Fang Ling put away the Mysterious Gold Heaven-Piercing Spear, preparing to return to Dragon City.
But just then, he lowered his gaze to the ruins beneath his feet, puzzled.
He sensed faint, concealed traces of an aura beneath the rubble...
"Heh heh, someone woke me up?"
"I've slept so long. I'm starving!"
A strange being crawled out of the ruins.
His skin was dark purple, but his build and features resembled a human's.
Except that a long tail grew from his backside, and his claws and fangs were as long and sharp as a wild beast's.
He looked up at Fang Ling in the air, extending his tongue to lick his lips greedily.
"A feeble human. You'll barely fill my belly."
The alien being suddenly sprang into action, appearing behind Fang Ling.
A purple glow shimmered over his claws and fangs as he clawed at Fang Ling's neck.
But he missed, grasping nothing but air.
Fang Ling reacted swiftly, flashing behind him in that instant and throwing a punch with a bang.
His heavy punch packed considerable force. The alien being was hammered straight into the ground, embedded in the rubble.
"Cough, cough. I got careless." The alien being crawled out of the rubble and stretched his limbs.
"Human boy, can you tell me how many years have passed since the Nine Clans' Turmoil?" he asked, looking up at Fang Ling.
"The Nine Clans' Turmoil?" Fang Ling murmured, shaken inwardly.
He had read a miscellaneous book about ancient times in the Zhao Family's Thatched Study.
It recorded that the Ancient Era Chronology encompassed four periods: Heavenly Emperor's Eternity, the Seven Saints' Contest, the Nine Clans' Turmoil, and the Dark Final Years.
The Nine Clans' Turmoil had lasted nearly five hundred thousand years. Those five hundred thousand years of warfare had driven the magnificent ancient cultivation world from prosperity into decline.
"What? You've never heard of the Nine Clans' Turmoil?" The alien being chuckled.
Fang Ling said, "That's already history from the Ancient Era Chronology. Billions of years have passed since the ancient era ended."
"The era I lived in has already become ancient history?" The alien being paused, a hint of desolation entering his eyes.
"To think I slept for so long..."
"Have you heard of my Tomb People? Has our bloodline survived to this day?"
Fang Ling shook his head. "I've never heard of you."
"Very well!" The Tomb People man sighed. "Since you cleared up my confusion, I can spare you some suffering."
"I'll make sure to kill you before eating you. I won't eat you alive."
"Remember, I am Wu'er Tu of the Tomb People. When you meet the King of Hell, be sure to give him my name!"
Wu'er Tu spread his hands and slowly rose into the air until he faced Fang Ling, purple spiritual energy spilling continuously from his body.
Then he pressed his palms together, and purple qi condensed into an eerie, sinister gate behind him.
A bell hung above the gate, swaying from side to side with a clang, clang, clang.
"Tomb Gate, open!" Wu'er Tu roared, and the gate slowly opened.
Fang Ling felt a strange power lock onto him. He could not even move his feet.
A massive purple hand reached out from within the Tomb Gate.
The hand slowly approached, closed around him, then dragged him toward the gate...
The Tomb Gate slammed shut, as though it would imprison Fang Ling forever in the world beyond.
Wu'er Tu exhaled softly and turned his gaze into the distance.
"My luck isn't bad. There are two more passable humans to feed on."
He was looking in the direction of the White-Clad Woman and her companion, who had fled far away.
The old woman and the White-Clad Woman were flying toward Dragon City.
Suddenly, the old woman's expression changed. "This is bad. Something's coming after us!"
"You go first, young miss. I'll hold it off!"
Hearing this, the White-Clad Woman asked, "Granny, how strong is it?"
"I still have a trump card. Perhaps I can blast it to death outright."
The old woman said, "Don't use that lightly unless it's absolutely necessary."
"This old servant will stop that thing here. Just go, young miss."
"All right!" Knowing the old woman's temperament, the White-Clad Woman nodded in agreement.
But just then, a powerful aura suddenly appeared directly ahead of them.
It was Wu'er Tu. He eyed the White-Clad Woman greedily and smiled. "A beautiful human woman! Just the thing to amuse myself with first."
"As for you, old hag, you can go straight into my belly!"
The old woman hurriedly struck out with her palm, sending the White-Clad Woman beside her away.
By then, Wu'er Tu had already lunged at her, engaging her at close quarters.
They were nowhere near the same level. Wu'er Tu moved with incredible speed, completely overwhelming the old woman.
Before long, several claw wounds marked the old woman's body.
Purple vapor kept seeping from those wounds. Wu'er Tu's attacks were poisonous as well!
Seeing that she was no match for this bizarre being, the old woman could only stake her life on the fight to buy her young miss more time to escape.
"Draw the boundary, form the prison!" She unleashed all her energy, activating the formation she had traced beneath her with one foot.
From the instant she began fighting Wu'er Tu, she had already resigned herself to dying here.
The formation unfurled instantly. Wu'er Tu had no time to escape and was trapped within it.
"You old hag. I really underestimated you." Wu'er Tu's expression darkened.
He felt ashamed that this old woman had actually managed to outwit him.
The boundary prison formation was immensely powerful. With his current strength, he could not break through it quickly.
"If you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish!" Wu'er Tu charged forward and viciously tortured the old woman.
Activating the formation had exhausted all her strength, leaving her even less capable of resisting.
Before long, Wu'er Tu's claws had left wounds all over her body.
"Granny, I'm here!" Just then, the White-Clad Woman, who had been sent away moments earlier, suddenly appeared beside the boundary prison formation.
Seeing how badly Wu'er Tu had injured the old woman, her eyes reddened.
"You damned beast! I'll kill you!" She turned her hand over, and a decree appeared in her palm.
The old woman gazed at the White-Clad Woman, wanting to say something, but she no longer even had the strength to speak.
"I invoke the decree!" the White-Clad Woman cried.
The decree in her hand instantly transformed into a long black spear.
With a sharp whistle, the spear tore through the air.
It shot straight into the formation and pierced Wu'er Tu's head.
"That's what you get for acting so arrogantly and hurting Granny Yu!" The White-Clad Woman snorted coldly.
Then she walked up to the formation and dispelled the boundary prison formation with a raised hand.
Once the formation was broken, she immediately rushed to the old woman's side.
"Granny..." She supported the old woman, tears threatening to spill.
The old woman opened her mouth, trying to say something. But just then, a palm imprint blasted toward them from behind, knocking them both out of the air.
"How could this..." The White-Clad Woman looked up in shock.
The body of Wu'er Tu, whom she had just killed with the decree, was dissolving.
Beside that body stood another Wu'er Tu, gazing down at them with a mocking expression.
"Little girl, you're still too green."
"All you killed was one of my clones."
"Tsk, tsk. Good thing you came running back yourself and even undid this sealing formation."
"Otherwise, I really would have worried about not finding you later," Wu'er Tu said with a smile.
The White-Clad Woman bit her lower lip and clenched her fists, filled with remorse.
So I'm this weak, this foolish...
"But I, Shangguan Haiyue, am a member of the Shangguan Family. I'd rather die than let a vile beast like you have your way!"
She resolved to take her own life. But just then, a series of muffled bell tolls rang out.
Clang, clang, clang...
Behind Wu'er Tu, the gate appeared once more.
Yet Wu'er Tu's expression changed drastically. He turned around, staring at it in terror.
"Impossible. He should already be..."
Before you continue