Chapter 437 - 437 The King Is Back

437 The King Is Back

Those who were driven into madness started fighting indiscriminately, only to be promptly killed by the surrounding prodigies.

Xiang Mingfeng watched it all unfold and said, “Everyone, calm down! Let’s escape this place first.”

To control the situation, he and others like She Wanshan, Fang Huo, and Le Ji’an released their king’s force. The combined force from all of them resonated, causing many martial artists to turn pale. The chaotic scene became eerily quiet.

However, they too were far from well. Their bodies were weak, their vitality compromised from surviving in the bronze realm on what little food they could find — rat meat, earthworms, even grass. In addition, the bronze realm’s interference made them feel burdened.

Surprisingly, the soil layer of the so-called level-one array around them seemed unaffected. There were even some large beast corpses nearby, suggesting better food availability in the level-one array, which allowed the future kings to retain some strength.

Unfortunately, many older geniuses weren’t as fortunate. Some fell the moment they tried to stand, their lives snuffed out.

Xiang Mingfeng frowned and flicked his fingers, releasing beams of white light in all directions. It illuminated the entire world. After that, the experts from the five great sects led the way, guiding everyone toward the light source.

“Find Zhou Cunzhong first!” someone in the crowd suggested.

With that, all eyes began frantically searching for any trace of Qin Huai, particularly those of Yun Qi from the White Cloud sect and Hua Yanli from the Thunderbolt Gang. But they found nothing.

Not long after, they reached the end of the light source.

…

Meanwhile, just outside the bronze sinkhole, the group of sect martial artists and wanderers from the outer city watched as a massive army approached. They felt a shiver run down their spines.

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“That’s… Gao He from the prefecture overseer’s manor! And Tang Xinglong, the prefecture overseer’s grandson is here too!” someone exclaimed.

“Prefecture Overseer Tang has been at the five-full-pattern stage for years. They say he’s attempted to reach the legendary six-full-pattern stage, but has failed several times,” another added.

“But he’s persisted, using his incredible physical strength. The prefecture overseer even went into seclusion for this, disappearing for two years. Now that he’s back, does it mean…” the crowd broke off, murmuring in hushed voices.

Tang Xinglong wasn’t just the prefecture overseer’s grandson, he was also the unrivaled number one on the Green Hero Ranking.

“His king’s force is impressive. It seems he’s setting his sights on Qingzhou City. With such backing, his combat power would far surpass his peers,” someone noted.

Others whispered about his grand ambition to be the world’s number one. Newcomers to Qingzhou couldn’t help but gasp in awe, their gaze filled with respect for the young man with black hair.

“Everyone, evacuate the sinkhole quickly!” Tang Xinglong’s voice echoed loud and clear. “This bronze sinkhole is a relic left by the Demon of Qingzhou ten thousand years ago. The anomalies over the past years are all due to the vile techniques he left behind.

“Now that the sinkhole has reappeared, it signifies that the demon has found a body to possess and aims to return. We’re here today to eradicate this evil!” His voice rang out, strong and resolute.

Suddenly, someone shouted, “Someone is coming out of the sinkhole!”

Panic ensued, and they scrambled into the distance, afraid of becoming collateral damage.

And then, under the watchful eyes of all, Xiang Mingfeng and other distinguished individuals, both old and new, emerged.

“We’ve finally seen daylight again,” Gou Jie sighed with relief, only for a long spear to suddenly whiz past, embedding itself into the ground before him.

“Kill them!” Tang Xinglong coldly ordered from a distance.

“Wait! We are…” Xiang Mingfeng began, only to be interrupted as a rain of spears descended from hundreds of meters above.

“Qingzhou guards… Tang Xinglong, are you trying to murder us?” Fang Huo bellowed, his voice frail. His body, once robust, was now significantly weakened.

“Everyone, the Demon of Qingzhou might be among you. For the safety of Qingzhou’s people, I must ask for your cooperation!” Tang Xinglong declared, his tone firm and resolute.

“We know who the heir of the demon is!” Yang Tianhan shouted back. “His name is Zhou Cunzhong. He has nothing to do with us.”

However, it seemed Tang Xinglong was not interested in listening. A torrent of spears descended, each one a broken artifact brimming with deadly power.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

This display of force would ordinarily have been nothing to these prodigies, but in their weakened state, these broken artifacts became harbingers of death. The long spears pierced through more than half of them, extinguishing their life forces.

Simultaneously, a formidable force of a hundred thousand Qingzhou guards charged at them. The overwhelming presence of the vast army turned many faces white with fear.

“Is this how it ends? Am I really going to die here?” came the despairing cries.

They had seen through the prefecture overseer’s intentions: eliminate them before their sect’s experts arrived, under the noble guise of ensuring public safety. Even Xiang Mingfeng and the others, with only half of their combat power left, knew they couldn’t break through the formidable guards.

Rumble!

Suddenly, a man in green robes fell rapidly from dozens of meters above the army. The violent wind howled around Qin Huai, his eyes flashing with a brilliant white light that quickly turned black.

All the Qingzhou guards lifted their heads to see the plummeting figure, akin to a pitch-black abyss descending from the sky, ominously consuming their lives.

Boom!

With a resounding explosion, Qin Huai landed, shattering the ground into fragments. It was as if a grand drum celebrated his arrival. Blood surged around him, forming a broken sea dozens of meters away, littered with severed limbs and shocked faces.

Crash…

Like a waterfall, blood and body parts rained down, a morbid welcome to their king.