CHAPTER 573: CHAPTER 563 - ALL TROUBLES CAUSED BY GREED_2

"I think it’s best we don’t interfere," Lu Xingchen said. "We don’t know if that battle sword is a good omen or a curse. We’re already in a perilous situation. If anything else unexpected happens, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"What a joke!" Murong Xiong scoffed. "Why did we come to the Netherworld? Wasn’t it to enter the Imperial Capital and, while we’re at it, grab some treasures? Now that we’ve finally stumbled upon a treasure, how could we possibly not take it? If you don’t want it, I do!" With a cold smirk, Murong Xiong broke away from the team on his own, plunged into the horde of skeletons, and charged toward the hillock.

"Why won’t he ever listen to reason?" Lu Xingchen sighed, his face etched with helplessness.

"Good omen or curse, we can’t just abandon Murong Xiong," Dongfang Wuheng declared, waving his hand. "Let’s go take a look too." The team immediately wheeled around and streamed towards the hillock.

Qin Feiyang glanced at the battle sword, then turned to Lu Xingchen, frowning. "Do you know what that is?"

"I don’t know, but I have a very bad feeling about it," Lu Xingchen replied, shaking his head, a hint of worry in his eyes.

A bad feeling? Qin Feiyang’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Despite the countless skeletons blocking their path, the team quickly covered the twenty or thirty meters to the foot of the hillock. Murong Xiong, arriving a step ahead, his eyes blazing with fervor and greed, leaped onto it without hesitation. He grabbed the hilt of the battle sword and pulled with all his might.

CLANG!

With a piercing shriek, the battle sword emerged from the earth. Its lower half was also caked in rust, but amidst the corrosion, faint, icy black rays of light pulsed.

"Slash!" Gripping the battle sword, Murong Xiong suddenly slashed through the air. A black sword image instantly tore through the void and sliced into the horde of skeletons.

An astonishing scene unfolded! Wherever the sword image passed, the skeletons crumbled to dust like dry kindling, leaving not a trace behind!

"What a fine sword!" Murong Xiong exclaimed, his excitement palpable.

The eyes of the others below also shone with desire.

"The sword is indeed fine, but it’s not something insignificant ants like you are qualified to wield."

However, at that very moment, a bone-chillingly cold voice, like that of a demon from the depths of hell, suddenly echoed through the area.

"Who’s there?" everyone cried out, their faces paling in shock.

BOOM!

The next moment, the hillock beneath Murong Xiong’s feet suddenly exploded! Billowing dust and smoke instantly engulfed the surroundings. Murong Xiong’s face changed drastically, and he hastily leaped down. Qin Feiyang and the others also retreated, their gazes locked on the dust-choked area ahead.

SWOOSH!

Suddenly, a black figure darted out from the dust and smoke, positioning itself before the group. When they saw the black figure’s true form, everyone present was horrified!

It was also a skeleton! But this one was different: its bones were entirely black, as if steeped in ink. Moreover, its aura was formidable. If measured by the standards of human cultivation, it was definitely no weaker than a Nine-Star War Emperor!

"So, it’s just a lifeless thing daring to act so presumptuously! I’ll make you cease to exist entirely!" Murong Xiong’s body shuddered, and his War Ancestor aura surged forth like a mountain torrent. At the same time, he raised the battle sword high and slashed down at the black skeleton!

"My sword? What qualifications do you have to wield it?" the black skeleton sneered. As it stretched its bony claw into the air, the battle sword in Murong Xiong’s grasp suddenly trembled violently. It tore free from his grip, lacerating his hand, and flew towards the black skeleton.

"How is this possible?" Murong Xiong was dumbstruck. Could this battle sword have a sword spirit?

CLANG!

The battle sword landed in the black skeleton’s hand and immediately began to hum and vibrate. The rust on it flaked off with the vibrations. In no time, a gleaming, pitch-black battle sword was revealed to all. Not a speck of rust remained on its blade. An astonishingly sharp aura surged like a tidal wave, instantly engulfing everyone! They felt as if countless sharp blades were tearing at them; their clothes shredded, and their skin burned with excruciating pain.

It seems my premonition was right,

Lu Xingchen muttered.

The black skeleton lowered its head, flames flickering in its eye sockets as if inspecting the battle sword. It stroked the blade gently with a bony finger, its touch as tender as if caressing its own child.

"You’ve disturbed my quiet cultivation," the skeleton finally said, its voice grating. "All of you... must die today!"

