Chapter 1636: Yin Heavenly King

Above Daxia City, terrifying divine light ravaged the horizon, and the Eight-Headed Black Demon King that had previously brought endless fear to many present was caught within the divine light, its eight ghostly faces being ground down until they became shattered, continuously emitting shrill, piercing shrieks.

This scene plunged the many experts of Daxia into wild joy.

However, Li Luo noticed that the "Pill Saint" occupying Bai Bai Mengmeng's body did not pay much attention to the Eight-Headed Black Demon King; instead, her iridescent pupils, which flowed with indifference and a terrifying sense of oppression, were cast toward a certain patch of empty space.

This made Li Luo's heart involuntarily tighten, and he felt that this upheaval in Daxia seemed to involve even deeper entanglements than he had imagined.

Even this Eight-Headed Black Demon King at the peak of the Three Crown King tier was merely a chess piece?

Wariness and vigilance rose in Li Luo's eyes. He reached out and held Jiang Qing'e's slender hand, sheltering her behind him, for he felt the situation here was beginning to slip out of control.

And just as this premonition had just risen in Li Luo's heart, he suddenly sensed, for no apparent reason, that the very heavens and earth seemed to grow heavy, while the flowing natural energy quietly congealed.

The entire world seemed to have been frozen.

Above Li Luo's head, even the Peerless Divine Throne began to gradually dim, causing an involuntary drastic change to come over his expression.

Meanwhile, Pang Pang Qianyuan and the other two nearby also felt their pupils tremble violently, and they said in suppressed voices: "This is... a Heavenly King?!"

Only the pressure radiating from such an existence could reach this level.

"So it really has come after all..."

Li Luo took a deep breath, raised his head, and gazed into the distant void, only to see the space there twist violently, ultimately forming a massive spatial gateway. From within the gateway, a vast azure torrent surged out, flooding the firmament.

Within the azure torrent, like a river or sea, endless divine light rose, and ultimately transformed into an enormous bronze mask high in the sky.

The bronze mask was covered in mottled, shattered marks. Within the mask's eye sockets, ghastly white flames flickered, and at the center of its brow there was a crack. Deep within that crack, a mysterious black fruit could be seen, beating slowly like a heart, releasing an indescribably terrifying fluctuation.

When this mysterious bronze mask appeared, every living being between heaven and earth felt a terror that originated from the soul.

All Marquis-level experts—even those at the peak of the Nine-Rank Marquis tier like Li Li Qingpeng and Li Li Jiluo—were unable to activate their Marquis Platforms at this moment. They discovered with ashen faces that the phase force within their bodies did not dare to surface onto their bodies.

It was as if the mere outward surge of phase force was an affront to the existence before them.

And if even these peak Marquis-tier experts were in such a state, then there was no need to mention the other ordinary Marquis-tier experts like the Eldest Princess, Vice Principal Suxin, and Qin Zhenjiang. At this moment, all they could feel was terror swelling within them.

Such an existence had already transcended their comprehension.

On such barren land as Daxia, when had a Heavenly King ever descended?

"Heavenly King..." At this moment, they could only utter terrified, trembling murmurs.

Pang Pang Qianyuan, Lan Lan Lingzi, and Li Li Qingying—the three King-tier experts—were faring somewhat better. As King-tier experts, although they too felt a heavy pressure, it was not so unbearable as for those at the Marquis Realm.

However, this did not prevent their faces from turning pale as they said in trembling voices: "This is the Yin Heavenly King, the chief of the four Heavenly Kings of the Returning Ruins Assembly!"

As high-ranking members of the Academy Alliance, they naturally paid close attention to the Returning Ruins Assembly, that great threat to their very existence. As for intelligence regarding the four Heavenly Kings of the Returning Ruins Assembly, the King-tier experts of the Academy Alliance had it all committed to memory, so they all knew that the chief of the Heavenly Kings of the Returning Ruins Assembly had the distinctive image of a bronze mask.

"The chief of the four Heavenly Kings of the Returning Ruins Assembly, the Yin Heavenly King?!"

