Chapter 422: Bitter Battle!

Du Xiangyang and the Xiahou Family arrived one after another and immediately saw the spectacle at the center of the burning lake.

A tombstone was suspended high above the lake’s center, and it shone with seven dazzling, divine lights.

The divine lights resembled ropes and chains, firmly wrapped around the Fire Qilin that burned with brilliant flames.

The corpse of the Rank Eight spirit beast was gradually being dragged out of the lake. The seven divine lights entangling the Fire Qilin were like ribbons that seemed to be draining something.

“A Fire Qilin!”

“The Rank Eight spirit beast… Fire Qilin!”

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Du Xiangyang exclaimed in shock.

Xiahou Yuan screamed as well.

The eyes of both groups blazed with desire as they stared intensely at the tombstone and the Fire Qilin. They looked so anxious that it seemed like they could hardly control themselves, yet they did not know how to approach these treasures.

Qin Lie in particular was frowning in shock at the spectacle.

The tombstone and the Fire Qilin were both quietly suspended above the center of the lake.

Everyone stood beside the lake and felt incredibly uncomfortable in the terrifying heat. Qin Lie and Xiahou Yuan aside, even Du Xiangyang, who cultivated a fire spirit art, did not dare to jump into this lake.

The burning lake and its roiling flames were more than enough to melt him into a pool of blood!

It was in this way that the three factions were scattered at the edges of the lake, staring at the tombstone and the Fire Qilin’s body hovering above the lake’s center, wracking their brains to try and come up with a plan.

Unable to think of anything, everyone was surprised to discover that the wild flames on the Fire Qilin shrunk at a shocking rate, slowly dying out.

Everyone’s gazes focused.

They immediately discovered that the seven divine lights shooting down from the tombstone seemed to be devouring some sort of energy from the Fire Qilin’s corpse. They watched as the divine lights inside of the tombstone grew brighter and brighter until the tombstone itself glowed with dazzling divine light.

The Fire Qilin’s body, on the other hand, seemed like it was being drained of its aura and flesh.

The flames on its body gradually went out, and the dazzling light hovering above its scarlet body also faded bit by bit.

Everyone could see that the huge amount of energy inside the Fire Qilin’s body was being absorbed by the tombstone.

The tombstone, which had been suspended in midair for so long, suddenly moved again.

It moved in the direction of Qin Lie!

Du Xiangyang and Xiahou Yuan immediately grew excited. They stared dead-eyed at the tombstone and walked toward Qin Lie at the same time.

“Xiahou Shang! Xiahou Qiang! Xiahou Ta! Kill that person from Heavenly Sword Mountain!” Xiahou Yuan roared, pointing at Du Xiangyang in the distance.

The three Xiahou Family experts laughed cruelly as they rushed toward Du Xiangyang like three gusts of wind.

Du Xiangyang’s face darkened as he wordlessly unsheathed the Scarlet Fire Sword. His skin was a frightening red that resembled that of a cooked prawn.

A terrifying aura filled with fiery energy burst from Du Xiangyang’s body. The Scarlet Fire Sword in his hand transformed into a blazing dragon, spitting a tongue of flame that was half a meter long.

“Hehe… as long as you’re not Luo Chen, you’re basically dead!” Xiahou Shang chuckled strangely.

Xiahou Qiang, Xiahou Ta, and Xiahou Shang each took out a three meter long flag. The flags depicted pitch black clouds, purple flames, and dark green skulls. It looked incredibly bizarre.

“Whoosh whoosh whoosh!”

Wisps of pitch black smoke emerged from the flags. Icy cold purple flames and dark green skulls were mixed into the smoke.

A bloodcurdling aura instantly enveloped Du Xiangyang and everything around him like a huge, dense web.

The pitch black smoke also shrouded Xiahou Shang and the other two. They laughed, channeling their spirit arts together.

Smoke engulfed Du Xiangyang.

As that was happening, the Xiahou Family’s ringer Xiahou Yuan charged toward Qin Lie. His bald head was shiny, and his laughter was sinister. “Too bad you didn’t meet up with Luo Chen as soon as possible. Tough luck, kid! Say goodbye to the world of the living!”

Xiahou Yuan wore exquisite, purplish red gauntlets on his fists that were covered in extraordinary gash marks.

He continuously swung his fists as he charged at Qin Lie. A pair of violent, fearsome energies surged into his gauntlets, and his arms expanded like balloons.

“Whoosh whoosh!”

Two purple dragons suddenly erupted from his fists. They looked as if they were alive, and strange horns were visible on their heads.

The tombstone was currently floating above Qin Lie’s head, slowly moving to him while dragging the Fire Qilin’s body.

