"So Song Yuanhao really is here!"

As he walked closer, Xu Yang sensed a faint, familiar aura lingering—it belonged to Song Yuanhao.

"Teacher, you should hide first."

"Alright."

Gu Jun appeared pensive, his form flickered, and he slipped into the Cyan Jade Yin Yang Pendant.

Soon after, Xu Yang carefully entered the passageway.

He made his way downward.

After about a dozen breaths, a dusky glow from below came into view.

Xu Yang masked his presence, approaching in silence.

Fixing his eyes, he saw that below lay a massive cavern.

On the ground was a corpse; next to it sat slumped a burly Barbarian Race martial artist.

Besides them, there was no trace of Song Yuanhao.

"Barbarian King!"

Xu Yang's heart jolted—the Barbarian King wasn't dead after all!

He had thought, after being controlled by Song Tianchou and his son, the Barbarian King would already have fallen.

Yet now, the Barbarian King's state was miserable—drenched in blood, wretched beyond belief, with one arm nearly severed!

And that corpse was precisely the True Monarch expert who had taken Song Yuanhao away.

The Barbarian King suddenly turned his head.

Xu Yang's heart stirred. He stepped out directly.

"Xu Yang!"

Seeing Xu Yang, a flash of vitality appeared in the Barbarian King's weary eyes.

"Greetings, Barbarian King!"

Xu Yang nodded slightly and said, "Tuoba Hongyu is well."

Upon hearing this, the Barbarian King's exhausted body seemed to relax, the tension melting away.

"Thank you!" He moved his lips, looking desolate.

"Where's Song Yuanhao? What happened here?"

Xu Yang scanned the cavern, his gaze unconsciously drawn to a stone wall.

The stone wall was carved with exquisite murals.

Across the vast world, countless members of the Barbarian Race were kneeling to a vague Barbarian figure!

And that blurry figure—it was only discernible as raising its head to gaze at the sky!

Above the heavens was endless nothingness!

Further up, enshrouded in infinite void, a faint spirit thread flickered uncertainly!

Xu Yang's body trembled, his mind instantly conjured the hazy scene after Can Sutian slew Song Tianchou and charged toward the edge of the void.

A spirit river!

The thread of light at the end of the mural looked exactly like the Spirit River!

"Song Yuanhao went in; he's inside the stone wall," the Barbarian King spoke weakly.

Xu Yang exclaimed in shock, "There's another Grotto Heaven inside this wall?"

"That's right!"

"This was left by our Barbarian God. Entering it, one faces the power left by the Barbarian God directly!"

The Barbarian King continued slowly, "Song Yuanhao is at the end of his rope—he wants to make a last attempt, to break through to True Monarch!"

Xu Yang's brows furrowed, and inwardly he became extremely vigilant.

He had no doubt about the Barbarian King's words.

The Barbarian King hated Song Tianchou and his son more than he and Daqian did.

"What does everything on this mural represent?" Xu Yang asked with faint hope.

The Barbarian King gazed at Xu Yang: "Whether Daqian or the land our Barbarian Race inhabits—all have been sealed in bondage!"

Xu Yang stayed silent—he had heard as much before!

"Who sealed us, and why, even I do not know; perhaps only Can Sutian knows!"

"Those being worshipped by the Barbarian Race above are the Barbarian Gods. Records say Lord Barbarian God was not a native expert, but came wounded from beyond the heavens; from his own bloodline, he nurtured the Barbarian Race. That indistinct shadow is the Barbarian God!"

"In the end, after recovering from his wounds, he tried to tear apart the shackles, but ultimately failed and perished!"

"That spiritual thread at the top—Lord Barbarian God called it the 'Source of the Spirit River'!"

"All I know is only this."

Splurt!

The Barbarian King coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood; his aura was crumbling.

Xu Yang's expression changed slightly, "Senior, you—"

The Barbarian King waved his hand weakly, "I've reached my end… Xu Yang, my daughter—I'll entrust her to you."

Meeting the Barbarian King's gaze, Xu Yang drew a deep breath and promised solemnly, "Rest assured, Senior!"

Hearing this, the Barbarian King grinned.

In the next instant, his body abruptly shattered into pieces.

Whoosh!

A burst of blood light soared up, plunging straight into the stone wall.

Boom!

The stone wall shuddered violently; the carved images seemed at once stained with a halo of blood, appearing eerily devilish!

"Ah~~~"

A miserable, shrill scream suddenly echoed out.

"Barbarian King, you old bastard!!"

"Aaaah!"

"I'll never forgive you!"

Song Yuanhao screamed in agony and rage; the quaking wall trembled madly, fine cracks spreading like a web.

"Not good!"

Xu Yang's face changed. He hastily leapt back.

He sensed an overwhelming aura was about to erupt from the stone wall.

"The Barbarian King must have used his dying strength to affect the inside of the wall, making Song Yuanhao's breakthrough fail..."

Before the thought finished, Xu Yang saw the wall split with a crack, breaking into pieces, unable to withstand the power within.

Rumble!!

A mass of shadowy storm exploded forth, pulverizing the entire cavern at lightning speed.

Xu Yang's figure warped sharply.

Gu Jun flashed his hand, moving Xu Yang away in a blur.

Behind the royal court, an explosion burst out anew, shredding a huge stretch of buildings.

The storm shot skyward.

A battered figure plummeted directly from within it.

It was none other than Song Yuanhao!

A cold gleam flashed across Xu Yang's eyes. With a swipe, he drew the Asura Blood Saber, stepping forward to confront Song Yuanhao directly.

At a glance, he gasped.

The present Song Yuanhao was nothing like before.

His body was swollen like a Barbarian; cracks marred his skin everywhere, seemingly about to split apart at any moment.

Strange, dark-gold wild patterns surged endlessly from his chest, spreading over his face, making him look twisted and terrifying—like a demon straight from hell!

"Barbarian!"

"That bastard must have absorbed the power the Barbarian God left behind—he's basically half a Barbarian now."

"Good thing the Barbarian King struck at the last moment and disrupted the wall, stopping him from becoming a True Monarch!"

"But now, he's already a Half-Step True Monarch. Added to his True Monarch Blood Bone, once fused with the Barbarian God's bloodline, he's no weaker than any run-of-the-mill True Monarch!"

Gu Jun's grave voice echoed at Xu Yang's ear.

"Barbarian King, you old animal, I should've slaughtered you long ago!"

"Hiss!"

Song Yuanhao howled in agony. Suddenly, he threw back his head, and when he saw Xu Yang, he froze for a split second.

In the next moment, his expression twisted hideously, madness overtook him, and the hatred in his eyes surged like a tide, poised to explode!

"Xu Yang, you actually dared show yourself before me?"

"Die!"

Without hesitation, Xu Yang slashed down with his saber.