Chapter 417 - 393: Uninvited Guests, Racing Against Time

Chapter 417: Chapter 393: Uninvited Guests, Racing Against Time

WHOOSH!

At that moment, Zhang Chi once again summoned the Golden Wind Banner. The other cultivators poured their Magical Power into it in unison, instantly generating storms of Gold Fiend wind. With a series of CRACKS, the numerous vines were all severed.

The Magical Treasure Flying Boat was thus able to continue on its way.

But that wasn’t all.

At the same time, Zhang Chi also brought out the Flame Gourd and the Pill Furnace Cauldron. In an instant, raging flames surged, filling the air.

The other cultivators did the same, using various methods to start fires.

The massive trees and vines ignited at the slightest touch, and the array space of this gate was instantly transformed into a sea of fire.

But with the Golden Wind Banner for defense, the flames couldn’t harm the Magical Treasure Flying Boat or the cultivators within it at all.

Moreover, the flames were controlled to some extent by the Flame Gourd and the Pill Furnace Cauldron, so the damage was far less than that of the Flame Pass.

Thus, the cultivators quickly and successfully passed through this gate.

—

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Just then, several streaks of Escape Light suddenly flew in from outside. Moments later, dozens of cultivators in black cloaks appeared on the scene.

If Zhang Chi and his group had been there, they would have recognized at a glance that these cultivators were all from the Heaven-defying Alliance, and at the very least, they were all at Nascent Soul Peak.

The leader’s cultivation was even more unfathomable; the space around him seemed to be distorted. He was, shockingly, a Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarch.

AWOOOO!

But that wasn’t all. The roars of Demon Beasts soon followed, and dozens of them arrived above the lake.

These Demon Beasts were of various shapes and sizes, but they all exuded a tyrannical pressure. They were at least at Tier Four Peak.

Furthermore, the leading Demon Beast had already reached Tier Five, or the Divinity Transformation Realm, and had taken human form.

He was tall and clad in a blue robe. Aside from a pair of blood-red eyes and pointed ears, he didn’t look much different from a human cultivator.

At this moment, although the Demon Beasts and cultivators didn’t speak to each other, they didn’t fight either. The two leading Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarchs even looked at each other and nodded before turning their gazes to the lake below.

"Alliance Leader, and fellow Daoists. According to the map left by my Gu Family ancestors, the Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarch’s Cave Mansion is at the bottom of this lake. Also, Wang Chongming and his group have disappeared recently. They have most likely already entered the cave mansion."

A tall, slender cultivator from the Heaven-defying Alliance, his face obscured by a mask, bowed respectfully to the Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarch and spoke.

"Very good. We’re going down!"

The Heaven-defying Alliance’s leader, the human Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarch, nodded slightly at these words. With a wave of his hand, a powerful force swept over all his subordinates.

Then, he took a step forward and entered the lake.

Wherever he passed, the lake water immediately parted to both sides, offering no resistance whatsoever.

"Let’s go, too."

Seeing this, the Tier Five Demon Beast also led its subordinate Demon Beasts to follow.

Soon, the two groups of experts arrived before the invisible array barrier at the bottom of the lake.

CRACK!

But just then, the Tier Five Demon Beast suddenly pointed a finger. A flash of black, cold light shot out, and a Tier Four Phantom Beetle was struck in a seemingly empty spot in the distance. It was instantly crushed into a bloody pulp.

"As expected, those juniors like Wang Chongming went in ahead of us. This Phantom Beetle must have been left behind by them," the Tier Five Demon Beast said coldly, speaking in a human voice.

"No matter. They’re just one step ahead. It’s perfect; they can scout the path for us."

"Besides, we’ll catch up to them and kill them soon enough. Even if they manage to stay ahead and get lucky with some treasures, in the end, everything they find will still be ours."

The Heaven-defying Alliance Leader wasn’t surprised at all. He had clearly discovered the Phantom Beetle long ago and had already devised a plan to deal with Wang Chongming’s group.

"Well said. You... stay outside and stand guard. Don’t let anyone leave before we come out!"

The Tier Five Demon Beast nodded.

Then, he looked at some of his subordinate Demon Beasts and gave his orders.

"Yes, Lord Demon God."

The Demon Beasts immediately accepted the command with reverence.

"The same goes for you. However, just you alone won’t be enough. I will also set up a Tier Five Low Grade Array here. That way, even if they have some tricks up their sleeves, they will be doomed!"

The Heaven-defying Alliance Leader made similar arrangements, planning to leave some of his subordinates behind. At the same time, he took out a set of black and white Array Flags and set them up in the depths of the lakebed.

The space immediately trembled, and the entire lakebed was enveloped by a black and white curtain of light.

BOOM!

BOOM!

After that, the two Divinity Transformation Level beings exchanged a glance and nodded slightly. They immediately raised their fists in unison and punched at the invisible array barrier.

The array barrier shook violently. Soon, with a loud CRACK, a gap over a hundred feet wide shattered open.

SWOOSH!

The two Divinity Transformation Level beings smiled faintly. With a wave of their hands, they each swept up half of their subordinates and flew into the gap.

The remaining Demon Beasts and cultivators began to wait quietly outside.

—

"Oh no, someone’s broken in!"

Meanwhile, just as Zhang Chi and his group passed through the Wood Pass, Lin Qixing couldn’t help but cry out in alarm.

"What’s going on?"

"Who got in?"

Hearing this, the cultivators were all startled and quickly looked toward Lin Qixing.

