https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-204-Summoning-the-Beast-Kings-of-the-Ten-Great-Mountains-a-Decree-is-Given/12531836/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-206-An-Unexpected-Conclusion-Dominating-the-Celestial-Blue-World-/12531838/
Chapter 205: Is the Outer Realm Evil God Before Us?
Chapter 205: Is the Outer Realm Evil God Before Us? (Happy New Year)
In the Black Mist Mountains, the frail elder Qu Zhuang and Liao An waited at the site while the Divine Ape King sat apart, his eyes closed in contemplation as he reached out to the other Beast Kings.
"Uncle Zhuang, I still feel that something is amiss," Liao An said, scanning their surroundings with growing unease. He felt as if an invisible eye were watching them from the shadows. This sensation was strong, and it was usually only when facing life-or-death situations on the Evil God battlefield that he experienced it.
Liao An had fought on that battlefield for two to three hundred years, and the number of times he had truly faced life-threatening danger could be counted on one hand. Each time, it was his unique perception that allowed him to sense the impending peril and prepare accordingly, thus saving his life. It was these close calls and numerous accomplishments that had earned him his position as an elder of the Tianqing Alliance.
Yet now, here he was in the supposed absolute safety of the rear areas of the Tianqing World, feeling that same sense of foreboding. Liao An found it incomprehensible, but he couldn't help but voice his concerns to the frail elder Qu Zhuang.
In fact, ever since they had entered the Black Mist Mountains, Liao An had been feeling this way, but Qu Zhuang hadn't paid much attention to it.
"What's wrong?" Qu Zhuang asked in a low voice.
"What's wrong?" Liao An furrowed his brows, unsure himself what was amiss. He could only trust his sixth sense, which was screaming at him.
"Weren't all the Beast Kings supposed to be in the deepest part of the Black Mist Mountains? Why is the Divine Ape King here then?" Liao An glanced at the Divine Ape King and offered a random excuse.
"Well..." Qu Zhuang fell silent.
The mountains were the Divine Ape King's territory, and it could go wherever it pleased. It wasn't something they could control.
"Alright, follow me in," the Divine Ape King said. "They're ready to see you now."
The Divine Ape King rose, its massive body blocking out the sun and casting Qu Zhuang and Liao An into shadow.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Divine Ape King strode towards the heart of the Black Mist Mountains.
Qu Zhuang and Liao An exchanged glances.
"Don't worry, we're in the Black Mist Mountains. Those few Beast Kings wouldn't dare act against us, would they? They wouldn't want to incur the Alliance Master's wrath," Qu Zhuang said, attempting to reassure Liao An.
"I hope so," Liao An said, steeling himself before following Qu Zhuang forward.
As time passed, they drew closer and closer to the heart of the Black Mist Mountains.
"This..." Liao An's heart began to race, and his vision blurred.
Danger.
Danger.
Extreme danger.
Liao An felt every fiber of his being trembling.
"How could I be feeling this way?" Liao An couldn't believe it. The last time he had felt this way was over a hundred years ago.
Back then, Liao An had been a fourth-stage cultivator, fighting against the evil god puppets on the Evil God battlefield.
It was the first time he had experienced this foreboding sensation, and soon after, a powerful outer realm evil god had descended upon the battlefield, wreaking havoc.
"Outer realm... evil god?" Liao An's scalp tingled, and he found it hard to believe that he was experiencing the same feelings that had preceded the arrival of an outer realm evil god, here in the rear areas of the Tianqing World.
"I can't go on," Liao An said. "We can't go any further."
Though even he didn't truly believe that an outer realm evil god would descend upon the depths of the Black Mist Mountains, his body's instinctual reaction left him no choice but to retreat.
Even if it meant incurring the Tianqing Alliance's wrath and losing his position as an elder, he had to flee.
Whoosh!
Liao An's figure shot into the sky, and he fled madly towards the outside of the Black Mist Mountains.
"Ah?" The frail elder Qu Zhuang was taken aback by Liao An's sudden action.
He didn't understand why Liao An would suddenly do such a thing.
"You're still running?" The Divine Ape King, who had been leading the way, glanced at the fleeing Liao An and casually reached out with its right hand.
Boom!!!
A terrifying force pressed down on the space around them. Though the Divine Ape King was incredibly weak compared to Lin Yuan, and it had no capacity to resist him, it was still a Beast King.
To outsiders, even a sixth-stage elder of the Tianqing Alliance was incredibly powerful. With a single palm strike, it heavily injured Liao An and slammed him viciously into the ground.
"You..." Qu Zhuang was stunned and couldn't react for a moment.
First, Liao An had suddenly fled, and now the Divine Ape King had decisively attacked, severely injuring Liao An.
"Divine Ape King, how dare you?" Qu Zhuang said. Although he didn't know why Liao An had acted as he did, as an elder of the Tianqing Alliance, he naturally stood with Liao An.
Besides, Liao An hadn't done anything. There was no reason for the Divine Ape King to be so ruthless.
"He's not dead, just injured," the Divine Ape King said, looking down at Qu Zhuang.
"Just injured?" Qu Zhuang asked.
"Hmph, in that case, we'll return and tend to our injuries. When we've recovered, we can come back and convey the Alliance Master's orders," Qu Zhuang said after a moment of silence. He rose and flew towards Liao An.
