Echoing the cleaver’s laughter, the ice dragon burst into a rain of glistening shards. They shattered against the ground with crisp noises, melting in a veil of vapor before the thick miasma colored it an unholy green.
But the noises didn’t reach Adam. Instead, he clutched his head, his fingers digging into his tingling scalp as his breath caught in his throat and his heart almost exploded.
Why him?! The cleaver alone could sunder worlds, yet he had to stumble on another demonic artifact. Wait! So it wasn’t the tier nine demon himself? A symbiotic puppet? Was it a kind of boosting equipment?
As confusion melded with despair, two ashen arms ending in clawed hands pierced through the swirling cocoon. Crisscrossing veins pulsed under the skin as they gripped the flames and tore them open, sending the green vapor crashing against the walls like a tide.
Adam and Xian Yunxu snapped their faces toward the commotion, palling as a distorted image of what was once Ye Feng emerged.
Writhing tentacles, replacing his purple hair tangled around his blazing eyes in a disgusting helmet. The burned rags of his disciple robes drifted to reveal a chiselled torso, the fiber of each bulging muscle twitching with his every breath. He clenched and unclenched his fists, the air popping under his grip’s pressure, forcing Adam out of his stupor.
Without wasting a second, he roared. "Open a crack and leave before you become like him, Xian Yunxu! I’ll contain him."
Thousands of diamond-shaped constructs appeared around Ye Feng as he swung his arm. Like blocks, they arranged themselves into a tight sphere, thickening by the second to imprison the abomination.
Fortunately, Ye Feng or whatever he had become seemed too focused on his body to care, or... did he consider the barrier a joke in the first place?
In any case, he wouldn’t complain and use this time to isolate him further.
Torrents of magma erupted around the mana constructs before lightning arcs crisscrossed its surface. Unsatisfied by the sizzling prison, gales as sharp as blades whistled like a corona with a snap of his fingers.
Then, he grabbed the dazed Xian Yunxu by the arm and rushed toward the tomb’s doors. Each of his steps dug crevices filled with jagged, frozen spears and explosive traps that would act like land mines.
But as he prepared to fold space and send the foolish woman out, the voice of the void emperor suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Congratulations on reaching my trial, little one."
Adam cut him off, his voice trembling in suppressed anger. "You’re late!"
However, the emperor chuckled. "Do you think so? I needed that disgusting puppet to merge with someone." His voice grew solemn. "That’s why I allowed the others to fold space inside the tomb. Don’t misunderstand, little one. This would have happened, for this is the blessed land’s ultimate trial. My trial."
"What bullshit trial?! You’re dooming us all!" Adam spat through gritted teeth, his knuckles white.
The emperor scoffed with a hint of excitement. "The artifact lost power for fifty thousand years. Wielded by a mere soul transformation realm disciple, it can’t display its full potential. Destroy it. Free me from this curse to inherit my legacy and treasures."
Adam cursed under his breath. The emperor had planned everything, most likely because he needed the weakened puppet to be active to break the curse.
But who was he kidding? His previous spell didn’t even scratch it, meaning it was at least as durable as a tier-eight magical beast. And Ye Feng’s atrocious speed made it worse. With the puppet’s boost, there was no way he could react to its onslaught, much less destroy it.
The situation was too grim—almost unbelievable—but could he give up?
He gritted his teeth, the answer evident. He’d never abandon Misha or the earthlings.
"Listen well, stupid emperor. I can’t destroy the puppet without help, so lend me the guardians from the upper floors!"
"S-Stupid?!" the emperor roared in disbelief. No one had ever dared to disrespect him this much.
Yet, Adam cut him off, urgency filling his voice as his prison rumbled and deformed. "Shut up and act if you want me to break the curse!"
Before the emperor answered, the cleaver’s insidious whispers echoed. "Will you trust a manipulative fool who lost to the puppet’s previous wielder? I have a better deal for you. Hehehe. With my help, you know you can cleave it in halves without effort?"
Adam stomped the ground in rage. So that’s why it kept talking today. "You’re both the same. No. Even if he’s a bastard, at least the emperor is driven by fifty thousand years of desperation. You’re a soul-sucking leech no one invited."
"Your loss. Though the puppet’s host is weak, he’ll make for a fine replacement for the lying trash you are. And even better, we’ll manipulate him to retrieve the statue."
His fists trembled. How he dreamed of the day he would finally get rid of that bastard.
Meanwhile, the emperor, unable to hear the cleaver and Adam’s answers, sighed. "The guardians... lost their owners when you freed my second son. They need a cultivator to brand them to operate."
"Shit." Adam slapped Xian Yunxu. "Fold space and brand the guardians!"
"Ha?" She gasped, the stinging pain forcing her out of her daze. "T-The guardians?"
An icy shiver ran down her spine as the hammer-like blows distorting the elemental prison reverberated through the tomb. The wind blades already exploded outwards, scarring the walls, and the magma began to cascade on the melting slabs.
Everything had spiraled out of control too fast, but she couldn’t remain passive.
Her eyes narrowed as she nodded solemnly and punched.
Space cracked open, the palace’s corridor unfolding through the gap.
As she leapt inside, she glanced at Adam, complex emotions twisting her features. "I have too many questions, so please don’t die."
Adam clicked his tongue. "You’ll ask them in the netherworld if I do. What? Do you believe you can survive this if I fail? Don’t waste time on emotions and focus on the mission!"
With a forceful gesture, he closed the folded space—a split second before lightning crackled in a circular explosion. The shattered diamond-shaped mana followed, flying like broken glass shards to reveal Ye Feng’s smirking features.
"Ready for round two, pesky ant?"