Chapter 741 - 726: A Multi-Sided Stalemate, Killing Intent at Every Step

Dong Chengyue seemed completely helpless against Qin Mengxue.

She huffed and glanced northward. Over there, four people were split into two factions, the tension as high as drawn crossbows.

If it weren’t for Jun Tianyu of the Five-Colored Banner standing nearby, the four of them would have already come to blows.

One of the four, a fair-faced, beardless middle-aged man, snapped coldly, "Qin Mengxue, don’t you think you’re being far too insolent? Is our lord’s name something you can just throw around? Do you really think I wouldn’t dare to touch you just because you’re one of Princess Zhuque’s people?"

Qin Mengxue seemed unfazed by Ren Xudong’s words, merely chuckling as she replied, "I’ve always called Candle Dragon by his name. If you don’t like it, you’re more than welcome to come over and trade a few blows with me."

"However, I should kindly remind you that you were already injured while fighting the Zuo Feng and Zuo Yun brothers. If you start a fight now, you’ll be the ones to suffer. That’s because Jun Tianyu will definitely make a move, and his targets will surely be the weakest two among us... Don’t look at me like that. I’m talking about you and Zheng Tianfeng. It doesn’t matter if you refuse to accept it."

Ren Xudong was furious. "You don’t need to use such words to provoke us! If you hadn’t sided with them, would Zuo Feng and Zuo Yun have had a chance to injure us? What a joke!"

"Besides, he’s just some small fry from the War God Hall. I doubt he has the guts! If he dares to interfere in our business, it’s a death sentence!"

A domineering and fierce aura instantly locked onto Jun Tianyu!

At this moment, Jun Tianyu, who was standing to the west, began to laugh. "Brother Ren is right, I really don’t have the guts... Mengxue really knows how to joke. This is a matter for your Demon God Hall, how could I possibly interfere? I’m just a lone wolf, hoping to enter the upper levels of this Dragon Scale Divine Hall and find some opportunities. I have no desire to get involved in your conflicts."

This Jun Tianyu was as handsome as a jade carving, with a magnificent and otherworldly air, and he always wore a smile.

He was clearly a member of the War God Hall’s Five-Colored Banner, yet mingling with a group of Demon God Hall powerhouses, he remained as composed as if he were on a leisurely stroll, showing no signs of nervousness at all.

Instead, it was more like he was at a gathering with some friends.

But his unfathomable aura clearly suppressed the other six, a testament to his Cultivation being the strongest among them.

No wonder he was so bold...

"Hmph!" Qin Mengxue, who had been smiling all along, couldn’t help but let out a soft snort and fall silent when Jun Tianyu looked over and gave her a slight smile.

Dong Chengyue’s gaze swept over each of them, her expression growing much gloomier. She unwillingly exchanged a few more perfunctory words.

「Time passed, bit by bit...」

Hiding in the distance, Shen Lang finally pieced together the fragmented information and figured out the full story and the identities of these people.

The fair-faced, beardless Ren Xudong and the tall Zheng Tianfeng were Candle Dragon’s men.

The twin brothers facing them, Zuo Yun and Zuo Feng, were Taotie’s men.

Taotie’s people were hostile to Candle Dragon’s people wherever they met. This time, they had locked onto their targets and pursued them here directly.

Dong Chengyue was a subordinate of Black Phoenix Lin Yafeng. Since Black Phoenix was Candle Dragon’s wife, they were all family. Dong Chengyue had originally come to help Ren Xudong and Zheng Tianfeng but was intercepted by Qin Mengxue, a subordinate of Lan Mengling.

Vermilion Bird Lan Mengling had always remained outside the conflict between Taotie and Candle Dragon; neither of them dared to offend her.

However, Qin Mengxue seemed to utterly despise Candle Dragon’s people. Furthermore, due to the long-standing rivalry between Vermilion Bird Lan Mengling and Black Phoenix Lin Yafeng, she had tied up Dong Chengyue, giving her no chance to help Ren Xudong.

Ren Xudong’s pair and the Zuo brothers had fought relentlessly, battling all the way from the northeast side of the Dragon Scale Divine Hall to the northwest.

Meanwhile, Dong Chengyue and Qin Mengxue fought intermittently, making it difficult to determine a winner in the short term...

