Chapter 490: Demon Fire Competition
Lin Langtian's group swiftly joined forces, transforming into five dazzling streaks of light, rapidly weaving through the devouring army. Wherever they passed, their momentum seemed unstoppable, easily tearing through their opponents' formation.
"There's spatial fluctuation ahead; we're about to break through," Lin Langtian called out suddenly, raising his head to gaze forward. Sure enough, at the edge of the devouring army, a faint boundary appeared, shimmering with black light—a gateway leading into the true depths of the cave mansion!
Seeing this, Lin Langtian swiftly grasped Mu Lingshan's arm and signaled the Liu brothers. The group rapidly accelerated, slipping through a gap in the enemy ranks. Lin Langtian spread his arms wide, resembling a massive eagle soaring through the sky, darting directly toward the black halo of the gateway.
"Brother Lin, you're certainly quick, but allow us to scout ahead first!"
Just as Lin Langtian was about to enter the halo, mocking laughter erupted from nearby, accompanied by powerful gusts of wind. Immediately afterward, a deadly surge of energy ruthlessly targeted Lin Langtian's back.
"Ao Xuan!"
Upon recognizing the voice, Lin Langtian's eyes turned ice-cold. Without hesitation, he clenched his fist tightly, channeling powerful energy, and swung fiercely backward.
Boom!
A loud crash rang out as air compressed and exploded from his punch. Scorching winds collided violently with the incoming attack, dispersing a massive shockwave that repelled several nearby shadowy black-armored figures.
Taking advantage of the recoil, Lin Langtian swiftly retreated with his companions, falling directly toward the black halo.
"Haha, apologies, but we'll go first!"
As he descended, Lin Langtian spun around to tauntingly laugh at Ao Xuan and his approaching forces. Under Ao Xuan's furious glare, Lin Langtian's group vanished into the black gateway.
"Chase them!"
Ao Xuan shouted, his eyes gleaming fiercely upon seeing Lin Langtian enter first. With a cold snort, he led his army swiftly after them, diving into the gateway without hesitation.
Behind them, more experts began breaking through the devouring army, rushing towards the halo as well.
As Lin Langtian passed through the halo, he distinctly sensed an intense fluctuation of spatial energy. Deep darkness enveloped him, but after a moment of adaptation, he slowly opened his eyes.
When his vision cleared, Lin Langtian momentarily froze, staring in shock at the scene before him.
Spreading endlessly before Lin Langtian was an immense, barren land dotted with numerous grand but ruined temples and structures. Despite their current state of decay, their vast scale hinted at the magnificence and power they once possessed.
The entire expanse exuded an aura of desolation and ancient decay, clearly untouched by life for countless years.
"Brother Langtian, is this really the cave mansion? It looks so rundown—could there really be any treasures here?" Mu Lingshan murmured with some disappointment, surveying the devastated scene with wide, skeptical eyes.
"Let's keep looking," Lin Langtian replied, narrowing his gaze thoughtfully. "A place of this scale should still have some valuable remains."
As they proceeded, Lin Langtian carefully inspected the ground, noticing numerous signs of intense battles from the past. It was evident that an extraordinary conflict, perhaps even a war, had occurred here long ago.
"Only the Yimo could have annihilated such a powerful faction…" Lin Langtian inwardly surmised. Only Yimo—the Otherworldly Demons—could have destroyed a power guarded by a Reincarnation Realm expert, particularly one who controlled the Devouring Ancestral Symbol.
Considering this, Lin Langtian's expression grew solemn. He realized that remnants of Yimo might still linger within this Reincarnation Cave Mansion.
"Brother Langtian, look ahead!"
As Lin Langtian pondered cautiously, Mu Lingshan suddenly spoke, pointing toward a ruined plaza ahead, where several figures appeared to be seated in meditation.
Upon closer inspection, Lin Langtian's expression turned grim. He gestured for Mu Lingshan to be careful, slowing their pace and eventually hovering cautiously above the dilapidated plaza.
Approaching closer, Lin Langtian realized that nearly a thousand skeletal figures sat motionlessly, covered in layers of dust. Their life force was long extinguished, their dried-out bodies withered. Each corpse faced southward, hands raised in unison, seemingly frozen in the act of jointly resisting some formidable force—a resistance that had clearly failed.
