Chapter 38: The Sudden Appearance of a Great Enemy (Seeking Recommendations, Seeking Bookmarks)

  "You can't be serious! You're trying to kill me!!!!" At that moment, Old Liu sucked in a breath of cold air, feeling cold sweat dripping from his forehead, and couldn't help but exclaim.

  At this moment, a loud thunderbolt burst forth in the sky, with dragons and snakes writhing about, shooting straight down as if to pierce through heaven and earth!

  In the low-hanging dark clouds, thunder rumbled continuously, and the gloomy wind howled. It was as if tens of thousands of war horses were galloping away, or like waves crashing against reefs, shattering themselves into powder and bones, producing this earth-shaking sound! This is the power of nature, the might of heavenly enemies. It has surpassed all powers in the mortal world, being the source of supernatural energy. Unless it's a so-called divine spirit, no living being can escape the constraints of this original energy. Even if one stands at the pinnacle of the mundane world and possesses the qualifications to reach the throne of the gods, before taking that final step, they must still submit to the constraints of their own original power and surrender before this vast and boundless heavenly force!

  Lao Liu, although he had killed a high-level demon beast before, was quite confident in his own strength. But when he asked himself if his fragile body could withstand the power of nature, even without using it once, just half of it would be enough to send him back to his original form and turn him into dust. As a result, for a moment, he was so stunned by the High Priest's crazy idea that he almost spat it out.

  The high priest said solemnly, "You have three powers within you. Two of them are derived from the mid-tier peak magic beast's living blood, and they are evenly matched in terms of strength. Only the lava power is slightly inferior. That's why I've been constantly refining the lava power within you, hoping to bring it on par with the other two abilities before your second growth, allowing you to reach maximum potential. Ah, don't be so happy, time isn't as abundant as you think. I merely delayed your second growth, but I still can't delay your racial characteristics. What does that mean? It means that after your second growth, your third growth will follow immediately."

  "What!" Old Liu's face turned serious, gritting his teeth and saying: "With my second-stage Steel Body, the power of lightning, I'm afraid it won't be enough to withstand the true power of thunder!"

  The high priest smiled faintly, just about to open his mouth to reveal his plan. But his face suddenly changed, and he looked up at the sky. The others also seemed to have discovered something was off, and they all followed the high priest's line of sight, even Old Liu flew up, looking around curiously. In the thick clouds, lightning flashed, and suddenly a bright light appeared, as if a huge force had torn open a gap, revealing a massive skull!

  "What is that thing!?" Old Liu said in shock.

  "Dragon in the air, Morak? No, what is this?! This is not good!" The high priest's face suddenly changed greatly, and with a wave of his hand, he somehow produced a short, sturdy wooden staff from somewhere, holding it horizontally across his chest. In front of everyone, an instant later a circle of faintly glowing light appeared, protecting all of them within!

  It was at this moment that the giant skull in the cloud layer suddenly stretched out, and on both sides of its long neck were a row of orange-yellow giant eyes, emitting active light rays like searchlights towards the sky! Two of these beams of light were shining down to the ground, straight towards Old Liu and his companions.

  The light pillar and the high priest's protective circle of light came into contact, seemingly without a sound or any effect. However, deep within everyone's souls, a deafening roar seemed to echo from the depths of the abyss, filled with terror and ferocity. Two weak-minded barbarian warriors were the first to succumb, spitting out a mouthful of blood before collapsing to the ground, unable to get back up. Old Liu's head felt like it was going to explode, and he almost vomited up the plant juice he had just consumed due to dizziness. Only the high priest was able to withstand this attack from the depths of their souls without being knocked down. However, his protective barrier began to fluctuate wildly, on the verge of collapse. Moreover, at this moment, the high priest's facial expression was unusually rich, as if he had encountered something unimaginable, revealing a rare look of shock and anger!

  Rumble! In the high sky, thunder rumbled, but that monster let out a loud roar, shaking its body and dispersing the entire cloud of thunder. Its enormous body hidden in the clouds was revealed.

  "It was you! I should have thought of it earlier." The high priest covered his mouth and coughed violently, speaking somewhat unclearly. Even Old Liu, who was standing right next to him, didn't quite catch what the high priest meant. But unexpectedly, the strange creature in the sky seemed to have understood, its long tail twitching once in the clouds before diving down sharply, its fierce flames burning brightly, its power unmatched, enough to scare a person's liver and gallbladder into pieces! Old Liu gritted his teeth, just about to use his old trick again, trying to burrow into the creature's body to attack, but unexpectedly, the creature stopped itself just as it was about to reach the ground, lowering its head and slowly walking down from above - a thin, sinister-looking man with an air of evil about him.

