719 The Birth of the Dark Artifact! (1/2)
Wang Baole got to his feet as he said that. With a single leap, he entered the abyss and vanished. Outside, the heavens and earth were shifting. Winds howled, and clouds rolled back. Wang Baole appeared in midair, above the Divine Armament New City!
He hadn't summoned his Thearch Armor or his demonic eye, nor did he unleash any of his mystic techniques. He simply floated in the air, a calm expression on his face, the only difference being… the black flames burning in his eyes!
Daoist You Ran, who had freed himself from the earlier dangerous situation, absorbed the flesh and blood of numerous Never-Ending Clan puppets, regained his full strength and received an additional great boost to his power, reeled back in shock at the sight of the black flames!
The feeling that Wang Baole was giving him was extremely strange. He had no Thearch Armor on him, no demonic eye hovering at his back, and his cultivation was clearly only at the Nascent Soul realm; however… as he stood there, black fire lighting up his eyes, he still managed to feel extremely dangerous. Daoist You Ran's blood curled. His body was screaming. It trembled and told him that there was no way… he could defeat this person!
Without Daoist You Ran's support, both sides became more evenly matched on the ground. Mars' preparations and fierce retaliation was one reason. The other was the sudden shift of alliance of one faction of Dao Palace cultivators to the Martian side. Led by Dugu Lin, they joined forces with the Federation cultivators and began targeting Never-Ending Clan puppets.
Their sudden aid and the slogan they began to shout affected many more Dao Palace cultivators. Tired of the battle, they began to doubt their actions. Feng Qiuran's appearance and subsequent commands intensified their indecision… the invading Dao Palace cultivators might not choose to change their alliance, but they began to retreat from battle subconsciously, choosing to stay out of this war.
The upper echelons of the Federation, including the Martian Colony Governor, Li Xingwen, and Duan Muque, continued to observe the fierce battle through the Great Martian Array Formation. They also saw… another battle unfold in midair above the Divine Armament New City!
They saw Wang Baole's avatar clash with Daoist You Ran, how the avatar's efforts went to waste when Daoist You Ran freed himself and revealed himself to be more powerful than before, and they saw the moment… when Wang Baole's true form appeared!
It was as if the key fight in the Martian battle had changed with Wang Baole's appearance. The fight between him and Daoist You Ran became the most important fight. Li Xingwen, Duan Muque, and the Martian Colony Governor observed everything through the Great Martian Array Formation. It was then… that Daoist You Ran struck!
The strange feeling he was getting from Wang Baole and the terror rising within him made him antsy. He couldn't wait any longer. Murderous intent filled his eyes, and he raced towards Wang Baole, an unstoppable force of nature, all the faces on his body roaring as he charged. The power he exuded rose to the heavens, surpassing that of a Soul Conduit realm cultivator at that moment.
He was like a tsunami rushing at a lone raft. He was going to pull Wang Baole under and destroy the latter in both body and soul!
As Daoist You Ran charged towards Wang Baole, Dark Fire flickered in Wang Baole's eyes. He appeared unfazed as he lifted his right hand and pointed towards the ground.
”Dark Sampan, resume your position!”
The earth thundered. Columns of black smoke burst out from underground all around Wang Baole and rose to the skies. They headed for the edge of heaven, rising upwards continuously.
These columns of smoke exuded incredible power. Their sudden eruption enveloped Wang Baole and his surroundings in smoke. It was a sudden barricade that stopped Daoist You Ran outside. Alarm flashed across Daoist You Ran's face, but before he could figure out what had happened, something made him lower his head suddenly and stare at the ground.
The Martian lands shook. Those with a sufficient level of cultivation, who could extend their spiritual senses while ignoring the power exuded from the Dark Artifact, were able to distinctly see what was underground. Buried deep under the Divine Armament New City was an enormous artifact!
It was shaped like a sampan. It appeared to be old and damaged, but its overall shape had been preserved. A closer examination might even allow one to sense how very old the sampan was. Above everything else, it exuded an indescribable power.
The sampan shuddered and triggered quakes under the city and the vast surrounding lands. Columns of smoke continued to erupt from the ground and rise to the heavens, their numbers continuing to increase.
It appeared as if… the Dark Sampan intended to break through the earth and emerge above ground. It was as if it wanted to return to the cosmos!
”That's…” Daoist You Ran couldn't see what was happening underground, but he could sense something. It caused his heart to race, and incredulity colored his eyes. It was then… that the ground erupted as if struck by a bolt of lightning. A deafening explosion resonated in the air.
The lands around the Divine Armament New City collapsed. The Dark Sampan dismantled itself and transformed into a thick Dark Qi that rose to the heavens like a sea of black smoke. It surged towards Wang Baole and quickly gathered beneath his feet. In an instant, the smoke transformed into… a black sampan!
It was… one of the three Dharmic Treasures that never left a Dark Child's side… the Dark Sampan!
Its appearance sent the heavens and earth trembling and Mars shaking. The cosmos rippled. Waves of spirit energy erupted and surged outwards as an immense power rose in the air. Even someone as powerful as Daoist You Ran was alarmed. He howled as he tried his best to hold his ground, but the overpowering presence of the Dark Sampan drove him back.
The power exuded from the Dark Sampan was like a physical force that could squash and kill all living creatures!
It didn't matter if one didn't see the descent of the Dark Sampan, every cultivator on Mars reeled from its overpowering presence. It affected cultivators from the Federation as well as Dao Palace cultivators who had chosen not to participate in the battle!