Chapter 593: Devotion to Faith

"According to you, this man named Zikang has gone to great lengths to create the most powerful bloodline ever. What, then, is his ultimate goal? Is it to dominate the entire underground palace?"

Xu Yang suddenly couldn't help but ask the giant scorpion before him.

In fact, this was also a question that puzzled the other three members of Xu Yang's team.

"Heh, Lord Zikang's power far surpasses that of the Seven Ancient Demons. The mere position of leader of the underground palace holds no difficulty or challenge for him; if he wished, he could make all forces in the underground palace submit to him within a single day. What Lord Zikang truly desires is to overthrow all the legacies left by the three main gods of the Glacier Kingdom!"

Hearing the giant scorpion's explanation, all four members of Xu Yang's team showed expressions of shock and confusion.

"It seems this fellow must have had some experiences that led to such deep-seated hatred between him and the three main gods. Since he appeared in this underground palace, I suspect he was initially a prisoner, subjected to the sanctions of the three main gods."

Xu Yang's well-reasoned conjecture made the enormous giant scorpion look at him with new respect.

"With a leader like you guiding the team, it's understandable that you've made it this far. However, I still advise you to stop here. The Abyss of Evil Spirits has an unwritten rule: if outsiders, especially those possessing the abilities of the three main gods, dare to step even one foot inside, being cut into a thousand pieces is the lightest punishment. You will endure unimaginable, terrifying sanctions, and even every inch of your flesh will become an experimental subject."

It had to be admitted that the Abyss of Evil Spirits, as described by the giant scorpion, was undeniably terrifying. However, the more he spoke of its horrors, the harder it was to deter Xu Yang and his three companions.

"Haha, big guy, you might not understand this, but the more challenging a place is, the more interested we become! We've come all this way; it wouldn't be right if you didn't let us in to have a look around."

Seeing that he couldn't stop Xu Yang and his three companions, the giant scorpion was forced to attack them.

"Very well, in that case, let's get straight to business."

The next moment, the giant scorpion suddenly lifted its not-so-prominent head, looked up at the sky, and let out an extremely sharp, piercing, special cry. The frequency of this roar was entirely different from ordinary beast roars, capable of delivering a significant shock to human souls.

Among them, Xu Yang and Shi Lingyun, with their stronger mental powers, were unaffected. However, Ling Yao and Long Kun, who were nearby, detested the piercing sound.

"Damn it, what is that sound? My head feels like it's going to explode!"

Long Kun gritted his teeth and instantly transformed into a streak of light, charging towards the giant scorpion. He was clearly attempting to interrupt the opponent's actions by striking first.

Unexpectedly, just as Long Kun landed in front of the giant scorpion, more than a dozen razor-sharp tail stingers shot out from deep within the ground beneath him without warning, piercing precisely into the soles of his feet.

In an instant, an intense numbing sensation spread throughout Long Kun's entire body. Even as a successor of the Phoenix Bloodline, he couldn't fully regain his peak combat strength in such a short time, and his movements became highly uncoordinated.

Following these sudden attackers, giant scorpions that had been hidden deep underground emerged, surrounding Long Kun, who had been caught off guard.

"Attack!"

At Xu Yang's command, Shi Lingyun and Ling Yao moved simultaneously, rising into the air and launching a fierce assault on the tactical area centered around the giant scorpions, while also using this method to help Long Kun in his immediate predicament.

*Boom!*

Ling Yao's sword energy now perfectly integrated with powerful frost-sealing properties. Each sword strike unleashed an unimaginable freezing effect on the target, and within a few swift movements, several large giant scorpions before them were completely frozen in place.

Meanwhile, Shi Lingyun, positioned behind Xu Yang and unleashing continuous attacks, was also using the Sacred Dao Heavenly Sound artifact to repeatedly launch powerful mental assaults on the giant scorpions. However, it seemed these colossal beasts possessed strong defenses against Shi Lingyun's spirit-based attacks.

"So that's it. These giant scorpions must be products of mutated bloodlines. Their physical defense is quite ordinary, but they possess extremely powerful mental defense attributes. It seems all life forms within the Abyss of Evil Spirits are vastly different and varied. This means the opponents we are about to encounter could be strange species we've never seen before. Everyone must be extremely careful!"

Xu Yang's concerns were not unfounded. He himself, of course, was unfazed by taboos, for he understood clearly that every species in this world, as long as it was a life form, must have weaknesses. By identifying these weaknesses and exploiting vulnerabilities, one could defeat anyone with unparalleled attack power.

However, apart from Xu Yang, Ling Yao and the other two had very distinct weaknesses. If they encountered bizarre races that severely countered their specific weaknesses, dealing with them would be quite troublesome.

*Boom!*

Surging sword energy crisscrossed through the air, and both sides quickly erupted into a chaotic battle. Just as Xu Yang had judged, these giant scorpions possessed outstanding mental attributes. During the fight, they continuously emitted that unsettling, bizarre cry, which not only affected the mental concentration of Xu Yang and his companions but also, through these strange sound waves, constantly summoned their kin to gather towards their location.

"Bastards! I knew these giant scorpions were at the bottom of the Abyss of Evil Spirits' food chain, with such an enormous population!"

Long Kun complained as he fought. Such a rule is inevitable in any ecosystem: generally, the larger the number and size of a group, the lower its position in the food chain.

However, the individual combat strength of these giant scorpions was quite formidable. If other life forms within the Abyss of Evil Spirits were far superior to them in power, it was hard to imagine just how terrifying this place truly was. No wonder it made all the major forces in the underground palace tremble with fear.

*Boom!*

When Xu Yang's Asura Divine Sword emerged, the previously balanced situation was immediately reversed. Large numbers of giant scorpions that subsequently entered the battlefield were all torn to shreds by Xu Yang's fierce sword gleam. Meanwhile, the original giant scorpion king was beaten black and blue under Long Kun's relentless and furious assault.

"Heh heh, how do you feel now, big guy?"

Long Kun intended to humiliate his opponent, but to his surprise, the giant scorpion was remarkably calm. It simply met Long Kun's gaze with a serene expression and said, "I told you, even if you tear me limb from limb, it changes nothing. Once you decide to venture deep into the Abyss of Evil Spirits, the outcome will remain unaltered. This is my final warning."