Chapter 53: Four Symbols Array!
Black-Corner Region, the site of the volcanic eruption.
At this moment, looking at the magma shooting into the sky, even the Earth Demon Old Ghost, a Seven-Star Dou Zong, found himself in a difficult position.
All three elders of his Mo Yan Valley were inside. Under such heavenly might, even though they were all peak Dou Huangs, the Earth Demon Old Ghost was not fully confident that they would come out unharmed.
Damn it. Was he going to become a commander with no soldiers?
Within the endless magma, ripples stirred up bubbles. Suddenly, a violent fluctuation came from the center. As time passed, the commotion grew larger and larger.
Seeing this, the Earth Demon Old Ghost's expression relaxed slightly. His eyes brightened a little.
There was still hope?
Rumble —
Accompanied by a series of muffled explosions, several disheveled figures rushed out from within the magma. They were Han Feng and the others who had just entered the tunnel.
At this moment, each of them was haggard. They had varying degrees of burns on their bodies. Their auras were weak. Moreover, a few people had remained permanently at the bottom.
They had died without even knowing how.
This time, Jiang Yun had meticulously planned the great explosion. By using the power of an array, he had triggered the magma energy that had existed beneath the Black-Corner Region for countless years. That was how he had created such great destructive power, enough to threaten even Dou Zongs.
Mo Tianxing, who was still alive at this moment, had bloodshot eyes. Like a wounded beast ready to devour someone, he stared intently at Han Feng and roared, "Han Feng, what exactly did you do down there? Or was this all a trap set by you, Medicine Emperor Han, to catch us all in one net?"
If there was anyone suffering the most at this moment, it was Mo Tianxing. His son, Mo Ya, had died in this explosion. So had the Black Emperor Sect's chief alchemist, Qi Shan.
It could be said that the Black Emperor Sect had suffered a heavy blow this time. Twenty years of effort had been flushed down the drain. The only reason he had not torn Han Feng apart on the spot was that he was still rational.
Hearing Mo Tianxing's words, the remaining Gold and Silver Elders, Fang Yan, Wu Tie, and the others also looked at Han Feng with suspicion.
They had indeed suffered great losses this time. Without even seeing what the heavenly flame looked like, they had been struck by this disaster. Now, they too had a fire burning in their hearts that urgently needed to be vented on someone.
"Sect Master Mo suspects me?"
"Sect Master Mo overestimates Han. I do not have the ability to trigger the entire underground world. Besides, the heavenly flame down there was also a decoy. We have all been played."
Han Feng suppressed his anger and spoke coldly to the crowd. You feel wronged? Did he feel any better?
Who could understand this feeling — being given hope, only to have it turn to despair?
"That is just your one-sided statement. How can you prove it is true?" Even though what Han Feng said was reasonable, Mo Tianxing still wanted to pin the blame on him. It would be best if everyone attacked him together. A seventh-grade alchemist's collection should be enough to compensate for their losses this time.
It had to be said, Mo Tianxing was indeed a ruthless leader. Having just suffered the loss of his son, he immediately began thinking about his own interests.
"Then what do you want?" Han Feng saw it clearly now. Mo Tianxing, that old bastard, wanted to squeeze compensation out of him. But he was not made of clay either. The other had picked the wrong target.
"All of this happened because of you. Now, every faction here has suffered losses. Three seventh-grade pills per faction, and this matter will be settled. Otherwise..."
At this moment, Mo Tianxing finally revealed his true intentions. Cunning as he was, he had also brought everyone present into it. Only then could he intimidate Han Feng.
Fang Yan, the Gold and Silver Elders, Wu Tie, and the others were somewhat tempted. Seventh-grade pills were very enticing.
And if they missed this opportunity, there would not be another.
Should they...
At this moment, everyone's bodies moved faster than their minds. They silently blocked Han Feng's escape routes.
Such behavior made Han Feng's expression even darker.
"Enough. Is this the caliber of the famous strong experts on the current Black Ranking of the Black-Corner Region? With a great enemy before you, all you can do is fight among yourselves. Even this old ancestor is ashamed for you."
Just as Fang Yan and the others were tempted by Mo Tianxing and about to force a deal, an aged voice, as if piercing through space, resounded like thunder across the sky.
The thunderous shout echoed mightily through the mountains and forests. The lingering sound, like Buddhist chanting, shook people's hearts.
"This is... the ancestor's voice. Ancestor, you have finally come!" Fang Yan was almost in tears. After he had woken the Earth Demon Ancestor, the other had told them to go ahead first.
But unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, three people had become one. He almost shed tears.
