Upholding the reputation of the first ancestor was of utmost importance to both the Living Dead Clan and the Liu family.
"Our Living Dead Clan will not let this slip. We'll get back at you after the hydra is defeated!" the Grand Elder said coldly, thinking that the Liu clan was a bunch of scoundrels.
The Liu men did not back down either. Their lips twitched in annoyance, not at all convinced by the story told by the Living Dead Clan.
A few Living Dead disciples were ordered to guard outside the ancestral temple, watching the Liu men.
Meanwhile, the Grand Elder, together with the eight martial arts masters, all entered the temple.
There was a spirit tablet in the center of the temple, which belonged to the founding ancestor of the Living Dead Clan, Bai Lianhua.
Beside the tablet, a scarlet spear was stabbed into a stone altar. Crooked as a snake, the spear was sending off a terrifying air.
The Grand Elder and the others gazed at the spear, their eyes filled with mixed emotions.
"Although the first ancestor of the Liu clan betrayed our founding ancestor's deep love, it's undeniable that his martial arts cultivation skills were invincible and unfathomable!"
"His physical body perished thousands of years ago, but his weapon has protected our Living Dead Clan ever since!"
The Grand Elder sighed.
The scarlet spear in the stone altar was the very weapon Liu Fan had used in his time.
The Blood Viper Spear!
The weapon was 9.9 inches long and 99,999 kilograms in weight!
It was made from glazed blood essence and was called the Most Legendary Weapon in the world. More than a thousand years ago, Liu Fan had wielded it to harvest countless souls.
"Master, I have always had a question. How did the Liu ancestor's weapon end up in our hands?" Ye Qing asked. Her question drew curious glances from the other seven martial arts masters.
The Grand Elder answered proudly, "That's naturally because this Blood Viper Spear was a loot taken by our founding ancestor!" The corner of her mouth was curling upwards slightly as she spoke.
"Loot?" Ye Qing and the rest were in disbelief.
"That's right. A loot!"
The Grand Elder smiled and continued, "Although the physical cultivators of the Liu clan are indeed abominable, they were right about one thing. Thousands of years ago, the first ancestor of the Liu clan was truly a beautiful man. It's no exaggeration to call him the prettiest man in the City of Scorpio. His excellent cultivation abilities and likable personality only added to his charm. As a result, numerous women fell for him."
Ye Qing and the others nodded in agreement. They could tell from the statue outside the ancestral temple that this man's face was terrific.
"To spend more time with the Liu ancestor alone, our ancestor cultivated hard and often invited the Liu ancestor out in the name of single combats."
"Over years of combat, they gradually developed feelings for each other. In the end, on a fine night, our ancestor used certain tricks to… well, you know what I mean… Yes, those kinds of tricks… I believe you've heard about the details too… After the incident, the Liu ancestor left and denied everything that had happened between them. Furious, our ancestor threatened him with death. Hence, in order to protect his own reputation, the Liu ancestor left his weapon, the Blood Viper Spear, with our ancestor as a form of compensation…"
After the Grand Elder had revealed the truth, Ye Qing and the others were dumbfounded.
"If that's what happened, our ancestor was the one at fault!"
"Hmph!" The Grand Elder snorted and said, "It's been so many years. No one knows what actually happened. No matter what, we are the rightful owner of their Liu ancestor's Blood Viper Spear!"
"Yes! You are right, Master!" Ye Qing nodded with all seriousness.
Living in the White Sun Mountain, the Living Dead Clan had encountered multiple sieges or waves of attacks by enemies and beasts, yet the Blood Viper Spear had helped them survive every crisis.
In other words, the Living Dead Clan would have been wiped out during the beast riot hundreds of years ago if not for the Blood Viper Spear.
The Grand Elder urged, "Our Mausoleum can't hold back the hydra for long. We need to awaken the Blood Viper Spear now!" Having heard her, the martial arts masters sat down in a circle around the Blood Viper Spear. They slit their fingers and let the blood drip on the spear.
"Ring—!"
The spear absorbed fresh blood and started to vibrate. Traces of red light flashed across the shaft of the spear. Suddenly, a striking wave of energy burst from the blade, as if signaling the comeback of the incomparable weapon.
The energy wave swept through the Grand Elder and the other masters, instantly making their faces pale. The shifting light on the shaft looked macabre, the mere sight of which made one shiver in fear.
