fails me..."
"If I were young..."
"Even if you were young, you wouldn’t last a hundred moves against me!"
Hun stated coldly.
Wu Tianming was speechless for a moment, but after a while, he nodded.
"Indeed. Even in my youth, I would be no match for you!"
This Ancient Demon before him had defeated him so easily without even revealing his True Body; the old monk naturally had no reason to refute him.
Hun paid the old monk no more mind.
He was just a dying man. Killing him would only dirty his hands.
Hun’s gaze turned toward the Imperial City, and he began to walk forward.
The old monk’s expression was calm. It seemed he was secretly preparing some Secret Technique for a final, desperate battle.
Just then, the man named Hun seemed to sense a profound aura of a Demon Fiend!
He stopped abruptly!
WHOOSH!
At a signal from Hun’s eyes, the two of them flashed through the air.
Wu Tianming was startled for a second, then quickly followed.
The group soon arrived at the Purgatory Demon Cave!
Upon seeing the strange powerhouses arrive, the Black Nether Wolf, who was diligently hunting for Experience Points for its master Su Bai, immediately raised its tail and let out a ferocious, low growl!
In the sky, a Black Demon Dragon churned the clouds and rain!
It faced the newcomers and let out a deafening roar!
"Interesting!"
The red-eyed woman found the Black Demon Dragon before her quite interesting!
She sensed a mysterious aura on this Black Demon Dragon!
It was the same one from the person who had killed Old Jiu and Fifth Brother!
Beside them, Wu Tianming frowned, unsure of what the two were planning.
But when Hun saw the two Demon Fiends, his expression instantly turned glacial.
His aura exploded in an instant, like an ocean flooding the land!
Then, he reached out to grab the Black Nether Wolf!
...
At the same time, Su Bai, who had just finished watching the acrobatic performance and was preparing to return to the prison, seemed to sense something!
His expression turned cold in an instant!
’What audacity!’
His body transformed into a streak of light!
In a flash, he was above the Purgatory Demon Cave!
BOOM!!
Seeing Hun reach out his hand!
Su Bai hovered high in the sky, his back silhouetted by a great sun!
He too extended his right palm!
In that instant!
His five fingers formed a peak, bursting with ten thousand fathoms of golden light, roaring like a Dragon!
Its power awed the eight directions!