278: Chapter 278 The Mysterious Throne

A ferocious aura, far surpassing that of an ordinary Purple Shadow Bat, erupted with a boom!

Immediately following, a jet-black sound wave, as thick as a water barrel, shot out from the nest entrance, instantly shattering dozens of Purple Shadow Bats blocking the path between Ye Tian and the nest. The shockwave slammed heavily against the liuguang sword that Ye Tian had hurriedly held up in front of him!

"Clang!"

Struck by the impact, Ye Tian's already heavily injured body could no longer hold up. He spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward, crashing into an Iron-Boned Purple Bamboo. The impact cracked the iron-hard bamboo before he collapsed to the ground, his vision swimming with darkness as he nearly lost consciousness.

The liuguang sword also flew from his hand, embedding itself in the ground not far away.

It was the Bat King!

It had been thoroughly disturbed!

Furthermore, this strike was clearly launched in anger, its power nearly approaching a strike at the Peak of the True Martial Realm!

If not for Ye Tian using his sword to block, and having Cultivated the Dragon Elephant Art and the Five Elements Sword Body as a foundation, his internal organs would likely have been shattered!

"Master!"

The Dragon Ape could no longer restrain himself. He leapt from Ye Tian's shoulder, his form instantly swelling to half a man's height. He stood before Ye Tian, letting out a threatening roar toward the nest entrance, pale flames burning on his body as the blood-colored mark on his right claw glowed faintly.

However, his injuries had not yet healed, and his aura was unstable. Facing the Bat King's pressure, he appeared unable to cope.

The vines at the nest entrance were torn apart by a tremendous force, and a massive figure slowly squeezed out.

It was an Iron-Beaked Purple Shadow Bat magnified several dozen times, with a wingspan exceeding two zhang. Its entire body was purple-black, save for a pair of eyes as red as blood, which radiated a light of violence and agony. Its abdomen was distended, clearly indicating it was in a weak period of egg-laying or molting, yet even so, its aura faintly reached the threshold of the Early Stage of the Huahai Realm!

It was just extremely unstable, fluctuating up and down.

The Bat King's blood-red eyes locked tightly onto Ye Tian and the Dragon Ape, who had dared to intrude into its nest territory. Especially upon sensing the aura of a Huahai Realm Yao Beast on the Dragon Ape that did not belong to Zhelong Hill, it felt even more threatened and enraged.

It opened its massive maw, filled with sharp teeth, and let out an even sharper, piercing screech!

Following this screech, all the Purple Shadow Bats in the bamboo forest went mad, their attacks becoming even more desperate!

The flock of bats swarming the Wind Patrol Guards also became even more violent because of the Bat King's screech. The pressure on Ah Fu and the others surged, and shouts of rage and screams of agony could be heard incessantly.

Ye Tian struggled to crawl up, but felt as if all the bones in his body had fallen apart. His vision swam with darkness, and the toxins and injuries made even the slightest movement difficult.

Could it be... after all his plotting, he still couldn't escape?

Just as the Bat King was gathering another sound wave and the Dragon Ape was preparing to fight to the death, a heaven-shaking explosion suddenly erupted from behind a range of hills less than three miles southwest of the bamboo forest!

Immediately following, a violent and terrifying energy fluctuation surged into the sky, blasting the trees and rocks in that area into the air!

Even from such a distance, one could feel the earth trembling and the scorching heat wave coming through the air!

It was that owner of the terrifying, blood-filled aura who had made a move!

And the target... seemed to be the flank of the bat flock battling the Wind Patrol Guards?

Or perhaps, was he attacking indiscriminately?

This sudden, terrifying explosion and pressure instantly attracted the vast majority of the Bat King's attention!

Its blood-red eyes turned sharply toward the direction of the explosion, emitting a hiss filled with uncertainty and deep dread.

An animal's instinct for danger told it that an extremely terrifying entity had arrived from that direction, a threat far greater than the human and the ape before it!

The flock of bats that had been crazily attacking the Wind Patrol Guards was also shaken by this explosion and pressure, causing a brief moment of chaos.

"Good Opportunity! Little Dragon, carry me, and rush into the nest!"

Ye Tian used his last bit of strength to transmit his voice to the Dragon Ape.

