Chapter 582: Another Ancestral Symbol Appears

Ren Yuanzi's expression changed when he heard those words, and his gaze became uncertain. For a moment, he seemed to be at a loss for words.

Anyone who dared to talk about annihilating his Yuan Gate must be either a fool or an unparalleled expert. However, he couldn't gauge the strength of the person in front of him.

"Haha, today's incident may indeed be the fault of our Yuan Gate. The matter of the three elders will not be pursued further. As for the compensation for Wang Jie, that still needs to be discussed. How about Your Excellency withdrawing for now?"

A faint laugh suddenly sounded in the sky as Ren Yuanzi's face changed. After which, everyone saw the space in the sky distort again as two figures slowly appeared.

One of the two figures was wearing a black robe. His long black hair was scattered behind him. The hands that were coming out of his sleeves looked pale, but his face was extremely soft like jade. His two eyes were like stars and seemed to have the power to see through life and death.

The person next to him was wearing a white robe. His skin was pale, and he looked quite ordinary. However, his eyes revealed both black and white, appearing like intertwining Yin and Yang, a sight that was filled with mystery.

When these two figures appeared, everyone could clearly sense that the space around them was intensely distorted. It was evident that they were not ordinary individuals.

"Tian Yuanzi, Di Yuanzi... the three Yuan Gate leaders have all appeared!"

Countless gasps and astonished voices suddenly erupted in the area below. Everyone was dumbfounded as they looked at this scene. These pinnacle experts of the East Xuan region, who were usually as elusive as dragons, had actually appeared one after the other today...

Xiao Ming looked at them and praised them mildly, "Recognizing one's mistakes is indeed commendable. However, my intention to annihilate Yuan Gate has nothing to do with others. Do you know someone known as King Tianming?"

"We don't," Ren Yuanzi shook his head firmly.

"The affairs of my East Xuan Region will be handled by our East Xuan Region's practitioners. Your Excellency's interference is excessive. Even if you bring up a so-called King Tianming, it's still not acceptable."

"Very well then."

Xiao Ming looked at the three individuals in the sky. He waved his sleeve, and a ray of golden light shot out. The golden light then turned into a golden lightning in front of him.

"Not acknowledging him is no excuse to spare human traitors like you."

There was no astonishing fluctuation when the golden lightning shot out. However, Ren Yuanzi's pupils suddenly contracted at this moment. He felt an extreme sense of danger welling up within his heart.

The three leaders of Yuan Gate were obviously not going to just sit back and wait for their deaths. They all released the Yuan Power in their bodies. Their hands reached out and unleashed powerful attacks that were enveloped in a faint aura of reincarnation.

The three of them were surprisingly all Samsara Stage Practitioners!

Unfortunately, their Yuan Power had just begun to condense when it was shattered by the golden lightning. In just a brief moment of confrontation, the three figures were directly sent flying backwards.

"Grug!"

The three of them managed to stabilize themselves, but their gazes at Xiao Ming were filled with shock and horror. Each of them spewed out a mouthful of old blood. Their aura appeared to be significantly weakened.

"These are the three leaders of Yuan Gate, the strongest among the experts in the East Xuan Region. They could sweep through the entire region when they join forces. And yet, they were defeated by a single move!"

"He must be a figure standing at the pinnacle of the world. Otherwise, how else could he be this strong? With such a figure present, who would dare to provoke the Dao Sect?"

"What stage is this person really in? He defeated the three leaders of Yuan Gate with a single move. The aura of those three leaders seemed to be somewhat like the Samsara Stage. Therefore, even those at the Samsara Stage might not be able to do that. Could it be that this person is above the Samsara Stage?"

More and more strong practitioners gathered outside Yuan Gate, buzzing with discussion. The defeat of the three leaders of Yuan Gate with a single move was beyond anyone's expectation. Even if they didn't die, they were now severely injured. While they could imagine that Xiao Ming was strong, they didn't expect him to be this powerful!

...

"This guy must be at least a 2nd Calamity Reincarnation Stage Practitioner!"

Tian Yuanzi looked at Xiao Ming with deep fear in his eyes. They had been utterly powerless against the other party's attack just now!

"Today will not end well. We cannot hold back any longer. Release that guy and let's deal with him together!"

Di Yuanzi lightly waved his sleeve as soon as these words were spoken. The space around him quickly became distorted, and black fog surged. A blurry figure seemed to be walking out from within the distorted space.

Their actions naturally did not go unnoticed by Xiao Ming and the others. They sensed an extremely strange fluctuation coming from that distorted space.

Sha sha…

A foot slowly emerged from within that distorted space, and the black fog surrounding it gradually faded, revealing a skinny figure. The figure was wearing a black robe, and his entire body was shrouded in darkness.

