Volume 1 Volume 6 Chapter 166

Volume 6 Chapter 166: Jiazi Cave, Divine Plate of Inheritance (Part 3)

Xu Qingfan’s guess was correct; the reason why the Mythical Beasts and Shura Clan members were anxious was that plateau, which was growing larger not because the land was rising, but because it was actually moving forward. The terrifying earthquake was not due to excess energy being released in the Shenzhou Continent, but because this plateau was shifting.

Perhaps it shouldn’t be called a plateau; even though it was larger than any plateau in this world, that object seemed to cover the sky and earth, possibly having nearly half the size of the Shenzhou Continent.

As this "plateau" grew closer, Xu Qingfan finally saw that it was an enormous creature with no head or tail, no facial features, just a round black body. Its surface dripped with thick liquid, and its muscles moved like waves. When the waves of muscle gathered, it would inch forward, rising slightly before falling, creating intense earthquakes. It seemed it could only move once every few days, appearing clumsy, yet each time it moved, it covered thousands of miles.

After another shift, the enormous body that had previously felt overwhelmingly oppressive was suddenly right in front of him.

Just as this giant monster was about to move again, the tens of thousands of various Mythical Beasts and millions of Shura Clan members around Xu Qingfan all rushed toward the creature.

It turned out that the Mythical Beasts and Shura Clan members had gathered here to confront this monster.

This is an ancient battle like no other, both in the number of participants and the skills of the fighters, far beyond Xu Qingfan’s imagination. Yet, their opponent is just one, a monster that also exceeds Xu Qingfan’s wildest dreams.

Although Xu Qingfan only entered a memory and couldn’t truly feel the terrifying power of the Spirit Qi in battle, the shaking of the collapsing world, and the shock of immense collisions, the dazzling flashes that nearly blinded him, the crumbling mountains and earth, and the astonishing scene that felt like the end of the world all deeply shocked Xu Qingfan.

For a time, Xu Qingfan seriously doubted whether this battle would cause the entire Shenzhou Continent—and even the whole Heavenly Way—to collapse.

But Xu Qingfan was sure that if he joined this battle with his current strength, he wouldn’t last even a moment. Just getting near the center of the battlefield, he would turn to ashes from the residual power of the fight.

Nevertheless, the Mythical Beasts and the Shura Clan continued to rush toward the monster, showing no regard for their own lives.

However, even though the monster seemed clumsy, appearing to only endure the attacks of countless Mythical Beasts and Shura Clan members, at the moment they charged, its body suddenly revealed countless cracks. From these cracks, numerous long black tentacles emerged, wrapping around the Mythical Beasts and Shura Clan members at lightning speed. In an instant, the area around the monster was filled with black lightning. Most of the Mythical Beasts and the strongest Shura Clan members managed to dodge, but many other Shura Clan members and weaker demon beasts had no time to react and were ensnared by the black tentacles. In the next moment, they all vanished, as if they were drained of life.

Though there were many black tentacles, there were also plenty of demon beasts and Shura Clan members. At first, they suffered heavy losses, but still many attacks struck the monster directly. The demon beasts exploded in various places, creating endless roars and scattering flesh, while blood fell like raindrops the size of heads. Yet, it seemed the monster absorbed the energy from these attacks, suffering far less damage than expected and healing instantly. Instead of being injured, it grew stronger as its already enormous size surged even larger amid the endless attacks.

The momentum began to shift in favor of the monster; it seemed invincible and unkillable. This was the most immediate thought in Xu Qingfan’s mind as an observer watching the monster battle countless Mythical Beasts and Shura Clan fighters.

However, just as Xu Qingfan lost himself in the moment, wanting to keep watching, the scene before him suddenly blurred. He sensed a full memory filled with horror and panic, as if this memory was foggy because the powerful being that created this stone plate was also fearful, instinctively reluctant to recall it.

When Xu Qingfan’s vision cleared again, the world was in chaos, and the terrifying monster he had seen before, along with thousands of Mythical Beasts and hundreds of Shura Clan members, had completely vanished.

Or rather, the terrifying monster was gone, and all that remained in the world were the bodies of Mythical Beasts and Shura Clan members scattered everywhere.

The world had never been as silent as it was now; the howling cold wind was the only sign of life, as if after the terrifying battle, all living beings in the world had perished.

"Did they destroy each other?"

Xu Qingfan wondered quietly to himself.

However, just as Xu Qingfan was lost in thought, several spots among the piles of bodies suddenly showed slight movement. In the next moment, dozens of Mythical Beasts and over a hundred Shura Clan members slowly crawled out from the mound of corpses, looking at the place where the monster had disappeared, their eyes filled with lingering fear.

After a long while, the remaining Mythical Beasts and Shura Clan members finally woke up from their disbelief of having defeated the monster. However, looking at the bodies of their fallen kin scattered everywhere, they were left as the only survivors in this desolate landscape, with both the mighty Mythical Beasts and the fierce Shura showing faces full of sorrow and despair.

