Chapter 1088: Mouse Tide

Screech!

A black surge swept out from underground, a malevolent aura raging, as it swiftly darted towards the Tianyuan Region forces outside the giant pit. As sunlight illuminated the black surge, everyone finally saw its true form: ancient, colossal rat-like beasts. Their fur was dark, their rat eyes crimson, and ancient patterns shimmered on their claws and teeth, giving them a menacing appearance. Though these ancient rat-beasts resembled rats, their bodies radiated an indescribable sense of powerful agility, akin to black panthers.

“Attack!” Qin Lian’s cold shout suddenly rang out as the swarm of ancient rats appeared.

Boom! In the next instant, over two thousand Heavenly Sun Stage experts from the Tianyuan Region unleashed their full power. Vast Origin Qi transformed into thousands of streams, striking the black surge with earth-shattering force.

The black surge was instantly cut off, but it quickly burst forth again with seemingly endless numbers. It eventually surged out of the giant pit, each stream directly pouncing on the nearby Tianyuan Region teams.

Bang! Bang! At the moment of contact, some Heavenly Sun Stage experts, caught off guard, were sent flying by the ancient rats’ fierce claw swipes. Sharp claw marks nearly tore them in half. Fortunately, the teams here were all elites. They quickly recovered and began employing various methods, forming small teams to rapidly cut apart and annihilate the ancient rat surge.

Individually, these ancient rats might only possess the strength of the Divine Palace Stage, but when they gathered in such numbers, they became truly terrifying. Vice-captains such as Bian Buji, Mu Youlan, and Han Jinhe had already rushed into the battlefield, their potent Origin Qi erupting as they slew the ancient rats in their vicinity.

However, the ancient rat surge was too immense. In just a few dozen breaths, this barren mountain range showed signs of being overwhelmed by the black surge, and the Tianyuan Region teams found themselves encircled by layers of it.

Zhou Yuan and Qin Lian stood on high ground, their expressions growing slightly grave as they observed the situation below. The Ancient Origin Heaven was indeed fraught with danger; to think that these ancient beasts, spawned by a mere Ancestral Qi branch, were so formidable.

“There are too many of them!” Qin Lian said gravely. No wonder this mountain range was so barren; these ancient rats were likely the culprits.

Zhou Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Something is controlling them…” he said. “That thing is in the deepest part; it must be a rat king.”

“Slay it, and the rat swarm will disperse on its own.”

He and Qin Lian exchanged a glance, both nodding with resolute eyes. In the next instant, both shot down simultaneously, potent Origin Qi erupting as they swept into the deep hole. They used their Origin Qi to shatter the ground, continuously moving deeper.

Rumble!

However, they hadn't descended very far when they felt the rocks collapse, revealing a spacious area below, like an underground palace. The moment they landed in the underground palace, they sensed a foul wind howling from both sides, and two pairs of crimson, furious eyes gleamed eerily within.

The attacks were extremely fierce, but Zhou Yuan and Qin Lian were both seasoned combatants. Origin Qi surged forth from their bodies, instantly forming layers of defense in front of them. Simultaneously, they opened their mouths, unleashing roaring torrents of Origin Qi. The claws extending from the darkness tore through layers of Origin Qi defense, but due to that momentary pause, they were fiercely struck by two overwhelming torrents of Origin Qi.

Two giant beasts were sent flying backward, landing on the ground and tearing long gouges. Zhou Yuan and Qin Lian looked over, seeing two giant rats with golden fur. Each had two wings on its back, like gleaming, cold blades. These two flying golden rats seemed to be a male and a female, likely the rat kings of this ancient rat swarm. Golden patterns gathered on their foreheads, and their claws and teeth had a faint golden hue. Saliva flowed from their ferocious mouths, corroding and melting the ground.

“What powerful physical bodies,” Zhou Yuan couldn’t help but praise. Their previous Origin Qi attacks, from both him and Qin Lian, had not held back, yet they had caused no significant injuries to these two golden rats, demonstrating the immense strength of their bodies. According to his estimation, the strength of these two golden rats was probably no weaker than that of peak experts in the late Heavenly Sun Stage. If Han Jinhe and his group were here, they might not be able to defeat them in a one-on-one fight.

