The Portal of Wonderland

The middle-aged man in the yellow robe sized up the Azure Ape King with indifference before turning his attention to the chamber, embers of avarice twinkling in his eyes.

He completely ignored both Shi Mu and Liu An standing across the chamber, as if they never existed. The two of them shot each other a meaningful glance without making any extra movement or speaking a word.

“Hoho, who knew that this Heaven Ascension Treasure Vault has been up here all along? I must admit, it really surprised this priest here. Oh Azure Ape King, you demons are such simple-minded animals. All it takes for you to uncover a centuries-old secret is a little trick! Hahahahahahaha!” Huang Long guffawed.

“Hmph! Trying to downplay the fact that you spent three hundred bloody years of torture, extortion, and coercion without ever catching a glimpse of this place at all?!” the Azure Ape King snapped.

“If the great Azure Ape King himself can bide his time, this priest can naturally do the same. After all, look at what we’ve come to! What is the span of three hundred years in the eyes of those who’ve attained Heaven-rank such as you and I, especially when it’s all done in the name of our cultivation?” Huang Long extended his arms as he looked around before letting out another snort.

“You… despicable, wretched bastard! If it wasn’t for the fact that this king opened the door to the vault, you would never ever be able to get here!” the Azure Ape King said through gritted teeth.

“Hahaha, still in denial I see! You really think these two worms got into Heaven Ascension Peak without being noticed by this priest? You threatened to kill your own Primordial Spirit in the past, painting me into a frustrating corner. But all this priest had to do was to play the worms’ infiltration to my advantage, and let them into the place where you’re imprisoned… Then you’d just do the rest automatically as if this really was your chance at freedom! You believed it so much, you even opened the door to the vault for me! Hahahahah!” Huang Long laughed once again.

The Azure Ape King’s face turned dangerously stormy upon hearing his words.

“If you’ve been hiding here, then who’s out there hosting the Form Assuming Ceremony?” Shi Mu suddenly spoke.

Huang Long turned to the source of that voice and saw that it was Shi Mu. A cold smile quivered on his lips.

“Well, seeing that all of you are about to die here today, I supposed a kind priest like me should not deny you some knowledge as your swansong. That person out there is just a Heaven-ranked friend of mine. After all, being the Holy Land of the Demon Races, a lone priest would not have been enough to seize it securely,” Huang Long replied, his eyes already sparkling as he gazed upon the golden altar in the middle of the chamber.

Shi Mu’s expression darkened as he turned to look at the Azure Ape King. The Azure Ape King had promised him that there was a transporting formation here that could transport him out of Heaven Ascension Peak.

However, Shi Mu’s peripheral vision caught the change in Liu An’s face—instead of worrying over their current situation, he was instead completely absorbed with a run-of-the-mill wooden rack close to the altar.

Shi Mu turned to see what Liu An was looking at.

On top of the wooden rack was a black, brick-like object about several inches long. It was strangely devoid of any spiritual pulses as if it was nothing more than a common piece of rock.

Liu An seemed to have sensed Shi Mu’s eyes and turned his head.

Their eyes met, and Shi Mu discovered that Liu An was looking at him with a wisp of hostility, then the latter simply turned his head away.

Shi Mu’s eyebrows furrowed as thoughts raced in his head. He recalled Liu An’s exchange with the Azure Ape King and decided that this black object was likely that Fallen Angel desk thing Liu An was looking for.

Of course, Shi Mu had not the slightest shred of interest in whatever that was. He scanned the top of the altar quickly and spied a layer of runes amidst the red lights glimmering on top of it. Together with the knowledge he had gained from his dream, Shi Mu surmised that this was the exact location where the large wooden box was sealed.

Suddenly, Shi Mu could feel his qi and blood stir a little as if beckoned by something. He quickly took slow breaths to calm his mind before his thoughts raced again.

“Listen, you two brats! If you want to live to see another day, the two of you will have to help fight this contemptible wretch. The portal to escape lies on the top of the altar, but it will need some time to get started,” the Azure Ape King’s voice surged into Shi Mu’s ears.

A faint glint crossed Shi Mu’s face, but he masked it immediately. Liu An’s body froze a little too, as hesitation crept into his expression.

“Ha! Trying to escape? You won’t have the chance!” sneering, Huang Long suddenly spun his body and launched a jab in the direction of the altar.

The yellow fabric that had been hovering and encircling him in midair suddenly shone in a brilliant yellow light before turning into a twenty or thirty yard-long gigantic palm springing toward the altar like a gigantic mountain. He was aiming to destroy the altar in one fell swoop!

Shi Mu’s face twisted in horror. Huang Long could hear the Azure Ape King’s secret voice-transfer!

Just as the mammoth yellow palm was about to destroy its target, the top of the altar with the seal suddenly shined dazzling white light; The ever-expanding white light quickly weaved together to form a dome that neatly shielded the entire altar.

The yellow palm collided with the seemingly-thin white dome, yet the latter did not bulge at all. The only reaction were some flashes as the yellow palm was completely blocked.

Huang Long’s expression changed immediately. This yellow fabric was the product of years of effort, his ultimate weapon that could dynamically shift from hard brutal attacks to gentle dynamic strikes in a second—the Nine Arch Yellow Sand.

