285: Chapter 285: The Mastermind Revealed

"Hum—"

The law seed let out a low hum.

The purple-gold light suddenly contracted, then exploded outward.

The runes stopped dancing, and the river of Law ceased its flow.

On the orb, the dark red markings flashed once, then dimmed again.

"It has stabilized!" roared Family Head Zhao Tiangang excitedly.

"Seize it!" Lion Cangqiong clawed toward the orb.

Eight experts attacked simultaneously.

Eight terrifying auras collided once more, and the stone chamber fell into chaos again.

Supreme Elder Jian Cangqiong's Sword Intent slashed toward Lion Cangqiong's claws, Snake Emperor's poisonous mist sprayed toward Family Head Zhao Tiangang, Feng Tian's Nirvana Fire burned toward Lei Tian, and Chi Tian's cold aura froze toward Sparrow Emperor...

No one could get close to the law seed.

Whoever approached was attacked by the others.

The melee erupted again, even more intense than before.

Because everyone knew this was the last chance.

Once the orb was taken, there would be no more opportunities.

Family Head Zhao Tiangang went all out.

He took a blood-red Medicinal Pill from his Storage Ring and shoved it into his mouth.

It was an enhanced version of the Nine-Turn blood burning pill, a forbidden drug that burned Lifespan in exchange for power.

He had already consumed one before, and taking another meant gambling with his life.

His aura surged, leaping from the Body Integration Late Stage to the Body Integration Peak.

His gray spiritual energy turned blood-red, and he looked like a god of slaughter.

He slapped Lion Cangqiong away with one palm, punched Supreme Elder Jian Cangqiong back, and charged toward the law seed.

Lion Cangqiong was not to be outdone.

He bit the tip of his tongue and sprayed essence blood onto his mane, turning the golden flames on it blood-gold.

His speed increased drastically; he tore through Family Head Zhao Tiangang's palm shadow with one claw and rushed in front of the law seed.

Both hands reached for the orb simultaneously.

"Bang!"

Their hands collided, palm shadows and claw shadows clashing, erupting with an earth-shaking roar.

Both were sent flying, spitting blood from their mouths.

The orb was knocked away by their collision, tumbling through the air.

Supreme Elder Jian Cangqiong slashed with his sword, the sword light knocking the orb toward himself.

He reached out to catch it, but Snake Emperor's tail whipped over, knocking the orb away.

Feng Tian's Nirvana Fire burned the orb toward Lei Tian, Lei Tian slashed the orb toward Chi Tian, Chi Tian froze the orb toward Sparrow Emperor, and Sparrow Emperor sucked the orb toward himself...

The orb flew back and forth between the eight experts like a football being kicked around.

No one had obtained it, yet no one had given up.

Xiao Ran watched this scene, sighing inwardly.

These Body Integration Stage experts, usually high and mighty, viewed those at the Void Refinement Stage as ants.

Yet now, they were like a pack of starving dogs fighting for scraps, disregarding their image, dignity, and life.

The temptation of the Mahayana Stage was truly terrifying.

"Hum—"

The orb let out another low hum.

This time, it was louder, longer, and more piercing than before.

The dark red markings on the surface of the orb flared up suddenly, like countless veins pulsing.

A scent of decay surged from the orb, filling the stone chamber.

The scent was so intense it was nauseating, and even the air was stained dark red.

The eight experts' expressions changed simultaneously.

"Something is wrong!" Supreme Elder Jian Cangqiong shouted sternly.

"Retreat!"

He was the first to retreat.

He was the calmest one; his Sword Intent was warning him frantically, telling him that danger was imminent.

But some did not have time to retreat.

Or rather, they did not want to retreat.

Family Head Zhao Tiangang reached for the orb, his fingertips already touching its surface.

His eyes were filled with excitement; he thought he was about to succeed.

"It's mine!"

A black light shot out from the orb, instantly shrouding him.

The black light came faster and more violently than before.

Countless tentacles extended from the orb, wrapping around Family Head Zhao Tiangang's arms, body, neck, and face.

The tentacles were black, with dark red markings flowing across their surface, dense like veins.

They wrapped tighter and denser, cocooning Family Head Zhao Tiangang.

"Ahhh!"

Family Head Zhao Tiangang screamed in terror and pain.

His spiritual energy circulated frantically, trying to break free from the tentacles.

But the tentacles were like iron hoops, unmoving.

