Chapter 1818: An Sou

Yingrong Lake, lake surface!

This well-known Big Lake within Rongshan is currently emitting a mystical aura. It appears tranquil, but the cultivators by the lakeshore gaze at the calm lake surface with a hint of fear in their eyes.

Several blackened corpses float around the lake, adding a sinister twist to Yingrong Lake, making people hesitant to venture in.

These people naturally came to seek the Murong Tomb. However, ever since the change at Yingrong Lake and those who resisted poison entered the lake, several days have passed.

No one knows what has transpired in the lake, nor if the legendary Murong Tomb exists at its bottom. Unable to enter, they can only passively await an outcome.

For those unwilling to enter Yingrong Lake, even if the Murong Tomb lies beneath, its treasures are unlikely to belong to them.

The greatest possibility is for the Murong City Emperor Palace to acquire them, especially since their Director, Tan Qigong, is a genuine Half-step Holy Rank expert.

Even though Yun Xiao and the woman who entered the lake last might possess significant skills, they can’t possibly surpass Tan Qigong, right?

Yet, knowing the tomb’s treasures are beyond their grasp, these people are reluctant to leave. Until the final moment, no one wants to give up easily.

If something changes in Yingrong Lake, at the very least, they might have a chance to "drink some soup," if not eat the meat, making their wait worthwhile.

Splash!

Amidst everyone’s swirling thoughts, a sudden sound of water breaking from Yingrong Lake draws all eyes, and faces subtly change.

Emerging from the water is a graceful figure, familiar to some cultivators. She was the last to enter Yingrong Lake and belongs to the Canglong Emperor Palace.

Aside from those recently arriving at the lake, the cultivators recognizing her become cautious, knowing she is a talent from Canglong Emperor Palace Headquarters. Her emergence might indicate she obtained the most valuable treasure.

Everyone knows her status likely surpasses Tan Qigong’s from Murong City Emperor Palace. Should Tan obtain any treasure, he surely must offer it wholeheartedly.

"Her aura seems somewhat unstable!"

A Meridian Refining Master with remarkable Power of Soul senses a slightly chaotic aura on the woman and murmurs, forming another hypothesis.

"Could someone dare to attack the Palace headquarters people?"

Interpreting the elder’s implication, a nearby cultivator is taken aback. Considering this possibility, he suddenly refrains from speaking, fearing the Palace talent’s ire.

The first graceful figure emerging from the lake is Xue Qi, who was chased away by Yun Xiao at the lake bottom. She indeed appears somewhat disheveled.

Yun Xiao guessed correctly; Xue Qi managed to suppress poisons by relying on Emperor Canglong’s Emperor Dragon Qi within her.

This Emperor Dragon Qi doesn’t only help Xue Qi withstand the Dragon Saliva Pond’s tempering, but also stays within her, potentially enabling her to cultivate Emperor Dragon Qi.

Regrettably, this time, Xue Qi came confident but ended up humiliated by Yun Xiao, remembering the shame suffered in Murong Tomb, she feels everyone at the lakeshore silently mocking her.

Feeling aggrieved, Xue Qi once thought breaking into Holy Rank Hua Xuan Realm Early Stage meant no Heavenly Rank Third Realm cultivator was her match.

Little did she expect the childhood friend to be so unpredictable, causing her continuous failures, nearly driving her to madness.

Now emerged, Xue Qi belatedly acknowledges Emperor Dragon Qi saved her. Yet, recalling this stirs frustration, as if she’s choking on pent-up emotions.

The Emperor Dragon Qi, originally an endless boon, now merely suppresses Yun Xiao’s poison, and Xue Qi clearly senses the Emperor Dragon Qi depleting during this process.

Sooner or later, the Emperor Dragon Qi would dissipate, causing not only another poison flare-up but also losing the Emperor Dragon Qi entirely, an immense loss.

"Yun Xiao, I, Xue Qi, swear, within my lifetime, I will make you pay a hundredfold for today’s deeds!"

The low, venomous voice echoes at Yingrong Lake’s shore, instilling subtle dread in many cultivators who hear her oath.

"Again that Yun Xiao!"

Days ago, while outside, everyone witnessed Yun Xiao employ poison to fatally kill Yue Qizhai, the Emperor Palace’s Second Elder, an Advanced Poison Vein Master.

