The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 195 There's always someone better! (4k)

Unaware of the situation, Du Yuan carried the small seal and strode away.

Faced with this sudden pressure,

Knowing that he could not let this go unchecked, the patriarch of Yiqing Mountain immediately bit his fingertip and wrote a few words in blood:
"Old ghost, aren't you coming out yet?! The Heart Demon Altar belongs to your enemies, not to my Yiqing Mountain!"

Finally, the old patriarch of the enemy family, who had seemed to be playing dead all along, spoke up.

The aged voice that Du Yuan had once heard drifted from who knows where above the Ancestral Hall of Yiqing Mountain:

"Do you think I don't know? I alone am definitely not capable of stopping this! So, don't hold back!"

The old patriarch of Yiqing Mountain was furious—at such a critical moment, this old dog was still trying to drag him down with him!

But he knew perfectly well that if he really stood by and did nothing, that old dog would definitely abandon the Heart Demon Altar.

'His property needs my protection, an outsider! What a wicked thing!'

However, despite his immense anger, he could only suppress it at this moment. He said in a deep voice:
"Now that we have formed an alliance, I will not break my promise. Tell me, how shall we proceed?"

If the Dragon King isn't released, that Taoist priest who's been wandering around their southwestern territory ever since is truly a problem to deal with.

We can't just do what that idiot said.

Everyone rushed forward to see if they could exhaust his magic power.
Even if those who have survived to this day possess some hidden strengths, a full-scale attack would surely be enough to kill that Taoist priest. However, given the vast difference in their cultivation levels, many of them would likely perish as well!
In that case, who would be willing to be the sucker who might lose their life?
The voice that had been floating above the Ancestral Hall chuckled softly:
"Hehe, as expected of a prestigious sect, they are indeed meticulous. However, let's invite Prince Wei as well."

The next moment, the sound pierced through space and reached the ears of King Wujingwei, who had hidden the entire temple deep within the earth's veins:

“Your Highness, it’s time for you to do your part.”

King Wei instinctively wanted to refuse—these old bastards only think of him when they need to bleed money!

However, he had handled the Tiger Mountain incident very poorly, to the point that the Three Mountain Lords had all lost their lives at the hands of that Taoist priest. Not only was he in the wrong to begin with, but now that he had been brought to his doorstep, he really couldn't refuse.

He could only force a smile and say, "Of course."

"That's good! I was worried that Your Highness's injuries hadn't healed yet." The voice carried an undisguised sarcasm.

King Wei was speechless, only able to chuckle awkwardly, pretending not to hear, and then asked:
"But I don't know how you expect me to cooperate?"

The old patriarch of the Qiu family said calmly:
"The Inner Demon Altar is an ancient artifact, the origin of which is long lost to history. But throughout the ages, everyone who has known of it is well aware of its power!"

Upon hearing this, both King Wei and Patriarch Yiqingshan nodded silently.

The Heart Demon Altar is a coveted prize among all of them.

It can not only subtly devour the spiritual energy of the earth's veins and turn it into its own, but even more remarkably, it can also gradually erode the souls of all kinds of living beings within its 'territory'.

Then, without making a sound, they can turn a huge mountain into a puppet of the Heart Demon Altar!
From ancient times to the present, there are only three confirmed records of the use of the Heart Demon Altar.

But each time, they silently and completely took over a top-tier merchant!
For the first time, the lineage of the Qingming Sect was severed;
The second time, Xueping Sword Pavilion became a ghost town;

The third time, the Buddha's light at Ruilin Temple was completely extinguished.

Three times in succession, they silently destroyed the foundation of a sect and severed its lineage!
Their purpose in bringing out the Demon Altar is to use it to 'control' the Dragon King!
This should have been foolproof.

The reason is that the Heart Demon Altar devours the earth's spiritual energy silently and is extremely difficult to detect.

Previously, the old ancestor of Yiqing Mountain was able to see through the clues entirely because the old ghost of his enemy, in order to show his "sincerity," told them the method of "discernment"—so as not to make them suspect that plotting against the Dragon King was a pretense, but that scheming against their allies was the real intention.

Otherwise, even if he were highly skilled, he would most likely not be able to find the demonic energy that had transformed into a black dragon!
But who would have thought that before the encroachment on the surrounding ley lines was complete, such a change would occur!
Ancestor Yiqing Mountain sighed inwardly and interrupted in a deep voice:

"Stop going on about things that everyone already knows! Just tell me, how do you expect us to cooperate?"

"Simple!" The voice of the patriarch of the Qiu family was filled with smug satisfaction at having everything under control. "With the power of the Heart Demon Altar, I have taken control of all the ley lines outside the southeast. Now that the Heart Demon Altar is stationed in the northeast, I need the two of you to guard the due north and due east respectively!"

