Inside the Moon Peak Emperor's treasure chamber,
The vast chamber was filled with countless treasures—precious gems, rare metals, powerful enchantment scrolls, talismans, weapons, and armor once worn by powerful experts before the beginning of the Age of Darkness. All of it had remained hidden for thousands of years inside the treasury.
Until Xue Hui and his group found it.
Normally, with such an unprecedented amount of treasure before them, the trio of Xue Hui, Chen Zhenlong, and Chen Linlin would have been brimming with joy.
But instead, the three of them were being pressed down by the heavy atmosphere permeating the surroundings.
This was because the moment someone made a move, Xue Hui, Chen Zhenlong, Chen Linlin, and even Silver would have to face a life-and-death trial under servant Guān Ning.
One of the few slaves who had reached the realm of Legend-rank Demon Spiritualist before her passing.
Under the Soul Slave Imprint, Guān Ning had been ordered by the Moon Peak Emperor to protect Lady Suo Leiyue's body under any circumstances.
So that the emperor could obtain the unrivaled, heaven-defying treasure hidden within Suo Leiyue's body.
The Glaze Blood.
But fate had different plans.
Before the Moon Peak Emperor could get his hands on the Glaze Blood, the Age of Darkness began.
Tens of billions of demon beasts attacked humanity, destroying empires and kingdoms and slaughtering countless humans.
Including the Moon Peak Emperor himself.
This left Guān Ning and the other servants to remain trapped inside the treasure chamber.
As time passed, one by one all the servants inside the treasure chamber began to fall—either from hunger or disease.
Despite having a powerful cultivation enough to survive the outside world, none of the servants were able to step out the treasure chamber due to the effect of Soul Slave Imprint.
The Moon Peak Emperor's decree was absolute.
None of them were allowed to leave the treasure chamber in order to protect it.
Being the strongest cultivator among the servants, Guān Ning survived the longest among everyone.
When Guān Ning time finally came and death was upon her.
what she thought would be an endless slumber She had been longing for, became an extension of her curse.
In Guān Ning's final moment, despite her body having long given out, Guān Ning's emaciated body crawled unknowingly toward the mountain of treasures to pick up a treasure she had long forgotten existed.
The Soul Attachment Crystal.
In order to fulfill the emperor's decree, even in death the Soul Slave Imprint forced Guān Ning to use the treasure to herself in order to continue her guarding duty.
Trapping Guān Ning soul within her own corpse.
So she could keep an eye on Suo Leiyue's body.
From then on, for thousands of years, Guān Ning remained guarding, as she waited for the Moon Peak Emperor to end her duty.
But over the years, the effect of Soul Slave Imprint began to show signs of weakening.
Because of it, Guān Ning could already sense that the shackles binding soul to her duty were on the verge of breaking.
Guān Ning suspected that it wouldn't be long before she could finally break free from her servitude.
If that were to happen, she would be able to remove the Soul Attachment Crystal on her body allowing her soul to pass on to the afterlife.
She even intended to free her old acquaintance with her, by burning the entire treasure chamber along with them.
But fate was full of surprises.
Before the effect of Soul slave imprint loses its effect.
Someone had actually managed to find and enter the treasure chamber.
Guān Ning listened to their stories. She was willing to let the little girl obtain the Glaze Blood, but Guān Ning was still bound by the decree of the Moon Peak Emperor.
So with a heavy heart, Guān Ning had no other options but to fight them in order to fulfill her duty.
Walking away from the altar, she allowed everyone to pass through her, so they could change their positions.
Giving them all the advantage she could provide.
As Guān Ning stood far from the Eternal Tomb.
Chen Zhenlong and the white demon beast donkey, Silver, stood readily in front of her.
Behind them were the two children holding each other's hands, the two of them were a few steps away from the Eternal Tomb.
'Xiao Hui, go and place the Eternal Tomb inside the Sacred Jade Room, You two will be safer there.'
Facing the corpse servant, Chen Zhenlong sent a voice transmission to Xue Hui, ordering him to retreat into the Sacred Jade Room with his daughter while bringing the Eternal Tomb with them.
"I will, once things become hectic."
Chen Zhenlong frowned, hearing Xue Hui's response.
He didn't like the idea of them being out in the open while he and Silver tried to fight Guān Ning.
