Chapter 69: Opening the Killing Game

## Chapter 69: The Deadly Trap is Sprung

In the black, icy pond, waves surged as ancient, broken chariots emerged. Bearing the scars of countless battles, their surfaces marred by sword slashes and blade marks, they crushed the dark water, riding the wind and parting the waves as they advanced.

"This is truly bizarre," the unscrupulous Taoist muttered, frowning deeply. "Ten thousand years have passed, and there are still guardians at the Demon Emperor's tomb. It's preposterous, unimaginable!"

Swoosh! As he stood there stunned, a black arrow shot rapidly towards him. Spectral flames burned on its arrowhead, and thick black mist billowed from its fletching.

Clang! The unscrupulous Taoist raised his ruby-red shield, blocking the arrow. But at that moment, the arrow exploded, scattering spectral flames and unleashing a torrent of black mist. The spectral flames scorched the surrounding ground and melted the rocks, after which the black mist surged forth, freezing them solid, causing them to crack and turn to dust.

These terrifying energies nearly struck Ye Fan and the unscrupulous Taoist. The arrow, combining both ice and fire, was incredibly potent; ordinary cultivators could easily find their lives in peril if they weren't careful.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh... The air was filled with the incessant sound of arrows. Black arrows pierced through the mist, raining down continuously like a black deluge.

Clink, clank, clang! The ruby-red shield was struck by hundreds of arrows in quick succession, its surroundings engulfed by spectral flames and an endless surge of black mist.

Hiss, hiss, hiss! The shield pulsed with a crimson glow, surging outwards like ripples, scattering the spectral flames and dispelling the black mist. The attack was finally repelled.

However, at that very moment, a rumbling sound arose as the shattered chariots, laden with Yin Soldiers, charged forth. They had already reached the shore and were now pressing closer.

"I'd like to see what you really are!" the unscrupulous Taoist growled, gritting his back teeth. He opened his mouth and spat out a beam of green light. It was a small, one-inch-long knife, glowing vibrantly green. As it expanded rapidly in the wind, growing to over half a foot in length, it shimmered like a pool of clear jade, crystal clear, and exuded bursts of chilling energy.

Upon seeing it, Ye Fan gritted his teeth. It was the very dagger he had acquired, which the unscrupulous Taoist had snatched from him, now being used in battle.

Hiss! The greenish dagger transformed into a ribbon of green light and shot forth, unleashing dazzling divine rays that immediately halted a broken ancient chariot.

Following this, the unscrupulous Taoist's Sea of Suffering erupted with light. A blood-red bead shot forth, radiating crimson brilliance and unleashing waves of powerful divine energy that surged forward, instantly immobilizing three ancient chariots, rendering them unable to move an inch.

Simultaneously, a shimmering purple thumb ring appeared on the unscrupulous Taoist's thumb, casting a crystalline glow over his palm as purple energy permeated the air.

"Cut!" the unscrupulous Taoist lightly commanded. He raised his finger, and the purple thumb ring instantly burst forth with countless auspicious rays, shooting out sharp, purple blade-like beams of light.

Puff, puff, puff! The blade-lights cleaved through two broken chariots, halting a multitude of Yin Soldiers.

Witnessing all this, Ye Fan cursed inwardly. These three spiritual artifacts were all discovered by him, yet they had been stolen by the unscrupulous Taoist and were now being wielded against the enemy.

Hiss, hiss, hiss! Just then, the spiritual green dagger pierced through five Yin Soldiers and shattered a chariot. Simultaneously, the blood-red bead successfully immobilized three more chariots.

"Good stuff!" the unscrupulous Taoist exclaimed.

Ultimately, all the broken chariots were shattered, and nearly all the Yin Soldiers were impaled. The unscrupulous Taoist quickly rushed forward, tearing open their dark iron armor to see what lay within.

To his astonishment, when he tore open the armor of the first few Yin Soldiers, fine sand poured out instead of any living matter. Later, he finally found a few Yin Soldiers that weren't made of sand; upon closer inspection, he discovered they were merely frozen carcasses of wild beasts.

"What's going on...?" the unscrupulous Taoist exclaimed in surprise. "Could it be that Dao patterns are sustaining them?" He quickly swept aside the fine sand and, indeed, found a small wooden tablet engraved with complex "Dao patterns" where the sand had been.

"Indeed, scattering sand to form soldiers, gathering corpses to become generals—what a clever technique," he mused. A look of excitement crossed his face. "These are Dao patterns from ten thousand years ago; who knows what we might discover from studying them."

