Feng Yu pondered to himself, 'Judging by that look on his face, I can assume that I was right in my judgment, for them to be so confident, maybe that hunch of mine was correct.'
With his thoughts concluded, Feng Yu then glanced at his team. Leon firmly held his hammer, while Dai Lin's palms flashed with multi-colored lightning bolts. As for Myria, Toram, and Tira, they focused the scene with sharp eyes, preparing to counter the unexpected.
Chapter 315
The Grand Preceptor Appears
As Feng Yu and the others defeated the enemy's main forces, leaving only Hai Jinren, who battled Zan Jin. The fight between the core leaders was already nearing its conclusion.
Boom! All onlookers heard an explosive sound as within the vicinity of the battles against the core leaders. Su Jian, who continued to blast her Great Totemic Blaze against Wan Ru's tidal wave attack, had a sour look on her face.
Though not much was viewable due to the haze of steam formed by their collision, it was clear that she sensed the changes in the various battlefields. She saw Dune Witch Elma's defeat, followed by the Grim Dust Brothers and even the famous Yin Ran of the Iron Blood Pavilion.
The only ones left fighting was none other than the powerful Zan Jin of that dissociated tribe in the southern lands.
'They're all so useless! How could they fall so easy?'
Su Jian thought with anger. Her rage influenced her fire technique's control, but unlike her, Pill Queen Wan Ru remained calm and indifferent as she controlled her technique.
"It looks like who's on the right side is slowly becoming clear," Wan Ru said with a teasing look in her alluring eyes.
"Shut up!" Su Jian snapped back as her eyes glowed in an amber light, the totem behind her shining as the flames' intensity increased by a level.
With more steam surrounding the area and more was becoming more unclear. While hidden by the mists, Su Jian could not help but curse as her eyes turned in Melcraze's direction.
'What the hell is he doing? Why hasn't that Entoph arrived yet?'
Su Jian was confused; she had no idea what was going on through Melcraze's head, the situation was only becoming more complicated by the second.
Much like her, Mu Leng, who was fighting a fierce battle with Master Duan, also had similar concerns; he glanced towards Melcraze once and while but frowned as he saw no changes in expression.
'So troublesome, maybe the Brigand Great Elder was wrong to send me here.' Mu Leng thought to himself, but as he was a bit distracted, Master Duan took the chance to strike him.
"A troubled spirit is a product of no discipline, face your defeat lost one, Ying Yang Suppression Seal!"
With Master Duan's shout, his arms danced in a circular pattern, leaving behind multiple remnant shades of his palms. In seconds they halted at the center of two Yin Yang diagrams that expanded before they surrounded Mu Leng.
'Damn! It's using the Martial Path of Gravity; I have to resist it!'
Mu Leng thought as his eyes shone with a hint of alarm; he didn't expect such a powerful skill to erupt from Master Duan.
"Slaughtering Blade Form!" Mu Leng shouted as he tried to resist the power. He waved his blade, chopping a baleful ray of light towards all directions—the world around him turning red as if it soaked in blood.
These rays carried within them an innate Slaughtering Intent, showing an elementary Blade Intent form. However, it exploded before turning into nothingness when it hit the Yin Yang Diagram's edges despite its overwhelming power.
"Not good!" Mu Leng thought as he saw that his full-powered attack failed, he felt a great crisis from this technique, but also knew that he couldn't do anything about it.
Master Duan chuckled at this as his palms clasped together, his eyes glowing when he spoke in a resonant voice, "Be sealed and await your punishment, condense."
The diagram quickly shrunk to Mu Leng's size with a buzzing sound, forcing him into a tiny space like a prison with which he could only look out of with worry and anger.
"Damn monk, let me out!"
Mu Leng shouted as he banged his hand against the wall, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't escape.
Master Duan thought nothing of it; he waved his hand, putting away Mu Leng before shifting his eyes to a different side of the battlefield. There, he noticed that the dazed Su Jian was about to suffer a similar end.
Su Jian was shocked when she sensed Mu Leng's defeat, adding much to her current situation's anxiety. Due to this, she wasn't paying close attention to Wan Ru, whom she had suppressed with her technique.