"This fluctuation... It's the Spatial Ancestral Symbol."

Xiao Ming's eyes flickered slightly. Ying Huanhuan and Qing Tan beside him were shocked when they heard these three words.

Swoosh!

However, before they could say anything, the skinny figure silently and mysteriously appeared before their Master. The space in front of the skinny figure became greatly distorted as he waved his hand. It seemed as if the formless space under his palm had solidified.

Xiao Ming's gaze remained unchanged as he flicked his finger. In an instant, a powerful force sent the figure flying. However, the figure seemed to be completely unharmed. He stepped into the air once more and mysteriously reappeared in front of Xiao Ming.

This time, the figure pointed his finger. His fingertip seemed to pierce through space, heading straight for Xiao Ming's forehead. His technique was extremely ruthless. 

The silver glowing fingertip seemed to be as sharp as a sword. However, this sharp attack stopped a mere meter away from Xiao Ming. At the same time, the skinny figure remained suspended in midair, unable to advance or retreat.

Just then, a gentle breeze swept through the air, lifting the hood of the figure's cloak. Under the hood, a handsome yet deathly pale young face was faintly visible.

"Wait, don't make a move!"

A hurried voice suddenly came from the sky behind them. Ying Xuanzi rushed over with an extremely pale face. The latter pointed his trembling finger at the figure while disbelief filled his eyes.

"You... you... Zhou Tong, you're still alive?! How is this possible!"

Ying Xuanzi's voice was full of disbelief. Ying Huanhuan and Wang Jie below were both shocked upon hearing this.

The person before them was actually Zhou Tong, the most outstanding disciple of the Dao Sect a hundred years ago! 

He was once a prodigy of the Desolate Hall who had comprehended the Great Desolation Scripture.

"It's actually Zhou Tong!"

"How can this be? Wasn't it said that Zhou Tong had died at the hands of Yuan Gate a long time ago?"

"Yuan Gate clearly turned him into a puppet and spread false information, but this is too much…"

"Although Zhou Tong was disrespectful to Yuan Gate, as forces within the East Xuan Region, killing him was already excessive, let alone turning him into a puppet…"

The strong practitioners outside Yuan Gate continued their discussions. These experts had come from various places, and witnessing this scene left them with unpleasant expressions.

Zhou Tong's situation back then was quite similar to today's incident with Wang Jie. Everyone knew that it was probably Yuan Gate who had acted underhandedly and forced Zhou Tong to attack them. However, since the Dao Sect couldn't provide any evidence and Zhou Tong was killed in the attack, there was little they could do.

But if killing was already too much, turning him into a puppet was an entirely different matter! Yuan Gate had shed its image as the leading righteous faction in the East Xuan Region.

If Yuan Gate could "righteously" eliminate a Dao Sect genius like Zhou Tong, couldn't they use the same method against the geniuses of their own sect? Just the thought of it was enough to make one's skin crawl...

...

Ying Xuanzi was trembling continuously, while the expression in his eyes was rapidly changing. Clearly, the emotions in his heart were far too intense. It seemed like the current scene had had a huge impact on him.

Zhou Tong looked at Ying Xuanzi like this. A gentle breeze blew over, causing his long hair to drift. After which, tears began to fall on his handsome face as his body shook violently. It looked like he was struggling against something. Finally, an extremely hoarse and indistinct voice came out of his mouth.

"Mas...ter!"

His hoarse voice was filled with endless despair.

Ying Xuanzi's body stiffened. He stared at the struggling Zhou Tong, and in the next instant, he turned his fierce gaze to Tian Yuanzi and roared, "You beasts actually dare to do such a thing!"

Tian Yuanzi frowned as he looked at Zhou Tong. He then snorted coldly before shaking his sleeve. After that, Zhou Tong's struggling body slowly stiffened. The emotions that had just surfaced on his face gradually faded away, and he now looked like a zombie being controlled by someone else.

"This disciple of yours has an exceptionally tough spirit. Even after being eroded for a hundred years, he is still able to retain a trace of consciousness. Haha, I didn't actually do much. I just couldn't bear the thought of letting such a good seedling go to waste. That is why I helped him to switch his allegiance from the Dao Sect to our Yuan Gate Clan. Now, let him have some fun with you guys."

Tian Yuanzi, along with Ren Yuanzi and Di Yuanzi, tore through space and left the area after speaking. Xiao Ming didn't stop them when he saw that they were only heading to a certain location within Yuan Gate.

Ying Xuanzi was outraged and even his face became distorted. Never did he imagine that this disciple, whom he was the proudest of and whom he viewed as his own son, was actually being tortured by Yuan Gate for the past hundred years!

