"No good!"
Sha Kui was instantly sealed by a powerful primordial force. Through the thick yellow sand, he saw an existence in the void even stronger than the Human King of the Tianfeng Dynasty.
"Run! Now!!"
Sha Kui croaked, screaming hysterically.
"Hmph, a rotten worm, hiding and scurrying, you've delayed a great opportunity!"
"Take this arrow!"
Gan Ning pulled, and a treasure bow materialized, resembling a Vermillion Bird soaring through the nine heavens, burning with the fierce Southern Bright Flame.
"Boom!"
The moment Gan Ning's right hand grasped the treasure bow, a high-pitched cry resounded, causing the blood and flesh of the entire Sand Shadow Snake tribe to boil, their legs turning weak. Apart from Sha Kui, all others fell to their knees, submitting to the Vermillion Bird in the void.
An arrow was instantly nocked onto the bow. Gan Ning roared, his entire body tensing tightly, terrifying primordial energy surging madly towards the treasure bow.
"Swoosh!!"
In an instant, the visible yellow sand world seemed to split in two. Where the arrow passed, the void was clear and vast, without a speck of dust.
"Rumble!"
The Sand Shadow Snake tribe, hidden in the yellow sand, instantly changed color. The sky above them cracked open, and the arrow rain, burning with the Southern Bright Flame, shone like a scorching sun, blinding all who beheld it.
"Rumble!!"
The Sand Shadow Snake army, which had been fiercely battling Xu Zhu's forces, had their bodies burst open. Under immense pressure, the yellow sand battlefield began to collapse downwards.
Sha Kui watched the arrow rain, which was locked onto him, with a pale and powerless face. The terrifying arrow rain directly tore open the sandy earth. The entire yellow sand seemed to come alive, flowing rapidly like a great yellow river.
"Crack!"
"Pfft!!"
Sha Kui, who had been fleeing frantically underground, found himself sealed and immobilized. The immense impact force pinned him to the ground, sprawled on his back. The colossal pressure, like that of a mountain, forced him back into his original form.
"Roar!!"
Sha Kui roared wildly, his sharp fangs dripping with thick green liquid.
"Pfft!!"
A mouthful of blood was squeezed out by the immense pressure. The earthy yellow color of Sha Kui instantly faded a few shades.
"No!!"
"We have no grudges, no enmity! My Sand Shadow Snake tribe has been sealed in the northern desert by the Tianfeng Dynasty, guarding their northern gate. We have never stepped out for ten thousand years. I am unwilling, I am unwilling!"
Sha Kui cried out in despair. He had experienced this hopelessness hundreds of years ago when the Tianfeng Human King had nearly killed him, pressing him under his heel.
"Guarding the gate for the Tianfeng Dynasty is your crime!"
Gan Ning gazed at the flattened Sha Kui and said ruthlessly.
"Ah!!"
The arrow pierced through thousands of feet of yellow sand, directly reaching the underground stronghold of the Sand Shadow Snake tribe. The yellow sand poured in like a torrential flood, an insatiable quicksand that engulfed the entire Sand Shadow Snake tribe.
"Ah..."
The arrow pierced the underground night and shot directly towards Sha Kui!
"No!!"
Sha Kui's face contorted. As the arrow approached, billowing crimson Southern Bright Flame illuminated the damp underground, and a suffocating aura of blood and malevolence sealed Sha Kui.
"Boom!!"
Three inches from Sha Kui's body, the arrow shattered him. The moment his blood mist exploded, it was completely consumed by the Southern Bright Flame carried by the arrow.
"Rumble!!"
A deafening roar reverberated underground. This sandy earth began to collapse, tearing open unfathomably deep chasms. The billowing yellow sand seemed to come alive, pouring madly into the cracks.
"Rumble!!"
For at least dozens of miles, the ground was covered in a complex, spiderweb-like network of intersecting ravines.
"The army advances!"
Gan Ning roared, and the army surged forward like thunder.
The northern desert where the Sand Shadow Snakes were stationed was the northern gate of the Tianfeng Dynasty. From here, traveling south across the yellow sands would lead directly to the Tianfeng Dynasty's capital.
...
The residence of Ying Lang, the second prince of the Shengyuan Dynasty.
"Bang!"
"Get out!"
"Get out, all of you, get out!"
Ying Lang, wearing only a thin white undergarment, frantically smashed everything in the hall, terrifying the young women within.
"Your Highness, the priority now should be to find another way!"
"Your Highness, the Seventh Prince did not succeed either. This is still good news for us!"
Elder Zhang was covered in cold sweat. This sudden turn of events was truly unbelievable. Two Spiritual Venerables had gone to a small dynasty and both perished within. Spiritual Venerables were beings who looked down upon dynasties, and yet two had died so abruptly.
When the news spread, the capital of the Shengyuan Dynasty erupted in a frenzy. Some rejoiced, while others grieved. This made the Eighth Prince laugh in his sleep at night.
"Elder Zhang, what do you suggest we do?"
"Your Highness, as long as this dynasty still exists, we have an opportunity. To be safe, let the four great protectors of the Tiger Roar Sect take action. They will surely eliminate this dynasty in one fell swoop!" Elder Zhang said with a heavy tone.
"The four great protectors!"
"Elder, among the disciples I have cultivated in the Tiger Roar Sect, there are only these five top Spiritual Venerables. If anything happens to them, the position of Human Emperor might slip through my fingers!" Ying Lang's eyes flickered with caution upon hearing Elder Zhang's suggestion to deploy the four great protectors.
"Your Highness, no destruction, no creation. If this matter ends here, we will greatly miss the opportunity to find influential ministers within the court. In the eyes of the Human Emperor, this would undoubtedly reveal your incompetence."
"It is likely that the Seventh Prince will also go all out. After all, this is a heaven-sent opportunity for those who wish to contend for the throne but are not adequately utilized."
"Your Highness, we cannot let the Seventh Prince have this opportunity. Furthermore, the Eighth Prince is also watching us covetously. If the Eighth Prince makes a decisive move, there may be no chance of recovery!" Elder Zhang looked somewhat dejected, his tone growing more somber.
"Elder Zhang, are you confident about this matter?" Ying Lang hesitated.
"Your Highness, a dynasty that can emerge from the Human King's territory must possess considerable strength, but not excessively so. The four great protectors, possessing the primordial energy of top Spiritual Venerables, will surely shatter this small dynasty in one go." Elder Zhang's eyes flashed with golden light, and a slight smile played on his lips.
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
"Very well, let the Tiger Roar Sect take action. Do not delay this matter any further. The Human Emperor's old illness relapsed yesterday, and his vital energy is greatly depleted. He may not have much time left. We must hurry to prepare and accumulate more leverage so that during the imperial chaos, we can seize the position of Human Emperor!" Ying Lang's sickly cheeks flushed with a hint of color.
"What about Hu Shan?"
"Your Highness, Sect Master Hu Shan has already broken through to the realm of a top Spiritual Venerable and has stepped into the Half-Step Heavenly Martial realm!" Elder Zhang exclaimed with delight. Sect Master Hu Shan of the Tiger Roar Sect had been stuck at the top Spiritual Venerable realm for decades. With Ying Lang's generous cultivation, after decades of refinement, he had finally reached the Half-Step Heavenly Martial realm.