Chapter 594: War Machine

Long Kun sneered, "You'd better worry about yourself!"

This time, the giant scorpion offered no further retort. Instead, it suddenly plunged its massive tail stinger into its own head, choosing this method to sacrifice itself to the countless powerful beings within Ghost Canyon and to its eternal king, Zi Kuang.

"Great King, forgive me for not being able to gaze upon you any longer, but my faith will forever endure!"

*Rumble!*

As the giant scorpion's tail stinger delivered its potent venom into its brain, its body began to swell and expand uncontrollably. Its original outline, only two or three meters tall, instantly ballooned to over ten meters. Every inch of its flesh was distorted and magnified countless times due to this extreme, almost twisted, expansion.

The resulting transformation saw its immense body completely petrify, eventually collapsing into a cloud of dust that settled over the vast land. In doing so, it used its own physical form to nourish its scorpion kin.

"Boss, why am I suddenly feeling a bit sad because of this guy? Am I being too sentimental?"

Ling Yao's expression was somewhat numb. She had never been a sentimental girl, but witnessing the giant scorpion defend its faith in such a poignant manner caused a slight tremor in her previously unshakable Dao Heart.

"You don't need to doubt yourself; this isn't your fault. The source of all this sorrow lies with that fellow named Zi Kuang. The bloodlines he created are, in essence, his descendants—an extension of his own life, even more like his children!"

Zi Kuang, however, didn't see them this way. He merely regarded them as an indifferent group of experimental subjects. Yet, these so-called tragic experimental subjects considered him their eternal faith.

When Zi Kuang created these test subjects, it marked the beginning of a lifetime of suffering for them. Each individual would endure countless screenings, assessments, punishments, and even eventual abandonment, yet their loyalty to Zi Kuang would never waver.

"The reason we are shaken by the giant scorpion's demise is precisely because our humanity remains intact. To prevent more tragedies like this, the only thing we can do is eliminate that fellow named Zi Kuang and eradicate the villain who creates such misery. Only then can we fundamentally halt the endless tragedies unfolding in Ghost Canyon!"

Without a doubt, Xu Yang's words resonated deeply with Ling Yao and helped her re-establish her firm Dao Heart. The will of the four individuals finally reached an unprecedented consensus in this place known as Ghost Canyon.

"Remember my words: no matter what we experience or encounter after entering the canyon, the root cause of all tragedy lies with Zi Kuang. Your Dao Hearts must not waver again. This is my only demand of you. If I find that any of you three suffer damage to your Dao Heart, I will not hesitate to expel you from this canyon battlefield."

Xu Yang's words were immediately met with responses from the three. They naturally understood that Xu Yang was doing his utmost to protect them. However, the giant scorpion's ordeal also made them realize in advance that the evil inherent in Ghost Canyon was far more profound than they had imagined.

If it were merely endless demons, it would be fine; simple slaughter could resolve everything. What they feared most was the emergence of situations that clashed with their moral principles, as these would be much more troublesome to deal with.

Having cleared the obstacle posed by the giant scorpion, Xu Yang and his three companions finally resumed their journey towards the deeper reaches of Ghost Canyon.

This area was a long, deep valley corridor enclosed by two towering cliff walls, imbued with a sense of desolation. Apart from the occasional bird call, there was no other sound in the mountains on either side.

Absolute silence, regardless of location, instinctively instills a sense of fear. Although Long Kun's team of four were among the most powerful cultivators in the world, they were still human at their core. They had not yet cultivated a divine spark or entered the realm of gods, and thus, certain primal emotions and desires remained unavoidable.

As they walked, the sounds of children laughing and playing suddenly reached their ears. Xu Yang and his companions instinctively became alert, halting their advance and waiting for the sounds to draw nearer.

Upon closer inspection, they saw three older children leading over a dozen toddlers, approaching Xu Yang and his group.

Their attire made them indistinguishable from wild children of the forest. However, the bloodlines pulsating within each child were distinctly different, and each contained a trace of beastly aura.

"Boss, this place seems truly unusual. If I'm not mistaken, that fellow Zi Kuang intends to use his own demonic bloodline to constantly devour and merge with various powerful bloodlines from the world, in order to create the strongest warriors capable of rivaling divine bloodlines. These children all possess a partial water-attribute bloodline aura, which should be the product of a combination between demonic power and the Sea Race."

These words clearly entered Xu Yang's mind from the Sea Demon Lord, providing him with a certain insight.

The three teenagers were remarkably handsome, but their ears resembled those of aquatic creatures, and their lower bodies were half-human, half-fish.

The dozen or so smaller children behind them were all of various unique bloodline types.

"Big Brother, who are these people?"

Among the three teenagers, the one with golden skin asked the boy with the aquamarine skin who stood in the middle.

"Humans. This is Ghost Canyon, and outsiders are not welcome. Leave quickly, or you will face cruel punishment."

Long Kun chuckled, "Little kids, you haven't even fully grown yet. Go back to whatever you were doing, and send out some adults to show themselves."

Long Kun was still a man of principle. Even if they were enemies, he absolutely couldn't bring himself to be ruthless towards these half-grown children.

However, no one expected the actions of the dozen or so children before them to genuinely shock Xu Yang and his companions.

Their pupils instinctively began to emit sharp light, and then the joyful expressions on their faces vanished. Each young individual started undergoing a frenzied physical mutation, transforming into their true combat forms. Their backs ripped open, revealing sharp bone spurs of various kinds, which they used as weapons for battle.

"By order of Lord Zi, those who enter shall be mercilessly slain!"

A terrifying killing intent instantly surged forth like a tide. Xu Yang and his companions were completely unprepared, their auras already locked onto by these dozen or so seemingly crazed young warriors, who immediately began to meet and counter their hysterical, violent assault.

"Heavens, are these little ones truly mad?"