Han Feng and the others, however, changed their expressions drastically. So this legendary strong expert from the previous generation had also come out?
Suddenly, the sound of tearing wind came from the edge of the sky. In the blink of an eye, the Earth Demon Old Ghost's figure had already appeared before everyone.
"The Earth Demon Old Ghost!"
"Ancestor —" The appearance of the Earth Demon Old Ghost made Fang Yan suddenly find his backbone. He immediately knelt down before him.
"Useless, embarrassment. You were played by someone and did not even know it. You have disgraced the Mo Yan Valley."
"What —"
"Earth Demon Ancestor, what do you mean by that?"
Hearing the Earth Demon Old Ghost's words, everyone was shocked. They had been played?
"What do I mean?" The Earth Demon Old Ghost's eyes suddenly turned cold. His five fingers moved. Five sharp strands of cold Dou Qi suddenly shot out from his fingertips, carrying fierce gusts of wind toward a concealed bush in the distance. "It means... you rats of the Jia Nan Academy, come out and get some air."
Just as the five cold bolts had flown a certain distance, a figure suddenly appeared. A majestic aura erupted like a volcano at that moment. A wave of Dou Qi directly scattered the five sharp bolts.
Su Qian's figure trembled slightly. He let out a muffled grunt and retreated a few steps. In that brief exchange, he had already suffered a loss.
A Seven-Star Dou Zong was terrifying to such a degree.
Seeing Su Qian, Han Feng and the others changed their expressions, becoming extremely ugly. Su Qian's appearance meant that all of this was a trap — a trap set by the Jia Nan Academy. They had been like fools, foolishly toyed with.
"You are Su Qian, are you not..." The Earth Demon Old Ghost glanced indifferently at Su Qian and said, "I did not expect you to have also advanced to the Dou Zong rank. When I saw you back then, you were merely a peak Dou Huang elder."
"But so what if you are a Dou Zong? What you should not have done was come and provoke my Mo Yan Valley."
Su Qian's expression darkened slightly. He shouted coldly, "Earth Demon Old Ghost, today the Jia Nan Academy will rid the world of you pests."
"Rely on you?" The Earth Demon Old Ghost swept his sleeve and glanced at Hu Qian and the others, who were slowly approaching from all sides. He sneered, "Rely on the four of you, who have just broken through to Dou Zong, and you, a Three-Star Dou Zong? If you want this old ancestor's life, go call Mang Tianchi."
"The Jia Nan Academy actually has five Dou Zongs? When did they break through?" Seeing the Jia Nan Academy deploy five Dou Zongs at once, Han Feng and the others changed their expressions.
In their hearts, they secretly rejoiced. The Jia Nan Academy had silently produced five Dou Zongs. If the Earth Demon Old Ghost had not come, they might have fallen. But now...
The group looked at Su Qian with mocking expressions.
They imagined Su Qian had not expected this situation either. This was what they called trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice.
Hearing this, a cold smile appeared on Su Qian's face. "Earth Demon Old Ghost, are you not afraid of being laughed at for saying such things? If the Dean were in the Inner Academy, would you even dare to show your face?"
Hearing Su Qian's sarcastic words, a fierce glint flashed in the Earth Demon Old Ghost's eyes. "Good, good, good. You people of the Jia Nan Academy are all so sharp-tongued. Today, even if Mang Tianchi comes, this old ancestor will tear you apart."
"Heh." Su Qian chuckled lightly. From the corner of his eye, he noticed that everyone had taken their positions. His heart immediately settled. "Then try it."
"Elders, activate the array."
As his voice fell, Su Qian formed a complex hand seal. At the same time, Hu Qian and the others also changed their hand seals. Instantly, the energy of heaven and earth went into turmoil. A massive array diagram slowly appeared above everyone's heads.
"Not good." Feeling this vast energy, the Earth Demon Old Ghost's expression changed for the first time.
"Black Ice Spikes."
With a low shout, a wave of pitch-black cold air surged out from within his body. As soon as the cold air appeared, it suddenly solidified. With a crisp sound, it exploded into a pile of broken ice.
The Earth Demon Old Ghost's ten fingers moved. Dense black ice cones, blotting out the sky and covering the earth, shot toward the five people surrounding him.
Seeing this, the group was not flustered in the least. Their hands suddenly formed seals. The massive spiritual array immediately erupted with dazzling light.
"Four Symbols of Heaven and Earth, gather."
With the shout of the four presiding over the array, four beams of brilliant light slowly appeared in this world.
A terrifying pressure spread out.
Roar —
With a loud roar, behind Wu Tianlang, a blood-red giant tiger stepped through the air.
