Deep in the wilderness along the banks of the Luoshui River, that Miniature Warship engraved with the cloud patterns of the Jiang Family still remained concealed within the folds of the void, resembling a dormant giant beast.
"It has already been three days. Could that fat man have died inside, or did he dig up the divine source and run straight away? Why is there not the slightest movement?"
Luo Qingluan asked with some doubt.
The few of them had been waiting here for a whole three days, yet that fat Daoist priest was like a clay ox entering the sea, disappearing without a trace.
Luo Yue sat cross-legged in the corner of the cabin, her ice-blue eyes tightly closed. Her divine soul sank deep into her sea of consciousness, urging the Yellow River Chart and Lo Shu with all her might.
The tortoise shell floated and sank while the star chart circulated, attempting to capture any trace of fluctuation related to Duan De.
However, that ancient mine region seemed to have been draped with a heavy curtain capable of blocking heavenly secrets, and the deduction of the Yellow River Chart and Lo Shu also suffered severe interference.
She could vaguely sense Duan De's specific location and state, yet this coordinate was clearly somewhat incorrect.
Luo Yue opened her eyes, a trace of doubt flashing deep within her ice-blue pupils. She had underestimated the bizarre nature of the ancient mine's curse, and she had also underestimated the methods of an old Jianghu like Duan De.
"He cannot die."
"This fat man has a very tough life and bizarre methods, with top-tier life-saving skills. Either he has encountered a major trouble and is temporarily trapped, or... he is brewing some malicious scheme." Luo Yue said.
In the present desolate outskirts of Luo City, quite a few cultivators roamed about even at night, all coming for the Divine Source Ancient Mine.
"The people around seem to be growing more numerous in the past few days." Luo Qingying said with a frown.
He had already sensed quite a few powerful auras in the dark, among which were even some old acquaintances.
"Wait one more day, if there is still no movement..."
Jiang Wei also spoke, his gaze sweeping across the Hengyu Furnace upon his knees, his meaning self-evident.
An emperor weapon could only remain in his hands for five days at most, and once this battle concluded, he had to return it to suppress their foundation.
Therefore, they had to make a swift decision.
Another night passed.
Just as they quietly waited until the fourth day, a rumbling sound of breaking through the air suddenly came from the horizon of the wilderness.
Above the Luoshui Ancient Mine, huge warships and ancient war chariots tore through the dead sky of the wilderness, converging from all directions like dark clouds.
Banners fluttered wildly, blotting out the sky and sun.
At the edge of the sky, a huge divine warship stood across the void, and one chariot after another galloped over, causing the night sky to tremble repeatedly.
"Are those the ancient warships of Yaoguang?"
"The Ji Family has also come!"
Luo Qingluan looked through the hazy observation restriction of the warship, watching the suddenly noisy and terrifying scene outside, and was instantly so shocked that she drew in a cold breath of air, her voice changing pitch.
Aside from that, probably more than half of the forces that could be counted in the Eastern Wasteland had arrived!
The outer perimeter of the ancient mine, which had been desolate and dead just days before.
Instantaneously transformed into a Shura field gathered by the top forces of the Eastern Wasteland, with oppressive auras sweeping across like a raging sea and roaring billows, pressing down upon the reddish-brown gravel on the wilderness until it trembled in fear.
Jiang Wei also stood up abruptly, his expression unprecedentedly ugly: "What is going on? Why would they appear here so coincidentally at this timing?"
It was completely as if they had discussed it beforehand.
Luo Yue's ice-blue eyes narrowed instantly, resembling the coldest and sharpest stars.
She abruptly looked toward the direction of the cursed mine tunnel, and a thought, clear beyond doubt, exploded within her mind:
The final style of archaeological secret techniques-fishing in troubled waters!
That fat bastard Duan De had not gone to scout the path and dig for treasures at all, or rather, that was only a part of his purpose. His true intention was probably to thoroughly muddy this pool of water.
She instantly understood Duan De's abacus.
This lawless fat man is playing nesting dolls with me right here, Luo Yue thought speechlessly.
What was called "I predicted that you predicted my prediction"? Without needing to think, it must be that dog of a Duan De who had deliberately spread the news beforehand before staging this performance.
At this moment,
the ancient warship of Yaoguang Holy Land bloomed with immeasurable sacred light, and an elder with a white beard and hair stood at the bow of the ship, his voice like a great bell:
"Fellow daoists, the ancient mine here is extremely dangerous with curses raging; it is not something a single family or sect can swallow alone."
