Chapter 158: The Unscrupulous Daoist Priest

With Lin An and Ye Fan's cultivation realms, they could only quietly wait on the periphery and watch this world-shaking battle.

Lin An had never intended to intervene in this matter from the very beginning. Let them bite each other like dogs; as long as he stayed close to Ye Fan, the greatest fortune in the end would inevitably belong to Ye Fan.

"Thump..."

It throbbed gently, resembling a heartbeat, rhythmic and brimming with a majestic aura of life. Vast power swept across all directions.

"Stop it!"

An anxious shout came from within the Demon Emperor's tomb. Following that, more than a dozen figures rushed out together, with Pang Bo prominently in the lead. At this moment, his entire body was wreathed in cyan mist, the dragon and phoenix runes on his face had grown denser, and even his arms were gradually covered with black tortoise and qilin-shaped symbols. The green light shooting from his eyes was several meters long, truly radiating monstrous demonic energy, surpassing even the major demons behind him.

The experts from the Jade Cauldron Holy Land and the Ji family had very grim expressions after rushing out of the ancient palace, and they loudly ordered the surrounding people to intercept the crystal coffin.

As for the several major demons, they were the most furious, their faces written with reluctance and frustration. Yet, facing so many human powerhouses, they were powerless. They rushed out of the encirclement, preparing to wait for an opportune moment to act.

The Ji family's eighteen ancient chariots formed a battle formation, blocking the sky and sealing off the area to intercept the crystal coffin. Meanwhile, the cultivators of the Jade Cauldron Holy Land also swung into action, either riding fierce beasts or driving divine rainbows as they charged straight ahead.

The crystal coffin, less than a foot long, was instantly trapped. At this moment, all the powerhouses who had rushed out of the Demon Emperor's tomb arrived, almost simultaneously extending their hands to snatch it forward.

"Bang"

At this juncture, everyone held nothing back, exerting their utmost strength in an attempt to halt the crystal coffin.

"Crack, crack"

Right at that moment, the crystal coffin could not withstand the impact of so many powerful figures and gradually began to crack, before shattering with a loud bang.

"Boom"

At the exact same time, a monstrous surge of demonic energy erupted in an instant, blasting everyone backward. Not a single person could withstand this violent force.

Furthermore, the four foremost ancient chariots of the Ji family were directly pulverized, and the twelve cultivators aboard them were reduced to fine dust in an instant, as if they were made of shifting sands.

The Jade Cauldron Holy Land suffered equally heavy losses, with over a dozen people being shredded by this towering demonic energy. Both men and beasts were turned straight into bloody mists, meeting a tragic end.

Demonic energy surged into the sky, but Pang Bo remained completely unharmed. He had retreated further than anyone else, as if he had anticipated this outcome long ago.

At this moment, the aura of life erupting from the shattered crystal coffin was comparable to an ocean; the combined life force of everyone present could not match its intensity.

At the source of the endless demonic energy lay a crimson heart, only the size of a fist. It was as crystal-clear and radiant as a red agate, wreathed in intense blood-colored divine splendor. The endless demonic energy and formidable life aura were emitted precisely by it.

"Thump"...

The sound of a heartbeat rang out. It was actually throbbing rhythmically, having lost none of its vitality—this was a heart pulsating with immense vigor!

At this moment, no one could approach it. With every beat of this crystalline, crimson heart, everyone in the vicinity felt their blood surge and their blood vessels on the verge of bursting. Their hearts ached violently, and many coughed up blood from the corners of their mouths, unable to endure it and rapidly flying backward in retreat.

A terrifying heart, simply beating in this normal fashion, was already too much for people to bear!

"The Emperor's Heart... It is the sacred heart of an ancient emperor of our demon race!" In the sky, several major demons were utterly shocked, unable to help crying out in alarm.

The crystalline Demon Emperor's heart beat powerfully, then suddenly soared into the sky, transforming into a blood-colored beam of divine light that shot toward the distant horizon.

"Stop it! We must not let it escape!" An elderly man from the Jade Cauldron Holy Land shouted, his face full of anxiety.