Among the experts entering Yingrong Lake, there was Tan Qigong, a Half-Saint tier Chief. How could he allow Yun Xiao to target the genius of the Emperor Palace Headquarters?

Yet, the venomous tone in Xue Qi’s voice and her undisguisable faint aura both indicated that some unknown change must have occurred at the bottom of Yingrong Lake.

In this way, that rough-clothed boy who had previously shown remarkable performance became even more mysterious in the minds of these cultivators, and his boldness was certainly extraordinary.

It seemed that sensing the unusual gazes around her, Xue Qi’s face turned gloomy, unwilling to stay here any longer. Although she harbored resentment, she was also extremely fearful that the rough-clothed boy might come out to claim her life.

After the battle at the lake’s bottom, Xue Qi clearly knew that even if she had broken through to the Hua Xuan Realm Early Stage, she would still fall short against Yun Xiao’s bizarre methods.

At this moment, she was poisoned, and she didn’t know how long the Emperor Dragon Qi could last. If she wasn’t careful, she might lose her life here; it would be better to lay low for a while.

Whoosh!

A sound of cutting through air erupted, followed by Xue Qi’s graceful figure disappearing into the southern sky, leaving everyone in a state of melancholy, as if feeling a sense of unfinished business.

"It seems that our Lady Xue Qi suffered quite a loss this time!"

While everyone was observing the vanishing silhouette, an old man hidden within the crowd muttered while staring at the sky, his tone containing meanings that left people somewhat perplexed.

In fact, this old man named An Sou was secretly sent by Empress Lu Qinwan of Emperor Canglong to ensure Xue Qi’s safety.

However, he believed that Xue Qi’s cultivation at the Hua Xuan Realm Early Stage would face no enemies in this remote Northern Domain, so he only rushed here today.

Little did An Sou expect to see Xue Qi with a faint aura and grinding her teeth at a certain name upon his arrival, which made his face turn extremely gloomy.

"Yun Xiao, is it? You dare to harm Lady Xue Qi, you won’t leave Rongshan alive!"

An Sou, being a Hidden Guard of the Emperor Canglong Empress, rarely reveals his identity. Thus, even though he discovered Xue Qi was poisoned, as long as her life wasn’t in danger, he wouldn’t appear before her.

Yet, tasked by Lu Qinwan to protect Xue Qi’s safety, An Sou did not leave. Yun Xiao, who dared to harm Lady Xue Qi, had already set his path to death, which became his next goal.

Boom!

However, just as An Sou decided to enter the lake to deal with Yun Xiao, Yingrong Lake suddenly underwent a change.

A loud noise erupted from the lake, followed by dozens of figures being uncontrollably ejected, like food spat out by a giant beast, leaving the cultivators at the shore dumbfounded.

In fact, this was because Yun Xiao had utilized the Ice Cold Ancestor Vein Power deep within Murong Tomb, triggering the Water Dragon Sky Flipping Array, expelling all unrelated cultivators in and around Murong Tomb.

Though the Water Dragon Sky Flipping Array was situated at the small plaza, it indeed encompassed the entire Murong Tomb, only differing in the strength of the power.

The Water Dragon Sky Flipping Array, angered by Yun Xiao, certainly had no patience for outsiders, making those who entered Murong Tomb suffer greatly from the indiscriminate attack.

Dozens of figures were blasted into the sky, their heads spinning violently under the strong energy impact, unable to control their bodies, and soon fell from the sky.

Bang, bang, bang...

Just when everyone thought those dozens would fall back into the lake, unexpectedly, about a few feet above the water’s surface, a mysterious force bounced them back up, toppling them awkwardly onto the shore.

"Not good!"

Witnessing this scene, while others were pondering, An Sou’s expression slightly changed, and with a flash, he reached the edge of Yingrong Lake, extending his hand as if to probe something.

Though An Sou acted mostly in the shadows, his knowledge was vast, knowing that the sudden change at Yingrong Lake indicated someone was activating mechanisms beneath the lake.

"Just as I thought!"

As An Sou extended his right hand, about to touch the lake water, he suddenly felt a strong force coming at him, causing his right arm to tremble, and his face turned even gloomier.

Clearly, due to the unknown changes, Yingrong Lake now had a formidable sealing barrier, making it impossible for someone as strong as An Sou to access Yingrong Lake.