Chapter 652 - 633: Scheme Within a Scheme

Standing beside Fatty Bai, Wang Meng could also feel the majesty of this power. It seemed that through this ritual, one could communicate with a certain great... no, five great existences. These five existences had no true consciousness, only a hazy collective will. They seemed to maintain absolute neutrality toward everything, embodying the various primal attributes... This was the Five Elements, the Five Elements of the entire world!

’So that’s how it is...’ Wang Meng mused. ’Through a ritual like this, the participants, especially the main celebrants, can increase their affinity with the Five Elements... It can even alter the constitution of the next generation. That’s why neither the Patriarch of the Muhe Family nor the Jiang Family has shown up at such an important festival. Instead, they sent their most outstanding young disciples...’

’There’s really something to this,’ he thought. ’An Array Technique like this is practically capable of defying heaven and altering fate.’

Just then, the Five Elements Divine Beast Festival reached its final moments...

Wang Meng also silently closed his eyes, immersing himself in this interaction with the world’s Great Five Elements...

However, no one noticed that Kun Yaoyang, who had kept his eyes closed the entire time, suddenly snapped them open!

Kun Yaoyang’s figure suddenly shot backward as the priests conducting the ceremony instantly changed their Spells, activating a barrier.

Everyone was dumbfounded, wondering what on earth Kun Yaoyang was doing. But before they could react, another disaster struck.

In the center of the sacrificial altar, the Five-Transformation Qilin Beast, which had been emitting auspicious clouds, suddenly froze as if struck by a powerful immobilization spell. In an instant, the white clouds it radiated turned into a bloody mist!

"ROAR!"

The Qilin Beast let out a hoarse roar, its once-peaceful eyes now gleaming with savage light. Cracks spread across its body as immense True Essence surged out!

Yang Qi and Luo Shan were stunned for a moment before exploding in fury. They glared at Kun Yaoyang outside the barrier. "Kun Yaoyang, what have you done?!"

Outside the barrier, Kun Yaoyang smiled and bowed slightly. "Everyone, it has been a pleasure. Thank you all for your cooperation. Now, I shall send you on your way."

"Who are you? Are all of you trying to rebel along with him?" Luo Shan roared, glaring at the presiding priests. They were all members of the Spirit Control Association.

Kun Yaoyang laughed. "Chairman Luo, no need to shout. Your disciples have already gone on ahead of you."

The priests maintaining the barrier revealed their true faces—shocking visages of white bone. They were White Bone Cultists.

"The audacity! The Kun Family actually sided with the White Bone Sect! Kun Yaoyang, do you think a mere Fifth-Transformation True Essence Beast can stop us?"

Yang Qi raged as the True Essence throughout his body flared violently.

Muhe Xiaoyu and the others braced themselves as if facing a formidable foe. All traces of crude arrogance had vanished from Kun Yaoyang. "A mere Fifth-Transformation True Essence Beast would certainly not be enough. How could I underestimate you all? But what about a Demon Qilin, infected with a Bone Gu, that has violently surged to the Seventh Transformation? Please, take your time and enjoy it. Don’t worry, I’ll be right here to admire the show."

The Qilin underwent Demonization. The Bone Gu had completely burned through the Fifth-Transformation Qilin Beast’s life force, forcing it to leap directly to the Seventh Transformation. It could live for one ancient hour at most. At this moment, the Demon Qilin was struggling in agony, its eyes crimson. The once-auspicious beast was clearly on the verge of a rampage.

The Seventh-Transformation Demon Qilin lunged toward Muhe Xiaoyu’s group. A power of this level was not something she could withstand.

Luo Shan roared, and with a flick of his hand, a cyan light shot out. A three-meter-tall black bear instantly materialized in front of Muhe Xiaoyu!

BANG!

The Demon Qilin tore it apart in a single move!

The black bear, also a Fifth-Transformation beast, was utterly powerless to fight back. It let out a mournful cry as its arms were instantly reduced to a bloody pulp!

