Chapter 765 - 761: Great Reward

Chapter 765: Chapter 761: Great Reward

Xiu Xiu’s small head poked out from a rift in the void.

Its large, round, jet-black eyes stared fixedly at Lin Hao, as if gazing upon delicious prey.

SWOOSH!

Its speed was indescribable, and even with several people cultivating nearby, it was barely affected.

Of course, this was mainly because Lin Hao’s body was emitting no aura fluctuations.

Its sharp claws struck silently toward Lin Hao’s neck.

Xiu Xiu didn’t use its great hammer; it wanted to slit Lin Hao’s throat directly and absorb his blood.

Lin Hao seemed oblivious.

It all happened in an instant. Just as Xiu Xiu’s claws were about to strike Lin Hao’s neck, a powerful fluctuation erupted from his body.

With a THUD, Xiu Xiu’s body slammed into the ground, blasting a large crater.

It was as if an invisible sledgehammer had suddenly struck it from the void.

Xiu Xiu’s body went stiff, and it once again played dead.

A few breaths later, it actually cracked one eye open a sliver to survey its surroundings.

After confirming multiple times that there was no danger, Xiu Xiu’s body shot away.

In the next moment, it was already at the core of the Gathering Essence Array.

This time, it dug up all the remaining Spiritual Artifacts. In a flash, its small claws snapped them into pieces, and then it began to eat them with a CRUNCH CRUNCH.

As it ate, it glared at Lin Hao with a pouting expression.

It was as if it were eating Lin Hao’s own flesh.

If it could speak, it would have surely cursed Lin Hao a million times over.

In just a few moments, most of the Spiritual Artifacts had vanished into Xiu Xiu’s stomach.

Suddenly, the fur on its body stood on end. It was about to flee but was pinned in place by an immense power.

The source of this power was Lin Hao!

At first, Xiu Xiu tried to make the best of it, continuing to munch on the Spiritual Artifact fragments. But gradually, its large eyes began to squeeze shut in strain.

Then, its limbs splayed out as its body was crushed against the ground, completely immobile. It was even sinking into the earth.

It wasn’t just the creature; all the Martial Artists felt it too, including Lin Hao himself.

A terrifying pressure erupted from Lin Hao’s body. To resist it, the others had no choice but to desperately dig into their potential and cultivate.

The area rumbled and transformed into a terrifying Thunder Sea. Flashes of lightning began to flicker, ancient runes appeared, and the very void began to collapse.

As time passed, this strange phenomenon began to spread outward.

Towering mountains were reduced to scorched earth, and ten-thousand-year-old Ancient Trees turned to dust.

A thousand miles away, a monstrous beast of terrifying size was awakened. Its blood-red, lantern-like eyes stared toward the region where Lin Hao was.

Within its pupils, the reflections of several figures could be seen.

Those figures were sitting cross-legged, cultivating. Endless runes flickered around each of them.

Eventually, the figures began to fade, except for one, which grew increasingly distinct.

’A Harmony Dominator Body! And a sanctified one at that! Such a physique is even more terrifying than my own. It’s the perfect vessel!’ the monstrous beast whispered in its own tongue.

’Unfortunately, his cultivation is too low. After I possess him, my own power will be greatly diminished for a time. That would just be doing the hard work for those old monsters deep within the Ancient Realm. I’ll wait and see for now.’

’I’ve been suppressed by you for ten thousand years. Once I possess this Overlord Body, it will be time for you to die! I will flay you and rip out your sinews, and I will turn your skull into a wine cup! And as for your... ’

The monstrous beast’s whisper grew quieter and quieter until it was completely inaudible.

Then, a monstrous snore like rolling thunder echoed for miles around.

Phew...

Dozens of miles from the beast stood a massive structure built against a mountain. Three figures were standing before it.

Their expressions had been extremely tense, but after hearing the thunderous snores, they finally relaxed.

"It didn’t attack!"

"It seems the Indestructible Holy Land truly has a grand array it cannot break. It’s dead set on trapping us here to die!"

"Dugu has been gone for so long. Why isn’t he back yet?!"

"He didn’t just run away, did he!"

"He wouldn’t. He may be young, but he would never abandon the Indestructible Holy Land. Sigh, I should have held my ground back then, too."

"We are only temporarily cooperating with the Indestructible Holy Land; we haven’t been absorbed by it. The three of us have a combined age over a hundred times his. What right does he have to lead us!"

"Be that as it may, his Primordial Undying Scripture is profound and unfathomable. He’s likely cultivating in the outside world. If we give him enough time, it won’t be long before he surpasses us."

The three communicated via divine sense, and after this exchange, silence fell between them.

They were either Holy Land Masters or Esoteric Hierarchs; they naturally understood the consequences of Dugu Shang’s cultivation surpassing their own.

As they fell silent, a thousand miles away, Dugu Shang’s eyes opened.

His eyes were bright and spirited, yet had become incomparably profound, like a sapphire-blue starry sky that could contain all of creation.

Sensing the change within himself, Dugu Shang was ecstatic.

It was a qualitative transformation.

His cultivation realm hadn’t increased, but in terms of combat power, he was on a completely different level.

’I’m confident that even if those three teamed up against me now, I could still put up a fight!’ Dugu Shang thought, his eyes shining brilliantly as he stared in the direction from which he came.

However, when he came to his senses and saw Lin Hao, he deflated like an eggplant after a frost.

No matter how he cultivated, as long as he didn’t transcend the Sealed Martial Realm, he would never be Lin Hao’s opponent.

’The Martial Dao is endless. There is still the Yin-Yang Realm, the Nirvana Realm... I will catch up to you!’ After a moment, the light returned to Dugu Shang’s eyes, and the starry sky within them seemed even more profound.

But immediately, Dugu Shang suffered a heavy blow.

No new phenomenon appeared around Lin Hao, but an invisible pressure erupted, slamming Dugu Shang’s body directly into the ground.

At that moment, Dugu Shang had the terrifying sensation that both his True Essence and his bloodline were being sealed away.

It was as if a god had appeared in the void, suppressing all of creation, making everything seem as insignificant as ants.

The power was boundless and vast, so incomparably majestic that one couldn’t even think of resisting.

"No—" PFFT!

The will to resist had barely risen in Dugu Shang’s heart when the formless suppressive force descended and crushed it.

At the same time, Xi Chenghua and the others opened their eyes. They could also feel the majesty of the power, but they didn’t feel any suppressive force. On the contrary, they received enormous benefits.

Their cultivation levels had all increased!

Xi Chenghua and Lao Xuexin broke through to the Sealed Martial Realm Sixth Layer, Zhao Yuanzhong advanced to the Fifth Layer, and Bai Yu entered the Fourth Layer.

Most astonishing of all was Xu Zihao, whose realm had jumped by Two Layers, reaching the Sealed Martial Realm Fourth Layer, the same as Bai Yu.

The advancement in their realms was secondary; the increase in their combat power was what truly mattered.

"I have a feeling that if I’d had my current combat power earlier, I definitely could have fought Dugu Shang!" Xi Chenghua transmitted to the others via divine sense.

Lao Xuexin nodded in agreement.

"I wouldn’t have been so helpless either! The Cultivation Technique the Young Master modified for me has made me so much stronger than before!" Zhao Yuanzhong was particularly excited.

When the three of them didn’t hear Bai Yu speak, they turned to look at him and discovered a shocking scene.