Chapter 256 - 157: Re-entering the Dragon Tomb, an Unstoppable Push

Chapter 256: Chapter 157: Re-entering the Dragon Tomb, an Unstoppable Push

"My Lord, the count is complete. Everyone is present and accounted for. Not one is missing!" Blood Roar reported loudly.

"Very good."

Shen Xing nodded. "Everyone, form ranks and advance."

"The Knight Order will take the lead. The Beastmen will follow, with all other ranged Soldier Types in the rear."

"Yes, Lord!"

The more than two thousand combat units quickly formed up and filed into the stone passageway.

Seated on the back of his Horned Eagle, Shen Xing followed the troops at a leisurely pace.

After marching for a few minutes, they soon reached the end of the passage.

The vast underground space once again appeared before them.

The soldiers raised their heads, staring in shock at everything around them.

A sense of awe was unavoidable, especially when they saw the enormous skeletons in the distance.

Shen Xing thought silently, ’Kazi, Kazi, are you there?’

However, there was no response this time.

He called out several more times but was met with only silence.

Shen Xing frowned. ’Don’t tell me this guy couldn’t hold on and finally bit the dust?’ he thought.

’It’s only been a few days... Some Black Dragon Monarch. How pathetic.’

"Human... My name is Kazidorite, not Kazi."

That familiar, majestic voice once again echoed in his mind, though it now carried a trace of weakness.

Shen Xing’s eyes lit up slightly. "So you are here. I thought your soul had already scattered to the winds."

"Heh heh... I am not so easily killed..." the Black Dragon Monarch’s voice was deep. "Your return... does it mean you are prepared?"

"That’s right. What do you think? Are these troops of mine enough?" Shen Xing asked.

The Black Dragon Monarch fell silent for a moment, as if sensing something.

A moment later, he spoke slowly, "It should be enough to break the seals, provided that..."

"Provided what?" Shen Xing was taken aback.

"It’s nothing... Thousands of years have passed. Everything has long since returned to dust."

The Black Dragon Monarch’s voice was deep. "Go. As long as you break the five seals, I will be able to use the power of my physical body. When that time comes, I will fulfill my promise and bestow upon you a worthy reward."

Shen Xing didn’t move immediately, instead standing his ground, lost in thought.

"Human, do you have any other questions?" the Black Dragon Monarch’s ancient voice once again echoed in his mind.

"’I do have one question,’ Shen Xing asked in his mind. ’How can I be sure you won’t turn on us after you get out?’"

"Hmph?" The Black Dragon Monarch’s tone deepened slightly. "Are you questioning my credibility?"

"’No, it’s just a necessary precaution,’ Shen Xing said frankly. ’Though I don’t know how strong you are, to you, we must be like ants that you could crush with a single motion.’"

"’So I can’t take that gamble. I hope you can understand.’"

The Black Dragon Monarch fell silent.

A moment later, he chuckled lightly. "You’re a cautious little one."

"Very good. Keep it up. It will help you live longer."

After a pause, he continued, "As for your concern, I swear on my true name that I will not attack you after I am unsealed, nor will I bear you any ill will."

"A true name oath is bound directly to the source of my Dragon Soul. If I were to break it, even I would suffer a backlash from that source, and my body and soul could be annihilated."

Upon hearing this, the last trace of doubt in Shen Xing’s heart dissipated.

He wasn’t one to dilly-dally. With a great wave of his hand, he commanded, "All units, advance twenty li to the southwest! Target: the giant skeleton!"

At the Lord’s command, the army of more than two thousand marched forward in a great procession.

They hadn’t gone far before the ground ahead began to tremble slightly.

Immediately after, a group of more than thirty Dragon Tomb Watchers, armed with longswords and shortbows, burrowed up from the ground.

"This is the sacred ground of the Dragon Tomb. Trespassing is forbid—"

BOOM—!!

Before they could finish speaking.

Over a hundred eerie green fireballs, each the size of a washbasin, rained down on them.

