Chapter 367: Chapter 266 The Palace Gate_1
WHOOSH!
As the words rang out, a huge black centipede tail was already blasting towards Ling Chen.
His expression changed slightly. Ling Chen pulled the Cloud-hidden Sword from where it was stuck and narrowly evaded the giant tail strike.
"Why did you come too?" Retreating several meters, Ling Chen looked at Xu Ruoyan in surprise. "This beast isn’t simple. You’d better be cautious. I’m afraid it might hurt you."
"Do you see me as some little girl who only knows how to cower behind you, trembling with fear?" Xu Ruoyan was clearly dismissive of Ling Chen’s words. "I’m not easily injured. If it weren’t for a moment of carelessness when I lost to that enchantress, who knows who would have taken first place in the Martial World competition."
"Besides, didn’t I say earlier that from now on, I’d help you with your affairs?"
"Alright then." Ling Chen shrugged a little helplessly.
"The Iron-skinned Centipede’s vital point is its head. You just need to distract it, and I’ll make the move," Xu Ruoyan said, her pretty face tense.
"Then I’ll leave it to you."
The Cloud-hidden Sword in Ling Chen’s hand spun once. Then, from over ten meters away, he slashed out. The Sword Light, resisting the force of the water, struck the Iron-skinned Centipede.
SPLAT!
A small opening appeared in the Iron-skinned Centipede’s shell. But for an Exotic Beast with a body over a dozen meters long, this minor injury was insignificant.
Its outer shell breached by Ling Chen, the Iron-skinned Centipede fixed its huge eyes on him. Its tail whipped as it quickly swam over.
SWOOSH!
Opening its ugly mouth, the Iron-skinned Centipede sprayed out an Arrow formed from Poison, aiming straight for Ling Chen’s face.
His expression flickered. Ling Chen executed the Wind Shadow Step and dodged the Arrow.
He didn’t even dare use the Cloud-hidden Sword to block this poison Arrow, because the Iron-skinned Centipede’s Poison could corrode the Cloud-hidden Sword’s material, rendering the Treasure Sword useless.
With a light tap of his foot, Ling Chen moved to the Iron-skinned Centipede’s tail and unleashed a series of sword strikes.
Although Ling Chen’s sword qi wasn’t immensely powerful, it struck the Iron-skinned Centipede like a barrage of raindrops, instantly creating numerous fissures on its body.
Wincing in pain, the Iron-skinned Centipede roared loudly. It abruptly twisted around, spraying black Poison from its mouth that stained a large area of the lake water pitch black.
Seeing this, Ling Chen began to rotate the Cloud-hidden Sword in his hand at high speed, making it resemble an exhaust fan. As the sword spun faster and faster, it split and pushed aside the surrounding water.
The poisonous lake water surged around Ling Chen but failed to harm him.
At this moment, Xu Ruoyan finally moved. She had been circling the Iron-skinned Centipede, looking for the perfect moment to strike. When the Iron-skinned Centipede sprayed Poison at Ling Chen, its weakness was fully exposed to her.
Seizing the opportunity, Xu Ruoyan shot out with her sword like a flash of lightning.
Her sword qi, like a meteor, suddenly struck the Iron-skinned Centipede’s head. There lay a spot not covered by its iron-like hide, a weakness exposed only when it sprayed Poison.
SPLAT!
The Cloud and Water Sword abruptly extended by several inches. Half of the sword plunged in, and green, foul-smelling liquid splashed out.
Letting out a heart-wrenching shriek, the Iron-skinned Centipede, struck in its vital point, convulsed violently.
After a brief convulsion, the Iron-skinned Centipede’s body went limp, like a kite with a broken string. Xu Ruoyan didn’t have time to pull out the Cloud and Water Sword before a strong force threw her off, and she began to sink towards the bottom of the lake.
However, Ling Chen had already anticipated this. He appeared in her path, caught Xu Ruoyan by the waist, and, holding her, swiftly swam towards the surface.
WHOOSH!
With Xu Ruoyan in his grasp, Ling Chen emerged from the water and stopped in a shallow area.
"It seems the area near this underground Palace isn’t safe," Ling Chen said, setting Xu Ruoyan down and scanning their surroundings. "There will be more Exotic Beasts than we imagined. We must conceal our aura and proceed with caution. Since an Iron-skinned Centipede was here, other Exotic Beasts are likely lurking nearby too."
"Hmm." Xu Ruoyan wasn’t a fool. This Iron-skinned Centipede was dead, but there was no guarantee that stronger Exotic Beasts wouldn’t appear. That would not only slow their progress, but if a beast at the Sky Apex Realm emerged, they would lose their lives here.
After advancing through the water for the better part of an hour, Ling Chen and Xu Ruoyan suddenly discovered a piece of underwater architecture. It was pitch black, so they could only rely on the faint light emitted by their True Qi shields to illuminate the Darkness ahead.
An underwater structure, about twenty feet tall with an undetermined depth, came into view. However, it was completely covered in silt and aquatic grasses, obscuring its overall shape.
"Let me check." Ling Chen approached a wall and raised his hand.
Instantly, a True Qi Palm Seal, infused with his full power, shot out and struck the structure’s surface like a giant fan, followed by a sudden explosion.
BOOM! A low rumble echoed repeatedly.
The silt on the surface of the underwater structure was blasted away by the explosive True Qi, instantly muddying the surrounding water. But through the murky water, a greenish wall, now free of dirt, came into sight.
"What material is this?" Ling Chen wondered as he brushed the Cloud-hidden Sword against the wall; it didn’t leave the slightest trace.
"This is incredible," Xu Ruoyan exclaimed, curiously examining the surrounding Palace as if she had discovered a new world. "This wall has remained undamaged after so many years under such immense water pressure."
"Ling Chen, look, this wall appears to be one solid piece, not stacked up brick by brick."
"Really?" Hearing this, Ling Chen looked surprised. Upon careful observation, he found the greenish wall was indeed as Xu Ruoyan described: there wasn’t a single crack. It was as if some unparalleled force had melded it together, flawlessly.
"This must be the Human Emperor’s Underground Palace." Xu Ruoyan examined the wall intently, a look of pleasant surprise on her pretty face. She even reached out to touch it; it was smooth and cold. "I didn’t think we’d be the first ones here."
Many people had arrived before them, but they were the first to actually reach this specific place.
Ling Chen chuckled and shook his head. "That’s not surprising. We both ranked in the top three of this Martial World competition. Our combined luck definitely surpasses that of most people out there."
Xu Ruoyan nodded. The biggest reason is probably Ling Chen himself. As the champion of this Martial World competition, the grandest in centuries, the strength of his destiny is unprecedented. He was also once possessed by the Dragon Vein; his fortune is likely superior even to that of the Four Outstanding Talents.
"The entrance is over here."
While Xu Ruoyan was still in deep thought, Ling Chen had already found the entrance to the Palace.
It was a Bronze Gate about thirty feet high, upon which were carved two ferocious God Beast figures: the Nine-Headed Snake and the Blue Dragon, both exceptionally powerful beings from ancient times. They radiated an ancient and domineering pressure.
Upon seeing the Bronze Gate, Ling Chen’s eyes lit up. But just as he was about to approach the door—
ROAR!
A soul-shaking roar suddenly echoed, causing the very ground to tremble violently. Immediately after, the earth in front of Ling Chen caved in, and an astonishingly large, dark shadow climbed out from beneath the collapsed ground, appearing before them.