Chapter Seventy-eight: The Battle of the Ages

"Wretch, you dared to ruin my plan. Your death is of no consequence," Xuan Qing remarked coldly. His gaze then landed upon the stone gate of the tomb, and the corner of his lips curled into a faint smile. "But you three proved yourselves not entirely useless. At least you managed to break the Death Formation; as for the remaining Life Formation, that will be much easier to handle."

As he finished speaking, his figure gradually faded, vanishing from where he stood.

"Thud—" Long Yun crashed heavily to the ground, his entire body feeling as if it had been torn apart, pain beyond description. With effort, he stretched, slowly stood up, and surveyed his surroundings.

Behind him stood what appeared to be an ordinary stone gate; directly ahead lay a spacious passageway, its walls built of blue stone, adorned with fist-sized luminous pearls that illuminated the corridor as brightly as day.

The corridor twisted and turned, its end unseen in the distance, leading to an unknown destination. Long Yun silently circulated his true energy, shaking off his physical exhaustion. With his mind alert and guarded, he carefully stepped forward into the passageway.

"What a vast tomb! I wonder who could possibly be buried here?" Long Yun mused inwardly. Since the deadly formations outside were so formidable, he suspected the corridor would be riddled with traps as well.

Thus, he dared not relax for a moment, proceeding cautiously. Yet to his relief, no danger appeared; the corridor was eerily calm, so much so that it made him uneasy.

It was only when Long Yun reached the first corner that an ominous feeling took hold, growing stronger with each step. The light became increasingly blinding.

"What a long road—this tomb is truly enormous!" Long Yun sighed. The passageway was circular and sloped ever downward, suggesting the actual burial chamber lay deep underground.

After nearly an hour of walking, Long Yun suddenly stopped and closed his eyes, for the intense light prevented him from distinguishing his path.

Fearing harm to his eyes, he shut them and let his spiritual sense spread outward, orienting himself before moving forward again. Yet just as he prepared to continue, a voice suddenly echoed through the darkness.

"Come in, boy!"

Before Long Yun could react, a force drew him in, lifting him off his feet. Wind howled past his ears, and when he opened his eyes abruptly, he found himself transported into a vast chamber.

Long Yun frowned, his expression growing solemn. Since entering the Tomb of Life and Death, he had felt an unsettling sensation, as if his fate no longer belonged to him.

The feeling irked him, but having been teleported here, he could only take things as they came, for there was no other way forward.

With that thought, he cast his gaze around.

This must be one of the tomb's grand burial chambers, spanning a hundred yards in each direction. Luminous pearls studded the walls, upon which a massive bas-relief was carved.

The relief depicted a middle-aged man clad in golden armor, wielding a long saber with both hands. The blade gleamed cold and fierce, exuding an aura of dominance. Merely gazing upon the sculpture inspired awe and a sense of overwhelming power.

Opposite the armored man stood a colossal shadow, ten times his size. Its enormous body bore eight monstrous heads, arrayed in a row, each displaying a different expression.

Joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure—each head radiated a unique emotion, as if embodying a peerless demon. This creature held a twelve-foot-long spear, thrusting it toward the armored man's saber.

The relief captured this dramatic moment. Yet as Long Yun's eyes touched upon it, the world around him abruptly changed.

A primordial, ancient energy surged forth, stunning Long Yun. To his amazement, he now stood upon a boundless wilderness.

The land stretched endlessly, wild and ancient, with a pillar of light erupting skyward at its center.

"Boom—" Amid a thunderous explosion, two figures recoiled, drifting backward.

"It's them!" Long Yun's expression shifted, for the combatants upon the wilderness were none other than the golden-armored man and the eight-headed demon from the tomb's relief.

Their clash unleashed shockwaves that ravaged the land for a thousand yards, distorting space and exploding with blinding light.

"What incredible power!" Long Yun marveled inwardly. He had never witnessed such terrifying force; not even mighty figures like Bi An could withstand them.

As he pondered, the two titans charged at each other once more.

Waves surged, the armored man gripped his saber with both hands and shouted, sending a blade aura hundreds of yards long tearing through the air, as if cleaving the heavens.

The eight-headed demon, seeing the saber's aura slicing toward him, dared not hesitate. He seized his spear, his massive form soaring skyward, spear light flickering and swirling.

A tremendous force radiated from the spear's tip, unleashing countless strands of black energy. Wherever the spear's light passed, the saber's aura was shattered.

"Wretched beast!" the armored man roared, his saber flashing alongside the spear's light, shattering it with a furious slash. He then reversed his grip and struck horizontally.

The saber's aura tore through the air, aiming to slay the eight-headed demon outright.

Yet the demon was no ordinary creature. As the blade energy surged, he withdrew his spear, shifting from offense to defense, blocking the saber's blow.

In an instant, the two giants abandoned ranged attacks for close combat, their blade and spear energies withdrawn into their weapons, each collision erupting in explosive clamor.

Every strike detonated with dazzling light, ripping the fabric of space and leaving violent fissures.

Countless beams lit half the sky, even eclipsing the sun's brilliance.

Furious winds howled, the world changed hue. To Long Yun's surprise, he felt nothing, as if none of it affected him.

In the blink of an eye, hundreds of exchanges had passed, yet neither side had gained the upper hand.

Long Yun clenched his fists. Though he was untouched by their residual energy, the pressure of their presence weighed upon him tangibly.

But his body was strengthened by dragon bones, his blood empowered by the force he'd absorbed from the Dragon Gate pine. He was now, in essence, a holy vessel.

Though the pressure was immense, his indomitable will allowed him to stand firm.

"Ding—" In a brief instant, the battle began to shift. The aura surrounding the armored man grew chaotic, and he was gradually forced onto the defensive.

The eight-headed demon grew more ferocious with each exchange, his spear whirling and disrupting the armored man's momentum.

"This is bad!" Long Yun frowned, thinking to himself. He did not know the armored man's identity, but the eight-headed demon was clearly no benign entity. Deep down, he hoped the armored man would prevail.

"Ding—" Another clash rang out. The demon's spear struck the side of the saber, and a surge of true energy burst forth.

The armored man shuddered, his body momentarily paralyzed as if electrified. In a battle between masters, even the briefest lapse could prove fatal.

The demon's eight heads howled monstrously. Seizing the opening, his spear tip mercilessly pierced the armored man's breastplate.

The strike was exquisitely precise, entering the gap between the heart mirror and the armor, sinking half the spear's tip deep within. A jet of blood shot from the seam at the heart mirror.

Long Yun's expression changed; he wished to rush forward, but found his body immobile.

The demon's eight heads shook gleefully, oblivious to the fact that the armored man's lips had curled into a faint smile.

In a flash, the saber struck, its blade radiating dazzling light, severing all eight heads from the demon's body.

Simultaneously, the armored man's left palm unleashed a torrent of energy, pulverizing the eight heads into dust.

"Crack—" The demon realized he'd fallen into the armored man's trap. His eight heads were his fatal weakness; with all destroyed, his life reached its end.

Yet, in his final moments, he gathered the last of his strength and launched his spear, sending the armored man's heart mirror flying.