He was about to repeat himself, when Xue Hui stopped him with another voice transmission.
"Removing the Eternal Tomb from Senior Guān Ning's sight would only trigger her sole duty from the emperor."
Chen Zhenlong glanced back and gave Xue Hui a questioning glance.
As Xue Hui kept his grasp on Chen Linlin's hand, they continued to approach the Eternal Tomb, giving Chen Zhenlong a side glance.
"If that were to happen, the Soul Slave Imprint would take over Guān Ning's remaining consciousness and it would force her to go berserk to fulfill her duty." Xue Hui's tone became heavy, making Chen Zhenlong feel uneasy. "trust me, Lord Patriarch—you're not gonna enjoy fighting her in that state."
After hearing Xue Hui's explanation, Chen Zhenlong immediately returned his gaze to Guān Ning.
Determined, Chen Zhenlong gritted his teeth, as his knuckles made cracking noises.
He would just have to make sure his opponent never got the chance to approach the children.
Guān Ning simply stood there, doing nothing, as her eyes followed Xue Hui.
She was waiting.
Once Xue Hui began the refining process, Guān Ning under the effect of a soul slave imprint would immediately raise her claws against them.
"Senior, please be gentle with us younglings," Xue Hui said as he finally stepped beside the Eternal Tomb.
Chen Zhenlong noted that the moment Xue Hui got near the tomb, Guān Ning's body began to twitch. Her arms lost their relaxed state and fell from her sides, her hands opened with fingers stretched wide, each bore nails that had grown to around thirteen inches long, sharp, with ominous golden hue with them, causing both Chen Zhenlong and Silver to assume fighting stances upon sensing the dreadful aura escaping from her nails.
"I will do my best, little one. I wish for your success," Guān Ning answered, her guttural voice becoming more shakier than before.
Once he heard her response, Xue Hui's polite appearance disappeared. Swaying his arms, the ten Whiskered Water-Attribute needles appeared before him, floating in the air like flies.
With another flick of his finger, the now-repaired Liu Jiaren appeared and flew around Chen Linlin, as it released a soft buzzing noise, forming a protective barrier around her, shielding not only from the attack but also by the spiritual pressure around her, especially when the fight began.
"Lord Patriarch! Silver! Get ready!!"
After warning the two, Xue Hui's entire body erupted with the aura of a three-star Bronze demon spiritualist.
With a heavy stomp, Xue Hui's foot hit the ground, making the stone lid of the Eternal Tomb eject from its base and jump in the air.
Seeing this, Xue Hui leapt to the air, catching the stone lid with his foot, kicking it toward Guān Ning's direction with great momentum.
THUD!
WOOSH!
BOOM!
Watching the fast-approaching object, Guān Ning ran straight toward the stone lid without much concern.
When Guān Ning's face was inches away from the stone lid, her body bent backward, as she raised her arm, gently placing it on the stone lid. With a graceful twirl, she redirected its direction, guiding the massive slab to settle in front of her.
THUD!
BOOM!
BOOM!
As Guān Ning used the stone lid as a shield against the combined attacks of Chen Zhenlong and Silver, surprising the two.
"Mischievous little one." Guān Ning whispered, her sunken eyes flashed with dangerous light.
Chen Zhenlong, in his demon spirit form, was certain that he had just witnessed a corpse with most of the skin with her face missing, letting out a smile.
Before Chen Zhenlong could continue attacking, Guān Ning grabbed his horn , forcefully tugged it, causing Chen Zhenlong's entire body to flip, as he crashed on the ground.
Sprawled on the floor, Guān Ning stomped on Chen Zhenlong's body, causing him to lose his breath, as Guān Ning used his body as leverage to spring forward to the direction of the eternal tomb.
"NO!" Chen Zhenlong yelled in horror.
"I can't help it," Guān Ning replied, her tone apologetic.
Before she could reach the tomb, a white blur appeared to her side, slamming into her with great force.
THUD!
Guān Ning's body was sent flying several meters away from the tomb.
"RAUL!"
Silver stood defiantly in front of the tomb, shielding Xue Hui and Chen Linlin. He brayed loudly, as if telling Guān Ning that she would have to go through him first if she wanted to reach the kids.
