Chapter 63: Ghost Eyes-O Sagrado Imperador Celestial(Raposa-da-neve do deserto)

An ancient aura swirled and surged forth, with ghostly phosphorescence flashing in and out of existence. The hungry, foul-smelling breath rolled like a whirlwind.

The moment the four groups of men entered, a terrifying roar rang out like a thunderclap, and clouds of blood mist filled the air, instantly dyeing the ancient aura crimson.

Li Xuan's heart trembled, but he did not retreat in the slightest. Instead, he charged forward recklessly, only to be blocked by a mysterious ripple of primal source energy.

Ah!

The four groups of men let out miserable screams, and the horrifying sound of tearing flesh made one's scalp tingle.

Li Xuan struck out at the ancient aura with all his might, causing several cracks to appear on his arm, yet he gritted his teeth and persisted.

With no other choice, Li Xuan activated the source rune formation, infusing it into the Canglan Sword Technique of Holy Intent. A single slash illuminated the heavens with brilliant light, finally tearing open a gap.

Immediately, chilling winds whistled out like sharp blades.

Li Xuan threw himself inside regardless of the danger. A savage beast flew straight toward him, opening its bloody maw as it waited for him.

Employing the Wind-Chasing Technique, Li Xuan spun mid-air like a top, slipped past the beast's jaws, and instinctively brandished the Chiyue Imperial Shadow, cleaving the beast in two with a single sword stroke.

Foul-smelling blood gushed down like a waterfall, instantly drawing the attacks of countless savage beasts.

The massive beast was instantly reduced to gleaming white bones, yet numerous other beasts still gathered around, scrambling to devour it.

The beasts began tearing at each other, and the scene descended into utter chaos. Many smaller beasts were instantly ripped apart, becoming easy prey for the stronger ones.

Such a tragic and fierce spectacle made Li Xuan's scalp crawl.

Within the great rift, shrouded by churning ancient auras and glowing only with eerie phosphorescence and crimson blood-eyes, trying to locate his companions in such chaos was like finding a needle in a haystack.

Even fearless as Li Xuan was, he dared not act rashly. An intuition told him that the moment he utilized his source energy, he would immediately be detected by the beasts and subjected to a coordinated siege.

Presently, the savage beasts held an absolute advantage in both position and sheer numbers. The slightest carelessness would trigger a full-scale assault.

Yet, Li Xuan could not advance an inch either. At the same time, he felt his source energy quietly slipping away. If this continued for long, even without waiting for the beasts to attack, he would be consumed by the ancient aura and lose his sense of self due to depleted energy.

Surrounded by a pack of wolves, the only way out was to stir up chaos and fish in troubled waters.

Crimson blood-eyes and eerie phosphorescence flashed past Li Xuan's eyes, and the foul stench of their breath gave him a suffocating sensation.

This, however, also created an opportunity for him. Gripping the Chiyue Imperial Shadow tightly with both arms, he channeled a surge of source energy and slashed fiercely at a savage beast, carving a massive gully along its body.

Blood spurted out, and Li Xuan was instantly covered in the stench of the beast's blood. Without hesitation, he executed the "Divine Mobility Incinerating Shadow Art," sending hundreds of phantom figures shuttling through the army of beasts, casually cutting them down. Rivers of blood flowed instantly, throwing the battlefield into immediate chaos.

The beasts trampled and devoured one another, and their roars as they chased Li Xuan caused the ancient aura to churn violently, reminiscent of a primordial era reborn.

Despite his swift movements, Li Xuan failed to shake off the beasts' pursuit. A torrent of savage beasts formed directly behind him, chasing him with overwhelming momentum.

No matter how many phantom images Li Xuan split into, it only served to make the beastly torrent even more massive.

Suddenly, a voice came from ahead: "You idiot, find a way to get rid of the blood on you!"

Only then did Li Xuan realize his mistake. He immediately circulated his source energy to vaporize the blood stains on his body. Within a single breath, the army of beasts surged forward and sent him flying with a direct impact.

Li Xuan collided with the oncoming beasts one after another; had it not been for the protective water ripples surrounding his body, he would have long been trampled into pulp.

Slamming his palm onto the ground, source energy surged as water ripples radiated outward, and he let out a loud shout: "Earth Mother's Vital Breath, Withered Trees Meet Spring!"

Whoosh!

...

Countless vines burst forth from the rocks, tightly binding the charging beasts like giant pythons. The beasts rushing up from behind, caught off guard, crashed into the fallen ones ahead.

In an instant, dust filled the air, the roars of beasts thundered like divine lightning, and shattered limbs flew like gravel.

Within mere breaths, the corpses of savage beasts piled up into a mountain.

Li Xuan was buried at the very bottom.

Suddenly, the rock turned into a swamp, sinking rapidly. Like an agile loach, Li Xuan drilled out from the rocks at a distance.

Roar!

The roar of the beasts washed over the area like a torrent, churning the ancient aura and directly exposing Li Xuan within the beasts' line of sight.

Enraged, the beasts roared once more, and the massive torrent of beasts charged toward him.

"Oh, sweet mother!"

With a loud cry, Li Xuan once again employed the "Mountain and Marsh Qi-Connection," burrowing into the earth like a loach.

However, the savage beasts seemed to have locked onto his position, relentlessly pounding against the hard rock.

With his source energy linked to the earth, Li Xuan lasted less than a breath before coughing up blood, continuously tunneling through the underground.

The beast horde was simply too massive. No matter where Li Xuan stopped, he was immediately discovered by the beasts, triggering violent impacts upon the ground.

Daring not to linger, and knowing his source energy would soon fail if time dragged on, Li Xuan once again cast "Earth Mother's Vital Breath, Withered Trees Meet Spring!"

