"Ahhhh..."
The fake emperor also let out a scream of terror.
He trembled incessantly, so fearful in the face of this unknown strangeness.
But the transformation did not stop.
Until the very end.
The fake emperor completely transformed into an old man, a bizarre-looking old man!
"No!"
The fake emperor couldn't help but let out a long cry to the heavens.
He looked around, wanting to kill someone to alleviate his fear.
"Buzz..."
Just then, a phantom materialized in front of them.
Its aura was extraordinary, its might unyielding.
It was the Dragon Emperor.
He looked down from above, surveying everyone present.
His eyes became extremely dazzling, emitting a brilliance that no one dared to look at directly, finally falling upon the fake emperor.
"For treasure..."
"You stopped at nothing, cruelly slaughtering the guardians of the library."
"On the way here, you repeatedly used your companions as shields to escape with your life, yet they perished miserably on the spot, with no chance of rebirth..."
"You..."
"Are not worthy to possess it!"
The Dragon Emperor's voice was cold, devoid of any emotion.
As his words fell, the fake emperor suddenly leaped into the air, involuntarily flying towards the Dragon Emperor.
"No..."
"What, what did you do to me?"
The fake emperor's soul was instantly scattered, and he yelled at the Dragon Emperor in terror.
Seeing this scene.
The guardian Liu Wen immediately prepared to rescue him.
However...
"Swish!"
A divine light landed before him. The imposing aura contained within it made him dare not make a move. This was the Dragon Emperor deterring him!
"As punishment..."
The Dragon Emperor's gaze fell icily on the fake emperor, and he said indifferently, "I will send you to the abyss of Dragon Island, to be devoured by demons!"
"No!"
"You can't do this to me!"
The fake emperor was already beside himself with fear, yet his lips moved nimbly: "Before announcing the rules, you didn't explain everything."
"As for those companions..."
"The moment they followed me, their highest command was my will. They... deserved to die!"
"Noisy!"
The Dragon Emperor couldn't be bothered to listen any longer.
He extended his index finger and drew a faint trace in the air.
"Pop..."
A sound, faint yet clear, reached everyone's ears.
Like a membrane breaking.
Like space being cut.
A rift suddenly tore open in the void, and a powerful, brutal, bloodthirsty, and ferocious aura surged forth.
The powerful sense of oppression...
Was even more terrifying than when Bai Zihe was controlled by the Hellblood!
"Roar..."
"Roar..."
"Roar..."
Simultaneously, a series of piercing cries emanated from the rift, echoing through the universe and shaking the hearts of all. Everyone in the library was aghast.
Presumably, these were the roars of the "demons" the Dragon Emperor spoke of.
"Go in."
The next moment, the Dragon Emperor casually tossed the fake emperor into the rift.
"No..."
A long cry, from near to far, seeming to be right before their eyes, yet truly at the edge of the sky.
But in an instant, it vanished.
"Buzz..."
After throwing the fake emperor in, the visible rift gradually closed.
Correspondingly, the terrifying auras also annihilated.
But it was not entirely extinguished.
At least.
Such power, such shock, remained in everyone's hearts for a long time, refusing to dissipate.
"The most precious treasure..."
It was not until the Dragon Emperor above spoke again that everyone snapped back to reality.
"Is on that mountain!"
The Dragon Emperor pointed his finger towards the end of the hall, outside the main entrance.
There...
Bai Zihe and the others could not see clearly at all. They could only see a small point of light, its distance from their current location unknown!
Since it was the direction given by the Dragon Emperor, no matter how far, they had to go.
Immediately, a group of people gathered the scattered treasure chests, and then set off in a grand procession.
"Guardian Sir."
After Bai Zihe and the others left, the experts from the fake emperor's faction all looked to Liu Wen, following his lead and awaiting orders.
"We..."
"What should we do now?"
Liu Wen looked at the receding figures of Bai Zihe and the others, his eyes unfathomably deep, and said indifferently, "Since it is the most precious treasure, it is unlikely to be easily obtained."
"This way."
"You take a portion of people to search for the emperor. He still has some secrets on him, which are of great importance. It is not certain he will be devoured by those demons."
"The other portion will follow me to investigate the matter."
