535: Water Candle Monster

At Black Crystal Fortress, the teleportation domain gate suddenly erupted with a faint glow, and powerful figures slowly walked out of it.

The brawny leader, clad in black and red battle armor, exuded a mighty aura; merely standing there, he caused the surrounding air to twist and burn.

Following behind him were members of the Black Crystal Blood Flame Clan, as well as several beings of various forms, clearly powerful individuals from vassal races. Among them, two exuded a pressure that had already reached the Three-Step Dao Ancestor level.

"Greetings, Lord Hei Mo!"

The two One-Step Dao Ancestors of the Black Crystal Blood Flame Clan stationed at the fortress had long been waiting nearby. Seeing Hei Mo appear, they immediately bowed down, their voices filled with reverence.

Hei Mo held an extremely high position within the clan, and coupled with his immense strength, the mere invisible pressure he exuded made both of them tense up.

"Hmph!"

Hei Mo snorted coldly. Though quiet, this snort boomed like thunder in the ears of the two One-Step Dao Ancestors.

Both felt their bodies tremble uncontrollably.

"Please calm your anger, Lord!"

They hurriedly spoke, cold sweat beading on their foreheads, fearing to provoke this harbinger of death.

They knew that Hei Mo's arrival this time was undoubtedly due to the demise of Black Yuán and other clansmen. At this moment, he was seething with rage, and a slight misstep could lead to disaster for them.

"Was it a Human Race attack? Or what happened?"

Hei Mo's gaze fell upon them, his voice icy and devoid of warmth.

When the imprints of Black Yuán and others shattered within the clan, an emergency meeting was immediately convened. He then rushed to the fortress, still unaware of the exact cause of Black Yuán's and the others' demise.

"Replying to Lord, it was not a Human Race attack."

The One-Step Dao Ancestor on the left spoke tremblingly, "Some time ago, a junior from the clan discovered traces of Ancient Ruin Beast cubs in the water while patrolling the upper reaches of the Xu River."

"After Lord Black Yuán learned of this, he concluded that adult Ancient Ruin Beasts must be active nearby, so Lord Black Yuán took several other Lords and left to capture them in the Xu River."

"But who knew, after they left, there was no news of them, and even their Clones suddenly shattered!"

He dared not conceal anything, reporting the entire sequence of events in detail, fearing to miss any information.

"So, this has nothing to do with the Human Race?"

Hei Mo's brows furrowed slightly as he pressed on coldly, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

If it was merely to capture Ancient Ruin Beasts, even if adult Ancient Ruin Beasts were powerful in combat, it wouldn't cause eleven Dao Ancestors to perish simultaneously. There must be other hidden circumstances.

"No! Absolutely not!"

The One-Step Dao Ancestor quickly shook his head, "After Lord Black Yuán and the others' Clones shattered, there was indeed an anomaly on the Human Race's mining cave side. Several Dao Ancestors on duty briefly investigated the fortress's aura."

"After that, there was no further movement, and they didn't send anyone near the fortress, let alone launch an active attack!"

Upon hearing this, Hei Mo slowly narrowed his eyes, a hint of contemplation flashing in his deep gaze.

Since the Human Race was not involved, could the demise of Black Yuán and the others truly be due to encountering an Ancient Ruin Beast far more formidable than expected?

But even so, with Black Yuán's strength as a Three-Step Dao Ancestor, he should have at least left a distress signal. It's impossible that even his Rebirth methods were instantly eradicated.

"You all stay."

Hei Mo was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke, his gaze sweeping over the two Three-Step Dao Ancestors of the vassal races and several Two-Step Dao Ancestors of the Black Crystal Blood Flame Clan behind him.

"No matter what methods you use, capture the Ruin River Ancient Mine for me!"

There was no Three-Step Dao Ancestor stationed at the Human Race's mining cave, their only reliance being the defensive grand formation outside the cave.

However, that grand formation wouldn't last long against two Three-Step Dao Ancestors, so such a minor matter didn't require his personal intervention.

The most important thing now was to trace down the Xu River tributary to see if any clues to Black Yuán and the others' demise could be found, and to ascertain the truth.

After all, the demise of Black Yuán and the others was a heavy blow to their lineage. If they didn't find the culprit and exact revenge, how could their lineage maintain its standing within the clan once the news spread?

"Yes! We obey your command, Lord!"

