Chapter 499: Chapter 65: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes
The Opportunity Transmission Array was established through the combined efforts of dozens of Array Masters from the continent.
The Array Map of this array has been lost. The grand array is extensive and complex, and even Mo Kang’s Primordial Spirit does not know how many smaller arrays exist within it.
Each small array is independent, and what happens inside an array is unknown to the outside world.
Just as Weiwei was performing the sacrifice, the remaining four members of the July Mercenary Team were unwittingly drawing near to a carefully plotted conspiracy.
Among the Five Saints Mountain’s five Holy Beasts, aside from Su Xi who had found his inheritance and entered the Seclusion Device, and Jin Jiao who had secluded himself, the remaining three Holy Beasts were all lying in ambush within the Opportunity Transmission Array of the Sky Dragon Palace.
The prophecy of the Water Mermaid Pearl put the Holy Beasts on alert.
The emergence of the Dragon Transformation Pond promised the arrival of a world-shaking powerhouse capable of rivaling the sun and moon – the Holy Beasts would never allow such a powerful member of the Human Race to be born.
They had deduced that this powerful individual must be among the humans entering the Opportunity Transmission Array, so they acted separately, intending to break them one by one.
Fire Phoenix Feng Yan chose the July Team as her target, while Tu Sanbian took on the faction led by Jin Nuo of the Dragon War Empire as his opponent.
Jin Nuo and Tu Sanbian both practiced powerful Dark Skill, and their struggle shook the earth and moved the mountains, leaving the slightly weaker soldiers of the Dragon Battle Army in disarray, with countless dead or injured.
In a fit of rage, Jin Nuo summoned the Black Winged Dragon, and Tu Sanbian, not willing to show weakness, transformed into his true Qilin form.
Their battle was on the verge of breaking out.
On the other side, the conflict between Jiao Lan and Xie Yu seemed much more "gentle".
The two men, more beautiful than women, faced each other: one suave and the other cold as ice. Just by looks, they were indeed a feast for the eyes.
But upon closer inspection, one could sense the turbulent undercurrents between them.
Jiao Lan said indifferently, "This path is blocked."
Xie Yu gave Jiao Lan a glance and responded, "I insist on breaking through."
As soon as these words were uttered, a Hexagonal Ice Crystal Flower floated down from mid-air. The flower spun rapidly, transforming into a razor-sharp ice sword that shot straight at Xie Yu’s face.
Xie Yu, as if he were picking flowers, reached out with his jade-like fingers and caught the Ice Crystal Flower in his hand.
"Bang—" The Ice Crystal shattered, turning into a cloud of snow mist.
Jiao Lan’s eyes sharpened, and from the wide sleeves like dancing snakes, he shot out two beams of blue icy breath, so cold that everything it touched almost turned into ice.
Xie Yu’s expression darkened, ready to unleash his killing move.
At that moment, Jiao Lan and Xie Yu both stopped their actions and looked down at their feet simultaneously.
Somehow, within the insubstantial Opportunity Transmission Array, a new Transmission Array resembling a vortex of blood had appeared under each of their feet.
The same Transmission Array also appeared simultaneously under the feet of the still-clashing Jin Nuo, Tu Sanbian, and Bo Xiyu and others who were aimlessly shuttling through the Transmission Array like headless flies.
The appearance of the blood-colored vortex was silent and unnoticed; within the vortex, the blood churned rapidly. Suddenly, everyone felt the world spinning, as if a ghastly hand was pulling from below. They were all abruptly dragged into the vortex.
When they struggled to emerge from the blood vortex, they found themselves in a vast Stone Chamber.
The stone chamber looked like a divine altar where ancient rituals had been performed, with pure white gauzy curtains hanging beside the stone columns that required three people to fully embrace.
The surrounding flowers and grass had long since withered, and right in the center of the stone chamber was a square pool.
The pool appeared ancient, its stones covered with dried-up black blood.
On the four walls of the pool were carvings of the Four Great Holy Beasts: Sun Dragon, Moon Tiger, Star Sparrow, and Chen Wu.
