Chapter 258: The Divine Beast Corpse That Fell Above the Forbidden Zone (6k)

At this moment, Yuan Fengtai’s eyes were filled with terror.

At the brink of life and death, he no longer cared about anything else, his trembling hands pulling a white orb from his storage bag.

The Break-Seal Orb—only two existed in the entire imperial family, bestowed by his father upon his fourth brother and himself—now became his last lifeline.

Yet he had no confidence, for he had never used a Break-Seal Orb to break a three-color seal.

Especially since it had limited uses, so he treasured it dearly and rarely dared to deploy it.

Shhh!

Before he could even attempt to use it, a blood-red sword qi surged toward him—he had no time to react.

The sword qi slashed straight at the arm holding the Break-Seal Orb.

With a crunch, Yuan Fengtai’s arm was severed at the shoulder; the detached limb, spurting blood, was blasted away.

“Aaaah—” Yuan Fengtai let out a piercing scream, and the orb plummeted straight down, vanishing into the forest.

“Did I say you could leave?” the black-robed man sneered, then ignored him entirely, advancing with overwhelming force toward the other two.

Soon after, two more corpses fell lifelessly from the sky.

The white-robed and black-robed men merely stretched their necks slightly, as if this battle had merely warmed them up.

Yuan Fengtai clutched his severed arm, face as pale as paper, retreating in terror until he backed against the formation, expression utterly hopeless.

“Elder sirs, I am the Fifth Imperial Prince of the Shengwu Empire, Yuan Fengtai! If you spare me, I can give you anything you desire!”

Yuan Fengtai’s voice trembled, thick with sobs as he pleaded.

At this moment, the prince’s dignity was utterly gone—if he could live, he would kneel and bang his head on the ground.

The black-robed man stepped forward, pulling his hood lower, and said, “Oh? Anything at all?”

“Yes, yes, yes! Whatever you ask for—rare treasures, cultivation techniques, divine arts—I’ll get them for you both!”

Yuan Fengtai spoke frantically, eyes brimming with hope.

The black-robed man tilted his head slightly, studying Yuan Fengtai, then suddenly laughed: “I want the secret formula for Zhanling Realm!”

Yuan Fengtai froze, then wore a helpless, tear-streaked expression: “Even I don’t know it—much less Father. The formula is entirely in Grandfather’s hands. Could you please ask for something else?”

Hearing this, the black-robed man showed no surprise—he suddenly reached out and seized Yuan Fengtai’s throat.

Feeling the suffocating pressure, Yuan Fengtai’s eyes bulged, pupils shrinking violently.

His remaining arm instinctively grabbed the black-robed man’s wrist, trying to pry it loose—but it was useless.

“Elder… don’t kill me! My body carries Father’s Imperial Dao Spirit Seal—if you strike me, he’ll lock onto you instantly, and you won’t escape!”

Yuan Fengtai gasped out the words, face twisted in terror.

The black-robed man suddenly laughed. “Almost forgot. Thanks for the reminder.”

As he spoke, a black iron chain shot from his sleeve, binding Yuan Fengtai tightly.

Nine bone spikes, at his light nod, pierced swiftly into Yuan Fengtai’s body.

Yuan Fengtai gritted his teeth against the pain, pleading endlessly—but it was all in vain.

“Good. Now you can’t use spiritual power anymore.”

The black-robed man clapped his hands in satisfaction, then pulled a sharp little knife from behind Yuan Fengtai’s back, slicing open a bloodied wound.

He caught the flowing blood in a jade vial, filling it completely.

“They say your Yuan family’s ‘Yuan Dragon Emperor Scripture’ constantly refines your body, turning even your blood into a divine elixir—I wonder if that’s true?”

The black-robed man murmured to himself, then tucked away the vial and turned back to Yuan Fengtai, a cruel glint in his eyes—he kicked out hard, sending Yuan Fengtai flying.

He arced through the air, smashing through dozens of thick ancient trees before crashing to the ground with a thud.

“Who are you?! Even if I die, let me die knowing!” Yuan Fengtai spat blood, then roared upward in fury.

At this point, he realized—the two had never intended to spare him.

“I’m your father!” the black-robed man sneered, then walked away shoulder-to-shoulder with the white-robed man.

Instantly, the entire formation fell into deathly silence—so quiet it sent chills down the spine.

This sudden turn of events left Yuan Fengtai utterly stunned.

Did they… spare him?

Are they joking?

“Roar! Roar!”

Just as he was filled with doubt, two ferocious beast roars erupted violently.

Then the earth shook—Yuan Fengtai’s eyes widened with despair and disbelief; he understood.