"Let's see what kind of thing this most precious treasure the Dragon Emperor spoke of actually is."
The many experts nodded slightly.
"But."
Liu Wen's cold gaze swept over everyone, and he said in a deep voice, "Remember, if you encounter Bai Zihe, or any other unforeseen events, report to me immediately. Do not act rashly."
"And do not..."
"Easily get into disputes with others."
"Our strength is very weak now, we cannot afford to lose any more people."
The group of experts immediately felt a sense of awe.
"Yes!"
Everyone took their orders and left.
Bai Zihe, Zhuge Sheng, and the others left the main hall and headed west, towards the direction of the point of light.
After a series of fierce battles.
coupled with the fact that the two leading figures, Zhuge Sheng and Bai Zihe, had both been injured and experienced mishaps, their morale had been low for some time.
But now...
Having received the Dragon Emperor's guidance and seeing the treasure within reach, everyone felt a little excited and thrilled, which was evident on their faces.
Therefore, each and every one of them exerted their full strength.
"Swish!"
"Swish swish!"
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..."
Streams of light flashed, heading straight for that point of light.
Half an hour passed.
The point of light finally came into view. What shocked everyone was that it turned out to be a volcano!
"Damn it..."
"What kind of joke is this?"
"The treasure is in a volcano?"
"How, how are we supposed to get the treasure?"
"Are they kidding me!"
Many people were stunned, their expressions changing drastically.
It was as if...
A basin of cold water had been poured onto their burning enthusiasm, extinguishing it instantly.
"Indeed."
The phantom of the Dragon Emperor materialized in the sky once more.
He looked down at the crowd, a faint smile at the corner of his eyes. "The final treasure is within the volcano."
"This volcano has existed for thousands of years."
"Its caldera, constantly impacted by geothermal heat, makes it difficult for even Nascent Soul realm cultivators to traverse safely, let alone even a Divine Transformation realm cultivator."
"However..."
At this point, a sinister smile suddenly appeared on the Dragon Emperor's face. "The earth fire deep within the volcanic veins is extremely peculiar. As long as you smear fresh blood all over your body, you can resist more than ninety percent of the heat and burning."
A strange light flickered in the Dragon Emperor's eyes.
As his gaze shifted, it swept across Bai Zihe and the other experts who had followed him, as if implying something.
"I have told you the location. Whether you can obtain it..."
"Depends on the choices you make."
"Hee hee hee hee..."
With his sinister laughter fading into the distance, the Dragon Emperor's phantom also disappeared into the air.
"Young Master, what does he mean by that?"
Smearing oneself with blood...
Just the thought of it was terrifying!
Bai Zihe's gaze narrowed slightly and he said calmly, "It's the same logic as in the library. He's tempting us to sacrifice our companions."
Everyone's hearts jolted.
"Don't worry!"
Bai Zihe's voice was not loud, but his tone was resolute. "If it weren't for all of you on this trip to Dragon Island, I, Bai Zihe, might not have made it this far."
"Therefore..."
"Since we are companions, I will never do such a cruel thing."
"I will obtain it with my own strength!"
As his words fell, Bai Zihe transformed into a stream of light and sped towards the volcano.
Everyone came back to their senses and followed suit.
Zhuge Sheng lingered behind, his eyes flashing with an unknown thought.
As the group approached.
The air became scorching hot.
It had to be said that this volcano was truly extraordinary.
Those who had reached this point were, at the very least, at the peak of the Grandmaster realm, with some at the Half-step Core Formation realm. In the eyes of ordinary people, they were already no different from celestial beings.
However, in the face of this natural phenomenon...
They were as tiny as ants.
Before long, many of them were already sweating profusely. Even circulating the qi within their bodies could not completely block out the intense heat.
"You all wait for me here."
Bai Zihe had reached the foot of the mountain and commanded, "I will obtain the treasure and then come down to reunite with you."
"Young Master, be careful!"
"Bai Zihe, return safely!"
"Lord Bai, the treasure is not easy to get, safety is paramount!"
"Mr. Bai, we will wait for you here. You... hurry up and get the treasure back."
Everyone bid farewell to Bai Zihe.
Zhuge Sheng stepped forward and reminded him, "Bai Zihe, at critical moments, the Hellblood might have a miraculous effect, but it must be within controllable limits."
