Chapter 285: Chapter 174: Enemies Meet, Old Acquaintances Reunite

Atop the mountain range, cliff faces occasionally crumbled, sending giant boulders flying through the air.

"Hmph!"

A cold snort rang out at just the right moment.

RUMBLE~!

Accompanied by rolling thunder, a majestic power suddenly surged from the horizon. It swept across the sky, vast and mighty, smoothing out the shockwaves generated by the fight between Yong Xingdian and Zhong Zhenghong.

"If you two want to fight, go fight somewhere else!"

The deep shout trembled through space, echoing between heaven and earth.

Following the voice, a burly figure strode through the void. Arcs of electricity coiled around his body, CRACKLING as he took large steps toward the lake.

"Xiao Xing! The Xiao Family actually sent him this time?"

Qing Yuanfeng watched the newcomer, speaking with considerable surprise.

"This guy’s aura... he must be about to assail the King’s Body," Feng Wuji added gravely.

"He’s not about to assail it; he already has," Fu Jinlong interjected calmly. "He just failed once and sustained some injuries. His coming here this time clearly means he’s pinning his hopes on what’s inside the Shadow Realm."

"Fu Jinlong!"

A heavy shout, BUZZING, rang out, reverberating between the sky and the ground.

The newcomer’s burly body, like a small mountain, descended from the sky. With a THUD, he smashed a small hill.

"Are you very disappointed that I’m the one who came this time?"

Xiao Xing’s face was cold as he demanded in a low voice.

As he spoke, lightning shot from his eyes toward the sky. "You two. Do my words mean nothing to you?"

BOOM~!

A massive explosion erupted high in the sky.

The two balls of light that had been clashing violently quickly separated.

"Hmph!"

Zhong Zhenghong materialized. He didn’t look at the ground, but stared directly at Yong Xingdian and snapped coldly, "I’ll let you off for today!"

"As if you could actually beat me," Yong Xingdian sneered.

Then, not bothering with Zhong Zhenghong any further, he quickly descended to the ground.

"Haha, so it’s Boss Xiao!"

The moment he landed, Yong Xingdian cupped his fist in a salute to Xiao Xing and laughed heartily. "Boss Xiao, you’re as elusive as a Divine Dragon—a rare sight even after decades. It’s a true pleasure to have the honor of seeing you today. Boss Xiao, you have no idea..."

"Cut the crap."

Xiao Xing raised a hand, cutting him off. "This is the entrance to the Shadow Realm. If you fight here and affect its opening, don’t blame me for getting rough!"

"Understood, understood." Yong Xingdian grinned, showing no sign of anger whatsoever.

Zhong Zhenghong, who had also descended from the sky, didn’t respond, merely offering a cupped-fist salute.

"Don’t say that, Boss Xiao,"

Fu Jinlong chimed in with a timely smile. "We’re all glad you could come. Just a little surprised, that’s all."

"Right, right, Boss Xiao, you rarely make an appearance. Seeing you again is a real surprise," Feng Wuji chimed in.

"Putting all else aside, entering the Shadow Realm with Boss Xiao is a great guarantee of safety!" Qing Yuanfeng said with a smile. "Boss Xiao, if you don’t mind, once the entrance opens, would you let me tag along with you?"

"Forget it." Xiao Xing shot Qing Yuanfeng a sideways glance and replied coolly, "Just as Fu Jinlong said earlier, my purpose in coming here is to ascend to the King’s Body. Anyone who stands in my way or ruins my plans becomes my enemy! A mortal enemy!"

"Understood, understood."

"We get it, we all get it!"

"..."

Fu Jinlong, Qing Yuanfeng, Feng Wuji, and the others all quickly nodded in agreement.

Gu Zheng took it all in, secretly committing this burly Great Han, who stood over two meters tall, to memory.

’A man who could intimidate the likes of Qing Yuanfeng, Fu Jinlong, and Feng Wuji is undoubtedly extremely dangerous.’

’He failed to assail the King’s Body once?’

’Clearly, of everyone present, this Xiao Xing is the strongest!’

"Tsk, it had to be Boss Xiao."

A sycophantic laugh rang out as several people quickly approached from a distance.

Before they even got close, Gu Zheng smelled a familiar and repulsive aura.

’The Xie family?’

Gu Zheng used Divine Strange Sound Transmission to ask Qing Yichan, "Who from the Xie Family is that speaking?"

"Xie Manmen."

Qing Yichan replied, "The Xie Family actually went through the Xiao Family to get a spot, and of all people, they sent that scoundrel Xie Manmen. It seems the Xiao Family’s situation isn’t looking too good."

"The only other person from their family who came this time, besides Xiao Xing, is Xiao Duguang—that’s him walking behind Xie Manmen. I don’t recognize the other three. They obviously traded with the Xiao Family to get their spots too."

"The Xiao Family was also one of the Noble Families that discovered the Nine Heavens Shadow Realm back then?" Gu Zheng asked after hearing this.

Qing Yichan replied, "Correct!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Zheng understood.

The Xiao Family, Xiao Dutian, Xiao Duguang, Xiao Xing!

They wielded the Divine Weapon, the Thunder Shock Spear.

The aura radiating from Xiao Xing was more than ten times stronger than that of the Xiao Dutian Gu Zheng had met before, or the Xiao Duguang standing nearby.

To Gu Zheng, Xiao Xing felt like a mass of chained lightning.

Frenzied, tyrannical, and unstable!

That’s right, extremely unstable!

Xiao Xing had failed to assail the King’s Body once, and his internal condition was not as stable as he let on.

Sensing this, Gu Zheng started to understand Xiao Xing a little.

It could only be said that Xiao Xing was very aware of his own condition.

He was in a rush to break through and ascend to the King’s Body precisely because he was afraid of losing control and exploding.

And the entrance to the Nine Heavens Shadow Realm was the very lake where everyone had previously landed.

This small lake, its surface calm and clear!

The fight between Yong Xingdian and Zhong Zhenghong drew upon the Power of Heaven and Earth, which would cause spatial instability.

If that instability became too great, the entrance to the Shadow Realm might not open at all.

If that really happened, wouldn’t Xiao Xing—who was pinning all his hopes of ascending to the King’s Body on the Shadow Realm—go berserk?

...

Under Xiao Xing’s forceful suppression, peace returned to the lakeshore. The group chatted and laughed, quietly waiting for the entrance to the Nine Heavens Shadow Realm to open.

The forty people on site were divided into seven groups, one of which consisted of Qing Yuanfeng, Qing Yichan, and Gu Zheng.