The White Tiger struck out with its claw. With a boom, the endless ice cones instantly shattered, scattering like specks of ice crystals across the sky.
"What —" Seeing his attack blocked, the Earth Demon Old Ghost's expression darkened. The power of this great array exceeded his expectations.
"What a powerful array. Since when did the Jia Nan Academy have such resources?" Han Feng had also seen what just happened. His expression ugly, he muttered to himself.
Just then, as if the appearance of the White Tiger had triggered some kind of switch.
Caw!
With a clear, resounding cry, from the corner presided over by Elder Huo in the south, a fiery red giant bird, reborn from flames, materialized. The moment it appeared, the temperature of the entire world suddenly soared. Even the air itself began to twist.
Next, the Azure Dragon in the east and the Black Tortoise in the north appeared one after another.
With the appearance of the four sacred beasts, it also marked the successful completion of the Four Symbols Array, which Jiang Yun had comprehended from the Four Symbols Seal.
"This array is the Four Symbols Array. Its power has reached the peak of the fifth-grade spiritual array. Not bad."
In the distance, the figures of Jiang Yun and Zi Yan slowly appeared. Looking at the four sacred beasts in the sky, a satisfied smile appeared at the corners of Jiang Yun's mouth.
A fifth-grade spiritual array was enough to dominate the Dou Zong realm. If he were given time to set up the array, he could even trap a Dou Zun for a short while.
"Wow —, Xiao Yun, this is great. I want to learn." Beside him, Zi Yan's eyes lit up as she looked at the majestic Azure Dragon. She tugged at Jiang Yun's arm, shaking it vigorously.
"It is not that I am unwilling to teach you. It depends on this." As he spoke, Jiang Yun pointed to his own head.
Zi Yan looked at it blankly for a moment. Then she suddenly understood and said angrily, "Fine. You actually dare to say I have no brains."
"I did not say that. You said it yourself." Jiang Yun chuckled. He had been about to raise his hand to subdue her as he used to, but Zi Yan had grown up now. Jiang Yun immediately withdrew his hand. But in that fleeting moment, Zi Yan noticed. She immediately barreled into Jiang Yun's chest, grabbed his head, and gave him a headbutt.
"Let you call me dumb." With a thump, the pain in his forehead brought Jiang Yun's attention back. Zi Yan grinned at the red mark on Jiang Yun's forehead. "There. Now we match."
Looking at Zi Yan in his arms, Jiang Yun's eyes flickered away. He pulled Zi Yan aside and flew toward the site of the great battle. "Alright, you stay on guard here. I will go help the Grand Elder and the others."
Watching Jiang Yun's retreating figure, which seemed to be fleeing, Zi Yan immediately showed a bright smile. She grinned and muttered, "Still saying you do not like it. You hypocrite."
After speaking, feeling the brief sensation just now, even Zi Yan, with her bold heart, blushed slightly.
Rumble —
Four enormous sacred beasts stood in this brilliant world. Light flowed over their bodies, emitting a pressure that made people's hearts tremble.
"A mere array thinks it can trap this old ancestor?" The Earth Demon Old Ghost looked at the four beast shadows in the sky. Feeling the terrifying pressure they emitted, he was somewhat uneasy in his heart.
"Black Ice Sword Art."
The Earth Demon Old Ghost's withered claws suddenly formed a seal. Then he shouted fiercely. The many scattered ice cones quickly gathered together. In the blink of an eye, they all fused into a ten-foot-wide pitch-black ice sword.
As the ice sword took shape, a piercing cold erupted. Even Han Feng, who possessed a heavenly flame, shivered. He looked at the Earth Demon Ancestor with caution and quietly retreated toward the back.
At this moment, the Earth Demon Old Ghost, holding his sharp sword, completely exploded with the power of his Seven-Star Dou Zong cultivation. He let out a sharp cry.
"Watch this old ancestor cut you down."
The sharp sword energy stabbed toward the White Tiger in the array without any mercy.
Among the four, the White Tiger transformed by Wu Tianlang felt the most threatening to him.
Not only because the White Tiger represented killing and war, but also because Wu Tianlang himself was very skilled in this area. He could bring out the White Tiger's power to the fullest.
"You are not afraid of cutting your tongue, saying such big words." Seeing this, a cold smile appeared on Wu Tianlang's face. He looked coldly at the group in the array. His hand seal changed. The White Tiger in the array suddenly trembled. Between the opening and closing of its eyes, there was actually a hint of agility.
"Metal Breaking Extinction Slash."
Boom!
A massive light blade emerged from the White Tiger's mouth and slashed down toward the Earth Demon Old Ghost with an indescribable sharpness.