"I, Yaoguang, propose that all parties join forces to break the restriction together, and the obtained divine sources will be distributed according to the size of the contribution, so as to prevent petty individuals from fishing in troubled waters!"
"Humph! Join forces? What a joke!"
The Mountain River Diagram of Wanchu Holy Land unfolded a corner, revealing a hazy small world inside, and a cold, stern middle-aged voice came out:
"Since this mine is in my Northern Region, it should naturally be dominated by the holy lands, great sects, and Desolate Ancient Families of my Northern Region. Yaoguang Holy Land is far away in the Southern Region, so this hand is reaching somewhat too far, isn't it?"
"Immeasurable Heaven!"
At this moment, a Daoist proclamation rang out, and vast righteous qi gushed from the edge of the sky. A massive Daoist temple floated in the night sky, and a voice came from within: "Divine sources are fine, but they are tainted with ominousness, which may bring disaster to all living beings."
"This poor Daoist suggests that after our Dao Yi Holy Land purifies it first with supreme Dao techniques, it will not be too late to discuss ownership."
"You old goat of Dao Yi Holy Land, stop pretending to be merciful! Purify it? I'm afraid you want to swallow it alone!" A sneer of disdain came out from the bronze chariot of the Ji Family.
"The ownership of the divine source depends on each person's ability! But the ancient lethal curse here is truly bizarre; the most urgent task is to find that fat Daoist priest who spread rumors everywhere!"
"Right, find that Daoist priest first!"
"He must still be alive, and he has quite a few crucial clues on him."
"Even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, we must find him out!"
For a time, the spearheads of all the factions faintly pointed toward Duan De, who had mysteriously disappeared within the ancient mine.
"As expected, it was stirred up by that lawless Daoist priest. I don't know what on earth he did, but now all factions are searching for him."
At this moment,
Luo Qingluan and the others also wore dark expressions, knowing they had been played by someone.
"This is fine as well. Since he wants to fish in troubled waters, then we will make the water even more muddy."
Jiang Wei said with a cold sneer.
With that, he no longer concealed himself.
He saw the Hengyu Furnace fly up into the high sky, suddenly erupting with immeasurable divine light!
"Hum-!"
A furnace chime, seemingly coming from the primordial ancient wilderness, resounded throughout the entire Luo River Wasteland.
The palm-sized crimson-red divine furnace soared into the sky, growing larger against the wind, and instantly transformed into a divine furnace a zhang tall, flowing with scarlet phoenix-like blood!
On the furnace walls, ancient patterns of birds, beasts, fish, insects, the sun, the moon, and stars were clearly visible. At this moment, they all lit up, radiating a terrifying imperial might capable of suppressing the nine heavens and ten lands and smelting myriad ancient stars.
Red clouds filled the sky, dyeing half of the night sky into a golden-red hue. A scorching aura swept down, causing the gravel on the wilderness to instantly melt and crystallize, and even the air seemed as though it was about to burn.
That bone-chilling, icy curse aura that had originally permeated the outer perimeter of the ancient mine was struck by this supreme, Yang-to-the-extreme imperial might, hissing like melting snow as it rapidly dissolved and retreated!
"The Hengyu Furnace!?"
"It is the emperor weapon of the Jiang Family! The people of the Jiang Family have indeed come as well!"
"That is Jiang Wei, the direct eldest grandson of the Jiang Family Holy Lord, and the contemporary crown prince of the Jiang Clan!"
"Hiss... To actually use an emperor weapon! The Jiang Family is going all out this time!"
The warships and ancient chariots of holy lands such as Yaoguang, Wanchu, Dao Yi, and Zifu shook in unison, and none of those on the ships failed to change their expressions. Some bold rogue cultivators in the Luo River Wasteland also cried out in repeated alarm.
The emergence of an emperor weapon suppressed heaven and earth.
Even if it was just a wisp of aura, it was enough to make everyone present freeze with terror in their hearts, feeling an absolute suppression on the level of life.
Those originally noisy sounds vanished instantly, replaced by a dead silence and shock.
Jiang Wei stood proudly in the void, his white robes fluttering wildly. Amidst the ten thousand strands of red clouds falling from the Hengyu Furnace, he resembled a Sun deity walking among mortals.
His gaze was cold and stern as he swept across the four directions. His voice was not loud, but it clearly spread to every single corner:
"This mine shares deep origins with my clan. By the order of the Holy Lord, anyone who dares to trespass and covet it will receive no leniency beneath the Hengyu Furnace!"
