Shen Ni's Legacy (Please Keep Reading)

It was a stele.

The stele was pitch-black from top to bottom, about ten feet tall, three feet wide, and as heavy as a mountain.

Its surface was covered in dense runes, ancient and profound, emanating an aura capable of destroying heaven and earth.

That aura was so powerful, so violent, so terrifying that it far surpassed any spirit treasure they had seen before.

It seemed to contain the great power to destroy all things, to collapse heaven and earth and return all creation to the void.

The instant the black stone stele appeared, the entire abyss trembled. Cracks spread across the rock walls, and shattered stones rained down.

The heaven-destroying aura spread outward, pressing down on them until they could barely breathe.

Zhu Rong sucked in a sharp breath. "What kind of treasure is this? This aura... is too terrifying!"

Gong Gong's eyes widened as well. "I have never seen such a violent spirit treasure! The aura it emits feels as though it wants to destroy everything!"

Di Jiang said gravely, "This object is no trivial matter. The power it contains far surpasses any treasure we have seen before."

The Eleven Ancestral Witches were all drawn to the black stone stele. They could sense the unimaginable power contained within it.

If they could obtain it, the Witch Clan's strength would surely rise greatly.

Zhu Rong was the first to lose his patience, stepping forward to inspect it.

"Wait!"

Pan Xuan's voice suddenly rang out, carrying a rare note of urgency.

Zhu Rong froze, stopping in his tracks and turning back toward Pan Xuan.

Pan Xuan's expression had become extremely solemn, and his usually gentle eyes were now filled with gravity.

"Brother Pan Xuan, what is it?" Zhu Rong asked.

Pan Xuan did not answer at once. He stared at the black stone stele, stormy waves churning in his heart.

He recognized it.

In the memories of his previous life, during the Ferocious Beast Calamity, the ruler of the Ferocious Beast Clan had been named Shen Ni.

He had been a terrifying existence capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the great powers of the Primordial World.

His natal supreme treasure had been a stone stele containing the power of destruction—the Destruction Stele.

It was said that the Destruction Stele contained the purest force of destruction between heaven and earth. It could destroy heaven and earth and shatter all things.

Relying on this treasure, Shen Ni had ravaged the Primordial World during the Ferocious Beast Calamity, slaughtering countless lives before finally being suppressed by the combined efforts of the Primordial World's great powers.

After that great battle, the Destruction Stele had vanished without a trace.

Now, it seemed that it had been hidden within this abyss of the Western Extreme Lands.

No wonder the Sha Qi here was so dense. No wonder the innate restriction was so powerful.

This was the former site of the Ferocious Beast Calamity—the slumbering place of the Destruction Stele!

Pan Xuan drew a deep breath and suppressed the shock in his heart. He said solemnly, "Eldest brothers and sisters, do not approach it yet. This object is no trivial matter. We must not touch it rashly."

He stepped forward and stood before the Eleven Ancestral Witches, staring at the black stone stele.

"Let me examine it first."

Pan Xuan activated the Righteous Vitality Formula within his body. A vast, upright aura surged forth from within him, transforming into a pillar of golden light that shone upon the black stone stele.

Righteous Vitality was supremely vast and unyielding. It could restrain all evil and wickedness between heaven and earth and purify all filth.

The golden light struck the stele and collided with its power of destruction, producing sharp hissing sounds.

That destructive power was incomparably violent, as though it wished to devour and destroy everything.

Yet beneath the cleansing wash of Righteous Vitality, it could not come within an inch of him.

Like a keen blade, the golden radiance peeled away and purified the destructive power layer by layer.

Pan Xuan focused completely, repeatedly washing the stone stele with Righteous Vitality.

He was sensing it, probing it.

Did the stele contain any hidden measures? Any traps?

Countless ages had passed since the Ferocious Beast Calamity. Shen Ni had long since fallen, but the Destruction Stele was, after all, his natal supreme treasure. Who knew whether he had left behind any means upon it?