“No, no, you can’t do this, you can’t—” He shook his head wildly, voice trembling with sobs, frantically crawling backward.

Boom!

Two massive tiger-like beasts burst from the forest, eyes blazing red, as if starved for days.

Upon sensing the thick scent of blood in the air, they roared in excitement, drool dripping from their jaws, locking onto Yuan Fengtai and charging.

“No, no, aaaaah—” Yuan Fengtai’s agonized scream echoed through the valley.

One tiger’s claw ripped open his shoulder—blood sprayed instantly.

The other opened its bloody maw, clamping down hard on Yuan Fengtai’s thigh and shaking its head violently.

The other one opened its bloodied maw and clamped down hard on Xuan Yuan Fengtai’s thigh, then shook its head violently.

The sound of snapping bone was clear—Yuan Fengtai writhed in agony, howling like a slaughtered pig.

But his screams only excited them further—they circled him, tearing into his flesh with every bite, ripping off chunks of meat.

Yuan Fengtai’s consciousness dimmed, yet the pain surged like waves, preventing him from blacking out.

He muttered pleading words over and over, voice weak and hopeless: “Please… spare me…”

As his breath grew fainter, suddenly a brilliant beam of light erupted from his mind-sea, blasting the two beasts away.

The light coalesced into a coiled dragon phantom, its eyes blazing: “Who dares harm my imperial heir?!”

“F-Father—” Yuan Fengtai’s lips trembled; with his last strength, he gazed at the figure within the light.

The reigning emperor of the Shengwu Empire—Yuan Hao—paused in surprise upon seeing the two savage tiger beasts.

He turned again to his son, bloodied and barely alive, and demanded urgently: “Who did this to you?”

Yuan Fengtai shook his head, tears streaming, screaming: “I don’t know! Father, save me, save me—”

Roar!

The two tigers, pushed back, were suddenly stimulated again—they ignored the emperor’s aura and charged once more, tearing at him.

Screams rang out continuously.

Normally, Yuan Hao could have used his authority to intimidate the attackers, negotiate terms, or threaten them into sparing his son.

But now, facing these two mindless, bloodthirsty beasts, it was like playing the zither to a cow.

Watching his son writhe in agony, Yuan Hao sighed helplessly and cried: “Describe the attackers’ features! I’ll make them pay with their blood!”

But before Yuan Fengtai could speak, one tiger lunged, jaws wide open, fangs gleaming—straight for his head.

With a dull crack, his skull exploded—red and white matter sprayed everywhere, the scene grotesquely bloody.

Then, a faintly glowing primordial spirit slowly drifted from the shattered skull.

It took the shape of Yuan Fengtai—but his expression was filled with terror and unyielding resentment.

“Father, the attackers were two people—I didn’t see their faces…”

Vvvvvv~

Before he finished, a thick cloud of black mist surged from afar, engulfing Yuan Fengtai’s primordial spirit.

Closer inspection revealed the mist was composed of countless, uncountable Soul-Eating Wyrms.

Each had rows of fine fangs, jabbing their sharp heads relentlessly into the spirit.

Yuan Fengtai screamed again, piercingly.

“Save… save me…” His cries grew fainter, swallowed by the chittering gnawing of the Soul-Eating Wyrms.

Seeing this layered, vicious scheme, Yuan Hao could no longer suppress his rage—he roared to the surroundings:

“Whoever you are, if you dare treat my Yuan clan like this, I will tear you into a thousand pieces and make you pay with your blood!”

But only silence answered him.

Until Yuan Fengtai’s primordial spirit was fully devoured, the golden coiled dragon hovering in the air dissolved into two golden specks, instantly sinking into the two tigers still feasting.

Forming an indelible mark.

The two tigers paid no heed, continuing to devour—until they had consumed every scrap of Yuan Fengtai’s flesh, then licked their lips, unsatisfied.

Suddenly, their bodies began trembling violently without warning—then swelled rapidly, and with a boom, they exploded simultaneously.

A powerful energy wave erupted from them, spreading wildly outward.

Branches flew, dust sprayed everywhere.

When the dust settled slightly, over a dozen black-robed humanoid puppets flashed into view from all directions.

Their eyes vacant, bodies radiating coldness, they moved without hesitation toward the still-steaming tiger remains.

Without a word, they bent down, fighting each other, devouring the meat in huge bites.

In an instant, the tiger flesh was gone.

After finishing, the black-robed puppets’ bodies began glowing with strange light.

The glow intensified, accompanied by a piercing hum—they too began exploding one after another, fire surging, heat rolling.

