Chapter 668: Secret Land Above the Vault of Heaven, Fengshen Mausoleum!

"After all that talk... must we still fight...?" At this sight, everyone felt their hearts sink halfway. Although it was unknown how powerful the illusion prior to the Torch Dragon's ascension to immortality would be... an ancient true dragon, even before its ascension, how could it possibly be weak?

"What kind of secret realm is this...?" Reaching this point in the game, the players in the new shop no longer knew what to do...

A group of scenery-loving elves were clearly playing like salted fish: We just came to look at the scenery and enjoy the sights... why make it so hard for us!

They actually had to fight the illusion of an ancient divine dragon?!

Their faces nearly turned green.

Merlin, who had previously suspected this to be a basic secret realm, looked even more ashen-faced.

As for the old shop's players, shocked as they were, they had after all previously fought the Jail-Subduing Bright King and debated swordsmanship with Chong Lou (who had suppressed his cultivation to the mortal level), so they at least possessed a shred of confidence.

Of course, having confidence did not guarantee victory; even as an illusion, the Torch Dragon was equally proficient in the five elemental spells, capable not only of manipulating all five elements to attack simultaneously, but its physical body was also the sharpest weapon, and the scales upon its body were a powerful defense that mortals could hardly breach.

"What kind of spell is this?!" Inside the new shop, bursts of wild shouting resounded. With a single swipe of that massive dragon claw, fierce winds, thunder, rocks, flames, and frost were all mixed together. It was common knowledge that water and fire were incompatible, yet these elves and mages actually witnessed them complementary rather than conflicting, making the power even greater!

"How are we supposed to fight this?!" Looking at the words "Hero, Please Start Over" on the screen, all the players who had reached this point were utterly dazed.

"@Boss Fang" In the Legend of Sword and Fairy group, people were clearly tagging Boss Fang again.

Nalan Mingxue: "This feels a bit difficult..."

Su Tianji: "Everything was easy before, but now I feel like I don't know how to play anymore... just got instantly killed by the divine dragon..."

Nalan Hongwu: "This old man thinks we need to study it; I am afraid we won't be able to pass it anytime soon."

Su Tianji: "Boss, do you have any strategy guides...?"

Boss Fang: "...No idiot-proof strategy guides."

"What do you mean idiot-proof?!" Su Tianji instantly became displeased. "This elder belongs to the technical faction! I want a high-skill strategy guide, alright?!"

"Isn't the high-skill way just to confront it head-on..." An Huwei said meekly.

Su Tianji: "..."

An Huwei: "Boss, just say whether you can stream a round or not."

Jiang Xiaoyue: "Boss, quickly tell us where you've played up to!"

Boss Fang: "...I passed it long ago."

Song Qingfeng: "Holy crap... Boss, you passed it and didn't even stream it?!"

Dong Qingli: "Boss, you've changed! Did you save it? Open it quickly and stream it for us!"

"How long has it been since you last streamed?!"

"Boss, you've slackened!"

"You are no longer that diligent and high-yielding boss from before!"

I can't pass it myself, so can't I watch someone else do it first to satisfy my craving?

To even deprive us of such a tiny hobby?!

A wave of public indignation arose within the group.

"Quick! Go stream right now!"

"Look at Xiaoyue, even she streams more diligently than you!"

Boss Fang had a strange look on his face: "What does this have to do with whether Xiaoyue is diligent or not?"

"Boss, let me tell you, if you go open a stream right now, we can still be friends!"

A group of people looked ready to hold a knife to Boss Fang's neck.

"...Fine, fine, fine, I'll go open a stream."

...

On the Dragon-Coiling Pillar, Boss Fang chose Yun Tianhe.

"Oh...? Boss, you are playing too?" The attention of the elves and several knights of the Golden Griffin Knights shifted over. "This is so hard..."

"Could the boss actually pass it...?"

"Let's see how the boss plays..." Soon, quite a few people gathered behind to watch.

