Chapter 548: The Qilin

Chapter 548: Chapter 548: The Qilin

"Quick, quick, block me! Don't let them see me!" The Old Wine Man suddenly called out in a panic.

But it was too late. The three men in white had already flown close, and one of them happened to turn his head and look in Zhong Shan's direction.

He glanced at Zhong Shan's group, his eyebrows furrowing slightly with a look of proud disdain before turning away and continuing to fly into the distance.

"Ahhh~~~!" Xianxian suddenly screamed.

Zhong Shan and the others were startled and followed Xianxian's gaze, only to see the Old Wine Man.

At this moment, the Old Wine Man was wearing an ugly ghost mask, making him look incredibly eerie. Xianxian had been frightened by the sudden appearance of the mask on his face. He had been fine just a moment ago, and then, turning around, his face suddenly became grotesquely altered. Who wouldn't be scared?

Everyone looked at the Old Wine Man in silence.

No wonder the Old Wine Man had been so desperate for them to block him from view. The white-robed man hadn't noticed anything because of the ugly ghost mask.

"Old Wine Man, you're in the Emperor Extreme Realm. Why are you afraid of them?" Xianxian asked, recovering from her fright and immediately berating him.

The Old Wine Man: "..."

"Those three aren't even that powerful. The weakest is only at the Nascent Soul stage. Why are you so scared? And with that ugly ghost mask, it's embarrassing!" Xianxian continued to scold.

The Old Wine Man: "..."

"Enough, Xianxian!" Zhong Shan quickly intervened.

"Yan Chongzhi, who were those three? Are they from the Heavenly Dynasty or a Holy Land?" Zhong Shan asked.

"No, they belong to a family, the deepest-rooted family in the underworld," Yan Chongzhi replied.

"Oh?" Zhong Shan asked, intrigued.

"They are from the 'Tian' family, the most mysterious family in the underworld. They guard the 'Ten-Thousand-Fathom Hell' and the 'Yellow Springs Road.' Though these three individuals aren't powerful, no one dares to offend the Tian family. The head of the Tian family stands equal to the Heavenly Emperor," Yan Chongzhi explained.

"Tian? The Tian family?" Zhong Shan's expression turned peculiar.

Tian Ling'er also had the surname Tian. Could there be a connection?

"Is that the Biyun Emperor?" Yan Chongzhi asked, frowning as he looked at a man in imperial robes on a distant peak.

"It's not just him. There's more than one Emperor Extreme Realm expert here," the Old Wine Man observed, looking around.

"What a grand gathering!" Yan Chongzhi remarked.

As they continued to explore and wait, six days passed. During this time, countless powerful beings gathered, all seeking to uncover the secret of the golden sun, or perhaps waiting for someone else to reveal it.

Suddenly, a green light burst forth from the sky above them. Under the green light, countless ghosts screamed and rushed into the mud below as if the light was harmful to them.

As the green light shone upon the mud, the black ghosts reacted similarly. The light caused black smoke to rise from their bodies, and in their pain, they submerged into the mud.

The entire expanse of the mud was soon devoid of any ghosts or spirits. The once bustling Great Ze Ghost Domain became eerily quiet.

Nangong Sheng's face was solemn as he stared at the mud below, his eyes filled with determination, intent on forcing out whatever was hidden beneath the mud.

His white fingers pointed towards the mud below. A purple light shot from his fingertip into the mud.

Instantly, countless patterns appeared on the surface of the mud, with numerous green lights forming an intricate network of array symbols, densely covering the mud.

"What a complex formation. He truly lives up to his name as the greatest array master!" Yan Chongzhi exclaimed in admiration.

"What's this formation? I can't make heads or tails of it," the Old Wine Man exclaimed, staring at the intricate patterns of the array below with a look of astonishment.

For all his boasting about his extensive knowledge, the Old Wine Man couldn't identify the origins of the formation before him.

"My grandfather used to say that Nangong Sheng's greatest talent isn't just in using existing formations but in creating new ones. He has created countless formations, each immensely powerful," Xianxian said absentmindedly.

After she spoke, Yan Chongzhi glanced at Xianxian with a frown. Grandfather?

Zhong Shan gave Xianxian a wry smile but did not blame her for revealing too much.

There was no visible change on the mud's surface. Nangong Sheng's eyes turned cold, and a faint smile of disdain appeared on his face. With a slight movement of his finger, the formation on the mud's surface flashed and disappeared, sinking into the mud.

Nangong Sheng watched intently, while everyone else held their breath. They wanted to see what had descended from the Great Thousand World and were equally wary of Nangong Sheng's immense power, none daring to challenge him.

"Come out! Must I invite you?" Nangong Sheng said with a hint of gravity.

Who was he talking to? Was there a person hidden in the mud? A peerless expert from the Great Thousand World?

The surrounding experts quickly drew their weapons, fully guarding themselves. The Great Thousand World was a place filled with legends of fearsome beings, and the people from there were reputed to be overwhelmingly powerful and malevolent.

"What? Still not coming out?" Nangong Sheng said coldly.

"Roar~~~!"

A deep, resonant sound emanated from beneath the mud, a sound powerful enough to shatter stone and imbued with a formidable deterrence. Countless experts on the perimeter were momentarily dazzled by the sound.

"Get out!" Nangong Sheng shouted again, sending another beam of purple light into the mud.

"Roar~~~!"

The being beneath the mud seemed to be in pain, letting out an anguished howl. Suddenly, the mud in the center began to bubble and churn, the agitation growing more intense.

Everyone grew tense.

Suddenly, from the center, a red beam shot up, a column of red light piercing the sky. The powerful red light illuminated the heavens, and the surrounding spiritual energy became wildly turbulent. Multicolored clouds formed rapidly around the light column, spiraling quickly. The surrounding space seemed to shake under the impact of the red light, causing some lower-level cultivators to perish on the spot.

The three members of the 'Tian' family, sensing the danger, immediately shielded the weakest among them and fled towards the outskirts.

A column of light causing such a celestial phenomenon—what lay beneath? The experts watched with keen interest.

Finally, as the diameter of the red light column suddenly expanded, a dazzling golden light shot out in all directions.

A pair of golden dragon horns emerged from the mud, radiating golden light in all directions. The horns looked imposing and majestic but resembled fleshy golden antlers more than dragon horns.

"That... that's a Qilin! The ninety-sixth ranked divine beast in the Great Thousand World! Run!" Mr. Corpse suddenly shouted in alarm.