Chapter 9: CAN'T LEAVE
As the dust settled over the Lan Shan Empire's contingent, an old man with a hunched back and a face full of wrinkles appeared before the crowd.
His eyes were half-closed, but from within them, two sharp beams of light shot out, like blades piercing the hearts of those who saw them. Behind him, a pair of enormous earth-attribute wings formed, sending waves of yellowish-brown energy flowing through the air around him.
"Who's that?"
The four Dou Wangs from the rogue cultivator alliance turned their attention to the commotion. When they saw the hunched figure of the old man, their eyes widened in shock.
"A Dou Huang!"
"I didn't expect the Lan Shan Empire to have a Dou Huang-level expert!"
The four Dou Wangs were visibly stunned.
Yan Mao, seething with anger, slammed his fist into the ground. "Damn it!"
"They had a Dou Huang all along and still fought with us for this long? Were they just playing with us?"
Yan Mao was furious, feeling utterly deceived.
The members of the Lan Shan Empire were equally stunned, their faces showing expressions of disbelief.
They had never heard of the Lan Shan Empire having such a powerful Dou Huang expert.
The appearance of the old man drew the attention of everyone from the royal family, who now focused entirely on him, their faces full of reverence.
"Greetings, Supreme Elder!"
The disciples of the royal family greeted in unison.
Supreme Elder?
" Does anyone know who this elder Dou Huang is?" a junior from the Chu family asked, confused.
" I have No idea."
"Young Master, do you know?"
The man referred to as Young Master shook his head vigorously. "That's a Dou Huang! How could I possibly know?"
The Chu family members were all puzzled and astonished by the old man's sudden appearance, except for the Chu family's Grand Elder, who frowned as if deep in thought.
Meanwhile, the head of the Wang family, standing nearby, sent a voice transmission to Lan Cangshan. "Your Majesty, wasn't this man supposed to have exhausted his lifespan and passed away a hundred years ago?"
Wang Hui, the head of the Wang family, recalled that he had heard about this elder's passing long before he became the family head. The elder was supposed to have perished long ago, so how could he have suddenly reappeared?
"Old Wang, you're aware that the Supreme Elder's lifespan was nearly at its end years ago but he managed to extend his life by breaking through a small realm before his death." Lan Cangshan replied, his face showing complex expression.
"I see... No wonder the Lan Shan Empire has a Dou Huang expert" Wang Hui said, now understanding.
The empire and the major sects and families were usually aligned in purpose. If a Dou Huang expert had truly emerged from the empire, the ruling families would surely have known.
Lan Cangshan, meanwhile, respectfully bowed slightly to the hunched old man in the sky. "Supreme Elder."
"Hmm" the Supreme Elder responded with a faint nod. His ancient eyes locked onto the black-robed elder, and after a moment of silence, he spoke, "Since you are a Dou Huang, why bother with these juniors?"
The black-robed elder burst into laughter at this.
"Hahaha! I was merely teaching some disrespectful fools a lesson and squashing a few ants along the way."
"Exactly right!" A deep, rough voice, infused with the aura of a Dou Huang, boomed from the sky.
The Barbarian Emperor had been alarmed by the Dou Huang-level energy radiating from the supreme elder's attack and had hurried over.
Seeing the two Dou Huangs before him, the Supreme Elder frowned deeply.
They're strong!
Too strong to be matched!
He had known these two weren't ordinary Dou Huang's, but the oppressive pressure they exerted at such close range was far beyond what he had expected.
' They're at least five-star Dou Huang's ' the Supreme Elder thought to himself.
Though he was a three-star Dou Huang, his nearing end of life meant he could only exert the power of a two-star Dou Huang.
The Barbarian Emperor glanced at the black-robed elder and then sneered, "A bunch of ants, thinking they could lay claim to the legacy of a Dou Zong? They're truly overestimating themselves!"
With that, he stomped down hard.
Boom!
The ground shattered with the impact!
Rumbling sounds echoed as the royal family's members felt the earth shake beneath them, causing them to feel dizzy and buzzing sensation throughout their body.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
One by one, over a hundred royal disciples collapsed, knocked unconscious by the Barbarian Emperor's mere foot stomp. They lay sprawled on the ground, bruised and battered.
"You...!" The Supreme Elder's face turned ashen with anger, his eyes flashing with both fury and fear.
"What's wrong? Want to fight?" The Barbarian Emperor sneered at the Supreme Elder. "Old man, you'd better think twice. You dare to challenge us with your measly three-star Dou Huang strength?"
Hearing this, the Supreme Elder, whose power had been accurately assessed, suppressed his anger. He glanced at the black-robed elder standing beside the Barbarian Emperor and sighed bitterly. "I'm no match for you two."
"Your power places you among the elites of the Dou Huang rank. On behalf of the Lan Shan Empire, I withdraw from the fight for the Dou Zong's legacy."
He had no choice. These two were clearly from powerful forces outside the region—forces the Lan Shan Empire couldn't afford to offend.
"Hmph! At least you know your place!" the Barbarian Emperor snorted arrogantly.
"Lan Cangshan, take the empire's people and follow me" the Supreme Elder instructed Lan Cangshan.
"Yes, Supreme Elder" Lan Cangshan replied.
The black-robed elder narrowed his eyes as he watched them prepare to leave. He had considered eliminating everyone present, but doing so would likely attract too much attention and make them targets.
One Dou Huang and a group of Dou Wangs wouldn't pose much of a threat, but it would still be troublesome. Moreover, the longer they lingered, the higher the risk that another Dou Huang or several more Dou Wangs might appear, which would put them at a disadvantage.
Meanwhile, as Lan Cangshan's group began to leave, Yan Mao turned to the other three Dou Wangs and said coldly, "It's time to go. With Dou Huang's involved, Dou Wang's have no place here."
Without waiting for a response, he condensed dou qi wings on his back and leapt into the sky, flying off into the distance.
"Yan Mao has left."
"What else can we do? Those two Dou Huang's are too terrifying, and they are so strong that even the Lan Shan Empire's Dou Huang had to back down."
"We'd be lucky to leave here with our lives, let alone gain anything" Mo Kun said, shuddering at the thought.
"Indeed. Who could have expected that in such a barren place, where even producing a Dou Wang is rare, three Dou Huang's would suddenly appear?" Yan Ming added with a sigh as he formed his own wings.
He had come here in secret, thinking that with his Dou Wang strength, he could reap considerable rewards in such a remote region. But he hadn't counted on two such powerful Dou Huang's showing up out of nowhere.
Boom!
A thunderous crash rang out!
A figure was sent hurtling to the ground, crashing down dozens of meters away, blood spraying from his mouth as he fell unconscious.
"That's Yan Mao, who just left!"
"How did he end up like this?!"
"Could there be another Dou Huang?!"
The three remaining Dou Wangs looked at each other, their faces filled with disbelief, as if they had seen a ghost.
"What's going on?!"
The massive sound also drew the attention of Lan Cangshan and his group in the distance.
"What is that?" the Barbarian Emperor and the black-robed elder also looked up, their expressions grave.
"Kehehekeh!"
At that moment, vicious black mist began to swirl in the sky, accompanied by a sinister laughter that echoed throughout the area like a crow's caw across the heavens.
"None of you are leaving this place. Today everyone will become my nourishment!" the voice filled with malice resonated through the sky.
_________________________
_________________________
END
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
PRIMAL_OUTER_CHAOS
PRIMAL_OUTER_CHAOS POWERSTONESSSSS
Like it ? Add to library！
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone