58: Chapter 58 You have ruined my grand plan of a thousand years!

That sound of piercing through the air was extremely sharp, causing a tingling sensation in everyone's eardrums.

The Azure-Feathered War Bird also let out a miserable, piercing wail, its huge body sinking abruptly in the air.

"Hold steady!"

Elder Xiong's face turned pale, and the spiritual energy inside his body poured without reservation into the Azure-Feathered War Bird beneath his feet, simultaneously erecting a heavy spiritual shield to envelop everyone within.

But the coercion sweeping over from the depths of the mountain range was unimaginably heavy, as if the entire firmament had collapsed.

Violent ripples appeared on the surface of the shield, emitting an unbearable "creaking" sound.

"Divine Ability Realm... It is a great Yao Beast!"

Elder Xiong's voice was dry and hoarse.

Divine Ability Realm!

That was a terrifying existence comparable to the Grand Elder of the Sect, capable of moving mountains and filling seas with a mere gesture.

A major Yao Beast of this level usually slept and cultivated in the deepest part of the Tianyao Mountain Range, so how could it run to the periphery?

Were they not afraid of being besieged by the top powerhouses of the Great Xia Dynasty?

Elder Xiong could not figure it out, nor did he have time to think.

"Go!"

He roared, desperately urging the Azure-Feathered War Bird to transform into a cyan stream of light, fleeing for his life toward the direction of the Sect.

However, it was useless.

The aura behind them locked onto them and was rapidly closing the distance at an unimaginable speed.

They could not escape.

This thought despairingly surfaced in everyone's mind.

In front of absolute power, all struggles appeared so pale and weak.

The Disciples were pinned tightly onto the back of the war bird by that coercion, unable to even move a single finger, and could only feel death approaching step by step.

Amidst the dead silence of despair, Zhao Ruoan was rapidly turning his thoughts.

This aura...

Why was there an indescribable sense of familiarity?

He could be certain that since his Transmigration, he had definitely never contacted a Divine Ability Realm major Yao Beast.

But this aura, which carried a hint of gloom amidst its ferocity, always felt like it had been felt somewhere before.

Where was it?

"Rumble!"

A streak of purple lightning cut through the sky, illuminating the massive dark shadow pursuing from behind.

That was a one-horned savage ox whose size was several times larger than the Evil-Horned Mad Ape.

Its entire body was covered in black scales, its four hooves stepped on crackling purple thunder, and the spiral horn on top of its head gathered even more destructive power.

A pair of crimson beast pupils were filled with coldness and tyranny.

A Divine Ability Realm major Yao Beast, a Thunder Beast!

"We're screwed."

A Disciple muttered despairingly.

Elder Xiong's body was trembling slightly.

He took a deep breath and made his decision.

"Ruoan, and all Disciples, listen well."

His voice exuded a resolute determination of sacrificing his life for righteousness.

"This old man will do his utmost later to fight for a sliver of survival for you all. Do not care about anything else, and flee back to the Sect at the fastest speed!"

"This Thunder Beast's target is this old man; it will not chase after you all!"

"To be able to protect the future of you all and the Sect, this old man's death will be well-deserved!"

Having said that, he was about to break away from the formation and turn to face the world-destroying Thunder Beast.

"Elder, do not be impulsive."

A hand steadily pressed down on Elder Xiong's shoulder.

It was Zhao Ruoan.

"Even if you stay, it's just throwing your life away."

Zhao Ruoan's words were direct, yet they were an indisputable fact.

Elder Xiong was stunned, looking back at this young man who had maintained his composure from beginning to end, temporarily not knowing what to say.

"You..."

"Elder, protect everyone well."

Zhao Ruoan did not explain much and pulled out a warm, smooth jade talisman from his bosom.

This was the protective talisman given to him by his Revered Master, Yun Qinghan. Sealed inside was a strand of her Sword Qi, which was also his final trump card.

At the exact same time he took out the jade talisman.

That One-Horned Thunder Beast seemed to have lost its patience.

It opened its huge mouth and let out a heaven-shaking roar.

The surrounding thunder frantically converged toward its mouth, eventually condensing into a purple thunder pillar as thick as a water vat, violently blasting toward the Azure-Feathered War Bird!