Wan Ru smirked at this as she waved her arm, tossing a separate pill to the side like a ray of earthen blue light.
"Dan Fighting Arts - Earth Prison Dan."
Wan Ru muttered as she made a strange hand sign with her fingers crossed, the pill which beamed its way towards Su Jian then exploded as it sent a series of muddy waters towards Su Jian's unguarded side.
'What? This isn't good!'
Su Jian thought in alarm as she sensed the changes at her side; not daring to dally, she clasped her hands, forcing her current technique to end as her body erupted with flames.
The totem markings are brightly shining as a lizard's image like being appeared behind her once more. Instantly, her eyes opened as it glowed in a bright amber hue as she shouted.
"Great Totemic Manif—" Su Jian was about to unleash her most powerful technique, but sadly, it would seem that she was a bit too late.
Without even giving her a chance to say anymore, the muddy waters wrapped around her slender figure, tightly binding her in place. The raging flames that burned around her quickly dying down as even Su Jian's warrior qi had been suppressed in entirety.
Feeling the change, Su Jian quickly tried to push her power to the limit, trying to escape from the bindings. Still, it was a pity; her attempts proved futile as the muddy waters only stretched before constricting her once more until finally it hardened like an ancient stone.
"You bitch! Let me out this instant!" Su Jian cursed in anger as, despite her attempts, she couldn't conjure any warrior battle qi, nor could she break the rocky seal with her physical strength.
Wan Ru casually walked up to her with her arms crossed; she then made a cool look as she spoke, "It seems that it's my victory. It looks like you fought on the wrong side - sweety."
Su Jian felt bitter hearing those words, especially the last one, and the tone used, very much similar to the same way she spoke at the start of the battle. She was about to launch a series of curses, but Wan Ru merely waved her hand, causing a muddy stream of water to bind her mouth, now she could only muffle noises as glared at her with killing intent.
'Well, this takes cares of the main objective.'
Wan Ru thought as she looked at the current scene, Master Duan gave her a look and nodded. The two then observed the main battlefield, noticing that the battle between Melcraze and Liao Xinyan had come to a temporary standoff.
"Melcraze, you should know when to quit, you've already lost this battle." Liao Xinyan said as he stared at him with mock from a distance; the golden rings floated around him as they glowed in dim red lights.
Melcraze frowned as he heard those words; he gritted his teeth in anger while thinking to himself.
‘Damn, those useless things, can't they do anything without our help?'
It was clear that he noticed all of the changes despite his battle with Liao Xinyan, but he had yet to receive word from the Grand Preceptor, and quite frankly, he would have rather not to; he didn't want to work with the likes of Entoph.
As he pondered what to do, Liao Xinyan glanced at him with sharp eyes as he made a vague hand sign to both Wan Ru and Master Duan.
As if they understood his thoughts, they both utilized their fastest movement techniques to flicker and appear at Melcraze's side, charging towards him to seal him.
"This battle is over!" Liao Xinyan shouted as he swept forward with an immense aura, his blood-red treads dancing around him as he struc
k his palm out, sending a dense cluster towards the daze Melcraze.
"Yin Yang Chains! Earth Cuffing Dans!"
Both Master Duan and Wan Ru said as they launched their own techniques, a series of black and white chains swept forth from Master Duan's palm as Wan Run tossed four pills, which burst apart into four earthen colored lights that headed towards Melcraze's limbs.
Melcraze looked at this scene in anger, his warrior battle qi exploding even more as he prepared to resist with everything he had, but right at this time, his eyes showed a helpless expression as a change had occurred.
Swoosh! A loud sound was heard as if something large was falling from the air; when everyone heard it, they lifted their heads only to see a shadow that had swept towards Melcraze's location.
Bai Zan and Han Yi from the audience section looked at this with stern gazes, Bai Zan couldn't help but mutter, "So, they've finally showed their hands."
"..." Han Yi looked on in silence; he felt that the real battle was about to start, he didn't know why, but he was beginning to feel a tinge of anxiousness.