Hearing this, Li Luo's heart jolted violently. His understanding of the Returning Ruins Assembly was naturally not as thorough as that of Academy Alliance high-ranking members like Pang Pang Qianyuan and Lan Lan Lingzi; the only Heavenly King of the Returning Ruins Assembly he knew of was the Void Heavenly King he had previously seen within the Heavenly Mirror Pagoda.

And this mysterious mask before him was actually the chief of the Heavenly Kings of the Returning Ruins Assembly?

Did that not mean he was the true leader of the Returning Ruins Assembly?!

Li Luo had never imagined that this upheaval in Daxia would ultimately draw out such a terrifying existence.

"Aren't the five Heavenly Kings of the Academy Alliance currently locked in a contest of wits with the four Heavenly Kings of the Returning Ruins Assembly? How could... he have slipped out?" Li Luo said, his voice somewhat parched.

Lan Lan Lingzi forced a bitter smile: "This Yin Heavenly King's strength exceeds imagination. He can be said to be one of the strongest existences in the present age. Within our Academy Alliance, probably only Heavenly King Jiang can slightly hold him in check, but if he wishes to leave, no one can stop him."

And while they were speaking, the ghastly white flames within the eye sockets of that ghostly, godlike bronze mask flickered, and then it uttered a faint voice. Its voice seemed to share the same frequency as heaven and earth; every intonation caused the natural energy to surge and undulate like waves.

"Heavenly King Jiang, my methods cannot shake you off. Show yourself."

Just as its words resounded through heaven and earth, in another patch of void, an ancient forest emerged. Countless towering ancient trees grew, and a majestic, boundless vitality surged forth.

As this vast vitality surged, countless people in Daxia City who had been injured were shocked to discover that their wounds had healed in an instant.

"What astonishing wood-aspected power."

Li Luo gazed in shock at the towering ancient trees swaying and growing in that patch of void. He himself also possessed a wood aspect, so he could feel just how terrifying that wood-aspected power was at this moment.

The vast vitality surged, and ultimately a towering figure stepped out from within the endless forest. It was a man; the texture of his skin resembled the annual rings of an ancient tree, and faintly at his brow there was a crack. Deep within that crack, a miraculous emerald-green fruit could be seen.

A terrifying vitality condensed atop his head into a verdant crown, upon which hung verdant beads. As they swayed and clinked together, they exuded a vast, surging vitality. Strands of vitality fell to the earth, instantly transforming the land outside Daxia City into rolling green grasslands, with verdant trees everywhere.

"So Heavenly King Jiang has indeed shown himself!" Pang Pang Qianyuan and Lan Lan Lingzi, upon seeing this person appear, instantly regained some color in their previously pale faces, and said with visible relief.

Regardless, their own boss had finally arrived.

Someone was going to shoulder this situation!

Li Luo could not help but sigh with emotion; he had not expected that today he would be able to witness two of the strongest existences in the present age.

"Yin Heavenly King, so it turns out your scheme was to seek out this senior Pill Saint of the Faceless Holy Sect." Heavenly King Jiang appeared, first giving a slight nod of respect toward the Pill Saint, then turning toward the bronze mask and speaking slowly.

"Furthermore, I am very curious—how did you come to know of such a secret?"

Heavenly King Jiang's eyes were solemn. Information regarding the Faceless Holy Sect had all been obscured by the mists of the river of time, making it difficult to probe. Yet this Yin Heavenly King not only knew the location of the Pill Saint's seal, but also possessed the means to force her out.

The ghostly, godlike bronze mask responded with indifference, the ghastly white flames in its eye sockets flickering as it gazed from afar at the graceful figure standing atop the eerie iridescent butterfly.

Within those eye sockets, a peculiar fluctuation seemed to surface.

And atop the eerie iridescent butterfly, the Pill Saint's pair of indifferent, icy iridescent pupils were likewise gazing at that bronze mask, and at the bottom of her eyes, pain, fury, and hatred seemed to well up.

The next instant, these emotions condensed into a single sentence that resounded between heaven and earth.

"Yin Qingkun, you have fallen."

"You are no longer worthy of being called one of the Six Sons of the Faceless."