By afternoon, someone flew overhead and noticed the ruined landscape below, curious, descending to scavenge.

But he found nothing of value—the traces had been cleaned away completely.

…

Taiqingmen!

Zhou Qing smiled broadly as he teased an old hen.

Honestly, now that he’s reached Soul Transformation, 90 percent of cultivators overlook him—but this old hen always finds him, wherever he is. It’s quite peculiar.

After re-evaluating, it was the same as last time: due to consuming spirit stones, it was undergoing a second transformation.

He then pulled out the token of Shenxu Tian Gong and checked it; only No. 6, Shen Hanyi, was currently online.

Calculating the time, it had been over three years since their last parting—he wondered if the divine herb he’d taken from the Peng Palace had saved her younger brother.

“Forget it. Since I’ve got nothing better to do, I might as well test this newly mastered Hundred Calamity Blood Curtain on the First Ancestor!”

Zhou Qing mused inwardly, his eyes gleaming with eager anticipation.

If he could acquire the remaining five supreme wood-element spirit stones, he might just gather enough strength to condense a second Phoenix Dao Mark.

After careful consideration, Zhou Qing swiftly arranged everything, then immersed his consciousness within.

As expected, the No. 6 zone appeared as a deep blue—clearly, she had not yet emerged.

Just as Zhou Qing was about to step in, a sudden cough echoed beside him.

Zhou Qing turned toward the sound and realized that No. 7, the purple orb, had just come online.

Is this guy been secretly watching me all along?

“Fellow countryman, I really liked the gift you sent me last time—got any more?” Sikong Yan beamed as he spoke.

Zhou Qing knew exactly what he meant by “gift”—the eight drops of heart’s blood that Tianji Men had somehow obtained.

Last time, he’d placed the drop from Xuanji Zi at the Blood Rock Mine for him to retrieve; clearly, he’d gotten it now.

“You mean the remaining seven drops?” Zhou Qing replied without expression.

Sikong Yan chuckled awkwardly. “Fellow countryman, you really know your stuff. I’m curious—how much else do you know about me?”

Zhou Qing smiled faintly. “Guess.”

“I can’t guess that,” Sikong Yan sighed. “Besides, I’m out in the open while you’re hidden. And you yourself said we should stop at mutual ignorance—no digging into each other’s secrets!”

Zhou Qing’s expression turned serious. “That’s best. But you waited specifically for me to come online—surely you didn’t just want to chat.”

Sikong Yan’s face hardened. He lowered his voice, leaning in conspiratorially. “Of course not. I’m here to tell you—I killed someone.”

Zhou Qing’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Who?”

Sikong Yan’s eyes flickered with barely concealed excitement. “The true mastermind behind the Five Sects War—Imperial Prince Xuan Yuan Fengtai of the Shengwu Empire!”

Zhou Qing: “...”

“But don’t worry—I cleaned up perfectly. No one will suspect me. And I’ve told only you this secret.”

Sikong Yan’s voice carried a note of pride.

Zhou Qing frowned, thinking inwardly: What a madman.

“In a few days, the current Emperor will probably come himself. What should I do? I’m starting to panic!”

Sikong Yan’s voice held a trace of anxiety.

Zhou Qing was momentarily speechless. He had no idea how to describe him, so he snapped: “If you’re panicked, just tell everyone you did it.”

Sikong Yan immediately shook his head. “No way—I’m not stupid.”

Zhou Qing: “...”

“Alright, No. 6’s out. I’ve got to figure out my response. Be careful—if they find you and use Soul Search, they’ll drag me out too!”

With that, Sikong Yan hastily logged off.

“Either he’s got a screw loose or he’s mentally ill,” Zhou Qing muttered, staring at the now-vanished purple orb.

At that moment, the No. 6 blue orb slowly materialized, its top still floating six golden characters: 【What a Fated Encounter】.

“No. 1, you finally showed up!” Shen Hanyi greeted warmly.

Though voices in Shenxu Tian Gong couldn’t be distinguished by gender or age, Zhou Qing sensed her joy clearly.

The shape-shifting divine herb must have worked!

At this moment, Zhou Qing remained an enigma to both No. 6 and No. 7—and he found that slightly satisfying.

“So your brother’s alright?” Zhou Qing asked bluntly.

Shen Hanyi showed no surprise at his question.

After all, No. 1 knew nearly everything about her—her brother’s curse was no secret.

“He’s recovering slowly. Thank you,” she said, filled with gratitude.

Of course, her thanks stemmed from the 【Bingli Lingque Zhi】 that Zhou Qing had helped her find in the restricted zone.

