"It’s actually the Yun Xiao Saint Heir," Fei Yue turned grave swiftly, originally thinking the storm was about to settle, not expecting the Yun Xiao Saint Heir to suddenly show up at the end.
"The Yun Xiao Saint Heir is the top expert among the younger generation in Daluo Heavenly Palace, I could have stood a chance against him at my best, but now, I fear even combining forces with Lord Wind, we would not be his match."
Xue Lingzi also took a deep breath, his expression very solemn, but he was incapable of lending aid for now. The disparity in their states was too great; stepping forward now would only lead to a swift defeat at the hands of the Yun Xiao Saint Heir, turning into a mockery instead.
It would be better to recover strength as soon as possible and think about the next move—that was the wisest course of action.
High in the sky, Ye Xuan faced the pressing Yun Xiao Saint Heir, and he could only draw his bow and prepare for a full-on battle.
At that moment, the ground shook violently, like an earthquake erupted. Strange black streaks shot out from the fissures, turning into giant black pythons dancing wildly in the hall.
As the black pythons wreaked havoc, the statue also displayed large cracks that spread rapidly like a spider web. In the blink of an eye, the vast Evil Dragon Sculpture collapsed, breaking into pieces.
This sudden disturbance also changed the complexion of the Yun Xiao Saint Heir. He had to retreat midway, reluctantly avoiding these strange black pythons.
With the statue collapsed and the ground cracked, the space below seemed to twist, appearing like a spatial vortex was forming.
Everyone was somewhat stunned as they looked at the cracked ground. As the statue collapsed, a vast underground world emerged into view.
"Is there another universe beneath here?"
Everyone’s eyes lit up; they knew the Evil Dragon Temple was a sacred place for the Evil Dragon Clan, but this underground world hidden beneath was undoubtedly hinting at something extraordinary.
As the vortex slowly spun in the gap of the broken ground, if you looked closely, you could see thunder arcs leaping through the spatial vortex, and an indescribable aura of ancient vastness faintly exuded from within, under which everyone in the hall felt a tremor emanating from the depths of their souls.
"What exactly is in that space to have such terrifying fluctuations...," some of the powerhouses, with shocked expressions, muttered to themselves.
Ye Xuan stared intently at the place where the black vortex spun, and even with his willpower, he couldn’t help but feel his heart shake. This fluctuation of aura indeed gave off a very strong oppressive sensation, even making one’s soul feel an urge to worship.
This feeling of worship only slowly dissipated after entering deep into Ye Xuan’s mind.
Just as everyone was shaken, from that cracked underground world, a bizarre and extremely penetrating beam of light suddenly burst forth, flashing past everyone and then fixed in the air in front of them.
In that beam of light, it seemed as though strange runes were leaping about, and wrapped within those runes, a black crystal slowly rose from this underground world.
As soon as the black, odd crystal appeared, everyone’s gaze was immediately drawn to it. Almost everyone present with a bit of strength could feel the energy fluctuations in the grand hall, which seemed to be triggered by this stone. This black crystal was like the heart of the Evil Dragon Temple, controlling its every move, holding the lifeline of the entire temple.
Even a fool could tell that this black crystal was no ordinary object.
"Evil Dragon Jade! Could this crystal be the legendary Evil Dragon Jade?!"
Suddenly, amidst the eerily silent atmosphere, a cry of astonishment rang out, followed by a wave of clamor in the grand hall.
Ye Xuan was also startled, and immediately his pupils shrank sharply. The Evil Dragon Jade was indeed the treasure of the Evil Dragon Clan, and besides the Dragon Ball, it was the most precious object within the Dragon Clan. If a human could obtain it and absorb and refine it, they would gain immense power in a short time, possessing the mighty Bloodline Power of the Evil Dragon Clan.
Its effect was incomparable to that of the Evil Dragon Crystal or the Dragon Saliva Fruit.
The Evil Dragon Jade was indeed a legendary item, a Holy Object that was sought after but seldom found.
Ye Xuan hesitated only for a moment before immediately darting forward, reaching out to grasp the black crystal.
"Boy, your greed knows no bounds!"
Seeing Ye Xuan make a move, the Yun Xiao Saint’s expression darkened, and murderous intent surged in his eyes. He already considered the Evil Dragon Jade his own; Ye Xuan daring to snatch it was tantamount to seeking death.
Thus, with a shout, he threw a punch, a fierce gust mixed with dense cloud-attributed True Yuan, directly sweeping toward Ye Xuan.
With a swish, figures like Lord Wind, Shangguan Hong, and others also made their moves toward Ye Xuan—clearly, everyone desired the Evil Dragon Jade.
Facing this kind of siege, Ye Xuan did not hesitate; he immediately pulled back. He did not plan to be the first to act. If the Evil Dragon Jade fell into his hands, it was possible that all the powerhouses of the Evil Dragon Temple would join forces to attack him, as gaining too much would undoubtedly provoke public outrage.
His move was merely to incite others to vie for the treasure. As for battling over the Evil Dragon Jade, now was not the time; he had to first focus on restoring his heavily depleted True Yuan.
Ye Xuan withdrew, but more people madly surged forward, eyes bloodshot, crazily rushing toward the center of the grand hall where the Evil Dragon Jade lay. Even a commoner obtaining such a thing would suddenly experience a drastic increase in ability, not to mention them; anyone would surely make tremendous progress.
Although the Yun Xiao Saint was powerful, he too could not withstand the might of many; Lord Wind, Crown Prince Feng Yun, Chang Qin, and Qin Yuan clearly intended not to let the Yun Xiao Saint succeed. Suddenly, a fierce melee erupted in the grand hall.
A moment ago, Lord Wind and Shangguan Hong were allies, but now they had quickly turned against each other. There was no doubt that as precious as the Thunder Brilliance Bow was, it paled in comparison to the Evil Dragon Jade.
"These people are all crazy over this Evil Dragon Jade."
Xue Lingzi and Fei Yue also retreated to Ye Xuan’s side. They too had been badly injured in the previous fight and desperately needed rest. Watching the chaotic scene unfold before them, they could not help but feel a sense of irony, a true instance of ’humans die for riches, as birds die for food’. In the recent melee, several lives had already been claimed.