The Great Ruler

Chapter 256 - Space Shattered

Heavenly Transform Stage Late Phase!

Mu Chen and Su Xuan's faces took on drastically different expressions as they warily observed Bai Xuan. The latter stood as an imposing figure overflowing with majestic ripples of Spiritual Energy. Their expressions slowly turned grave and determined. The City Lord of White Dragon City was a very patient man. He'd managed to conceal his true strength, even though he'd had to suffer such great losses while battling the stone statue formations.

This patient man made their hearts turn cold.

"City Lord, the Young City Lord was heavily injured by that brat. Even now, he only hangs on by a thread!" the grey-robed elder reported from behind Bai Xuan.

The bloodlust in Bai Xuan's eyes flared as he fixed his eyes on Mu Chen. Even his hoarse voice was saturated with his desire to kill. "Brat, you should start praying that I don't get my hands on you. Or I'll definitely skin you and pull out your tendons, one by one. I'll make you regret being born into this world."

However, Mu Chen wasn't stirred in the slightest by Bai Xuan's threat. His black pupils were as indifferent as if Bai Xuan had never spoken. When Bai Xuan's men had first attacked them in the forest, he'd already concluded that something like this would happen. So even if he didn't cripple Bai Dong, the outcome would be the same.

"The leftovers of the Demonic Dragon Palace dared to act so impudently in the Northern Heavens Continent? Aren't you afraid that our Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy will send out experts to behead all of you?" Su Xuan coldly warned.

"Haha. Did you think that this continent belonged to your Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy? If it hadn't been for that unfortunate incident, our Demonic Dragon Palace would've destroyed your Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy. And you still dare to spout nonsense here?" Bai Xuan laughed.

"You are the ones who lost. That's still a fact." Mu Chen smiled, as he poked the festering wound and pulled Bai Xuan back to reality.

The smile on Bai Xuan's face vanished as his palms slowly came together. In a flash, a savage blood-red spear appeared in his hand, emitting a frightening and baleful aura. It was clear to all that this was an Ominous High Rank Spiritual Artifact.

"Since you like to speak of reality, then I'll tell you guys what you will face now is the reality, brats of the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy!" Bai Xuan's gaze were cold. He took a step forth and the blood-red long spear trembled. Torrential blood-red light rays surged. In those light rays, it was as though an overflowing sea was made from blood. The stench of blood was spreading throughout the heavens and earth.

"Blood Devouring Sea Spear!"

Boom!

The scarlet rays were spreading like rivers of blood as they swept towards Mu Chen and Su Xuan from all directions. Mu Chen and Su Xuan narrowed their eyes at the sight of them. Bai Xuan had been a Heavenly Transform Stage Late Phase to begin with. If you added on the power of the Ominous High Rank Spiritual Artifact, then he was like a tiger that'd grown wings.

Su Xuan's charming face turned grave as she released her own majestic Spiritual Energy. The Dense Water Spiritual Pearl in her hand also exploded with light and the azure waves of pure Spiritual Energy became as heavy as the mountains. The waves spun into a massive barrier, protecting both herself and Mu Chen.

"You're just a Heavenly Transform Stage Middle Phase, but you still think you can withstand my attack?!"

Bai Xuan coldly smiled upon seeing Su Xuan's defense. The spear in his hand trembled as bloody rays of light gathered on its tip, as if rivers of blood were gathering in a basin at its point. Then, without warning, the spear was thrust forward and smashed into the azure water barrier.

Bang!

A terrifying Spiritual Energy swept over them, even though the azure water barrier managed to halt the attack. However, Bai Xuan snarled as he forced the bloody spear tip even harder, until it finally tore the water barrier apart.

Bang!

The water barrier exploded outwards and turned into mist as it dispersed. Su Xuan's face turned pale as a trickle of blood appeared at the corner of her mouth.

The spear of dense baleful aura tore through the sky and shot towards her.

Shhhhhhuuuuuuu!

A surge of Spiritual Energy announced the cyan longsword as it flew out from behind her and met the blood-red spear.

Clanng!

A metallic clash resounded and the Spiritual Aura surged. The longsword fell back and tore the flesh between Mu Chen's thumb and forefinger, where he'd been holding the hilt. Fresh blood flowed onto the sword blade as he took several steps back. His emotions surged as his face turned pale.

"Big Sister!"

A cry of alarm sounded from somewhere behind them. With a gust of wind, Su Ling'er, Guo Xiong, and Li Qing flew over and landed beside Mu Chen and Su Xuan. Their faces changed as they realised that both of them were heavily injured.

During this journey, Su Xuan had always been calm in her fights. She could easily defeat all her opponents. Likewise, Mu Chen didn't look strong on the outside, but he could pull miracles and reverse almost any situation.

Before they knew it, the two of them had become crucial members of their small party. But now, the two of them were heavily injured.

By now, quite a few forces had managed to gather in the depths of the basin. However, they quickly backed away with fearful expressions when they sensed Bai Xuan's strength. Even the Heavenly Dipper Sword Faction and the Earthen Way Sect were cautious about taking action. Every level of the Heavenly Transform Stage had a huge gap to the next. The two forces collectively possessed four Heavenly Transform Stage Initial Phase experts, but even they'd be slaughtered in only a few blows against someone like Bai Xuan.

