Bang!
The worldly natural energy in the entire World's End River Region was violently thrashing around. Even the gloomy rain had stopped.
It was almost as though the heavens were about to fall.
"The human fetus of the Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus has descended." In Abyssal City, Qin Jiujie's gaze pierced through the void as he observed the two figures outside Heavenly Dragon City. The reason why worldly natural energy had started to run rampant was because of them.
"Li Jingzhe truly possesses extraordinary courage. He shows no fear even when facing off against a Heavenly Emperor. He's much better than you in that aspect," the Faceless Other King said with a grin.
Qin Jiujie remained emotionless. "Those who can survive are the true victors."
He then changed the subject. "The human fetus doesn't seem to have reached its peak strength. I'm afraid it won't be able to stop Li Jingzhe, especially since Zhu Yuan and Zhao Zong might lend a hand."
Although Divine Tiger King Zhao Zong wasn't on good terms with Li Jingzhe, the Origin Reversion Institute's plot had come to light and the entire World's End River Region was in danger. He wasn't such a fool that he wouldn't lend a helping hand.
After all, if Li Jingzhe was dealt with, he wouldn't be able to escape either.
If Zhao Zong felt the need to take action, it also went without saying that White Elephant King Zhu Yuan would too. If they could offer assistance, the human fetus could be suppressed.
"It looks like you've thought things through," the Faceless Other King mocked with a smile.
Frankly speaking, Qin Jiujie had completely changed sides. He was no longer looking at things from the perspective of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin, but rather as the newest Other King of the Origin Reversion Institute.
"Rest assured, they can't help him." The Faceless Other King waved its hand to show that Qin Jiujie had nothing to worry about.
After it spoke, Qin Jiujie could sense majestic energy undulations coming from two different directions.
"Zhu Yuan, Zhao Zong..." Qin Jiujie's gaze flickered. He could sense that the two of them had started to fight. Clearly, they had been ambushed by Other Kings that had hidden away after the rain just before they were able to reinforce Heavenly Dragon Peak.
"Now that they've taken action, we can't stay silent either, or it’ll be too obvious. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Qin will receive criticism from everyone in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent," Qin Jiujie said.
The Origin Reversion Institute was strong, but their reputation was in shambles. Furthermore, they were being targeted by the Academic Federation. Nothing positive would be gained if the relationship between them was exposed.
The Faceless Other King nodded in agreement. "Your current identity is still useful to us. We have to ensure that it's kept secret for now. Since that is the case, I'll be the one to hold you back."
The Faceless Other King grinned and then vanished into thin air. A few moments later, terrifying undulations capable of crushing the void could be felt from a location not too far away from Abyssal City.
A gigantic, faceless visage surfaced amidst the inky-black rain. There were two vast, pitch-black crowns floating above the head, emanating black energy.
Clearly, the Faceless Other King was about to start a show with Qin Jiujie as the main actor. A wry smile surfaced on Qin Jiujie's face and his gaze turned cold. Roaring loudly, his voice boomed like thunder, reverberating throughout the region. "Faceless Other King, you dare to approach Abyssal City?"
He then stepped forward, and incredible amounts of energy surged in the world around him. Two regal crowns condensed above him. It seemed as though everything around him was under his complete control.
……
World's End River Treasure Domain, Other Dominion
Qin Lian was like a murderous god. Her eight Duke Bergfrieds burned with black flames as they floated in the air, and numerous black flame chains pierced through the void like venomous snakes.
She had the strength to suppress all of the experts in this dominion in an overwhelming fashion.
An eighth-grade Duke's Worldspace Domain was more than enough to dominate all of them single-handedly as the strongest person on the opposing side was merely a fifth-grade Duke. If not for the sheer number of opponents she had to catch, she might already have been the only one left standing.
As time went by, the number of people continued to decrease. In contrast, the blood-red flower bud became even more and more nourished.
The strange, black lotus seat in the middle of the flower bud bloomed further.
The blood-red pillar of light coming from the black lotus seat similarly strengthened, and its ability to pierce through the void and into the gap in the World's End River to summon the Grand Devil King became even stronger.
Bang!
Qin Beiming, Li Zhihuo, and the rest cut sorry figures as they attempted to evade the pursuit of the black flame chains. The Duke Bergfrieds above their heads had begun to dim and crack.
Qin Lian's continuous assault had stretched them thin.
Furthermore, they could sense that mind-boggling amounts of energy were clashing within the World's End River Region. The residual aftershocks were even capable of stirring up a storm in the Treasure Domain!
They were completely shocked by this.
"A frightening Other must have descended, and the Dragon's Fang Lineage’s Lineage Chief must be fighting it."
Some people raised their heads. Even though the barrier that contained the Treasure Domain also served to shield them from the impact of outside forces, they could still faintly make out two figures engaged in a terrifying battle in the void.
