Shen Shihuang looked at the expressions of the two Dou Zun experts before him, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
It was only natural.
If they could have broken through to Dou Zun on their own, they would have done so long ago. They had been stuck here for who knew how long, and from the looks of them, their lifespans were probably nearing their end.
At a time like this...
With a chance to break through to Dou Zun right before them, anyone who dared to cause trouble would surely face their desperate resistance...
Earth Demon Old Ghost looked at the two men, his eyelids twitching. "What do you two mean by that?"
Earth Demon Old Ghost wasn't stupid. Their words were clearly a warning to him.
"Hmph. You know full well what kind of place your Demon Flame Valley is, Earth Demon Old Ghost. You'd better not try anything." After saying that, the two men turned away from him.
Earth Demon Old Ghost's strength was only that of a Seven-Star Dou Zong.
But no one knew what was inside, and of everyone present, Earth Demon Old Ghost posed the greatest threat to them.
Heaven Eye Pupil Elder had known the two of them for a hundred years. They knew what kind of people each other were. Though they were in the Black-Corner Region, that didn't mean they were all enemies. At the very least, since the three of them had come with Heaven Eye Pupil Elder, they were definitely on the same side.
And Shen Shihuang?
His strength as a Four-Star Dou Zong wasn't enough to threaten them.
Besides...
Whatever was inside was useful only to High-Rank Dou Zong experts. It might not be of any use to Shen Shihuang, a Four-Star Dou Zong.
"What exactly is inside this Ancient Venerable Abyss?"
Shen Shihuang racked his brains, but still couldn't imagine what could possibly allow a Peak Nine-Star Dou Zong to break through to Dou Zun.
Zi Yan was also looking around curiously.
She tugged at Shen Shihuang's sleeve and looked up at him. "Old Shen, I smell something."
Shen Shihuang was taken aback.
He knew about the innate abilities of an Ancient Void Dragon, so he asked, "Do you know what it is?"
Zi Yan shook her head.
"I'm not sure. This is the first time I've smelled anything like it, but I can tell you it's definitely something delicious."
Shen Shihuang: "...!"
He turned to look at Heng General. "Can you make yourself smaller?"
Heng General immediately understood what Shen Shihuang meant. Lightning flashed across his body, and the enormous creature instantly shrank into a fluffy little beast the size of a palm. It leaped onto Shen Shihuang's shoulder and nudged its head against his face.
"Let's see how things go first."
"Whatever can make a Nine-Star Dou Zong turn green with envy has to be something extraordinary. We should be careful. Since we're here, we can't leave empty-handed."
Shen Shihuang didn't know what it was.
But...
If it could help a Nine-Star Dou Zong break through to Dou Zun, then it had to be something good.
Zi Yan's eyes widened.
She whispered, "Are you planning to steal it?"
There was a hint of excitement in her voice.
Shen Shihuang looked helplessly at the three Dou Zong experts, including Heaven Eye Pupil Elder. "Zi Yan, who gave you the confidence to think I could steal something from three Peak Nine-Star Dou Zongs?"
Even if Xiao Yan came, he'd need Yao Lao to possess him to have a chance.
Let alone Shen Shihuang.
The three men stopped and turned to look at Shen Shihuang. "Young friend, since you're here, you might as well lend a hand. Whoever's destined to obtain what's inside will get it. How does that sound?"
As for Heaven Eye Pupil Elder's words...
Shen Shihuang naturally didn't take them seriously.
Whoever was destined to get it?
Yeah, right.
It would go to whoever had the strength to take it.
"Very well!"
"I'll take this as a chance to broaden my horizons. After all, I'm very curious about whatever could help you seniors break through from Peak Nine-Star Dou Zong to Dou Zun." Shen Shihuang smiled and stepped forward.
One of the gray-robed elders saw Shen Shihuang and smiled kindly. "Young man, I like how plainly you speak. You have my approval."
Shen Shihuang clasped his hands. "You flatter me, senior."
The gray-robed elder shook his head.
"For someone so young to have reached Dou Zong, breaking through to Dou Zun should be easy for you someday. Unlike us, we've reached the end of the road on our own. If we don't break through soon, we may not even live another ten years."
Heaven Eye Pupil Elder glanced at the gray-robed elder. "Gai Shentong, stop wasting your breath. There'll be plenty of time once we get out."
The gray-robed elder was named Gai Shentong.
A hundred years ago...
He had once been a dominant figure in the Black-Corner Region.
But after failing to take that final step for so long, the vitality within him had gradually faded away.
"Something's not right!"
As he approached Gai Shentong...
Shen Shihuang furrowed his brow. His spiritual strength clearly sensed a powerful, razor-sharp force within Gai Shentong. He even had the faint impression that if Gai Shentong could control this force, he could crush space in his grasp.
Noticing Shen Shihuang's reaction...
Gai Shentong turned and smiled at him. "You can feel the power in me?"
Shen Shihuang gave Gai Shentong a long look.
As expected, he was a big shot.
"Senior's strength seems..."
Gai Shentong spoke casually. "It's nothing much. I'm not very talented, so I could only train desperately. Years ago, I obtained a cultivation technique in an Ancient Ruins, and that was how I became a Dou Zong. But as I kept practicing, the technique seemed to have some sort of problem. No matter how I cultivated, I couldn't take that final step."
"So there are at least a hundred years' worth of Dou Qi stored inside me."
Shen Shihuang: "Holy crap!!"
After hearing Gai Shentong's words...
Shen Shihuang immediately felt uneasy. What would happen if someone with that much Dou Qi stored inside him broke through?
It was like water held back behind a dam, its level already far above the usual mark. If the dam broke, it would surely unleash a catastrophe. But for Gai Shentong, if he broke through, wouldn't his hundred years' worth of Dou Qi erupt all at once?
Terrifying!!
Gai Shentong looked at Heaven Eye Pupil Elder and chuckled. "Kid, you don't need to be so shocked. This Pupil Elder is the truly terrifying one. She cultivated a pair of eyes. I don't know exactly what level her Dou Technique is."
"At the very least, as far as I know, no one besides me has ever survived at her hands."
Shen Shihuang: "...!"
Shen Shihuang looked at the other elder.
Unlike the gray-robed elder, who was somewhat thin, this man radiated an overbearing force, like the savage power of a primordial beast.
Just one glance...
And Shen Shihuang felt as if a mountain had come crashing down on him.
Gai Shentong said, "He's Chu Shanwang. He cultivates a body-tempering Dou Technique. He's pushed the strength of his physical body almost to the limit."
Shen Shihuang: "...!"
You three big shots clearly couldn't break through because your power was so great that it had damaged your bodies!
You'd practically cultivated the Dou Zong realm to its very limits.
"These three seniors have truly opened my eyes."
It had to be said...
All three of these seniors were remarkable!!
One cultivated his eyes, one had accumulated a century's worth of Dou Qi, and one had pushed his body-tempering Dou Technique to its limit.
The hidden experts of the Black-Corner Region...
Truly, there were crouching tigers and hidden dragons.
"Let's begin!"
Heaven Eye Pupil Elder struck out with her palm, knocking the bones from the barren mountain before them. Shen Shihuang looked over and saw a vortex beneath the bones, with a force that made his soul tremble emanating from within.
"Do it!"
Gai Shentong didn't waste words either. He pointed a finger, and his Dou Qi, like a divine sword, ripped through space and struck the vortex.
Boom~~~~~~~~~~