259: Chapter 259 The Enraged Crocodile

Meanwhile.

On the other side of the Secret Realm.

Colonel Liu Zhong's saber was already broken, with half of the blade wedged into a rock crevice and the remaining half still held in his hand. The cyan-gray spiritual light on the saber body had dimmed by more than half, and the edges were covered in cracks, as if it could shatter at any moment.

His left arm hung by his side, blood dripping down his fingertips to pool into a small dark-red puddle at his feet.

"You damned Yao Race..."

Colonel Liu Zhong stood at the edge of the region dense with stone pillars, leaning against a stone pillar covered in Buddhist scriptures. His breathing was rapid and heavy, and every inhalation carried a continuous low-frequency static noise.

E Kuang stood three steps in front of him.

His iron jaws were closed, and dark-red Demon Power slowly churned in his throat.

His right claw was still stained with blood, which dripped down the tips of the claws to form several slender traces on the ground.

He lowered his head to glance at the blood on his claw: "While you can still breathe, get lost. Otherwise, how much longer can you block me?"

Colonel Liu Zhong did not answer, holding the broken saber horizontally before him as if he were still wielding a sword.

"Seeking death!"

E Kuang was thoroughly enraged. He took a step forward and raised his right claw, the dark-red Demon Power in his palm condensing into a thick pillar of light that pressed straight toward Colonel Liu Zhong.

"Boom!"

Colonel Liu Zhong blocked horizontally with his saber. The moment the pillar of light struck the surface of the broken saber, the last few cracks on the blade burst open simultaneously, and the broken saber shattered into three pieces, falling to the ground.

Colonel Liu Zhong's body was struck head-on by the pillar of light, crashing into the stone pillar behind him with a dull thud. The Buddhist scripture carvings on the surface of the stone pillar lit up briefly before dimming again, and a layer of fine cracks extended to both sides from the point of impact. Tiny stone fragments slid down the pillar surface, piling up into a small heap on the ground.

"You can't blame me for this."

Patriarch Ekuang arrived in front of Colonel Liu Zhong at this moment, and looking at the head that was still trying to rise, he stepped down on it.

"Squish!"

Blood splattered everywhere.

E Kuang then opened his mouth and inhaled, directly swallowing Colonel Liu Zhong's corpse before lingering no longer. He strode past the stone pillars and walked deeper into the grotto heaven.

The situation within the Secret Realm was constantly changing.

As time passed.

After Patriarch Ekuang passed through the stone pillar region.

An open valley appeared ahead, its ground paved with cyan-gray stone slabs. Golden mist seeped out from the gaps, differing in tone from the Buddha light of the previous main hall area; it was somewhat darker and carried an aged, deposited scent.

"Hmm?"

A trace of curiosity flashed in Patriarch Ekuang's eyes, and he was just about to investigate.

"Rumble!!!"

The ground began to vibrate, spreading outward from the center of the valley. It lasted for about three breaths before stopping, as if it was supported from underground by some force.

The ground in the center of the valley split open with a fissure, the edges of which glowed with a warm golden light. Then, the golden light soared into the sky, attracting attention from all directions.

"Boom!"

The fissure continued to expand, revealing the top of a Buddhist hall below.

The Buddhist hall was a nirvana hall; it was small in scale and single-storied. Its roof was covered with dark golden tiles that had already dimmed, with a layer of long-accumulated gray dust along the edges.

The hall doors were tightly shut.

Carved on the door panels was a row of Arhat statues in various postures. Each one had its eyes closed, hands forming mudras, and heads lowered.

After the fissure expanded.

The entrance of the Buddhist hall was completely exposed, and an even layer of golden light leaked from the gaps of the doors. Its color was unhurried and steady, as if illuminated by a constant light source.

The stone slabs at the edge of the fissure were slowly sinking, as if their height was being adjusted by something to make the Buddhist hall level with the ground.

Patriarch Ekuang's gaze fell upon the Arhat statues on the door panels of the Buddhist hall. His gaze swept across that row of Arhat statues and paused for a moment, as if counting their number.

Behind him, several figures appeared from different directions.