"Good demon beast," Guān Ning said as she slowly rose to her feet.
The trio of corpse, father, and donkey, fell into an intense battle, shaking the entire treasure chamber with their exchange.
While they fought, Xue Hui fell into deep concentration.
In front of him lay the body of Suo Leiyue, despite being dead for thousands of years now her remains showed no signs of deterioration, meaning that Moon Glaze Eternal Lotus Physique remained perfectly intact.
Using the ten Whiskered Water-Attribute needles, Xue Hui carefully guided each needle into her meridian points, placing them.
Taking out inscription ink, Xue Hui laid out several inscription patterns across her body, as each pattern released a soft glow once laid out.
After he finished,
Xue Hui injected his soul force into the inscription patterns, causing them to release a thumping noise.
BADUMP!
BADUMP!
BADUMP!
Along with the radiant light, shooting from Suo Leiyue's body, a sound resembling a beating heart reverberated throughout the treasure chamber.
SHRIEKKK!
"LORD PATRIARCH, BE CAREFUL! SHE'S GOING BERSERK!"
Xue Hui yelled informing Chen Zhenlong of the sudden shift of Guān Ning's personality.
It was clear that her soul-slave imprint was trying to overtake her consciousness.
Ignoring the sounds of battle around him, Xue Hui continued the process of refining the glaze blood.
Using the ten Whiskered Water-Attribute needles, he slowly drew out Suo Leiyue's essence blood. Drop by drop, each bead of blood floated above her body, converging into a single spot. It pulsed like a living heart, its color gradually shifting from red to a golden hue.
This was the very essence of the Moon Glaze Eternal Lotus Physique, slowly transforming into glaze blood.
Chen Linlin watched silently from the side. Her watery eyes were captivated by the golden blood floating before her.
Just watching it dance in the air, continuously absorbing the droplets emerging from the tips of the needles, made her own heart pound loudly. The thumping in her chest seemed to resonate with the powerful beat emanating from the glaze blood.
Battered and exhausted, Chen Zhenlong and Silver fought against the now-berserk Guān Ning.
Her entire demeanor had changed once the treasure chamber was engulfed by the loud, rhythmic thumping.
All her attacks became deadlier, and she grew increasingly persistent in trying to break past them to reach the altar.
Dodging a kick, Chen Zhenlong stepped forward and entered Guān Ning's personal space, delivering a palm strike directly to her chest, sending her gliding backward.
Before she could compose herself, a white blur crashed straight into her, hurling her even farther away.
Under the relentless assault of the two—and with the loud beating echoing from the altar—the soul-slave imprint completely overtook the last remnants of servant Guān Ning's consciousness, forcing her to unleash her full strength.
Though becoming a corpse had greatly weakened her cultivation—from the peak of Legend rank down to five-star Black Gold rank—the intensity of her aura was still enough to make both Chen Zhenlong and Silver freeze momentarily.
That brief hesitation was all she needed.
The corpse charged at them, sending both crashing to the ground.
With the two finally out of her way, she dashed toward the altar, shrieking at the sight of Xue Hui refining the Glaze blood.
Her arm fully stretched, all five long, razor-sharp nails aimed toward the boy, fully intent on tearing the small thief into pieces.
Sensing the incoming threat, Xue Hui did not avert his eyes from the glazed blood. Instead, he swung his arm sideways, to Guān Ning's direction.
As he formed a hand seal, runes appeared above his palm, rotating rapidly.
BOOM!
SWOOSH!
THUD!
At that moment, the Fuzhuang Box—now glowing with the same runes across its surface—let out a loud boom before shooting at great speed toward Guān Ning.
As it neared her, the Fuzhuang Box exploded into several pieces, each fragment lunging toward Guān Ning's body.
Grooong!
Thrrrannk!
Klang… klang…
The pieces clung to Guān Ning, shifting and constricting, locking together until Fuzhuang encased her entire body like a metal binding. Her advance was immediately halted, as she crashed to the ground, a metallic sound.
DANG…
As he successfully trapped Guān Ning within the now-deformed Fuzhuang Box, Xue Hui let out a relieved sigh, as he quickly returned his focus refining the Glaze blood.
Suddenly, ten elongated spikes pierced outward from the inside the Fuzhuang Box, destroying its inscription locks and causing the entire construct to explode.
