Immortality Through Array Formations Chapter 2007 Chapter 965: In Hand (Part 2)
Previously on Immortality Through Array Formations...
Observing that victory was nearly within reach, Shen Shouxing, currently engaged in a fierce struggle with Xun Ziyou, unleashed a blinding arc of sword light that sliced through the air toward Shen Tuao.
While his primary goal was the elimination of Xun Ziyou, he could not permit the Dragon Vein to fall into the possession of Shen Tuao.
The Sword Qi generated by Shen Shouxing at the peak of the Golden Core stage was naturally far superior to the strikes of Young Master Xuan, who was only at the Initial Golden Core level. This was especially true since the attack was aimed directly at a lethal meridian point.
To avoid a fatal blow, Shen Tuao had no choice but to retreat.
This momentary distraction as Shen Shouxing swung his blade provided Xun Ziyou, who had been desperately holding his ground, a brief window to regain his composure.
Capitalizing on the opening, he broke away from Shen Shouxing’s range and lunged toward the Dragon Coffin.
His intent was to seize the Dragon Vein for himself.
By doing so, he forced Shen Shouxing to bring the fight to the front of the Dragon Coffin if he wished to continue his assault.
In the meantime, Young Master Xuan, Shen Tuao, and the Bear Demon Cultivator were all driven by the same desire to claim the treasure, resulting in a chaotic, shifting melee surrounding the Dragon Coffin.
The battlefield, with Xun Ziyou at its center, devolved into a tangled mess once more.
Every participant in this skirmish carried deep-seated "grievances" against the others, each harboring a silent wish for their rivals' demise.
Consequently, as the battle became more frantic, they inevitably began to scheme, strike out, and defend against one another with lethal intent.
For a brief interval, Shen Shouxing found his attention divided, which significantly lessened the pressure weighing on Xun Ziyou.
Following a rapid exchange of blows, the Blood Qi permeating the atmosphere suddenly intensified in concentration.
Consumed by the heat of combat, no one had the presence of mind to notice, and they began to inhale the crimson mist without even realizing it.
Blood Qi acted as a catalyst for hidden desires.
The murderous impulses and greed of every Cultivation expert present grew more volatile, trapping them in a cycle of endless violence while their own Blood Qi was rapidly drained away...
It was at this juncture that Elder Bear, spying a gap in the fighting, managed to stumble within reach of the Dragon Vein.
With a gaze filled with avarice, he extended a massive hand, thick like that of a Bear Demon, toward the artifact.
However, in a flash, a sword light from Xun Ziyou descended, severing the limb cleanly.
The hand hit the floor with a heavy thud as blood sprayed outward, mixing with the floor into a hidden blood mist upon impact. Elder Bear collapsed, clutching the stump of his arm and howling in agony.
Xun Ziyou’s original plan was merely to keep Shen Shouxing occupied, but after prolonged exposure to the blood mist, his psyche had been subtly compromised. He found himself reaching out to grasp the Dragon Vein.
Fortunately, his instincts remained sharp, and he snapped back to his senses almost instantly:
“What in the world am I doing?”
Xun Ziyou attempted a hasty retreat, but he was a fraction of a second too slow; a fist imbued with a draconic shadow and surging power slammed directly into his back.
He barely managed to twist his torso to mitigate the impact, but the force of the punch still shattered his internal rhythm. His body was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing into a distant corner of the great hall.
He coughed up a spray of blood and slumped onto one knee.
“I miscalculated...”
The lingering power of the Evil Dragon coiled within his frame, paralyzing him. Xun Ziyou was forced to focus on regulating his breathing to recover his strength, knowing that any further delay would lead to an irreversible disaster.
Forget about Mo Hua—he himself might meet his end right here.
After blasting Xun Ziyou aside, Shen Tuao also felt his consciousness grow hazy, and he reached toward the Dragon Vein with mindless compulsion.
Deep within, his intuition screamed a warning, yet for a moment, his greed was too overwhelming to suppress.
Predictably, the next instant saw Shen Shouxing’s blade strike, carving a jagged, bloody wound across his back.
Shen Tuao retaliated with a palm strike, which Shen Shouxing nimbly evaded. The latter then launched a counter-offensive using the Shen Family White Jade Sword Skill. A streak of pure white Sword Qi inadvertently tore through Shen Tuao's chest.
Gritting his teeth against the pain, Shen Tuao slowly collapsed to the floor.
At this point, only Shen Shouxing remained standing beside the Dragon Coffin.
Within the depths of the coffin, the Dragon Vein resting between the hands of Prince Ye pulsed with an alluring radiance.
Shen Shouxing’s heart beat in synchronization with that light as he walked toward the coffin, seemingly possessed.
With no one left to obstruct him, Shen Shouxing successfully pried the Dragon Vein of the Great Wilderness from the cold grip of the late Prince Ye.
The moment his fingers closed around the prize, the ancient aura of the Great Wilderness surged forth.
Threads of majestic Dragon Qi traveled from his palm into his bloodstream, racing through his Meridians and causing a sensation of excruciating, tearing pain.
The agony was sharp and piercing, accompanied by a deafening, spectral Dragon Roar.
It was as if his very bloodline was deemed unworthy of touching the Dragon Vein.
The force of the rejection intensified.
The Dragon Roar grew more feral, making his scalp crawl with dread.
The hand clutching the Dragon Vein began to wither under the erosion of the Great Wilderness Dragon Qi; the flesh rotted away, the decay creeping steadily up his arm.
The sheer intensity of the pain finally jolted Shen Shouxing back to reality.
Seeing that his entire arm was on the verge of being destroyed, Shen Shouxing’s eyes widened in terror, and he immediately let go.
The Dragon Qi stopped its assault, but his right arm was already more than half-ruined.
The Dragon Vein was tossed into the air, tracing a path of clear light before landing on a patch of empty ground nearby.
A heavy, deathly silence fell over the grand hall.
The four most powerful Golden Core experts were now either maimed, crippled, or clinging to life.
In that moment of clarity, they all sensed that something was terribly wrong and turned their gazes toward Young Master Xuan.
The previously stoic expression on Young Master Xuan’s face had transformed into a cold, mocking smile.
“The Dragon Vein of the Great Wilderness is not a prize for the common man. Without the proper bloodline, any attempt to claim it triggers the Dragon Rage, resulting in a devastating backlash of Dragon Qi.”
A chill ran through the hearts of the survivors as the truth began to dawn on them.
Why had Young Master Xuan used Mo Hua and Shen Qingsheng as pawns to coerce everyone into seizing this Dragon Vein?
It was because not just anyone possessed the right to handle it.
Aside from Shen Tuao, who carried royal lineage, anyone else who touched the Dragon Vein would be consumed by the Dragon Qi and suffer the wrath of the Great Wilderness Karma Dragon.
Even a master at the Golden Core Peak like Shen Shouxing had been forced to sacrifice an arm.
This secret of the Great Wilderness was something Shen Tuao would never have shared.
Young Master Xuan had his own designs, and he was even less inclined to reveal the truth until now.