Bai Zihe's heart tensed.
Immediately, without looking back, he rushed towards the volcano.
"Swish!"
With a flash, Bai Zihe was halfway up the mountain.
The aura of flames instantly assailed him, causing his figure to pause briefly.
Bai Zihe's eyes narrowed.
This temperature...
It was at least ten times higher than at the foot of the mountain.
But it was still manageable. For a master like him, a temperature difference of ten degrees was nothing to be concerned about, it could be ignored.
He continued to advance.
As the temperature gradually rose, Bai Zihe even felt it had exceeded one hundred degrees!
And the scorching aura made the place extremely dry. The sweat that had just appeared on Bai Zihe's body evaporated instantly.
Continuing forward.
The terrain became steeper.
Furthermore, after countless years of baking, many places that looked like large rocks had actually turned to ash in the high temperatures.
If one accidentally stepped on them...
There was the danger of falling off a cliff and perishing instantly.
Bai Zihe had to be extremely careful.
Even...
At several perilous locations, he had to crouch down and move forward slowly.
Seeing this, the many experts below couldn't help but feel their hearts rise to their throats, worried about Bai Zihe. Their bodies involuntarily moved forward.
"Swish..."
"Whoosh..."
"Hiss..."
Just as Bai Zihe was passing through a narrow passage, rows of ballistae suddenly appeared on the cliffs on both sides and fired immediately.
In an instant...
Ten thousand arrows rained down, and a chilling killing intent permeated the air.
Dense and numerous, they obscured the sky and blocked out the sun.
"Young Master, be careful!"
"Bai Zihe, be careful!"
The crowd below cried out in alarm, reminding Bai Zihe.
Bai Zihe naturally heard the commotion, but being on a sheer cliff and constantly being scorched by high temperatures, even breathing became difficult.
He could only narrowly evade.
Several times, he almost lost his footing and fell.
Fortunately, he ultimately escaped danger.
In their terror, the masters involuntarily chased out a further distance, staying just behind the cliffs, constantly watching Bai Zihe.
Hoping to provide some assistance in a critical moment.
Fortunately.
After enduring the high temperatures, steep cliffs, thick smoke, and traps...
Bai Zihe was finally close to the volcano, only about ten zhang away.
Ten zhang...
Under normal circumstances, Bai Zihe could have crossed it with a single flash.
But at this moment, it was a step-by-step perilous journey, making him dare not be careless. Every step was like walking on thin ice, cautious and meticulous.
Eight zhang.
Five zhang.
Three zhang!
Bai Zihe's eyes suddenly lit up.
He saw it, he saw the most precious treasure the Dragon Emperor had spoken of.
A smile appeared on Bai Zihe's face.
"Swish!"
"Whoosh whoosh..."
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—"
Just then, the smile on Bai Zihe's face, before it could fully bloom, froze there.
Gleams of cold light surged towards them.
They were not only aimed at him but also at the countless experts behind him.
Among them was one particularly sharp gleam, exuding a chilling aura, heading straight for the emperor, Zhuge Sheng.
"Ah..."
"No..."
"I, I am not resigned..."
Immediately, many experts were struck.
Hit by the suddenly appearing traps, they plunged into the bottomless abyss.
Below the abyss was scalding lava, and the outcome was predictable.
"Swish!"
At the critical moment, Bai Zihe did not hesitate.
He casually produced the Yin-Yang Seventy-Two Needles from his hand. In the high altitude, they transformed into streaks of light, trailing long golden rays, appearing in the air.
"Bang!"
"Swish!"
"Whoosh!"
He deflected all the traps.
Especially the one that aimed for Zhuge Sheng, Bai Zihe used three golden needles.
Fortunately, all were blocked.
"Be careful! Young Master, behind you!"
"Bai Zihe, be careful..."
At this moment, before those experts could even rejoice, they stared intently at Bai Zihe's back, letting out earth-shattering roars.
Bai Zihe also sensed it.
A cold glint locked onto him.
"Swish!"
At the last moment, he quickly shifted his position slightly.
But he was still too slow.
An arrow, carrying the force of wind and thunder, pierced Bai Zihe's chest, and a vast power struck him, sending him into the endless molten lava.