Chapter 701 - 686: Shen Lang Takes Action

As Shen Lang approached the barrier sealing the Reincarnation Marquis, Yan Bing, a powerhouse from the War God Hall who had been keeping an eye on the area, was startled. He launched a slash of Blade Qi through the air, straight at Shen Lang!

How could a slash from an Emperor Martial Realm Eighth Heaven powerhouse be ordinary?

The two diametrically opposed forces of ice and fire merged, coalescing into a form that seemed to slice open the very void.

Shen Lang had only taken a single step when a mountainous pressure enveloped his entire body, causing the stone tiles beneath his feet to instantly shatter!

Before the Blade Qi even arrived, the very air on either side of Shen Lang parted like the sea. Gang Feng howled, the sky darkened, and a violent momentum blasted out to the sides.

A vast, chilling Sword Intent filled a three-hundred-meter radius. In that instant, even distant rubble was shockingly scored with deep slash marks!

Just as the Blade Qi that stretched across the sky was about to descend, an ear-splitting shriek rang out.

Billowing Corpse Qi instantly blotted out the sky in a ten-li radius around the center of the Sealed Demon Ruins!

Duanmu Xie’s massive body instantly appeared beneath the Blade Qi. He threw a huge fist upward, shattering the Ice and Fire Blade Qi into fragments with a single punch!

"You shameless bastard! I’m over here helping you fight, and you dare touch my master? I’ll kill you!"

Duanmu Xie’s eyes, mostly white with very little black, darted. Two streams of black gas spewed from between his fangs. With a flick of his wrist, a Copper Coffin appeared, swelling in the wind. It spun rapidly, then went tumbling WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH straight for Yan Bing.

Seeing the Zombie who was supposed to be an ally suddenly attack him, Yan Bing cursed his luck. There was no time for explanations; he could only swing his long saber horizontally and strike the Copper Coffin!

CLANG!

The long saber struck the center of the Copper Coffin, producing a deafening metallic roar.

Yan Bing felt an overwhelmingly powerful force travel up his long saber. His blood roiled in his chest, and with a grunt, he rapidly retreated!

The Copper Coffin, however, was not knocked back. Instead, it flipped over in mid-air, righted itself vertically, and, carrying with it an endless tide of Corpse Qi, came crashing down on Yan Bing’s head!

Duanmu Xie had long since submitted to Shen Lang. With his Soul Blood in Shen Lang’s hands, if Shen Lang died, he would surely die as well.

Seeing Shen Lang in danger, Duanmu Xie’s fury was immense. He used nearly all his strength, even bringing out his signature Magical Treasure, the Corpse Emperor’s Copper Coffin!

As the Corpse Emperor’s Copper Coffin slammed down, Yan Bing’s vision went dark. It was as if countless thunderclaps were exploding in the air, shaking him so violently that his blood sank and he felt the urge to vomit blood.

BOOM!

Under the immense force of the Corpse Emperor’s Copper Coffin, Yan Bing was smashed straight into the ground!

Emitting a bizarre light, the Corpse Emperor’s Copper Coffin plunged into the earth, leaving only a third of its length visible. All the surrounding rock was pulverized into fine dust that drifted through the air.

This sudden turn of events caused Feng Han and the several powerhouses from the Demon God Hall, who were fighting in the air, to separate and stare blankly at the scene.

For one, they couldn’t figure out which side this Zombie was on. For another, the power the Zombie displayed was simply too astonishing. He had suppressed Yan Bing, the fastest among them, in a single move. Everyone present was dumbfounded!

At this moment, the three Emperor Martial Realm powerhouses who had been chasing Yan Bing exchanged a look and suddenly charged toward Shen Lang from three different directions!

Down below, Shen Lang didn’t even turn his head. He said coolly, "Duanmu Xie, stop those three."

"ROAR!"

Duanmu Xie tilted his head back and let out a furious roar. He recalled the Corpse Emperor’s Copper Coffin and sent it smashing directly toward the three incoming attackers.

"You three little brats, let me play with you for a while!"

Duanmu Xie’s figure flashed, and a ring of dense Corpse Qi instantly enveloped all three of them, carrying them away to the edge of the battlefield.

