With the River Soldiers in hand.
Xing Ying of the Five Elements Divination Sect seemed to have completely changed into another person. Even his attacking style and techniques have become exceptionally vicious, and the six pract.i.tioners who were surrounding him were killed within a few exchanges. Throughout the entire process, he used the Third Rank incantation seals of the Five Elements Divination Sect at least four times.
Logically speaking, even if Xing Ying"s level of cultivation had already reached the Starburst Realm, it was still impossible for his body to withstand such a large expenditure of True Energy.
A faint blue glow seeped slowly into Xing Ying"s Spiritual Sea from his dagger.
The others, and perhaps even Xing Ying himself, would not have expected that the River Soldiers would supply its wielder with True Energy, and with such pure True Energy to boot. When he killed the six pract.i.tioners, the dagger in his hand had transmitted True Energy six times to him. Each time the dagger pa.s.sed through the bodies of his opponents, it seemed to absorb their True Energy for him.
Upon close examination, one would notice that there were blemishes around the wounds on the corpses, and even their flesh and blood seemed to have been s.n.a.t.c.hed away by the artifact.
Xing Ying extended his arms, with the River Soldiers in hand, and exclaimed like a beast that had finished feasting. The clothes on his upper body had directly split into two, and his chest muscles had visibly expanded. Even his bones seemed to be gradually extending, giving off a light cracking sound.
A piercing aura began to emanate from Xing Ying"s body.
This aura was not True Energy from the Cultivation World. It was filled with vengefulness, just like when the River Soldiers had emerged.
"How could the River Soldiers be obtained by Xing Ying of the Five Elements Divination Sect? It doesn"t match Zhai Xingzi"s divination!" Jue Shuo of the Judicature secretly thought. He did not think highly of Xing Ying.
"How dare a disciple of the Five Elements Divination Sect take the River Soldiers? Wishful thinking! He may even not know how he dies later!"
"This man is obviously only at Starbust Realm power, but the amount of True Energy he possesses seems to be inexhaustible. His aura is still so concentrated, after fighting for so long!"
"It should be the effect of the Divine Tool. I know this Xing Ying; he doesn"t have such power."
Very quickly, everyone had obtained an accurate a.n.a.lysis of Xing Ying and had deduced that the River Soldiers Divine Tool had the ability to transit True Energy to its wielder. It was also extremely sharp. Any Level 2 magical treasure that came into contact with it would immediately be rendered sc.r.a.p.
"Let"s attack together. I don"t believe that a single disciple of the Five Elements Divination Sect can defy the Heavens!" someone shouted, wanting to surround Xing Ying.
"Use long-ranged attacks and don"t engage him in close quarters combat. The Divine Tool is too sharp, and we should avoid its blade."
In the blink of an eye.
Magical artifacts and flying swords began hurtling in the Great Hall. Xing Ying, who was their common target, used the Divine Tool to hack at the artifacts at first, but after a while, he realized that it was an impossible task. One man was no match for a pack of opponents in the end, especially if they took turns to come at him like this. It was hard for someone trapped in a formation like that to turn the tide.
Without killing, the River Soldiers was unable to absorb the True Energy, flesh and blood of its opponents. As such, it could not continue to guarantee a never ending supply of these things to Xing Ying.
A gust of mist blew past, and Xing Ying finally found an opportunity to begin attacking.
Immediately after Xing Ying left the altar with the River Soldiers in hand, two figures began attacking everyone around them. One of them was the warrior in gold armor, and the other was the huge black dragon. They seemed to be under the control of the Divine Tool.
By this time, Ye Que had already walked slowly to a spot not far away from Red Bean by supporting himself on the walls.
By this time, there was already a trail of blood streaming down the forehead of the mysterious young lady dressed in white. Her face was a little pale, but the Blood Curse seemed to be almost ready. Ye Que had seen many curses before, and he was a master of curses himself, but even he was a little shocked to see the Blood Curse conjured by Red Bean.
Ye Que had never seen a Blood Curse that could give out this kind of primeval power from ancient historical times. At the same time, he grew even more curious about Red Bean"s ident.i.ty. "What kind of person is she actually?"
"Or rather, what is she actually?"
"Is she even human?"
Noticing the Blood Enchantment in front of Red Bean, Ye Que could not help but look a little judgmental, and he began to worry somewhat. From his previous conversations with Red Bean, it was not hard to guess that she had some prejudice to humans.
Perhaps, she did not even agree with the existence of the entire human race.
If that was true, it was highly likely that Red Bean was not human.
Red Bean blinked her eyes as she met Ye Que"s questioning gaze. She then asked very calmly and seriously, "Can I trust you?"
Ye Que was a little stunned as he listened to Red Bean"s question. "You saved me, and I owe you a life," he replied instinctively.
"Then I can believe you?" Red Bean asked the same question again, but her tone was slightly different. Her meaning was also naturally different.
Ye Que thought about it and nodded as he looked into Red Bean"s eyes.
Ye Que was not a staunch guardian of Dao; he was clear about that. No matter whether he was in Demon-slaying Asura form in his previous life, or the youthful Ye Que of this life, his "Dao" was never about all lifeforms.
He slayed demons, but he did not hate them.
His "Dao" was more close to being "carefree". He did as he pleased.