“It’s nothing—just a shape-shifting divine herb, nothing special!” Zhou Qing boasted shamelessly.

Shen Hanyi’s lips twitched slightly at his words.

Though everyone in Shenxu Tian Gong hid their strength and secrets, No. 1’s claim was absurdly exaggerated.

Still, she had to admit—he possessed real ability.

But who exactly was he?

Though No. 1 often called himself “old man,” that might just be an act.

“Why don’t you come visit me?” Shen Hanyi suddenly invited.

Zhou Qing smirked. “Day or night?”

Shen Hanyi: “...”

“Just kidding. Honestly, you should talk more—don’t be so cold and distant!”

Zhou Qing grinned playfully.

Shen Hanyi took a slow breath. “You know everything about me, so you must know the situation of my clan. My coldness? Just habit—self-protection.”

Zhou Qing, listening, felt a sudden inkling.

Clearly, her sect was no ordinary one.

A Level Four Array Master, late Break-Spirit Realm—still had to tread so carefully?

Was the gap between Level Four and Level Five cultivation nations really that vast?

To make such a powerful cultivator act with such caution.

“Forget it. I won’t bring it up. I just have a question—can you answer it?” Shen Hanyi paused. When Zhou Qing didn’t respond, she continued.

“I’m curious—you clearly know so much about me. You’re probably from the Tianyun Holy Empire.”

“If so, you shouldn’t be unaware of this simulated restricted zone I’m in. But why, when you entered, did you replicate an entirely different one?”

“Generally, once recognized by Shenxu Tian Gong, one can condense two, three, even more restricted zones. But—”

Here, Shen Hanyi glanced again at the strange scenes in Zhou Qing’s simulated zone—the ancient tree, the blood river, the coffin—and her eyes filled with confusion.

If No. 1 was from the Tianyun Holy Empire, and my zone is known to many, he should have visited it.

But he didn’t replicate it. Isn’t that strange?

Legend says Shenxu Tian Gong’s token can replicate a restricted zone if you’ve seen and entered it in reality.

It’s a curious “loophole” in Shenxu Tian Gong’s rules—if two people replicate identical zones, they can deduce each other’s identities and clues.

And now, No. 7, the purple orb, claims to be No. 1’s fellow countryman. Whether true or not, his replicated zone is completely different from No. 1’s.

This led her to a bold hypothesis.

First: No. 1 is from the Tianyun Holy Empire, but has never entered my zone.

After all, that place is too dangerous—even Break-Spirit cultivators risk death entering it.

So his cultivation base must be below Soul Transformation—perhaps even Nascent Soul or Golden Core.

Yet his knowledge is extraordinary—he knows secrets few could ever touch.

Like singing love songs under the jujube tree, recognizing shape-shifting divine herbs, wrapping himself in the Emperor’s burial shroud, teaching me Level Four arrays.

Second: No. 1 isn’t from the Tianyun Holy Empire at all, so he’s never been to my zone—but he knows everything about me.

But I barely interact with anyone, mostly within Tianyun Holy Empire’s borders—so how does he know so much about me?

Third: No. 7 is lying. He’s not No. 1’s fellow countryman, nor from the Tianyun Holy Empire.

Currently, the five of us are in different cultivation nations, with no real contact or communication.

After much thought, she couldn’t figure it out—so she finally asked Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing was stunned by her question.

He quickly reviewed all the details—it did make sense.

After a moment’s silence, he grinned. “Guess.”

Shen Hanyi had expected nothing. She sighed helplessly, a flicker of disappointment crossing her face.

She pressed on: “Recently, something fell into the central region of my zone—likely the corpse of a true pure-blood divine beast.”

“I’d like you to join me in exploring it. If we gain any opportunity, name a place—I’ll split it with you, fifty-fifty. Deal?”

Zhou Qing’s eyes instantly lit up.

Pure-blood divine beast?

Zhou Qing remembered his Second Uncle saying true pure-blood divine beasts only appeared in Level Six cultivation nations.

For example, a true pure-blood Jin Wu was the national guardian bird of a certain Level Six nation.

Shen Hanyi came from a Level Five nation—her zone’s level was high. Maybe it was possible.

Also, through several interactions, he’d come to understand her character—she meant what she said. If she promised to split, she’d split.

Moreover, he’d never encountered a true pure-blood divine beast.

Even the suanni he had seen was only half-pure-blood—and a long-dead skeleton.

This beast had just fallen—it couldn’t have died long ago.

Fortunately, his Corpse-Touching Slip still had one more use—perhaps it would grant him an unexpected opportunity.

(End of Chapter)