Chapter 440 - 400: Crystal Ball

Chapter 440: Chapter 400: Crystal Ball

The Demon Saint Ancient Corpse appeared!

Feeling the cold glint of the attack stabbing at his back, every hair on Nie Yun’s body stood on end. He knew he couldn’t block it in his current state—his only option was to dodge. But if he dodged, all the True Qi he had been channeling for so long would be wasted. With a grit of his teeth, he summoned the Demon Saint Ancient Corpse and placed it behind him!

WHOOSH!

As soon as the Demon Saint Ancient Corpse appeared, it straightened its arm to meet the attack.

Although the Ancient Corpse itself possessed the power of the Peak of Immortal Realm, it lacked Top-Grade Spirit Stones to sustain it and could only exert the combat strength of an Early-Stage Immortal Realm expert at best. A unique power, generated by its circulating Spirit Stones, lunged toward the cold gleam.

BANG!

The two attacks collided with a dull thud. Cracks spiderwebbed across the Demon Saint Ancient Corpse’s arm, spreading rapidly until, with a CRUMBLE, the limb disintegrated into dust. At the same time, the Ancient Corpse’s sternum caved in.

Without even looking, Nie Yun knew that the Ancient Corpse which had been with him for so long was completely destroyed.

PFFT!

The Ancient Corpse failed to block Elder Yuan Heng’s attack. Carried by the attack’s momentum, it slammed violently into Nie Yun’s back. His vision instantly went black, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Just die already!"

Seeing that his first move hadn’t killed the boy, Elder Yuan Heng grew even more furious. He roared and threw another punch.

This punch was far more powerful than his previous attack. Even before it reached him, Nie Yun could smell the thick, metallic scent of blood. It seemed that even a true Early-Stage Domain Realm powerhouse would be injured by a direct hit!

It was clear Elder Yuan Heng was dead set on killing the boy before him!

"Nie Yun..."

Seeing this, the faces of both Yi Cheng and Yi Qing turned deathly pale.

Before, the boy had that Puppet to block for him. Now that the Puppet was useless, it was easy to imagine what would happen if that punch landed. He would surely die!

"Open!"

Not even the Demon Saint Ancient Corpse could block the blow. Nie Yun knew he was truly out of trump cards. Instead of dodging, the muscles in his arms bulged, seeming to double in size in an instant. The True Qi in his Qi Sea surged forth like a tsunami!

RUMBLE!

Finally, in the nick of time, the Stone Gate let out an ancient groan. Having absorbed enough True Qi, it rumbled open.

"Go!"

Before Yi Cheng and Yi Qing could even react, they were enveloped by Nie Yun’s True Qi. With a WHOOSH, he pulled them through the opening.

BOOM!

The moment the three of them were inside, the Stone Gate slammed shut again. A massive explosion followed as Elder Yuan Heng’s attack landed squarely on the gate.

"You can’t escape! I, Yuan Heng, swear on my very being that I will kill you today!"

After the explosion died down, Nie Yun and the others heard Elder Yuan Heng’s furious, insane roar. It was like the shriek of a vulture denied its carrion—sharp, piercing, and chilling to the bone.

’That was close!’

Leaning his back against the Stone Gate, Nie Yun finally realized he was drenched in sweat, a wave of weakness washing over him.

’Ever since I was reborn, with the experience and strength of two lifetimes, I’ve never been in this much danger. If I had been even a tenth of a second slower, my head would have exploded. I would have been completely dead!’

’If I had died, Yi Qing and her father certainly wouldn’t have survived either.’

"No wonder you couldn’t open this Stone Gate. The True Qi consumption is terrifying. I’ve almost used up all of mine!"

Catching his breath, Nie Yun looked at Yi Cheng and shook his head.

’Yi Cheng said he’d tried to open this Stone Gate many times without success. Looking at it now, it’s no wonder. It would have been a miracle if he *had* succeeded. My own Qi Sea is immense, with reserves tens, even hundreds of times greater than an ordinary person’s, and even I nearly exhausted all my True Qi to get it open. Although Yi Cheng is a Peak Powerhouse of Primordial Saint Realm, his True Qi reserves are a far cry from mine. How could he ever have managed it?’

"Yes, you’re right. If we could open the Stone Gate, Elder Yuan Heng and the others probably can too. I don’t think we should stay here. Let’s go check what’s ahead!"

Yi Cheng nodded, glanced at the Stone Gate with lingering fear, and then turned to speak.

"Right, let’s go."

Hearing his words, Nie Yun nodded.

’Just because my True Qi is abundant doesn’t mean theirs isn’t,’ Nie Yun thought. ’I was able to open the Stone Gate, and since Elder Yuan Heng and his group are all stronger than me, they probably can too. We may be safe for the moment, but the danger is still right behind us. We should stop dawdling and start looking for treasure!’

Having made his decision, Nie Yun looked ahead. Before him was a vast, open space—an extremely wide hall. In the center of the hall, a fist-sized Crystal Ball glittered, emitting a soft glow.

There were no other passages around the hall. It was a dead end. No matter how he looked at it, this was the only space beyond the Stone Gate.

"What is this?"

Everyone was stunned to see the Crystal Ball.

’Why did we end up in a dead end? If they catch up to us, we’re finished!’

"This should be an Energy Crystal Ball, used for storing energy. But what is something like this doing here?" After a moment, Nie Yun recognized it, but he still found it strange.

’Energy Crystal Balls are used to store True Qi and Mana. Since Spirit Stones are more common, these are practically useless. I really have no idea what it’s for.’

CREAK!

Just as the three of them were wondering about it, they suddenly heard a sharp sound from the Stone Gate behind them, as if it was being activated.