Lin Langtian stared solemnly at this eerie scene. For nearly a thousand powerful experts to join forces yet still suffer such a fate, the Yimo that invaded must have been terrifyingly powerful.
"Master, people are coming from behind," Liu Da suddenly alerted, sensing numerous rapidly approaching presences. Clearly, more experts were entering the cave mansion after them.
Moments later, dozens of figures appeared nearby, drawn by the strange sight. They paused in mid-air, cautiously observing Lin Langtian and then shifting their attention to the plaza, shock visible in their eyes.
Though unaware of the plaza's backstory, they instinctively felt a profound unease.
"They're just corpses, nothing worth seeing."
A cultivator among them impatiently waved his sleeve, unleashing a fierce gust of wind. Instantly, the thousand dried figures turned to dust and scattered in the breeze.
"Tch, no treasures at all," someone muttered disappointedly.
"Hmm? Wait, some corpses didn't disintegrate!"
Just as several people prepared to leave, another shouted in surprise. At the plaza's far end, twelve mummified figures remained intact, their bodies immune to time's erosion.
"Those must have treasures!"
Greed ignited instantly within many eyes. Such powerful bodies that could resist decay for ages surely held precious treasures!
Without hesitation, several cultivators rushed greedily toward the twelve preserved corpses.
Watching this scene, Lin Langtian felt a strong sense of danger. Without wasting a second, he quickly grabbed Mu Lingshan and urgently signaled the Liu brothers. They swiftly retreated.
Boom!
As Lin Langtian's group retreated, the twelve seemingly lifeless figures suddenly opened their hollow eyes. Dark, sinister black flames flickered within, bursting forth instantly.
"Aaah!"
Terrible screams echoed as the black flames touched those who had rushed forward. Their bodies turned instantly to ashes, their souls utterly annihilated.
The twelve mummified corpses rose slowly, engulfed in cold, evil black flames. They lifted their gaze, locking onto the hundred experts now frozen in shock.
A tide of black flames surged, causing the temperature to plummet sharply. Lin Langtian quickly recognized these beings: they resembled the demonic corpses he'd encountered in the Demon Region, though vastly stronger.
Noticing their dantians pulsing with dense black energy and deathly aura, Lin Langtian realized these had been Death Profound Realm experts in life, now transformed into terrifying demonic corpses.
Roar!
The twelve corpses charged ferociously, their black flames instantly annihilating dozens of experts, leaving the rest terrified.
"Don't panic! These corpses contain condensed Death Qi—Death Silence Pills—in their dantians! If we obtain them, it will greatly aid our advancement!" someone greedily shouted, inciting excitement among the survivors.
"Death Silence Pills!"
Hearing this, many experts overcame their fear, greed overcoming caution. They joined together, preparing a fierce counterattack, believing numbers would grant them victory.
"A bunch of fools," Lin Langtian scoffed silently, immediately turning away without hesitation. These creatures, impervious to pain or fear and wielding formidable demonic flames, were practically invincible in battle. Staying meant certain death.
Moments after leaving, Lin Langtian heard distant screams behind him. He sighed inwardly, knowing those experts had surely perished.
"Brother Langtian, they're following us!" Mu Lingshan suddenly shouted, alarmed.
Lin Langtian turned sharply, his expression darkening. Indeed, the twelve demonic corpses chased relentlessly after them, drawn by the Devouring and Space Ancestral Symbols within him.
Lin Langtian accelerated further, aware that exhausting battles now would invite trouble from lurking opportunists.
After several tense minutes, Lin Langtian realized the corpses wouldn't relent. Frustration filled him; continuing this chase would drain their strength, threatening their survival.
Seeing his hesitation, Ling Yi's voice echoed softly in his mind: "Need my help?"
Lin Langtian shook his head. Ling Yi's power was a precious last resort. He then glanced sharply at the black flames burning on their pursuers.
"I wonder," he murmured coldly, "whose demonic fire is superior—your flames, or my Chaos Demon Flame?"
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