CHAPTER 165: 165 - SCARLET SECRET REALM 03

"Shit!" The elder of the Burning Heart Sect realized his mistake as his flaming fist struck the beast’s head.

A loud explosion echoed and the beast’s head was thrown backwards as flames engulfed a large part of its body.

In the next moment, the pillars cracked under the weight of the beast, collapsing the ceiling to the ground.

The elder of the Burning Heart Sect turned around, his desperate eyes meeting Qingyi’s as tons of rocks fell above him.

Even if he was an expert at the peak of the Iron Body Realm, it was still difficult to survive.

"Back off!" Qingxue grabbed Qingyi’s arms and they headed back down the corridor, a cloud of dust rising as the rocks fell with a deafening crash.

Qingyi raised his arms, protecting his face from the shockwave.

When the dust settled, it revealed the subtle moonlight bathing the pile of rubble.

"Elder Qingxue!" A powerful voice echoed from behind him.

It was Shuyin, with Ruyan and the other two elders and their disciples close behind.

"What the hell happened?" he asked.

"The elders of the Burning Heart Sect found the guardian of the Scarlet Dragon Inheritance," she replied coldly, biting her rosy lips as she took a step towards the now collapsed hall.

She raised her eyes, staring at the moon that rose majestically in the sky, the pale skin of her cleavage glistening in the silver light.

Shuyin naturally didn’t take long to understand what had happened, gritting his teeth.

"Where’s the guardian? Is he dead?" Shuyin asked, but his answer soon came.

The ground beneath their feet shook, first slightly and subtly, almost imperceptibly.

But suddenly, they were thrown upwards with a crash as a serpentine, wound-covered body burst through the stones, a thunderous roar escaping as the dragon opened its mouth.

Qingyi drew his heaven-defying thunder sword, slicing through the sea of stones thrown up by the dragon.

Not even a single piece of stone passed through his blade and hit his immaculate white robes.

"Elder Qingxue and elder Wutian, let’s fight together! That body must have enough blood essence for the four of us to advance to the Burning Blood Realm!" Shuyin shouted, unable to hide the greed in his gaze.

Qingxue only nodded silently, her eyes carrying a deadly glint as her two swords danced around her body.

Qingyi stepped forward, thinking about taking part.

His power was probably superior to all those elders and certainly enough for battle, but in the end, he preferred not to take part.

In the eyes of everyone there, he was just a cultivator of the Golden Core realm. He would only fight if necessary to protect his master.

"Looks like we won’t be getting any gains, Junior Brother Qingyi," Ruyan approached, a bitter smile taking over her face.

Usually, they would appear far from the inheritance site and would need to make a journey of days or even weeks, where they would find artifacts and cultivation materials of incomparable value.

Unfortunately, they appeared too close and the elders would probably be the only ones to make any gains there.

"Yes," Qingyi returned Ruyan’s smile, just watching the battle, the powerful auras of the peak of the Iron Body realm colliding with the dragon.

"Elder Qingxue, I’ll hold him back, pierce this bastard’s heart!" Shuyin spoke, a streak of blood running down his face as he grabbed the dragon’s jaw, forcing it shut.

The other two elders grabbed the dragon’s tail, roaring as they struggled to hold it.

"Right." Qingxue stopped her steps, aligning her two swords before advancing, a powerful wind Qi forming a whirlpool around the blades.

The dragon could do nothing but let a heartbreaking cry escape its lips as a hole appeared in its chest.

Its huge body struggled desperately before finally losing its strength, one last gasp escaping from between its sharp teeth before the life drained from its eyes.

"Ah... we’re lucky the cave-in hurt him, we wouldn’t have survived if he’d been at full strength." Wutian approached, a big smile taking over his face as he felt a reddish Qi spread through the dragon’s body.

This was a clear sign that they had succeeded, that the millennia-long struggle to obtain the scarlet dragon’s inheritance would finally come to an end.

Even though none of them was a blood cultivator, the bloodline that this inheritance carried and the very blood essence of the dragon that protected the bloodline was more than enough to guarantee everyone’s advancement.

Unfortunately, Wutian’s smile didn’t last long, a strong touch squeezing his shoulder.

"Uh? Elder Shuyin? Something wrong-" Wutian’s words were interrupted, his eyes wide as he realized something.

He could see his own decapitated body.

"Today is a great day for the Serene Cloud Sect. With four other cultivators from the Burning Blood Realm, we will surely be supreme!" Shuyin smiled cruelly as he turned towards the dead dragon.

The red Qi had gathered into a small crimson orb that now floated subtly in the air.

Qingxue acted the moment after the betrayal, but it was too late.

The other elder appeared behind her, his palm falling on her delicate back and sending her to the ground.

In the next moment, he sent two more attacks towards Qingyi and Zhenhai, whose bodies were thrown against the stone wall, their figures disappearing in an explosion of dust.

"How dare you betray us!" Qingxue fell to her knees, coughing up a large gulp of blood.

She had suffered catastrophic internal damage and could barely maintain consciousness.

"Nothing personal, Elder Qingxue, it’s just that the Ascending Dragon Sect has reigned supreme for too long. It’s time for a new ruler to emerge." The elder approached Qingxue, preparing to finish his service.

But he stopped at the last moment.

A shiver ran down his spine, a murderous intent so powerful it was almost palpable falling over him.

Turning around, he saw a pair of purple eyes shining through the dust, staring at him as if they could see his very soul.

It was not unlike looking into the eyes of death itself.