"The Torch Dragon knows many spells." Boss Fang casually mentioned a few points. "But what you should beware of most is its Five Spiritual Righteous Dharma. Water, fire, wind, thunder, and earth strike together, focusing the attack on one person; anyone hit will surely die."

"To counter this spell, you have two choices: one is to rely on superb movement and technique to dodge it, and the other is the Formless Dharma Transformation."

"Formless Dharma Transformation" was an extremely profound spell capable of dissolving and absorbing the opponent's magical power for one's own use. The original game could dissolve any spell, but the system version was clearly closer to reality; only by practicing it to the pinnacle could one achieve that effect. However, if one could learn this spell to perfection, it would naturally provide an advantage against monsters with powerful immortal magic.

However, the divine dragon also knew similar spells, so one should not expect to rest easy just by practicing this spell. A single claw coming straight down to interrupt the incantation would be enough to give Yun Tianhe and the others a hard time.

"Only by understanding these basic facts is it possible to win the battle against the divine dragon."

When fighting the Torch Dragon, everyone could control flying swords. High up among the clouds, a giant dragon could be seen weaving through the sea of clouds.

Accompanied by deafening thunder and roars, Yun Tianhe, Murong Ziying, and Han Lingsha soared up on their swords.

The wind surged and the clouds rolled; facing that divine creature flying in the celestial sea of clouds, to resolutely meet it in battle indeed required immense courage.

Everyone could feel that Yun Tianhe was fearless, while Murong Ziying carried a Taoist sense of letting nature take its course, and Han Lingsha went from fear to gathering courage to risk her life to accompany her friends. Within this, perhaps there was a sincere friendship contained, whether among the three of them or with Liu Mengli.

This was destined to be a difficult battle: "So not only must personal strength be sufficient, but it also requires a bit of temporary adaptability and command."

...

In the sky, startling thunder cracked repeatedly. Three sword lights flew through the sky like shooting stars. The divine dragon danced in the air, its sharp, massive claws passing by Fang Qi several times accompanied by violent gusts of wind. Even through the screen, one could feel that sharp, raging wind scraping against the face until it stung.

The spiritual power of the five elements merged into five terrifying forces, with howling wind, flashing lightning, and a mixture of ice and fire, dazzling the onlookers.

The players in the new shop had simply never seen a battle of this caliber. Those terrifying attacks seemed capable of destroying everything with just a touch, yet those three sword shadows remained as slippery as swimming fish, slipping through the gaps of the dragon's claws time and again.

About fifteen minutes later, Fang Qi was seen treading on his flying sword, streaking through the sky like a sharp beam of sword light.

"The chance is here, Demon Fire Melting Gold!"

At the same time, a terrifying hurricane suddenly condensed around Fang Qi, following him like a shadow.

Not just wind, it also contained fire, thunder, water, and earth; various changes of the five elements made the entire spell unpredictable.

"Use Formless Dharma Transformation!"

Quickly, Murong Ziying cast a spell, and the raging five spiritual qi around the Yun Tianhe controlled by Fang Qi actually showed signs of returning to tranquility.

And Fang Qi took this exact opportunity to break free, a powerful malevolent aura bursting from his body as he stabbed straight into the dragon's vital spot like a fleeting glimpse of a startled swan!

...

"Very well, mortal, you have worked hard!" As the clouds dispersed and the rain ceased, the true form of the Torch Dragon was finally revealed once more in the sky.

By this time, Yun Tianhe and the other two were already covered in wounds.

"Phew..." Even Boss Fang could hardly take it, letting out a long breath.

Ultimately, the divine dragon still gave the group a hand, preventing them from being discovered by the ghosts of the Ghost Realm within twelve double-hours, and sent them into the Ghost Realm.

After many twists and turns, in the Ghost Realm, they not only obtained the Shade-Shadow Branch capable of passing through the barrier of the Illusionary Realm, but also encountered Yun Tianqing before the Reincarnation Platform, who had not yet reincarnated.

Yun Tianhe finally asked why, back in the Qionghua Sect, his father and mother had caused Xuan Xiao to have no choice but to seal himself within the profound ice.