Suddenly, the black skeleton looked up, the two flames in its eye sockets blazed wildly. An astonishing wave of Evil Qi erupted from it, rolling out in all directions. Swiftly, it brandished the battle sword and brought it down in a vicious chop! A black sword image howled through the air, hurtling towards Qin Feiyang and the others!

"This is all because of greed," Qin Feiyang sighed deeply, then shouted, "Everyone, quickly, retreat!"

The team immediately turned to flee. Qin Feiyang and Fatty, who had been bringing up the rear, now forged ahead to clear a path. Dongfang Wuheng and the other two, who had been leading, now fell back to cover the retreat. The hundreds of people dared not hold anything back, fighting off the white skeletons while frantically fleeing the area.

But the sword image was too fast; in the blink of an eye, it was already above the crowd!

Ren Wushuang shouted, "Murong Xiong, you caused this disaster! Why aren’t you doing something?"

"Damn it!" Murong Xiong cursed under his breath, his face ashen. This was the third time! How was he supposed to face everyone after this?

BOOM!

He lashed out in a furious rage. His Battle Intent coalesced into a torrent, surging upwards to meet the black sword image. But the result was mutual destruction!

How is this possible? Murong Xiong found it hard to accept. He was a one-star War Ancestor and had attacked with his full might! No matter how strong this battle sword was, it couldn’t possibly be *this* powerful!

"So, you can block it?" the black skeleton mused, a hint of mockery in its tone. The battle sword in its hand blazed with a brilliant light. "No wonder you dared to snatch my sword. But if you think that’s all, then you are gravely mistaken!" Simultaneously, an aura even stronger than before erupted from the black skeleton, sweeping across the sky.

"War Ancestor!" Everyone trembled from head to toe. This skeleton actually possessed the cultivation of a War Ancestor!

"Qin Feiyang, Fatty, Lu Xingchen, can’t you go any faster?" someone shrieked in terror.

"Damn it!" Fatty roared. "We told you not to go, but you insisted! Now you’re blaming us? I, Fatty, am truly impressed by you pigs! If you think we’re too slow, clear the way yourselves!"

Qin Feiyang and Lu Xingchen were also simmering with suppressed anger.

"Escape?" The black skeleton took a step forward, its imposing aura pressing down on them, yet it followed leisurely behind the group.

"What is it trying to do?" they wondered, alarmed and bewildered.

"Are you all really pigs?" Fatty yelled. "Can’t you see it wants to torture us slowly?"

Dongfang Wuheng said in a deep voice, "Murong Xiong, go and kill it!"

"Why me?" Murong Xiong frowned. The battle sword alone made him wary, let alone a skeleton with the cultivation of a War Ancestor.

Dongfang Wuheng roared, "Nonsense! You started this, so shouldn’t you be the one to clean up the mess?"

"If you don’t go, even if you manage to reach the other shore, don’t even think about entering the Imperial Capital!" Ren Wushuang added, her implication clear: she would ask her family elder to revoke his qualification to enter the Imperial Capital.

"Fine!" Murong Xiong snarled, his eyes sweeping over them with a dark look. "You’re ruthless, I’ll give you that!" He then turned and charged towards the black skeleton.

Dongfang Wuheng frowned, then called out loudly, "Junior Brother Qin, Junior Brother Lu, Dong Zhengyang, I am still worried. I’ll entrust everyone to your care for now. I’m going to help him."

With that said, Dongfang Wuheng resolutely turned, caught up with Murong Xiong, and together they attacked the black skeleton.

BOOM! BANG! CLANG!

A series of battle sounds erupted behind them, but no one looked back; they all fled desperately.

After several hundred breaths, Qin Feiyang’s group arrived before a valley. It wasn’t large, encircled by mountains on all sides, with only a single narrow entrance. Inside, numerous skeletons roamed. The group charged in, cleared out the skeletons, and then Qin Feiyang commanded, "Eight-star and Nine-star War Emperors, block the entrance immediately! Don’t let any more skeletons in! Everyone else, rest where you are."

"Yes, sir!" Over a dozen individuals responded and immediately rushed to the entrance, managing to hold the pursuing skeletons at bay outside.

Qin Feiyang assessed the battle at the entrance, then gazed up at the peaks surrounding the valley. He turned to Dong Zhengyang. "Dong Zhengyang, you stay here and guard, just in case."

Dong Zhengyang frowned, clearly disliking Qin Feiyang giving him orders, but he nodded in consideration of the bigger picture.

Qin Feiyang then looked at Lu Xingchen and Fatty. "Let’s go up and take a look."

The surrounding mountains weren’t very high, perhaps a hundred meters or so. Although they couldn’t fly, with their current cultivation, the three of them reached a summit in mere moments.