The atmosphere that shrouded the White Sun Mountain was one of terror, driving animals out of the forest.
Carrying Liu Fan's coffin on his shoulder, Liu Tao felt increasingly nervous as he walked on. Other members of the Liu clan and the Scythe Army soldiers were feeling unease too, their faces turning pale.
"Right there! This way!"
Liu Dahai led everyone to the top of the mountain range.
There, strong winds were howling. They saw a giant rock standing tall on the mountain peak.
The rock was 30 meters tall. Liu Tao leaped onto the top of it effortlessly.
As he gazed at the mountains around them, his expressions changed slightly.
"The Living Dead Clan has indeed picked a perfect spot!"
"Oh?! Is the geographic location favorable?" Liu Dahai asked.
Liu Tao nodded and said, "The terrain here is a typical Scorpio Map. Look, the claws are over there, each characterized by steep peaks and sheer cliffs. Phantoms wander on the ground at night, and mists cloak the mountains in the day. The Death Gate surrounds the scorpion, and the Life Gate is situated in its stomach."
"I presume the Living Dead Mausoleum is located in the stomach of the scorpion. A perilous a place as it is, no one has managed to access the Life Gate alive. However, now that the hydra has shaken the mountains and destroyed the Mausoleum, the Living Dead Clan is in grave danger."
Liu Tao turned to look at Liu Dahai, only to realize that the latter was staring back at him blankly.
Liu Tao chided, "All the Feng Shui knowledge has been explained in full detail in the Story of Ancestors. You should read it when you have the time. Everything that the Ancestor has left for us is a precious treasure of our clan. Don't take them for granted!"
Liu Dahai nodded with utmost sincerity, as if he had learned his lesson.
Having heard Liu Tao lecture Liu Dahai, Liu Fan felt heartened.
Back in his day, he had learned about Feng Shui to aid with his treasure hunting adventure in the graves. He hadn't expected that his expertise and knowledge would have been recorded in the Story of Ancestors. Moreover, he was pleased to hear that Liu Tao had benefited a great deal from it.
Liu Dahai asked Liu Tao, "So what should we do? How do we save Erquan's team?"
Liu Tao studied the terrains and decided on a path.
They followed the path to walk outside the range of the Living Dead Mausoleum, finally arriving before a cliff. They looked down and saw a village at the foot of the cliff.
Fire was raging through the village, which was now boiling with whistles, screams, and scurried footsteps.
Among the commotion, Living Dead disciples dressed in white robes were trying to activate a mechanism. Suddenly, a huge explosion was triggered beside the hydra, which had just escaped the mountains from the Mausoleum.
A mushroom cloud rose high into the sky with a boom.
In the next instant, the ground started to shake.
Hurt, the hydra roared in the dense clouds. Unfortunately, her wounds, which were not fatal, had incited her aggressiveness. The hydra swept her gigantic body on the ground, instantly flattening houses, trees, and farmlands to the ground with a cyclone.
People fled in terror.
At the top of the cliff, Liu Tao was dumbfounded by the enormous size of the hydra. The other members of the Liu clan and the Scythe Army soldiers were shivering in fear. Their minds went blank when the hydra let out an intimidating roar.
"Clan Head, look! Liu Erquan's team is over there!" Liu Dahai exclaimed as he pointed down.
Liu Tao followed his finger and saw them outside a majestic building.
They were with many Living Dead disciples, who were building a giant crossbow and aiming it at the hydra.
"Woosh!"
The arrow screeched and pierced through the air towards the hydra, sending off a gust of wind.
The hydra swayed her tail and deflected the arrow, which was then sent into the forest. In the next instant, the hydra suddenly sprang towards her aggressors.
"They are in danger!" Liu Dahai cried. Together with Liu Tao, he opened Liu Fan's coffin and was ready to use their ancestor.
However, at this moment, they felt a sharp energy wave exploding from within the Living Dead ancestral temple.
The energy wave immediately sent off black cyclones in the surrounding area, and a black cloud was starting to form.
Liu Fan was startled by the energy wave…
"That's my Blood Viper Spear!!!"
He'd sensed it.
His master-level spiritual sensitivity allowed him to recognize at once that the energy wave was from the weapon he had wielded to dominate the world thousands of years ago.
At the same time, Liu Fan realized that his Blood Viper Spear had undergone some inexplicable changes over the years. It seemed that the spear now had some kind of consciousness…
"Buzz—!"
The tip of the spear vibrated, making a low yet deafening sound.
The Blood Viper Spear had been awakened!
"Swoosh!"
In the next second, the spear burst into the sky towards the hydra like a flash of scarlet lightning.
Astonished, the hydra suddenly raised her head. A surprised look appeared in her eyes as though she had emotions and consciousness like a human. However, she was not afraid, clearly in disbelief that humans would be able to harm her.
Two tentacles stretched out of the head of the hydra, ready to defend the incoming attack. Then, she raised her tail and swung it towards the Blood Viper Spear. In the next instant, the spear emerged through the tail with a flash of blood.
"Puff!"
The hydra's tentacles were shattered into pieces.
Not slowed down by the impact at all, the Blood Viper Spear pierced right through the hydra's scales and nailed her on the ground with immense force. Blood gushed out of the hydra's wounds like a fountain.
The hydra cried out in pain. The ground caved in under her, and the valley collapsed due to her relentless struggling.
Liu Erquan and the rest were dumbfounded at the sight of this.
Never had they imagined that the Living Dead Clan was in possession of such a powerful trump card which had severely wounded the hydra in merely one shot.
It was unthinkable!
They would surely be able to kill the hydra with a few more blows like this.
However, the expression on the Grand Elder's and the martial arts masters' faces was more of despair and fluster than joy. They said, "The Blood Viper Spear can only be cast once. Since the hydra is still alive, we are doomed!"
"Ahh!?"
Shocked, Liu Erquan and the others asked, "Only once? Why?! If you use it a few more times, we surely can defeat the hydra!"
The Grand Elder's expression grew even graver. She looked at the Liu men and sighed. "In fact, this Blood Viper Spear belongs to the first ancestor of your clan. We are unable to wield it at its full strength. Hence, we can only forcefully activate it by blood ritual, which provides sufficient energy for only one shot!"
"What?! This weapon belongs to the First Ancestor of our clan?!" Liu Erquan's eyes widened in disbelief.
Liu Liuhai had come to a realization at once. He exclaimed, "That's right! I was wondering why the name Blood Viper Spear sounds so familiar! So it turns out to be our ancestor's weapon!"
Ye Qing supported the Grand Elder by her arm and shook her head. She forced a smile and said, "What's the point of bringing all that up now? None of us is strong enough to wield the Blood Viper Spear, not unless you are able to bring your first ancestor back to life. Otherwise, this killer spear can never manifest its full power!"
On top of the cliff, Liu Tao had also witnessed the strength of the Blood Viper Spear. He was astounded to see how much damage it could deal to that monstrous hydra with just one blow. At his side, Liu Dahai stared open-mouthed for a long time.
Liu Fan felt surprised too.
"When did my Blood Viper Spear become so powerful?!"
"Its color has changed too!"
"I remember that it was glistening red thousands of years ago. Despite its chilling-looking blade, it was nothing more than a weapon that had cut down many lives."
"But now, the spear is blood red in color. Honestly speaking, I'm terrified by its power. Its aura has materialized in the form of black clouds and it is almost capable of destroying the world!"