Deafening rumbles continuously echoed from within the Corpse Qi, punctuated by Duanmu Xie’s arrogant shrieks.

Meanwhile, Feng Han and Liu Haojia hesitated for only a moment before re-engaging their opponents, locking them in a relentless battle!

Back on the ground, Yan Bing, covered in blood and looking utterly wretched, crawled out of the crater.

As a powerhouse from the Human Race’s holy land, the War God Hall, Yan Bing was used to being respected and admired. When had he ever suffered such a humiliating defeat?

He had already been heavily injured, and after taking that blow, it was a miracle he could even crawl out.

But getting hit like that had cleared his head.

This mission was to save Naluo King, not to pick fights. Besides, judging from the current situation, the Zombie and the young man were friends, not foes.

He looked up at the sky. Feng Han and Liu Haojia had their opponents completely tied up, while over here, the Zombie was fighting three people alone and clearly had the upper hand!

’This is the perfect opportunity!’

Yan Bing sheathed his long saber, took out the Celestial Artifact the Asura King had given him, the "Light of a Thousand Years," and sank directly into the ground, moving stealthily toward the barrier trapping Naluo King.

At that moment, Shen Lang was standing outside the barrier formed by the Candle Dragon Black Flame, silently studying the array on the ground.

Beneath his calm exterior was a storm of unimaginable intensity; Shen Lang was rapidly analyzing and deciphering the array on the ground!

Just then, Yan Bing emerged silently from the ground on the other side of the barrier.

"My lord, I’ll get you out of there right now!"

The moment Yan Bing appeared, the Light of a Thousand Years in his hand flared brightly, and he slashed it toward the Candle Dragon Black Flame barrier.

"Stop!"

Shen Lang shouted.

But it was too late to stop him.

The Light of a Thousand Years in Yan Bing’s hand seemed to tear through space itself, carrying a storm of Sword Qi as it furiously struck the Candle Dragon Black Flame.

The quietly burning Candle Dragon Black Flame reacted as if a barrel of oil had been poured onto it. The already terrifying black flames instantly, with a FWOOSH, surged more than ten zhang high!

An overwhelmingly powerful storm rebounded, and with a BANG, sent Yan Bing flying!

Blood blossomed in the air, scattering like petals.

Yan Bing had already been heavily wounded when he came to rescue Naluo King...

Then he had been viciously smashed with a coffin by an enraged Duanmu Xie;

Now, after taking the barrier’s fierce rebound, he lay on the ground groaning, only managing to struggle back to his feet after a long while.

"You’re lucky. In your current state, holding that Celestial Artifact, you can’t even bring out one-ten-thousandth of its power. If your cultivation were any stronger, the force of that rebound would have been enough to cripple you completely."

Shen Lang didn’t raise his head, his eyes still fixed on the array on the ground as he spoke leisurely.

The Reincarnation Marquis, still on the cross, had been silent all this time, merely studying Shen Lang.

As if he had thought of something, the Reincarnation Marquis said in a low voice, "Yan Bing, don’t try again. Listen to this young brother. For a barrier created by a Candle Dragon using Candle Dragon Black Flame, unless Zi You himself were here to use the Light of a Thousand Years, there is only a sliver of a chance to break it... But he is gravely injured and tied up by Scorpio Mo Qingwu. Mo Qingwu will not give him the chance."

Yan Bing stuffed an Elixir Pill into his mouth and staggered to his feet. Only then did he speak. "My lord, who is he? If even the Light of a Thousand Years can’t break this barrier, are we supposed to pin our hopes on some kid at the King Martial Realm First Heaven?"

As Yan Bing spoke, he roughly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, chose one of the black Locking Chains piercing the Reincarnation Marquis’s body, and slashed down hard!

WHOOSH!

A Locking Chain extending from the array on the ground snapped at the sound, dissipating into nothing.

However, the smile that had just appeared on Yan Bing’s face immediately froze...

After the black Locking Chain from the array broke, the array seemed to have been stimulated. With a RATTLE, more than ten new, thick Locking Chains shot out and pierced through Naluo King’s body!

"I... I’m sorry..." Yan Bing was filled with regret.

