Chapter 526: 526 wants to leave but doesn’t dare
And Mu Hanyan and the others, upon learning that this was the legendary malefic deity Xia Youchen, also wanted to take flight, but they were surrounded by Exotic Beasts, and without an Alchemy Artifact to ride the winds, their only means of escaping would be to pass through the throng of creatures.
Those Exotic Beasts may well have been lying tamely on the ground, but it was clear to all that this was only because of Xia Youchen’s presence. With a single command from him, all the beasts would likely go mad again, just as they had done before. United, they could just about defend themselves, but if they dispersed and fell into the encirclement of the beasts, they would probably be torn to shreds in the blink of an eye.
Thinking this, they immediately dismissed the idea of fleeing. Unless Xia Youchen allowed them to leave, no one dared to make a rash move.
"Wanting to leave? Heh heh, do you think that once you’ve entered this temple it’s that easy to leave? Besides, a thousand years ago, I exhausted my wits and destroyed my body, almost losing my life to find the treasure that’s now on you. How could you possibly leave?" The skeleton, which was Xia Youchen, cackled a few times, then continued with a voice full of hostility.
Qu Fengting felt a chill in his heart and quickly stopped moving.
Mu Hanyan had always harbored a doubt in her mind, and hearing Xia Youchen’s words, she suddenly had an epiphany.
Logically speaking, such a palace hidden in Exotic Beast Valley should have been detected by Zhengying Academy over the last ten thousand years. Instead, it was inadvertently discovered by ancestors of the Wu Family and the Qu family, which seemed completely illogical.
Xia Youchen’s words had given her an answer, that outside this palace, there originally was another Seal, which even Zhengying Academy had not discovered. Nearly a thousand years ago, Xia Youchen found this Seal, and with great effort broke it open, only to end up with his body destroyed, leaving only a Wandering Soul, and hence was too powerless to break the separate Seal within the palace, forcing him to lie in wait inside the palace for an opportunity.
Perhaps because in nearly ten thousand years there had been no odd occurrences in Exotic Beast Valley, Zhengying Academy had grown complacent and thus had not detected this so-called temple. Instead, ancestors of the Wu Family and the Qu family stumbled upon it.
Because that ancestor of the Qu family lacked the strength, he not only failed to open the last Seal, but also sustained grievous injuries from the backlash of the Seal. Following that, the earth shook and hid the temple once again, allowing Xia Youchen to continue his hidden existence.
Until this time, Qu Fengting came prepared, and with strength surpassing that ancestor of the Qu family, he successfully broke the Seal, allowing Xia Youchen to finally take action.
At the same time Mu Hanyan had her revelation, Xia Youchen flicked his bony finger, casting several Hand Formations.
A Beast Bone flew out from Qu Fengting’s embrace. This bone, having endured at least ten thousand years of time, was covered in honeycomb-like perforations, yet it still faintly shone with a luster as if carved from the finest Jade.
Beast Bone Relics! Mu Hanyan had seen Beast Bone Relics in Mu Nan’s collection, but in terms of quality, they were worlds apart from the one before her eyes.
The Beast Bone Relic hovered in midair, suddenly emitting a burst of flowing lights and colors, like a massive rainbow enveloping the land within a hundred miles. With it, an intimidating pressure whirled through the air.
This was definitely the relic of some vicious and ferocious Ancient Divine Beast! Mu Hanyan made her judgment instantly, for within this oppressive force, she distinctly felt a savage and malignant aura.
"Roar!" All the Exotic Beasts howled in unison, lying even lower to the ground, their bodies trembling with fear, as if worshipping the supreme Beast King.
From Xia Youchen’s mouth came a series of chant-like sounds, arcane and profound, yet containing a peculiar rhythm.