Overbearing and domineering! Suppressing the crowd with an emperor weapon!
This was the style of the Desolate Ancient Jiang Family lineage, as aloof and disdainful of the world as ever.
However,
the Desolate Ancient Family possessing an emperor weapon was not solely the Jiang Family.
Just as the Hengyu imperial might shrouded all directions, pressing down on everyone until they struggled to breathe.
"Hum!"
Another terrifying pressure, equally ancient and vast yet completely different, also awakened abruptly like a dormant abyss, permeating from the void at the other end of the wilderness.
An unadorned bronze mirror silently emerged within the Ji Family camp.
It was not dazzling, and the mirror surface was even somewhat hazy, as if covered by the dust of myriad ancient years. The mirror frame was engraved with esoteric and unpredictable void Dao patterns, making it seem as though even space itself was submitting to it.
The Void Mirror!
The Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon of the Ji Family.
At the same time, a clear voice carrying a hint of laziness and arrogance rang out:
"Jiang Wei, you have quite an imposing manner. The Hengyu Furnace is indeed a peerless emperor weapon, but the Void Mirror of my Ji Family is not merely for show either."
Beside the Void Mirror, a young man clad in dark brocade robes stood with his hands behind his back. His features were handsome to the point of being bewitching, with sword-like brows and star-like eyes. His temperament was noble and profound, as if he had merged with the void, and every gesture carried a rhythm of controlling space.
He was precisely the contemporary crown prince of the Ji Family, Ji Wuque.
A faint smile hung on the corners of his lips, yet his gaze was as sharp as lightning, staring straight at Jiang Wei as he spoke:
"The Divine Source Ancient Mine is of great importance, and those who see it share it. Wanting to use an emperor weapon to suppress the heroes and swallow the benefits alone is somewhat failing to show respect to my Ji Family and the fellow daoists present here, isn't it?"
Ji Wuque's voice was not loud, yet it clearly penetrated the roar of the Hengyu Furnace, carrying the fluctuations of void laws to brand directly into the divine soul of everyone.
The Void Mirror behind him spun slightly, its mirror surface reflecting the red clouds of the Hengyu Furnace, as if it intended to suck that heaven-incinerating and ocean-boiling power deep into the endless void.
"Ji Wuque!"
Jiang Wei's gaze narrowed.
He and the person before him could be considered old rivals of many years; he had not expected the Ji Family to dispatch him directly.
"However, since you have also shown yourself, let's cut the crap. We haven't seen each other in a few years, let me test what your cultivation level is really like!" Jiang Wei shouted in a cold drink, the Solar Divine Furnace floating above his head.
In the high sky, the two sides confronted each other, both wielding emperor weapons!
Furthermore, they were both contemporary crown-prince-level figures of the two Desolate Ancient Families!
Completely different imperial might collided fiercely above the wilderness: one side featured red clouds filling the sky, supreme and Yang-to-the-extreme, incinerating the eight wastes; the other featured a condensed and heavy void, profound and unfathomable, suppressing the myriad realms.
Neither of them truly activated the emperor weapons, merely using them for deterrence and borrowing a wisp of imperial might; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"The crown-prince-level figures of the two strongest Desolate Ancient Families of the current era are about to battle. This trip is truly not in vain!" Some rogue cultivators around the Luo River whispered softly.
"With emperor weapons arrayed and two crown princes contending, I wonder whose blood will dye the long sky red." The successors of numerous Eastern Wasteland holy lands and great sects also had stirring emotions.
Killing intent filled the sky.
This battle at the Heluo Ancient Mine was simply unavoidable, and many people below also had cold lights blooming in their eyes.
Meanwhile, Luo Yue and the others in the distance remained concealed in the dark. They did not charge straight in and start fighting like Jiang Wei.
"He indeed concealed his strength previously; I am inferior to him." Luo Qingying looked up at the figure in cloud robes in the upper sky and could not help but sigh.
As peers, he had previously exchanged pointers with Jiang Wei in a match. Although it was a matter of stopping at the touch, it still left him feeling inferior.
Luo Qingluan, however, was somewhat displeased and said: "If big brother were still alive, he would definitely be able to match them."
The big brother she spoke of was naturally Luo Yue's father, the eldest grandson most cherished by Old Master Luo. It was only a pity that when he went out to roam, he died in the vast Great Wilderness due to an accident.