With the appearance of Jun Tianyu from the War God Hall’s Five-Colored Banner, these irreconcilable factions finally stopped fighting. Jun Tianyu had taken advantage of their great battle to enter this place, nearly making it inside when the Stone Gate last opened!

Now, there was still an hour before the Stone Gate would open again.

Jun Tianyu’s presence made the group hold back, maintaining a delicate balance.

Likewise, because they were all constraining each other, Jun Tianyu of the War God Hall could stand there leisurely without anyone making a move against him!

Everyone knew...

If anyone were to start a fight now, Jun Tianyu would very likely be the only one to benefit in the end!

Jun Tianyu’s Cultivation far surpassed the other six. If he got an opportunity—for instance, by helping the Zuo Feng and Zuo Yun brothers deal with Ren Xudong and his partner—it was entirely possible he could eliminate them.

The Five-Colored Banner was the most mysterious force within the War God Hall.

The powerhouses within the Five-Colored Banner were fewer than the Eight Celestial Kings, but the members of any single banner possessed tyrannical and unfathomable strength, with influence exceeding even that of the Eight Celestial Kings.

The people of the Demon God Hall feared nothing and considered themselves the masters of this world, its dominators. But when they encountered someone from the Five-Colored Banner, they would all be terrified.

This Jun Tianyu was a member of the Five-Colored Banner’s White Banner. His Cultivation was outstanding, and he was intelligent, wise, and resourceful.

If he really managed to kill two of them, even if the remaining four could truly join forces...

They probably wouldn’t be able to do anything to him in a short amount of time.

Moreover, the routes within the Dragon Scale Divine Hall were intricate and complex, filled with Restrictions. If he wanted to escape, the chances of catching him were minuscule, even if a Quasi-Emperor Martial Realm powerhouse from the Demon God Hall took action.

Candle Dragon’s and Taotie’s men hated each other to the core; they would never join forces. If one side suffered a casualty, the other would definitely seize the opportunity to attack and kill the survivor on the spot.

With these two sides holding each other in check, even though Qin Mengxue and Dong Chengyue both had thoughts of dealing with Jun Tianyu, they could only grit their teeth at Ren Xudong and Zuo Feng’s group for now.

In contrast, Jun Tianyu remained calm and composed from beginning to end. He neither seemed to think he was in danger nor showed any intention of intervening in their conflicts, appearing completely at ease.

Besides this information, Shen Lang also learned a few things about the Dragon Scale Divine Hall from their intermittent conversations.

It seemed that due to the intervention of Dingdang and Black Phoenix, Taotie had temporarily stopped his pursuit of Candle Dragon.

And just as Shen Lang had predicted, Candle Dragon had used the dense Restrictions and various mysterious Arrays within the Dragon Scale Divine Hall to evade Taotie’s pursuit.

In the end, the two sides had agreed to use the Dragon Scale Divine Hall as their battlefield for a decisive fight.

Therefore, they had joined forces to grievously injure the Abyss Lord entrenched here.

This forced the gravely wounded Abyss Lord to flee and hide in the center of the Dragon Scale Divine Hall.

During the great battle with the Abyss Lord, Taotie’s and Candle Dragon’s men had already gotten a general lay of the land in the Dragon Scale Divine Hall.

The Dragon Scale Divine Hall was divided into five platform levels, spiraling upwards.

The path from each level to the one above had countless forks leading to unknown areas, all of which the Abyss Lord had filled with innumerable powerful Demon Beasts or Puppets.

Coupled with the Dragon Scale Divine Hall’s own powerful Restrictions and traps, it was truly fraught with peril, with death lurking at every step.

Currently, Candle Dragon’s and Taotie’s people were mainly concentrated at the northeastern entrance, while everyone else was required to enter from other locations in the Dragon Scale Divine Hall.

Candle Dragon’s and Taotie’s forces were already fighting an earth-shattering battle. Add to that the people of Vermilion Bird Lan Mengling and Black Phoenix Lin Yafeng, plus the audacious Five-Colored Banner from the War God Hall intervening...

The chaotic situation had become even more convoluted and baffling.

’These guys being so ’restrained’ isn’t a good thing for me,’ Shen Lang mused in the corner, holding his chin. ’From the looks of it, during previous openings of the Yumu Cave Blessed Land, it was basically only people from the Imperial Dragon Sect and the other two of the Three Sects who came.’

