“Oh?”
Mo Yue and Ruan Qinglan’s eyes lit up at Wang Ming’s words. A fourth-grade spirit stone could significantly boost their chances of breaking through, stirring their desire. The scroll, too, was likely extraordinary.
“Kid, you defeated Yuan Ren, so your talent’s not bad. Hand over the items, and I’ll let you leave,” Mo Yue said, his gaze cold and menacing.
“Heh…” Lin Xiao sneered. Let him leave? A nice promise, but the moment he surrendered the items, they’d likely attack. He was under a kill order from the Nether Sky Demon Palace.
Hand over his treasures?
Absolutely impossible!
And could they even stop him if they tried?
So, Lin Xiao ignored Mo Yue’s words.
“Hmph, ignorant fool. You’ll regret this!” Mo Yue’s icy killing intent surged.
“Heh, no need for Brother Mo to deal with this kid,” Ruan Qinglan chuckled sinisterly, his body blurring into a shadow as he shot toward Lin Xiao.
“Brother Ruan, don’t hold back. He’s Lin Xiao, the one under our palace’s kill order!” Wang Ming shouted.
Ruan Qinglan paused, his grin turning cold. His speed surged, his palm shattering the air, striking fiercely at Lin Xiao’s chest.
“The twenty-eighth-ranked Human Demon List disciple, far stronger than Wang Ming. Lin Xiao’s in danger now,” the crowd murmured, shaking their heads. Though he’d defeated Yuan Ren, they doubted he could handle someone of Ruan Qinglan’s caliber.
Feeling the swift, powerful palm strike, Lin Xiao’s face grew serious. He activated his newly mastered Sealing Heaven Stone Hand.
Other attacks might not defeat Ruan Qinglan, especially with Mo Yue watching. But the stone hand could yield unexpected results.
“Hiss!”
Lin Xiao’s right arm transformed rapidly, flesh turning to stone. Clenching his fist, his movements slowed as if weighed down, then he punched toward Ruan Qinglan’s palm.
*Boom!*
A loud crash echoed as fist met palm, stone qi erupting between them.
To Lin Xiao’s own surprise, his stone fist easily repelled Ruan Qinglan’s palm, smashing into his chest and sending him flying.
*Bang!*
A thud resounded as Ruan Qinglan crashed into the ground, kicking up dust.
In that instant, everyone’s eyes widened, faces frozen in shock.
What just happened? The twenty-eighth-ranked Ruan Qinglan, effortlessly smashed into the ground by Lin Xiao, so frail?
It didn’t add up!
Wang Ming was stunned, Mo Yue’s face showed surprise, and even Yuan Ren, barely recovering, was dumbfounded. He didn’t believe Ruan Qinglan was weaker than him.
If Lin Xiao could casually blast Ruan Qinglan away, why had he struggled so much against Yuan Ren?
“It’s that stone arm! He mastered the scroll’s technique!” Yuan Ren realized, shouting in shock.
“The scroll’s technique is that powerful!”
“It’s truly a massive opportunity!”
The crowd gasped, eyes glinting with greed, though the situation kept them from acting.
“Oh?” Mo Yue’s pupils narrowed, a mix of coldness and greed surging. Terrifying killing intent radiated from him.
“Ah!” A furious roar erupted from the ground. Ruan Qinglan shot skyward, seething with rage, hair disheveled, looking disgraced.
“Lin Xiao, I’ll kill you!” His eyes blazed with fury. A twenty-eighth-ranked disciple, humiliated by a third-level Martial King—his reputation would be ruined.
In that moment, Mo Yue abandoned leaving Lin Xiao to Ruan Qinglan. Both attacked simultaneously.
But then, a deep, hoarse, mysterious voice echoed in everyone’s ears: “Not god, not demon!”
The words sent a shiver through the crowd. Where was this voice coming from? It felt like someone speaking directly into their ears.
They scanned around, but even their keen senses couldn’t pinpoint the source, as if it emanated from every corner of the void.
Mo Yue and Ruan Qinglan paused. The voice carried no vital energy, yet it seemed to speak right beside them, chilling and eerie.
It felt ancient, weathered, almost inhuman.
Even Lin Xiao’s heart trembled, a deep unease rising, mirroring the strange feeling he’d had entering the Stone Mountain Range.
Despite the Heaven-Devouring Spirit Emperor’s knowledge, he couldn’t trace the voice’s origin.
His gaze instinctively turned to the cave’s entrance.
Though he couldn’t locate the voice, the cave seemed the most likely source in this place.
“Roar!” “Roar!” “Roar!” …
A sudden upheaval followed. Stone effigies marched out of the cave, moving in unison, their steps kicking up dust.
“What?”
The sight stunned everyone. The effigies were walking out of the cave?
Ruan Qinglan and Mo Yue, newly arrived, were especially shocked.
This was unthinkable.
“Roar!” “Roar!” “Roar!” …
The rhythmic roars continued. In moments, thousands of stone effigies emerged.
A wave of killing intent radiated from each, coalescing into a torrent of murderous aura, sweeping toward the crowd.
*Swoosh!* *Swoosh!* *Swoosh!* …
Then, countless effigies surged forward, charging the crowd a thousand metres away at startling speed—some rivaling mid-tier Martial Kings.
“What!”
Even Lin Xiao’s face showed shock. Weren’t these effigies mere burial substitutes? How could they attack?
