Chapter 262 It’s all luck
“Damn it… damn it! I… I still haven’t avenged my royal sister! How can I die here? How can I die
like this?”
Poison coursed through Dong Zhang’s veins after being force-fed a large quantity of toxic pills
by Yun Yanshui. His face turned a ghastly shade of purple, his body curling on the ground as he
trembled uncontrollably.
As his lips muttered his desperate, unwilling cries, the old ancestor of Wu closed the distance in
an instant, sinking his fangs into Dong Zhang’s neck. With frenzied hunger, the monster began
tearing into his flesh, devouring him alive.
“As I suspected,” Yun Yanshui murmured coldly as he watched the scene unfold. “The old
ancestor of Wu has already become neither man nor ghost. He’s nothing more than a mindless
beast now. All that drives him is the obsessive compulsion to consume spiritual root cultivators,
completely blind to anything else.”
While the ancestor was preoccupied with his savage feast, Yun Yanshui took the opportunity to
catch his breath. He realized that the once-powerful cultivator had lost all sense of reason,
reduced to a monster driven purely by instinct. The man no longer cared whether his prey was
of Wu’s royal bloodline or not.
“Well then, there are still a few more left!”
With a cold glint in his eye, Yun Yanshui brought forth the other princes and princesses of Wu,
including Dong Jian.
Without exception, he forced a large number of toxic pills down their throats, ensuring that they,
too, would serve as blood sacrifices to the crazed old ancestor.
“Who… who are you?!” Dong Jian shouted, his voice breaking as he witnessed his siblings
being devoured one by one. His heart writhed in agony, his mind teetering on the edge of
despair.
Gathering the last vestiges of his strength, he glared at the man who looked identical to him,
letting out a hoarse, furious roar.
But Yun Yanshui offered no explanation, no response. He simply sat quietly atop a thick tree
branch, his expression indifferent as he watched the old ancestor consume the royal bloodline
of Wu.
Eventually, Dong Jian met the same grisly fate, his screams cut short as the monster tore into
him.
“After consuming so many poisoned spiritual root cultivators, your body should be on the brink
of collapse, old monster,” Yun Yanshui muttered, his voice icy as he watched the ancestor gnaw
on the last of Dong Jian’s remains.
“Blood… blood!”
The old ancestor discarded Dong Jian’s mangled skull, his feral eyes now locking onto Yun
Yanshui. Despite his body trembling and his breath growing weaker, the insatiable monster
roared again, consumed by his thirst for more blood.
However, the poison had already taken hold. The toxic compounds, carried through the blood of
the fallen royals, coursed through his body, eroding him from the inside.
Though he was a formidable cultivator, one foot already stepping into the Foundation
Establishment Stage, the sheer quantity of poison he had consumed was insurmountable. If he
were still fully human, he might have been able to purge the toxins with his spiritual energy.
But now, as nothing more than a mindless beast, the knowledge and control needed to expel
the poison were long lost to him.
Ughhh!
The old ancestor’s body suddenly collapsed, his mouth vomiting torrents of pitch-black blood
that sizzled upon hitting the ground, releasing white smoke.
The toxins were devouring him, corroding his organs and bones with ruthless efficiency.
“Blood… blood!”
Even as he lay paralyzed, his body barely functioning, the old ancestor continued to groan,
muttering his insatiable desire.
“It’s time to send you on your way, old monster,” Yun Yanshui said coolly, rising to his feet.
Drawing his black war bow, he pulled the string taut once more, forming an arrow infused with
the immense power of yin and yang.
Whoosh!
The arrow shot forth, piercing the old ancestor’s head with lethal precision.
At this point, the frail, poisoned body of the old ancestor could no longer withstand such an
attack. As the arrow tore through his skull, his already broken body went limp, his aura fading
rapidly into the void.
Still cautious, Yun Yanshui nocked several more arrows, firing them into the monster’s head
until it was utterly pulverized. Only after confirming that there was no possible chance of survival
did he finally lower his bow.
Outside Tianqing Mountain – The Tournament Grounds.
“Brother Baili, who do you think will emerge as the victor among the spiritual root cultivators this
time?”
Dong Zilong, leading a group of his followers, sat beside Baili Xi, a warm smile on his face as he
posed the question.
“The spiritual root cultivators from all four kingdoms are remarkable in their own ways.
Predicting a winner is no easy task,” Baili Xi replied calmly, sipping his tea with a serene
expression.
“Your Yue Kingdom has made impressive progress in recent years, producing many outstanding
spiritual root cultivators. Take Yun Yanshuang, for example—her reputation precedes her. If I
were to guess, with someone as gifted as her leading your group, I’d wager Yue will claim the
top spot in this contest.”