His aura plummeted rapidly, dropping from the Body Integration Peak to the Body Integration Late Stage, from the Body Integration Late Stage to the Body Integration Middle Stage, and from the Body Integration Middle Stage to the Body Integration Early Stage.

"Family Head Zhao Tiangang!" Lion Cangqiong's expression changed drastically.

"Run! That black light is strange!" hissed Snake Emperor.

Lion Cangqiong retreated immediately.

Lei Tian was a beat too slow.

Just as he wanted to retreat, the black light had already spread to his feet.

Black tentacles drilled out from the ground, wrapping around his legs and dragging him toward the orb.

"No!"

Lei Tian roared, lightning exploding around his body, trying to break free from the tentacles.

But the tentacles were not afraid of electricity; the lightning strikes hit them like cotton, with no reaction.

His aura was also plummeting rapidly, dropping from the Body Integration Peak to the Body Integration Late Stage, and from the Body Integration Late Stage to the Body Integration Middle Stage.

Chi Tian was also slow.

It was not that his reaction was slow, but his speed was slow.

The Evasion Technique of the Mystic Ice Chilong Clan was inferior to other clans, and his body was massive, making his movements sluggish.

By the time the black light spread to him, he had only retreated three steps.

The tentacles wrapped around his tail and dragged him back.

"Damn it!" Chi Tian spat out a breath of cold air, freezing the tentacles.

The tentacles shattered, but more surged forward, wrapping around his body.

His cold air was effective against the tentacles, but there were too many; he could not freeze them all.

His aura was also dropping.

Sparrow Emperor was the smartest; he had already flown to the edge of the stone chamber.

The black light did not reach him, and he escaped unscathed.

Feng Tian also retreated quickly; her Nirvana Fire could burn the tentacles, but she had not been entangled.

Lion Cangqiong and Supreme Elder Jian Cangqiong both retreated to a safe distance.

City Lord Li Qingge had been holding Old City Lord Li Cang, standing near the entrance of the stone chamber, and was not affected either.

The black light lasted for about ten breaths, then slowly dissipated.

The tentacles retracted into the orb, and the orb returned to its original appearance.

But this time, the dark red markings on the surface of the orb were not dim but glowing with a faint, eerie light.

Family Head Zhao Tiangang collapsed to the ground, covered in injuries, his aura weak.

His cultivation had dropped from the Body Integration Peak to the Void Refinement Early Stage, the same as Old City Lord Li Cang.

Not only that, but his hair had turned completely white, and the wrinkles on his skin were deeper, resembling a piece of withered wood.

Lei Tian and Chi Tian also collapsed to the ground, their cultivation dropping from the Body Integration Peak to the Void Refinement Peak.

They were better off than Family Head Zhao Tiangang, but they were also severely injured, lying on the ground unable to move.

The stone chamber was deathly silent.

The only ones left standing were City Lord Li Qingge, Supreme Elder Jian Cangqiong, Lion Cangqiong, Snake Emperor, Feng Tian, Sparrow Emperor, and Xiao Ran, who was cowering behind a stone pillar.

Six Body Integration Stage experts, two of whom were injured.

"Family Head Zhao Tiangang is finished." Lion Cangqiong's voice was hoarse, carrying a trace of sorrow for his kind.

"Lei Tian and Chi Tian are also crippled," hissed Snake Emperor.

Supreme Elder Jian Cangqiong stared at the orb, sword light swirling in his black eyes.

His Sword Intent did not warn him again because warnings were meaningless now.

What was meant to happen had already happened.

"Should we continue to seize it?" Feng Tian asked.

No one answered.

Just then, the dark red markings on the orb suddenly exploded.

Countless beams of black light shot out from the orb, intertwining, wrapping, and condensing in the stone chamber.

In the black light, a massive figure slowly emerged.

It was a Nine-Headed Snake.

Nine heads, twenty-seven eyes, pitch-black all over, with blood-red markings covering its scales.

Its body was a hundred zhang long, coiled in the stone chamber, almost filling the entire space.

Its eyes were blood-red, with vertical pupils filled with madness and greed.

It exuded a scent of decay, so intense it was nauseating, and even the runes on the stone walls were corroded and dimmed.

Nine-Headed Snake Emperor.

The strongest expert of the Yao Race, slain by Li Qinglian ten thousand years ago, his remnant soul had been sealed in these ruins all along.

He had devoured the cultivation of Old City Lord Li Cang, Family Head Zhao Tiangang, Lei Tian, and Chi Tian, absorbed their vitality, and finally condensed a physical form.

"Ten thousand years... This Emperor has finally... returned..."