"Hmph?"
Shen Nong's expression changed abruptly, no longer as amiable as when facing Chi Yan and the others.
An incomparably majestic pressure emanated from him, instantly descending upon the crystal skull.
"No ill intentions? You destroyed both of my resting grounds?"
"No ill intentions? You bullied and oppressed my tomb keepers to this extent?"
"If your lack of ill intentions is like this, then I have no ill intentions towards you either."
As the words fell,
Shen Nong's phantom suddenly raised a hand.
A surge of life force erupted from the green crystal, instantly enveloping the crystal skull.
Layers of pressure and abundant life force rendered the crystal skull immobile!
"Heh heh, weren't you seeking life force? Then I shall bestow it upon you now. Can you stomach it?" Shen Nong sneered.
This!
The crystal skull felt fear in its heart.
Its body was bound, unable to move.
A vast amount of life force raged and washed through its skeletal structure.
Although this was what the crystal skull desired, too much of a good thing could be detrimental.
The life force was too concentrated, rendering it useless for repairing the crystal skull's physical body.
Puff puff puff!
The crystal skull's skeleton began to collapse, its entire body separating.
"No!"
The crystal skull cried out in terror.
But Shen Nong did not stop, continuing to infuse it with life force!
Crack.
The crystal skull's two feet shattered, turning into countless luminous fragments.
Crack!
The crystal skull's arms also shattered.
Crack.
Its body broke apart, leaving only its head and heart.
"Ah!"
The crystal skull's head felt worse than death.
It had toiled for over a thousand years, finally on the verge of successful revival.
Yet today, it was all in vain!
"No! Spare me!"
The crystal skull screamed frantically, "Great God Shen Nong, I know I was wrong! Please spare me! I am willing to stay here forever and guard your tomb!"
"Heh, I have no use for your kind! Nor are you worthy of it! Therefore... perish!"
Shen Nong raised his hand, and life force surged in again!
"Ah!"
The crystal skull let out a painful wail.
It had never expected that Shen Nong would refuse to spare it even when it begged for mercy!
"Damn Shen Nong, you're forcing my hand! Since you won't give me a way to live, then I'll take them all down with me!"
The crystal skull roared madly.
The bloody heart suddenly expanded!
It swelled to the enormous size it had been when it incited chaos in the Far West, and then exploded like a watermelon.
Bang!
Instantly.
A large amount of black energy surged forth.
It immediately broke through the life force that surrounded it, and the black energy began to leak out!
Zhang Yang and the others instantly felt suffocated!
"Not good."
Shen Nong's expression changed upon seeing this.
He quickly withdrew the life force and enveloped Zhang Yang and his companions.
And the crystal skull seized this opportunity.
With only its head remaining, it flew directly towards the life crystal and bit off a piece fiercely!
Then, it transformed into a wisp of black smoke and left Shen Nong's tomb!
"Heh heh heh! Shen Nong, I will surely avenge this day! You all wait for me!"
"Heh heh heh!"
The crystal skull's fearful laughter gradually faded and disappeared.
"Damn it, if my true self were here, I could crush you like an ant!" Shen Nong's face was filled with anger.
After clearing away the black energy that had been disrupted by the heart's explosion, Shen Nong's figure also grew dimmer.
After all, what remained here was merely a phantom, relying on the life crystal to fight.
Therefore, its true strength could not be unleashed even by one ten-thousandth. Otherwise, how could the crystal skull have escaped!
"This is dangerous."
Shen Nong sensed that the crystal skull had left Shen Nong Gorge, his brow furrowed with worry.
"Alas..."
Shen Nong sighed, glanced at Zhang Yang and the others, and suddenly smiled.
"Never mind, worldly affairs are not for me to worry about. Someone will naturally step forward to resolve them."
Shen Nong smiled faintly.
Then, without even bidding farewell to Zhang Yang and the others, he vanished.
The remaining energy within the life crystal once again enveloped Zhang Yang and his group, burning with its last residual glow.
When everything settled,
Zhang Yang and his companions' injuries were all healed.
The entire Shen Nong tomb returned to its original state.
Zhang Yingxiong and the other four had the strangest expressions.
They had leveled up, their strength greatly increased.
"Zhang Yang, how are you doing?" Zhang Yingxiong asked.
"I'm doing quite well, I've reached six stars," Zhang Yang replied.
What?
Six stars?
Zhang Yingxiong was speechless.
The five of them were only four stars, and Zhang Yang had already reached six stars.
Although the combined strength of the five of them was not inferior to a six-star cultivator,
Zhang Yingxiong, as the elder, always felt suppressed by Zhang Yang, which made him quite displeased.
"Alright," Zhang Yingxiong said speechlessly.
The other four ministers of the Five Dragons of China, seeing Zhang Yingxiong's thoughts, chuckled.
The group left Shen Nong's tomb.
Lü Luo, Er Dan, and the others did not linger.
After bidding farewell to Chi Yan and Zhang Yang, they left through the passage they came from, heading to the Far West to guard the tomb.
"Zhang Yang, thank you so much this time. Without your help, my clansmen could not have been revived, nor could we have dealt with the crystal skull that had been缠斗 us for a year." Chi Yan expressed his gratitude.
"Heh heh, Patriarch Chi Yan, you are too polite. We also gained considerable benefits from this expedition. We can consider it mutual assistance and mutual benefit," Zhang Yang said with a smile.
"Now that the matter in Shen Nong Gorge is resolved, we must also leave here."
Chi Yan was taken aback.
"Weren't you forced in here? Will the other party still attack you if you leave now? Why don't you stay here? With us, outsiders won't gain any advantage," Chi Yan suggested.
As tomb keepers, they possessed immense strength, each being a master of the Yuan Fu realm.
However, they had a drawback: they could not leave this place.
Just like Lü Luo and the others, they were confined to the Far West.
If Shen Nong Gorge were not connected to the Far West, they wouldn't have been able to come.
"That's not necessary," Zhang Yang shook his head.
"I was indeed forced in, but I was mainly curious about Shen Nong Gorge. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to do anything to me."
"Furthermore, I have my own friends and family waiting for me outside. I cannot stay here indefinitely."
Hearing Zhang Yang's insistence on leaving, Chi Yan did not press further.
"Alright, if you encounter danger outside, you can retreat to Shen Nong Gorge immediately. We will always be your friends."
"Okay, I'll come back to visit you when I have time," Zhang Yang said with a smile.
...
After bidding farewell to Chi Yan,
Zhang Yang, along with the giant python, the giant crocodile, and the five ministers of the Five Dragons of China, headed towards the exit.
On the way,
Zhang Yang informed the five ministers about the recent events.
Upon hearing this, they were instantly enraged!
"This Emperor is becoming more and more outrageous! Does he really think no one can deal with him? If pushed too far, we'll march to the Imperial City right now!" the Minister of the War Dragon Department said impatiently.
"No, we cannot reveal ourselves in the Imperial City until we find him," Zhang Yingxiong, being more rational, shook his head.
Then, he looked at Zhang Yang and said,
"Zhang Yang, after you go out, you can follow your original plan and retreat to Linhai City first, to be with the descendants of King Ming. This way, the Emperor won't dare to act rashly for a while."
"Alright," Zhang Yang nodded.
But then he looked at Zhang Yingxiong and the others with a puzzled expression, "By the way, how did you know I was here? And how did you know something happened to me?"