Naluo King, still on the cross, frowned slightly and said, "It’s useless. This is a Soul-Locking Spirit-Binding Array. It has locked onto my Divine Soul, so it can’t be broken with brute force."

"A Soul-Locking Spirit-Binding Array?"

Yan Bing’s face turned ashen. He staggered back a step, muttering dejectedly, "Then what do we do? What do we do?"

He had finally seized an opportunity and made it to the barrier, only to find himself completely helpless... There was nothing more infuriating.

The Reincarnation Marquis on the cross slowly raised his head and turned his gaze toward Shen Lang.

"Young brother, you must have a way to help me out of this predicament, don’t you?"

Naluo King’s voice was deep and magnetic, carrying an unimaginable degree of trust and hope.

"What?" The despondent Yan Bing abruptly lifted his head, looking at Shen Lang in disbelief.

Even he, wielding the Light of a Thousand Years, couldn’t break the barrier. Even he was helpless against this "Soul-Locking Spirit-Binding Array"...

And Naluo King was placing his hope on a total stranger, a kid whose cultivation was only at the King Martial Realm First Heaven?

Was he, a mighty Emperor Martial Realm Eighth Heaven expert, actually inferior to a King Martial Realm First Heaven brat?

Could anything be more ridiculous?

Just then, Shen Lang slowly raised his head. He looked at Naluo King and gave a slight nod. "It’ll take some effort, but the prerequisite is that this clumsy subordinate of yours behaves himself."

"Bastard... Who are you calling clumsy!" Yan Bing almost flew into a rage.

He was a mighty Emperor Martial Realm Eighth Heaven powerhouse, a war general under Naluo King’s command! Even if he went to one of the Legendary Sects, Emperor Martial Realm Powerhouses would have to treat him with respect... And now, some King Martial Realm kid was calling him clumsy!

This was simply unimaginable!

"Yan Bing, you will be this young brother’s assistant. Do whatever he tells you to do."

Naluo King, the Reincarnation Marquis, said calmly.

Yan Bing’s body trembled. He immediately bowed and clasped his fists. "Your subordinate obeys!"

At that exact moment, an unimaginably powerful pressure swept in from the distance!

"It’s Scorpio Mo Qingwu!" Yan Bing’s expression changed drastically.

In Asura King Zi You’s current condition, he couldn’t hold back Scorpio Mo Qingwu unless he fought with his life on the line.

If Mo Qingwu returned, then even if there was a real chance of rescuing Naluo King, that hope would be completely extinguished by him!

Feeling that terrifying pressure, Shen Lang’s expression shifted slightly. He flung his sleeve with a sharp snap!

THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD...

Amid the loud booming, enormous Spirit Pattern Pillars emerged from the ground, one after another!

In an instant, nine Spirit Pattern Pillars completely encircled a thirty-meter radius!

Appearing along with these nine Spirit Pattern Pillars were Yuan Bupu, Flower Soul, and Yin Qianshang.

"The three of you will each control one Spirit Pattern Pillar. Leave the other six to me. Act on my command!"

Shen Lang ordered in a low voice.

"Yes!"

Yuan Bupu and the other two retreated, their bodies making contact with the enormous Spirit Pattern Pillars behind them. In an instant, their forms vanished into the pillars!

"Shift the heavens and move the earth! Rise!"

Shen Lang thrust both hands upward.

At that moment, the nine Spirit Pattern Pillars suddenly tripled in size, becoming like great pillars holding up the sky as they pierced straight into the Azure Vault!

Then, before Yan Bing’s astonished eyes, the nine Spirit Pattern Pillars began to rotate rapidly, crisscrossing each other with lightning speed!

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!

The rumbling was incessant.

Just as a giant palm from Mo Qingwu came grasping downward, a flash of light enveloped the nine Spirit Pattern Pillars. They abruptly sank into the ground and vanished without a trace!

BOOM!

The mountain-sized palm slammed down where the nine Spirit Pattern Pillars had been, gouging out a bottomless pit.

But Shen Lang and the others had vanished as if into thin air, leaving no trace behind...

PS: My cold has gotten worse, and I can’t stop coughing. I’ve taken a ton of medicine, sigh!