Chapter 156

Several elders of the Lingxu Cave made their move against Pang Bo. A burst of crimson light erupted from one of the old man's bodies, transforming into a scarlet giant net. Every single thread of the net was crystal-clear, flashing with a fresh red brilliance as if it had been refined from red agate, and it swept downward to shroud Pang Bo.

At this moment, Pang Bo appeared lifeless with a wooden expression, save for his eyes which flickered with a eerie green light. He stretched out his hands, pushing upward in a supporting posture as if attempting to tear apart the crimson giant net.

Another elder’s body radiated beams of purple light, and a purple-gold Eight Trigrams mirror appeared in his palm. Waving his hand, he shone the mirror toward Pang Bo. The purple mist shot out in all directions with a blazing radiance, instantly enveloping Pang Bo and pinning him firmly in place, while hazy purple Qi circulated around him.

"Whoosh."

The crimson giant net descended smoothly, trapping Pang Bo inside and binding him tightly. At this moment, Elder Wu Qingfeng stepped forward, pointing his fingers like swords with radiance streaming everywhere, sealing Pang Bo with divine power so that he could not even twitch the slightest bit.

Lin An and Ye Fan hid to one side, quietly listening to the conversation between the elders of the Lingxu Cave and the masters of the demon race.

Ye Fan's heart grew even more shaken. He had not expected this place to actually be the sleeping palace of the Demonic Emperor, which also concealed the supreme treasure of the human race—the most precious volume of the Dao Scripture. If he could obtain the complete Dao Scripture, Ye Fan felt that his own strength would undoubtedly continue to soar by several levels.

His gaze stared intensely at the distance with growing fervor.

"Boom."

The ancient palace constructed from five-colored divine jade emitted another muffled sound. The sealing power was rapidly fading; it had almost risen completely to the mouth of the volcano. Radiance flowed, and five-colored divine light flickered. The tomb of the last Great Emperor of the Eastern Wasteland was about to completely reappear in the mortal world.

Among the group of ancient structures beneath the volcano, fierce birds and savage beasts of the lightning bird tier, along with more than a dozen elders from the Lingxu Cave, could no longer restrain themselves and slowly advanced toward the mountain.

A rainbow of divine light surged into the sky from the ancient buildings beneath the volcano, brilliant and illuminating the night sky, flying toward the peak where Ye Fan was located.

"Whoosh."

The divine rainbow arrived, and Elder Wu Qingfeng descended upon the mountain, placing Pang Bo in a secluded spot. Then, he shot into the sky to rendezvous with the others, advancing together toward the volcano.

Ye Fan stepped out from behind a giant boulder and hurried over. At this moment, Pang Bo had already been sealed by several elders of the Lingxu Cave; his eyes were tightly closed, his body stiff and completely immobile. A trace of cyan Qi emanated from him, his complexion was highly abnormal, and faint, dim cyan-green brilliance was imperceptibly flowing just beneath the surface of his skin.

"What on earth has entered his body?" Ye Fan did not dare to touch Pang Bo's body casually, knowing that he had been sealed by several elders with fluctuating divine power.

At this moment, the atmosphere at the volcanic crater was exceptionally tense. Human cultivators and the demon race confronted one another, daggers drawn and bows strung. Neither side would yield an inch, and a full-scale battle was on the verge of erupting.

An old flood dragon with scales shimmering in a scarlet hue stood erect, standing there like a bloody Great Wall and giving off a shocking sense of physical power. He shouted loudly, "People of the Lingxu Cave, do you truly wish to shatter the peace of several hundred years and go to war with us?"

The leader of the Lingxu Cave argued with reason, refusing to back down in the slightest. "The supreme treasure of the Eastern Wasteland's human race must be reclaimed; how can it fall into the hands of your demon race? As for that crucial volume of the immortal scripture, the Dao Scripture, it deserves all the more to see the light of day once again. Having vanished from the land of the Eastern Wasteland for tens of thousands of years, it ought to be mastered by the human race once more."

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, with neither side willing to yield even half a step. A battle seemed completely unavoidable.

"You few great demons are going too far! No matter what, today we must reclaim the sacred artifact belonging to the human race of the Eastern Wasteland." The attitude of the Lingxu Cave leader was resolute, and he once again took the initiative to step forward.

"You are forcing our hand!" That beautiful young maiden with a full head of golden hair spread her wings, and tens of thousands of golden divine feathers pierced toward the Lingxu Cave leader like golden divine arrows.