"At that time, I will hand over the corresponding authority over the ley lines to you, and let the two of you temporarily assume the duties of 'Mountain Lord'!"

"Isn't that guy supposed to be able to control the earth's veins? Let's see how he shakes the place where the 'Mountain Lord' is located when the torrents of earth veins from all directions converge!"

After a brief discussion, both King Wei and the Old Ancestor of Yiqing Mountain agreed that the plan was feasible and immediately nodded in approval.

"good!"

The next moment, the three old men on the top of the desolate mountain exchanged glances, and then their gazes turned solemnly to the north and east of the Locked Dragon Well.

“I knew there must be others here,” the old man on the left said, his brow furrowed. “But why is there such a commotion?”

"A demonstration?" the old man on the right asked doubtfully.

The elderly man in the center stared intently at the matter for a moment, then suddenly shook his head:

"It's not a demonstration!" He pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized, "It's a battle of wits! They've already engaged in combat!"

These words shocked both elders.

They've fought to this extent, and they didn't even notice before?!
In this situation, there are generally only two possibilities: one is that it was just a minor skirmish at first, but the other side suddenly became furious and came over without any regard for the consequences.

Since it was just a minor incident, isn't it perfectly normal that they didn't notice?

This is exactly what they want most.

As for the second possibility, it is that one side is so powerful that it instantly crushes all the previous methods of the person who has now appeared.

Therefore, they naturally wouldn't notice, since two toads fighting can make a lot of noise, but a toad that gets trampled to death by an elephant makes absolutely no sound!
So, which one is it?
Upon closer inspection, the three elders discovered that the surrounding earth veins were surging like a tidal wave!

"They've seized control of the earth's veins?"

"What a clever tactic! We didn't even notice!"

"So fortunate, so incredibly fortunate!"

The three of them broke out in a cold sweat almost instantly.

With the earth's veins beneath their feet under someone else's control, the outcome between those of the same realm is practically decided.

After all, doing so is like fighting someone in their own arena; how could one not lose?
Fortunately, an unknown third party barged in, breaking their winning streak ahead of time.

Below, King Wu Jingwei, seated due east, was intently focused on the southeast direction.

He was originally born as a local deity, and now that he has received a share of the earth veins from the Heart Demon Altar, he is even more at ease.

Based on a rough estimate, he felt that even if this was just an avatar, it possessed seventy percent of his true power!
In addition, there's the combined power of the earth's veins from all sides, and two other old guys.

'Yes, there's no reason for us to lose!'

But when he thought of the Three Mountain Lords, who died so swiftly and without even a scream, he added in his mind:
'At the very least, we should be able to find out who this person is!'

Taking a deep breath, the power of the earth's veins around King Wei erupted, rising higher than the mountains and crashing down towards the southeast with overwhelming force!

"I'll take the lead!"

With this roar, the first to bear the brunt of the attack, King Wei, was so imposing that even the old ancestor of the enemy family behind him, the patriarch of Yiqing Mountain, and the three old men on the desolate mountain were all captivated by this astonishing blow!
Seeing the immense power of the land, the three old men all exclaimed in praise:
"As easily as using one's own arm or fingers, perfectly coordinated and without hindrance! The one who holds the power over the earth's veins in this area must undoubtedly be a mountain lord!" The old man in the middle nodded.

"More than that!" The old man on the left pointed to the surging, warm, and jade-like earth vein power. "There was originally no mountain lord to guard this place. Although the water veins were dried up due to the severe drought, and the earth energy seemed strong, because of that Dragon King, no matter how strong the earth veins were, they were like rootless duckweed, merely having the form!"

His gaze was intense: "But look at the color of this earth's veins, warm and condensed, revealing the very essence of mountains! Such a phenomenon could only be formed by the masters of famous mountains and great peaks!" "Indeed!" the old man on the right interjected, his tone solemn, "With the blessing of such earth's veins, this is probably no less powerful than the full force of that Mountain Lord's true form!"

The three elders watched the scene before them with utter admiration.

But the next moment, all three of them almost popped their eyes out!

In their view, it was not surprising that such power was blocked, after all, there is always someone better, and there are countless talented people in the world.

It's not uncommon for a skilled overhauler to encounter an even more formidable and ruthless individual!
The problem is, whether you unleash a sword aura to split a mountain or shout the classics of the sages to shatter mountains, you have to make some kind of noise, right?
How could such a grand display end so quietly, without a trace, as if it had vanished into thin air?!

Deep in the southeastern mountain stream, Du Yuan was walking leisurely.

Suddenly, sensing something, he looked up and saw a warm yellow aura crashing down.

Just as they were about to react, the person holding the small seal raised it slightly, and the astonishingly warm yellow aura suddenly dissipated, transforming into a gentle mountain breeze that swept over them.

That force was so strong that it didn't even blow away the surrounding withered grass, let alone injure anyone.

"Ok?"

