Lighting Lanterns in the Mountains and Seas

Chapter 878 - 742: Demon Altar Activated (Part 2)

The non-reflective part was about four feet long, resembling a silent bow, unobtrusive, not dazzling, and black as coal.

With the great blade in hand, Sect Hierarch Tianyi had waited too long for this day, unwilling to delay any further. In front of everyone's eyes, he flew up, heading towards the floating altar.

Instead of landing on the altar to observe, he grabbed the blade with both hands and fiercely slashed at the chains binding the giant pillars on the altar, his attack swift as a fleeting shadow.

"Break!"

As his shout resounded, a heavy, skin-tingling thud echoed, buzzing endlessly in the ears, stirring the heart.

Steadfast in his stance, Sect Hierarch Tianyi now stood beneath the altar pillar, the gold and blue intertwined chains he had sliced through with a single cut. He looked up, watching as the chains loosened with a crash, laughing wildly. "Indeed, hahaha, indeed, it succeeded..."

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang exchanged silent glances, their eyes filled with astonishment; there wasn't a hint of residual power from the attack. They were no longer mere rookies, understanding well the terror of such focused power.

They realized where the 'Desolate Broken Blade' they had struggled to acquire over the years had been put to use.

"Holy Master, be careful!" someone suddenly shouted below.

The Nine Dragons coiled around the altar were all startled by the commotion. Some stood up, others paced around the altar, all focusing on Sect Hierarch Tianyi who had broken the chains.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss..." They all emitted strange roars, like laughter.

A black dragon suddenly swiped at Sect Hierarch Tianyi, but the claw it extended abruptly flew away, cleanly severed.

The flickering shadow of Sect Hierarch Tianyi shouted coldly, "Die!"

In the blink of an eye, the dragon whose claw was severed also lost its head, cut off with a single stroke.

Shadows flickered rapidly between the chains and the attacking dragon shapes on the altar.

The explosive momentum rose quickly and ceased just as abruptly.

The scene abruptly settled as Sect Hierarch Tianyi, holding the slanted blade, stood among the collapsing forms of the dragons, dismembered limbs and broken chains falling around him.

In the end, the remnants of the Nine Dragons all collapsed thunderously around him.

Strangely, no blood flowed from the cuts on the slain dragons; the surfaces and insides of their bodies were dry.

Shi Chun curiously asked, "Do dragons have no blood inside?"

Su Mian looked at him, "Isn't it obvious? The Nine Dragons have long been dead, refined into guardian zombies long ago."

Sect Hierarch Tianyi on the altar gently stroked the coal-black blade even though masked, one could still feel his undeniable affection for the Treasure Blade, all his love expressed without words.

Others might not know the toughness of these dragon corpses, but he had experienced it in his youth, when even their scales couldn't be damaged. Now, he had managed to cut down the Nine Dragons today.

Composing himself, he flickered off the altar, standing overhead with the blade slung behind him, and shouted, "Open the altar!"

Immediately, four cloaked figures darted towards the giant pillars on the altar, grabbing thick iron chains, and pulling them through the sun and moon-shaped holes.

As those gold and blue patterned chains clattered to the ground, the four figures also landed at the foot of the giant pillar, pushing it in a circular motion.

A rumbling sounded from the altar, with the lowest layer spinning in the opposite direction.

Once a circle was completed with a clang, the second layer below the altar turned in a different direction.

After completing its rotation with a clang, the third layer began to reverse in another direction.

Just like this, it spiraled upwards, and when the topmost layer rotated into place with a clang, the united column vibrated thunderously for a moment before splitting open, the four figures pushing the column flew away and stood by the Hierarch, awaiting orders.

An invisible wave of force began to ripple from the altar, causing the six split columns to open like petals.

Situ Zhen, at the foot of the corpse mountain, flew up to watch this, while Shi Chun glanced at her sideways.

With a clang, the separated six columns rested horizontally on the railings surrounding them. Simultaneously, a soft white light hovered slowly above the six columns, as if held in their palms, growing grandly.

Shi Chun's right eye, seeing differently, perceived a swirling void of a different scene, gradually expanding, the vortex radiant with flowing light.

The soft white light atop the altar expanded to the boundaries of the six extended columns and stopped, stabilizing.

Sect Hierarch Tianyi, floating, suddenly voiced, "Who will scout the way?"

The crowd looked around, no one daring to tread into the unknown lightly; after all, the remains of the slain guardian zombies were still there.

Seeing no response, a figure cloaked in black uttered, "Su Mian, this-first merit belongs to you."

While others might not know where Su Mian was, Shi Chun and the others did, and they all turned to look at her.

First merit? Su Mian truly didn't want such a first merit, but with the order already given, she had no choice.

No one saw her expression beneath her mask; she cupped her hands and accepted, "Yes!"

Sect Hierarch Tianyi followed up, "Exit without danger, do not linger!"

With this instruction given, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang exchanged glances, understanding the hidden meanings, not wanting to take risks themselves and fearing the scout might secretly benefit.

"Yes." Su Mian could only comply, then flickered forward, rushing into the white light.

Seemingly following the Hierarch's guidance, watched by everyone, Su Mian's figure soon reappeared, loudly reporting, "Holy Master, inside is a self-contained realm, no apparent danger for now!"

"Good, very good, first merit to you!" Sect Hierarch Tianyi joyfully promised, then flashed forth, leading the charge into the white light.

Promptly, the black-cloaked figures guarding his sides followed suit.

Su Mian, hovering uncertainly, also flickered and entered.

The rest dared only dream, not act recklessly.

At this time, Feng Chi quietly remarked beside Shi Chun, "The one who sent her in is likely her superior."

Shi Chun glanced at her, finding the woman's concern peculiar; was this really the time to worry about such matters?

He was uninterested in replying, looked around, feeling the place was too still, not as he imagined. Even after bringing Situ Zhen along, it remained quiet, lacking any upheaval, not even a conflict, somewhat disappointing him.

It was truly disappointing.

Glancing down at the corpse mountain, he thought, forget it, better start collecting the corpses.

He didn't bother hiding, asking colleagues standing on the corpses to step aside, then with a wave of his sleeve, the towering pile of corpses vanished layer by layer, revealing the Qiankun Bracelet on his wrist to all.

He had no choice; these corpses likely contained some Qiankun Bags, but his own Qiankun Bag couldn't store them. There was no time now to go through tens of thousands of bodies. Despite them all helping, they couldn't manage, so he could only use his high-capacity Qiankun Bracelet to gather quickly and sort through them later.

Just as he cleared the pile of corpses, a guard suddenly shouted, "Who goes there!"

Shi Chun snapped his head up, seeing a group approaching, led by a woman shrouded entirely in a white robe, fearlessly charging towards the white light on the altar.

Bang, bang, bang...

A fierce battle, quickly ended under assault by the intruders.

Those rushing up to block were swiftly toppled, unable to stop the group's entry, largely due to the formidable white-robed woman, unmatched in combat.

After all, the true experts here couldn't sit idly by, most had entered the opened Demon Altar.

The attackers, eager to hurry, ignored Shi Chun and his group.

Shi Chun, nearly ready to deploy the Cold Moon Shield for defense, watched the downed demon cultivators spew blood, unable to rise, his eyes instantly lit up; this was precisely the turmoil he had been so eager to witness.

Decisively sweeping away the fallen bodies, he raised his arm and called, "Save them urgently!"