The Second Level of the Lingwu Realm — Li Zhan!
"What is this?" Zhang Lingxiao asked in surprise.
The Six-Armed Giant Ape before him had fur that had turned completely to stone. It looked incomparably hard, yet its movements remained fluid and unrestrained, transforming it into a living stone ape.
"This Six-Armed Giant Ape is an Ancient Remnant," Gu Yue Ningbing's voice echoed softly. "It inherited the innate Talisman Laws of its ancestor—the Six-Armed Divine Ape."
"Ancient Remnant? Talisman Law?" Zhang Lingxiao repeated under his breath. There were still far too many things he didn't understand about the Kyushu Continent. He truly was still too inexperienced.
"That's right," Gu Yue Ningbing continued calmly. "Ancient Remnants are Yao Beasts that have inherited powerful Vicious Beast bloodlines from ancient times."
"As for Talisman Laws, they are miraculous innate laws possessed only by Ancient Remnants with such bloodlines. Most human martial skills—except for those created by true Grandmasters—are derived from studying and imitating these Talisman Laws."
"The Talisman Law is engraved upon a specific bone within the Ancient Remnant's body, known as a Talisman Bone. If you can kill this Giant Ape and obtain that bone, its Talisman Law will belong to you."
"However," she added, her tone turning serious, "after most Ancient Remnants die, they self-destruct their Talisman Bones to prevent their clan's inheritance from falling into the hands of outsiders."
Gu Yue Ningbing emerged from the ring, her silver hair drifting as though she weren't entirely corporeal.
Hearing this, Zhang Lingxiao gained a much clearer understanding of the Kyushu Continent.
Yao Beasts here were divided into ordinary Yao Beasts and Ancient Remnants.
Ancient Remnants were incomparably powerful—and they possessed Talisman Laws.
Zhang Lingxiao couldn't help but feel tempted.
He coveted the Giant Ape's petrification Talisman Law. If he could master it, his physical combat strength would increase dramatically.
Boom!
At that moment, the Six-Armed Giant Ape stomped down violently.
The earth cracked apart, and rocks flew in all directions. Its massive body surged forward with terrifying speed, charging straight toward the giant sword suspended in midair.
"Twenty-Six Killing Sword Formation—Sacrifice!" the Martial Artists of the City Lord's Mansion shouted in unison.
At once, the six-zhang-long giant sword erupted with dazzling light. Dense, murderous Qi poured forth as the blade lunged forward, stabbing toward the charging Giant Ape.
Clang!
Boom!
The collision shook the battlefield.
The giant sword's murderous Qi weakened slightly, while cracks spread across the Giant Ape's petrified fist.
"What a terrifying Sword Formation!" Zhang Lingxiao exclaimed inwardly. "It can actually contend with a Lingwu Realm Perfection Ancient Remnant—even when controlled by Qi Wu Realm Martial Artists!"
Although the Six-Armed Giant Ape was only at Lingwu Realm Perfection, its true combat strength rivaled an Early Xuanwu Realm expert. This alone demonstrated how frightening the Sword Formation truly was.
"Fight faster… preferably until both sides are badly injured," Zhang Lingxiao muttered greedily. "The Sword Formation and the Talisman Bone—I want them both!"
Gu Yue Ningbing chuckled softly beside him.
This little man was endlessly greedy.
But greed often went hand in hand with ambition—and ambition often led to great achievements.
Boom!
The six-zhang giant sword and the Six-Armed Giant Ape clashed repeatedly.
Suddenly, the Giant Ape roared.
Its uppermost pair of arms clasped together in front of its chest—the same posture it had taken earlier during petrification.
Then, an unexpected change occurred.
Its green arms began to glow with crystalline emerald light.
Countless tree roots burst forth, twisting and entwining around its massive palms until they formed an enormous wooden club.
But that wasn't all.
The lowest pair of golden arms moved next.
The wooden club erupted with brilliant golden radiance.
When the light faded, the club was no longer wood—it was covered in dense golden runes, transforming it into a massive metal cudgel.
"This… it has three Talisman Laws?" Zhang Lingxiao turned sharply toward Gu Yue Ningbing.
Even her silver eyes flashed with surprise.
"It must be so," she said solemnly. "Its bloodline is extremely pure. It has inherited all three Talisman Laws of the Six-Armed Divine Ape."
"Now, even if those Martial Artists fight to the death, they won't be able to resist."
Ahead, the Giant Ape raised its Talisman Club high. A disturbingly human expression flickered in its eyes.
It dodged the giant sword's attack entirely, leapt into the air, and smashed its club straight down toward the center of the Sword Formation.
Bang!
A deafening explosion followed as dust and debris filled the sky.
The Martial Artists of the City Lord's Mansion didn't even have time to scream before they were crushed into bloody pulp.
"Tender meat… turned into meat patties," the Six-Armed Giant Ape muttered with a laugh.
It withdrew its Talisman Club, crouched down, and reached for the mangled remains.
Zhang Lingxiao couldn't bear to keep watching.
What he'd hoped would be an easy gain had turned into a massacre. The Giant Ape was simply too strong.
After the Ape left, satisfied, Zhang Lingxiao emerged from behind a small mound and brushed the dust from his clothes.
"Let's see if there's anything worth picking up."
The blood had already dried. Twenty-six small swords were still embedded in the ground, but without anyone to activate the formation, they were nothing more than ordinary weapons.
Zhang Lingxiao pulled them out one by one, arranged them neatly, admired them briefly, and stored them in his Storage Pouch.
"I'll keep these for now," he chuckled. "Next time I meet Martial Artists from the City Lord's Mansion, I'll force them to hand over the Sword Formation—torture if necessary."
With that, he continued deeper into the Ancient Tomb Space in search of his companions.
---
Inside the Ancient Tomb Space, time flowed at the same rate as the outside world.
Each opening lasted for half a month.
The forces outside didn't simply wait idly. They returned to their respective families, agreeing to regroup after half a month to retrieve their people.
This arrangement also prevented elders from other factions from killing entrants and stealing their treasures.
By now, a full day had passed.
Zhang Lingxiao finally encountered several members of the Zhang Family.
When he first saw them, they were fleeing desperately—as though vicious criminals were hot on their heels.
Zhang Lingxiao rushed forward. "Why are you in such a mess? Who's chasing you?"
He frowned. He could bully his own family members—but outsiders had no such right.
"Brother Zhang Lingxiao, run!" one of them cried. "It's Li Zhan from the Li Family!"
"He has some kind of treasure on him—his Lingwu Realm cultivation has recovered without him being killed! Even Brother Yu Yang couldn't defeat him!"
"What?" Zhang Lingxiao's expression darkened. "Zhang Yuyang was killed?"
"No! Brother Yu Yang fled in another direction. He should be safe. Let's run!"
Zhang Lingxiao shook his head calmly. "What level is Li Zhan at now?"
"Second Heaven of the Lingwu Realm," one of them replied.
"Only Lingwu Realm Second Heaven?" Zhang Lingxiao smiled coldly. "Don't panic. Leave him to me."
Although Zhang Lingxiao himself was only at Qi Wu Realm Perfection, his physical body had already reached the Fourth Heaven of the Lingwu Realm.
In terms of raw strength, he surpassed Li Zhan.
Most importantly, Zhang Lingxiao was deeply interested in that mysterious treasure.
A treasure capable of restoring Lingwu Realm cultivation inside the Ancient Tomb Space without death…
If he obtained it, he could break through to the Lingwu Realm right here.
And once that happened, his chances of obtaining the ultimate legacy hidden within the Ancient Tomb Space would increase dramatically.
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