Chapter 1128: Infiltrating the Royal Court

Monk Fayin Vajra also glanced at the dissipating black smoke with a profound expression. He formed a mudra with one hand and chanted a Buddhist scripture: "The clear mirror is originally clean, where could dust alight?"

The next moment, his body gradually became translucent, eventually turning completely transparent. His treasured robes and kasaya also vanished with him.

Jiang Fan was secretly astonished. Monk Fayin Vajra's every move was surprising.

Ming Ye sensed his surroundings, a hint of surprise appearing in his eyes. "I can no longer sense the aura of any of you three," he said. "The elites of the Central Plains are indeed extraordinary. Very well, I cannot disgrace the Asura clan either."

His eyes filled with surging dark energy as he swept his gaze across the surroundings. Jiang Fan felt an invisible ripple pass through his body. Immediately afterward, two scenes appeared simultaneously in his mind: the perspectives of Bai Xin and Monk Fayin Vajra!

"This is a divine ability of my Celestial Eye Asura lineage," Ming Ye explained. "It allows all three of you to share your vision. This way, while invisible, you'll know each other's positions and won't get separated. Of course, it's ineffective if you're too far apart."

Jiang Fan nodded inwardly. The various divine abilities of the Asura clan were quite mysterious.

He looked at Ming Ye, who was not invisible, and asked, "What about you?"

Ming Ye chuckled. "I don't need to be invisible; I have my own way of entering the Black Sun Royal Court. Follow me closely."

He led the way onto the land, and after guiding them through a dense forest, a magnificent city of bones appeared before their eyes. City walls, hundreds of feet high, were forged from massive animal bones, stretching as far as the eye could see in both directions. From within the city, uniform shouts echoed.

Jiang Fan took out his golden alms bowl to observe, and his pupils involuntarily contracted. On a vast open ground within the city, over a hundred ancient giants, armed with spiked clubs, were meticulously practicing various moves: chopping, blocking, sweeping, pounding, and more. It was clear they were training for the imminent great war.

They swung their spiked clubs in unison, creating earth-shattering roars. Their synchronized shouts were so powerful they seemed to tear through the clouds. An overwhelming aura, like mountains roaring and tsunamis raging, swept out through the city walls. Jiang Fan's body trembled violently, his heart uncontrollably quickening its pace. He felt like a small boat caught in a world-ending deluge.

Aside from the Three Divine Sects and the Jian family, Jiang Fan couldn't imagine how any other force could withstand a destructive blow from a hundred ancient giants! What struck him with even greater awe was that there were a staggering twelve such training teams within the city! That totaled over 1,200 ancient giants, exactly as Ming Ye had described!

How could they possibly fight this? Their only chance of victory was to obtain that crystal and reverse the transformation of the ancient giants back into their original hellish forms. This was their last remaining hope!

"Back then, even your Three Transformation Deities and one Bodhisattva couldn't get this close to the Black Sun Royal Court," Ming Ye remarked. "They didn't have information about the city's interior. You've essentially completed your mission."

Ming Ye gazed at the Royal Court, his eyes flashing. "Now, it's time to help me retrieve that sacred artifact. In return, the crystal will be yours!"

After speaking, he took out a jade slip and made a discreet contact. Soon after, an old Asura emerged stealthily from the city. It turned out Ming Ye had an inside agent planted within the Black Sun Royal Court. This old Asura was likely a servant bearing the ancient giant totem, allowing him free passage in and out of the Royal Court.

"Chieftain Ming Ye, is everything ready?" the old Asura asked.

Ming Ye nodded, took out a rope, and bound himself. "According to the plan, I'll pretend to be your captive," he said. "If the plan goes smoothly, getting there shouldn't be a problem."

The old Asura nodded and immediately pulled Ming Ye back toward the city. The ancient giants guarding the gates showed no surprise at the sight. Asura captives were brought in daily, so it was nothing unusual. What they didn't know was that Jiang Fan and the other two had secretly followed them inside.

The old Asura avoided the training ancient giants, taking a detour to escort Ming Ye to a vast bone hall. He carefully looked around and said, "This is the Royal Court's armory. The item you're looking for should be inside. The ancient giants will return their spiked clubs here after their training. So, you must be quick. Make sure to leave the armory before then, or you won't be able to escape."

Ming Ye nodded heavily. "Old friend, I'm putting you in a difficult position," he said. If they failed, the old Asura would also be discovered, and his fate would be to be devoured alive by the ancient giants.

The old Asura let out a hoarse chuckle. "I betrayed the Hell tribe and served the ancient giants like a beast of burden my entire life," he said. "Now that I'm old and frail, making a small contribution for my people might lighten my sins. Go quickly, don't delay."

With gratitude in his eyes, Ming Ye immediately rushed into the unguarded armory. Jiang Fan and the others followed close behind.

Inside the vast bone hall, besides numerous new spiked clubs, there were also many gigantic shields, siege weapons, long spears, and more. All were crafted from superior materials, comparable to the lower-grade spiritual artifacts of the Central Plains. There were thousands of these items! None of these were recorded in history. It seemed the ancient giants had learned from their crushing defeat a thousand years ago and were fully prepared to face the warriors of the Central Plains.

Jiang Fan broke out in a cold sweat. If these new weapons were deployed against unsuspecting Central Plains warriors, they would undoubtedly cause immense casualties.

"Over here, three!" Ming Ye called out. He stood before a tightly shut stone door, located in the deepest part of the armory. Since its contents were separated from the other weapons, they were likely extremely valuable.

"Chieftain, how can we help you?" Jiang Fan asked, examining the heavy stone door. If it were easy to open, Ming Ye wouldn't have needed their assistance.

Ming Ye's eyes showed anticipation. "This stone door was erected by an immensely powerful being from the Hell Realm," he said. "It contains potent dark energy! Only divine abilities that counter dark energy have a chance to open it."

Jiang Fan suddenly understood. No wonder Ming Ye had invited them. In terms of strength, even all three of them combined might not be able to consistently defeat him. He must have valued their divine abilities imbued with yang energy: Jiang Fan's lightning-fire power, Monk Fayin Vajra's Buddhist power, and Bai Xin's pure righteousness. These were all crucial for opening this door.

Jiang Fan nodded. "There's no time to lose; let's act." He simultaneously channeled his Indestructible Blade and Nether Ghost Fire into his palm, striking the stone door. The stone door's surface immediately surged with dense dark energy, countering the lightning-fire power that sought to destroy it.

Monk Fayin Vajra took out his demon-subduing vajra and slammed it heavily onto the stone door. Bai Xin drew the ancient sword from his back, cleaving down with a brilliant flash of light, emanating boundless righteousness.

A combined attack from all three should have dissipated even the dark energy of a Nine-Aperture Asura. Yet, the dark energy on the stone door remained utterly unmoved! Its resilience far exceeded their imagination.

Jiang Fan was surprised. What level of Asura powerhouse could possess such potent dark energy? Could it be the Asura King himself?

What made their hearts tighten was that the shouts from the training outside were diminishing. The ancient giants' training was about to conclude!