Chapter 396: Chapter 383: Shadow Tower’s Crisis
Shen Lang, still sitting quietly in the middle of the room, closed his eyes.
He needed to digest the information he had just learned from Lei Yanzi.
The North Netherworld Extreme Heaven Sect was annihilated because they were investigating the disappearance of the Pocket World Blessed Lands.
In that case, the matter of the disappearing Pocket World Blessed Lands was probably not that simple.
However, the War God Hall didn’t know much about the matter, and even the little information they did have was sealed away by the War Emperor.
Clearly, the War Emperor didn’t want the Shen Lang of today to come into contact with these matters.
’The Candle Dragon was a Fierce Beast from the legends of the Ancient Era. To think it had been recruited as someone’s hired muscle. But that beast underestimated the North Netherworld Extreme Heaven Sect, was severely injured by them, and fell into a deep slumber. A Killing Array powered by an unknown number of Silent Extinction Divine Thunders would be immeasurably powerful. After ten thousand years, the Candle Dragon is likely still in slumber, healing its wounds.’
’And the faction behind it... just how strong could it be?’
’Could it be related to the War God Hall’s enemies?’
’Or perhaps it’s connected to the mysterious faction that annihilated the Celestial Crocodile Race back then?’
’Or could it even have a connection to the Blood Ancestor?’
Even with the information he’d gotten from Lei Yanzi, many questions in Shen Lang’s mind remained unanswered.
Chi Zunxin was the founder of the Profound Dao Sect and also a member of the North Netherworld Extreme Heaven Sect.
But the War Emperor, who had an excellent relationship with him, had never heard him speak of the North Netherworld Extreme Heaven Sect.
Moreover, Chi Zunxin had never sought help from the War God Hall. Even when Lei Yanzi spoke with Shen Lang, he never once mentioned the War God Hall.
’Could it be that they learned about the War God Hall’s situation from the Witch Race and knew it could barely protect itself?’
’The Witch Race... how terrifying!’
Back then, when the War Emperor led the Human Race, he had ventured deep into the heartlands of many other races, all by himself.
Among the Blood Race, he had crossed blades with their hidden Emperor;
Within the Barbarian Race, he had drunk with the Barbarian Emperor;
As for the Soul Race, he had once beaten their defiant Soul Emperor half to death...
Only with the most mysterious of them all, the Witch Race, had he never found their Secret Realm, having only ever made contact with a few of their members.
And within the War God Hall, the records on the Witch Race were few and far between.
All that was known was that they were a race who called themselves the Divine Race, and they were both powerful and mysterious.
Because of their power, and because they called themselves the children of gods, they were eventually ostracized and rejected by the other races, and so they hid away in the boundless Deep Barbaric.
Countless years ago, when the Blood Ancestor stirred up monstrous waves in the Human Realm and the Blood Race dreamed of unifying the world, the figures of the Witch Race appeared.
It was precisely with the help of the Witch Race that the Blood Race’s ambitions were foiled at the last moment. In the end, both the Blood Ancestor and the Witch Ancestor vanished simultaneously...
And after that, during the Demon Race’s turmoil, the Ten Thousand Races of the Star Continent united to fight them. At a critical moment, the Witch Race again appeared to help, ultimately sealing the Demon Race in the Demon Realm and separating it from the Human Realm.
Therefore, in the War Emperor’s memories, among the countless races on the Star Continent, the ones with the least available information were the Demon Race, which had been sealed away countless years ago, and the Witch Race.
’Looks like I’ll really have to make a trip to the Witch Race Secret Realm in the Deep Barbaric when the time comes.’
Shen Lang activated the Witch Race Heart Method and the North Netherworld Extreme Heaven Sect’s Secret Technique that Lei Yanzi had instilled in his mind. The two alternately fused, opening the space within the Beast Hide.
At this moment, the Beast Hide acted like a Sumeru Ring, allowing Shen Lang to see all the items within the space clearly.