Waves of fire exploded, sweeping across an area hundreds of meters wide.

After the heatwave dissipated, the troop of Dragon Tomb Watchers had vanished, leaving only the ground littered with Soul Stones and Soul Fragments.

Without needing their Lord’s command, the Beastmen went forward on their own to collect the loot and hand it over.

[Acquired: Soul Stone x318]

[Acquired: Broken Elite Soul Fragment x52]

[Acquired: Bright Elite Soul x1]

[Acquired: Black Dragon Scale (Purple) x26]

...

The drop rate was as high as ever, and Grand Lord Shen was exceptionally pleased.

"Keep advancing!"

At his command, the two-thousand-strong legion advanced in neat formation.

They had hardly gone any further when another group of Dragon Tomb Watchers burrowed up from the ground.

This time there were more of them, over a hundred in total, and there was even a Tier Three Elite Watcher among them.

"Retreat, or be killed without mercy..." the leading Elite Watcher said, pointing his sword at Shen Xing, his voice cold and menacing.

But the response he received was a sky full of eerie green fireballs, a dense Light Arrow Rain, a Dark Arrow Rain, and Wolf Cavalry Capture Nets...

BOOM! BOOM BOOM!!!

A series of explosions rang out, echoing through the empty subterranean space.

When the smoke and dust cleared, all the Dragon Tomb Watchers, including the Tier Three Elite, had been vaporized into ash.

"Nice!"

Shen Xing exclaimed in approval.

’This is the thrill of crushing the enemy with overwhelming force.’

’I don’t care if you’re a Tier Two Extraordinary or a Tier Three Expert. Before absolute firepower, you will all be brought to your knees.’

He collected the loot and continued to push forward.

Soon, they had advanced nearly twenty li.

In total, they had encountered eight waves of Dragon Tomb Watchers and harvested nearly three thousand Soul Stones. Between the Elite Soul Fragments and whole Elite Souls, they had gathered more than twenty.

Adding in the several hundred Black Dragon Scales, the profits were quite substantial.

At this moment, they arrived at the southwestern edge of the Dragon Tomb.

Before the army lay a gigantic skeleton, over ten meters in height. It was like a small mountain, half-buried in the black earth.

Even from a distance, they had faintly sensed the oppressive aura emanating from the skeleton.

Now, up close, they could feel an immense pressure, as if it stemmed from some primal instinct of life itself.

"’I’ve arrived. What’s next?’ Shen Xing asked in his mind."

"’Beside the skeleton, there is a tombstone. Shatter it...’ the Black Dragon Monarch said in his mind. ’The Fierce Beast Soul sealed within will reawaken. Defeat it, and you will have broken the first seal.’"

Understanding dawned on Shen Xing, and his gaze swept around the skeleton.

Sure enough, he saw a half-man-high tombstone standing silently nearby.

"All units, prepare for battle!"

Shen Xing let out a low shout, snapping all the soldiers back to their senses. They instantly entered a combat-ready state.

He raised his hands, gathering his invisible Spiritual Power above the tombstone before slamming it down.

BANG! The tombstone shattered, and a ghostly light flashed from beneath the ground before vanishing.

Immediately after, as if some ancient formation had been activated, thick lines of light lit up on the ground and rapidly spread outward, extending as far as the eye could see.

From high above, one could clearly see that it was a pentagram pattern, its lines running across the entire floor of the Dragon Tomb.

Each point corresponded to one of the skeletons, with the thousand-meter-tall monolith in the central area.

RUMBLE... RUMBLE RUMBLE...

A powerful tremor ran through the ground.

It wasn’t just the ground beneath their feet—the entire Dragon Tomb, and even the whole mountain, was shaking!

[You have broken the first seal and officially started the hidden quest: Tomb Dragon’s Woe]

[Quest Objective: Break the five seals and defeat the Fierce Beast Souls within.]

[Seals Broken: 1/5]

...