Chapter 120: Escape
Meanwhile, Chen Dong had explored dozens of identical, extremely sinister secret chambers. Although there were still more he hadn't investigated, he was beginning to grasp the situation.
He deduced that the tomb's master had used the All Heaven Star Array as a blueprint, with the sinister chambers as its nodes, to lay out a Supreme Evil Array. Chen Dong guessed the ultimate goal was to transform extreme evil into auspicious fortune at the tomb's center—a supreme design intended to resurrect its master.
Despite his theory, Chen Dong didn't touch the ancient swords suppressing the sinister chambers, even though they were incredibly valuable.
In the end, Chen Dong resisted the temptation. He wanted to see the main burial chamber for himself—to see what kind of person could lay out such a grand array, and whether they had truly managed to cheat death.
Using a nearby point of light as an exit, Chen Dong emerged from a pool of water. He was astonished to see the landscape covered in Ghost Essence, and a thin fog in the distance obscured his vision. The sounds of a battle nearby, however, drew his attention, and he headed toward the commotion.
Meanwhile, as the three figures crashed down with a splash of water, the old man's heart sank.
For a Martial Artist, the path of cultivation—from developing outer strength, to Inner Strength, True Qi, reaching the Grandmaster level, and finally attaining the Celestial Spirit realm—was essentially the end of the road. Breaking past the Celestial Spirit realm was impossible without some extraordinary opportunity.
Even reaching the Celestial Spirit realm was merely the pinnacle of utilizing one's own True Qi; it did not grant the ability to wield the Power of Heaven and Earth. This giant serpent before them, capable of levitating and controlling water, was clearly far beyond what a master of that level could handle.
Facing the giant serpent, the old man's resolve hardened. 'I can't let Third Brother and Little Lin'Er die here too.'
He roared, "Third Brother, it looks like I'm not going to make it! Take Little Lin'Er and wait for the right moment to escape. I'll risk my old life to hold this monster back!"
With that, he flung several dozen Yellow Talismans from his hand and charged straight toward the giant serpent.
The giant serpent roared, and the Yellow Talismans, potent enough to slice through metal and shatter rock, simply fluttered uselessly to the ground. Its massive tail swept directly toward the old man.
The old man dodged the sweeping tail with a nimble shift, vaulting onto the serpent's back once more. As he sprinted along its body, he yelled, "Now! Go, quickly!"
The grim-faced man didn't hesitate. Grabbing Yang Lin, he leaped back into the pool.
The giant serpent was torn. It wanted to crush the ant on its back, but it also wanted to stop the insects from escaping. For a moment, it chose to deal with the escapees, once again gathering its power to repeat its previous attack.
The old man wouldn't let it succeed. He drove a fist suffused with True Qi straight into the serpent's vital point.
With a muffled THUD, the punch—powerful enough to pierce a steel plate—failed to even crack the serpent's Scale Armor. Still, the beast wasn't entirely unharmed. It let out a furious roar as another pillar of water shot into the sky, and it thrashed and hissed in the air.
The grim-faced man was dragged back by the pillar of water, coughing up a mouthful of blood in midair. He had clearly sustained serious internal injuries.
The old man on its back dug his fingers under two scales, holding on for dear life as the serpent thrashed. "Run!" he yelled again.
But the old man had underestimated it. In a single, fluid motion, the giant serpent blocked the pool with its massive body. Simultaneously, it began to coil, trapping the old man in its grip and squeezing with ever-increasing pressure.
Seeing this, the grim-faced man had no choice but to take Yang Lin and flee deeper into the tomb. 'As long as we're alive,' he thought, 'we can find another way out.'
The old man desperately poured his True Qi into his Protective Celestial Spirits. 'Just one more second,' he thought. 'If I can just hold on one more second, Third Brother and Little Lin'Er will have a better chance to escape.'
It seemed the old man had overestimated himself. A few breaths later, a sharp CRACK echoed, and a fissure appeared on his Protective Celestial Spirits. Soon, a series of cracking sounds followed, and his spiritual shield was covered in a web of fractures.
The old man slapped several Yellow Talismans onto his body, resigned to death. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, using the burst of essence to momentarily reinforce his faltering spiritual shield.
A look of cruel amusement seemed to cross the giant serpent's face. 'How is this little thing so stubborn?' With another roar, its scales flared slightly, and the old man's Protective Celestial Spirits shattered instantly.
The cold, unyielding scales instantly crushed against the old man's body.
At that moment, the old man had only one thought. 'This is the end!'
Just then, an unexpected voice called out, "Well, well! What a big Nether Serpent!"
As the voice echoed, the giant serpent actually loosened its grip on the old man it had been about to crush. It then adopted a defensive posture, coiling its massive body with extreme caution. Its scarlet, slitted eyes were fixed on the figure approaching in the distance.
The newcomer was none other than Chen Dong, carrying a decrepit-looking ancient sword.
The old man, snatched from the jaws of death, was in terrible shape. His True Qi was nearly depleted, many of his bones were shattered, and worst of all, forcing his True Qi had ruptured his Dantian. He was hanging on by a thread.
He was startled to see it was Chen Dong, but he couldn't muster any hope. 'This young man's arrival,' he thought grimly, 'is just another meal for the serpent!'
The giant serpent observed Chen Dong for a few moments before deciding to strike first. Its massive head lunged at Chen Dong with unstoppable force, its jaws gaping wide.
Chen Dong vanished in a blur, narrowly dodging the attack. A serious look crossed his face as he murmured to himself, "If this thing passes its Thunder Tribulation, it could evolve into a Soaring Snake!"
Missing its target, the giant serpent gracefully coiled. Its scales all flared angrily, its slitted pupils constricted, and it let out a furious roar at Chen Dong.
HIIISSSSSS! With a deafening roar, the nearby pool erupted, forming two Water Dragons that twisted around each other as they lunged at Chen Dong.
Chen Dong channeled his True Qi, concentrating it into the ancient sword. With a single slash, he clove the two Water Dragons in half. As he did, brilliant lightning flared in his left hand, and a bolt of Celestial Thunder crashed down upon the giant serpent.
Seeing Chen Dong wield lightning arts, the old man was profoundly shocked. 'Maybe... maybe this young man can actually defeat this monster.' A desperate hope surged within him. If Chen Dong could win, he might just survive.