“That’s right, I’ve heard about it too. It seems someone got it before.”
“That’s great news. I’m already at eighty percent strength, half a step from Heavenly Venerate. I’m not far from advancing to the Celestial Realm. I must find this treasure, or I’ll be stuck at half-step Heavenly Venerate forever. That would drive me mad.”
“Hmph, you lot bullied me back at the ruins. After this trip to the True Demon Palace, my cultivation will soar, and you’ll be the ones in trouble. I’m a genius. What are you lot worth?”
“Genius, my foot. You’re just full of yourself. Once we’re inside, I’ll take you out first.”
Voices rose and fell. Warriors rarely got along peacefully unless they were from the same sect, kin, or had no conflicts of interest.
When interests clashed, the most straightforward solution was to settle it with a fight, to determine the victor.
Warriors rushed eagerly into the palace. Ling Xiao and his group, however, moved at a steady pace.
As they entered the palace, shouts and the sound of combat erupted behind them. A young girl was being chased.
The girl was strikingly beautiful, exuding a regal aura, clearly someone of high status.
Yet her clothes were tattered, pierced in several places.
Curiously, despite the damage to her clothing, her skin remained unscathed, a testament to the pursuer’s precise control.
The young man chasing her, likely seventeen or eighteen, wasn’t particularly strong, only at twenty percent strength, half-step Heavenly Venerate.
Even so, he easily overpowered the girl.
“Little miss, why run so fast? Why not have some fun with me? If you satisfy me, I can protect you on the road ahead.”
The young man wore a lecherous grin, his eyes fixed on the girl’s torn clothing.
He was dressed flamboyantly, his clothes garish, with a large red flower in his hair, clearly not a respectable figure.
“Young Master Flying Fish, my brother and senior brother are over there. Dare to insult me, and you won’t live long. If you push me, I’ll use a secret scroll to escape, and you’ll get nothing.”
“What can those people do to me?”
Young Master Flying Fish sneered dismissively.
He noticed Ling Xiao and the others but paid them no mind.
Moonlight Sect’s trash? Why would he care?
“Senior Brother Ling, please help my sister.”
Zhao Zhi hurriedly turned to Ling Xiao.
“Don’t worry. Zhao Ci is a Moonlight Sect disciple. Helping her is my duty.”
Ling Xiao smiled faintly.
With a flick of his hand, a flying sword shot out from behind him.
Young Master Flying Fish, still leering as he closed in on Zhao Ci, suddenly sensed danger.
Before he could react, his head was severed from his body. A flash of sword light returned to its owner.
Killing Young Master Flying Fish was as easy as slaughtering a fish or a chicken.
Zhao Ci stared in shock at the figure, at the commanding young man.
Today’s Ling Xiao was even more radiant than before.
His long black hair flowed without wind, his eyes gleaming with wisdom and dominance.
She felt a pang of emotion.
She was grateful she hadn’t been entirely foolish. Months ago, she had apologised to Ling Xiao in person and received some guidance from him.
Had it been the old her, Ling Xiao likely wouldn’t have bothered to save her.
Once, she had been arrogant, believing her royal status made her superior, dismissing Ling Xiao as insignificant.
But reality had taught her what true strength and influence meant.
In her gaze, Ling Xiao had risen from an obscure outer disciple to a core disciple who commanded respect, all in just half a year.
“Let’s go together.”
Ling Xiao said calmly.
He had once despised Zhao Ci for her lack of discernment.
But there was no deep grudge between them. After her change of heart, they had exchanged some words.
After all, this Northern Han Kingdom princess was Zhao Zhi’s sister.
The group entered the True Demon Palace together, only to find those who had entered earlier crowded in a spacious corridor.
At the corridor’s end was a stunning crystal wall, displaying moving images, almost lifelike.
The images replayed scenes of the True Demon Emperor’s coronation.
Near the wall lay a corpse, seemingly electrocuted, its death gruesome.
The crowd hesitated to approach, likely due to the corpse.
“What a bunch of cowards. Watch me.”
A voice boomed from the crowd. A warrior at fifty percent strength, half-step Heavenly Venerate, burly and imposing, charged at the crystal wall.
The next moment, a horrifying scene unfolded.
The moment his body touched the wall, he was struck as if by lightning. His skin charred black, bones exposed, a ghastly sight.
Identical to the previous corpse.
“What the hell?”
Those who had planned to follow stopped dead. The scene was too terrifying; no one dared to try.
“This is a special barrier of the True Demon Empire, called the ‘Picture Wall’. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? But it’s a deadly thing.”
Feng Yaorao stepped forward, speaking slowly.
True to her status as a disciple of the Heavenly Dragon Academy, she was knowledgeable.
“How do we get past this damn Picture Wall?”
Someone asked anxiously.
“You’re asking me? I don’t know either. It’s said the Picture Wall is made of a complex array, capable of killing Yin-Yang Realm warriors with ease, let alone Celestial or Cave Heaven Realm. For us Mortal Realm warriors, trying to pass is suicide.”
Feng Yaorao shrugged.
Ling Xiao was puzzled. If that was true, how had others passed before?
There had to be a way.
With that thought, he activated his Mountain River Martial Soul, scanning for any clues.
At that moment, more warriors rushed in from outside, likely the last group.
“Look, the entrance has closed. Does that mean only these three hundred or so passed the earlier trials?”
“Exactly. The rest were either eliminated or dead.”
The speaker clearly knew the True Demon Forbidden Land well.
“Ling Xiao, get out here.”
A voice roared suddenly.
It was Tang Jiu.
Ling Xiao knew why he was being called and asked calmly, “What does Brother Tang want?”
“Want? Did you kill my brother, Tang Qi?”
Tang Jiu’s voice was icy, chilling those nearby.
“What a joke. Which eye of yours saw that?”
Ling Xiao retorted.
“You, come here.”
Tang Jiu shouted at a Poison King Sect disciple.