One was an elderly man with a bamboo pole and a flaming veil in hand—he was instantly recognizable.
"What sort of Other King is that? It's actually capable of contending against the Quasi-Triple Crown Lineage Chief Jingzhe!" Li Zhihuo commented.
This allowed everyone to understand that things had gone awry not only in the Treasure Domain, but also outside. In fact, the situation there was probably even worse.
Qin Lian then raised her head. Her black, vortex-like eyes radiated a venomous hatred and gloominess as she observed the wizened figure in the air.
"You also deserve to die, Li Jingzhe!" she screamed in a shrill and hoarse voice.
"After today, the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li will lose its dragon's fang!"
If the Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus descended, not only would Li Jingzhe fall, so would Li Qingpeng, Li Jinpan, Li Luo, and the rest of the direct descendants of the Dragon's Fang Lineage. They would all be cleanly purged from this world. If that happened, the Dragon's Fang Lineage would only remain in name.
Qin Lian let out a crazed laugh. The corruption emanating from her body intensified and went berserk. If she wanted to get rid of Li Jingzhe, she'd have to ensure that the ninth-grade luring platform fully bloomed!
"All of you will transform into nutrients for me!" Qin Lian's malevolent gaze was locked on the remaining fifth-grade Dukes like Qin Beiming and Li Zhihuo. At this point in time, they were spent after holding out for so long. The eight Duke Bergfrieds belonging to Qin Lian began to spew out dusky smoke, and a charcoal-colored talisman shot into the air, transforming into a Saturnine Luan tens of thousands of feet long.
The Saturnine Luan's gigantic talons stretched out, ripping through the void as its humongous figure flashed forward, attempting to grab Qin Beiming and Li Zhihuo.
When the two saw this, they were horrified and they spurred their Duke Bergfrieds to life. The Spirit Insignias on them began to emit brilliant light, attempting to resist.[1]
However, it was all meaningless.
The blazing saturnine talons descended upon them and directly smashed their Spirit Insignias apart. The void was destroyed, and all it took was a single motion in order to capture the two of them.
Terrifying amounts of energy accompanied the black flames as the two of them screamed in utter pain. It felt as though all the bones in their bodies were being slowly crushed.
This scene left everyone chilled.
Qin Beiming and Li Zhihuo were the two strongest fighters on their side. They were the ones responsible for bearing the brunt of the pressure. Now that they had been seized, the rest of them were completely powerless to even resist her.
"It's over." Lu Shuanglu's face paled.
Zhang Cuicheng, who was beside her, wiped the traces of blood off his face. He tightly clutched his metal staff, which was dyed with blood. "Who would have thought that the two of us would die together like this? It would have been much much better if Young Mistress Qing'er was here instead," he lamented dryly.
"Zhang Cuicheng! How about I kill you first?!" Lu Shuanglu screamed in frustration.
This bumbling idiot had tricked her into this entire disastrous situation, and even at the end of the line, he dared to spout such nonsense!
Not far away, Li Hongyou raised her head and stared intently at the Luan that covered the sky. In the end, she sighed lightly and sat down, no longer bothering to resist. The situation was desperate and everyone had basically lost the will to fight on.
Qin Lian, on the other hand, let out peals of raucous laughter. The Saturnine Luan was on the verge of tossing Qin Beiming and Li Zhihuo into the maws of the flower bud.
However, it was at this very moment that Qin Lian's eyes flickered. She hurriedly turned her head, and her crazed eyes stared at the indentation in the ground. What was sitting within that pit was an onyx cauldron that burned with black flames.
More importantly, it was currently in the process of refining Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e. However, she had sensed strange undulations coming from inside it just a moment ago. It seemed that the situation had gone out of her control.
Without any hesitation, she summoned up even more black flames and directed them into the onyx cauldron.
Boom!
Unfortunately, the cauldron suddenly exploded before that happened! Incredibly violent energy undulations raged in every direction and the entire pit began to fall apart, forming huge cracks. Then black flames soared into the air.
Qin Lian's gaze was focused on those flames. Her expression twisted into a perverted smile. "Hahaha! Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan, do you see this? I've finally killed your son! Hahahahaha!" Her laughter continued for quite a while before dying down.
This was because two incredible pillars of light had arisen from the ashes, shooting into the sky. The entire area was bathed in their radiance.
At the same time, a refreshing laugh rang out.
"You mad woman! Today's joy is all due to you! I'll display your ashes on my table when I throw a grand wedding."
Those words caused everyone's pupils to dilate.
At the same time, countless murmurs began to rise.
"Li Luo?"
"He actually didn't die?!"
1. TL Note: Dukes gain a new power every three grades. Low-grade Dukes have Divine Mist. Middle-grade Dukes have the Spirit Insignia. High-grade Dukes have the Worldspace Domain.