He quickly blew away the fine sand on the ground, shook apart a few skeletons, and gathered all the wooden tablets, stacking them into a large pile.

Boom! At that moment, another sound emanated from the icy black pond. A demon general, clad in dark golden armor and bearing a wolf's head, slowly emerged. He radiated a heavy aura of death, his power immeasurably greater than that of the Yin Soldiers.

"This is a demon general who died in battle in ancient times, also being utilized," the unscrupulous Taoist mused, a thoughtful expression on his face. "It seems Dao patterns are not what's sustaining his corpse."

The demon general slowly advanced, causing the ground to tremble and black mist to surge around him.

"This is no ordinary foe," he murmured. At that moment, the unscrupulous Taoist's Sea of Suffering burst forth with dazzling green light, and a vast expanse of green flames surged forward, enveloping the wolf-headed demon general.

Bang! However, this demon general was extraordinary; he exuded waves of intense death aura, continuously pushing back the green flames.

"He has undergone corpse transformation, gaining a hazy sentience," the unscrupulous Taoist exclaimed in surprise, sensing the grave danger. "His demonic body is immortal, and he has generated powerful death resentment." He urged Ye Fan to retreat, then unleashed several spiritual artifacts, augmenting them with green flames.

"There's something strange here," a cold voice suddenly declared. A young man in his twenties appeared on the ridge. "Very well, you can retreat now..." His gaze fell upon the Dao-patterned wooden tablets on the ground, then shifted to the demon general.

The unscrupulous Taoist gave him a cold sidelong glance, but then a surprised expression crossed his face. The young man's sleeve was embroidered with the emblem of the Yaoguang Holy Land.

"I am a disciple of Yaoguang, and my master has commanded you to leave immediately," the youth declared arrogantly, seemingly possessing an inherent sense of superiority. He glanced at Ye Fan, noticing the absence of divine energy fluctuations, and added, "If you don't want to die, get out of here at once!"

Bang! At that moment, the demon general broke free from the unscrupulous Taoist's restraint, swiftly leaping into the black pond and vanishing from sight.

The unscrupulous Taoist turned around and said coldly, "You utterly foolish wretch, trying to flaunt false authority! I despise scoundrels like you who dare to impersonate disciples of the Yaoguang Holy Land. Don't bother denying it; even if you *were* a true disciple, this Taoist master would still dare to slap you dead!"

Whoosh! Seeing his deception exposed, the youth immediately attacked, unleashing hundreds of dense golden rays that surged towards the unscrupulous Taoist like a shower of golden light.

Hiss, hiss, hiss! The unscrupulous Taoist waved his large sleeve, and green light scattered, collecting all the golden 'light rain.' They were, in fact, hundreds of golden needles.

Bang! The unscrupulous Taoist quickly charged forward, seized the youth by the neck, and dragged him to the edge of the icy pond. "Trying to flaunt false authority and deceive your Taoist master, are you?" he growled. "Tell me, which sect do you really belong to, or I'll throw you in."

"I truly am a Yaoguang disciple!" the youth stammered, fear in his eyes.

"Why are you wasting words with him, Taoist priest?" Ye Fan suggested from a distance, deliberately intimidating the youth. "Just throw him in and feed him to that demon general."

"You're right, no need for idle chatter," the unscrupulous Taoist agreed. With a slight flick of his hand, the young man plunged into the icy pond, disappearing in an instant.

In the distance, Ye Fan stood dumbfounded, unable to believe the unscrupulous Taoist had actually done it. This morally bankrupt Taoist instantly seemed a dangerous figure in his eyes—a man utterly without scruples.

Splash, splash, splash! The black pond surged, and over a dozen demon generals emerged. All were clad in dark golden armor, with only their heads exposed. Their forms were grotesquely varied: some had canine heads, others tiger heads—clearly monstrous. All radiated a heavy aura of death. In their grasp, they held the young man. With a loud "bang," they tore him apart, scattering blood everywhere.

Rumble, rumble, rumble! At that moment, the icy pond seemed to boil, transforming from an inky black to a disturbingly vibrant blood-red.

"This is bad, very bad!" the unscrupulous Taoist exclaimed, his face turning grim. "The Demon Emperor's tomb has been stained with blood, and a deadly trap has been activated!"

Boom! At that very moment, heaven and earth trembled as boundless blood-red light surged from the icy pond, casting a tragic and eerie glow over the entire ancient desolate ruins and startling all the cultivators.

"Could it be... we're going to die here?!" Ye Fan exclaimed, his face etched with alarm.