As if they sensed the change, the looks in the eyes of Liao Xinyan, Master Duan, and Wan Ru didn't change to fear or shock, but instead, sharpness as if they were expecting it.
Without even pulling back their attacks, they continued to press forward, but before they could reach Melcraze, the object had already landed before him creating a loud boom.
Instantly, the ground exploded to bits of rubble as the shockwaves pushed back Liao Xinyan and the others, as they each spat out a bit of blood.
At this time, a coffin had appeared before everyone's eyes with a similar mummy-like cloth around it. It gave off a dangerous presence as if the thing inside of it was exceedingly dangerous.
Currently, Crypt Sorcerer Entoph stood atop of hit with his knees bent and faced having a dull look. He glanced at the sour faced Melcraze, who gritted his teeth upon seeing him as he sneered.
"Oi, Melcraze? It looks like you needed my help after all, so useless that you can't even handle a simple task."
"Shut the hell up and prepare yourself; I don't have time to waste arguing with you, Entoph!" Melcraze snapped back angrily as he made a strange hand sign.
"Hmph! Like I need you to tell me what to do."
Entoph said as he didn't look at him anymore; his handheld another side of the coffin as his eyes scanned the trio before them as he smirked and spoke, "You fellows sure are interesting; I can tell that my attack injured neither of you, so why pretend?"
Liao Xinyan and the others were a bit surprised at this, but they soon shook their heads and wiped the fake blood that came from their mouths.
Liao Xinyan looked at Entoph before scanning the coffin as he spoke, "Haha, it seems that my impression of you Crypt Sorcerers was too biased, I didn't think there were those among you with actual sense."
Entoph didn't seem phased by Liao Xinyan's words; he smirked and replied, "Huhuhu... of course, my intelligence is naturally superior to that fool Melcraze. Your words are quite pleasing, but it's a pity."
"Hmm, and why is that?" Liao Xinyan said as his eyes vaguely continued to scan the coffin.
Entoph made a teasing look as he spoke, "I know you want to understand this artifact, but it's already too late; I'm not the only one to take action, and the likes of you three can't stop this treasure."
"What?" Liao Xinyan and the others said as their expressions changed, but even before they could understand anything, there came another notable change. The scene around them soon transformed as the sky lit up with a bright explosion.
Bang! The barrier surrounding the entire meeting round formed a crack at its surface as two oppressive powers scattered from above with a destructive sound.
The audience and Feng Yu's group were eyeing the change with cautious looks, even more so when they sensed the man's energy.
"Go." The Grand Preceptor said as he glanced at the young blacked haired figure at his side, garbed in a tomb patterned robe as he floated on the back of a large casket. His pale skin and unusual looking dark eyes with skull symbols eyeing the ground with arrogance. Naturally, this person was Kazak, whose eyes fixed onto He Xiu and Feng Yu when he appeared.
Hearing the command, Kazak nodded and replied, "As the Great Father wills it."
Without even an ounce of hesitation, Kazak's body descended like a ray of light as he fell with his wrapped-up casket towards the direction of Feng Yu's group.
The Grand Preceptor then cast his eyes below, looking at everyone as if they were nothing more than corpses as he spoke with a cruel set of eyes.
"Today, no one shall live!"
His menacing eyes were glowing in a bright red hue as his resonant voice caused the space around them to tremble as if a god of death arrived in the world.
Chapter 316
Each Other’s Cards
With the dreadful battle call of the Grand Preceptor, who now loomed above everyone, the atmosphere grew even tense as everyone who looked at him felt an incredible amount of fear, especially as they heard his words prior.
"What the hell, I thought all True Soul practitioners were under a pact; none of them were to take direct action unless its times of war." One person said in anger.
"Not only that, how could a faction separate from the three Great Southern Factions even produce such an expert?" Someone else said with terror in their eyes.
"What do you know? Those Crypt Sorcerers have been around for longer than you think; they only started to make waves in the south in recent years.