The leader of the Lingxu Cave waved his large sleeves, and hazy purple Qi instantly billowed outward, surging like a turbulent sea to block the endless divine feathers in front of him.

"Kill!" The demon maiden's voice was frigid, and divine light burst from her body. The golden divine feathers instantly blotted out the sky and covered the earth, dense and numerous. Their dazzling brilliance merged into a single piece, resembling a golden heavenly net that concealed the firmament, scattering the purple mist and blanketing the leader of the Lingxu Cave.

The battle commenced in an instant without the slightest warning.

Divine drums, immortal lamps, bronze cauldrons, golden swords, Bagua mirrors, bloody sabers, dragon-scale blades, and the like acted as though they possessed lives of their own. They spat out divine light, crowded together, and constantly clashed, the clanging resonance ringing endlessly in the ears. Each collision was a contest of divine power that made even the void tremble slightly.

Not a single person paid any attention to Ye Fan and Lin An, especially Wu Qingfeng, who had discovered their tracks and told the two of them to hide in the shadows and not reveal themselves.

The Dao Scripture was renowned throughout the world as a legendary immortal scripture. For tens of thousands of years, across the boundless land of the Eastern Wasteland, only a handful of ancient scriptures could compare with it, yet none had ever completely surpassed it. It recorded profound and abstruse cultivation methods, ranging from the cultivation of the Wheel of Life and the opening of the Sea of Bitterness, all the way to connecting the Divine Bridge of Heaven and Earth, reaching the Other Shore, and entering the next cultivation realm within the body—all with detailed explanations. It was the supreme immortal scripture that Ye Fan urgently needed.

"Boom," "Boom," "Boom"…

At that very moment, muffled sounds rang out continuously, resembling a beating heart throbbing violently. Five-colored radiance burst forth from the volcanic crater, completely shattering the towering demonic Qi and the vast divine power fluctuations in the air.

Magma, red as fresh blood, was boiling and continuously surging outward along the volcanic crater, scorching half of the sky crimson. That magnificent ancient palace bobbed up and down, vibrating amidst the magma. It was radiant and crystal-clear throughout its entire body, exuding the aura of passing ages.

"Crash!"

With the final violent tremor, the ancient palace slowly rose from within the magma. Intricate and abstruse demonic patterns flickered in and out of view, but they were no longer able to imprison the ancient palace, allowing it to float upward.

"Rumble..."

The volcano shook, and the magnificent ancient palace rushed out of the crater. The dazzling light illuminated this ancient land as if it were broad daylight, and all the stars in the sky dimmed, surrounded by five-colored divine light.

The few great demons and the powerhouses of the Lingxu Cave immediately ceased their contention, all rushing toward the magnificent ancient palace. Each wanted to be the first to push open the palace doors, step inside, and obtain the heritage and divine treasures of the Demonic Emperor.

Strange runes began to appear on Pang Bo's forehead and face; some were meaningless stripes, while others resembled actual characters.

Those runes suspected of being characters either resembled dragons and phoenixes, looked like mysterious tortoises, or resembled winding coiling snakes.

Ye Fan was instantly startled. Although he could not recognize the meaning of those runes, he had once heard the Dharma-transmitting elder mention them, and they bore a striking resemblance to the writing of the demon race.

Pang Bo's eyes gleamed with a ghastly green light. He sat up stiffly, then rose silently, staring coldly at Ye Fan as if intending to attack. However, the hand he raised was trembling, somewhat out of his control.

"Pang Bo..." Ye Fan called out loudly. He knew that Pang Bo's will had not completely fallen dormant; he must be fighting for control of his own body.

Ye Fan's heart was suddenly filled with alarm. This unknown entity occupying Pang Bo's body appeared terrifyingly powerful.

At this moment, the battle before the ancient palace grew increasingly fierce. The palace doors had already been pushed open, and both factions were fiercely fighting in front of the grand entrance.

Just then, Pang Bo glanced back at Ye Fan, then suddenly soared into the sky, transforming into a green streak of light that charged toward the ancient palace above the volcanic crater.

The skirmish before the ancient palace was extremely intense, locked in a stalemate with casualties on both sides. Pang Bo's sudden appearance instantly caused the elders of the Lingxu Cave to reveal looks of shock, while the few great demons, upon seeing the demonic patterns on his forehead and face, looked on with doubt and astonishment.