Chapter 988: A Dragon Palace
Many of those standing above the Wu River were swept into its currents, the Primordial Force instantly claiming their lives. Especially those with weaker strength had no chance at all; in just a single moment, a full hundred people had perished.
Occasionally, a few crow cries echoed through the void, as if confirming the great ill omen of the moon setting and the crows calling.
"Rumble!" A dull sound rang out, and the crowd watched in horror as the landmass surrounded by the Wu River began to sink inward. The waters of the Wu River flowed down along with it, the earth cracking and rolling, the entire crust undergoing a terrifying transformation.
Lin Feng stood atop one of the towers. Though he hadn't moved, his position shifted as the crust moved sideways along with him. He wasn't the only one—this landmass, as it sank, also split apart in all directions. The waters of the Wu River poured in continuously, and the Primordial Force grew stronger and stronger.
A sinister cloud of gloom hung over the crowd, and the terrifying Primordial Force spread relentlessly. The people looked up, and their hearts couldn't help but twitch violently.
Above them now appeared a dragon shadow—an enormous pitch-black dragon silhouette that blotted out the entire sky.
"A dragon! A demon dragon! There really is a demon dragon!"
The crowd's hearts trembled with shock. A demon dragon, a royal clan of the demon realm.
"Boom!" The crust continued to crack apart, and the waters of the Wu River slowly flowed from all directions into the sunken land. Though Lin Feng stood atop the tower, he was now level with the Wu River, having sunk several hundred meters into the earth.
Though the changes in the crust were shocking, there was a sense of harmony to them, as if countless years ago, this terrain had been meant to be this way.
"It's still expanding!" Lin Feng's body continued to move with the tower. Those who had been on other towers just a stone's throw away were now a thousand meters distant from him, showing just how vast and expansive the cracked crust was.
"Boom!" A violent sound rang out. In the sunken central area, something began to rise, as if a massive structure was emerging there.
"This is... a palace!" Lin Feng's expression stiffened. His gaze locked onto the building deep in the central underground. It was an extremely vast palace, and on its surface, there seemed to be blurry carvings. Even after countless years of erosion, they could still be discerned—the carvings were all of demon dragons.
"A Dragon Palace!" Qiongqi's voice uttered the words, making Lin Feng's heart jolt violently. A Dragon Palace. This vast, enormous palace was shockingly a Dragon Palace.
Lin Feng could almost imagine it: countless years ago, the Dragon Palace had been beneath the Wu River, covered by its waters. But some unknown calamity had buried it deep within the crust, forgotten by all.
"Primordial Force!" The crowd was speechless. A dragon's roar in the dead of night, and there really was a Dragon Palace buried underground. Moreover, this Dragon Palace seemed to seal within it a terrifying Primordial Force.
This meant that the Primordial aura in the Wu River wasn't from an ancient battlefield as rumored, nor from the cultivation of some powerful being, but from this Dragon Palace.
Turning back, Lin Feng looked at the Wu River flowing in reverse. He noticed that aside from the water flowing into the sunken area, none of it fell elsewhere. It seemed the towers they stood on could suppress the Wu River's waters.
"No..." A miserable roar rang out. A figure in the void fell, unable to withstand the overwhelming Primordial Force, and died.
Though the Primordial aura here wasn't as terrifying as in the Wasteland Sea, at least some of the weaker Heavenly Martial cultivators still couldn't endure it.
"Where does this Primordial Force come from? Why does the ancient battlefield's Wasteland Sea have it, and why is it here too?" Lin Feng muttered to himself, glancing at Qiongqi beside him.
"There have been many guesses about the Primordial Force. Some say it symbolizes destruction itself—the most primal power of annihilation," Qiongqi replied.
"Should I put you away?"
"No need. Just take care of yourself," Qiongqi said, its massive eyes fixed on the palace. "Don't act rashly now. This Dragon Palace must have been through a catastrophic event to end up like this."
Lin Feng nodded. He didn't need Qiongqi to tell him that. With so many experts around, it wasn't his place to make a move.
"With the moon setting and the crows calling, since it's a great ill omen, there's no way no one will die. The number of people leaving their lives here today won't be small," Qiongqi muttered, almost to itself. "But the auspicious sign of a dragon's roar in the dead of night also appears at the same time, meaning there's opportunity within the great misfortune. It depends on who can seize it. Kid, you've rarely encountered such a chance, so keep your eyes peeled."