Yun Tianqing mentioned that he felt ashamed toward his senior brother, but regarding the matter of leaving with the Wangshu Sword, binding the demon realm with the dual swords would naturally not make the demon realm submit tamely. This also led to the fall of many elders and Qionghua elites at that time, and even the Sect Master, Perfected Master Taiqing, unfortunately perished. It was evident that even if this matter succeeded, out of the entire multitude of Qionghua cultivators, those who could truly remain would be few and far between.

Perhaps hundreds or thousands of the entire Qionghua sect, or perhaps only a handful remaining, and that would be the best outcome.

For Yun Tianqing, what meaning was there in his own ascension to immortality if it must be bought at the cost of nearly every life in the sect?

After a prolonged and protracted war and excessive casualties, almost the entirety of Qionghua had been transformed into a living purgatory.

The elders still refused to see their efforts wasted, but by now they were riding a tiger from which they could not dismount; only by taking the Wangshu Sword and departing could this war be stopped.

After all, if the demon realm broke free from its shackles and departed once more, the demons could not possibly remain behind (or else they would have to wait another nineteen years to return), and naturally, the battle could not continue.

And at this very juncture, by a twist of fate, he rescued a young and grievously wounded demon, who would later become Liu Mengli (Liu Mengli was fostered at the home of Liu Shifeng).

This was the truth of those events buried in the dust twenty years ago.

Upon the River Styx, they chanced upon Han Lingsha's uncle, and fortunately, his current penal servitude as a ferryman on the River Styx allowed the group to escape with their lives from the Realm of Ghosts.

Some things are perhaps truly the cruel ironies of fate; for generations, the Han family had been solitary tomb raiders traveling thousands of miles. They always believed that once a person was in the earth, the vessels within the tomb could be taken to aid the living, which might not be a bad thing.

But the reality was that the Han clan disturbed the dead, resulting not only in brief lifespans recorded in the Ledger of Life and Death, with many only living to their twenties or thirties, but even after death, they had to perform hard labor to atone for their sins.

Han Lingsha had spent her whole life seeking the immortals and asking the Way, all to extend the short lifespans of the Han clan, only to discover in the end that the methods of longevity were utterly useless.

Everyone has their own destiny; just as Han Lingsha's uncle Han Beikuang said, there is a fixed decree in the unseen world, something that a single person cannot overcome through struggle.

...

Emerging from the Realm of Ghosts, perhaps knowing her life would not be long, Han Lingsha, who had previously scolded Yun Tianhe for his reckless audacity, finally made an even bolder decision: to rob the Sacred Tomb of God-Sealing.

Just like her past wish "I wish the four of us could have such a chance to gather together for all our lives, doing what we ought to do," Mengli might still have a chance, but Han Lingsha was already running out of time.

Perhaps only in her own way, using the most meaningful object to accompany Ziying, Tianhe, and Mengli in her stead; after much thought, the only thing she could think of was the "Houyi Sun-Shooting Bow" within the Sacred Tomb of God-Sealing.

And Yun Tianhe, possessing a precious sword gifted by Ziying, happened to lack a good bow.

As the saying goes, "I desire to ride the wind and return, yet fear the jade towers and crystal chambers. It is cold up high, dancing with clear shadows, how can it compare to the mortal world?"

Who could have known that within that drifting, ancient sky, there existed such a magnificent mausoleum, like a floating city suspended in the firmament, a secret garden in the heavens, majestic yet graceful, desolate yet full of life!

Looking as far as the eye could see, ahead lay an incomparably vast avenue leading to heaven; beneath the azure sky, looking down outside the mausoleum, white clouds drifted right beneath their feet, and the companions who saw this kept their mouths agape nearly the entire time, for that palace of golden tiles and white walls was more breathtaking than any scenery.

To actually... go and rob such a mausoleum?! Everyone felt that either these people had gone mad, or they themselves had gone mad!

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I originally wanted to update chapter three... but it is truly too late, this chapter is about the length of one and a half normal chapters, so I will stop here for now, my apologies

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