That was the difference between the Heavenly Transform Stage Initial Phase and Late Phase.

"Brat, you should be smart and hand it over. Maybe I'll let you die quickly." Bai Xuan said as he hovered in the air, overflowing with bloody-red light. His eyes were sharp as he stared at Mu Chen.

Mu Chen coldly smiled back. This Bai Xuan was powerful indeed, especially with the High Rank Spiritual Artifact. He was exceptionally powerful for someone still in the Heavenly Transform Stage. But if he thought that he could make Mu Chen grovel in fear, then he was still too naive.

If Mu Chen didn't have a life-preserving trick, how could he dare to fight Bai Xuan?

Mu Chen's hand slowly closed as black flames surged in the depth of his eyes. It looked like he had to borrow the power of the Nine Netherbird this time. He'd have to pay a decent price, but he couldn't worry about that right now.

Drip.

Thoughts flashed through Mu Chen's heart and more blood dripped from the tip of the sword onto the black demonic pillar beneath his feet, and disappeared.

Onom.

"Look at that black stone pillar!"

Someone cried out in surprise. Dark-red runes were slowly lighting up on the surface of the crumbled stone pillar — the only one still standing at the center of the black basin. Even the heavens and earth seemed to take on a red tint.

Mu Chen was also startled by the strange change and he grabbed Su Xuan by the wrist. "Get away from the stone pillar!"

By the time his warning landed in their ears, he'd already taken Su Xuan and retreated. The others immediately followed.

"Trying to leave?!" Bai Xuan's eyes turned cold as he followed too.

Boom!

The instant that Bai Xuan burst out, the black demonic pillar exploded with a blinding bloody light. The light soared into the clouds like a column of scarlet blood and dispersed into the sky, turning it into sea of blood. A ominous ripple spread beneath the sky.

It made that Ominous High Rank Spiritual Spiritual Artifact in Bai Xuan's hands look like a fragile toy.

The abrupt events startled everyone present. Even Bai Xuan's face took a drastic change. He sensed a frightening and indescribable ripple from that sky of blood.

"What's that black stone pillar? Why's it so horrifying?!" Bai Xuan stared at the claw marked pillar in shock.

"Could that stone pillar be the supreme treasure of this Spirit Treasury?!"

Bai Xuan's heart trembled. His mission was to retrieve a supreme treasure from the White Dragon Sovereign's Spirit Treasury; however, he had no detailed information of the treasure's characteristics. At first, he thought it was the white spiritual pear that Mu Chen had seized — the Spiritual Energy ripples that it emitted told him that it was most likely ranked as a supreme treasure. But now, this mysterious black pillar was even more shocking!

It was so horrifying that even Bai Xuan didn't dare to move.

The bloody sea of clouds spread and covered the entire dimension. Everyone watched in shock as the space around them twisted and seemed ready to shatter.

Even this mysterious space couldn't suppress that frightening stone pillar?

Countless experts became overwhelmed with shock. Just what kind of treasure was it? Could it be a Divine Artifact?!

"The space is going to shatter!" Bai Xuan warned.

Mu Chen and the rest immediately circulated their Spiritual Energies to guard their bodies.

Bang!

All Bai Xuan could do was clench his fist as he no longer dared to move. He immediately circulated his Spiritual Energy to protect himself.

Bang!

The space twisted until it reached its limit. With a bang, it shattered like a mirror, sending violent ripples through the fabric of space around them.

One maelstrom of space appeared after another and devoured the people still trapped inside. Before anyone in their party could say anything they, too, were enveloped by a space maelstrom and disappeared.

——

White Dragon Hillock

Far in the distance, a series of holes appeared in the sky. Numerous figures fell out like trash being dumped into a garbage pit.

Mu Chen and his party were lucky, since they hadn't been separated as they were thrown out. They stabled their fall and landed together on a mountain peak.

"All out." Su Xuan said in astonishment as she looked at the sorry figures dotting the mountain range.

"Just what was that black stone pillar? It was so horrifying!" Guo Xiong asked, dumbstruck. The space created by the White Dragon Sovereign had been extremely stable. However, it'd been so easily destroyed by the black stone pillar.

Only experts like the White Dragon Sovereign, or stronger, could accomplish something like that, right?

Mu Chen was deep in thought. He'd seen something like that before. He understood that the black demonic pillar was the supreme treasure that the White Dragon Sovereign had stolen from the Demonic Dragon Place. However, that item was way too demonic. Even Mu Chen was wary of touching it.

"We need to leave while Bai Xuan hasn't noticed us!" Mu Chen declared.

That Bai Xuan was indeed formidable. It'd be best if they could avoid him. Otherwise, a battle to the death would be unavoidable.

Su Xuan and the rest nodded as they turned around and prepared to leave.

However, that instant they did so, Mu Chen saw a new crack appear before them and a torrent of ominous energy surged out. Before he could even react, a bloody light burst from the rift and hit Mu Chen dead between his widened eyes.

Mu Chen's body stiffened. He could sense an extremely frightening ominous aura spread throughout his body, originating from the black demonic pillar.