The two One-Step Dao Ancestors on duty and the named Dao Ancestors quickly responded, their voices filled with utmost respect.

Hei Mo said no more, turning and walking out of the fortress. The blood flame Qi currents around him subtly surged. If there truly was a hidden powerful enemy, he would personally crush him.

The two One-Step Dao Ancestors on duty exchanged glances, both seeing fear in the other's eyes.

They understood that if they failed to capture the mining cave, a fate worse than death awaited them.

"Give the order!" one of them gritted his teeth and shouted, "All forces attack! Break through the Human Race's grand formation at all costs!"

A mournful horn blast immediately echoed through the fortress. Countless alien warriors surged out of the barracks, sweeping towards the Human Race's mining cave like a black tide... Somewhere in the middle reaches of the Xu River, Xu Qing was leisurely roasting meat over a fire.

Beside him, a gigantic sea beast, over three hundred thousand feet in size, lay sprawled on the riverbank. It resembled a seal but was covered in scales, its wide, unblinking eyes staring in death. A large chunk of flesh was missing from its back, exposing stark white bones; this was, of course, Xu Qing's handiwork.

These days, he had been staking out Tianyang aliens in this area, and in his leisure time, he would capture creatures from the Xu River for a meal.

The creatures that could survive in the Xu River came in a myriad of strange forms, but they all had one thing in common: their flesh contained astonishing Qi and blood energy.

For a Body Cultivator, it was simply a heaven-sent tonic, and days of continuous consumption had elevated his Physical Body's strength to another level.

It could be said that this river, which was fraught with danger for other Dao Ancestors, was an excellent Cultivation ground for him.

Xu Qing unhurriedly sprinkled special seasonings, his gaze occasionally sweeping across the river surface.

In the distance, many Xu River creatures secretly spied, their eyes filled with apprehension and fear.

"Buzz!"

The Void Realm suddenly tore open, and a figure stepped out from within.

The newcomer was an old man with a youthful complexion and white hair. He was clearly startled upon seeing Xu Qing, "A Human Race?"

Xu Qing looked up and scrutinized him.

Although the opponent had taken on a human form, he could not escape Xu Qing's perception. This was a Water Candle Yao Race member among the Tianyang aliens, skilled in controlling both water and fire.

Just two days ago, the alien squad he annihilated happened to have members of this very race.

"A Three-Step Dao Ancestor?"

Xu Qing withdrew his gaze, losing interest, and continued to flip the skewer of meat in his hand.

"What an arrogant Human Race!" the old man roared in fury.

His body was instantly enveloped by water and fire Qi, transforming in a flash into a three-zhang-tall monster. He had a bizarre appearance, his left half a deep blue like ice, his right half a fiery red, his entire body covered in two-colored scales, exuding a terrifying pressure.

"I hate it when others disturb me while I'm eating," Xu Qing said, giving him a cold glance.

"You seek death!" the monster roared, forming hand seals with its claws, "Water and Fire Boundless, Yin and Yang Burning Heaven!"

A monstrous wave surged from its left claw, and a heaven-burning inferno rose from its right. The two opposing forces of water and fire perfectly blended, transforming into a destructive torrent of red and blue, causing even the Void Realm to begin to disintegrate wherever it passed.

Xu Qing didn't even lift his head, casually striking out with a palm.

What appeared to be a light and effortless blow contained the immense power to shatter everything. The awe-inspiring torrent of water and fire actually disintegrated piece by piece like foam.

"Impossible!"

The monster's face drained of color in horror, but the next moment, he unhesitatingly turned and fled into the Xu River, transforming into a streak of light and rapidly escaping into the distance.

Xu Qing indifferently raised his hand and lightly pointed in a certain direction downstream.

"Boom!!!"

The entire section of the river suddenly exploded with towering waves of ten thousand zhang. When the waves subsided, only a mixture of various colored blood remained on the river surface, and the monster was nowhere to be seen.

"You escaped quickly," Xu Qing sneered.

The Water Candle Yao had abandoned half of its body at the last moment, using a blood escape secret technique to flee.

He couldn't be bothered to pursue. After the opponent returned to report, it would naturally attract stronger adversaries, and that would be more interesting.

After finishing the roasted meat in his hand, he collected the sea beast's corpse, and his figure quietly vanished from the spot.

Overconfidence does not equate to foolishness; he would not be so idiotic as to wait to be surrounded by a large army.