"Little Yue'er, your Divine King Body is peerless throughout the world. In the future, you will certainly be able to surpass the two of them. To rule as a generation's female emperor in the future is not out of the question; stepping on them to attain the Dao is not a problem!" Luo Qingluan continued.
Upon hearing this, Luo Yue was speechless, unwilling to pay her any mind.
This junior aunt of hers was quite skilled at stoking the flames.
She wondered whether people like the "Golden-Winged Little Peng King", "Ji Haoyue", and "Wang Teng" were similarly hypnotized by the relatives around them, only to lose themselves amidst layer upon layer of flattery. When each of them made their entrances, they were arrogant beyond measure, genuinely believing they could proclaim themselves emperors in the future.
And how miserable they turned out afterward...
Great Emperors, those were all such distant matters!
These indigenous people of the Big Dipper star region hadn't even laid eyes on a Saint yet; they lacked all perspective, possessed zero concept of the word "Emperor," and relied entirely on wild guesses derived from ancient texts, basically guessing blindly based on old books.
For instance: The Great Emperor walked away to the Central Plains...
Moreover, any stray cat or dog would jump out and holler about proclaiming themselves an emperor and becoming an immortal.
"Talk of proclaiming oneself an emperor or becoming an immortal must wait until after surviving the Dark Turmoil." Luo Yue murmured inwardly.
Time was far too tight.
She had made up her mind to cultivate into a Quasi-Emperor within two hundred years and find a way to contend against those old-freak Supremes!
Myriad thoughts churned in Luo Yue's mind, while in reality above, those two lawless principals had already fought to a feverish stage.
"Rumble-!"
The sky seemed as though it had been torn into two halves.
On one side burned golden-red; on the other twisted deep gloom. Terrifying energy tides clashed and annihilated at the invisible boundary, emitting deafening, explosive roars.
Space shattered inch by inch like fragile colored glaze, exposing pitch-black void cracks, only to be forcibly mended once more by the mighty force of the emperor weapons.
"Are these crown-prince-level heavenly talents? It is simply like a battle of gods and demons!" An old cultivator's voice trembled.
"The foundation of the Desolate Ancient Families... is too terrifying!" Countless rogue cultivators were inwardly terrified, their awe toward the top forces reaching its peak.
However,
just as this heaven-shaking duel between crown-prince talents attracted all gazes and pressure, the "hyenas" lurking all over the wilderness made their move.
The warships of Yaoguang Holy Land, Wanchu Holy Land, and Dao Yi Holy Land, along with powerful bandit gangs local to the Northern Region and cultivators from secret great sects, acted like sharks that had caught the scent of blood.
Taking advantage of the moment when the emperor weapon pressure temporarily tore apart the area of the ancient mine's outer perimeter where the curse was thickest, these fellows turned into streaks of unyielding light, recklessly charging toward the hastily sealed mine tunnel entrance!
"The holy lands and great sects have all killed their way in! Brothers! Charge!" A holy land disciple disguised as a "rogue cultivator" shouted amidst the chaos.
"Charge! Take advantage of now!"
"The divine source is right before our eyes! Wealth is sought in danger!"
"Break the restriction!"
The rogue cultivators, thus encouraged, immediately followed suit and charged.
They resembled the retail investors in a pig-slaughtering scam precisely...
Battle cries, the glowing lights of restrictions-breaking magical treasures, and the bombardment of powerful divine abilities instantly shattered the dead silence at the other end of the wilderness.
Light of every color exploded at the pitch-black mine entrance. The barriers the Luo Family had laid down were torn apart like paper, and the fallen boulders were hurled away by savage force.
No one waited any longer, and no one paid any heed to so-called alliances or cooperation.
Faced with the ultimate temptation of the Divine Source Ancient Mine, and the brief window of chaos created by the standoff between two Great Emperor weapons, countless figures scrambled to pour into the pitch-black entrance, which gaped like the maw of a colossal beast, exuding an aura of doom and death.
"Hmph. A swarm of ants who have no idea what death awaits them."
Ji Wuque let out a cold laugh. He had clearly noticed the chaos below, but he welcomed it. These expendable pawns could scout the way for him.
During a lull in the fierce battle, the cloud-robed Jiang Wei cast a glance down and saw the same scene, his heart as still as an ancient well.
These two sneaky bastards!
Luo Yue was speechless and sighed inwardly.
Who said people in Shrouding the Heavens had no guile? I'll have to be extra careful when roaming the world from now on.