They couldn't imagine how many lives it had to take to turn an ordinary weapon to one that thirsted for blood!
This spear was too heavy to be lifted by any normal person. Hence, they had to awaken it with blood before using it every time. The blood ritual was a technique taught by their founding ancestor.
However, this ritual consumed an immense amount of inner energy. Therefore, the Living Dead Clan would only awaken the Blood Viper Spear when absolutely necessary.
Outside the ancestral temple, the Liu men were still under the watch of the Living Dead disciples and they were not allowed to move around freely. Food was delivered to them during mealtimes.
"Hmm?!"
Suddenly, Liu Erquan looked up from his food. He felt a sudden grip in his heart and turned to the ancestral temple at once.
He'd sensed that something frightening was slowly coming back to life.
'Is that their trump card?!' Liu Erquan thought to himself.
As expected, the Living Dead Clan had many secrets.
They were here by Liu Tao's order to steal the treasure of the Living Dead Clan and to retake the physical cultivation techniques left behind by the First Ancestor. But it seemed that things were not that simple and might require more deliberation.
"I wonder if Liu Dahai has informed the Clan Head about the hydra. Will they bring the Ancestor here?…"
"Once the Ancestor is here, no one can stand in his way! The hydra and the Living Dead women are nothing compared to him!"
Two days had passed in the blink of an eye.
One night, Liu Erquan and the others were sitting in front of the ancestral temple, cultivating. Suddenly, they heard a loud boom from the mountain in the east.
Startled, everyone stood up and gazed towards where the noise was from.
Moonlight shone above the mountains. They could see that the mountain range was collapsing, bringing up clouds of dust. The ground was shaking. It was as if the apocalypse had befallen them.
Horrified, a Living Dead disciple shouted, "No! The Mausoleum is down! The hydra is coming at us!"
She hurriedly rushed into the ancestral temple to report to the Grand Elder.
At that time, the blood ritual had been completed, and the Grand Elder and the martial art masters were resting. The Blood Viper Spear beside them had been fully activated. Energy menacingly concentrated at the tip of the spear, ready to deal a fatal blow any moment!
The loud noise of mountains collapsing was hard to miss on a quiet night even from inside the temple.
The Grand Elder told the disciple who had rushed in, "Tell everyone that the Blood Viper Spear has been activated. Stay calm!"
The fluster on the disciple's face vanished at once. She breathed a sigh of relief and relayed the message to the other members.
Upon hearing the news, everyone had calmed down. An expectant look emerged in their eyes.
The hydra could never defeat the guardian weapon of their clan!
Liu Erquan and the other Liu members watched in astonishment and confusion. "So the trump card of the Living Dead Clan is a weapon? But what kind of weapon can give them so much confidence? Could it be something from the mysterious spaceship?"
Liu Liuhai frowned and mumbled to himself, "I heard them saying the Blood Viper Spear… Why does it sound so familiar…"
…
Meanwhile, on the other side of the White Sun Mountain ten miles away, a group of people was marching forward at the top of their speeds while carrying a coffin on their shoulders. Behind them, an army of thousands of black soldiers was advancing forward. They were armed with swords and bows, and their intimidating air had driven all the animals out of the surrounding forest.
It was Liu Tao's army.
Earlier, Liu Dahai had reported to Liu Tao about the appearance of the hydra in the White Sun Mountain and that Liu Erquan's group had been captured by the Living Dead Clan. Upon hearing this, Liu Tao carried Liu Fan's coffin out of the ancestral temple immediately and came to their rescue. They pressed forward day and night, taking no rest at all.
He had deployed close to 2000 out of the 3000 Scythe Army soldiers in this mission.
He was making use of almost all of his forces.
When they were ten miles away from the Living Dead village, they felt the ground shaking too. Then, they heard the faint cry of the beast.
The sound provided them with the exact location of the Valley.
From inside the coffin, Liu Fan had started to sense his surroundings.
He was somewhat surprised when he picked up the malicious air hidden in the mountains.
The air was so intensely hostile that it could only come from the most feared beast from the ancient forest of Scorpio Island.
However, those monsters had their own territories and rich resources in the ancient forest. They wouldn't normally leave for anywhere else. So then, why did this one suddenly appear in the White Sun Mountain…?
"Did something unusual happen in the far lands of Scorpio Island?…"