’Along the way here, every single Restriction has been incredibly powerful. With the abilities of Qin Siyuan and the other Emperor Martial Realm experts from the Imperial Dragon Sect, they probably spent a very long time just to break through to this platform level.’

’Even if they’ve entered this Stone Gate before, they probably couldn’t have gotten very far.’

’In that case, in an area so densely packed with powerful Restrictions, my speed should be the fastest, even with these seven Emperor Martial Realm powerhouses included... I just don’t know which level Candle Dragon and Taotie’s groups have fought their way to. After all, they have Quasi-Emperor Martial Realm and Emperor Martial Realm powerhouses over there...’

’Looks like I can’t delay any longer. The moment the Stone Gate opens and those seven go in, I’ll follow right behind them... I have to seize the initiative!’

Just as Shen Lang’s mind raced, a sudden sense of alarm flared within him!

An incomparably tyrannical Divine Thought had singled out Shen Lang’s own Divine Thought from among the thousands belonging to the Demon Beasts and was silently closing in!

’It’s Jun Tianyu!’

The two streams of Divine Thought hadn’t even made contact yet, but just by sensing the bone-chilling aura from it, Shen Lang immediately identified its owner.

Shen Lang made a split-second decision, retracting his Divine Thought like lightning. In an instant, he revealed himself and pounced on the nearest Golden-horned Rhino!

The next moment, having lost its target, Jun Tianyu’s vast, ocean-like Divine Thought instantly radiated outwards, completely blanketing the entire platform!

As soon as this terrifying Divine Thought appeared, the Demon Beasts and elemental monsters on the platform, which had been roaring incessantly, immediately prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling in fear!

Although the powerhouses from the various factions also felt extremely uncomfortable, they were able to endure it because Jun Tianyu’s Divine Thought was not offensive in nature.

Seizing this opportunity, the powerhouses immediately took action, slaughtering the crowd of prostrated Demon Beasts!

A huge swath of the densely packed Demon Beasts was cleared out in an instant, making the area no longer as crowded as before.

Under this pressure, Shen Lang staggered forward a few steps, killed the Golden-horned Rhino with a single punch, and stored its corpse directly into his Sumeru Ring.

Jun Tianyu turned slightly, his gaze sweeping over everyone on the platform. A trace of doubt appeared in his eyes. ’How strange...’

"What are you muttering about?" Qin Mengxue asked coldly from the other side.

Jun Tianyu turned back and smiled. "It’s nothing. I just noticed someone was spying on us, but they were too fast. They retracted their Divine Thought before I could even make a move."

Qin Mengxue gave a mocking smile. "Can’t you find a better excuse for being so mysterious? Including those five still fighting the Frost Giant Beast, who could possibly hide from the seven of us?"

"The six of us didn’t feel a thing, yet you claim someone was spying on us. What are you really planning?"

Just as Jun Tianyu was about to speak, he suddenly stopped, his gaze locked tightly on the massive Stone Gate to their front left.

Before Qin Mengxue could say anything, a vast and unfathomable aura emanated from the giant Stone Gate.

The blinding light made everyone instinctively turn their heads away!

GRIND... GRIND... GRIND...

Amidst the deafening sounds, the mysterious Restriction on the Stone Gate finally receded. The massive door sank into the ground, revealing a dark and profound passageway!

"Go!"

Ren Xudong and Zheng Tianfeng reacted the fastest, transforming into two streaks of light and diving into the passageway in the first instant!

The moment they flew out, the Zuo Feng and Zuo Yun brothers behind them acted without a second thought. As if they were a single person, they simultaneously threw a punch toward Ren Xudong and his partner!

"You two, stop!" Dong Chengyue whipped out a long lash, which coiled toward Zuo Feng and Zuo Yun like a dragon’s tail.

"Sister, I’m still here!" With a flick of her longsword, Qin Mengxue parried Dong Chengyue’s whip.

A fierce wind blew past. A figure appeared out of thin air behind Zuo Feng and Zuo Yun, striking their backs with both palms as fast as lightning!

"My apologies."

With a single strike that sent Zuo Feng and Zuo Yun coughing up blood, Jun Tianyu’s figure vanished once more, leaving only the sound of a light chuckle behind...