"Damn! If they are so powerful, then wouldn't this mean that we were finished? We all know that He Wuhan is missing; she's the only person I've heard of with the powers of the True Soul realm in the sector of our Redlands. Without her at the helm, the Weaver's House has no chance against such a powerful foe!" Another person said as they trembled with anger and fear.
"This isn't good; we have to get away from here!" One person as he tried to flee, but right at he reached the edge of the barrier, a ripple of power bounced him back to his previous position.
A few others that tried to do the same suffered the same result; they made angry expressions as they slammed their hands against the barrier while cursing.
"Damn, let us out now! We want no part in this conflict!"
"That's right; this isn't our fight; you cannot force us to be a part of it!"
A few persons said while trembling, but sadly, no matter how hard they shouted, those of the Weavers Enclave were much too busy to focus on them.
While the Grand Preceptor loomed over the audience with his overpowering aura, and the audience reacted in fear, only a few had managed to keep some degree of reason.
"His aura... it's at the limit of the True Soul realm; how could someone so powerful exist within the south?" Han Yi said in alarm, he knew full well of the south's details, knowing that it had suffered a drastic change ever since the calamity years ago.
Bai Zan, who stood nearby, also had a grim look in her eyes as she spoke, "It's not just that; I feel that he's probably one step away from achieving the half step of that legendary realm."
Han Yi looked at her in shock as he spoke, "What? That's impossible; you and I both know that the public acknowledged limit is the Sixth Cycle of True Foundation realm. If anyone within this content is likely at that legendary Half Step Heavenly Realm, it would be the Gold Dragon Emperor, those Three Southern Supremes, and those two from the Magerum Empire."
Bai Zan shook her head, rejecting his idea as she spoke, "Han Yi, there are many things in this continent that even my clan has yet to understand. So many events both in the past and recent. Even in our region, there were appearances of mighty beings that have caused quite a drastic stir during the recent months. If even we could have so many characters roaming about, what do you think the fabled domain of the ancient Avonz Empire could have hidden beneath its sands?"
When Han Yi heard her words, his eyes flickered with realization; he couldn't help but look at her
deeply as he spoke, "Then, going by all this, wouldn't it mean that other than investigating Bai Zan's movements, you're also here for a different agenda."
Bai Zan nodded at this as she gave him a good look and replied, "Correct, the Ruin Openings will occur soon, with the rumored Avonz Ruins speculated to be appearing as well. My branch is more interested in forming a connection with some of these core hidden powers associated with the Avonz Empire."
Han Yi showed a look of realization at this; he stared at the scene with more depth in his eyes as he asked, "Since that's the case, then I can assume that both of these powers are some of those core powers. It's a good plan, but wouldn't it be meaningless if we can't survive today's ordeal?"
"Han Yi, I will admit that I'm a bit worried due to that guy's power, but I still believe that we should underestimate these Weavers, especially that rumored He Wuhan. I believe that sometimes when making investments, we should be willing to take on certain risks." Bai Zan said as her eyes showed a firm look, she clenched her slender palms tightly; it seemed she was willing to die with her beliefs.
'Risks are only worth it if there wasn't a ninety-nine percent chance of dying, che! Darn, I really must have been mad to accompany her this time.' Han Yi thought as he gritted his teeth and said nothing more; he then remained silent as he observed the scene with hope-filled eyes.
The Grand Preceptor floated in the sky smirked as he saw the scene below, but he didn't move to take action. His cold eyes swept downwards as if he was waiting on something.
While many of the onlookers discussed their fates, Hai Jinren, who was fighting against Zan Jin, couldn't help but frown as he saw the current scene, becoming distracted.
Zan Jin smirked at this as he hurriedly used his calabash and commanded, "Repel!"
Instantly, an energy wave fired towards Hai Jinren, who clenched his weapon tightly reacted. He waved one of his black thread blades as he shouted, "Black Thread Guard!"
Instantly, the threads in the shape of a blade transformed into a shield that parried the released qi attack, the collision blowing Hai Jinren a few meters backward before he stabilized himself onto the ground and glared at Zan Jin.
Dual Sword God: Book 7: The Crimson Devil of the Redlands Page 24