At the bottom of the pool was a depiction of Dragon Slayer Hero Mo Kang killing the Evil Jiao.
"The Dragon Transformation Pond," upon seeing the pool, everyone involuntarily took a step forward.
The legendary Dragon Transformation Pond, sealed away for over a thousand years, now lay before their eyes.
"Welcome to the Sky Altar," a familiar yet surprising voice came from the Dragon Transformation Pond.
In the desiccated center of the pool, the image of Mo Kang killing the Evil Jiao split in two, and a Ninth-Order Two-headed Tiger Lion Beast flew out, with a person on its back who astounded everyone present.
"Lady Qingyan," everyone was stunned.
How could it be Lady Qingyan, and what was the deal with the Two-headed Tiger Lion Beast beneath her?
"You have all worked hard. Those who are eligible to enter the Sky Altar are truly powerful," the present Lady Qingyan, drastically different from the frail old woman of yore, was enchanting in a ruby-red dress, her hair moving without wind.
As everyone looked around, the various factions realized that after entering the Transmission Array, apart from the few with firm convictions who were unaffected by the illusions of the Transmission Array and survived, most of their subordinates had perished within the Illusion Array.
Three Holy Beasts, Bo Xiyu, Luo Lin, Jin Nuo, Xie Yu, along with a few members of the July Mercenary Team, the remaining people numbered only a little over ten.
Xie Yu, seeing that Yue Jinghua was missing, suddenly changed expression and coldly demanded, "Where is your captain?"
"Jinghua, she," Shalman’s eyes reddened, then he glared fiercely at Huo Fengyan, "She forced our captain to self-immolate."
Huo Fengyan raised her beautiful eyebrows playfully, laughing, "She did it willingly. You can only blame your own lack of strength. If you hadn’t fallen into my hands, she wouldn’t have followed my scheme."
Xie Yu stiffened, his face losing its usual smile for the first time. Yue Jinghua was dead, and his heart ached as if gouged by a knife.
"Impossible, a scourge that has lasted a thousand years, such a demonic being, how could she possibly die," as if talking to himself, Xie Yu could not believe it. He had killed countless people in his life, yet he never expected that one day, the most important person to him would also be killed by someone else.
"Whether it’s hatred or resentment, by the time you reach this Sky Altar, it all dissipates like smoke. Compared to those who died tragically on the Four Seasons Path and within the Transmission Arrays, you are much luckier, at least you’ve found the Dragon Transformation Pond and have the honor of being part of my ceremony," Lady Qingyan said with a pursed lip smile, looking down high and mighty at the people with varying expressions.
Lady Luo Lin was one of the few sober-minded people present. She looked around and quickly discovered that this so-called Sky Altar had no entrance or exit, and the blood vortex that had previously transported several people over had also disappeared without trace.
"Lady Qingyan, may I ask for what purpose you have invited us all here," Luo Lin stepped forward with a sense of foreboding.
Lady Qingyan did not answer immediately but counter-questioned, "Do you know why this Dragon Transformation Pond is empty?"
The crowd exchanged glances, as according to legend, the Dragon Transformation Pond should be filled with Dragon Blood.
"Because, it will be filled with the blood of the strong. I will use your blood in exchange for my husband, Mo Lin’s resurrection," Lady Qingyan said. Her fingertip floated the Hero’s Tears and General Mo Lin’s corpse, "The ancient precept of the Molin Family says, should the day come when the Sky Dragon Palace reemerges to see the sun, and the Dragon Transformation Pond appears in this world, using the blood of the Dragon Transformation Pond can resurrect the dead."
"The blood of the strong," the crowd was startled. Lady Qingyan actually intended to use the blood of everyone present to activate the Dragon Transformation Pond.
"Hmph, a woman who doesn’t know life from death, thinking of extracting our blood, let’s see if you have the ability," Huo Fengyan’s beautiful eyes flickered, and she turned into a fire shadow, charging directly at Lady Qingyan.
But just as she reached halfway, Huo Fengyan felt an overwhelming heaviness, and her nimble body suddenly plummeted to the ground.