Yang Qi sucked in a sharp breath. ’It really is the Power of the Seventh Transformation! When did the White Bone Sect get to Wang City?’

Meanwhile, Kun Yaoyang watched on with leisurely appreciation.

"Kun Yaoyang, if we all die, you won’t escape the consequences!" Wu Yuan roared. He never would have imagined Kun Yaoyang was a member of the White Bone Sect.

"Oh, Brother Wu, you can let me worry about such trivial matters," Kun Yaoyang replied. "Once you are all dead, Wang City will be mine. As for anyone who disobeys... I can send them to join you."

"Work together!"

Yang Qi bellowed, and five streams of brilliant light flowed from his body. The combat style of an Artifact Refining Master was an endless supply of Spiritual Treasures and Divine Artifacts!

"Five-Colored Chaotic World!"

The five streams of light were the intrinsic True Light of five different Spiritual Artifacts!

The Qilin Beast roared and lunged, only to be forcefully blasted back by the five beams of Spirit Light!

By now, the Qilin Beast’s Demonization was fully apparent. Black flames spewed from its eyes, and sinister, pitch-black fangs extended from the corners of its mouth. An eerie, green phosphorescent fire could be seen burning at their tips. Where it had been struck by the five beams of Spirit Light, there were only five faint white marks...

This was the genuine Power of the Seventh Transformation. The advancement was a qualitative leap in power; even the strength of someone at Yang Qi’s level—the Peak of the Earth Wheel Realm—paled in comparison.

The White Bone Sect’s Bone Gu was one of the Ten Great Evils. It was incomparably malevolent; whether human or beast, its victim would immediately undergo Demon Transformation, and its power would surge until it had slaughtered every living thing in its vicinity and burned its own life to ash.

The bloody mist erupting from the Qilin Beast grew even fiercer, instantly transforming into dozens of streaks of sanguine light that shot toward Muhe Xiaoyu!

"Old man Luo Shan, if you’re not going to use it now, when will you?!"

Yang Qi’s expression changed drastically. He slapped his waist, and a small shield whirled into the air, instantly expanding to a massive size to block Muhe Xiaoyu’s path. However, the streaks of blood light did not fly in a straight line; they curved through the air as if they were alive, attempting to bypass the great shield!

The divine light from the great shield expanded to intercept them, but while he could protect Muhe Xiaoyu, he couldn’t protect everyone else around her!

"Spirit!" Luo Shan cursed, uttering a single-syllable incantation. Five streams of cyan-green light suddenly shot out from his five orifices—the Five Spirits of Wood.

Light Wood, Heavy Wood, Hard Wood, Soft Wood, and Central Wood—the Five Spirits merged into a single divine light that repeatedly slammed into the sanguine streaks, shattering them on impact.

The two Chairmen had been caught completely off guard. Who could have anticipated such a shocking turn of events? The techniques they had deployed were primarily defensive!

If they could just catch their breath, they would naturally have a way to bind the Demonized Qilin Beast.

But... how could the already Demonized Qilin Beast possibly give them that moment to breathe?

With a single leap, it decisively abandoned Muhe Xiaoyu and lunged directly toward the members of the Bai Family! It was obvious that the Bai Family’s group was the smallest and weakest one present. Though the Qilin Beast had fallen into demonhood, that didn’t mean it had lost the ability to think! Perhaps because they revert to a primal state, the combat awareness of Demonized True Essence Beasts is actually enhanced.

"Not good!"

Yang Qi’s expression changed drastically!

"Damn it!" Luo Shan also cursed loudly.

Neither of them had anticipated that the Demonized Qilin Beast would so decisively abandon its attack on them, instead turning to assault the weakest group—the Bai Family!

Yang Qi’s five beams of Spirit Light shot after it! He wasn’t particularly concerned about what happened to the Bai Family, but Wang Meng was standing right there among them...

Luo Shan also pointed a finger without reservation, his True Essence erupting. The five beams of wood-attribute Spirit Light abandoned the sanguine streaks and chased directly after the Qilin Beast.