As such, Ye Que felt that as long as he accepted Red Bean, it did not matter what her true ident.i.ty really was. Even if she was a Demon Queen, they could still remain in contact if both of them were willing. What was wrong about making friends with a Demon Queen?
Ye Que added a few words after nodding. "You can trust me," he said certainly.
"Good."
Red Bean replied with a single word after receiving Ye Que"s confident affirmation. She then looked at the huge black dragon near the altar of the Great Hall. "I need to do something," she said in a somewhat low tone.
"It"s very dangerous."
"I"m not sure if I will succeed or not."
"If I do, however, I may need protection for a period of time."
Red Bean was still very calm as she said all of this. She did not seem to have any intention of pleading. Ye Que would a.s.sist if he was willing, and she did not even bother to think if the person she asked for a.s.sistance from would have the ability to help her or not.
She had just asked Ye Que purely out of instinct.
There was no human known as Ye Que in her original plans.
His Spiritual Sea was still unreplenished currently, and he had even problems helping himself.
"You want me to protect you?" Ye Que said as he pointed to himself.
"Are you willing to do that?" Red Bean replied very seriously.
She paused before adding, "If I perish later on, there"ll be no need for that. You can take it that I"ve never asked you for anything."
Ye Que did not reply her immediately but took a careful look at the condition of his own body. He definitely would not have the ability to kill their opponents, but the shred of Divine Energy he managed to gather just now could still possibly help him escape or keep him safe here, if luck was on his side.
He had been through more dangerous situations when dealing with the demons in the Celestial World. Currently, his Spiritual Sea had been drained, and he has little Divine Energy left, but it did not mean that he could move.
After confirming that, Ye Que felt a little unconfident. However, Red Bean"s question was whether he was willing to help her, not whether he could.
"Sure."
Ye Que gritted his teeth and nodded. He could feel the burden on his shoulders increasing. Suddenly, he seemed to have thought about something and raised his head. "Don"t tell me you"re preparing to seize the River Soldiers? If so, I really can"t guarantee if I can protect you if you succeed."
The Divine Tool was everyone else"s target, and they would surely be surrounded if she obtained it. They would be unable to leave the Great Hall, much less return to Luoyang.
"Rest a.s.sured, I"m not after the River Soldiers. I want that," Red Bean replied as she pointed unexpectedly to the magical looking sculpture of the huge black dragon on the altar.
"Remember what you promised me. If you leave me behind when I survive this, you"ll be dead!" she glared at Ye Que ferociously. Finally, she stopped questioning Ye Que and focused all of her attention on the huge black dragon.
Without waiting for Ye Que to voice his opinions, Red Bean lifted the oil paper umbrella in her hand and charged forth.
The Blood Curse which contained primeval power from pre-historical times began to move as well.
At the same time, Li Jianqi and the Judicature, who had been observing away from the battle, struck as well. They also utilized a rarely seen enchantment, and from the looks of it, they seemed to have borrowed the dynastic aura particular to royal families.
Everything seemed to have been planned. The huge black dragon began to tremble violently immediately after being hit with Red Bean"s Blood Curse. Her aura seemed to resonate faintly with the huge black dragon, as if they were linked by a certain bloodline.
The dragon roared and began wrapping Red Bean up quickly. The primeval Blood Curse which was hanging in mid-air burst apart immediately, enveloping Red Bean and the black dragon in a ball of blood-red light.
Li Jianqi was in a similar situation to Red Bean, except that her target was the warrior in gold armor.
It was obvious that the Judicature had come prepared. It now seemed that their target all along was not the Divine Tool, but the warrior in gold armor.
With the aid of dynastic aura unique to royal families, coupled with the unique bloodline Li Jianqi possessed, the warrior in gold armor was instantly absorbed deep into the Spiritual Sea within her forehead.
She looked as though she had been immobilized.
Li Jianqi stood rooted to the spot, and her eyes were wide open but completely unfocused. She looked like a corpse of a person that had died with a grievance.
All of the remaining pract.i.tioners of the Judicature instantly surrounded her, creating a defensive formation.
Perhaps, all of the other pract.i.tioners in the Great Hall did not know that there was a mysterious secret behind the two sculptures. Even Ye Que had not discovered that the two statues were actually the spirits of the seal that was suppressing and imprisoning the Divine Tool. Without the Secret Key to the River Soldiers, one had to completely destroy the statues to release it from its cage.
The huge black dragon was an ancient divine dragon of the Undying Realm and created from the bones of dragons.
The warrior in gold armor was the battle soul of the three souls and seven spirits of the founding father of the Tang Dynasty. It was the soul of a true Great Emperor.
Red Bean"s goal was to absorb the dragon bones for her own use. Li Jianqi"s motive, or rather, that of the Crown Prince, was to keep the soul of the Great Emperor for her own use.
Now, everything depended on the two young girls themselves.
They were beings with high cla.s.s bloodlines, and a once in a lifetime opportunity was right before them.
Back on the Great Hall, Xing Ying"s battle prowess had become extraordinary with the aid of the River Soldiers. He managed to kill another three pract.i.tioners even after being surrounded. Up till now, he had already absorbed the True Energy, blood and flesh of nine pract.i.tioners.
"Who else!"
Xing Ying roared before launching another attack, the soul-devouring dagger glowing with a blood red light.
Suddenly, Xing Ying opened his eyes wide. The blood vessels and veins on his neck began to expand as well, and the back of his head began to pulse and tremble.