Chapter 1831: I Want Them All

Fantasy Novel

Jing Teng was on the verge of being struck by the light beams when Zu An appeared beside her, his sword flashing to block the attacks. At that moment, a powerful gust of wind assailed them. Zu An, focused on protecting Jing Teng behind him, had no time to dodge and could only try to avoid a fatal blow. He was struck by a punch, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. While frantically absorbing the energy with the Gluttonous Sky Devouring Art and the power of Kunpeng, he retreated dozens of yards with Jing Teng. By then, it was clear that the attacker was none other than the Ghost King. He couldn't help but feel a hint of confusion, as that last strike seemed far weaker than the Ghost King's usual power.

"Brat, watch yourself. You won't be so lucky next time," the Ghost King warned. Only then did Zu An notice the Ghost King's eyes fluctuating between clarity and confusion. She was clearly struggling to wrest control of her body from the black mist, but by the look of it, she wouldn't be able to hold out much longer before being completely consumed.

Just then, those few ethereal presences suddenly shrieked, "Lend us all your power, or none of us will ever get out!" As if on cue, the entire grand tomb began to tremble violently, and countless energies surged into the area. Soon, the light beams thickened and solidified. The red light coalesced into a middle-aged man clad entirely in blood-red attire, from his wide sleeves to his scarlet cloak. The other green light, meanwhile, coalesced into a green-robed elder with sparkling, sharp eyes, who resembled a desiccated corpse. Around the Ghost King, the black energy once again began to transform into a swirling mass of black mist and skeletal forms.

Jing Teng quickly explained, "They are all powerful entities from the prison above. The Blood Demon is the weakest among them, but his abilities are unique, making him adept at escaping. The Green Robe is an Insect King—beware of his bugs. The last one is the Lord of Black Mist; many of the abilities my sister used earlier were borrowed from him."

Zu An's expression shifted. "They all escaped?" If these beings have all broken out of prison, what's the use of fighting? He considered seizing this opportunity to rescue Jing Teng, as she wouldn't need to sacrifice herself anymore. To his surprise, Jing Teng shook her head. "No, not entirely. There was an issue with the divine talisman, which caused the seal to loosen. These powerful beings found an opening and sent out portions of their essence. Even after absorbing the power contributed by other monsters, they certainly haven't recovered their peak strength; otherwise, we might as well just commit suicide now."

Just then, the Ghost King could no longer resist. She pushed off with her feet and desperately charged towards them, exclaiming, "Alright, I agree to help you!" From within the black mist came a cackling laugh. "Wouldn't it have been better to agree earlier?"

Zu An's expression shifted, and he rushed to intervene. With three terrifying entities—who, though not at their peak power, still retained their experience and discernment—it was already a near-fatal situation. And now, the Ghost King was joining them?

"Trying to stop us? It's not that easy," the green-robed elder sneered. Suddenly, his entire body disintegrated into countless swarms of densely packed green armored beetles that swarmed towards Zu An.

"Watch out! Those Green-Armored Sacred Heart Bugs have incredibly sharp mouthparts; they devour everything!" Jing Teng's alarmed cry rang out. She quickly dashed towards the divine talisman, attempting to use this opportunity to merge back into it. But the Blood Demon was not about to give her that chance, transforming into a vast sea of blood that blocked her path. Helpless, she could only form hand seals and blast the crimson tide before her.

As the endless swarm of insects surged forward, Zu An's heart clenched. Though he had never witnessed this opponent's full power, his past life's knowledge from countless films and TV shows wasn't for naught; he knew that if he were enveloped by this swarm, he would instantly be gnawed down to a bare skeleton. Facing the countless insects, he immediately unleashed the Lion's Roar, sending out a powerful wave of sound. The insects at the forefront were instantly pulverized by the vibrations. While the Lion's Roar might have limited effect against powerful individual experts, it proved remarkably effective against these weaker, numerous entities.

"Child's play!" the remaining insects shrieked, furiously flapping their wings. A dense, piercing chorus of chirps erupted, not only dispersing the Lion's Roar's sound waves but also launching a counter-attack towards Zu An. The Green-Robed Insect King's rage soared to an astronomical level.

Above Zu An's head, the shimmering purple-gold alms bowl, radiating golden light, reappeared, blocking the incoming sound waves. "That's the Golden Mountain Demon Buddha's alms bowl! That good-for-nothing!" a furious roar came from within the swarm. They ceased their sound wave attacks and instead swarmed overwhelmingly towards Zu An.

A white lotus bloomed, instantly transforming the area around Zu An into a sea of white flames. The White Lotus True Fire! Still concerned the True Fire wouldn't be enough against such terrifying entities, Zu An simultaneously unleashed the Flame of the Fire Phoenix. A phoenix, wings beating, soared above the white lotus. The dense insect swarm immediately crackled and sizzled as it burned, filling the air with a charred, roasted scent.