Qin Lie didn’t know why the tombstone was returning to him or how it found the Fire Qilin’s body. He also didn’t know why it dragged the Fire Qilin’s body from the depths of the lake or why it absorbed the energy that remained inside of it.

He was only certain of one thing—since the tombstone returned, it belonged to no one else but him!

“Heh… I dare you to try and take what’s mine,” Qin Lie said, grinning.

The Astral Thunder Hammer suddenly flew out of his spatial ring. The sound of booming thunder and crackling lightning resounded from his body as numerous thick bolts of electricity flooded into the Astral Thunder Hammer.

A shocking explosion flared as dense patterns of lightning appeared above the Astral Thunder Hammer. Numerous motes of light that resembled stars flew out of the hammer and shot toward the area in front of Qin Lie.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

The astral thunder struck the two purple dragons and exploded, reducing them to countless purple spirit lights that scattered everywhere.

The explosion also scattered the fiery liquid of small lava ponds nearby. Xiahou Yuan snorted coldly, yet could not help but temporarily stop his swift charge.

Only when all of the lava had fallen from the sky did Xiahou Yuan say, “Hmph. A mere brat in the early stage of the Netherpassage Realm dares to try fighting me? What a fool. Surrender the tombstone then cut your own neck. If you do that, I’ll leave your corpse intact. If not, I won’t leave any trace of you!”

“Oh, really?” Qin Lie licked the corner of his lips, his eyes shining with the light of excitement. “I’m standing right here. I dare you to show me how you’ll leave no trace of me!”

“Fine!”

Xiahou Yuan laughed wickedly as he took a giant bow out of his spatial ring. He nocked a silver arrow and aimed at Qin Lie from afar.

The bow was even taller than Xiahou Yuan. Strange, tiny symbols were engraved into the silver arrow. These runes resembled ancient, knife-shaped characters that radiated simple but severe pressure.

At the peak of Netherpassage Realm, Xiahou Yuan was the ringer of the Xiahou Family. Not only was his realm astonishingly powerful, he also had plenty of precious spirit artifacts at his disposal.

The Divine Wood Spirit Bow was one of the spirit artifacts that he possessed. This bow was an Earth Grade Two spirit artifact. The arrows it used were made with Immortal Wood as the main component. Each one was carefully crafted and engraved with numerous extraordinary spirit markings that enhanced the penetrating capability and destructive power.

“Creak!”

Xiahou Yuan drew the bow to its limit and stared at Qin Lie with eyes as sharp as an eagle’s. A terrifying aura that felt as though it could obliterate everything flowed from his body.

Qin Lie’s pupils shrank. Feeling Xiahou Yuan’s sharp aura, he could not help but be cautious.

“Swoosh!”

A silver arrow soared like a rainbow, intent on piercing Qin Lie’s face. It carried a frightening aura of intimidation that pained Qin Lie’s soul.

The arrow was imbued with all of Xiahou Yuan’s strength, immense refined spirit energy and the strange energy of the ancient markings.

“Crack!”

Qin Lie instantly formed wall of solid ice in front of him. It exploded when the arrow struck it, scattering ice in every direction

Yet the arrow continued to fly as powerful as ever.

“Bang!”

A thick wall of yellow earth appeared, and as the power of earth faded immediately afterward, it exploded.

The tip of the arrow shook, but the force of the arrow still hadn’t been exhausted.

There was a thunderous rumble as the Astral Thunder Hammer hurtled downward to smash the silver arrow into smithereens.

When the sharp arrow exploded, Xiahou Yuan laughed coldly and took out another one.

Qin Lie, however, chuckled strangely in return, his eyes staring into Xiahou Yuan’s with icy cruelty.

Xiahou Yuan suddenly realized that something was wrong.

—Then he saw several metallic silver balls by a pool of lava near his feet. These metallic balls seemed to have landed there when the wall of solid ice, the wall of yellow earth, and his own silver arrow exploded.

He had initially thought that they were sword fragments.

However, now that he lowered his head and examined the metallic balls, he felt thunderous energy inside of them.

“Terminator Profound Bombs!”

Xiahou Yuan suddenly shouted as if he had seen a ghost. He flew backward in retreat, completely disregarding everything else.

“Boom!”

Four Terminator Profound Bombs exploded all at once. A terrific explosion covered the entire area.

Bolts of lightning spread amidst the thunderous explosion. Xiahou Yuan’s cry of pain faintly rang out in the midst of it.

A streak black lightning flew out of the explosion, spilling blood. Xiahou Yuan howled angrily as he swiftly escaped into the distance.