That single strike could topple even a mountain yet it was somehow stopped by this gentle layer of white light!

In the middle of the altar where the lights flickered, white lights gathered and merged before the image slowly became clear. It was a gigantic phantom of a white ape’s head with a frightening mien.

The gigantic white ape’s golden eyes bore into Huang Long stoically with an air of knee-buckling majesty.

Huang Long’s eyes met the phantom’s and felt a chill down his spine. With a light tap of his foot, he leaped backward.

He had barely begun to move when the white ape’s head opened its mouth wide and emitted a tide of rapid white shockwaves at Huang Long.

Being a Heaven-rank powerhouse, Huang Long’s body glowed a dazzling yellow before quickly fashioning the lights into a shield at the last moment.

There came a muffled clasp!

White shockwaves bombarded the yellow shield, and within one or two seconds, the latter shattered.

However, those seconds were enough for Huang Long. With a flurry of handsigns, he had already summoned his Nine Arch Yellow Sand back to him as if they had just teleported straight into his hands.

With a flash, the Nine Arch Yellow Sand turned into a layer of concentrated sand that encased his body. Golden sparks glittered within the sand drape as it radiated a terrifying spiritual pulse.

The white shockwaves broke through the light shield and proceeded to hit the sand drape.

The drape rocked a little and blocked the white shockwaves without a problem.

However, Huang Long’s body was shaking violently and made him take a few steps back to stabilize his footing.

It was then that he felt his vision suddenly darken. A gigantic green palm had already appeared above him. Ablaze with emerald-green flame, it had a terrifyingly menacing demonic aura as it swept downwards at a dangerous speed.

From the corner of the chamber, the Azure Ape King’s eyes were filled with bitter vindictiveness as he bellowed in rage, “Taste my Azure Mélange of Great Handsigns, you vile miscreant—and die!”

On the Azure Ape King’s side, Shi Mu and Liu An quickly arrived.

Shi Mu’s body was submerged in crimson light before it extended into a pair of winged Crimson Ape Energy Construct, which now wielded a gigantic claymore ablaze with crimson flames that hacked down at Huang Long.

At the same time, the Heavenly Ghost Streamer above Liu An’s head radiated an eye-blinding display of blood-red light before the golden skull flew out of the streamer. With a crack, the skull’s forehead revealed a vertical eye with a blood-red pupil.

Whoosh! Seven or eight thick pillars of blood-red light shot out of the eye, creating ripples in the void as they zapped toward Huang Long.

The Azure Ape King’s gigantic palm was the first to have landed on Huang Long’s yellow sand barrier, resulting in a shower of sparks and an ear-splitting clank like the sound of an iron blade being forged.

The golden lights within the barrier shimmered erratically as the surface of the barrier began to distort, as if they were about to be torn open by the green palm’s devastating blow.

“You’re just courting death now, Azure Ape King!” Huang Long was completely enraged. He swung his sleeve and yellow light exploded out of his body before merging together with the sand barrier. In a flash, the sand barrier was turned to rolls of yellow clouds.

Golden sparks shimmered amidst the clouds as low rumbles could be heard. The steam expanded rapidly, shrouding half of the chamber within. It was the very same technique the man had used back in the other room!

“Million Miles Roaring Blizzard!” Huang Long’s voice penetrated through the din from his spot deep within the yellow clouds.

The Azure Ape King’s gigantic palm, surrounded by the yellow clouds, was instantly reduced to nothing. Shi Mu and Liu An’s attacks were insignificant against the yellow clouds—the most they did was cause some sand and dust to blow about.

The three of them stopped and stood close to the rolls of yellow sand, staring at each other a little helplessly.

Of course, the three of them knew what danger awaited if they even got into the blizzard, but on the bright side, although the sand blizzard churned violently like the tides at sea, it was no longer expanding.

“Elder Azure Ape King, what shall we do now?” Shi Mu asked.

There was a twinkle in the Azure Ape King’s eyes.

Before he could even say anything, a golden flash sparked from the yellow sand as a bolt of golden light shot toward the Azure Ape King like a streak of lightning.

He was about to duck below, but the range was too close. Before he could move, the golden light stabbed into his left shoulder and shocked his body.

The Azure Ape King howled loudly as blood spurted out of his mouth. His body flew backward and smacked into a corner of the chamber.

Shi Mu’s face froze. His good eyesight revealed that the golden light was made out of small golden sand particles to form a large golden chain. Then, as if the chain had a life of its own, it continued to burrow into the Azure Ape King’s body.

From the shroud of yellow sand, a cold shout rang. “Burst!”

Booooooom!

The golden chain shone brightly before detonating.

The left half of the Azure Ape King’s body was almost completely blasted apart, exposing his bloody bones.

He was gravely wounded. He tried to regain his footing but his wound was so severe that he couldn’t manage it.

Shi Mu and Liu An were beyond terrified at this turn of events. They leaped backward, putting as much distance between them and the sand blizzard as possible, then split up as they fled.

“Where do you think you’re going, worms? You were dead the moment you stepped inside!” Huang Long’s voice blared from within.

His voice had barely left when two golden rays of light shot out of the blizzard. Once again, it was the two golden chains made of sand particles.

But this time, the two chains snaked toward both Shi Mu and Liu An.