Chapter 968. Taking The Lead
The sky was dim and the earth was smashed, a scene one would only expect to see at the end of the world.
The masters of the Three Clans flew over a city as their Divine Senses all spread out. Yet, they have not found a single aura down below; chilling their hearts.
This was already the tenth dead city they had encountered.
These towns were originally bustling with people and activity, but now they had become bloodstained ruins that eerily lacked any corpses.
After leaving Nine Heavens Holy Land, the Tong Xuan Realm masters had spent an entire month on the road. A few days ago, as they approached the former boundaries of Water Spirit Temple’s territory, the Three Clans’ masters discovered that the situation was much worse than they originally thought.
The Bone Race had expanded rapidly; a swath of territory ten thousand kilometres in radius with Water Spirit Temple at its centre had turned into a desolate wasteland where not even birds remained.
It was as if this area had become a dead zone where no one lived and nothing grew.
At least several hundred thousand humans had disappeared from this land!
How many Bone Race clansmen could be spawned from these hundreds of thousands of corpses, no one could tell.
A blue light flashed in front of the group of masters and Yang Kai’s figure appeared, his expression extremely solemn.
“How is the situation?” Chu Ling Xiao hurriedly asked.
Because Yang Kai possessed a Star Shuttle, he had gone ahead a few days ago to scout out the situation and had not returned until just now.
“Not good!” Yang Kai shook his head before turning his attention to the group of masters in front of him, “The Bone Race currently has at least three thousand clansmen, all of whom have at least reached the Transcendent Realm.
When this remark came out, everyone’s face paled.
When Yang Kai had first encountered newly revived Bone Race, there had only been a few dozen Saints and a hundred or so Transcendents among them, their total population less than two hundred.
But in just half a year, their number had actually swelled to more than three thousand.
Such astonishing growth was difficult for everyone present to accept.
And these three thousand Bone Race clansmen were all at least Transcendent Realm masters!
Such strength was enough to sweep clean this world.
“We only have a bit more than a thousand people on our side, less than a third their number,” Chu Ling Xiao muttered unconsciously. Even someone as seasoned and experienced as he couldn’t help showing a grim look at this moment.
Zhang Yuan, Thunder Dragon, and all the other top masters were also aware of the seriousness of the problem.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “While there’s some bad news, there is also some good. Although there are many more of them than before, most of them are still just Transcendents, the number of Saint Realm masters they possess hasn’t increased much. I estimate that from six months ago, there might be twenty more Saints in total on their side while on ours there are over two hundred. In terms of top-level masters, we have a decisive advantage.”
“But the remaining Transcendents are still a big problem,” Meng Wu Ya frowned.
Yang Kai grinned fiercely, “Just leave those Transcendents to me.”
Everyone looked at him with amazement, not knowing where his confidence was coming from.
Even Meng Wu Ya or Chu Ling Xiao wouldn’t dare say they could deal two or three thousand Transcendents, never mind Yang Kai.
“We should be glad that it took us less than half a year to assemble. If we have given the Bone Race six more months, they really would have become unstoppable,” Yang Kai said as a look of fear flashed across his face. The Bone Race’s rate of development was simply too fast.
Right now, with the Three Clans collaborating, they should still be able to extinguish the Bone Race, but if they had given the Bone Race another year, or even half a year to prepare, victory would no longer be guaranteed.
“Their entire population is now occupying Water Spirit Temple’s former headquarters, an island about one thousand kilometres away from here. We’ve all been travelling for so long, so I suggest we rest here for a while and then set off again two days later,” Yang Kai shouted in a clear and resonant voice.
No one raised any objections. They were now just a stone’s throw away from Water Spirit Temple where they would soon be waging a great war, so it was only natural for them to recover to their peak state first. In the coming battle, one moment of carelessness could very well result in death.
For now, many masters flew down to the ground and looked for positions to meditate and restore themselves.
Inside Water Spirit Temple, atop an island covered by a thick cloud of blood mist, one thick enough to even dye the surrounding pristine waters a bloody red.
In the middle of this island lay a huge blood pool, one that churned and tumbled as the fresh blood within it seemingly boiled.
Many pale bones and countless herbs floated inside the blood pool, similar to what Yang Kai had once seen before.
The only difference now though was that this blood pool was much larger than what Yang Kai had last visited, it now occupied almost half of the entire island.
Beside the blood pool, there were Bone Race masters who were pouring their own vital essence into the pool to help spawn new clansmen.
Innumerable hideous faces, like tormented ghost, were bound within the blood pool, wailing as they struggled to break free, filling the entire island with a terrifying air.
Ke Luo sat at the highest point on the island, overlooking the blood pool down below with satisfaction.
Suddenly, a Bone Race clansman hurried over and reported, “Sir, the masters of this world seem to have been attracted to our presence. They are now resting in a place not far from here.”
Ke Luo’s eerie green eyes flashed a ghastly light as he grinned, “They’re finally here, but it’s already too late!”
As he spoke, he rose from the chair he was sitting upon, “The inhabitants of this world are truly ignorant, actually giving my clan half a year to prepare. Without these past six months of buffer time, even if our clan had completely recovered, we wouldn’t have been able to create much stir, but things are different now. Since they dare to come, we must let them pay a suitable price. We’ll grind their bodies and use their remains to create more of our clan!”