Moreover, the innate restriction outside was so powerful that it clearly had not formed naturally.

Who had set it? One of the great powers who had sealed the Destruction Stele back then, or an expert who had discovered this place later?

Had they laid down the restriction to protect the Destruction Stele from discovery by outsiders, or... did they have another scheme?

Pan Xuan did not dare let down his guard.

Righteous Vitality continued to wash over the stone stele without end, stripping away the power of destruction layer by layer.

Golden light flowed across the stele, illuminating every rune and every inch of its surface.

After a long while, Pan Xuan finally withdrew his Righteous Vitality.

He turned to the Ancestral Witches and gave a slight nod. "It is fine. There are no hidden measures on this stele. It is merely an ownerless spirit treasure and can be taken."

The Ancestral Witches all sighed in relief.

Zhu Rong grinned. "Brother Pan Xuan, you are being too careful.

Although this stele has a terrifying aura, it is still only a spirit treasure. What hidden measures could it have?"

Pan Xuan shook his head. "Brother Zhu Rong, a cautious sailor sails for ten thousand years. This stele is no trivial matter. It is better to be prudent."

Di Jiang nodded. "Brother Pan Xuan is right. Since he discovered it, having him inspect it first was indeed the safest course."

He looked at the black stone stele and said solemnly, "Since this object appeared here and emits such a terrifying aura, it must be extraordinary.

Let us take it first and bring it back to Pangu Hall for further study."

The Ancestral Witches nodded in agreement.

But Pan Xuan suddenly spoke again, urgency in his voice. "Eldest brothers and sisters, take this object first. We must leave this place as quickly as possible."

The Ancestral Witches froze and looked at him.

Pan Xuan's expression was grave. He swept his gaze across the dark abyss around them, his voice low and rapid.

"This is not a place to linger. We broke that innate restriction and took this stele. The disturbance was not small.

That restriction was so powerful that it must have been laid down by some great power.

Since we broke it, that great power may already have sensed it. If he comes to investigate, we will be in trouble."

What he did not say was that he suspected the innate restriction might have been set by one of the great powers who had participated in the Ferocious Beast Calamity.

Luo Hou? Hong Jun? Ancestral Dragon? Primordial Phoenix? Primordial Qilin? Any of them were possible.

Every one of those beings stood among the strongest experts beneath heaven and earth. They were far beyond what the current Witch Clan could contend with.

If they sensed the restriction's destruction and came to investigate, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Di Jiang's expression changed as well. He gave Pan Xuan a deep look, asked no further questions, and immediately made his decision.

"Brother Pan Xuan is right. This is not a place to linger. We leave first."

With a wave of his hand, he drew the black stone stele into his sleeve. The instant it entered, a heavy pressure bore down on him, making even Di Jiang tremble slightly with his strength.

"Go!"

At Di Jiang's command, the thirteen of them transformed into streaks of light and shot out of the abyss, racing eastward.

Behind them, after the Destruction Stele was taken away, the abyss began to collapse slowly.

Cracks rapidly spread along the rock walls. Massive boulders tumbled down one after another, producing deafening roars.

The bottom of the abyss was gradually filled with rubble, as though it had never existed.

The innate restriction that had once shrouded this place had long since shattered and dispersed, leaving behind only an empty expanse of heaven and earth and the lingering Sha Qi that was gradually fading away.

The thirteen of them hurried onward without daring to pause in the slightest.

Pan Xuan was protected in the middle of the group. The Righteous Vitality Formula operated at full force, keeping him in peak condition at all times.

Houtu stayed by his side. Seeing his solemn expression, she asked softly,

"Little brother Pan Xuan, do you... know the origin of that stone stele?"

Pan Xuan was silent for a moment before slowly nodding. "I suspect that the stone stele may be connected to the Ferocious Beast Calamity of the ancient era."