"What is that?!" Mo Shougui exclaimed, feeling somewhat incredulous.
Is that a living person?
Are the beings buried in this immortal palace... still alive?
Xiang Shaoyun's breath halted for a moment, his axe in hand, his whole body tense, ready to attack at any moment. After all, the existence buried in this underground palace, no one knew how strong they would be.
Moreover, not only that, within the central chamber, apart from the emaciated and desiccated Taoist priest sitting up in the coffin, there were also mischievous little demons climbing on the walls, floors, and even hanging upside down from the ceiling.
On both sides of the coffin in the central chamber, there were two sturdy figures, over two meters tall, wearing ancient-style armor, resembling demons walking out of hell. They held long-handled broadswords, emitting sharp and cold auras.
"Commander? Or... the leader of these little demons?" Li Sansi, who had been battling with the border troops for years, was not unfamiliar with these formations and offered his opinion.
"The commander should be the one sitting up in the coffin. These two are the leaders... However, they are much stronger than the little demons. The spiritual energy contained within these two leaders is equivalent to ten strands, comparable to a grandmaster at the Ninth Resonance level... Very powerful," Xiang Shaoyun said.
Being rated as "very powerful" by the Tyrant King was enough to illustrate the strength of these two demon leaders.
"What should we do?" Li Sansi's gaze sharpened as he looked directly at Xiang Shaoyun.
"I'll deal with the Taoist priest in the coffin... You three handle the two demon leaders," Xiang Shaoyun said calmly. "But you won't be able to deal with them, and you'll know what will happen next."
"Why should you deal with that skinny Taoist?" Mo Shougui interjected.
Xiang Shaoyun narrowed his eyes, his burly figure tilting slightly as he glanced at Mo Shougui. "Can you handle it?"
"You can't either."
"Don't be fooled by that skinny Taoist. Despite his thin appearance, he can sit inside the coffin, representing a person of high status within the immortal palace. He is very likely the 'immortal' who established this palace. The Tyrant King might stand a chance, but you, Mo Shougui... you can't," Kong Nanfei said, taking out several bamboo slips from a bookcase.
Mo Shougui opened his mouth but couldn't say anything.
Xiang Shaoyun didn't bother with him.
Swinging his weapon, he charged out abruptly.
"Attack!"
Boom!
With the movement of the Tyrant King, the entire immortal palace seemed to tremble.
Li Sansi swept his wooden sword and also rushed out.
Kong Nanfei's expression turned solemn as he unfolded the bamboo slips, chanting incantations. In the immortal palace, there was a majestic righteousness, dispelling the little demons one by one.
With a cold face, Mo Shougui also drew his sword and charged towards one of the demon leaders wielding a long-handled broadsword.
The battle erupted in an instant!
Inside the central chamber.
The emaciated Taoist's skin was dry and lifeless, reflecting a green ghostly fire in his eyes, eerie and strange.
However, there was a hint of confusion in his eyes.
Xiang Shaoyun wielded his axe, easily cutting down the ordinary little demons in front of him like paper.
One by one, he manipulated his spiritual energy, causing the blood and qi in his body to boil even more, making him even more powerful. He enjoyed this feeling of strength.
The two demon leaders swept their long swords, carrying spiritual energy as they swept towards Xiang Shaoyun.
"Li Sansi!" Xiang Shaoyun's eyes narrowed slightly, his voice low.
A wooden sword fell from the sky.
Wearing a white robe, Li Sansi landed on the ground, and a strand of qi emerged from his dantian, circulating throughout his body. Stepping on the Seven Stars, he consecutively swung two swords, blocking the long sword swung by one of the leaders.
Li Sansi's face turned red, almost coughing up blood.
On the other side, Mo Shougui also blocked a strike.
"A demon with ten strands of spiritual energy... It's comparable to a grandmaster at the Tenth Resonance!" Mo Shougui's heart trembled.
With Li Sansi and Mo Shougui holding back the leader-level demons, Xiang Shaoyun wielded his weapon and charged straight towards the emaciated Taoist sitting in the coffin.
"I am Jiang Chao, an ancient Qi Refiner, in the realm of Grand Perfection of Qi Condensation," the dry and low voice echoed from the emaciated Taoist's mouth.
As Xiang Shaoyun's weapon approached, his gaze flickered slightly.
Qi Condensation realm Grand Perfection?
How could it be Grand Perfection in the Qi Condensation realm?!
Xiang Shaoyun was not stupid; he naturally understood what Grand Perfection in the Qi Condensation realm meant. By now, he also knew the classification of cultivators' realms: when the spiritual energy filled the dantian, it was considered Grand Perfection in the Qi Condensation realm.
What puzzled Xiang Shaoyun was that Grand Perfection in the Qi Condensation realm simply did not match the standard of this immortal palace!
"I accompanied the ancient Emperor in suppressing rebellion in the wilderness, fought against the rebel cultivators who practiced 'Body Concealment' Qi Refinement, died in battle, and was buried in the Wolong Ridge."
"But why am I still alive?"
The dry Taoist's voice echoed with confusion.
Xiang Shaoyun approached step by step, holding his axe and shield.
His gaze swept over the coffin.
Suddenly.