A square, unremarkable mirror—the Celestial Secret Mirror that Lei Yanzi had mentioned;
A wooden sword about half a foot long—the North Nether Order;
And two Jade Scrolls. One recorded the truly complete "Thunder Control Divine Technique" of the North Netherworld Extreme Heaven Sect. Not only was its Heart Method vastly different from the Profound Dao Sect’s version, but its latter half was also powerful to an unbelievable degree.
’"Lightning is Yang, Thunder is Yin. Yin and Yang unite to form the Thunderbolt..."’
’"Thunderbolts are born from the Qi of Yin and Yang. They follow the numbers of the Five Elements: East three, South two, North one, and West four, with Center as five, the progenitor of these great numbers. As thunderbolts travel through the central qi between heaven and earth, they are also called the Five Thunders."’
If one could cultivate this complete Thunder Control Divine Technique to the Great Success Realm, slaying enemies a thousand miles away with the Nine Heavens Thunderbolt would be a matter of a mere thought.
At that point, even the Four Directions Great Emperors would have to retreat!
However, as powerful as it was, cultivating it was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
If someone from the North Netherworld Extreme Heaven Sect had truly cultivated this Thunder Control Divine Technique to Great Success back then, how could they have been completely wiped out by a Candle Dragon at the Emperor Martial Realm?
Although the Emperor Martial Realm was powerful, there was a world of difference compared to the Great Emperor Martial Realm of the Four Directions Great Emperors.
The other Jade Scroll recorded the refining method for the Silent Extinction Divine Thunder and its required materials. The detailed steps, the quantities of the various ingredients, and so on were described with extreme detail and precision.
But this was to be expected. After all, the risk of refining something like the Silent Extinction Divine Thunder was simply too great.
One could easily blow themselves to smithereens during the process. If the steps and materials weren’t precise to such a degree, who would dare to even try?
Besides these, there were also three walnut-sized Silent Extinction Divine Thunders, colored black and red.
A Silent Extinction Divine Thunder capable of killing an Emperor Martial Realm expert could easily level a large mountain, with an explosion probably no less than a hundred li in diameter.
If he couldn’t escape a hundred li in an instant, Shen Lang wouldn’t dare use such a thing.
But if the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron could withstand such a powerful impact, then these three Silent Extinction Divine Thunders could serve as a trump card.
However, Shen Lang was obviously unwilling to make such an attempt.
’What if the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron can’t take it...’
After a moment’s hesitation, Shen Lang refined the North Nether Order and stored it in his Sea of Consciousness, where it stood side-by-side with the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron.
The Celestial Secret Mirror, on the other hand, was placed inside his Pill Sea for convenient access.
As for the Silent Extinction Divine Thunders, just thinking about them made his heart pound. It was much safer to put them in the Sumeru Ring.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
Just as Shen Lang was contemplating these matters, a series of urgent knocks came from outside his door.
Shen Lang’s Divine Thought identified the person outside as Qu City of the Shadow Tower, the one who had contacted him outside the city that day. He then got up and opened the door.
"Sir, this is terrible! The Young Mistress and her group had just arrived when the Shadow Tower’s secret base in Celestial Palace City was attacked. Now, they’re trapped in a secret underground chamber, their lives hanging by a thread!"
Qu City shouted, his voice filled with burning anxiety, "I beg you, Sir, please help!"
Shen Lang grabbed Qu City by the shoulder and soared out of the inn.
"Which direction? Talk as we go! What exactly happened?"
...
The Shadow Tower’s secret base in Celestial Palace City was located in the Ghost Fire Swamp, more than two hundred li away from the city.
The Ghost Fire Swamp was filled with a poisonous fog where no vegetation grew, and few people ever ventured.
No one knew that at the center of a Maze Array that covered the entire swamp, there were unbelievable pavilions and towers.