The Divine Ape King's sudden attack and Liao An's earlier words had left him with a sense of foreboding. Qu Zhuang felt that the Black Mist Mountains were not what they used to be.
There were two possibilities.
One, the Divine Ape King had gone mad.
Or two, the Divine Ape King simply did not care about the Tianqing Alliance or its master.
Only then would it act so boldly.
"Are we going back?"
"No need to go back."
"I can tend to my injuries here."
The Divine Ape King lifted its head and gazed at the frail elder, Qu Zhuang, from afar.
"What?"
"Do you intend to keep me here to recover?" Qu Zhuang scoffed. Although his strength was inferior to the Divine Ape King, it was only a matter of degree.
The Divine Ape King wouldn't be able to severely injure him with a single palm strike like it had done to Liao An.
Liao An was a newly advanced sixth-stage cultivator, while Qu Zhuang had already been a sixth-stage powerhouse long before the invasion of the Primordial Demon Tree.
"Try me."
The Divine Ape King lashed out, its terrifying aura spreading.
"You're truly problematic, and so are the Black Mist Mountains," Qu Zhuang said, his words carrying weight. Not only had the Divine Ape King attacked Liao An, but it also intended to keep him here in the Black Mist Mountains permanently.
What were they trying to do?
"Break!"
Qu Zhuang's aura surged as he unleashed his full power, barely managing to stagger the Divine Ape King.
Then, he soared into the sky and sped towards the depths of the Black Mist Mountains.
"Not good."
The Divine Ape King took a step forward, intending to give chase.
"And you think you can catch me, you idiot?" Qu Zhuang turned his head and sneered.
With his speed, he would soon reach the outer regions of the Black Mist Mountains, where he could contact other members of the Tianqing Alliance.
"Black Mist Mountains, how dare you commit such a rebellious act! I will report this to the Alliance Master and crush you all!" Qu Zhuang's expression turned gloomy as he made his decision.
However...
Just at that moment.
Buzz!
A black vine silently emerged from the ground and lashed out, knocking the frail elder, Qu Zhuang, unconscious.
"Thank you, Master, for your assistance," the Divine Ape King said, striding forward and bowing towards the depths of the Black Mist Mountains.
If it weren't for that black vine, Qu Zhuang might have escaped.
Time passed, and both Qu Zhuang and Liao An gradually regained consciousness.
"I... I'm not dead?" Qu Zhuang's thoughts were muddled.
His last memory was of a black vine whipping towards him.
The feeling he got from that vine was far beyond what the Divine Ape King could achieve.
Facing a Beast King, Qu Zhuang still had the ability to resist.
But when he saw that black vine, he felt as if he were being squeezed from all directions, with no way to escape.
He had only felt such helplessness and despair when facing the Alliance Master of the Tianqing Alliance, the strongest person in the Tianqing World who wielded the World Sword.
It was like an ant gazing upon the heavens, powerless and hopeless.
A Peak Seventh-Stage powerhouse.
A Peak Seventh-Stage powerhouse had attacked them.
As soon as this thought formed in Qu Zhuang's mind, he lost consciousness again.
"Where are we?"
Liao An, who had woken up beside him, swallowed and looked around.
They were in a spacious valley, surrounded by abundant spiritual energy. If they were still in the Black Mist Mountains, they must be at its very heart.
"Uncle Zhuang, what should we do now?" Liao An asked, noticing that Qu Zhuang had also regained consciousness.
The two of them were filled with trepidation as they discovered that their spiritual energy, blood, and souls were sealed, rendering them unable to move even an inch. The fear in their hearts was palpable.
"Beast Kings..."
Qu Zhuang looked up and scanned their surroundings.
To his astonishment, he saw seven massive figures standing on either side in the distance.
Among them were the Divine Ape King, whom they had just encountered, as well as the Beast Kings he recognized: the Giant Elephant King and the Azure Bird King.
All seven Beast Kings of the Black Mist Mountains were gathered here.
What Qu Zhuang found most incredible was that these seven towering figures, usually so high and mighty, were now bowing respectfully towards the highest point in the valley.
Who was it that commanded such respect and submission from the Beast Kings? Qu Zhuang couldn't believe it. Beast Kings were proud and noble, always looking down on human cultivators.
Liao An paused, his eyes unwavering as he analyzed the situation for the being before them. "And although I don't know your relationship with the Outer Realm Evil God, if you join forces with the Tianqing Alliance, I will plead with the Alliance Master to spare your life once we deal with that evil god."
Liao An's words hung in the air as he finished. He based everything he said on his guess that the being before them was not the actual Outer Realm Evil God from beyond the world or, at the very least, not acting in concert with it. His conclusion stemmed from the fact that he and Qu Zhuang were still alive and conversing instead of suffering instant death, which would have been the case if they had encountered the genuine article. The true Outer Realm Evil God was notorious for its malevolence and power, leaving no room for negotiation with weaker beings.
Having stated his case, Liao An waited, his companion, the frail elder Qu Zhuang, doing the same. They were acutely aware that their lives hung in the balance, regardless of whether the being before them was Lin Yuan or the Outer Realm Evil God. Even if Liao An's eloquence could sway Lin Yuan, there was still the possibility that he would choose to kill them anyway. Their deaths would be final, even if the Tianqing Alliance avenged them later.
Time ticked by as Liao An and Qu Zhuang awaited their fate with bated breath.
(End of Chapter)
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