"Intercept it at all costs and seal it!" The powerhouses of the Ji family were also roaring, "That is the heart of the Demon Emperor, the source of his power. If it falls into the hands of other major demons, it is very likely to give birth to another Demon Emperor!"

As they issued their commands, several major demons had already dashed forward. However, one figure was faster than anyone else—it was actually Pang Bo. His entire person merged with heaven and earth, transforming into a green streak of light that vanished in the blink of an eye, departing in the wake of the Demon Emperor's heart almost simultaneously.

The Ji family dispatched eight ancient chariots in pursuit, while the Jade Cauldron Holy Land also split off fully half their forces, rushing down at top speed. Each side left behind half their men to encircle the Demon Emperor's tomb.

Among them, the heart—the source of the Demon Emperor's demonic energy—had broken through the void and fled, and whether it could be intercepted remained uncertain. Putting aside the supreme treasures of the Demon Emperor, the other two sacred artifacts of the Eastern Wasteland's human race were objects that the Jade Cauldron Holy Land and the Ji family were determined to acquire.

....

As for what happened afterward, Lin An and Ye Fan did not pay attention to it, choosing instead to distance themselves from the area.

Before long, this place would become the focal point of converging winds and clouds. It would not be too late to return after the Demon Emperor's tomb was completely opened.

Terrifying energy fluctuations continued to churn; those were super-experts making their moves, attempting to forcefully breach the tomb.

After waiting for a long time, rays of auspicious light suddenly began to appear in the firmament. At that very moment, a beam of divine light plummeted directly onto a rock wall not far from Lin An.

A thin thread of golden light oozed from Ye Fan's fingertip, slicing open the rock face. Instantly, trickles of cyan radiance flowed out, revealing the hilt of a broken blade. He grabbed it with his hand and pulled hard, causing cyan glows to fill the ground and making him squint his eyes.

"Clang"

This was a cyan-green dagger. Once pulled out completely, it emitted a crisp metallic chiming sound, wreathed in cyan light and exceptionally sharp. It was barely more than half a foot long, resembling a pool of emerald water—crystal-clear and translucent, radiating bursts of chilly air.

Ye Fan knew this was definitely no ordinary item; a weapon put away by the Demon Emperor could not possibly be ordinary.

"Haha..." Right at that moment, a plump, ruddy-complexioned Daoist priest rode a divine rainbow and rushed over. Although he looked stout and bloated, his movements were light and agile, landing silently like a falling leaf as he laughed, "What luck! I never expected to actually chase down a spiritually awakened weapon."

With that, he stretched out a large hand to grab the dagger in Ye Fan's grip, wearing a benevolent smile as he said, "Child, this is a凶器—a baleful weapon. You cannot suppress it. Come, let the Daoist master subdue it."

However, someone was even faster than him, directly taking the dagger from Ye Fan's hand.

"Stinking Daoist priest, trying to take things from young master me is not going to be that easy." Lin An naturally knew who this unprincipled Daoist priest before him was.

It was none other than the notorious Duan De.

At this moment, Duan De also cast a surprised look at Lin An, not expecting this unassuming person before him to snatch something right out from under his nose.

"Dead fatty, are you picking on us just because you think the two of us are weak?" Ye Fan said.

"This Daoist master is not that fat, merely robust."

"I am speaking the truth. You two are too young and your cultivation realms are not high. Holding such a baleful weapon in your hands will likely adversely affect you."

Duan De bluffed smoothly like a charlatan, lying without even blinking an eye. If it were ordinary people, they might genuinely have been taken in by the Duan De before them.

A good number of spiritually awakened weapons had indeed escaped from the Demon Emperor's tomb, shooting in all directions with brilliant rays of light. Numerous cultivators were riding divine rainbows in endless pursuit, and the sky above this primeval ruin was filled with flashing lights and shadows.

Duan De could not be bothered to bicker any longer with the two youths before him, transforming into a long rainbow to chase after other beams of light.

"Whoosh"

Hardly half a quarter of an hour had passed when another divine rainbow shot toward Ye Fan, giving him a huge fright and making him hurriedly dodge. A streak of crimson light, resembling gathered burning clouds, rushed past rapidly and landed once again on the rock wall.