Chapter 567: Great Desolation Tablet

Dao Sect, Central Mountain Peak.

The vast square at the top of the mountain was now filled with countless Dao Sect disciples kneeling on the ground, their knees weak and eyes filled with fear and awe as they stared at the sky above.

There, Xiao Ming remained suspended in the air. A powerful energy fluctuation radiated from his body. It was like a surging tidal wave that enveloped the entire Dao Sect.

"Senior! This was a misunderstanding! Our Dao Sect does not seek conflict with others. If there were any misunderstandings before, please direct them toward me!"

The leader of the Dao Sect, Ying Xuanzi, spoke with a trembling voice, his complexion deathly pale. In his arms, Ying Huanhuan's body was emitting a cold Qi, and she seemed to have lost her breath.

Despite this, the imposing aura of the figure in the sky made it clear to Ying Xuanzi that even if they mustered the entire Sect's power, there was not the slightest chance of victory. For the sake of the lives of over a hundred thousand members of the Sect, even with immense anger and resentment, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and yield.

"Sect Leader!"

Tears welled up in the eyes of the Four Hall Masters as they witnessed this scene.

Xiao Ming could easily discern Ying Xuanzi's thoughts and knew he had misunderstood. However, he had no intention of wasting time explaining. Ying Xuanzi would soon comprehend his purpose for coming.

Turning his gaze to the northwest, towards the Dao Sect's Desolate Hall, he spotted an exceptionally massive, desolate mountain within its depths. The mountain had a withered yellow hue, devoid of any greenery at its peak. From a distance, it resembled a barren land filled with a desolate aura.

"There's a King-rank Yimo in the Great Desolation Tablet. Let's capture it for some research."

Rumble!

The sound of thunderous rumbling filled the air as his words fell. After which, a huge ancient tablet broke out of the mountain. This huge tablet was like a mountain towering over the mountaintop. Its towering and majestic manner made it look like a divine artifact from ancient times.

"The Great Desolation Tablet has surfaced! Is that his objective?!"

Members of the Dao Sect gazed at the tablet with a grim expression on their faces. The Great Desolation Tablet, a heritage treasure of the Desolate Hall, represented the deepest foundation of the Dao Sect.

It contained the East Xuan Region's number one Scripture, the Great Desolation Scripture. Virtually every practitioner who had comprehended the Great Desolation Scripture had become a famous figure in the East Xuan Region.

The most recent individual to comprehend the Great Desolation Scripture was Zhou Tong, who had made a name for himself in the East Xuan Region a hundred years ago when he attacked the Yuan Gate.

As the mountain shattered, the towering three-hundred-meter-tall tablet now stood atop the peak. Its ancient yellowish hue had developed over centuries of sedimentation.

An unusual and ancient ripple emanated from the stone tablet, enveloping the area in a desolate aura. The sky appeared to take on a yellowish hue, and many felt as though they had been transported to an ancient land. Everyone's expressions turned solemn as they beheld this sight.

The Great Desolation Tablet was an ancient divine object discovered by the ancestors of the Dao Sect. It was precisely because of this tablet that the Dao Sect had been established in this location.

Nevertheless, throughout the years, the Dao Sect had never successfully controlled this ancient tablet. Every attempt to awaken it required an enormous amount of energy. Today's situation of someone forcibly summoning the tablet had never happened before. Nor had there been anyone capable of achieving it.

On the vast surface of the huge tablet, the effects of time had turned it somewhat yellow. The surface was not smooth but rather filled with pits and bumps, and a few minute cracks spread out on its surface like an insect. However, these seemed to be minor issues for the overall integrity of the tablet.

Scattered across the tablet's rugged surface were minuscule black dots, nearly imperceptible to the naked eye.

The number of these black dots was not small, but due to the vast size of the tablet and the erosion over time, the presence of these dots seemed unremarkable.

Yet upon closer inspection, one would notice that these black dots emitted a strange and extremely ice-cold fluctuation, devoid of any trace of vitality. It brought along a mysterious evil influence that could seemingly erase the myriad of living organisms from the world...

These were the fluctuations of a King-rank Yimo, originating from the one suppressed beneath the tablet.

Rumble!

Suddenly the space above in the sky shattered, and a colossal hand descended, seemingly intent on seizing the Great Desolation Tablet.

Ying Xuanzi saw Xiao Ming's move as an attempt to lay hands on their sacred object. He wanted to speak up, but at that moment, he found even talking difficult. Under the immense pressure that accompanied the appearance of the hand, everyone felt an even more intense oppressive force at this moment, leaving them almost breathless.

Buzz…

The Great Desolation Tablet suddenly started to tremble violently. Ray after ray of dusky yellow light started to shoot out from the body of the tablet, eventually transforming into a pillar of light that shot into the sky.

Waves of light continued to gather on the Great Desolate Tablet. In the end, the surface of the tablet became like a mirror. One could faintly see a blurry yet gigantic figure looming within it.

"Could that be... the spirit of the tablet?" Ying Xuanzi could hardly believe his eyes. Why would the tablet spirit respond to this mysterious powerhouse?

Inside the ancient tablet lay a desolate landscape of shattered stones.

Within this bleak expanse stood a yellow stone tablet, roughly three meters in height. It was identical to the Great Desolation Tablet, except that on the surface of this particular tablet, one could see some ancient symbols...

At the very bottom of the tablet, there were veins of black, shadowy lines emerging. These lines looked like the feelers of a demon, ice-cold and wicked as they wiggled slowly while spreading on the tablet like some kind of virus.

The fluctuations emanating from these strange black lines were identical to those of the tiny black dots.

Buzz!

At that moment, faint ripples appeared on the tablet's surface, and shortly after, a blurry figure emerged from it. 'Its' gaze seemingly piercing through to the outside world as a coarse voice, so ancient that it seemed to invade one's heart, rang out.

"Ancestor Stage! There exists such a powerhouse in this world once again!"

As 'it' spoke, the black lines on the tablet's surface started to move quietly, looking as if they possessed some semblance of intelligence.

Buzz, buzz!

The stone tablet suddenly trembled violently. The black lines below appeared to have been revived at this moment. The countless number of black lines rose and crazily climbed towards the stone tablet.

When the black lines were climbing, waves of faint black Qi scattered from them. An evil and emotionless ripple also spread apart wherever the black Qi passed, attempting to further erode the area.

"Hmph!"

This sudden change caused a low and cold snort to be emitted from the stone tablet. The tablet shook as numerous ancient yellow lights surged downwards. An indescribable strength spread and once again violently suppressed the black lines that were attempting to erode upwards.

"Keke…"

An ear-piercing laughter resounded, filled with an indescribable evil and coldness.

"Keke, Great Desolation Tablet, you have still not given up after so many years. Once again, you're putting your hopes on this boy outside now huh? Such wishful thinking! Ancestor Stage? You think everyone is like your master, the Symbol Ancestor? However, even someone as powerful as your master fell in the end. Who else can stop us in this world?"