Chapter 238: The Real Target

“What kind of creature are you? You’re neither human nor ghost, yet you dare to cross my path? Get lost!”

Taotie's explosive temper could no longer be contained.

Once a top-tier ancient beast enters combat, its fierce aura and bloodthirsty, berserk instincts inflate dramatically. Tuobahong’s appearance forced Taotie to interrupt his rhythm of devouring the spiritual energy within the spatial realm, further enraging this primordial-level behemoth.

With a roar of fury, Taotie slammed his colossal foreclaw down, unleashing a primal destructive force that nearly shook the very boundaries of this ancient battlefield!

It’s important to note that the Dragon-Slaying Ancient Battlefield has endured tens of thousands of years, isolated from the immense deep-sea pressure, thanks to the remaining True Dragon Domain within the temple.

Ultimately, the complete Dragon Source within Mu Qingtian remained unbroken, so the True Dragon Soul was not completely extinguished, and thus the domain naturally persisted.

The fact that Taotie's single claw strike could make the entire divine True Dragon Domain tremble shows just how terrifying Taotie was in his complete form.

However, Tuobahong seemed unfazed. Hailing from the Ghost Shadow Asura lineage, speed was his greatest asset. Now, elevated to his peak state, his speed had reached new heights. Theoretically, he was the most capable among those present of countering Taotie.

Having missed his strike, Taotie roared with immense fury, unleashing a terrifying sound wave that briefly locked down the void, restricting Tuobahong's movements.

At this moment, Taotie activated his formidable devouring instinct. He directly used his spiritual power to lock onto Tuobahong’s aura, focusing his devouring ability on a single target. This was one of Taotie's most potent single-target offensive skills.

In truth, Taotie harbored no deep hatred for Xu Yang or the Empress. The Empress was, after all, the ruler of the Cold Moon Empire lineage, and her ancestors had a past connection with Taotie.

As for Xu Yang, he was indirectly the crucial guide who opened the Dragon Hoard Gate for Taotie. Without Xu Yang, Taotie would never have gained this incredibly precious opportunity. Moreover, as a primordial ancestor beast, Taotie held a degree of respectful awe for a human of Xu Yang's exceptional talent. Unless absolutely necessary, Taotie did not wish to make enemies of them, and thus never moved against the dozen or so hostages.

In contrast, Tuobahong seemed utterly insignificant. In the eyes of the mighty Taotie, this fellow was nothing more than a disposable ant. To dare to covet the Dragon Source meant a forceful extermination, which was Taotie's clearest stance.

“Damn it, what terrifying devouring power!”

Tuobahong swallowed hard. Seeing that he was about to lose control of his physical body, he gritted his teeth and suddenly formed a hand seal, preemptively unleashing an immensely powerful peak force!

“Asura Arcanum—Six Paths, Rashomon!”

In an instant, Tuobahong's pupils turned crimson red, and a colossal blood-red light gate totem materialized behind him!

With the appearance of this phenomenon, the spiritual energy within Tuobahong’s body burned wildly, emanating a materialized blood-red aura that rapidly spread across the entire barren Dragon-Slaying Battlefield.

All the restless spiritual energy permeating the air was affected by this blood-red aura. The spiritual elements drifting in the void were imbued with the belief in rebirth by this intense sanguine essence!

Every wisp of spiritual energy frantically sought its former host, remarkably similar to the array Tuobahong had previously used against Xu Yang and the Empress. This Six Paths Rashomon Arcanum seemed to be an evolution of the Ghost Shadow Asura lineage's most complete method for resurrecting corpse-puppets.

Even more terrifyingly, under the boosted state of the Rashomon phenomenon, the souls of the deceased from over six millennia ago, who possessed the Ghost Shadow Asura lineage's inheritance, were also summoned forth!

As long as the space contained their former spiritual essence, these departed spirits could, under the guidance of Asura power, re-emerge with a ferocious glow!

In a flash, one specter after another began to awaken, transforming into transparent, blood-colored corporeal souls that surrounded Taotie in the battlefield.

Hundreds of thousands of specters, transformed into Tuobahong’s puppets before the Rashomon, unleashed a most terrifying soul pressure, posing a genuine threat to the primordial ancestor beast!

“Hahaha! Taotie, where is your arrogance now? Didn’t you just call me a lowly ant? I’ll make you understand that even an ant can become the master who crushes your prestige! The Ghost Shadow Asura lineage will once again flourish in my hands!”

Hearing Tuobahong’s arrogant and unrestrained shouts, Xu Yang gradually understood the man’s true objective.

“So that’s it… Tuobahong’s true goal isn’t the Dragon Source after all. Taotie’s inner core is what he truly desires!”

Xu Yang’s words made the Empress turn her gaze to him once more. Looking at the stern-faced expert before her, she couldn’t help but voice a question.

“Do you mean Tuobahong needs Taotie's power to compensate for the deficiencies in his Asura lineage cultivation technique?”

“Precisely. The Ghost Shadow Asura lineage is broadly divided into two cultivation paths: soul control and poison use, and extreme movement techniques with instant kill abilities. Rashomon, without a doubt, is the perfected arcanum of the former path. However, the flaw of this technique is also very evident: it consumes a terrifying amount of one's own spiritual energy, almost constantly burning it to maintain output.

If he can obtain Taotie’s inner core and gain some of the primordial ancestor beast’s innate abilities, he could use devouring techniques for cultivation, thereby compensating for the most fatal flaw in his own cultivation method. One could say that Taotie’s innate divine ability, combined with the Ghost Shadow Asura’s cultivation technique, would be a seamless match!”

Xu Yang’s words dispelled the Empress’s doubts. Rashomon controlled specters for combat by burning spiritual energy, while Taotie possessed the innate talent to devour spiritual energy for his own use. This ‘in and out’ dynamic would create a perfect operational cycle in their combat system.

If this plan truly succeeded, Tuobahong would only need to acquire protective artifacts of sufficient strength to prevent instant death from powerful offensive cultivators, such as sword practitioners. Then, in battles against all types of cultivators below the Tribulation Transcending Realm, he would be invincible, becoming the true new generation Asura Archdemon!

The more people he killed, the more specters Rashomon could control, and naturally, the more spiritual energy he could devour. Once this heaven-defying cultivation system matured, it would become an unimaginable disaster for the entire Three Thousand Dao Provinces!

“This is bad, Tuobahong might become a new variable! If he truly manages to seize Taotie’s inner core, I’m afraid even I would find it difficult to control him in a short amount of time!”

Xu Yang assessed the situation and was forced to alter his combat plan. With Tuobahong’s entry, Mu Qingtian and the Dragon Source were temporarily safe. The immediate priority was to find a way to interrupt the continuous activation of the Rashomon Arcanum and seize control of the situation.