Chapter 498: The Great War Breaks Out

Chapter 498 -497: The Great War Breaks Out

‘A Kunpeng!’ At that moment, aboard the Flying Chariot, Emperor Tang was the first to sense the fluctuations it released. ‘An aura like this is far beyond any ordinary Daoist Palace Realm cultivator. It seems the Kunpeng Race has expended considerable Heart Power to bring forth the Kunpeng Ancestor!’ After a brief moment of sensing, his brow furrowed tightly.

This Kunpeng’s presence was powerful; it seemed to contain astonishing Power within its body. It was impossible to know what would happen if it was unleashed.

“A Kunpeng has appeared! It’s flying toward the North Spirit Ruins!” Yuan Huaitian and the others received the news and immediately relayed it to Emperor Tang.

‘It seems the people from the Corpse Spirit Hall have called for reinforcements. They want to make it difficult for me to handle both fronts. If the Corpse Ancestor were still alive, this would be an impossible situation. But now that the Corpse Ancestor is gone, that’s one less problem. Otherwise, even in death, I would have been unable to change the situation in the Southern Wilderness. As for now… I can fight without holding back.’ A glint of wisdom flashed in Emperor Tang’s eyes. ‘However, my Dharma Aspect Body can’t retreat so easily, or it will make them suspicious.’

After muttering this, Emperor Tang’s Heart Spirit stirred. Above the Xiling Ruins, his Dharma Body moved. Its massive hand flipped over and pressed down once more.

BANG!

The massive hand fell, landing a solid blow on the Ancient Coffins where Wei Wuya and two other Celestial Corpses were hiding.

RUMBLE!

As the massive hand landed, the earth trembled. Nearby mountain ranges collapsed, and enormous ravines, hundreds of meters deep, split the ground open.

THUMP THUMP THUMP!

The Ancient Coffins trembled and rang out, bursting with dazzling light.

Inside, Wei Wuya and the other two Celestial Corpses were shaken so violently that their very souls nearly dissipated.

It was a good thing they were Celestial Corpses with extremely tough bodies; otherwise, their limbs would have been blasted to pieces by the impact.

Even so, they were in agony.

‘Emperor Tang is still attacking!’ Terrified, Wei Wuya quickly sent a message to Kun Hai.

“He’s still attacking?” Kun Hai was astonished. ‘Then again, that’s to be expected. The Corpse Ancestor is over there, so why would Emperor Tang give up so easily?’

He quickly came to an understanding.

‘Not giving up so easily? Fine. I’ll just have to force your hand!’ Kun Hai gave a savage grin.

“Go!” He spurred a Kunpeng Flying Boat into motion, taking Beiming Transformation Sea and two other Celestial Corpses toward the North Spirit Ruins.

Meanwhile, the Kunpeng Corpse had already appeared within North Spirit Ancient City.

SWOOSH!

The Kunpeng Corpse swept its wings, slicing through the Arrays laid by the cultivators from various sects as it charged forward.

Some cultivators were sent flying, spitting blood as they perished.

The Kunpeng, however, spread its wings and flew to the North Spirit Platform.

Upon reaching the North Spirit Platform, the Kunpeng’s wings struck out like blades, slashing at the structure that towered like a sword in the North Spirit Mountain Range.

Its clear intent was to shatter the North Spirit Platform, force its way into the North Spirit Ruins, break the Sealing Demon Platform, and rescue the Kunpeng Ancestor.

This time, Kun Hai was using brute force to break the Array, a far cry from simply sending a junior to infiltrate the North Spirit Ruins.

The Kunpeng’s Wings swept out, slashing toward the North Spirit Stele on the North Spirit Platform. This was the core of the Array protecting the North Spirit Ruins. To break it was to gain entry.

Just as the Kunpeng’s wings came slashing down, the North Spirit Ancient Stele bloomed with streaks of Light Patterns.

Five Elements Dao Patterns swirled, manifesting a shield of the Five Elements over the stele.

Yet, just as the Five Elements manifested, the Kunpeng’s Wings ripped through them layer by layer before striking the North Spirit Ancient Stele squarely.

BANG!

A tremendous crash echoed. The North Spirit Ancient Stele unleashed an astonishing ripple of power, a supreme might erupting from it to forcefully block the Kunpeng’s Wings.

Furthermore, the terrifying might that swept out caused the Kunpeng’s body to shudder.

However, with a single shudder of its wings, the Kunpeng unleashed a terrifying burst of Kunpeng Power, managing to forcibly withstand the power from the North Spirit Ancient Stele.

The sight was breathtaking, something never before witnessed in the Southern Wilderness.

In the past, other powerful cultivators had tried to break the North Spirit Ancient Stele, only to be wounded by its terrifying power. Some of the weaker ones had been killed instantly by the force.

