Chapter 419: The Dust Settles, Tension Rises
"It's the Holy Son of the River of Styx Sanctuary!"
"He's alive! He didn't die!"
"It seems the River of Styx Sanctuary has won this trial!"
Outside the trial grounds, numerous factions watched in amazement as Zhe Liang appeared, sitting cross-legged. Seeing Zhe Liang unharmed, many were excited, as a victory for the River of Styx Sanctuary was good news for them. However, the faces of the Dark Palace members darkened; their young lord was nowhere to be seen.
As the three figures fully emerged from the vortex of laws, the barrier of the Mandala Arena opened. Suddenly, a cry of despair echoed from the Dark Palace crowd.
"It's shattered! The young lord's life token is shattered!"
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A Dark Palace disciple, responsible for watching over the life tokens, held a slowly cracking black jade pendant, his entire being stunned. Beside him, a Dark Palace elder's face turned incredibly grim. His gaze, filled with undisguised killing intent, locked onto Zhe Liang and the others. However, this murderous intent did not affect the three.
Zhe Liang and Gu Simu kept their eyes slightly closed, still in a state of deep enlightenment.
"That tricky old man said this was a good thing. I wonder if he's lying again… If he dares to lie again, I'll burn him to ashes!" Gu Xiaoqi worriedly watched the two of them.
Earlier, before the Mandala Arena barrier opened.
On the inheritance Stone Island in the northern part of Feng City, Gu Xiaoqi was the first to awaken from the inheritance among the three. Just as she woke up, an unexpected incident occurred. The incomplete statues of the Feng City Emperor and the Ten Kings of the Underworld emitted spiritual lights that flew into the bodies of Zhe Liang and Gu Simu, who were still in deep comprehension.
Even the gravekeeper old man was stunned by this. He was about to close the River of Styx to prevent outsiders from discovering Feng City, a duty he had to fulfill.
Even if doing so might interrupt the ongoing inheritance process, causing Zhe Liang and Gu Simu's efforts to be in vain, he couldn't allow Feng City to be exposed to various forces in the Netherworld.
At this time, with his strength not yet fully restored, he couldn't completely protect Feng City. However, he never expected that such a change would occur at a critical moment.
"The incomplete statues of the Feng City Emperor and the Ten Kings should have been rendered useless, right? When they were intact, they were indeed the strongest inheritances of Feng City, but they should have been ruined after that mysterious figure's destruction back then! How are they being activated now? What's going on?"
"Could it be that these two youngsters have some ancestral connection with the Feng City Emperor? Otherwise, how could such a miraculous event occur?"
As these thoughts ran through the old man's mind, his astonishment was so great that his beard nearly stood on end.
The inheritance lights from the statues were the most powerful in the Underworld—one from the Feng City Emperor's statue was the Carnival of Myriad Ghosts, and the other from the Ten Kings' statues were their respective Underworld King apparitions, incredibly strong inheritances that allowed early access to domain abilities.
With their exceptional talents, Zhe Liang and Gu Simu were almost guaranteed to reach the Imperial Realm. Once there, they would be stronger than ordinary Imperial Realm practitioners. Most people only encountered domains at the Heaven Emperor level, yet these two had received domain-related inheritances before even reaching the Imperial Realm.
Seeing such extraordinary talents and destiny, the old man couldn't help but admire the scholar behind these kids, Gu Lan. He decided to give this powerful scholar a favor.
"Channel your spiritual power into this to delay the opening of the barrier, I'll talk to the phoenix kid for a bit," he instructed little Suan Ni and Mountain Back Puppet, handing them an object before disappearing. He then appeared beside Gu Xiaoqi and explained the situation to her.
After a while, Gu Xiaoqi, Gu Simu, and Zhe Liang were enveloped by a vortex of laws and appeared outside the Mandala Arena, the scene all the factions witnessed.
As Zhe Liang and the others emerged, it was clear that the young lord of the Dark Palace had perished, and all the Saint Stage prisoners had died within the Mandala Arena. The arena's brutality was no surprise to the onlookers. However, the Dark Palace couldn't fathom how their meticulously prepared young lord had lost to the Holy Son of the River of Styx Sanctuary from the Lower Realm.
Could it be due to those two unknown girls?
The Dark Palace members focused their gaze on Gu Xiaoqi and Gu Simu. It was evident that the two didn't belong to the hundred Saint Stage prisoners. How did they enter the arena? The Mandala Arena's barrier was impenetrable, even for Imperial Realm experts. Yet these two had not only entered but also contributed to Zhe Liang's victory.
"Elder! Zhe Liang looks unconscious. Is he okay?" A River of Styx Sanctuary disciple, anxious and excited, looked at the three, eager to bring Zhe Liang back to celebrate their victory over the Dark Palace.
"Don't worry. The Holy Son is fine. In fact, he seems to be receiving a new inheritance. He should awaken soon," Black Abyss reassured, feeling relief wash over him upon seeing Zhe Liang. The other disciples relaxed, but the atmosphere on the Dark Palace side grew even darker.
"Is this the River of Styx Sanctuary's tactic? Exploiting the Mandala Arena's barrier loophole to bring in helpers to fight our young lord? This is a disgrace to the trial's fairness! You are shameless!" a Dark Palace disciple accused loudly.
"Who's shameless? None can match your Dark Palace in shamelessness! You bribed the Saint Stage prisoners, fifty against our Holy Son. That's the real disgrace!" a River of Styx Sanctuary disciple retorted immediately.
An intense argument broke out, both sides accusing each other of cheating and breaking the trial's rules, but with no evidence, it devolved into a shouting match. As disciples from both sides clashed verbally, the tension escalated, and the atmosphere grew increasingly hostile.
The elders on both sides watched the situation unfold silently, prepared to act or retaliate at any moment.