Wanyan Jun and the others knew the stone in Ling Xiao’s hand could store true essence, but they were unaware of the array stone’s true potential.
So they didn’t think much of it.
Unbeknownst to them, Ling Xiao had refined the “Plague Bone Array” into the array stone, allowing him to use it once without additional materials.
For multiple uses, he’d need to replenish materials.
Ling Xiao picked up the array stone, stored it in his Mountain River World, and pointed to where the demon general had vanished, saying, “Senior Brother Chen Zui, now do you think I can do it?”
There, a staircase leading underground appeared, clearly carved and paved with stone slabs.
The Plague Demon King had gone to great lengths to build such a passage.
The group gazed at the descending staircase, swallowing hard, visibly excited.
“Senior Brothers, should I go first, or would you like to?”
Ling Xiao asked with a smile.
Wanyan Jun chuckled, “Among the four of us, only Junior Brother Ling understands arrays. Naturally, you should lead, as we don’t know what traps or arrays might lie below.”
Ling Xiao cursed his shamelessness inwardly.
But he said, “Very well, I’ll go first then. But if we find any treasures, I hope you won’t get jealous, Senior Brothers.”
“Wait!”
Chen Zui suddenly called out, transmitting to Wanyan Jun, “Senior Brother Wanyan, we can’t let this kid go first. He’s greedy, what if he pockets everything into his storage ring? We’d have no way to confront him.”
“You’re right!”
Wanyan Jun snapped to attention. Though he planned to kill Ling Xiao and Shangguan Lei after, plans could fail, and he didn’t want Ling Xiao to take advantage.
“Junior Brother Ling, you’re our savior, how could we let you take the risk? I’ll lead, you follow behind me, how’s that?”
With that, Wanyan Jun spoke to Ling Xiao.
“Fine.”
Ling Xiao saw through Wanyan Jun’s intentions but didn’t bother exposing them.
The staircase was designed to prevent invasions, narrow enough for only one person to pass.
So Wanyan Jun led, Ling Xiao followed, then Shangguan Lei, with Chen Zui at the rear.
Clearly, they were watching Ling Xiao and Shangguan Lei to prevent any mischief.
The descent was uneventful.
Wanyan Jun quickened his pace.
Though danger loomed, opportunities came with risks, and there might be treasures below.
No, there definitely would be!
After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the space opened up.
As Ling Xiao predicted, an expansive underground palace lay below.
Its opulence rivaled the manor above.
“Look!”
Wanyan Jun, in the lead, suddenly stopped.
He saw people working.
Ragged and emaciated, they were alive, unmistakably human.
“These must be the valley’s residents and some captured Martial Vein Realm warriors, now enslaved.”
Ling Xiao, seeing through it all, was inwardly surprised.
The mystery of the deserted Plague Valley was solved.
Their survival was good news.
Some carried massive stones, others pushed wheelbarrows, while some chiseled irregular stones into squares.
They were building an altar.
“Is this to resurrect someone?”
Ling Xiao’s heart jolted; this was clearly a legendary “Life Altar.”
With enough sacrifices, even the dead could be revived.
The four concealed themselves; ordinary people and Martial Vein Realm warriors couldn’t detect them.
“What a massive Life Altar, spanning a hundred meters. Look at the statue being worshipped!”
Wanyan Jun, an inner disciple of the Moonlight Sect, recognized the Life Altar.
It comprised the altar, a sacrificial blood pool, and a worshipped statue.
Sacrifices were placed on the altar.
The blood pool held precious blood.
The statue represented the one to be revived.
Ling Xiao was shocked to see three Third-Level Mortal Realm warriors in the altar’s giant stone bowl.
“Junior Brother Liu, Junior Brother Zhang, and Junior Sister Qin! Heavens, they’re being used as sacrifices for the Plague Demon King!”
They were Moonlight Sect disciples who had come to Plague Valley on a mission.
Rumored to have vanished or died, their bodies never found, they were now sacrifices.
A grim fate.
“They’re already dead, beyond saving.”
Ling Xiao sighed.
Their bodies lacked life, only lingering soul wails remained, visible only to him.
“Look at that statue, who is it?”
Above the sacrifices stood a statue over ten meters tall.
“A blood-red robe blotting out the sky, blood-red eyes piercing through all, an evil heavenly eye on its forehead inspiring dread, a three-headed, six-armed deity capable of slaying countless warriors, red horns atop its head as if to pierce the heavens, hair aflame like burning skies… could it be *that* person!”
Wanyan Jun dared not speak the name, trembling at the thought.
“The True Demon Emperor!”
Though fearful, Ling Xiao was more resolute than Wanyan Jun.
He had prepared mentally.
Since encountering Lord Zhan and linking it to the Plague Demon King, he suspected they were under the True Demon Emperor.
Tens of thousands of years ago, the Human King and the first batch of Sacred Dynasty powerhouses vanished.
Then, a terrifying force emerged on the Heavenly Dragon Continent.
In a single day, they conquered several cities, founding the “True Demon Empire.”
This alarmed the twelve sects backing the Sacred Dynasty.
Initially, they thought it a minor issue, as the Sacred Dynasty’s history was filled with such reckless rebels.
But as time passed, the True Demon Empire’s territory grew, annexing barbarian, blue-eyed, and ninja lands, eventually surpassing the Sacred Dynasty itself.