Du Yuan found it both funny and exasperating.

That's it? !
After shaking her head with a wry smile, Du Yuan continued to carry the small seal forward.

The warm sunlight shines down, making the surface of the small seal shimmer and sparkle.

As the dissipated earth vein power swept over, the surface of the small seal shimmered even brighter, and its warm and gentle quality seemed to deepen even further.
-
"what?!"

King Wei, who was sitting in the due east direction, suddenly cried out in alarm.

How could his proudest strike disappear so easily?

In shock, he, who was sitting at the core of the formation, and even the true body deep in the earth veins, subconsciously got up and looked towards the southeast.

Who on earth has arrived?!

"Could it be that Taoist priest?!"

The patriarch of Yiqing Mountain rang out in a voice filled with apprehension.

Looking across the southwest, the only person openly possessing such abilities is that Taoist priest.

But a moment later, both the old patriarch of the Qiu family and King Wu Jingwei shook their heads:
"It can't be him!"

“How come you see?”

The old patriarch of the Qiu family frowned and said:

"Because the earth's energy that pressed down wasn't destroyed by someone with great supernatural powers! Although it's still unclear whether it was drained or used to propel the energy into the earth's veins beneath our feet, it definitely wasn't that Taoist!"

He wasn't a local deity, but he controlled the Heart Demon Altar, which controlled the various earth veins, so he could see things more clearly.

The earth vein energy that had just been pressed down did not dissipate into the heavens and earth, but was instead reabsorbed by the earth veins under its control.

Instead, it simply disappeared!
Therefore, it was definitely not that Taoist priest who came; otherwise, it should have been like when the Three Mountain Lords were killed, where one could directly see the dissipating earth vein energy.

King Wei said in a deep voice:
"It's a mountain lord! Another mountain lord has arrived! Moreover, his rank and golden body are both above mine!"

He was originally a local deity, so he was absolutely certain that another powerful mountain spirit had arrived.

He even deduced from this that the other party must have come in person.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to simply remove the earth veins that were pressing down on it.

The patriarch of Yiqing Mountain was greatly relieved, relieved that it wasn't that Taoist priest who had come.

Although they were both from the same Taoist lineage, he didn't think that would make the other party go easy on him.

It might even be worse than that.
"What's next?"

King Wei pondered for a moment, then coldly snorted:

"I'm thinking of going big. Do you two dare to join me?"

The old patriarch of the Qiu family and the patriarch of Yiqing Mountain both asked:
What are the chances of success?

King Wei said in a deep voice:
"The larger your bets, the greater your chances of winning, and vice versa!"

In a flash, the two old men made their decision:

"Okay, we'll go with it!"

"Then let's go all out and pour all the surrounding ley lines into my body. He must be feeling superior right now, thinking he's already won. Then we'll catch him off guard!"

"Hmph, He would never have imagined that it was me here!"

In his position as the ruler of the mountains, he may be inferior to the other.

This is almost a fatal difference within the lineage of deities, because the distinction between superiors and inferiors, and the hierarchy, is most severe within the lineage of deities.

Unfortunately, he was also King Wu Jingwei! Besides his position as the Mountain God, he also held a royal title bestowed upon him by his elder brother!
This is unclaimed land, and the earth's veins are unclaimed. As long as the difference in the status of the mountain gods is not astronomical, they can compete for it!
Even more remarkably, a true dragon with deep ties to his former dynasty resides here. His royal title can be used to awaken the remnants of that ancient dragon vein!
He not only had to compete with the other party for the earth veins, but also had to draw upon the power of the dragon veins to suppress Him!

With multiple measures taken simultaneously, how can we not ensure his execution?
The old ancestor of the enemy family and the patriarch of Yiqing Mountain also understood the key point.

"it is good!"

With a loud shout from the three, the power of the seven earth veins erupted instantly, and in a moment they crossed the tops of the mountains.

At this very moment, it surged forth like a tsunami, roaring in.

It was truly a scene of impending doom!

Seeing this, the three elderly bystanders retreated again and again, lest the other party use the remaining force against them.

Du Yuan, at the center of the storm, also raised an eyebrow.

Just as they were about to confront the might of the mountains and seas, a familiar voice suddenly pierced through the roar and reached their ears:

"Put the little seal I gave you on the ground and take a look."

'Um? '

Du Yuan was a little surprised. How could they have informed me from so far away?

Without hesitation, before the mountain and sea could press down, Du Yuan squatted down and pressed the small seal onto the ground.

"Om-"

Print it out!

That devastating, earth-shattering, and raging power vanished in an instant!
Just as the incarnation of the powerful king, who was about to use the dragon vein to suppress others, collapsed instantly, his true golden body cracked and he rolled off the altar on the spot.

In a fit of violent terror, he cried out in a hoarse voice:
"Who the hell are you?!"

(End of this chapter)