‘The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.’
Lei Mo and Ai Po had been hiding here for so many days. They held their breath and used secret treasures to cover their aura to wait for this moment.
At the moment the gray light cage broke, Lei Mo and Ai Po stormed out robustly. They glided to the Heaven Thunder Beast, which had just gotten out of the astral cold wind, and attacked it.
A precious silver mirror sparkled dazzlingly in the air and spotted the Heaven Thunder Beast.
Heaven Thunder Beast seemed to get hit badly. It crouched, s.h.i.+vering unceasingly under the light of the mirror.
Five Golden Dragon Coiling Ropes shot out from Ai Po’s sleeves. The Golden Dragon Coiling Ropes glistening with gold lightning furiously wound around the Heaven Thunder Beast.
Heaven Thunder Beast was subdued under Lei Mo’s mirror, while its soul was puzzled. It was struggling, as the thunder and lightning power of its entire body was roused.
The Dragon Coiling Rope was the treasure that Ai Po forged, braided from sixty types of metal fibers. It was as flexible as cotton and as rigid as iron.
The production price of a Dragon Coiling Rope was almost ten thousand top-grade Essence Qi Crystals. As Ai Po took out five ropes at the same time, apparently, he had invested all of his capital in this.
The Dragon Coiling Rope was a dangerous tool to tie the beasts. Unless the beast had reached level 9, it could never escape the coiling, no matter how hard it tried.
The precious mirror shone radiantly in the silver light just like a silver stream, illuminating the Heaven Thunder Beast.
The Dragon Coiling Ropes tied the Heaven Thunder Beast. The beast looked dull-witted as the violent light in its eyes dimmed out. Then, it fainted.
Lei Mo and Ai Po cooperated, pulling the Heaven Thunder Beast and turning into a blazing golden light, shooting toward a deep place in the graveyard far from there.
Someone was watching at the tomb entrance. When Lei Mo and Ai Po came, they immediately activated some secret technique that instantly their auras.
The series of actions were as fast as lightning. Ye Xiong shouted, then storm towards the Heaven Thunder Beast. But he then realized that the result was already determined.
s.h.i.+ Yan, Zhu Yi, Yue Ying, and Yun Xiu gawked, looking at Lei Mo and Ai Po succeeding their clandestine operation, while they could do nothing.
The silver light radiating from the mirror in Lei Mo’s hand seemed to have a restraining power that could affect people’s Essence Qi Ancient Tree, which shrank the Essence Qi in their body and restrained their power, making them unable to urge their power.
Lei Mo seemed to have known beforehand that they would arrive.
As Lei Mo disappeared, the mirror was retrieved, and everybody’s power was restored.
However, Lei Mo and Ai Po had disappeared into a tomb’s entrance, leaving no trace of their aura.
Ye Xiong paled as his face darkened, "d.a.m.n it! They had hidden for that long time to ambush the Heaven Thunder Beast!"
He didn’t know Lei Mo and Ai Po’s purpose.
"How many people know the secrets of the Heaven Thunder Beast and the Ancient Cave Mansion? Before we got here, didn’t you say that only the Martial Spirit Palace and the Heaven Temple know it? Why are people of the Fighting Union taking part in this too?" Yue Ying’s countenance was cold and bitter.
Lei Mo and Ai Po’s sudden operation that captured the Heaven Thunder Beast right in front of their eyes was like a slap in their faces.
"Lei Mo and the others had been hiding there for a long time. They didn’t know how to lure the Heaven Thunder Beast. That’s why they were waiting for a good chance." Zhu Yi squinted. "You used the Seven-leaflet Soul Cutting Gra.s.s to lure the beast, which gave them the good opportunity. I don"t know what they would do."
They approached the entrance of the tomb where Lei Mo and Ai Po disappeared.
Dark purple air currents moved in there with the gloomy cold wind. But they didn"t detect Lei Mo’s and Ai Po’s life fluctuations.
Ye Xiong released his Soul Consciousness, surveying carefully. His face grimaced as he didn’t sense anything. Zhu Yi, Yue Ying, and Yun Xiu also released their Soul Consciousness.
However, when the Soul Consciousness got into the entrance, it was like sinking into a bog, preventing it from sensing anything inside.
"This place’s so strange," Zhu Yi thinned his lips while frowning. "Old Ye, why do people of the Fighting Union know about it as well?"
"I don’t know," Ye Xiong shook his head." Perhaps, the Martial Spirit Palace and Heaven Temple had exposed it …"
"First of all, how did you discover the Ancient Cave Mansion?" s.h.i.+ Yan couldn"t hold down his curiosity.
"Gongsun Tao of the Martial Spirit Palace invited me to the Shady Firmament Old Mound. He said that he wanted to dig up ancient graves. He said that there was a Sacred Level treasure of Earth cla.s.s. He wanted me to help, so I agreed. On the way there, we found the Heaven Thunder Beast…" explained Ye Xiong.
Gongsun Tao was the team leader of Martial Spirit Palace this time. He had the Third Sky of Spirit Realm cultivation base. This team was still surrounded by the barrier which s.h.i.+ Yan had broken before.
Besides Ye Xiong, he had invited Zhuo Hui of Heaven Temple to the Shady Firmament Old Mound to dig up an ancient grave. After they opened the tomb, Gongsun Tao had the treasure of Earth cla.s.s he had desired.
When he tried the secret treasure for the first time, no one knew what he had provoked, but the Heaven Thunder Beast appeared.
When the Heaven Thunder Beast arrived, it released the thunder and lightning power which covered the whole sky and activated some formations too. When the thunder and lightning power of the Heaven Thunder Beast took over the center of the formation, people saw a flame sealed inside the formation eye. Lightning from that flame was quite fiery and powerful.