Zhou Yuan and Qin Lian exchanged glances, both nodding slightly. Zhou Yuan's figure was the first to vanish from his spot, transforming into a shadow. When he reappeared, he was already in front of the two golden rat kings. He opened his palm, and fine hairs emerged from it, shimmering with strange light.

“Heavenly Yuan Brush, Soul Devour... Soul Burial!”

At that instant, a terrifying shockwave erupted from Zhou Yuan’s palm. That shockwave was not Origin Qi, but specifically targeted the soul! These ancient beasts had terrifying physical bodies, but they also had a flaw: their souls were relatively weak. Therefore, when the Soul Burial’s soul impact arrived, the two golden rat kings instantly fell into a momentary stupor.

Zhou Yuan stomped his foot, and snow-white hairs burst from the ground beneath the two golden rat kings, coiling around and binding them completely. The moment Zhou Yuan gained control of them, Qin Lian’s figure appeared above one of the golden rat kings. In her slender, jade-like hand, a long Vermillion Sparrow Blade flashed forth.

Top-tier Heavenly Origin Weapon, Vermillion Sparrow Blade.

“Vermillion Sparrow’s Cry!”

The blade light whistled down, as if a Vermillion Sparrow was burning the sky. That terrifying scorching aura caused even space to distort. The scorching aura surged towards them. Both golden rat kings, under attack, became fully alert, their fur standing on end as they let out shrill cries.

The blade light descended.

One golden rat king had half its head split open. Blood sprayed, and it crashed to the ground. But the other, male golden rat king only suffered a hideous gash. Relying on its ferocity, it struggled free from the hair bindings and shot backward.

“What a pity,” Qin Lian said, landing gracefully, a hint of regret in her voice. That previous strike should have killed them both, but this golden rat king was exceptionally cunning. It had retreated half a step, causing her blade to primarily strike the other, female golden rat king.

Screech! The surviving golden rat king let out an enraged roar at the two of them, the crimson in its small eyes intensifying. However, it clearly knew how dangerous the two in front of it were, and it immediately turned and fled.

Zhou Yuan and Qin Lian chased after it without hesitation. One beast and two people rapidly traversed the underground palace. Under their pursuit, the golden rat king suddenly slammed into a rock face, which instantly tore open, and its figure darted inside. Zhou Yuan and Qin Lian rushed into the opening almost simultaneously.

Upon entering the opening, the view ahead suddenly broadened. It was like a colossal cavern, and at its center, several pristine white stalactites hung down. From the tips of the stalactites hung faint light clusters, and within them, something mysterious was faintly visible. An ancient and pure mystical fluctuation emanated from within.

“That is...” Zhou Yuan's pupils constricted slightly.

Qin Lian, who was beside him, paused for an instant, then sharply drew a breath, her beautiful eyes filling with shock and ecstasy. “Zhou Yuan, that’s a Heavenly Earth Wonder! It’s something born from years of Ancestral Qi permeation, an essential material for refining Saint Treasures!”

Zhou Yuan’s heart trembled, and his eyes, too, showed extreme covetousness. One must know that not every Ancestral Qi branch would give birth to such a wonder! As expected, this Ancestral Qi branch contained a treasure.

Just as Zhou Yuan and Qin Lian were captivated by the Heavenly Earth Wonder, the golden rat king suddenly shot out, pouncing on one of the stalactites and swallowing the wonder along with it in one gulp. It let out a shriek, its body beginning to swell as a malevolent aura surged forth. Clearly, it wanted to use the wonder to increase its power.

But while it was enraged, Zhou Yuan was even more furious. His eyes turned bloodshot, and he took a step forward.

Heavenly Yuan Brush, promotion!

A terrifyingly powerful Origin Qi storm suddenly raged from his body, causing the cavern to tremble.

“Great Blazing Demon!”

Amidst a low growl, Zhou Yuan’s body suddenly swelled, lava flowing and forming crimson patterns on his skin, transforming him into a ferocious Great Blazing Demon. At the same time, Zhou Yuan’s thunderous roar echoed deep underground.

“You beast, spit out my treasure!”