Chapter 657: Awakening of the True Form

The giant rocks influenced each other, and suddenly one was repelled towards Ning Zhuo.

The rock deviated from its previous trajectory, just as Ning Zhuo was about to pass by!

“Faster!” In that instant, Ning Zhuo’s heart felt like it was gripped by an icy hand, leaping into his throat.

He pressed his legs together, his palms shot out fire behind him, and he accelerated with all his might!

He invoked another surge of military power!

The speed of the Azure Iron Armor broke records, successfully leaving the giant rock behind.

The Five Elements Golden Core Wheel spun frantically on his chest, emitting a dazzling light. The core's power poured out like floodwaters from an opened sluice gate, sustaining the horrific consumption.

The golden wings on his back continuously cut through the air, emitting a constant, piercing shriek like tearing silk.

From time to time, he launched several, or even a dozen, mechanical golden swallows, controlling them to collide with the flying rocks. Sometimes they would destroy each other, and other times they would divert the giant rocks’ trajectories, clearing a path for Ning Zhuo.

“Hmph!” The Earth Fiend Corrupted Deity snorted, seeing Ning Zhuo still approaching the ice coffin. He clasped his hands together in front of his chest.

The next moment, putrid qi from the earth's core surged downwards, condensing into a small island above Ning Zhuo’s head!

An immense terror seized Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo didn't need to look up; a scan with his spiritual sense already showed him how perilous his situation was!

The giant rock above, as vast as an island, bore down directly, like a piece of the sky had fallen, descending with an irresistible, crushing power that threatened to obliterate everything.

A colossal shadow enveloped Ning Zhuo, and a terrifying gravitational pull sharply reduced his speed.

At this moment, all the spell formations within the Azure Iron Armor wailed in protest!

Ning Zhuo released a large number of mechanical golden swallows.

The golden swallows crashed into it like moths drawn to a flame, their self-destructing explosions instantly swallowed by the immense object, unable to even make it tremble!

Ning Zhuo marshaled all his resources and sprinted with all his might.

“I can’t dodge it!”

Ning Zhuo calculated the outcome, and a cold wave of despair welled up within him.

“Xiao Ma!!” Qing Chi exclaimed.

She was still in the passage, witnessing this scene.

Without a second thought, the ghost race girl sprinted towards him.

As she sped, she shed crystalline tears.

“Too late, it’s too late!”

“No, Xiao Ma!”

“No, no—!”

In her desperation, a lightning storm seemed to erupt in her mind, countless thoughts surging and then instantly exploding.

She recalled previous military texts, harboring a fervent desire to save her beloved.

“Is there any way? To make Xiao Ma go a little faster, even faster?!”

This yearning was so intense that Qing Chi instantly comprehended a military art.

Military Art: Speed is Paramount!

This was the most classic and frequently used military art, yet Qing Chi had never been able to grasp it.

Now, the urgent situation pushed the girl’s exceptional military talent to its limit, allowing her not only to achieve a sudden enlightenment but also to successfully activate it on the spot.

A significant portion of her military power was consumed!

Ning Zhuo’s speed suddenly surged!

The terrifying thrust was like a colossal hammer, slamming violently into Ning Zhuo’s back.

A buzzing, cracking sound!

The mecha let out a horrifying, grating groan, as if it would disintegrate the next second!

In that instant, Ning Zhuo’s vision went black, the edges of his sight turned blood red, and his eyeballs nearly burst.

The excruciating pain in his hips and back reached its peak; he could even hear the creaking of his own bones, strained beyond their limit!

The Azure Iron Armor transformed into a golden streak of light, forcibly tearing open a path to survival under the crushing weight of the world-destroying giant rock.

Whoosh—!

Just as the island-sized giant rock was about to crush him completely, the Azure Iron Armor, with a piercing sonic boom and a trailing fiery tail, bravely shot past, grazing the edge of destruction at an incredibly precise angle, almost touching the rock’s surface!

Unbelievable!

Ning Zhuo burst out of the inescapable shadow! And the massive ice coffin was just ahead!

Ning Zhuo’s momentum slightly decreased as he crashed into the tail end of the ice coffin.

He pressed his hands against the ice coffin, beginning to push it with all his strength towards the Styx tributary.

The ice coffin began to descend, its speed rapidly increasing.

