Ch. 1084 - The Lich Conspiracy

Xu Zimo frowned slightly and glanced at Bai Tihe beside him.

Bai Tihe shrugged a little, indicating he didn’t know either.

“What’s this about?” Xu Zimo asked.

He slowly drew Shadow Tyrant, looking toward the figure.

“I didn’t come here to fight,” the lich said with a smile, waving his hand dismissively.

Seeing Xu Zimo’s furrowed brows, he chuckled. “I’m here to help you obtain the third medium, the beast bone.”

“Why?” Xu Zimo asked.

The other was helping him for no apparent reason.

“Isn’t that what you wanted?” the lich replied.

“You want to leave this ‘Nine Heavens Ten Earths Formation.’”

“We can manage on our own,” Xu Zimo said.

But the lich didn’t answer. Instead, he raised his right hand and released a mass of black mist toward the mountainside ahead.

The next moment, bestial roars echoed one after another.

The mountain wall split and crumbled, the entire peak collapsing into rubble. From within, a gigantic beast burst forth, it was a Flame Lion, colossal in size. Compared to it, the people on the ground looked no bigger than ants.

Its roar carried a thick, bloody stench.

Spotting the three figures on the ground, the Flame Lion raised its massive right paw and slammed down.

With a thunderous boom, the paw froze midair.

The lich had struck forward with his right fist, shattering the surrounding void.

Claw and fist clashed, locked in the sky.

With a roar, the lich’s frail body unbelievably forced the enormous lion back.

Bai Tihe did not intervene but instead stepped beside Xu Zimo, asking, “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know either,” Xu Zimo shook his head.

“These liches… they’re getting harder to see through,” Bai Tihe said. “I have a bad feeling about this trip.”

“Your Unified God Sect really is something,” Xu Zimo replied. “If you wanted to destroy the liches, you should’ve just sent your ancestors. What good is it for a young lord like you to come?”

“The sect has its own reasons,” Bai Tihe said with a smile.

Xu Zimo didn’t answer, his gaze fixed on the battle ahead.

The fight between the lich and the beast had already reached a fever pitch.

Though small in frame, the lich completely overwhelmed the Flame Lion.

Finally, with immense force, he struck the lion’s back.

The Flame Lion let out a mournful cry, collapsing to the ground.

Without giving it a chance to resist, the lich flashed forward, drove his hand into the beast’s belly, and wrenched out a glowing white beast bone.

The bone shone faintly, like fireflies.

With its beast bone ripped out, the Flame Lion’s eyes dimmed, life slipping away.

“Gentlemen,” the lich turned, smiling as he tossed the bone to Xu Zimo and Bai Tihe. “Our king awaits you.”

Saying this, he vanished without giving them a chance to respond.

The two exchanged a look, then stared at the bone in hand.

“No matter what schemes are at play, we’ll know once we see for ourselves.”

They brought out the three medium items, preparing to fuse them when suddenly,

“Hand them over, both of you.”

The sudden voice startled Bai Tihe, who looked up sharply.

A group of figures tore through the void and appeared.

The pressure they exuded was immense. Among them were Sword Immortal Jiang Yun, Gui Che of the Primal-Chaos Demon Tower, Yu Huang of the Golden Roc Immortal Realm, and Di Cangtian of the Three Thousand Dao Court.

The four descended from the storming void, gazing at Xu Zimo and Bai Tihe.

“Brother Bai, that’s not very righteous of you,” Yu Huang stepped forward with a smile. “We agreed to break this formation together, yet you secretly teamed up with others and deceived us.”

“All’s fair in war,” Bai Tihe replied coolly. “What, do you mean to take them by force?”

“We don’t want to make things hard for you, Brother Bai,” Yu Huang said. “Hand over the mediums, and you can walk away.”

“That’s impossible,” Bai Tihe refused outright. “If you fight us now, both sides will only suffer, leaving the liches to reap the benefit.”

“Brother Bai, don’t play games with us,” Yu Huang sneered. “You think we didn’t see what just happened?”

“What do you mean?” Bai Tihe frowned, a bad premonition rising.

“You’ve already thrown your lot in with the liches, haven’t you?” Di Cangtian said coldly. “Letting you leave was our bottom line. Refuse, and we’ll cut you down as we would the liches.”

At those words, Xu Zimo and Bai Tihe exchanged glances.

“These liches… what a scheme.”

“They want us at each other’s throats.”

In an instant, the lich’s ploy was clear.

They knew the Flame Lion couldn’t stop Xu Zimo and Bai Tihe.

So the lich deliberately intervened, letting others witness the scene.

Whether true or not, Xu Zimo and Bai Tihe were now marked with suspicion.

The group would inevitably split into factions.

At best, they’d separate. At worst, they’d clash for the mediums.

And the liches? They could sit back and watch the tigers fight.

“Well? Have you decided?” Yu Huang asked.

While speaking, the four subtly shifted, sealing Xu Zimo and Bai Tihe’s escape routes.

“Don’t expect me to hand them over willingly,” Bai Tihe said. “We have no ties to the liches. If you won’t believe it, then fight, I’ve nothing more to say.”

“Fight it is,” Di Cangtian said coldly. “You think you two can leave here today?”

Power surged around him, three thousand Dao threads swirling.

“Wait,” Jiang Yun suddenly stepped forward, stopping him.

He looked at Xu Zimo and asked, “You seem familiar, Fellow Daoist, though I can’t recall where we’ve met. Would you remind me?”

“Primordial Heartlands,” Xu Zimo smiled. “Strictly speaking, I haven’t met you, but I did encounter the remnant soul you left in a small world.”

“I remember now,” Jiang Yun nodded slightly. “You delivered my legacy back to the Jiang Clan. How fares it now?”

“I think you already know your family’s fate,” Xu Zimo replied.

Hearing this, Jiang Yun fell silent.

Ever since he accepted the Holy Progenitor’s gift, became a Sword Immortal, and guarded the Blood Rune Space, the Jiang Clan’s fate had long been sealed.

Though Xu Zimo had agreed with the Blood Rune Beasts not to commit atrocities, that only applied to the fragment of the Blood Rune Space tied to the Ancient Celestial Court.

As for the other spaces scattered across the Primordial Heartlands, their fates rested in the blood beasts’ hands.

“…Regardless, my thanks, Fellow Daoist,” Jiang Yun said softly. “Since you’ve come to the Nine Heavens, then tell me, who is this era’s Grand Emperor?”

He was curious. For someone to enter the Nine Heavens, they had to be either a current Grand Emperor or a top-tier powerhouse who’d followed one into the passage.

But before Xu Zimo could answer, Di Cangtian suddenly let out a cold snort.

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