At the same time, a divine light flickered in Zhang Chi’s eyes. He looked back toward the array space, his gaze instantly piercing through it to see the numerous powerful Demon Beasts and cultivators.

He wasn’t afraid of these Demon Beasts and cultivators, even if they were all Tier Four Peak experts.

But the two beings in the lead made his pupils contract.

Both of them were actually Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarchs. Even with his Void Spirit Eye, he couldn’t see their specific appearances clearly.

Furthermore, the moment he looked at them, they immediately sensed it and looked back in his direction.

His heart couldn’t help but leap, and he quickly withdrew his gaze.

"A large group of Heaven-defying Alliance cultivators and Demon Beasts have arrived outside! The two in the lead are very likely Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarchs! One of them spotted and killed my Phantom Beetle in a single move. They must be inside already, and it won’t be long before they catch up to us!" Lin Qixing replied, his voice trembling.

What he described was undoubtedly similar to what Zhang Chi had seen.

"What?"

"How can this be?"

Qin Yushan and the others were all shocked.

They had clearly never dreamed that other experts would show up, let alone that the leaders would be Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarchs.

"Quick, let’s speed up and get through this final gate!"

"That’s right! We absolutely cannot let them catch us. Once we’re inside the cave mansion, we can use its Restrictions and terrain to deal with them."

However, the cultivators quickly came to their senses and immediately pushed the Magical Treasure Flying Boat with all their might.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

At the same time, countless giant boulders suddenly appeared in the sky, smashing down violently like meteorites.

One after another, Rock Giants hundreds of feet tall also appeared, swinging their fists and feet, and bombarding the Magical Treasure Flying Boat piloted by the cultivators.

This time, the cultivators could no longer use clever tricks as they had before. They could only summon their various Magical Treasures and use their Divine Power Techniques to face the boulders and Rock Giants head-on.

Fortunately, the cultivators were no ordinary people. With the exception of Qin Yuyan, almost everyone possessed a Celestial Grade Magical Treasure. For many of them, it was even their Lifebound Magical Treasure, so its Mighty Power was immense.

"Second Sister, you can borrow this Golden Seal."

Zhang Chi continued to use the Golden Wind Banner while also taking out the Golden Seal of the Pill and Artifact Sect and handing it to Qin Yuyan.

"Alright, thank you, Third Brother."

Qin Yuyan was overjoyed and quickly accepted it.

"My goodness, Junior Brother Chen, you have so many Magical Treasures!"

When the other cultivators saw Zhang Chi’s action, it immediately drew a wave of envy.

"Third Brother, thank you!"

Qin Yushan was also quite surprised, but he was even more grateful.

Even he only had one Celestial Grade Magical Treasure and couldn’t possibly share it.

After all, a Celestial Grade Magical Treasure in his hands would certainly be more effective than in Qin Yuyan’s.

At the same time, he didn’t recognize that this Golden Seal was from the Oasis Ruins.

The reason was simple: Zhang Chi had long since altered the Golden Seal’s appearance. The inscription on the bottom of the seal had been erased, so a cultivator who didn’t know its story wouldn’t be able to discern its true origin, no matter how high their cultivation was.

"We’re all on the same side. Don’t be polite!"

Zhang Chi just smiled slightly, not paying it much mind.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Following that, Zhang Chi formed a series of Spirit Techniques. The Golden Wind Banner instantly erupted with extreme Mighty Power, unleashing golden storms that annihilated all the boulders and Rock Giants in their path.

This way, even though the boulders and Rock Giants would soon reform, it would still take time.

"Amazing, Junior Brother Chen!"

"Looks like we’ll have to show some of our trump cards, too!"

"That’s right! At a time like this, there’s no need to hold back. Otherwise, once the Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarchs catch up, we’ll be dead no matter how many hidden techniques we have!"

The cultivators all cheered at the sight.

They realized that Zhang Chi activating the Golden Wind Banner alone was nearly as effective as when they had all activated it together.

However, they didn’t overthink it, simply assuming that Zhang Chi had used some kind of burst technique.

Then, they all went all-out. The surrounding boulders and Rock Giants were instantly swept away by a sky full of rainbow light, and the Magical Treasure Flying Boat’s speed increased dramatically once again.

Zhang Chi was also a little surprised to see this.

’As expected of the top Nascent Soul prodigies of the Endless Desert Sea!’

He was strong, but these cultivators were clearly not weak either.

Not to mention, their average cultivation was even higher than his.

However, he couldn’t have asked for a better situation. If these cultivators weren’t up to the task, he would have had no choice but to use a Spiritual Treasure.

After all, the two Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarchs behind them were just too fast.

Crossing the Five Elements Gates was as easy as flipping a hand for those two. They were just bulldozing their way through without any need for skill and had already reached the Flame Pass. By comparison, their speed was several times faster than the group’s.

"Eh? Is someone spying on us?"

"Impossible, right? Could it be the Flaming Giant Wolves here?"

Meanwhile, the two Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarchs behind them were conversing as they advanced, their voices full of surprise and suspicion.

This was because they had both sensed it when Zhang Chi had spied on them earlier.

However, after looking around, they found nothing.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye. The two Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarchs had already led their subordinates through the Flame Pass and the Gold Fiend Pass and had now arrived at the Giant Wood Pass.

"Hmm? They’re still ahead of us?"

This time, the two Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarchs couldn’t help but feel surprised and suspicious again.

"How are they moving so fast?"

They continued their pursuit, only to find that even after they had passed through the Giant Wood Pass and the final Earth Element Gate, they still hadn’t found Zhang Chi and the others. This made them find the situation even more incredible.