When the thunder and lightning power stormed over, they saw a gloomy cave mansion in the formation eye, which diffused the aura of an old place. Vaguely, they could see buildings and palaces, the sign of a mighty and wealthy sect.
The Heaven Thunder Beast moved around the barrier for a while, then disappeared together with the barrier. They didn’t know where it had gone.
Gongsun Tao, Zhuo Hui, and Ye Xiong searched for a while and found the Heaven Thunder Beast again. This time, it stayed in a strong astral wind covered area.
Gongsun Tao, Zhuo Hui, and Ye Xiong found out that their Soul Consciousness would be affected badly if they approached the astral wind. Thus, they retreated in panic.
The three of them started to attack the Heaven Thunder Beast from outside. Later on, they figured out that when the Heaven Thunder Beast urged its power to the acme, it could activate a barrier that revealed the Cave Mansion in the formation eye.
It was out of their expectation that the location of the ancient barrier wasn"t fixed. Seemed like it was constantly moving. Every time it appeared, it was in another location.
And, the level 8 Heaven Thunder Beast gradually got their purpose as it hid deeper in the astral wind area, and didn’t come out anymore.
Thus, no one had another way around. They had to catch the Heaven Thunder Beast and use it to enter the ancient barrier.
They hadn’t come for the Heaven Thunder Beast in that trip, that’s why they weren’t well equipped. They didn"t have the spiritual herbs to lure the beast, or any treasures that could restrain it. Eventually, they had to come back in regret. They would prepare and then come to this place again.
The enticement of the World Distinguis.h.i.+ng Thunder Flame and the Ancient Cave Mansion was too big. The three of them had argued right before they got out of the Shady Firmament Old Mound. They had fought against each other with the thought of occupying the treasures for themselves.
At that time, Ye Xiong fell into the lower hand. The other two put him aside and even wanted to kill him first. Ye Xiong had to struggle hard to get out of the Shady Firmament Old Mound with some wounds.
Ye Xiong’s words were concealed as he hid all the key factors.
However, s.h.i.+ Yan and the others could make it from his words. They guessed that those three had a big fight, which was really uncomfortable, to compete for the Ancient Cave Mansion and the World Extinguis.h.i.+ng Thunder Flame.
"The Heaven Thunder Beast is the key, right?" s.h.i.+ Yan pondered. "As long as the Heaven Thunder Beast urges its power to the acme, the ancient formation will be activated?"
"We’ve done the experiment. It’s true," nodded Ye Xiong.
"Lei Mo’s the City Master of the Thunder Emperor City. He seems to be good at using thunder and lightning power. Do you think he could activate the barrier?" frowned Zhu Yi.
"No, it’s impossible. Otherwise, Lei Mo wouldn’t need to capture the Heaven Thunder Beast," Ye Xiong shook his head. "I think at this moment, Lei Mo and Ai Po have occupied the ancient tomb. If we get down there, we will encounter their ambush."
"If we don"t get down there, we can’t take anything," Zhu Yi forced a smile.
"We have s.h.i.+ Yan, right?" Luo Xiao laughed. "Formations and barriers, s.h.i.+ Yan could get through them all. We just need to get there directly."
People’s eyes brightened.
"I need to recover first." s.h.i.+ Yan mused for a while. "There isn’t only the barrier, but also Lei Mo and Ai Po. If we want to get there, I need to restore my power completely."
"Right," nodded Ye Xiong.
s.h.i.+ Yan didn’t say any unnecessary words, and started to recover his Essence Qi right in front of the others.
After an unknown time, while s.h.i.+ Yan was still adjusting his breath, Ye Xiong’s eyes suddenly got colder as he shot his look to the general direction behind them.
A group of people that all looked like beggars was strolling toward them with distressed eyes and vicious looks.
They seemed to have gone through the devastation of a violent storm. All of them looked exhausted. However, as soon as they saw Ye Xiong’s group, ferocious light sparkled from their eyes.
"Ye Xiong, you did well!" A man walking in the front couldn"t help but shout.
"Gongsun Tao, before I left, you didn"t hesitate to hurt me. If I weren"t smart, I would have been died in your hands," Ye Xiong beamed an indifferent smile.
"It’s you!" Gongsun Tao thundered.
Zhuo Hui of the Heaven Temple also wore a dark face. Malicious light flashed in his eyes as he looked at Ye Xiong’s group with evil intent.
"Who’s so excellent to destroy the formation eye directly?" Mo Ling Er wiped the tangled hair on her forehead. Her s.h.i.+ny eyes like gems raked through each of the members of the other group.
"Don’t think that if you know the formation, it’s enough to swagger in the Shady Firmament Old Mound. Many people are better than you," Ye Xiong beamed a faint smile and threw a glance at s.h.i.+ Yan.
Mo Ling Er’s beautiful eyes flashed up with a strange light as she gazed at s.h.i.+ Yan, her face odd. "Is that him?"
"He’s more transcendent than you," Ye Xiong laughingly said.
Mo Ling Er snorted. The corners of her mouth arched oddly. "Well, we shall try to know."
"Where’s the Heaven Thunder Beast?" Gongsun Tao was enraged. "Did you succeed?"
There was no trace of the Heaven Thunder Beast in that astral wind area, which gave Gongsun Tao a wrong a.s.sumption.
"I’m not the one who succeeded," Ye Xiong forced a smile. "Lei Mo and Ai Po of the Fighting Union got it."
"How did the Fighting Union know about this?" Gongsun Tao didn’t buy it. "Besides us, no one else knows. You lie to us. You have the Heaven Thunder Beast."
Everybody in Gongsun Tao’s team had their spirit risen up.
Mo Ling Er gazed at s.h.i.+ Yan, her face angry. She was about to attack him.