Chapter 573: A Single Sword Strike, My Master, the Founder

Chapter 573: A Single Sword Strike, My Master, the Founder

A single sword strike descended, appearing ordinary and unremarkable, yet within that sword strike, everything was reduced to nothingness.

Puh!

Just as the scarlet light beam spewed out by the little scarlet fire lion took form, it vanished into nothingness, a sight that left it horrified and colorless.

The gray-robed man's face was filled with shock and despair as he realized he couldn't block it. He couldn't block it at all!

In fact, he didn't even know how to defend against such a terrifying sword strike. Whether it was his gray shield or the terrifying attack he unleashed by burning his origin, everything turned to nothingness before this sword strike!

"The God Master will take revenge for me!" The gray-robed man roared in fear and unwillingness.

A presence emerged from his body as he burned a strand of his origin and sent out a message to the Unchanging God Master through the mark within him, taking advantage of the fact that the sword strike hadn't completely landed yet.

Huyan didn't stop him. What difference would it make even if the Unchanging God Master found out?

He wanted all the strong cultivators in the Unchanging Divine Temple to remember his name and even shudder at the mention of his name—Sword God Huyan!

That strand of presence was merely the Unchanging God Master's mark within the gray-robed man, a mark used to convey a certain message to the Unchanging God Master. Huyan chose to destroy this mark and let the other party transmit the message.

Puh!

The gray-robed man's body was annihilated, slowly turning into nothingness, unable to leave even a trace of ash behind.

"Who exactly are you? There's no way someone as strong as you exists in the Great Cang!" The gray-robed man said with unwillingness and disbelief.

"Sword God Huyan, from the Vast Wilderness. Before the Vast Wilderness, there was the Great Cang," Huyan replied indifferently.

The area where the gray-robed man had been standing turned into nothingness, as if he had never existed, nor had there ever been a powerful outburst.

Everything returned to calmness.

Huyan turned around and looked at the little scarlet fire lion. At this moment, the little scarlet fire lion was stunned, and the scarlet light beam it had unleashed was retracting.

"This true spirit of yours is rather interesting. It can give birth to spiritual intelligence, and its divine soul is probably unique. My junior sister should be interested in it, but I'm not interested in capturing live prey." As Huyan spoke, he swung his sword, and the heavens descended.

With the Jade Court chasing after him, Huyan didn't have the leisure to think about capturing the little scarlet fire lion alive, especially since it was too strong. The little world of the Primordial Turtle's Armor couldn't contain it.

Since that was the case, he could only bring it back as a corpse, though he could still preserve its divine soul so that it wouldn't be completely annihilated. This wasn't a difficult task for Huyan.

"My father is the Scarlet Fire Lion King, an ancient unchanging true spirit. You can't kill me, or my father will never forgive you!" The little scarlet fire lion panicked.

Huyan didn't show any signs of stopping, which made the little scarlet fire lion even more flustered. It roared, "My father is a transcendent being, stronger than countless others! If you kill me, you'll definitely be unable to escape. The world you're in won't be able to withstand my father's rage. Stop now! You can't kill me. As long as you let me go, we'll forget about this. Let Ao Hong take me away!"

"So what? I, Huyan, have never bowed to threats, nor do I fear them. When it comes to backers, no one can compare to me!" Huyan laughed coldly.

"You..." The little scarlet fire lion was both furious and shocked. It roared, "Then I'll fight you to the death!"

The battle ended, and the little scarlet fire lion was dead, but its corpse was intact, and most of its divine soul had been preserved. Only its consciousness had been completely obliterated.

Huyan raised his hand and put the little scarlet fire lion's corpse into the Primordial Turtle's Armor, startling Qingyu. From the aura emanating from the little scarlet fire lion's body, she sensed that its strength was even more powerful than hers had been at her peak.

Such a powerful true spirit had actually been slain by Huyan.

Mingyu tilted her head and stared at the little scarlet fire lion's corpse, as if she were thinking about something. It seemed as though she had seen this type of true spirit somewhere before.

The other two true spirits had been heavily injured by a single strike, and Huyan raised his hand to annihilate them, putting their corpses into the Primordial Turtle's Armor as well.

"Qingyu, is that Ao Hong over there?" Huyan asked, looking at the person locked up in the Prison Dragon Abyss.

A bamboo branch extended out from the Primordial Turtle's Armor as Qingyu looked at the imprisoned Ao Hong and replied, "Yes, I didn't expect him to be alive as well... My big brother from the Great Cang..."

Mingyu was alive, Wu Mo was alive, and Ao Hong was alive. Even Qingyu, the weakest among them, had survived, yet the strongest, Tai Cang, was dead.

Three of the seven lords of the great heavens had perished—Tai Cang, Fen Yun, and Hong Ze.

Ao Hong was stunned. Both the gray-robed man and the little scarlet fire lion were extremely powerful, and they definitely weren't weaker than him, which was why they had been captured and imprisoned here.