The fact that this Kunpeng was unharmed was a testament to its immense combat strength.

It was easy to imagine that if it continued its assault, it might actually shatter the North Spirit Stele and break into the North Spirit Ruins by force.

‘This Kunpeng is certainly strong,’ Emperor Tang thought from afar, his eyes flashing as he sensed its power.

His brow furrowed slightly. With a stir of his Heart Spirit, the Dharma Aspect Body he had projected from the Great Tang flickered, surrounded by ripples, and then vanished into the Void.

Projecting a Dharma Body over such a great distance was incredibly draining on his Heart Spirit. Although he could barely manage fighting in two locations at once, he obviously couldn’t sustain that level of combat power for long.

To stop the Kunpeng Corpse, he had no choice but to give up the Dharma Body he had projected from the Great Tang Empire.

After all, the Corpse Ancestor at the Xiling Ruins already had its Divine Soul obliterated. Even if Wei Wuya rescued it, it would no longer possess the might of a peerless expert.

But the Kunpeng Ancestor inside the North Spirit Ruins was a different matter.

This Kunpeng Ancestor’s Divine Soul was still intact. Once released, even if Emperor Tang went all out, he would be completely unable to contend with it.

Therefore, Emperor Tang shifted his focus to the battlefield at the North Spirit Ruins.

And so, the Celestial Might above the Xiling Ruins dissipated.

‘Emperor Tang has withdrawn!’ As the Celestial Might dissipated, Wei Wuya could finally breathe a sigh of relief from within the Ancient Coffin.

Although he was inside the Ancient Coffin, he could still sense the fluctuations outside with his Heart Spirit.

However, he didn’t dare to rush out, fearing that Emperor Tang might launch a surprise attack as he retreated. That would spell his doom.

Just then, Kun Hai, who was in the Southern Wilderness, sent him a message: Wei Wuya could act freely; he would tie up Emperor Tang.

However, Wei Wuya didn’t make any rash moves. Emperor Tang’s power had thoroughly frightened him, and he had no desire to die a meaningless death here.

「Meanwhile, in the Southern Wilderness.」

The Kunpeng Corpse attacked, striking the North Spirit Stele. The cultivators inside and near the North Spirit Ancient City all witnessed this scene.

“This Kunpeng is attacking the North Spirit Stele. Is it trying to release the Kunpeng Ancestor?”

‘These Evil Demons just won’t give up!’ The crowd was incredibly anxious.

If the Kunpeng Ancestor was released, it would mean the end of the Southern Wilderness.

WHOOSH!

The Kunpeng spread its wings, its aura growing even stronger, and slashed towards the North Spirit Stele once again.

“A mere Kunpeng Corpse dares to bring chaos to my Southern Wilderness!” At that very moment, light shimmered high in the sky. The Holy Decree exploded with a dazzling golden radiance, like the birth of a True Dragon. Then, the people of the Southern Wilderness saw the figure of Emperor Tang materialize from nothing in the heavens above the North Spirit Ruins.

“A Kunpeng is making a move, trying to throw our Southern Wilderness into chaos?”

“Is that a descendant of the Kunpeng Race?” Immediately, the Southern Wilderness was in an uproar. Many people looked towards the Void with solemn expressions.

The Light Patterns of the Holy Decree flickered, manifesting an image of the North Spirit Ruins.

Even Ling Fei and the others on the Commander’s Platform could see the image appearing in the sky when they looked up.

Upon seeing the Kunpeng, their expressions all turned solemn.

The hand of Emperor Tang’s Dharma Body moved. With a flick of his finger, a golden light shimmered at its tip, transforming into a sharp blade that pierced the Void and shot toward the Kunpeng. The golden light was piercingly sharp and unbelievably fast. It aimed for the space between the Kunpeng’s chest and abdomen, carrying with it a majestic surge of Emperor’s Qi.

This Emperor’s Qi swept out like a roaring True Dragon, blasting back the Nether Qi being released from the Kunpeng’s body.

As Emperor Tang attacked, the Kunpeng’s wings shifted to meet the golden light.

The beam from his finger was like a dragon, yet also like a blade—unimaginably sharp. The Void shattered wherever it passed as it pierced through all obstacles. In the end, however, it was blocked by the Kunpeng’s Wings.

CLANG!

The two forces clashed, erupting in a dazzling flash of light as sparks exploded.

The Kunpeng’s body trembled, and it retreated repeatedly as if heavily struck, yet it did not suffer the slightest injury.

The defense of this Kunpeng Corpse had reached an unimaginable level; injuring it was exceedingly difficult.

However, Emperor Tang’s attack was not entirely ineffective. It had, at the very least, repelled the Kunpeng, proving that Emperor Tang possessed the power to contend with it.