Chapter 299: Chapter 233: The Fall of an Ancient One, an Unknown Voice from the Stone Coffin

’How could he... be this strong?!’

’This guy... could he have devoured Earth Immortal Cells?!’

A look of disbelief flashed in the Alchemist’s eyes as blood streamed from his nose and mouth. He had no choice but to push his Penglai Technique to its absolute limit, recovering his body at the fastest possible speed.

Half-kneeling on the ground, he raised his head and stared in shock at the tall figure, who remained in the posture of having just struck.

Baleful flames filled the sky, a throne materializing at his back.

CRACK! CRACK!

His arm regenerated at an unimaginable speed, but his body trembled slightly. The optimism he felt before was completely gone.

’Trying to win by attrition is completely out of the question!’

’If I take a few more hits like that, not even the Penglai Technique will be able to save me.’

’My body would be beaten to a pulp. Not even an Immortal could save me then!’

He was now filled with regret. If only he had used the Heaven-Stealing Furnace at the start of the battle to finish his opponent in one blow, things wouldn’t have come to this.

But there were no "if onlys" in this world. At the time, he had been certain of his victory, so why would he have willingly expended his current lifespan?

’As things stand, there’s only one path left.’

AHHH!!

The Alchemist’s face twisted into a snarl as he let out a hysterical roar. This made Cheng Zhihong, who was watching from the side, tense up, thinking the old man was about to unleash some final, hidden gambit.

But then.

WHOOSH!!

The Alchemist, who had postured as if to attack, abruptly spun around and bolted toward the other side of the mountaintop.

He was running away!

As the saying goes, "Where there’s life, there’s hope."

Even if Penglai Immortal Mountain fell into new hands, even if there was no longer a place for him to hide in Japan, as long as he could survive, there was still a chance.

Besides, he had other cards to play. If he could escape, it might not be impossible to reclaim Penglai Immortal Mountain.

He had already figured it out. Yi Beidou was undoubtedly using some kind of irreversible Forbidden Secret Technique. Given his current mastery over Penglai Power, Yi Beidou was in danger of dying the moment he left the range of the Immortal Mountain. The Alchemist, however, possessed a Great Pill and could use this opportunity to escape Yi Beidou’s pursuit.

Most importantly, his knowledge of the Immortal Mountain’s terrain far surpassed Yi Beidou’s. It wasn’t impossible for him to shake him off.

’A thousand years of cultivation can’t be lost today.’

"This is bad!"

Seeing this, Cheng Zhihong couldn’t help but cry out, his expression changing.

He truly hadn’t expected that a dignified Ancient One, the Sun Country Domain Lord, would actually turn tail and run.

"Tribulation has befallen you, yet you are unaware. Don’t you know that tribulation is inescapable?"

But Yi Beidou showed no sign of panic. A mocking, sinister smile touched the corners of his lips as he strode forward, vanishing in pursuit.

Just then, the fleeing Alchemist suddenly felt that something was wrong, as if a threat was looming nearby.

’From behind?’

’No, my arm, my waist, my thigh...’

He actually felt a sense of threat emanating from multiple places on his body.

His gaze immediately swept toward one of the sources, and he instantly saw a flickering red dot.

It looked like a tiny spark, but it exuded an intensely ominous aura.

’This is...’

But before he had time to think, Blood-Colored Demon Flame suddenly erupted from multiple points on his body.

’Tribulation Fire Seeds!’

This was a measure Yi Beidou had left on the Alchemist’s body with his Destruction Killing Tribulation palm strike.

The Demon Flame Throne behind him was formed from an extremely condensed magnetic field of Demon Flame. After he struck, this magnetic field could even cling to the surface of his opponent’s body for a period of time.

And because of its highly condensed nature, it could evade the senses of experts. If one wasn’t paying close attention, its presence could easily be overlooked.

At a critical moment, the Fire Seeds would erupt and affect the opponent.

The sparks blazed into a wildfire!!

Instantly, under the influence of the Demon Flame, the Alchemist’s body shuddered violently. His speed plummeted, completely shattering his chance of escape.

A terrifying pressure bore down on him from behind.

He glanced back, and in that fleeting glimpse, he saw the image of a palm rapidly growing larger in his pupils.

The Alchemist spun around abruptly, crossing his arms to block.

BOOM!!

The air exploded. The Alchemist’s body was sent flying once more, slamming into a giant tree and becoming deeply embedded within its trunk.

His arms were completely twisted out of shape, and blood gushed from his nose and mouth like a fountain.