He had originally thought that there would be a fierce battle, and in the end, Huyan would inevitably be defeated and forced to retreat, leaving him still trapped here and unable to escape.

However, he never expected that in just a short time since the battle began, the gray-robed man was dead, and the Little Scarlet Fire Lion was also dead. Only someone as powerful as Tai Cang could have achieved this.

How could there be such a formidable figure in the Tai Cang universe? It was impossible!

One must know that even if a new ruler of the Tai Cang universe appeared, they definitely wouldn't possess such strength. Could it be that Tai Cang left such a terrifying backup plan?

"Qingyu?"

Suddenly, Ao Hong came back to his senses and looked at the bamboo branch extending out from the Primordial Turtle's Armor. His face was filled with astonishment.

"How did you...?"

Qingyu, how did she turn into her true form? If she hadn't regained her human body, then something must have happened. Otherwise, Qingyu would never appear in her true form as she usually preferred to take on a human shape.

"It's me!"

Qingyu sighed. It was a happy occasion to be able to meet an old friend.

Xu Yan waved his sword and slashed through the chains binding Ao Hong's dragon body, severing and annihilating them. Overwhelmed with gratitude, Ao Hong let out a joyful dragon roar, soared into the sky, and transformed into a tall and robust middle-aged man with a handsome face. He wore a cyan-colored robe, and two small dragon horns protruded from his head.

"Ao Hong thanks you for saving my life!"

Ao Hong expressed his gratitude.

"It's nothing."

Xu Yan waved his hand dismissively.

"Ao Hong, how did you end up trapped here?"

Qingyu asked, puzzled.

Ao Hong sighed and a hint of helplessness and sadness appeared on his face.

"During the great battle, I was almost cut into two pieces. It was Big Brother Tai Cang who sent me away from the battlefield and allowed me to escape..."

During that intense battle, Ao Hong was sent away from the battlefield. He had already sustained severe injuries. Before the ruler of the Unchanging Temple could intercept him, he used a true dragon secret technique, burning and transforming the section of his dragon body that was about to break off into escape energy, and swiftly fled into the vast and boundless Unchanging Land.

Because his injuries were too severe, a part of his dragon body had been directly severed. However, the burning dragon body couldn't support him for long, and once it was completely consumed, he would be in grave danger and easily killed by the pursuing Unchanging Temple experts. At that time, Ao Hong had felt despair, but he could only grit his teeth and persevere, escaping as far as he could.

As a result, his life was not destined to end. Just as he was about to exhaust the energy and enter a heavily wounded and weakened state, he encountered two true spirit-level beings comparable to rulers of the universe. After a fierce struggle that left them both on the brink of death, he managed to survive.

Ao Hong immediately devoured the two true spirits to replenish his consumption and heal his wounds. However, he still dared not linger and continued his escape. After consuming two true spirits at the level of rulers, his injuries healed, and his strength increased.

Along his escape route, he devoured true spirits one after another. Fortunately, his luck held, and he encountered another injured and weakened true spirit at the level of a universe ruler. After a battle, he managed to wear down this true spirit, and after consuming it, the severed section of his dragon body also regenerated.

Ao Hong felt that his life was not meant to end, and he even had hopes of taking revenge. He planned to cultivate in seclusion, increase his strength, and once he broke through, he would seek revenge on the Unchanging Temple.

However, not long after he recovered his strength, he encountered the Little Scarlet Fire Lion, who demanded that he become his follower. The proud Ao Hong would never agree to such a demand, and before the battle could even begin, the gray-robed man arrived in pursuit and deceived the Little Scarlet Fire Lion, leading to their cooperation in capturing and imprisoning him here.

"The Little Scarlet Fire Lion is the son of the Scarlet Fire Lion King. I could have escaped during that battle, but the Little Scarlet Fire Lion used a power bestowed by the Scarlet Fire Lion King to trap me. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been easy for them to capture me."

Ao Hong sighed, then continued, "If I had known that the Little Scarlet Fire Lion was so powerful, so easily deceived, and had such a background, I would have flattered and served him from the beginning."

"What is the strength of the Scarlet Fire Lion King? How does he compare to the Unchanging God Master?"

Xu Yan was extremely curious.

Indeed, this Unchanging Land held too many secrets. In just this short period, another incredibly powerful true spirit had appeared, and it even possessed sentience.

"The Scarlet Fire Lion King is an ancient true spirit who has survived for countless years. As for his strength and how he compares to the Unchanging God Master, I don't know because I've never seen him. I've only heard some information about him from the Little Scarlet Fire Lion, the gray-robed man, and some other true spirits over the years.

"This is a sentient true spirit of the Unchanging Land, and it is said that he possesses a unique true spirit technique. He rules over the vast domain of the Unchanging Land, and he has countless true spirits at the level of rulers of the universe serving under him. The Unchanging Land is boundless, and no one knows how many true spirits at the level of rulers of the universe exist. One can imagine how powerful the Scarlet Fire Lion King's influence is."