Just as he was about to prevent the three leaders from leaving, Zhou Tong mysteriously broke free from the spatial restraint he was held in. He appeared behind Ying Xuanzi in a ghost-like manner. His hand glowing with silver light transformed into a razor-sharp space blade and stabbed violently towards Ying Xuanzi. All the latter could do was to hastily defend himself, but it was clearly too late.

"Dad!"

Ying Huanhuan, who was at Xiao Ming's side, saw that Ying Xuanzi had fallen into a dangerous situation in such a short time, and her face turned pale.

Swoosh!

The blade shimmering with silver light was about to strike Ying Xuanzi's forehead when Xiao Ming pointed his finger, causing the spatial blade to instantly disintegrate. As the attack was intercepted, a golden lightning quickly wrapped around Zhou Tong and immobilized him.

"The Spatial Ancestral Symbol indeed has miraculous properties. It was able to bypass the space I casually locked. However, once entangled by the Nine Mysterious Golden Lightning, you won't be able to escape," Xiao Ming said as he looked at Zhou Tong, who was immobilized and still howling.

"Master, you are the most amazing! Can you please save Senior Brother Zhou Tong…?" Ying Huanhuan was relieved to see her father out of danger. She clung to Xiao Ming's arm and pleaded sweetly in a spoiled manner.

Every generation would have its own legend. Clearly, a hundred years ago, Zhou Tong was such a legend within the Dao Sect. He comprehended the extremely profound Great Desolation Scripture and led the disciples of Dao Sect to fight against Yuan Gate during the Great Sect Competition.

Finally, he even charged up to Yuan Gate alone. Although he was eventually killed, he left a significant mark on the East Xuan Region and his name was forever imprinted in the hearts of all the Dao Sect disciples.

Ying Huanhuan grew up in such an environment, and naturally felt a sense of regret for Zhou Tong's current state.

"This is simple."

Xiao Ming smiled and then pushed his hand forward. A multi-colored flame immediately engulfed Zhou Tong, causing countless black Qi to burst forth from his body.

Zhou Tong's body shook within the blazing flames. The black robe covering his body turned to ash and dispersed. After that, shocked exclamations and gasps of horror could be heard among the onlookers.

Beneath the black robe was not the flesh that everyone had imagined. Instead, there was only a black skeleton. On the surface of this skeleton, there were densely packed mysterious black lines. These devil lines were wrapped around Zhou Tong's bones. They were like maggots in his bones that could not be removed.

Inside the black skeleton, one could see the still-beating organs in Zhou Tong's chest cavity. However, these organs were completely pitch black. It was clearly a manifestation of being eroded to the extreme by Demonic Qi.

No one could have imagined that such a horrifying scene was hidden underneath a complete human head!

Inside Zhou Tong's strange body, a complicated set of meridians could be seen. A silver light was flowing within these meridians. It was the strength of the Spatial Ancestral Symbol.

Looking closely at Zhou Tong's body, only these meridians had not yet been eroded by the Demonic Qi. This was probably the main reason why he could still use the power of the Spatial Ancestral Symbol.

Black devil lines intertwined around his body, vaguely forming an extremely evil set of devil shackles. It was these devil shackles that had reduced Zhou Tong to his current state.

"Master, what is this thing? It feels so evil..."

Qing Tan looked at the black lines and felt a sense of discomfort. The evil and sinister aura emitted by these markings seemed like the natural enemy of all living beings.

"This is the Devil Emperor Lock, a vicious technique created by the Yimo Emperor. When this thing is in place on a person's body, it will gradually erode the person's mind. Moreover, even the Yuan Spirit would be sealed in the body with no way to escape, not even able to enter Reincarnation.

Of course, the Devil Emperor Lock we see now is not complete, but only a version created by a Yimo King. Nonetheless, it's enough to prove that Yuan Gate has colluded with the Yimo. Otherwise, why would I come here to annihilate their sect?"

"These beasts actually dared to collude with the Yimo!"

Among the crowd, there were many strong practitioners with an ancient heritage who had a certain amount of knowledge about the Yimo.

As the discussions continued, everyone naturally understood how sinister Yuan Gate's methods were. Some even erupted in anger.

"Ah... Tian Yuanzi, come out and face me!"

Ying Xuanzi's anger which had been suppressed for a century flared up completely. He raised his palm and sent a sea of Yuan Power towards Yuan Gate's mountain gate, intending to find the Tian Yuanzi trio to vent his anger.

Boom!

Ying Xuanzi's palm strike shattered the mountain gate of Yuan Gate. Agonizing screams could be heard as elders and disciples alike fell lifeless everywhere. Surprisingly, none of Yuan Gate's three leaders appeared to stop Ying Xuanzi, allowing him to ruthlessly slaughter their sect members at will...