The regenerative power of his Penglai Technique was still working, but with such horrific injuries, even his recovery ability would need at least three breaths’ time to heal him.

However.

THUD!!

In less than a single breath, a footstep sounded as the tall figure, who seemed to carry a throne on his back, came to a stop before him, blocking his view.

He had no way out.

"Hahahaha!! Kill me, and you’ll die too! You have no idea..."

The Alchemist suddenly burst into laughter.

He knew he was going to die.

A thousand years of cultivation, scattered in a single day. The Longevity Dao, met with a demon, reduced to nothing.

This was a tribulation he could not escape.

But Yi Beidou seemed to have no intention of letting him finish his words.

Demon Flame surged, and a palm pressed down on the Alchemist’s chest.

BOOM!!

The tree exploded into countless splinters. A horrifying crater appeared in the Alchemist’s chest, the point of impact completely reduced to a bloody paste.

His heart and lungs were utterly destroyed.

But even then, the Alchemist was somehow still not dead.

"This world hides..."

The Alchemist was actually still speaking.

BOOM!!

The next moment, Yi Beidou’s palm landed on his head.

SPLAT!!

The Alchemist’s entire head burst open like a watermelon.

With an injury of this severity, there was no way even the Penglai Technique could repair the damage.

And yet.

"...what terrifying existences."

The Alchemist’s voice continued. His immense power allowed his Life Magnetic Field to remain cohesive after death, enabling him to survive for a short time without a physical body.

It was just like when the Elder Celestial Master underwent the Transformation Dao, stepping out of his mortal shell and ascending as a rainbow.

"So stubborn. It doesn’t matter. Just like with you, I will experience them all one by one."

Yi Beidou watched the brilliant light that had floated up from the Alchemist’s body, and the Blood-Colored Demon Flame suddenly swept over it.

The brilliant light trembled, then was swiftly and utterly annihilated within the Demon Flame.

’Ancestor, you will avenge me and take back this Immortal Mountain, won’t you?’

With this final, resentful thought, the Alchemist’s consciousness dissipated completely into nothingness.

A magnificent Ancient One had thus died at the hands of Yi Beidou.

He was the first, but he would definitely not be the last. Yi Beidou’s journey had only just begun.

A smile hung on Yi Beidou’s lips as he beckoned toward the Void.

OMM!!

An extremely brilliant, blood-colored star condensed in his palm.

This Tribulation Star was brighter and more incandescent than any before it.

"Your tribulation, I’ll be taking it,"

Yi Beidou said.

THUD.

And just then, the sound of footsteps stopped not far away.

Cheng Zhihong stared into the forest, at the headless body with its mangled chest, lying amidst the shattered trees.

’He’s dead.’

The Ancient One who had entrenched himself in Japan for many years, an important member of the Pioneer Group, had died in his own Secret Realm, even after using the Immortal Forbidden Technique.

If news of this got out, he couldn’t imagine what kind of shockwaves it would send through the Hidden Realm.

And the one who had done it all was a man not yet thirty years old.

Just then, a chill ran down his spine, and his scalp nearly went numb with fear.

Yi Beidou had turned his gaze upon him, and there was something very wrong with that gaze.

Sinister, ominous, and savage. It was the naked stare of a predator eyeing its prey—or a delectable meal.

"You’re of the Saint Realm, and your strength is decent. Your tribulation should be able to form a relatively bright star."

Yi Beidou spoke softly, the smile on his lips sending a tremor of fear through one’s heart.

He took a step, walking toward Cheng Zhihong.

’This is bad, this guy isn’t right!’

Cheng Zhihong felt his limbs turn to ice.

In the next moment, however, the expression on Yi Beidou’s face shifted slightly, becoming somewhat grave.

"Wait here. Don’t follow me."

He said to Cheng Zhihong in a low voice, then his figure flashed as he sprinted toward the other side of the forest.

Watching Yi Beidou’s figure disappear, Cheng Zhihong couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. He felt drenched in a cold sweat, completely drained.

’I survived...’

「Elsewhere.」

Deep underground, somewhere in Japan.

In a massive natural cavern, the four walls were carved with strange patterns, filled with an indescribable air of Myth.

Nine towering statues, like Ancient God Protectors, stood within the cave. They were bent over, their hands raised together, jointly holding up an object.

It was a simple, ancient stone coffin.

At the very moment the Alchemist died completely.

The stone coffin trembled slightly.

"Penglai... is there a problem?"

Faintly, a voice seemed to emerge from within the stone coffin.

"It is not yet time to emerge."

Afterward, the trembling of the stone coffin slowly ceased, and it fell silent once more.