The cold wind grew stronger. As Xu Qingfan looked at the figures in the cold wind, he felt as if he could see the impending doom of their clan approaching.

With only a hundred Shura Clan members left, how would their lineage continue? Though over twenty Mythical Beasts remained, and they could give birth without mating, Xu Qingfan, through the memories of this scene, clearly understood that for some unknown reason, the power of these Mythical Beasts was fading. In a short moment, the strongest injured Mythical Beasts had already lost more than half of their strength.

A giant snake that shimmered with gold began to lose its brightness as it changed, turning red. Its proud dragon head became a human face, which was clearly the ancient demon beast called Zhu Long that Xu Qingfan had seen before. Additionally, a golden giant bird turned into a yellow bird, while a being that was stronger than Kylin transformed into a powerful creature known as Tao Tie.

At that moment, Xu Qingfan finally understood the mystery of the ancient demon beasts. It turned out that in ancient times, they were part of the Mythical Beasts.

However, these Mythical Beasts were still quickly losing their power, and it would not be long before they became ordinary demon beasts.

Among the five remaining Mythical Beasts on the Shenzhou Continent, those that showed less obvious changes were the Kylin, Qinglong, Baihu, Zhuque, and Xuanwu. Among these five, the most esteemed Xuanwu, which was once the leader of the Mythical Beasts, had now become weaker than the least injured Kylin.

Watching this scene, the Mythical Beasts were all very anxious. Suddenly, Xuanwu seemed to have thought of something, and the sound of turtles crying and snakes hissing echoed. Hearing Xuanwu’s command, the other Mythical Beasts hesitated for a moment, but in the end, they all used their powers to gather all the bodies of the Mythical Beasts in the arena. Then, something unknown happened, as the countless bodies of the Mythical Beasts began to come together, and after several decades, they turned into a stone dish carved with countless images of Mythical Beasts.

The Mythical Beasts that were losing power took turns entering the stone dish, and when they left the next moment, their energy no longer drained away, but their strength could not return to what it once was.

Meanwhile, the Shura Clan people, who were somewhat dazed, brightened their eyes at the sight of the Mythical Beasts’ actions. They gathered their clan members’ bodies together, used secret techniques, and at that moment, the world became twisted and mysterious. Countless bodies transformed into a dark blue orb, and after successfully refining it, the Shura Clan people happily took the orb and left.

The scene suddenly froze here, and the next moment, Xu Qingfan felt an incredibly strong pull dragging his Original Soul away from this picture.

※※※※

"Master! Master!"

"Senior Brother Xu, what happened to you?"

Then, Xu Qingfan heard the anxious calls of Zhang Ningmei, Dongfang Qingling, and others.

Xu Qingfan’s body jolted, and he slowly opened his eyes. He realized the purpose of the stone plate; it was the Divine Plate of Inheritance between Mythical Beasts and ancient demon beasts. It was used to keep their bloodline strong and to awaken their powers. However, this stone plate seemed to have just been used, and its energy was depleted. It would need a long time to recover. A Mythical Beast or a person with Mythical Beast blood could only use it once in their lifetime, which is why the four spirit pets rushed in and then hurriedly retreated.

They did not want to waste this opportunity.

Thinking of this, Xu Qingfan turned to look at Bai Yu, his eyes brightening with hope. If he was not mistaken, Feng Qingtian achieved his power because of this Divine Plate of Inheritance, so Bai Yu, from the same Mythical Beast family…

Unfortunately, now the plate’s energy was spent, and they needed to wait a while. Was it too early for Bai Yu to use the Divine Plate of Inheritance? If he could use it after reaching the Golden Core Stage, he might leap to the Mahayana Stage, which would be better…

But this plate could enhance the powers of the spirit pets…

Xu Qingfan pondered silently, then said, "We can’t use this yet. I’ll explain on the way. Let’s leave here for now; the kylins should be coming back soon."

Saying this, Xu Qingfan walked out of the cave first.

As he reached the entrance, Xu Qingfan suddenly shivered, remembering two things.

That monster, judging by its characteristics and abilities, must be the legendary "Spirit Eater."

Xu Qingfan did not know that the "Spirit Eater" had returned to the world; what truly shocked him was the second thing.

When the Mythical Beast crafted the Divine Plate of Inheritance, the Shura Clan also created a green orb.

At that time, only a little over a hundred Shura Clan members remained, and their extinction seemed unavoidable, but when humans appeared, the Shura Clan restored their numbers to a million, gaining the ability of the Immortal Body compared to the original Shura Clan.

Furthermore, the Shura Clan encouraged internal conflicts to stay strong, conducting a survival of the fittest every several thousand years. After countless internal battles, although thousands of races were reduced to less than a hundred, their overall numbers never decreased; the strongest races that remained after the conflicts often caused the Shura Clan’s numbers to surge dangerously.

So, that dark blue orb’s purpose is…

Thinking about the Shura Clan members who escaped under the attack of the Righteous Alliance, and connecting it to that orb, a chill ran through Xu Qingfan’s heart.