“Brother Zilong, you flatter us. While Yanshuang is indeed talented, the other three kingdoms
also boast exceptional talents,” Baili Xi responded modestly, though his thoughts were
elsewhere.
In truth, Baili Xi’s mind had long drifted from the contest itself. He was more concerned with
what Dong Zilong was planning next.
“Brother Baili, always so humble,” Dong Zilong chuckled, shaking his head. His gaze turned
toward the depths of Tianqing Mountain as he murmured, “By now… it should be over.”
“What should be over?” Baili Xi raised an eyebrow, glancing at Dong Zilong with a polite smile.
“Oh, I mean the contest,” Dong Zilong said with feigned nonchalance. “Surely, it must be nearing
its conclusion by now. After all, it’s been several days already.”
Upon hearing Baili Xi’s question, Dong Zilong quickly responded, “Indeed, you’re right. I wonder
how many spiritual root cultivators from each kingdom will make it out of the mountain alive this
time?”
Baili Xi sipped his spiritual tea, his gaze fixed on Tianqing Mountain. A cold glint flickered in his
eyes.
“There should be quite a few survivors, I’d imagine.”
Dong Zilong chuckled heartily.
At that moment, a scattered cultivator from Wu quietly approached Dong Zilong and whispered
something in his ear.
As the report ended, Dong Zilong’s expression darkened, his demeanor shifting noticeably. After
a long pause, he turned to Baili Xi.
“Brother Baili, I must excuse myself for now.”
“Brother Zilong, what’s happened to make you so anxious?” Baili Xi asked with a faint smile,
noticing the unease in Dong Zilong’s expression.
“It’s nothing of great importance,” Dong Zilong replied, his tone casual but forced.
“In that case, may I accompany you to see what’s going on?” Baili Xi’s smile remained polite,
but his words were laced with subtle curiosity.
Dong Zilong hesitated briefly but then nodded.
“If Brother Baili wishes to come along, then so be it.”
He knew that Baili Xi was a man of careful calculation. The more he tried to refuse, the more
determined Baili Xi would be to follow. It was better to allow him to come along rather than
create unnecessary suspicion.
“Where are Baili Xi and Dong Zilong heading?”
In the assembly grounds, the monarch of Chu Kingdom observed Baili Xi and Dong Zilong, both
escorted by their respective guards, preparing to leave the venue. A look of curiosity crossed his
face.
“Follow them, and we’ll find out,” said the monarch of Bei Kingdom as he rose to his feet.
Gathering his entourage, he began to trail behind the pair.
“Let’s go,” murmured the monarch of Nan Kingdom, joining the Chu monarch as they led their
party in pursuit.
“Wha… what? How could it be Yue’s spiritual root cultivators that came out?”
Outside Tianqing Mountain, some scattered cultivators from Wu caught sight of Yun Yanshuang
and the Yun sisters emerging from the mountain. They froze in shock, their minds thrown into
chaos.
They knew very well that the mountain-leaving token just used was one unique to Master Tong!
“It seems… something must have happened to the Third Prince and Master Tong,” one of the
Wu cultivators said coldly, his gaze fixed on the Yun sisters, who were tending to the
unconscious Yun Yanshuang.
“Has this been reported to His Majesty?”
“Yes, His Majesty is already on his way.”
“Good. Let His Majesty handle this personally. These three are spiritual root cultivators from
Yue. We cannot act rashly and risk Yue finding out. It would only escalate the situation
unnecessarily.”
The Wu cultivators continued their quiet discussion, keeping a watchful eye as Dong Zilong
approached with a grim expression, leading a larger group.
Among them were Baili Xi, the monarch of Yue, and the monarchs of the other three kingdoms.
“Your Majesty!”
Upon seeing Dong Zilong arrive, the Wu cultivators immediately knelt in respect.
“No need for formalities,” Dong Zilong said curtly.
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
The cultivators rose, and one of them stepped closer to Dong Zilong. His eyes lingered on the
trio from Yue as he whispered, “Those three came out with Master Tong’s mountain-leaving
token. Your servant fears that something has happened to the Third Prince and Master Tong…”
“Say no more! Be careful not to let others overhear,” Dong Zilong interrupted sharply.
“Understood!”
The Wu cultivator quickly fell silent, casting a wary glance at Baili Xi and the monarchs of the
other kingdoms who had arrived.
“Brother Baili, your kingdom is impressive! To think that three of your spiritual root cultivators
managed to survive,” Dong Zilong said with a hearty laugh as Baili Xi and his entourage
approached.
“Just luck,” Baili Xi replied evenly, his expression calm.
Meanwhile, some of his attendants had already stepped forward to examine Yun Yanshuang’s
injuries.