Chapter 541: Stone Stele Devouring

Chapter 541: Chapter 541: Stone Stele Devouring

Just as Long Ao was preparing to leave the Dark Space and return to Kyushu, his expression changed drastically.

Not daring to let his guard down for even a moment, he immediately sat on the ground.

「Inside the Dragon Seal Space.」

"Long Fu, what in the world is happening? Why is the Chaos Stele starting to corrode my power?"

This discovery nearly scared Long Ao witless. After all, the Ancient Divine Dragon had said that there were only twelve Chaos Steles in all of Heaven and Earth. Each one was incomparably powerful, and anyone who obtained one could become one of the strongest Martial Artists in existence.

That was why Long Ao was so astonished when the Chaos Stele suddenly began corroding the power in his body. He had no idea what was happening.

And he didn’t dare to let his guard down.

Long Ao knew next to nothing about the Chaos Stele, so his only option was to ask Long Fu for help.

"Master, the Chaos Stele is the most powerful Divine Artifact in all of Heaven and Earth. With your strength alone, you simply cannot suppress it."

’Holy shit.’

Hearing Long Fu’s words, Long Ao couldn’t help but curse viciously in his heart.

He was utterly bewildered. ’If I can’t possibly suppress the Chaos Stele with my own power, why did the Ancient Divine Dragon have me acquire it?’

’Now that the Ancient Divine Dragon has vanished, who else could possibly help me subdue the Chaos Stele?’

"Calm yourself, Master."

Before Long Ao could even reply, Long Fu continued, "Master, if you want to control the Chaos Stele, you can only rely on yourself. It can help you become the most powerful Martial Artist in all of Heaven and Earth, so you must tame it, no matter what."

Long Ao nodded. He understood Long Fu’s point perfectly well.

’Ultimately, to successfully master the Chaos Stele, I first have to handle it with my own power. It sounds simple, but it’s actually incredibly difficult.’

"Master, legend has it that each of the twelve Chaos Steles between Heaven and Earth contains its own Unparalleled Martial Skill. If you can comprehend that skill from your Chaos Stele, then roaming the world unchallenged will be a simple matter."

Long Ao felt no joy at this. He knew full well that comprehending an Unparalleled Martial Skill from the Chaos Stele would be anything but easy.

「In the Dark Space.」

Long Ao sat on the ground, quietly trying to comprehend the Chaos Stele.

Although Long Fu hadn’t offered any direct help, he had given Long Ao a piece of advice: to comprehend the Chaos Stele rather than suppress it. Doing so would greatly increase the speed of its Refinement.

Easier said than done.

After a full day and night of meditation, Long Ao finally established a faint connection with the Chaos Stele. As a result, it stopped corroding the power in his body.

Only then could Long Ao finally breathe a sigh of relief. He was drenched in sweat; one-third of his power had been corroded away. If he hadn’t managed to connect with it in time, he was certain that within three days at most, his power would have been corroded away completely—down to the last drop.

Even so, Long Ao felt this had been more exhausting than dueling a Saint.

Taking a deep breath, Long Ao didn’t get up to leave. He planned to strike while the iron was hot and immediately begin comprehending the Unparalleled Martial Skill within the Chaos Stele.

According to Long Fu, each of the twelve Chaos Steles between Heaven and Earth contained a martial art. Whoever mastered it could roam the world unchallenged.

For this very reason, Long Ao immediately focused his entire being on comprehending the martial art within the Chaos Stele.

He didn’t know where to start.

A deep sense of helplessness washed over Long Ao. No matter what he tried, he couldn’t seem to enter the Chaos Stele. As such, comprehending the martial art within it was impossible.

"Master, Soul Power."

At Long Fu’s reminder, Long Ao nodded. He immediately used his Soul Power to try and comprehend the Chaos Stele, but the result was the same. However, he could clearly feel the stele react, just slightly, when his Soul Power touched it.

Though the reaction was minuscule, Long Ao was overjoyed. After all, one couldn’t rush these things.

「One day later.」

Long Ao rose to his feet. Instead of continuing to comprehend the Chaos Stele, he prepared to return to Kyushu at once. Although several days had passed since the Beast Tide’s assault, he was desperate to know what had become of Kyushu and whether the Four Great Forces had closed the teleportation passages.

His only worry was the fate of the teleportation passages.

But at that very moment, Long Ao dodged to the side, breaking out in a cold sweat.

A Beast Tide had appeared.

He had no idea what was happening, but suddenly, endless Spirit Beasts appeared on all sides. It was the same Beast Tide that had vanished a few days prior.

Long Ao had no clue where these Spirit Beasts had come from. It was as if they had vanished into thin air only to reappear from it.

Not daring to let his guard down, he summoned the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber to his hand. With one slash after another, he used Blood-Drinking Devouring to cut down the Spirit Beasts. But the Beast Tide showed no fear of death; for every one that fell, another surged forward to take its place.

Like moths to a flame.

The Beast Tide seemed fearless. It was precisely for this reason that Long Ao’s expression turned grim. There were simply too many of them. He roughly estimated their numbers in the tens of millions. A mere Semi-Saint Martial Artist like him stood no chance; even a Divine Dao Martial Artist would likely be overwhelmed and exhausted to death.

The area was swarming with them. Spirit Beasts attacked relentlessly from all four cardinal directions, leaving Long Ao with no path of escape.

Watching the swarms of Spirit Beasts relentlessly attacking him, Long Ao felt his skin crawl.

In just a short hour, Long Ao had already slain over a thousand Spirit Beasts, but he was half-dead from exhaustion himself. Left with no other choice, he took to the sky, hoping to escape through the air.

But to Long Ao’s immense frustration, the moment he took flight, countless Flying Spiritual Beasts shot out from all directions. They were just as numerous, forcing Long Ao to land and continue the battle on the ground.

’Am I going to die here?’

Spatial Teleportation.

With no other option, Long Ao resorted to Spatial Teleportation. He teleported five consecutive times, thinking he could finally escape, but to his utter disbelief, he still hadn’t shaken off the surrounding Spirit Beasts.

Not only that, but the number of Spirit Beasts on all sides was increasing. Long Ao attacked with his full power, gritting his teeth and enduring the waves of weakness emanating from his soul. He kept telling himself, ’I can’t give up. I have to keep going.’

His unyielding will pushed him to fight with ever-increasing valor. By the end, Long Ao was drenched in blood, a terrifying sight to behold, like a man made of blood.

He swung his saber one last time. Gazing at the teeming Beast Tide, which seemed no smaller than before, Long Ao heaved a deep sigh.