!?
Hearing this, everyone simultaneously turned their gaze in the same direction. Sure enough, several corpses clad in Sacred Dragon Sect attire lay stiffly on the ground, their necks bleeding profusely as steaming blood pooled beneath them, forming a crimson puddle.
"Dead?!"
"How is this possible? They shouldn't have entered much earlier than us. How could they be dead?!"
Lai Ningxiang flashed to the side of the corpses, crouching down to examine them before saying, "They must have just died. The blood is still warm, and..."
"And what?"
Seeing the headless bodies on the ground, Lai Ningxiang's voice grew grave. "And all three of the Sacred Dragon Sect's Soul Emperors were killed."
Hiss!!
Leng Cheng looked at the massive antlion eggs surrounding them and denied, "Three Soul Emperors dead? Impossible! How could mere ten-year Spirit Beasts kill Soul Emperors?!"
Lai Ningxiang: "Their eyes were wide open before death, as if they'd seen something unbelievable. There might be—"
Before Lai Ningxiang could finish, an unfamiliar yet powerful aura suddenly emanated from the depths of the cavern.
"That person said this place was extremely well-hidden and wouldn't be discovered. How did these people find it?"
A deep male voice slowly echoed from the darkness. Hearing the voice, Lai Ningxiang instantly retreated to rejoin the group, and all seven of them prepared for battle.
As the sound of splashing footsteps grew closer, a pair of legs appeared before the group. But when they saw the feet, all seven of them froze, their pupils contracting in shock.
Soon, a complete figure emerged from the depths—entirely white. Its legs, torso, and arms were all white, not from clothing or skin, but from a hard, white exoskeleton. Its arms hung naturally, its hands extending past its groin, and its back was slightly hunched forward. If not for the ant-like head atop its neck, it would resemble a slightly hunched adult human.
"You—a Spirit Beast that can talk?!" Even the well-traveled Ning Feng Hong was stunned. What kind of Spirit Beast was this, capable of speech?!
The Antlion Man sighed, scratching its head. "What a nuisance. People keep barging in. I just killed a few old ones, and now more show up. Whatever, I'll just kill you all."
"Watch out!"
Whoosh! A white blur flashed past, moving so fast it was nearly invisible. Even Lai Ningxiang, a Soul King specialized in speed, could only catch a glimpse of the white figure appearing before her. Despite her agility, she had no time to dodge or defend.
The Antlion Man swung its fist, striking Lai Ningxiang's arm with terrifying force. The exaggerated power instantly shattered her arm, bones exploding and blood spraying. The sheer force even fractured her ribs and sternum, reducing them to fragments.
Whoosh—Boom! Lai Ningxiang was sent flying, slamming into the wall before collapsing motionless.
"Bastard!" Seeing their companion struck down with unknown fate, the others erupted in fury. Yuan Jie immediately activated his Soul Skill, transforming into a ferocious beast resembling a stegosaurus, his arms morphing into blades as he thrust forward.
The Antlion Man walked past Yuan Jie with seemingly slow steps, yet white light flashed as pieces of his dragon-scale-like armor were sliced apart. His hands were severed like fragments, blood gushing like fountains before his massive body collapsed with a thud.
Watching the Antlion Man approach step by step, the defensive Soul Master with a shield-type Martial Soul stepped forward. "Ten-thousand-year Soul Skill—Indestructible! I'll buy you time."
Instantly, the shield in his hands transformed into a massive, heavy gate, blocking the Antlion Man's path.
"Indestructible?" The Antlion Man chuckled at the ten-thousand-year Soul Skill before him. "Isn't that human idiom supposed to mean 'impossible to destroy'? Or did I remember wrong?"
With a sickening thud, the Antlion Man punched forward. Like a hot knife through butter, his fist pierced through the Martial Soul's defense, simultaneously punching straight through the Soul Master's body.
"H-How... How is this possible? You... you actually—" The shield-wielder tried to speak, but his throat clogged with blood, silencing him.
The rest of the team was utterly stunned. Even with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's buffs, Liao Chen, their main defensive specialist, couldn't withstand a single strike from the Spirit Beast—his shield was pierced instantly!
"A forty-thousand-year... no, fifty-thousand-year Spirit Beast?!"
Whoosh! The Antlion Man's figure blurred into a streak of white light. In an instant, the remaining three Soul Kings were slashed open, their bodies bearing massive wounds so deep their organs were visible. Three Soul Kings—annihilated in a blink.
"Fifty-thousand years? No, I'm barely past ten thousand. It's just that you human Soul Masters—and those Spirit Beasts who only know how to eat and sleep—are too weak. Not that I'm too strong." The Antlion Man was a chatterbox, rambling incessantly even as he slaughtered several Soul Kings in seconds.
Of the seven-man squad, six combatants had been obliterated, leaving only the support-type Ning Feng Hong. Under Ning Feng Hong's terrified gaze, the Antlion Man—taller than him—stood right before him.
Studying the powerless Ning Feng Hong, the Antlion Man's compound eyes and twin antennae locked onto him. Then, the creature bared its grotesque maw and spoke: "Your Martial Soul is stronger than theirs, yet you're the weakest in combat. How amusing."
"Spare m—"
Crunch! The Antlion Man's jaws snapped shut, biting Ning Feng Hong's head clean off. Blood erupted in a crimson spray, staining the creature's mouth red. Gripping Ning Feng Hong's body with both hands, the Antlion Man took bite after bite, devouring him like a hamburger.
A pity—not everyone had mastered the art of perfect timing.
"Clear Sky Nine Absolute Heavens Techniques—Void!"
"Hm?" The Antlion Man's head twisted 180 degrees backward. By the time it spotted Tang San, the Clear Sky Hammer was already descending upon it.
Amidst a thunderous roar, Tang San shattered the ground beneath him, spiderweb cracks spreading underfoot. The Clear Sky Hammer was dragged upward, tearing through the air as it swung down. Without hesitation, without holding back, Tang San brought the hammer crashing like a falling star, upheaving the entire cavern floor.
Channeling every ounce of his Soul Power, the Clear Sky Hammer crackled with arcs of lightning from sheer speed and force—as if all life should prostrate before this strike.
A God-level legacy—the Clear Sky Nine Absolute Heavens Techniques.
In that split second, the Clear Sky Hammer, infused with the Void technique of the Nine Absolute Heavens and Tang San's full Soul Power, smashed into the Antlion Man with devastating force, sending the creature flying.
The Clear Sky Hammer came crashing down, sending the Antlion Man flying far away. A final deafening "boom" shook the earth as the hammer's immense force slammed the creature's entire body against the wall, smashing a massive hole through it.
Yet Tang San's expression showed no trace of triumph or relief. He shouted at Qian Renxue, who still looked dazed, "Freckles, use whatever trump card you have now, or we'll die!"
Tang San wasn't speaking without reason. When he and Qian Renxue had arrived here, he had already activated the Rakshasa God Eye.
[Unknown Spirit Beast. No record of this Spirit Beast exists in the Rakshasa God's memories. Extremely dangerous.]
[Age: 13,600 years.]
Feeling better today, so there will be four updates.
(End of Chapter)