His gaze froze, and he saw that behind the coffin, the entrance to the back room was wide open. On the stone shelf in the back room lay several old sheepskin scrolls.
"Cultivation techniques!"
Xiang Shaoyun's eyes suddenly burst with radiant light.
His breath quickened. What did he need most now?
Cultivation techniques!
With cultivation techniques, he could draw in spiritual energy without letting it dissipate in his body!
"But why am I still alive?!"
Boom!
The emaciated Taoist suddenly uttered a soul-like question.
Xiang Shaoyun, who had intended to bypass the emaciated Taoist and rush to the back room, was suddenly forced back by the spiritual pressure.
His body retreated several steps.
"Hmm?!"
Xiang Shaoyun squinted his eyes.
"This pressure is much weaker than the pressure five miles outside the immortal palace!"
However, with this emaciated mad Taoist present, Xiang Shaoyun knew that it was basically impossible to peacefully bypass him and acquire the cultivation techniques.
"Why are you still alive?"
"You claim to be an ancient Qi Refiner, ridiculous... Do you know what era it is now?"
"You haven't died; it's just that the 'Immortal' won't let you die. The 'Immortal' wants you to guard the cultivation techniques... You are just a puppet of the 'Immortal'!"
"A mere puppet dares to block me, the Tyrant King of the Western County?!"
Xiang Shaoyun's eyes blazed like torches. With one hand holding a shield and the other wielding an axe, his blood and qi roared as he stirred up spiritual energy.
His voice, full of pride, echoed in the tomb chamber.
In the distance, Li Sansi and Mo Shougui, who had been somewhat embarrassed by the leader-level demons, looked complicated.
"Truly worthy of the Tyrant King... He confused the shambling Taoist with just a few words," Li Sansi praised.
The wooden sword lightly stabbed, deflecting the incoming long-handled broadsword.
Then, with one hand holding the wooden sword and standing tall with a casual demeanor, Li Sansi's lips trembled, and blood flowed down from his mouth.
Inside the coffin, the emaciated Taoist's gaze was confused, seemingly stunned by Xiang Shaoyun's words.
Taking advantage of the emaciated Taoist's momentary confusion, Xiang Shaoyun acted.
Swinging his weapon, he roared with unrestrained power.
Blood and qi, spiritual energy continuously stirred, rushing towards the emaciated Taoist.
A powerful gust of wind lifted by a single axe strike, directly splitting the Taoist's head.
Bei Luo, Heart Lake Island.
Lu Fan lazily leaned back in his wheelchair as Ni Yu took the bronze wine cup from Lu Fan's hand, preparing to pour some wine into it. However, Lu Fan waved his hand to stop him.
With one hand supporting his chin and the other pinching his brow, Lu Fan's gaze was deep, filled with pulsating lines, staring at the scene on the Spirit Suppression Chessboard.
"Hmm... It's surprising that he's already encountered a bug. This Xiang Shaoyun, known as the Tyrant King of the Western County... still has some potential," Lu Fan pondered.
It was the first time he arranged a secret realm, and he had overlooked some common sense things. This Qi Refiner boss was based on the legend of the ancient emperor of the Five Phoenix Continent, which Lu Fan had found in the ancient texts.
The ancient text recorded: "The Emperor attacked the rebel army in the wilderness. The rebel army called upon the Phoenix to unleash heavenly fire. The Emperor ordered the Taoist Wu Chao to control the water, and the fire ceased, thus annihilating the rebel army."
Would a Qi Refiner who awakened from slumber simply be ancient?
Lu Fan pinched his brow. However, despite its flaws, the problem wasn't significant. He had a good temper and didn't fuss over trifles.
"This Tyrant King's temperament is too rigid. He hasn't suffered from the harshness of society yet, so he needs to be tempered; otherwise... he'll suffer greatly in the future."
Moreover, he was curious whether these people would unleash their potential in such dire circumstances. Building a world wasn't just about changing the environment; it also required the cultivation of true powerhouses. And true powerhouses always emerged from dire situations.
Lu Fan squinted his eyes as the wind brushed past. Rolling up his sleeves, holding his son, he gently placed it on the chessboard.
In the inner chamber of the immortal palace...
Xiang Shaoyun's eyes blazed as he spoke, leaving the emaciated Taoist momentarily stunned. Suddenly, his axe swung out fiercely, and the powerful aura made the air crackle.
This strike was full of killing intent!
However, when the axe was just half an inch away from the Taoist's head, it was blocked by an invisible force. Twelve strands of spiritual energy wrapped around it, indicating Grand Perfection in the Qi Condensation realm!
The Taoist, who had been sitting in the coffin, slowly stood up, his tattered robe fluttering. His withered bun scattered, and his eyes, reflecting the flickering green candlelight, stared at Xiang Shaoyun.
"I obey the Emperor's orders, guard the immortal law, protect the immortal path, and kill intruders."
Hum...
The Taoist waved his hand, and a terrifying spiritual pressure suddenly compressed and smashed out.
Xiang Shaoyun was dumbfounded, his pupils shrinking in disbelief. The axe in his hand was thrown away, and his burly body was violently struck by the compressed spiritual pressure. Fortunately, his shield blocked most of the impact, preventing his body from being shattered. However, he was still sent flying, crashing through the walls of the stone chamber, and flying dozens of meters away.