"Damn it, how are they so fast? No time to think! They must be pouring Mana into the Stone Gate right now. Once it’s full, the gate will open! This Crystal Ball is the only thing in here, and there are no other exits. If we’re trapped, we’ll die a miserable death! Quick, let’s go check it out!"

Hearing the sharp sound from the Stone Gate, Nie Yun’s face turned pale again. With a sharp cry, he rushed to the Crystal Ball.

’Having just opened the Stone Gate himself, he now understood how it worked. The gate was like a bucket, a container. As long as you could fill it with True Qi, it would open. There was no special trick to it.’

’Elder Yuan Heng’s hatred for them was so deep that all the water in every river couldn’t wash it away. If he opened that gate while they were trapped here with no way out, their end would be absolutely miserable!’

"This Crystal Ball looks like something that stores energy, but there’s a special Array around it. It must be the activation device for a Teleportation Array!"

Nie Yun said slowly after circling the Crystal Ball once.

Beneath the Crystal Ball was a small Array. Using his Celestial Eye, Nie Yun recognized it as a Teleportation Array, and the Crystal Ball was the key to activating it.

GROAN! GROAN!

Just as Nie Yun finished speaking, the sharp sounds from the Stone Gate behind them grew louder, a clear sign that it was about to open.

"Hurry, they’re about to break in!"

Nie Yun clenched his fists and shouted urgently.

"I’ll go first!"

The Teleportation Array around the Crystal Ball was only large enough for one person. Knowing the situation was critical, Yi Qing didn’t hesitate. She walked over, reached out, and placed her palm on the sphere.

"Qing’er, be careful..."

Yi Cheng warned anxiously as he watched his daughter reach for the strange, unknown sphere.

’Even if it is a Teleportation Array, there’s no telling where it leads. It’s better to be careful!’

"Mm!" Yi Qing nodded. As her delicate hand touched it, a flash of light shot from her palm.

WHOOSH!

She was enveloped in a peculiar light and vanished from the spot in an instant.

"Qing’er..." Yi Cheng’s expression changed.

"Don’t worry, she should be fine. We just don’t know where she was sent!"

GROAN! GROAN! GROAN!

In the time it took to teleport Yi Qing, the sounds from outside the Stone Gate grew more frequent. It seemed they were out of time—the gate was about to open. Nie Yun offered a quick explanation and urged, "Senior Yi Cheng, you go now! I’ll be last!"

"Alright!" Yi Cheng was no fool. He knew this was no time for worry or hesitation. He took two steps to the Crystal Ball, stretched out his right hand, and touched it as well.

RUMBLE!

The very moment his palm touched the Crystal Ball, the Stone Gate finally broke its Chains and rumbled wide open.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

As the Stone Gate opened, three figures shot inside with three rapid whooshes.

It was Elder Yuan Heng, Elder Taiyuan, and Jiang Feng!

The clothes on all three of them were nearly burned away, and each bore at least a dozen injuries. The moment they entered the room and saw Nie Yun and Yi Cheng, their eyes turned bloodshot with rage.

At that moment, they looked like they wanted to tear Nie Yun and Yi Cheng limb from limb.

They looked like beggars now, and it was all thanks to the two people before them!

VMM!

Just then, a brilliant light enveloped Yi Cheng, and he too was teleported away in an instant.

Seeing Yi Cheng leave, Nie Yun breathed a sigh of relief. His eyes lit up, and he scrambled toward the Crystal Stone. As long as he could reach it, he would escape this danger, no matter where he was sent.

"That’s a Teleportation Array! Stop him from escaping!"

Jiang Feng had a sharp eye. Seeing Yi Cheng get teleported away, he instantly understood. With a sharp cry, he took a long stride forward and threw a punch at Nie Yun—a vicious and ruthless blow that could not be ignored or left undodged.

"Trying to run? You’re staying right here today!"

Elder Yuan Heng also reacted with extreme speed. As Jiang Feng threw his punch, the Elder made a grabbing motion with his right hand, and the unique power of a Domain Realm Powerhouse shot out like a sharp spike.

Palm Poison Dragon Drill!

It was an extremely insidious Martial Art that could produce a spinning Qi Force capable of penetrating incredibly strong Defenses.

It seemed he was afraid the boy might have another Puppet or something similar to block the attack and was aiming for a one-hit kill!

’Damn it!’

Seeing the ferocity of their attacks, Nie Yun abruptly halted. Pushing off the ground with the ball of his foot, he leaped backward with incredible speed, covering a dozen meters in an instant like an arrow loosed from a bowstring.

WHOOSH!

The two attacks grazed past him by a hair’s breadth, the wind from them making his cheeks sting. They struck the stone wall of the cavern, sending rubble flying and blasting out a crater several hundred meters deep.

Earlier, he had been unable to dodge because he was channeling True Qi into the Stone Gate. Now, although he was in a dead end, the hall was spacious enough for him to evade.

However, that single dodge had put him far from the Crystal Ball. It was now too late to rush over to it.

"Let’s see where you run to this time!"

The two of them seemed to know their attacks wouldn’t be enough to kill Nie Yun. After striking, they leaped forward and positioned themselves squarely between Nie Yun and the Crystal Ball.

If he couldn’t reach the Crystal Ball, he couldn’t use the Teleportation Array, and he couldn’t leave this place.

Nie Yun was once again trapped in a desperate situation.

P.S. We’re at Chapter 400! This went premium on the 7th of last month, so it’s been 35 days. In that time, I’ve released 254 Chapters, which is an average of 7.25 Chapters per day. *sweats* If people still call that slow, I, Lao Ya, am speechless... We’re at an even 400 Chapters, time to celebrate! Bring on the votes! The next update will be at 7 PM.

(To be continued. If you enjoy this novel, please come to Qidian.com to leave a recommendation or monthly vote. Your support is my greatest motivation!)