thefictionvixens Chapter 25 The Pursuit by a Top-Tier Powerful Being
Chapter 25 The Pursuit by a Top-Tier Powerful Being
The bronze lamp is engraved with intricate patterns and gleams with a metallic luster, exuding an ancient and extraordinary charm.
The wick was a crystal-clear, reddish bead, radiating a glow from within. The orange-red glow danced and pulsated like divine fire, dispelling the surrounding darkness and outlining the faces of a boy and a girl on the left and right respectively.
Yuan Qingsu and Yao Xi gathered around the "fire" he held in his hand, and by the light of the fire, they lowered their heads to read the inscriptions on the stone platform on which the ancient bronze lamp was placed.
The inscription on the stone is not difficult to decipher, dating back approximately four thousand years.
Yao Xi glanced at it briefly, then frowned slightly and said, "It seems to have been left behind by a powerful figure from the Ji family. His lifespan was nearly exhausted, and in order to survive, he entered the [Primordial Ancient Mine]. In that forbidden zone of life, he witnessed some incredible things, and then barely escaped with his life, bringing out this torch. He intended to bring it back to the Ji family, but unexpectedly, he perished here halfway. Before his death, he built this underground palace, set up restrictions, and sealed the torch here... No wonder the Ji siblings were able to find this place even without the map I have. They must have discovered clues outside, then returned to the family to consult the records and confirmed the location of this underground palace."
"But isn't what's recorded on it a bit too bizarre? Senior sister, come and look here."
Yuan Qingsu raised her hand, the one not holding the lamp, her pale fingertips tracing the last line of inscription on the stone platform, and said, "This powerful being claims to have come to [Fallen Sun Ridge], the place where Emperor Hengyu once forged his weapons, and saw this bronze lamp lying among the blood-stained sand. He concluded that the lamp came from Emperor Hengyu, that it was the true source of his power, and took it away... On what basis does he claim this lamp belongs to the Emperor?"
"Junior brother doesn't believe this lamp came from Hengyu?"
Yao Xi tilted her head slightly to look at him. Her profile, illuminated by the candlelight, was dangerously beautiful. Her voice carried a hint of amusement: "Do you know how Tu Tian, one of the Thirteen Great Bandits, obtained the body of the [Devouring Demon Jar]? He picked it up from a dried-up riverbed! Sometimes, some things are just that unbelievable. Besides, it's a tradition for emperors to pass on the torch in their later years, leaving it to the next destined person."
"The probability of this happening is extremely small."
"Since you don't believe me, junior brother, just give me this lamp."
"Why do you say that? This lamp was originally meant for you. Do you think I'm trying to take it by force, Senior Sister? You're underestimating me."
Yuan Qingsu shook her head, extended the hand holding the lamp forward, and placed it into Yao Xi's hand within the narrow space between the two. The lively lamplight moved from one end to the other, reflecting the flickering fire in their dark eyes, like a dim yellow star falling into a black pool.
They saw the stars in each other's eyes.
Not only the stars, but the two could even feel the heat exhaled from each other's mouths and noses.
They were so engrossed in reading the inscription on the stone platform that the distance between their foreheads had been unconsciously shrinking until they could no longer reduce the distance and then they realized it.
Upon closer inspection, the boy's handsomeness surpasses even that of Xinghuo.
"You're quite generous." Yao Xi smiled and accepted the torch into the sea of bitterness without refusing. Just as she was about to turn and leave, her hand was grabbed.
In the darkness, a strong hand grasped her soft hand and forcibly intertwined their fingers.
"?" Yao Xi looked at Yuan Qingsu and gave her a question with a smile that had no real meaning.
"You promised."
Yuan Qingsu, through contact and breathing in the faint, sparse Daoist aura emanating from the other party, said softly, "Intercepting Ji Haoyue, making me hold hands, or rather, the premium version of holding hands."
What is meant by the "premium version of holding hands"?
"Before the fight with Ji Haoyue, I said I'd have to pay more, and you agreed, remember?" Yuan Qingsu explained, "Paying more means raising the price, upgrading the basic condition of holding hands..."
"You don't want to touch me, do you?" Yao Xi's smile became even more dangerous, it seemed that the scene of Ji Ziyue finally giving in had left a deep impression on her.