But both of them knew in their hearts that no matter how fast they moved, they were still a step too slow!

The Bai Family was finished. Who would have thought the Demon Qilin would possess such cunning? This was the true terror of the Bone Gu—the Demonization made its victims not only more powerful but also more cruel and treacherous!

...What made the two Chairmen despair was knowing that even if their attacks reached the Qilin Beast, they could only delay it for a moment. They could not completely stop the Demonized Qilin Beast, which now possessed the Power of the Seventh Transformation.

But then, something that caused them even greater despair occurred. Facing the frenzied lunge of the Demonized Qilin Beast and its Seventh-Transformation power, Wang Meng did not dodge. Instead, he calmly and deliberately took a single step forward!

What left everyone else speechless was that when Fatty Bai saw Wang Meng take a step forward, he also took a reckless step forward! It was plain to see the mortal terror on Fatty Bai’s face—he was so scared, tears were streaming from his eyes. And yet, he still followed Wang Meng’s insane lead... What on earth could have allowed him to overcome such immense fear and follow Wang Meng in such a suicidal act?

"Wang Meng, run!"

"Kid, are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

Yang Qi and Luo Shan both shouted at the top of their lungs!

But it was too late...

How powerful was a Demonized Qilin Beast with the Power of Seventh Transformation? Even the combined might of the two Chairmen, caught unprepared, could only delay it for an instant.

Yang Qi had the best relationship with Wang Meng; they were both friends and mentors to each other. Unable to bear watching Wang Meng’s grisly end, he closed his eyes, gathering all the True Essence in his body to make a desperate, all-out attack!

Muhe Xiaoyu’s beautiful face went pale with terror. On impulse, she screamed and lunged forward. "No!"

She flew toward Wang Meng, heedless of the danger!

The Demonized Qilin Beast was now only a few steps away from Wang Meng. Its foul, stinking breath washed over his face!

Luo Shan, however, noticed that a pitch-black whip had appeared in Wang Meng’s right hand at some point. He then saw Wang Meng raise it to strike!

’He’s going to whip the Qilin Beast?’

Kun Yaoyang was amused. ’Honestly, conquering Wang City was supposed to be a piece of cake,’ he thought. ’I never expected so many little interruptions, all because of this Wang Meng.’

In that instant, Luo Shan was certain that Wang Meng had been scared out of his mind by the Qilin Beast. Otherwise, he would never have done something so foolish. When facing a Demonized Qilin Beast with the power of Nine-Transformation Entry, dodging was always the correct first option!

Luo Shan believed this to his very core. It was common sense, basic knowledge...

But, in the next second!

That piece of basic knowledge, which Luo Shan had believed to his core, was shattered!

CRACK...

A crisp sound echoed!

Wang Meng’s whip struck the Qilin Beast right on its head!

’Perfect aim!’

But in anyone else’s eyes, it was a suicidal move!

BOOM!

The bloody mist violently billowed out from the Qilin Beast’s body. Yang Qi’s five beams of Spirit Light were actually frozen in mid-air by the mist!

CRACK!

Another crisp crack of the whip rang out. The sound wasn’t actually loud, but to everyone’s ears, it was no different from a colossal clap of Celestial Thunder that could shatter the very heavens!

"Ah!" Luo Shan suddenly skidded to a halt!

It wasn’t that he no longer wanted to save Wang Meng, but rather...

Yang Qi also halted the eruption of his True Essence Power. "Damn it!"

He stared wide-eyed as he cursed, but no matter how one looked, there was no anger in his eyes—only a strange, inexplicable joy!

The others, though they lacked the keen perception of the two Chairmen, could also hear a different rhythm in the sound of that second crack!

’Something’s wrong... Something’s not right! This is all wrong!’

Kun Yaoyang’s smug smile finally froze on his face...

CRACK!

The third whip! (To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome you to come to Qidian.com and vote for it. Your support is our greatest motivation.)