"I'll do my best," Lin Feng cursed inwardly. This kind of thing wasn't something he could control just by staying alert. He could only give it his all.
At that moment, Xuanyuan Potian took a step forward, leaping directly toward the Dragon Palace in the abyss. Though he was only at the Heavenly Martial Realm, he was extremely bold.
Reaching the entrance of the Dragon Palace, Xuanyuan Potian raised his hands high. In an instant, a massive golden Heaven-Splitting Axe appeared in his grasp. The terrifying axe swung fiercely, and an enormous phantom axe condensed in the void, smashing down onto the Dragon Palace's entrance.
"Crack!" A crisp sound of shattering rang out. Perhaps because Xuanyuan Potian's strength was too great, or perhaps because the entrance had grown too brittle from the erosion of time, it split open under the axe's blow.
A terrifying golden light enveloped Xuanyuan Potian's body. The crowd could faintly hear the furious roar of his bloodline. With a single step, he braved the terrifying Primordial Force and strode boldly into the Dragon Palace.
"The Xuanyuan bloodline is truly formidable!" the crowd thought to themselves. This Xuanyuan Potian was just as the rumors said—fearless and audacious, daring to charge alone into the Dragon Palace ahead of everyone else.
"Let's go!"
A series of whooshing sounds rang out as the venerable ones each unleashed powerful auras, stepping through the entrance into the Dragon Palace.
"Let's go. Inside," Lin Feng said, taking a step forward. Together with Qiongqi, he also headed for the Dragon Palace's entrance.
"Brother Lin, it's dangerous," Hua Changfeng exclaimed in surprise, seeing Lin Feng about to enter. This guy's nerve was far too great. Even he himself was struggling to resist the Primordial aura, yet Lin Feng dared to enter the Primordial Force-rich Dragon Palace. It was incredibly reckless.
"Brother Hua, this place doesn't seem like a blessed land. If you can leave, find a chance to do so," Lin Feng said, glancing back at Hua Changfeng before stepping into the Dragon Palace's entrance, making Hua Changfeng's heart twitch.
Xuanyuan Potian and Lin Feng were the only two at the Heavenly Martial Realm to enter the Dragon Palace. But Xuanyuan Potian was a man of imperial bloodline, a descendant of the Xuanyuan clan, and his cultivation was at the Seventh Layer of Heavenly Martial Realm. Lin Feng, however, was merely at the Second Layer of Heavenly Martial Realm. This wasn't just about being bold; if Lin Feng hadn't done things that amazed Hua Changfeng before, he would have thought Lin Feng was seeking death.
The moment he stepped into the Dragon Palace, a powerful Primordial Force assaulted him. But Lin Feng's resistance to the Primordial Force was now incredibly strong, so he paid it no mind. Qiongqi, meanwhile, had wisps of flame flickering over its body. These flames seemed extremely eerie, even causing the Primordial aura to crackle as it burned.
"Get lost!" A thunderous roar rang out. Lin Feng's body dodged slightly as a figure brushed past him, then exploded.
"Demon puppets, these dead things!" A terrifying attack descended toward Qiongqi, who quickly dodged.
Lin Feng swept his gaze around. Everyone was now fighting against some demonic figures. These figures had lifeless eyes—they were demon puppets, devoid of life.
"Kid, come help me. This thing isn't afraid of fire," Qiongqi cursed under its breath.
Lin Feng took a step forward and struck at the demonic creature. His terrifying fist howled through the air, and the creature seemed to sense it, swinging its massive fist at Lin Feng.
"Boom!" The overwhelming force sent Lin Feng staggering back with a grunt.
"You old bastard!" Lin Feng cursed. Qiongqi, that bastard—these things were so strong, he couldn't even budge them.
"Boom!" A violent sound rang out as the demon puppet in front of him exploded. Looking up, Lin Feng saw Xuanyuan Potian's domineering figure.
"Second Layer of Heavenly Martial Realm. Get back!" Xuanyuan Potian spat at Lin Feng, his voice like a furious roar. Lin Feng felt a terrifying force slam into him, making his blood and qi churn. He stumbled back several steps, a trace of blood even appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Xuanyuan Potian paid him no further attention, darting straight into the depths of the Dragon Palace. The demon puppets couldn't stop his advance at all.
"Xuanyuan Potian, you're ruthless!" Lin Feng stared coldly at that figure. Instead of retreating, he followed the crowd as they flashed deeper into the Dragon Palace.
PS: Still over sixty flowers away. If everyone pushes a bit, we can reach eight hundred today!