288: Chapter 288: I am the sixth brother

In the Stone Chamber, the battle had reached a white-hot intensity.

The five heads of the Nine-Headed Snake Emperor were madly spewing dark red beams of light, and every attack made the Stone Chamber tremble.

Supreme Elder Jian Cangqiong, Lion Cangqiong, Feng Tian, and Sparrow Emperor were struggling to dodge within the gaps of the light beams.

They occasionally counterattacked, but they could no longer damage the Nine-Headed Snake Emperor's foundation.

The Snake Emperor lay in the distance, its five heads drooping, its vertical pupils filled with despair.

City Lord Li Qingge held the unconscious Old City Lord Li Cang, standing at the entrance of the Stone Chamber, not daring to approach nor leave.

Xiao Ran huddled behind a stone pillar, his Guixu Body suppressing his Qi to the lowest level.

At this moment, his eyes were full of excitement because he felt the time had come.

The battlefield had now reached a white-hot intensity, and this was the perfect Opportunity for him to make a move and seize the treasure.

Xiao Ran's eyes were locked onto that law seed.

The bead hovered in the center of the Stone Chamber, its purple-gold light flickering on and off.

His heartbeat was also accelerating.

"law seed..." Xiao Ran muttered in his heart.

"That is the core of the entire Secret Realm, the Opportunity for the Mahayana Stage, and even more, the control hub of the entire ruin."

"As long as I obtain it, I can control the entire ruin and be able to contend with these Body Integration Stage big shots."

This was also part of Xiao Ran's plan.

From the moment he saw this core, Xiao Ran had already formed this plan in his heart, so now was the time to strike.

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

Xiao Ran's brain was racing: How could he successfully obtain the Opportunity?

Right now, the Nine-Headed Snake Emperor and the four Body Integration Stage big shots were locked in combat, their attention focused on each other.

But the law seed was right in the center of the battlefield; approaching it would mean being discovered by everyone.

As a small Cultivator at the Void Refining Early Stage, he was at most a firecracker in front of the Body Integration Stage big shots and might just get set off by them.

But if he didn't take it, once they determined a victor, regardless of who won, he would have no chance.

"Wealth is sought in danger." Xiao Ran gritted his teeth.

He took out a Magic Treasure from his embrace—the Nether Cloak.

It was a treasure he had obtained from the Venerable Huangquan Legacy, which could place the user at the boundary between reality and illusion, evading everyone's detection.

The cloak was as thin as a cicada's wing, pitch black, embroidered with dark gold runes that flowed with a faint, eerie light.

He had never used it before because after one use, the cloak required three months to recover its spiritual power, but now, it was time to use it.

Xiao Ran draped the cloak over himself; black mist surged from the cloak, enveloping his entire person.

Subsequently, his entire figure became blurred, like a reflection in water, flickering in and out of existence.

Xiao Ran's Qi was completely concealed at this moment; even the Body Integration Stage big shots could not sense him.

He felt as if he were standing in front of a mirror; the real world was inside the mirror, and he was standing behind it.

He could see everything, but everything could not see him.

"Good stuff." A smile curled at the corners of Xiao Ran's mouth.

He stood up and walked out from behind the stone pillar.

His footsteps were very light and slow, like a cat walking.

The Nether Cloak isolated him from reality; the ground he walked on left no footprints, and the air he passed through had no ripples.

He was like a ghost, quietly passing through the edge of the battlefield.

The Nine-Headed Snake Emperor was exchanging blows with Supreme Elder Jian Cangqiong; the dark red light beams collided with the silver-white sword light, erupting in blinding radiance.

It did not notice Xiao Ran.

Supreme Elder Jian Cangqiong's Sword Intent had weakened significantly; his broken sword was covered in cracks, and his white robes were stained with blood.

He also did not notice Xiao Ran.

Lion Cangqiong lay on the ground, gasping for air; his left arm was severed, and he could not lift his right claw either.

Feng Tian leaned against the stone wall, the Nirvana Fire already extinguished, her colorful feathers covered in scorch marks.

Sparrow Emperor lay on the ground, the Heaven-Swallowing Vortex had long since stopped, and his blood-red eyes were half-closed.

The Snake Emperor curled up in the distance, its five heads drooping, having no strength left to even lift them.