Mo Lin and Xi Sha each took their positions, forming a loose arc.

Shi Yuan's gaze lingered on the Buddhist hall door panels for a moment, and his voice was not loud when he spoke.

"The Eighteen Arhats, huh."

Commander Su Qin at this moment also led the Moon Guards around from the back of the Buddhist hall, stopping on the other side of it. His gaze swept across those Arhat statues, glanced once more in Patriarch Ekuang's direction, and then stopped on the dried bloodstain on Patriarch Ekuang's claw.

Behind Commander Su Qin, Liu Ruobing's spiritual sense was slowly advancing toward the Buddhist hall. Colonel Liu Zhong was not by her side, and his aura had not yet reached this region.

Colonel Zhao Yuanan stood slightly behind and to the side of her, the Talisman in his hand already pinched open, spiritual power steadily circulating beneath his robes.

Patriarch Ekuang did not look toward the Human Race, but his gaze moved back and forth among the Arhat statues on the Buddhist hall door panels, and then he strode toward the direction of the hall doors.

The moment his footsteps landed, the golden light leaking from the gaps of the hall doors brightened slightly, showing a strong repulsion toward him.

"Damn it..."

"Still won't let me in!"

Patriarch Ekuang cursed.

Commander Su Qin stood on the other side of the Buddhist hall, his gaze sweeping over the dried bloodstain on Patriarch Ekuang's claw and then glancing at the golden light leaking from the gaps of the Buddhist hall doors.

His voice was not loud when he spoke, but it was enough for the other party to hear every single word clearly: "A bunch of demonic creatures, and you still want to enter the place where our Human Race's Buddha resides."

Patriarch Ekuang did not turn his head, his iron jaws closing once to produce a dull frictional sound: "Do you think just this piece of crap can stop me?"

As the words fell.

Patriarch Ekuang raised his right claw, and dark-red Demon Power surged out from his palm, climbing upward along his arm to condense into a churning layer of light at his shoulder blades.

The golden light in the gaps of the Buddhist hall doors violently twitched the moment his Demon Power was released externally, as if struck from the inside by something.

Commander Su Qin did not retreat. His right hand flipped at his side, and the Lightning Whip sprang out from his palm, silver-white electric arcs dancing along the whip body and emitting a continuous crackling sound.

He grasped the hilt of the whip, and the Lightning Whip lashed out an arc in the air. The electric arcs burst open at the tip of the whip, scorching the surrounding ground into a layer of charred black: "Whether they can stop you or not, I certainly can stop you."

"Rumble!"

The moment the Lightning Whip was lashed out, the electric arcs drew a slender light trace in the air, sweeping along the ground toward Patriarch Ekuang's direction. Wherever it passed, several faint scorch marks were left on the surface of the stone slabs, as if they had been rapidly heated by something and then quickly cooled.

Patriarch Ekuang did not dodge, waving his right claw to the side. The dark-red Demon Power condensed into a thin light curtain before him, and when the electric arcs struck the light curtain, they emitted a muffled sound as both shattered simultaneously.

Patriarch Ekuang tilted his head to glance at Commander Su Qin: "I am utterly enraged!"

Commander Su Qin had ruined his plans again and again, and Patriarch Ekuang had long been extremely furious in his heart.

"Boom!~"

Patriarch Ekuang took a step forward, and dark-red Demon Power continuously gushed out from within his body.

"Lightning Serpent Emerges from Its Cave!"

The electric arcs condensed into a thick, silver-white phantom of a Lightning Serpent in mid-air, opening its mouth to pounce straight at Patriarch Ekuang.

Wrapped in blinding electric arcs, the Lightning Serpent slammed into the Demon Power light layer before Patriarch Ekuang, producing a dull impact sound. The electric arcs danced a few times on the surface of the light layer without penetrating it, but a slowly fading crack appeared on the surface of the light layer, its edges continuing to expand without immediately closing.

Patriarch Ekuang's iron jaws opened, and dark-red Demon Power gushed from his throat, condensing into a thick pillar of light between his fangs that smashed head-on into the head of the Lightning Serpent, splitting the Lightning Serpent phantom right down the middle.