However, at this moment, these pavilions and towers were littered with bodies lying haphazardly about.
The surrounding green mist was already gloomy and terrifying, but with the addition of the corpses and still-flowing blood, the pavilions and towers became even more bizarre and eerie.
In a huge secret chamber underground, Nangong Jianqiu sat cross-legged on the floor, healing her injuries, a trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth.
Ye Juexin stood beside her, short sword in hand.
Within the massive stone chamber, there were over twenty other people.
However, only six were able to stand guard; the rest were all injured to varying degrees, making the situation extremely perilous.
"Young Mistress, the other end of the secret passage has been blocked. There must be a traitor among us! Otherwise, they wouldn’t have broken through the array so easily and known the secret underground tunnel like the back of their hand!" said a man wearing a half-mask to Ye Juexin’s right, his voice cold.
A fierce glint flashed in another person’s eyes as he said between gasps, "The traitor must be killed, but not now. The secret passage is blocked, so we can’t escape the Ghost Fire Swamp that way. The most urgent task is to think of another way to get out of here."
"Think of a way? We’re fish in a barrel now! What other way is there to think of? Besides fighting our way out and carving a bloody path, what else can we do?" a gruff, booming voice rang out.
At this moment, Nangong Jianqiu opened her eyes and asked, "How long can this stone chamber hold?"
The man with the half-mask immediately replied respectfully, "The surrounding walls here are all forged from Profound Iron and Refined Gold; no one can break through them. But of the chamber’s three doors, we only had time to activate two. The thickest, hardest one was jammed by them, and the array inside the chamber was somehow destroyed before we even got in... These people clearly came prepared!"
"Everything they’ve done was deliberate. They wanted to herd us in here to wipe us all out in one fell swoop!"
"Right now, I’m afraid the two doors won’t hold for much longer..."
Nangong Jianqiu’s expression was frosty. "I’m only asking you how long they can hold."
"Half an hour at most... The Restrictions on those two stone gates can’t stop the Blood Wing Demon Sect’s Fire Jade Qilins. Both of them have cultivation around the Xuanwu Realm Sixth Heaven." The man with the half-mask lowered his head, his voice much quieter.
The faces of everyone around them darkened, and the shadow of death loomed over their hearts.
In such a short amount of time, it was impossible. Even if Qu City managed to find help, there was no way they could make it back here in time.
The Blood Wing Demon Sect was a Spirit Copper Level Influence in the Celestial Martial Dynasty.
The Celestial Martial Country was an empire bordering both the Purple Chu Country and the Yunfeng Country. Its people were fierce, and it was home to many Demon Path Forces.
By now, the two Xuanwu Realm powerhouses from the Shadow Tower who had been garrisoned at the Ghost Fire Swamp were already dead. The rest were basically all below the Spirit Martial Realm Ninth Heaven in cultivation. Moreover, every one of them was severely injured, with only six or seven people still able to fight.
With the array in the stone chamber destroyed, the secret passage ruined, and the Restrictions on the stone gates about to be broken, these people had absolutely no hope of survival!
Just as the gloom in everyone’s hearts seemed impossible to dispel, Nangong Jianqiu suddenly let out a breath of relief and said, "Half an hour, plus the time that’s already passed... that should be enough. He should be able to make it in time..."
"Young Mistress, are you talking about that Lord Shen Lang?" the man with the half-mask asked, stunned. "I’ve heard he’s very powerful, but he seems quite young. Besides, we’re up against two Fire Jade Qilins from the Blood Wing Demon Sect, both at the Xuanwu Realm Sixth Heaven. Even if he rushes here, I’m afraid he..."
Nangong Jianqiu closed her eyes and said, "Everyone, use this time to recover. It’s not time for despair yet. As long as he comes, everything will be fine."
Everyone looked at each other and remained silent.
But their eyes were filled with doubt, showing they didn’t take Nangong Jianqiu’s words seriously at all.