City Lord Li Qingge held Old City Lord Li Cang, standing at the entrance of the Stone Chamber, his gaze locked tightly onto the Nine-Headed Snake Emperor, not daring to be distracted.

No one noticed Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran walked behind the Nine-Headed Snake Emperor.

The Nine-Headed Snake Emperor was exchanging blows with Supreme Elder Jian Cangqiong, its five heads raised high, dark red light beams spraying from its giant mouths.

Its body coiled in the center of the Stone Chamber, occupying most of the space.

Xiao Ran walked past its tail; its tail swept over, but passed right through him without touching him.

The Nether Cloak had turned him into an illusion; physical attacks were ineffective against him.

Xiao Ran walked up to the law seed.

The bead hovered before him, three feet off the ground, its purple-gold light shining on his face, warm and peaceful.

Dark red patterns pulsed on the surface of the bead, like countless tiny snakes slithering.

The bead emitted an aura of decay; that was the lingering obsession of the Nine-Headed Snake Emperor.

"The core of the Nine-Headed Snake Emperor... The Opportunity for the Mahayana Stage... The control hub of the ruin..."

Xiao Ran reached out, his fingertips touching the bead.

"Once I obtain it, I will be the Dominator of the Far North Land."

His fingertips touched the surface of the bead.

"Hum—" The bead emitted a low hum.

The sound was not loud, but it clearly entered everyone's ears.

The purple-gold light flared brightly for a moment, then dimmed.

The dark red patterns pulsed violently, like startled snakes.

Xiao Ran felt as if his fingertips had been scalded, and a scorching power surged from the bead into his body.

That power flowed along his fingers, into his arm, into his Meridians, and into his Dantian.

"Such pure Law power..." Xiao Ran's eyes lit up, and he instantly increased the intensity of his absorption.

The law seed trembled violently; the purple-gold light grew brighter and brighter, and the dark red patterns became increasingly dense.

An invisible force erupted from the bead, spreading in all directions with Xiao Ran at the center.

Wherever that force passed, the debris on the ground was lifted.

The runes on the stone walls were shattered, and the spiritual power in the air was pushed away.

The Nine-Headed Snake Emperor suddenly turned its head.

Its five heads turned simultaneously toward the direction of the law seed, its vertical pupils filled with shock and anger.

"Which brat!" The Nine-Headed Snake Emperor's voice was hoarse and jarring, carrying irrepressible rage.

"He is touching this Emperor's core!"

It ignored Supreme Elder Jian Cangqiong and turned to pounce on Xiao Ran.

Its five heads opened their giant mouths simultaneously, spraying dark red light beams directly at Xiao Ran.

Supreme Elder Jian Cangqiong was stunned.

Only then did he notice Xiao Ran, seeing a blurred figure standing before the law seed.

The figure was shrouded in black mist, its face indistinguishable, yet he recognized this person.

"Xiao Ran? How did he..." Supreme Elder Jian Cangqiong's voice was full of surprise.

Lion Cangqiong was also stunned.

He struggled to lift his head, seeing Xiao Ran's figure, his eyes widening into circles.

"That Human Race small Cultivator? How did he get there? Isn't he at the Void Refining Early Stage?"

A trace of surprise flashed in Feng Tian's amber eyes; she forced her body to hold up and looked toward the direction of the law seed.

"He... he has a Magic Treasure capable of concealing Qi; no wonder none of us noticed."

The vortex in Sparrow Emperor's blood-red eyes began to spin again, his voice low.

"He wants to take the law seed! That brat is crazy!"

City Lord Li Qingge's eyes were full of shock; he wanted to rush over, but his legs felt as if they were filled with lead and could not move.

"Xiao Ran! Don't touch it!"

The Nine-Headed Snake Emperor's light beams shot toward Xiao Ran.

But before the light beams could touch Xiao Ran, they were deflected by an invisible force.

The purple-gold light on the surface of the law seed exploded, transforming into a river of Law that swallowed the Nine-Headed Snake Emperor's light beams and knocked it back several steps.

The river of Law spread in all directions with Xiao Ran at the center, dividing the entire Stone Chamber into two worlds, inner and outer.

Inside the river were Xiao Ran and the law seed; outside the river were the Nine-Headed Snake Emperor and everyone else.