Wherever the thunder pillar passed, space emitted a distorted, mournful wail.

The shadow of death enveloped everyone.

Elder Xiong's eyes split with rage as he was about to burn his essence blood to make a desperate struggle to the death.

"Hum—"

A clear, resounding sword hum echoed across the heaven and earth.

The jade talisman in Zhao Ruoan's hand shattered.

A sword light that was cold to the extreme, as if capable of freezing the Divine Soul, soared into the sky from the shattered jade talisman.

That sword light was not particularly brilliant, but it carried a supreme majesty that looked down on all things, directly slashing forward to meet the world-destroying purple thunder pillar.

The moment the sword light collided with the thunder pillar, time seemed to freeze for an instant.

Immediately following that, the domineering and peerless purple thunder pillar was split in half down the middle by the cold sword light, quietly annihilating.

The momentum of the sword light did not abate, tearing through the rain curtain and instantly slashing onto the body of the One-Horned Thunder Beast.

"Puchi!"

The black scales shattered at the sound, and blood burst forth.

The One-Horned Thunder Beast's mountain-like body was forcefully sent flying hundreds of zhang away by this sword, smashing into the mountain forest below with a loud crash and stirring up a sky full of dust and smoke.

The might of a single sword was terrifying to this extent!

On the back of the Azure-Feathered War Bird, the Disciples who had escaped death were stunned for a moment before bursting into heaven-shaking cheers.

"We won! We won!"

"Too strong! This sword strike is too fierce!"

"We're saved! We're truly saved!"

Everyone thought the crisis had been resolved.

Only Zhao Ruoan and Elder Xiong saw their expressions not relax, but instead grow even more solemn.

Elder Xiong was a Divine Soul Realm powerhouse. He could clearly perceive that in the mountain forest below, although the aura of the One-Horned Thunder Beast showed some disorder, its Foundation was undamaged.

This sword strike only injured it; it was far from enough to be fatal.

As for Zhao Ruoan, through the keen perception of the Great Dao Scripture, he sensed an intent to kill that was even more violent and furious than before, frantically brewing within that dust and smoke.

Trouble was huge.

"Roar—!!"

A roar filled with endless fury came out from the deep pit.

That One-Horned Thunder Beast shook its huge head and stood up once again.

In front of its chest, a sword scar deep enough to see the bone pierced through its entire body, and purple-black blood was constantly gushing out. However, its pair of crimson beast pupils were locked tightly onto the Azure-Feathered War Bird, locked onto Zhao Ruoan.

A cold, hoarse voice that did not belong to a Yao Beast exploded in everyone's mind.

"Human..."

"You have ruined this seat's thousand-year grand plan!"

"Thousand-year grand plan?"

"This seat?"

On the Azure-Feathered War Bird, everyone was dumbfounded.

This Thunder Beast could actually speak human language?

Elder Xiong's expression changed. Having lived for hundreds of years, this was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

Zhao Ruoan himself was also completely confused.

How did he get involved with the thousand-year plan of a Divine Ability Realm major Yao Beast?

This blame came from the sky, and no matter how much he wanted to shake it off, he couldn't.

But that lingering, faint sense of familiarity still lingered in his heart and refused to go away.

He closed his eyes, cast aside distracting thoughts, and operated the Great Dao Scripture to the absolute limit, using his full strength to perceive the Origin aura emitted by the One-Horned Thunder Beast below.

Ferocious, gloomy, filled with the destructive power of thunder, and a trace of decaying Death Qi.

Wait, Death Qi?

In Zhao Ruoan's mind, a flash of inspiration suddenly flickered past.

He remembered!

The Tianxing Ruins! That Elder Tianxing who faked a corpse rising from the coffin and wanted to carry out Possession on him!

This Thunder Beast's Origin aura was almost identical to the aura of Elder Tianxing's remnant soul back then! It was just wrapped in an incomparably heavy layer of Yao power, and added a bit of tyranny belonging to a Yao Beast.

But that core, gloomy and decaying taste could not be wrong.

Wasn't Elder Tianxing's corpse long brought out of the ruins by him and properly buried by the Sect?

How could a corpse turn into a Divine Ability Realm major Yao Beast?

This matter exuded weirdness everywhere.