Countless vines burst forth from underground. As they entangled the beasts, rolling peals of divine thunder echoed, and the vines exploded, tearing through the beasts' tough skin like sharp swords.

The beasts shrieked, trampling one another once more. They grew exceptionally frantic, devouring each other, while some discovered Li Xuan's tracks and launched a frenzied assault upon him.

Seizing a fleeting opportunity, Li Xuan vaporized the blood on his body and burst out from the ground.

Combining the Wind-Chasing Technique and the Divine Mobility Incinerating Shadow Art, he shuttled through the army of beasts.

Suddenly, that voice rang out again: "Idiot, over here! Hurry up and come!"

The speaker's tone was exceptionally urgent, clearly facing assaults from the beasts themselves.

Running blindly, Li Xuan zipped past the beasts like a ghost, immediately drawing their attacks.

Suddenly, that terrifying roar rang out once more, and a torrent washed over, exposing Li Xuan yet again.

The beasts roared madly, and the sheer pressure of their breath alone blasted Li Xuan away.

At the same time, a streak of light zipped through the air, wrapped around Li Xuan's waist, and dragged him toward the source of the voice.

Deploying the Wind-Chasing Technique, Li Xuan streaked across the sky above the beasts like a beam of light and landed before an ancient stone tablet.

"Sister Yuanyue!"

Like a child, Li Xuan threw himself into Jiang Qingyue's arms, crying out, "I knew it was you! Otherwise, Xuan'er..."

"Coward! You only know how to live off women!"

Wang Zifan was hopping mad. "We risked our lives fighting tooth and nail just to save a coward like you!"

Li Xuan was unperturbed. Sweeping his gaze across the crowd, he noticed that half of the four groups were missing, undoubtedly having perished in the bellies of the beasts.

It was evident that Jiang Qingyue and her group had fought their way through brute force, suffering heavy casualties!

"Stop the nonsense. Do you see that stone tablet?"

Tang Ruoxian said frostily, "The tablet is covered in ancient source rune incantations and profound texts! That is why the beasts temporarily dare not approach. To enter the great rift alive, one must be able to decipher the writing on it. Therefore..."

Hearing this, Li Xuan regained his full confidence. He kicked Wang Zifan in the rear and snapped, "If you ever call me a parasite again, I'll leave you here to feed the beasts!"

Wang Zifan's eyes widened in fury, and he roared, "You and what army!"

Yet Wang Zifan did not resort to blows over Li Xuan's action; instead, he hoped the youth could decipher the ancient text and resolve their current life-or-death crisis.

Jiang Qingyue flashed a radiant smile, her bright eyes and white teeth gleaming as she grinned, "I certainly don't want to become a beast's lunch, so hurry up!"

Tang Ruoxian and Kong Sheng cast hopeful gazes his way as well. After struggling for a long time, they had been entirely unable to make heads or tails of the tablet.

Had they not possessed divine source artifacts to protect themselves and relied on the mysterious power of the stone tablet to deter the beasts, their plight would likely have been even more miserable than Li Xuan's.

Taking in the sight, Li Xuan quickly understood and stated, "This is a sealing tablet, originating from an ancient deity of the mythological era. Beneath the tablet lies the true ruin of the great rift, a place referred to by the ancient deities as the Ghost Eye!"

"Ghost Eye!"

The group cried out in unison.

Li Xuan elaborated further: "The so-called 'Ghost Eye' is a mysterious location from the mythological era, and it holds the complete map of the great rift ruins!"

Impatient, Wang Zifan snapped, "Can't you hurry up, Li Xuan? Stop showing off how well-read you are!"

Frowning deeply, Li Xuan retorted, "Then you do it!"

Wang Zifan instantly lost his temper, let out an angry snort, and channeled his source artifact to slay a beast attempting to attack.

Li Xuan continued, "These ancient source runes form the formation that suppresses the beasts. Once the rune formation is unlocked, the beasts will no longer be under control. Therefore, the window to access the great rift ruins is extremely short. Once entangled by the beasts, this place becomes a killing zone!"

"Li Xuan, you are merely trying to scare us. How else did my cousin Wang Teng, the Star Elder, and your father-in-law manage to get inside?"

In Wang Zifan's view, Li Xuan's words were nothing more than alarmist talk meant to elevate his own status and show off in front of Tang Ruoxian and Jiang Qingyue.

Drawing a deep breath, Li Xuan replied, "Once the source rune formation is broken, the Ghost Eye will shift, and the great rift will open accordingly!"

Tang Ruoxian furrowed her delicate brows and urged, "Li Xuan, time is running out, so..."

Tipping his head, Li Xuan pulled Jiang Qingyue to his side and said, "Stay close to me!"

Without further ado, Li Xuan channeled his source energy and formed hand seals with both palms. Streams of source rune incantations fluttered outward, stimulating the runes upon the ancient stone tablet, and a mysterious radiance flashed.

Simultaneously, the savage beasts began to roar madly. The ancient seal was about to be undone, releasing the primordial aura of the mythological era.

Abruptly, a heavy, oppressive aura surged forward, and everyone braced themselves in intense concentration.

The eerie phosphorescence floating within the great rift began to swarm around the beasts, even landing on their bodies and instantly melting into their flesh.

"Li Xuan, wait!"

Seized by a bad omen, Tang Ruoxian immediately called for a halt.

Not only had the phosphorescence changed, but the very ground beneath their feet began to shake violently, and the unknown entities stirring underground grew even more terrifying.

Once the source rune seal on the stone tablet was lifted, unimaginable consequences would ensue.

However, Li Xuan shouted back, "It's already too late!"