  The man stared blankly at the white-haired, aged high priest before reacting after a long while, bowing his head and saying, "It's been a long time, teacher."

  "31 years have passed. Demul, I didn't expect that the mysterious high priest of the Black Bear Tribe, Tatale, was actually you. It seems like you've learned a lot outside these past few years." The high priest also gazed at the man before him, excitedly stretching out his hand as if wanting to touch his head, just like when he was still a child, but ultimately restrained himself. He only said with some comfort.

  "That year, I was traveling on the Hillman Prairie with my fellow disciples when we heard from local nomads that the Slavs were attacking the Barbarian Empire. I rushed back to help you, Master, but by the time I arrived, the battle had already ended and Chandora had been reduced to ruins." Tatal lowered his head, seemingly showing great respect for the elder before him, a far cry from his usual arrogance in front of Black Bear.

  "You've made progress indeed. Judging from your appearance, you should have already broken through the shackles of your past and condensed the Vermilion Dragon God, right? You're not much different from me back in the day, excellent!" The High Priest nodded, revealing a hint of a smile.

  Isn't this similar to back then with the old man? Isn't he also a so-called super strongman?! Liu Ting's pupils constricted, understanding that this was the High Priest reminding himself not to act rashly. Although these two in front of him seemed like master and disciple, chatting and reminiscing about the good old days, even an idiot could see that this skinny guy who looked like a monkey was here looking for trouble. With the High Priest's half-dead body, he was fundamentally unable to withstand the enemy. If things didn't go well later, this skinny monkey would blow up, and Liu Ting wouldn't be able to hold on, not even needing him to take action himself - just the terrifying creature he brought with him could instantly kill Liu Ting. Old Liu anxiously thought: Who did I provoke? Can't I just quietly evolve in peace? Why do I have to get entangled in these messy affairs?! Heaven, are you not satisfied with my misfortune?! Believe it or not, next time I'll knock on your window!

  "This is exactly what I wanted to ask!" Tatal raised his head, and his eyes were jumping with uncontrollable madness. He stared coldly at the High Priest, gritting his teeth and saying: "Among the seven disciples under you back then, whether it was wisdom, talent, or strength, I was always ranked first. But why did you want to pass on the position of successor to Shiloh? And drive me out, why be so ruthless to me! What is the reason for this!"

  "You are wrong. I have always treated each and every one of you children equally, without the slightest bias. It was not because I did not want to let you inherit my position that I did not do so, but rather because you truly were not suited for the role of High Priest. As for driving you out of the Empire, it was because you committed a transgression and harmed your own kin. This decision was also made after discussion among all sixteen of us High Priests." The High Priest said calmly.

  "Hurt a fellow clansman? Haha, what qualifications does that Shi Luo Ke have to be my fellow clansman? What right does he have to be the successor of the great priest? Can he cultivate high-level magic beasts? Can he condense the Red Fire Dragon God? He's just a waste, a useless waste!

  No wonder Tatale is so agitated and can't control himself. With his current achievements and strength, it's natural not to doubt that he's a genius born from heaven. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to break through the mortal shell and join the ranks of super strong warriors.

  But 31 years ago, that incident had too great an impact on him. If someone else were to punish him, perhaps the influence would not have been so great. But in fact, it was this old man in front of him who executed the punishment, the same old man he revered as a father, who implanted a seal within him and ruthlessly drove him out of his home, no matter how he begged, couldn't even get him to turn around and look at him!

  So he hates, he hates Jia Ya, he hates the Barbarian Empire, and more so, he hates his own teacher! He will return, and it's to ask this old man face-to-face, why did you treat me like that back then?!"

  The high priest's mouth corners slightly raised, closed his eyes, and couldn't help but sigh: "So many years have passed, it seems you still haven't figured it out. Is it that..."

  "I understand everything!" Tatar interrupted the high priest's next words, saying gloomily: "Everything is clear. I don't have anything that I don't understand. Don't continue to treat me like an ignorant child!"

  "In my eyes, you have always been that stubborn and obstinate child." The High Priest said with a bitter smile.

  A massive whirlpool suddenly rose up in the muddy swamp, and a loud roar came from the churning mud, filled with an overbearing rage. It was the high-level demon beast living in the swamp that had been awakened by the fierce aura released from the strange creature brought by Tartar.

  "Morak, kill that thing that's disturbing my conversation." Tatar let out a cold hum and waved his hand. The enormous beast behind him rolled its thousands of giant eyes, suddenly opening the pair of flesh wings on its back, blocking out the sky and sun, with a length of over 100 meters, one flap of its wing creating a fierce storm. With unmatched dominance, it descended into the vast swamp!