The Bat King was distracted by that unknown, terrifying entity, the nest entrance was wide open, and the surrounding bat flock was in chaos; this was a once-in-a-thousand-years Opportunity!

Inside the Bat King's nest, there might very well be a passage leading elsewhere, or a temporarily safe space!

The Dragon Ape reacted extremely quickly, grabbing Ye Tian and placing him on his back. He didn't care about exposure anymore; using all four claws, he rushed fiercely toward the open nest entrance!

The Bat King noticed and let out a sharp screech, flapping a wing toward them; the fierce wind pressure was like cutting blades.

The Dragon Ape did not dodge or avoid it. Pale and blood-colored flames intertwined on his right claw as he slammed it fiercely against the Bat King's wing!

"Bang!"

Air waves rolled, and the Dragon Ape let out a muffled grunt. Using the force, he moved even faster, instantly plunging into the dark nest entrance.

The Bat King was furious and wanted to pursue them inside, but the anxious hissing of its young from within the nest, along with the terrifying aura from the southwest that was getting closer and making its very Soul tremble, forced it to stop. It let out an angry roar, turned to order the bat flock to strengthen their defenses, and simultaneously looked warily toward the direction of the explosion.

The inside of the nest was not as filthy as imagined; on the contrary, it was exceptionally dry and the space was massive.

Countless purple-black stalactite-like objects hung from the ceiling, emitting a faint glow.

Deep in the nest, one could vaguely see a "Throne" piled up from various beast bones, Ore, and even the wreckage of human weapons. On it sat several giant purple eggs that were trembling slightly and radiating a rich life fluctuation.

But Ye Tian and the Dragon Ape had no time to attend to anything else at this moment.

The Dragon Ape set Ye Tian down and leaned against the cave wall, panting heavily. The place on his right claw that had been swept by the Bat King's wing was dripping with blood.

Ye Tian was even more limp on the ground, having almost no strength left to even move a finger.

"Temporarily... safe."

Ye Tian said weakly, looking toward the nest entrance.

The Bat King had not pursued them inside; clearly, its eggs were more important, and there was a greater threat outside.

But the crisis had not been resolved.

That unknown, terrifying powerhouse and the people from the Wanren Sword Pavilion were just outside, and the flock of bats was still surrounding this place.

They had merely jumped from one dangerous place into another, potentially more dangerous, cage.

Ye Tian struggled to take out a Medicinal Pill for healing and swallowed it, then handed a few to the Dragon Ape.

He had to recover a bit of mobility as soon as possible.

This nest was absolutely not a place to stay for long.

His gaze swept across the inside of the nest, when suddenly, the fragment he had been gripping tightly in his hand became scorching hot!

The resonance was intense to an unprecedented degree!

The direction it pointed to was, shockingly, deep within the nest, beneath the "Throne" where the Bat King's eggs were piled!

What... was there?

Why would the fragment have such a strong reaction?

This reaction even surpassed the previous faint resonance with the clues for the Taichu Sword Scripture!

Could it be that beneath this Bat King's nest, something related to that supreme sword scripture, or at least something of equal importance, was hidden?

Curiosity and the desire to survive intertwined in Ye Tian's heart.

Strong enemies surrounded them outside; this place was definitely not for lingering, and the Bat King could return at any moment.

But if there truly was an Opportunity beneath that "Throne," it might be the only hope for him and the Dragon Ape to turn the tables in this desperate situation!

"Little Dragon, help me watch the entrance. I'll go over and take a look."

Ye Tian gritted his teeth, using all his strength, and attempted to prop up his body.

The Dragon Ape immediately used his uninjured left claw to carefully support him.

"Master, your injuries..." the Dragon Ape said with concern.

"It's fine, I won't die."

Ye Tian caught his breath and, supported by the Dragon Ape, moved step by step toward that "Throne."

Every step tugged at his wounds.

Approaching the "Throne," that fishy, sweet scent became even stronger, mixed with the stench of excrement and decaying matter.

Several Bat eggs, the size of a human head and covered in purple vein-like patterns, trembled slightly, emitting a vigorous life force.

Ye Tian had no interest in the Bat eggs; his gaze was fixed on the bottom of that "Throne"!

There, in the gaps between a few thick, unknown beast bones, a corner of a dark-colored stone slab that looked completely out of place with the surrounding environment was vaguely visible.

The scorching heat of the fragment originated precisely from this!