BOOM!
"KYAAA!!"
Horrified by the explosion, Chen Linlin instinctively covered her ears. The tremors caused her to lose her balance, as she fell backward, landing on her butt.
Luckily, she was still within Liu Jiaren's defensive formation, as she was shielded from the blast.
Worry crept into her heart, when she realized that unlike her, Xue Hui was out there in the open without anything protecting him.
"Hui-hui!" She worriedly call.
Despite the dust and smoke obscuring his vision and the ringing in his ears made him unable to hear his surroundings, Xue Hui did not stop guiding the essence of Suo Leiyue's physique into Glaze blood, as the refining is almost over.
Caught off guard by how quickly Guān Ning escaped from Fuzhuang Prison, Xue Hui had no time to summon the Sacred Jade Room.
But before he could try to summon it again, a sudden sense of foreboding coursed through his body.
Without hesitation, Xue Hui moved.
Splurt!
Splurt!
Splurt!
"Uagh!"
"Hui-Hui!" Chen Linlin horrified shriek echoed to the treasure chamber.
With barely a second to react, Xue Hui managed to twist his small body during the attack, allowing Guān Ning's elongated nails to pierce through him while narrowly missing his heart, lungs, and other vital points that would have wounded him fatally.
WOOSH!
BANG!
Before Guān Ning could lift her other arm to strike again, Chen Zhenlong appeared behind her and seized her from the back, dragging her away from the children before sending her flying with a powerful punch.
Silver, meanwhile, stood protectively in front of the children, his face contorted into hateful fury directed entirely at the Guān Ning.
"RAAAUUL!"
After sending Guān Ning away, Chen Zhenlong glanced back anxiously to Xue Hui.
His heart ached at the sight of his daughter kneeling on the ground, crying profusely as she clawed desperately at the protective barrier. She kept calling for Xue Hui, who had been wounded by the attack.
As he ignored the pain, Xue Hui quickly retrieved a Nine Transformation Pill from his interspatial ring and popped it into his mouth.
Immediately, white steam rose from his body as his wounds began to close.
"Linlin, I'm fine. See!" Xue Hui smiled, reassuring the crying Chen Linlin at his side, as he continued to refine the Glaze blood.
"Am I truly this useless?" Chen Zhenlong muttered to himself. He couldn't believe that he had failed to protect Xue Hui and Chen Linlin.
Throughout this entire journey, Chen Zhenlong realized time and time again how helpless he had been. On many occasions, he would always end up relying heavily on Xue Hui to keep them safe.
And when Xue Hui the time came for Xue Hui to rely on him, he failed, causing the boy to be hurt.
"That won't do" Chen Zhenlong muttered
He was a super expert who had spent his entire life climbing the ranks until he reached a strength second only to Lord Ye Mo.
How could he, Chen Zhenlong, be so helpless when it came to protecting his loved ones?
He is Chen Zhenlong—a Black Gold–rank Demon Spiritualist of Glory City, patriarch of the Divine Family, and a father to his daughter.
"With my strength, I will protect everyone, or die trying" Gritting his teeth, Chen Zhenlong stepped forward. Each step was heavy, making the ground tremble. His soul force erupted, pushing beyond the limits his current rank could unleash.
"I, Chen Zhenlong, will make sure you never hurt my kids again!"
BOOM!
Ripple after ripple of majestic soul force burst from Chen Zhenlong's body.
His hair and clothes fluttered violently, giving him an awe-inspiring presence.
His demon spirit form receded, yet his aura did not weaken. On the contrary, it grew noticeably denser.
So dense that It transformed into lightning, coiling and flickering around his body.
Some of the lightning condensed beneath Chen Zhenlong feet, crackling and flashing.
With a huff, Chen Zhenlong stepped forward. Instead of walking on the ground, his body began to float. With every step, a ripple of soul force formed beneath his feet in midair.
Unknowingly to him, he had just stepped into the realm many cultivators had longed for, a realm dreamed by many but only a few ever managed to break through.
LEGEND-RANK DEMON SPIRITUALIST.
Xue Hui looked at the domineering figure of Chen Zhenlong floating above the air, a knowing grin spreading across his face.
"Finally."
End of Chapter 27