"Senior sister, you've misunderstood me. I'm not a lecherous man." Honestly, at that time he really just wanted to find the bronze ring, and had no other intentions.
"Then I've really wronged you. Tell me, how much will you increase the price?"
"Let's get out of here first."
Yuan Qingsu's eyes flickered slightly as she looked towards the simple stone chamber. "I sense a terrifying aura approaching. The Void Mirror is back. That little golden-winged bird in the distance must be the Little Peng King of the demon race, right? Things are about to get lively here."
"Don't worry, I was prepared!"
Yao Xi took out a Xuan Jade Platform from the Sea of Bitterness and pulled Yuan Qingsu to stand on it together. Without the void sealing off, the intricate patterns on the Xuan Jade Platform glowed, opening a void passage.
Swish!
The two transformed into a streak of light and vanished into the void, disappearing from this place.
A moment later, a gigantic, pitch-black void handprint burst through the gate of the underground palace and entered. This handprint was so huge that it seemed to be the palm of a legendary giant god. In an instant, it filled the underground palace, made a grasping motion, and annihilated all things in the void within its palm, turning everything into ashes.
If Yuan Qingsu and Yao Xi were still inside, unless the forbidden artifact of the Buddha was used, they would surely be grabbed by this giant hand and turned into ashes.
Rumble!
After the giant hand was pulled out from the underground palace, the simple ruins collapsed instantly, and dust rose everywhere.
Above the ruins, at the source of the giant handprint in the void, stood a gray-haired old man with an overwhelming aura, his head adorned with a Void Mirror that resembled a bright moon, shrouded in a hazy, chaotic aura. He coldly snorted, "You ran quite fast!"
"Isn't that an ancestor of the Ji family? As a supreme expert, who would dare to offend him? He's even brought out the Ji family's ancestral imperial weapon!"
Meanwhile, among the young disciples who had gathered not far away, one, unaware of what was happening, whispered to a bright-eyed young man nearby, "Fellow Daoist, do you know what has occurred?"
"Because of Ji Haoyue, the divine body of the Ji family."
The young man, his eyes sparkling, took a deep breath and suppressed his excitement, saying, "Not long ago, the Eastern Wilderness Divine Body, which the Ji family had kept hidden for eighteen years, was born and fought fiercely here for the [Torch]."
"The Ji family's divine body lost?" the man asked.
"It's more than just a loss."
The young man, his eyes sparkling, clapped his hands and said, "It was a crushing defeat, a complete and utter loss. The fifth-level Dao Palace divine body was defeated by the third-level Dao Palace mortal body. And the opponent was a third-level Dao Palace cultivator who had just broken through in the heat of battle. His 'Holy Light Technique' was even more skillful than that of the Holy Son of Yao Guang. It even shattered Ji Haoyue's Dao Heart."
"...Such combat power?! No, wait, Holy Light magic? Are they disciples of the Yao Guang Holy Land?"
"Of course."
The young man nodded and exclaimed, "You didn't hear what he said, haha, 'The invincible thing isn't a certain physique or scripture, but a person. I can still crush the Eastern Wilderness Divine Body with a broom!'"
"That's pretty arrogant."
"Yes, this person is bound to be a great enemy of me and all my brothers. You didn't see it, Ji Haoyue even attracted a lightning tribulation later, but he was still overpowered by this person. In the end, if it weren't for that little moon of the Ji family sacrificing herself to feed the tiger..."
"Oh, please explain in detail the story of 'sacrificing oneself to feed a tiger'."
"Shh, you two, stop talking. The Ji family patriarch is so angry he's practically choking. Be careful, or a powerful figure might slap you both to death," someone warned from the side.
"Don't worry, my grandfather is Tu Tian," the big-eyed young man said confidently.
"Tu Tian, one of the Thirteen Great Bandits? You're Big Mouth Tu Fei?" The person asking the question was surprised, and then couldn't help but take a few steps back, quickly distancing himself from the little bandit.
At this moment, the Ji family patriarch, having deduced the direction Yuan Qingsu and Yao Xi had fled based on the remaining void fluctuations, sneered, "You can't escape!"
As he spoke, he merged with the void, activated the Great Void Technique, transformed into a streak of light, and chased after it, quickly disappearing from sight.
With powerful figures personally engaging in the pursuit, wielding ultimate weapons, everyone sensed that a storm was about to descend upon the Northern Region.