Chapter 1712: The Elder Playing the Qin

In any faction or team, there are always a few ignorant individuals who, when everyone else makes the same decision, defiantly choose a different path, ultimately becoming cannon fodder and facing their demise.

The Asura Royal Family, of course, was no exception to having such hotheads.

After all the Asura Royal Family cultivators had fled at Xu Yang's three commands, one sneaky-looking individual remained. Gritting his teeth, this individual stealthily moved behind Xu Yang, attempting a surprise attack. Xu Yang didn't even need to turn around; he instantly detected the man's energy fluctuations and, with a sigh, questioned him.

"I truly wish to understand what psychological impulse led you to choose this suicidal path. Are you trying to make your presence known to me, hoping I'll remember your name? Unfortunately, killing you ten thousand times for such an act would be no different to me than crushing an ant."

Xu Yang slowly turned, his expression icy. Without even moving a hand, he released an incredibly powerful wave of mental energy from his stern eyes. The Eye of the Gods granted Xu Yang unparalleled mental power, and the spiritual light it instantly emitted pierced the man's soul world, shattering his soul origin in a flash.

The Asura Royal Family cultivator, who had intended to ambush Xu Yang, instantly lost the color in his pupils, which then turned a translucent, deathly pale white, devoid of all light. This was the physical manifestation of his soul origin dissipating even before his life force.

Long Kun watched the scene unfold from the side. Realizing that the man had completely lost his life force, he stepped closer and gently pushed him.

The mangled corpse, completely devoid of its soul, toppled over. With no further obstacles from the Asura Royal Family, Xu Yang led his team unimpeded directly towards the Asura Royal Family's forbidden land.

Perhaps due to his control over the entire Asura Royal Family's Immortal Abode, when Xu Yang and his group of four arrived before the forbidden seal, the sealed portal had already fully opened, revealing a new forbidden area. What met their eyes was as magnificent and prosperous as the rest of the Asura Royal Family's Immortal Abode.

However, living beings were scarce within this forbidden space; it resembled a lavish yet incredibly desolate ghost town. In the deepest part of this city, atop a resplendent golden palace, an old man with white hair and beard sat alone on the palace's highest beam, playing a zither.

The distant zither music resonated, carrying a very powerful mental energy fluctuation. Although this mental energy was vastly inferior to Xu Yang's, for Long Kun and Ling Yao, it produced extremely powerful soul interference. Clearly, the old man playing the zither on the city's highest point was the Asura Royal Family's Grand Elder, a living fossil. He was also the only Grand Elder whose physical body and soul origin were perfectly integrated.

"Isn't it delightful to have friends come from afar? Welcome, all of you. I wonder if my castle meets your taste?" The Grand Elder appeared calm and composed, his voice infused with potent mental energy, resonating throughout the entire void.

Xu Yang, however, snorted coldly, responding with an equally resonant tone. "It seems you haven't recognized your place. You are merely the Grand Elder of the Asura Royal Family, at best a guardian of this lineage's source of power, appointed by the will of the Supreme God. Merely a servant of the Supreme God's will, yet you dare to play the role of master in front of us. You truly are shameless."

Xu Yang insulted the Grand Elder without hesitation, but the latter appeared unfazed, maintaining a pleasant expression. The zither music, played by his hands, continued without pause, and its rhythm seemed to quicken.

"Hahahaha. I never imagined someone of your profound cultivation would still resort to such childish tricks. Do you truly believe someone at my level would be affected by your words? That's utterly laughable. I had believed that the human peerless prodigy, capable of leading the Beast Race to conquer the peak of Kunlun, would be an earth-shattering figure. Now I see you are merely a child at heart. You possess power, but your thoughts and understanding seem vastly inferior to mine."

Before Xu Yang could respond, Goddess Yanxia, standing beside him, could no longer tolerate the old man's words. She glared at him with an incredibly icy expression. "You've lived for so long, yet you're still so shameless, daring to compare yourself to our Lord Xu Yang? Do you even have the right?"

Goddess Yanxia was impatient; it was her nature. If she disliked someone, especially if they were from an opposing faction, she would not hesitate to suppress them. As expected, Goddess Yanxia was the first to transform into a streak of light, abandoning her position and charging towards the lofty "living fossil" at the far end of their sight. The sword in her hand instantly unleashed its sharp edge, striking hard at the ancient zither before the old man's hands. In just a single move, the fierce blade shattered the zither into fragments.

The old man lightly floated into the air, moving with the wind, indeed displaying a hint of ethereal, immortal grace. However, he only appeared somewhat master-like on the surface; in Xu Yang's eyes, he was merely an old stubborn fool who didn't know his place.

Xu Yang was not in a hurry to act, but he gave Long Kun and Ling Yao a glance, signaling them to join the battle simultaneously to ensure Goddess Yanxia wouldn't face too much pressure. As expected, three individuals fighting one Grand Elder proved to be much more manageable. The two sides were now engaged in an intense, back-and-forth struggle. Xu Yang watched the fierce combat between the two factions with keen interest, eager to see what the Grand Elder's true trump card was.

However, the old man seemed to have guessed Xu Yang's thoughts; when facing Long Kun and the other two, he primarily focused on defense, not revealing any of his trump cards. He didn't even unleash any Asura Holy Arts beyond his basic cultivation, clearly not taking Long Kun and the others seriously. This dismissive attitude thoroughly enraged the three of them.

"You old geezer, do you think only our boss Xu Yang is qualified to be your opponent? To treat me as if I'm nothing, I'll make you pay the price!" As soon as Long Kun finished speaking, the powerful Phoenix Force bloodline rapidly ignited within him, and a massive phoenix totem soared into the sky behind him. Simultaneously, fierce starlight began to gather between his arms.