Ao Hong's expression turned solemn as he said, "Xu Yan, you killed the son of the Scarlet Fire Lion King, and he will definitely seek revenge on you. This matter is my fault... I..."

Xu Yan interrupted him, "I killed the Little Scarlet Fire Lion, so you don't have to worry about it. If the Scarlet Fire Lion King wants to find me, then let him come.

"Xu Xiaoyou, you are very strong, no weaker than Tai Cang back then, but the Red Lion King..."

Ao Hong's face remained grave.

"He's an ancient true spirit, that Red Lion King. Does he intend to bully the young with his age? If he wants to do that, my master isn't the type to turn the other cheek either."

Xu Yan dismissed the concern with a wave of his hand.

No matter how strong the Red Lion King was, in his master's eyes, he was nothing more than an ant to be squashed.

Ao Hong swallowed hard. If Xu Yan was this powerful, how formidable must his master be? No wonder he didn't take the Red Lion King's threat seriously.

"May I ask who your esteemed master is?"

"My master is the Dao Zu!" Xu Yan replied solemnly.

"Dao Zu?!"

Ao Hong and Qingyu were both stunned. Just from the name, they knew this master had to be incredibly powerful.

"Although Xu Xiaoyou has the protection of Senior Dao Zu, this matter was ultimately caused by my rescue. I, Ao Hong, cannot do nothing. Moreover, the threat of the Unchanging Temple still looms, and they are about to take action. I must do something as well."

Ao Hong took a deep breath and continued in a solemn tone, "What of the Tai Cang Universe now?"

He then inquired about the state of the Tai Cang Universe.

"The Tai Cang Universe is now history; it's the Great Wilderness Universe..."

Xu Yan proceeded to give a brief introduction to the Great Wilderness Universe.

"Whether it was Tai Cang or the Great Wilderness, it's ultimately the same universe. Tianzi is still the most qualified to inherit it. Regardless, I, Ao Hong, will do my best to face this crisis."

A cold light flashed in Ao Hong's eyes as he said, "The grudge with the Unchanging Temple cannot be left unsettled. The Unchanging God Master will not let this go either. I've heard that in the Unchanging Land, apart from the Red Lion King, there are two other True Spirit Kings. I intend to find these two other True Spirit Kings and confront the Unchanging Temple."

"I have opened up the universe, but I am still a True Spirit at heart. I should have a chance of success. Xu Xiaoyou, farewell for now. I will return before the Unchanging Temple attacks the Great Wilderness."

"Alright, until we meet again!"

Xu Yan nodded.

It wouldn't be convenient for Ao Hong to follow him, especially since he was being hunted by the Jade Court. Since Ao Hong wanted to find the other two True Spirit Kings, whether he succeeded or not, it was an effort to help the Great Wilderness.

"Roar!"

Ao Hong revealed his true dragon body. The cyan-colored giant dragon coiled in the mist, its voice deep and resonant, "The next cycle is about to begin. The Unchanging God Master intends to devour or sacrifice the universe to achieve some goal. The other True Spirit Kings have endured for more than one cycle and must have their own plans as well. We must be cautious. What worries me most is that the True Spirit Kings might also have designs on the Great Wilderness Universe."

Qingyu spoke up, "Ao Hong, Wu Mo isn't dead either. He's being hunted by the Unchanging Temple. If you can find him, you can lend him a hand."

Ao Hong was taken aback but nodded, "I understand!"

Roar!

The dragon's roar echoed as Ao Hong disappeared into the boundless Unchanging Land.

"We should leave too."

Xu Yan put away the Primordial Turtle's Armor and looked towards a certain direction in the misty land. With his Small Heavenly Dao Eye, he could vaguely see eight silver-white lights speeding towards them.

"Their speed is impressive. They managed to track us down."

Xu Yan remained calm. The strength of the Jade Court was indeed not to be underestimated, especially that mysterious master of the Jade Court.

In the next moment, he disappeared from sight.

A massive, ancient palace stood tall, its doors tightly shut. Two True Spirit-level beings, comparable to Lords of the Universe, lay in front of the palace, snoring as they slept.

The core of the temple was inaccessible to anyone, and no one dared to approach. A layer of power protected this core, preventing even Lords of the Universe from intruding.

The core was a palace that resembled a giant bell lying on the ground. It was grayish-black and looked rather ordinary, seemingly constructed from a type of stone.

At this moment, within the bell-like palace, a figure stood silently in its center. The palace floor glowed, projecting an image of mountains, rivers, and landscapes that shifted beneath the figure's feet. Above, the ceiling was adorned with stars, and the sun and moon rose and set.

It was as if the figure stood amidst the universe itself.

This figure gazed at the stars above and murmured, "Not enough, still lacking. Was the Tai Cang Universe enough? It should be. This time, I will definitely succeed. Tai Cang, you truly surprised me. You actually opened up a universe, greatly increasing my chances of escaping this place. When the next cycle begins, I will definitely succeed."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end