Masked Man Explodes
As she spoke, Ma Yinger extended her pair of soft, white hands and compared them to the enormous groove carved into the center of the stone door.
The difference between the two was immense. The five-fingered groove was clearly not a handprint belonging to an ordinary member of the Human Race—it was simply too large.
"Brother Zhang Lingxiao, how are we supposed to get in?"
Zhang Li asked while supporting the injured Zhang Yuyang.
Zhang Lingxiao stepped forward slowly, a vague answer gradually forming in his mind.
Dragon Spring Tooth stroked his chin and analyzed with a thoughtful expression.
"This palm print is undoubtedly the mechanism used to open the stone door. However, it is by no means an ordinary palm print. Opening this door may seem simple, but in reality, it is extremely difficult."
"The method to open the door is clearly right in front of us, yet we have no clue how to activate it."
Roar!
Suddenly, a sky-shattering roar echoed from the entrance of the cave, followed by the rumbling sound of rocks crashing to the ground.
"What's going on? Has the cave collapsed?" Zhang Li asked in horror while holding Zhang Yuyang tightly.
She had just barely escaped the massacre of the Giant Bat. Could it be that she still wouldn't survive?
Zhang Yuyang wrapped an arm around Zhang Li to steady himself.
Zhang Lingxiao, Ma Yinger, and Dragon Spring Tooth all wore solemn expressions.
They were all Martial Artists and possessed the powerful physical bodies of those in the Lingwu Realm.
But this cave was incredibly deep. The stone door's location was already far from the entrance. Not only would they not have time to escape, but if the cave truly collapsed, even they would not survive.
The masked man standing beside them also tensed his muscles. Beneath his mask, his eyelids twitched violently.
"It must be the Six-Armed Giant Ape!" Zhang Lingxiao shouted.
"Everyone, stay calm! This cave won't collapse so easily. But if we go out now, we will definitely die."
At that moment, the masked man—who had remained silent the entire time like an invisible presence—suddenly erupted in an agitated roar.
"Heh heh! Zhang Lingxiao, stop spreading lies! These fools might not understand, but don't think I don't!"
"The Six-Armed Giant Ape is a true third-order Yao Beast, far beyond that Giant Bat. The strength of this cave cannot withstand its attacks for long. We are doomed!"
Zhang Lingxiao frowned and turned his head, his gaze fixed on the suddenly agitated masked man.
Although the masked man had deliberately altered his voice into something strange and distorted, Zhang Lingxiao still sensed a faint familiarity.
Zhang Lingxiao remained silent. Instead, he glanced at Zhang Yuyang, who had gradually recovered somewhat.
Zhang Yuyang immediately understood his meaning.
The two exchanged a glance.
Then Zhang Yuyang turned toward the masked man and cautiously asked,
"Is that you… Zhang Mang?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Li blurted out,
"Is it the Young Master?"
The moment the words left her mouth, she realized her mistake. She quickly covered her cherry lips and nervously glanced at Zhang Lingxiao.
The Zhang Family already had a new Patriarch. The Young Master was no longer Zhang Yuntao's son, Zhang Mang, but the incredibly powerful Zhang Lingxiao standing before them.
The masked man snorted coldly and did not answer.
Instead, he suddenly struck out with a palm toward Zhang Yuyang, who stood closest to him.
Zhang Yuyang, already injured, reacted too slowly. The palm strike hit him directly, sending him flying backward.
Bang!
His body slammed into the already fragile stone wall, knocking loose large chunks of rock and filling the air with dust.
"Stop calling my name, you traitors of the Zhang Family! You are not worthy!"
"The Six-Armed Giant Ape has blocked the entrance. Today we are all destined to die. But even if I die, I will first kill all of you to avenge my father!"
With a furious shout, the masked man tore off his mask. With bared fangs and murderous eyes, he charged toward Zhang Li.
"It really is you, Zhang Mang! You stray dog—don't act so arrogant!"
Seeing the man's true face, Zhang Lingxiao shouted coldly and stepped forward, intercepting his attack.
He thrust out a palm strike to meet him.
Bang!
Their palms collided, and the air exploded with a sharp cracking sound.
Zhang Mang staggered backward several steps, nearly losing his balance.
"So strong!" he growled.
"I really don't understand how trash like you—someone I've looked down on since childhood—managed to turn things around. But today, I will kill you!"
"Kill me?" Zhang Lingxiao sneered coldly.
"Even Uncle couldn't do it. What makes you think you can?"
Zhang Lingxiao's expression was calm yet arrogant.
This Zhang Mang was none other than the eldest son of his uncle, Zhang Yuntao. Zhang Lingxiao had never expected him to be hiding among the Li Family Martial Artists, secretly infiltrating this place.
This Zhang Mang clearly had sinister intentions.
But the sudden confrontation had disrupted Zhang Mang's plan, forcing him to reveal himself prematurely.
"You're courting death!"
Zhang Mang's eyes turned bloodshot as killing intent surged from him.
After realizing he was not Zhang Lingxiao's opponent in direct combat, he immediately pulled out a crimson medicinal pill from his Storage Pouch and swallowed it.
"Blood Burst Pill!"
Dragon Spring Tooth, who had been watching with his arms crossed, exclaimed in surprise.
"No… that's a top-grade Blood Burst Pill!"
Ma Yinger also spoke with shock.
"Blood Burst Pills are items of the Demonic Path. No wonder Zhang Mang suddenly disappeared from Qingyun Mountain. It seems he joined a Demonic Sect."
Zhang Lingxiao glanced at the pill Zhang Mang had swallowed.
It looked extremely familiar—almost identical to the dark red pill Zhang Yuntao had taken before he died, except this one seemed slightly larger.
Zhang Mang laughed wildly.
"Heh heh heh… you people are quite knowledgeable."
"That's right! What I swallowed is not an ordinary Blood Burst Pill, but a top-grade Blood Burst Pill—one that can raise a Martial Artist's cultivation by an entire major Realm!"
As his voice fell, the Qi and blood energy throughout Zhang Mang's body began to surge violently.
He had originally been a Lingwu Realm First Heaven Martial Artist. After entering the Ancient Tomb Space, he had deliberately suppressed his cultivation to hide himself.
Now, with his suppression removed—and with the power of the top-grade Blood Burst Pill—
His aura skyrocketed.
Within only a few breaths, Zhang Mang crossed an entire major Realm.
He stepped directly into the Xuanwu Realm First Heaven, becoming a genuine Xuanwu Realm expert!
"You're insane!" Ma Yinger exclaimed.
"The rules of this space do not allow Martial Artists above the Lingwu Realm to appear—let alone someone from the Xuanwu Realm!"
Zhang Mang grinned, his expression twisted like a demon.
"I'm insane?"
"Don't think I don't know about the special token. As long as I kill all of you before the rules descend, seize the token, and then leave this place to kill the Six-Armed Giant Ape…"
"I will survive."
"And this powerful Legacy and Heaven-and-Earth Treasure will belong to me—Zhang Mang—alone!"
He burst into wild laughter as his gaze swept across everyone present.
"You will all be buried with my father!"
"You will all become stepping stones on my path to power!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Boom!
Zhang Mang's body trembled as a terrifying surge of Qi exploded outward.
The violent pressure forced everyone nearby to retreat.
Zhang Li, whose cultivation was weaker, along with the three Ma Family Martial Artists, were directly blasted backward by the overwhelming might of Zhang Mang's Xuanwu Realm aura.
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