His voice was high spirited and filled with confidence, causing the bone Race clansmen who had come to report to fill with excitement, as if he could already see the scene of his clan dominating this world and enslaving the beings who lived here.
“Transmit my orders! All our clansmen are to stop pouring their life essence into the blood pool, and instead have the newly born clansmen absorb as much energy from the blood pool as soon as possible to shape their physiques!”
“Yes!” The Bone Race clansmen immediately withdrew and rushed to the blood pool to spread the word.
After a moment, the Bone Race clansmen who were gathered around the blood pool stopped pouring their essence into it and began silently extracting energy from it instead.
The skeletons which originally did not possess any flesh or blood soon began forming their physiques.
The Bone Race clansmen who already had flesh on their bodies also became stronger after absorbing energy from the blood pool.
The Bone Race was planning to go all out as well.
The frightening blood cloud which had engulfed Water Spirit Temple’s main island gradually disappeared as the energy contained within it was absorbed into the bodies of the Bone Race clansmen, becoming a part of their strength.
In the blink of an eye, two days passed by.
Above the endless sea, the one thousand masters from the Thee Clans flew towards Water Spirit Temple.
Atop the island in front of them, the Bone Race clansmen stood fearlessly, their fiery green eyes filled with a violent and bloodthirsty light as they stared at the Three Clans’ masters like they were delicacies to be devoured.
Many Bone Race clansmen were even licking their lips, appearing completely undaunted.
Ten kilometres from the island, Yang Kai came to a stop, the masters from the Three Clans quickly forming up behind him.
Countless curious eyes stared towards the front.
Of those who had come here, almost none of them had ever encountered a member of the Bone Race before, so this was actually their first time seeing this enemy they had come to face.
On the surface, they appeared like ordinary humans, the only difference being their burning green eye. The coldness of these eyes and the bloodthirsty aura which pulsed from their bodies made everyone who was facing these Bone Race masters uncomfortable.
“Are they the Bone Race?” Many people muttered in surprise.
“They’re not such a big deal after all. I had thought they would have three heads and six arms, but it turns out they only have the normal amount!”
“Ha ha ha! We’ll soon let this trash know the meaning of fear!”
Everyone began shouting, seemingly not putting the Bone Race in their eyes.
“Yang Kai, what’s our plan? You’re in command, we’ll follow your orders,” Zhang Yuan stared forward, his Demonic Qi surging as a dangerous aura began pulsing from his body.
This was the enemy Great Demon God had once fought; now, after thousands of years, he, Demon Commander Zhang Yuan, was doing the same, giving him an indescribable feeling. He had secretly decided to give his all to clean up this mess Great Demon God had left behind so as not to bring shame to his legacy.
“I’m going to make the first move, all of you should wait patiently,” Yang Kai said lightly.
“You what?” Zhang Yuan was stunned and turned his head and looked at him; Thunder Dragon and the many Human Race masters also gave him strange looks.
Slowly shaking his head, Zhang Yuan said, “It’s not that this Senior is looking down on you, but with your strength, if you rush in there alone, you’ll die without a doubt.”
“That’s right, Little Yang Kai. Don’t forget that you are currently the one in command of our Three Clans’ alliance, so it’s not necessary for you to personally take the lead,” Meng Wu Ya said worriedly, “How about letting the old master step forward for you?”
He was afraid Yang Kai might have an accident.
“No need, naturally I have my reasons for going on ahead. Just watch,” Yang Kai smiled confidently.
Saying so, he immediately summoned his Star Shuttle and in a flash of light, soared into the skies above Water Spirit Temple.
Down below, countless Bone Race eyes stared towards him and Ke Luo coldly snorted, called out, “It’s you!”
Obviously he remembered Yang Kai’s appearance. The last time they met, Yang Kai had played him for a fool, causing Ke Luo to decide that in the future, he would track down Yang Kai and torture him brutally.
What he hadn’t expected was for Yang Kai to actually offer himself up.
Immediately overjoyed, Ke Luo waved his hand and shouted, “Capture him, I want the Star Shuttle in his hand!”
At that moment, a Second-Order Saint Realm Bone Race clansman flew up, sending out a burst of malevolent intent that formed itself into a nearly tangible beast that bit towards Yang Kai.
This monster was massive, and of a shape no one from Tong Xuan Realm had ever seen before. The Evil Qi it gave off seemed able to consume the Heavens and Earth.
An azure light flashed and Yang Kai’s Star Shuttle easily avoided this attack as he continued to fly about over Water Spirit Temple, a powerful Spiritual Energy constantly flooding out from him and covering Bone Race clansman on the island.
Ke Luo’s eyes narrowed as he sneered, “A Divine Sense attack?”
As he spoke, he sent out a pulse of Spiritual Energy no less intense than the ones Yang Kai was releasing, shaping it into an invisible sword and piercing it towards Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea.
Yang Kai’s figure suddenly went stiff.
“Hmph, seeking one’s own end! Actually daring to show off a Divine Sense attack in front of me, it seems you have no concept of your own strength,” Ke Luo snickered.