Chapter 516: The Might of the Remains
Chapter 516: The Might of the Remains
...
After the flock of bird demons, the flying vessel encountered no more monsters.
Even the demons on Kun Mountain actively avoided the flying vessel upon sight.
These demons seemed to have a mastermind behind them—a presence akin to a Demon King.
It understood that lesser demons stood no chance against the Ascenders aboard the flying vessel, so it ordered them to retreat, preserving their lives while allowing the vessel to advance unimpeded.
Chen Huaian wasn't sure if his guess was correct.
But seeing these demons still alive brought him some comfort.
The flying vessel continued until it reached a mist-shrouded area deep within Kun Mountain. Less than five kilometers from the Demon Sealing Pagoda, an enormous stone platform clearly not formed by nature appeared before them.
On the platform, a figure wielding a staff blocked the vessel's path.Most crucially, the flying vessel could advance no further.
The mist here seemed to possess peculiar power that disabled the vessel's flight systems. Though spirit jade still supplied energy to the vessel's core, it was visibly descending at an alarming rate.
"Something's wrong here. For safety, everyone should disembark first," one of the Nascent Soul elders immediately decided, instructing the disciples piloting the vessel to land near the platform's rocky edge.
All eyes remained fixed on the staff-wielding figure half-hidden in the mist.
Fortunately, the figure paid no attention to the vessel's position.
Nor did it show any intention to attack.
Everyone noticed a faintly visible mountain path behind the figure.
Clearly, this path led directly to the Demon Sealing Pagoda.
To reach the pagoda, they would have to pass this trial.
After disembarking, the group cautiously observed the cross-legged figure resting the staff across its knees.
"This must be the Great Sage's Remains that Wang Shouyi mentioned?" Chen Huaian extended his spiritual sense but couldn't discern the ape's cultivation level.
"Elder, that's the demon," Wang Shouyi said coldly, grinding his teeth. "It killed all hundred-plus Ascenders I sent! Its true strength remains unknown."
Chen Huaian pondered briefly before deliberately passing the buck: "Can those two Nascent Soul elders discern its realm? Our cultivation is too low—it's normal we can't tell."
Wang Shouyi instinctively glanced at the two elders.
Both appeared equally confused and hesitant.
The unknown is most terrifying.
If they could identify its realm, it wouldn't be a problem.
If weaker—attack. If equal—proceed cautiously. If stronger—retreat. But without knowing? They could only send someone to test it.
Some demons possess abilities to conceal their cultivation.
But no matter how hidden, making a move would reveal approximate strength.
With junior Ascenders watching, the elders couldn't afford to lose face.
Sending cannon fodder to test the waters was the safest option.
Sacrificing the small for the greater good.
A brilliant plan indeed!
"Hmph, pretentious mysticism!" One Nascent Soul elder casually grabbed an Ascender from another sect. "You—go check!"
"Elder, m-me?" The Ascender pointed at himself, face paling.
He was merely at Foundation Establishment—that ape clearly meant business.
Sending him was suicide!
"Yes, you. Go test it then return," the elder's tone brooked no argument.
Gritting his teeth, the Ascender dared not disobey a Nascent Soul elder's order.
Trembling, he inched forward toward the mist-shrouded ape with his weapon.
Step by step.
Each step like claws, like a devil's gait.
Shuffling... in short, dragging his feet interminably.
Finally, he entered within fifty meters of the ape.
Dangerously close now.
His weapon-hand shook violently.
The ape remained motionless—asleep perhaps?
Just as he sighed in relief and took another step—
The previously still ape suddenly moved.
And when it moved, it moved with the force of wind and thunder!
Whoosh—!
A gale-force wind erupted.
Before the Ascender could react, a towering figure and an enlarging black pillar filled his vision.
BOOM—!
Dust exploded as the entire platform seemed to tremble from the impact.
After the strike, the ape lifted its bloodied staff and returned to its seated position.
Thanks to the disciple's splattered blood, everyone now clearly saw:
A fifty-meter radius around the ape formed a perfect circle of pulverized flesh and bone.
This grisly ring meant no previous attacker had gotten within fifty meters.
Yet the two Nascent Soul elders smirked disdainfully.
That disciple was merely Foundation Establishment.
The ape's strike only slightly surpassed that level.
The disciple died like an ant crushed underfoot.
But had a Golden Core disciple gone instead, they might have caught the staff bare-handed.
Golden Core Ascenders were simply too valuable to waste as test subjects.
Now that the ape's strength was tested, all hesitation vanished.
One elder stepped forward, spiritual energy surging as Nascent Soul pressure erupted.
"Insignificant demon, how dare you act wildly before me?!"
He unleashed a thunderbolt—purple lightning dragon-like, tearing through mist toward the ape's head.
Yet the ape remained seated, allowing the lightning to strike.
Upon impact, bronze radiance erupted from its body, the lightning dissipating like mud in water.
"What?!" The elder's face twisted in shock.
Then the ape slowly raised its head.
Twin crimson eyes ignited in the mist like scorching suns.
Its body expanded—from three meters to over ten, muscles coiling like mountain rock.
"ROAR—!"
An ape's roar split the heavens, shaking all Kun Mountain.
The ape stood abruptly, its black staff emitting a low hum.
Realizing his mistake, the elder turned to flee.
Too late.
One earth-shattering step—the stone platform cracked radially for a hundred meters.
Like lightning, the ape appeared before the elder.
The staff rose, trailing hurricane winds.
SWOOSH—!
Space itself warped and whimpered along the staff's path.
"NO—!" The elder desperately summoned protective treasures, erecting multiple shields.
BANG! The staff fell—sky sundered, earth split. A shockwave erupted, sending stone waves cascading outward.
First shield—shattered. Second—exploded. Third—lasted mere moments before dust.
The staff continued unimpeded, crushing into the elder's body.
BOOM! A thunderous impact echoed through the valley.
The elder's body contorted grotesquely—flesh torn, bones pulverized.
Like a ragdoll, he was sent flying, painting a bloody arc before smashing into the mountainside a hundred meters away.
The cliff face collapsed instantly, raining debris.
A mangled corpse slid from the dust—unrecognizably human.
Silence.
Deafening silence.
All stood petrified by the horrific spectacle.
That was a Nascent Soul elder!
Peak existence among Ascenders—obliterated in one strike!
The ape rested its staff, bronze body immovable in the mist—an inviolable ancient war god.
Its contemptuous gaze swept the crowd before returning to its meditative pose, staff across knees.
As if it had merely swatted a mosquito.
...