The surviving insects shrieked, quickly reassembling into the form of the green-robed elder. But by then, his face had paled considerably, and his green robe was no longer as vibrantly emerald as before. He was filled with deep regret. He had just seen this "pretty boy" with seemingly mediocre cultivation, appearing weak, and had intended to let countless insects devour him, gnawing him down to a skeleton. He had even hoped it might demoralize Jing Teng. Who would have thought the opponent possessed so many miraculous area-of-effect abilities? If he had attacked in his original form, those area-of-effect skills would have struggled to harm him. Yet, he chose to transform into thousands of insects, drastically reducing each individual bug's defenses, allowing the opponent's continuous area-of-effect attacks to easily break through. Nevertheless, despite the severe damage he had just sustained, at least he had stalled the young man. Now, with the Ghost King, the Lord of Black Mist, and the Blood Demon attacking Jing Teng from both sides, she was doomed!

Enveloped in black mist, the Ghost King surged towards Jing Teng's side. Jing Teng was completely focused on dealing with the Blood Demon, leaving her no spare energy to defend against the others. The Lord of Black Mist cackled, as if he could already see Jing Teng's soul dissipating and the Demon Suppressing Talisman shattering, unable to hold on any longer. All sealed entities would then be free to escape.

Just then, the Ghost King's body suddenly blazed with light, drawing the radiance of the Demon Suppressing Talisman onto herself. The Lord of Black Mist shrieked. The Demon Suppressing Talisman had an extremely potent restraining effect on them; his body and soul felt as if they were burning, forcing him to temporarily retreat from the Ghost King's side.

"What are you doing?!" he roared furiously.

The Ghost King sneered, "Even if my sister and I return to the divine talisman, it won't be to your advantage!" She had always been proud and defiant. She originally believed that once her sister returned to the divine talisman, she would be free. But upon realizing that her body had long been tampered with by those demons and that she would likely be controlled by them in the future, she simply could not tolerate such a fate.

"You'll be annihilated too!" the Lord of Black Mist exclaimed, both startled and enraged, as he hastily warned her. It was a group of demons who had helped her escape initially, and her body was already tainted with demonic energy. Drawing the light of the Demon Suppressing Talisman onto herself in this manner meant she wouldn't be able to endure for long either.

"So what!" the Ghost King declared with a cold expression, then looked at Jing Teng. "Since I'm destined for a bleak end, rather than benefiting outsiders, I'd rather lend you, my sister, a hand." As she finished speaking, her entire body suddenly shattered like glass. Immediately afterward, she transformed into a phantom and surged towards Jing Teng, embracing her. The two, who looked identical, merged instantly upon contact, leaving the Blood Demon no time to intervene.

Jing Teng's body instantly blazed with golden light. The Blood Demon shrieked as his blood sizzled and smoked under the golden radiance, forcing him to hastily dart aside. By then, Jing Teng had already flown towards the Demon Suppressing Talisman. The Green-Robed Insect King and the Lord of Black Mist were utterly too late to stop her, forced to watch helplessly as her soul returned to the Demon Suppressing Talisman.

"It's over!" The hearts of the monsters turned cold. They could foresee that for countless years to come, they would remain imprisoned in this sunless, desolate place.

Just before merging into the Demon Suppressing Talisman, Jing Teng couldn't help but glance back at Zu An, her eyes filled with reluctance. "Farewell, my love."

Zu An instantly teleported to her side, attempting to stop her. Just then, a white light, moving faster than he could, struck her squarely. Jing Teng reeled as if struck by lightning, spitting out a mouthful of blood as she plummeted from mid-air. Zu An rushed over and caught her in his arms.

"It's that Lord! That Lord!" The Green Robe and the other monsters were ecstatic, yet simultaneously trembled as they stared towards a certain direction. It was the supreme entity that could not be gazed upon directly, nor named aloud. Feeling a terrifying aura draw near, their hearts seized with terror. Even beings as powerful as themselves would be utterly annihilated if they truly laid eyes on that entity. Yet, at that moment, they dared not utter a single word to tell it to retreat. The suppression inherent in their bloodlines forced them to stand frozen in place.

"Quick, send us back into the talisman, or it will be too late!" Jing Teng's voice, now fused with that of the Ghost King, echoed. Clearly, they too sensed the entity's approaching aura, and a glimmer of despair flashed in their eyes.

Zu An suddenly sighed. "Ghost King, didn't you just ask me whether I would choose the unfamiliar masses or the woman I love, believing that I'd suffer for the rest of my life no matter my choice? But I'm not like ordinary people. I'm rather greedy. I choose to have it all!"