The terrifying cold air emanating from it, channeling through the Azure Iron Armor’s palms, began to horribly erode Ning Zhuo.

At first, it was fine; the cold air helped cool down the overheating armor.

But soon, Ning Zhuo began to shiver from the cold.

The temperature dropped so quickly it felt as if he had fallen from a fiery mountain directly into a thousand-year-old ice cave!

Ning Zhuo gritted his teeth, pushing the ice coffin with all his might, refusing to let go.

The Earth Fiend Corrupted Deity was furious!

Despite his full exertion, he had failed to stop Ning Zhuo; instead, Ning Zhuo had successfully moved the ice coffin.

He absolutely could not allow the ice coffin to fall into the Styx tributary!

The Lord of Styx had revealed the power of the Cold Abyss Ice Coffin Candle during his battle with Yin Jiuzhu. The latter had almost completely frozen this section of the Styx tributary.

“Stop him!” the Earth Fiend Corrupted Deity roared, and the billowing black smoke erupting from his head instantly turned a deep, dark red.

The dark red smoke intertwined to form a giant hand that blotted out the sky, carrying world-destroying power as it slammed violently towards Ning Zhuo.

The attack’s coverage wasn't vast, but it locked onto Ning Zhuo.

Seeing the distance rapidly close, Luo Si roared, clutching the cracked fishing rod tightly with both hands, and cast out the hook with all his might.

Fishing Art: World-Luring Hook!

A sound of exquisite clarity, like ice crystals shattering in a crystal goblet, rang out.

The Three Lives World-Luring Hook appeared inside the Earth Fiend Corrupted Deity.

Luo Si yanked the rod upwards.

Buzz—!!! The fishing rod vibrated violently, letting out a groan of unbearable strain!

“Roar—!” The Earth Fiend Corrupted Deity let out a pained roar unlike any before.

His body convulsed violently, and the dark red smoke hand he was controlling suddenly lost cohesion, largely dissipating, its power plummeting.

Ning Zhuo felt the pressure ease, and the cloud of death dispersed once more.

The Azure Iron Armor shot out flames more than a zhang long, and despite being on the verge of collapse, it propelled the ice coffin, gradually increasing its speed.

The terrifying cold from the ice coffin had severely eroded Ning Zhuo, leaving his hands and arms numb.

Propelled by Ning Zhuo’s desperate effort, the heavy ice coffin accelerated, like the head of an ice warhammer hurled by a giant god, breaking through the last distance and smashing into the Styx tributary.

Splash!

Crack! Crackle! Snap—!!!

With the ice coffin as its epicenter, the Styx waters instantly froze!

White frost rapidly spread through the tributary, turning the flowing river water into stark white solid ice wherever it reached.

“No!” the Earth Fiend Corrupted Deity roared, rushing furiously towards the Styx tributary.

The fishing rod in Luo Si’s hands snapped inch by inch, and he himself knelt on the bronze war chariot, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Qing Chi had already collapsed in the passage, her mind overexerted, blood oozing from her seven orifices, utterly exhausted. With her last ounce of strength, she forced her eyelids open and, seeing Ning Zhuo successfully push the ice coffin into the tributary, she finally relaxed and completely fainted.

“Success!” Ning Zhuo rejoiced. The Azure Iron Armor on his body, having fulfilled its mission, with all its components pushed to their limits, began to fall off him, bearing horrifying scars and deformations.

“With the tributary frozen, I can now ascend the altar.”

Even if the Earth Fiend Corrupted Deity pursued him, Ning Zhuo felt joyous.

Because now, the altar offered no defensive advantages. He could completely use this to his initiative, coordinating with Luo Si to keep the Earth Fiend Corrupted Deity pinned down!

But at that very moment, the true form of the Lord of Styx, within the Styx tributary, suddenly opened his eyes.

He sensed the danger, roused from his slumber by the disturbance.

“Hmm?!” In an instant, he understood the situation.

Mobilizing both his spiritual sense and magical power, he stirred up immense waves within the Styx tributary.

The rate of freezing immediately decreased by eighty percent, meeting resistance.

The river water surged, forming swirling undercurrents that, like dragons and pythons, enveloped the ice coffin and dragged it into the river.

The true form of the Lord of Styx sneered from the river: “Good young man, are you to be my greatest human tribulation?”

“Doesn’t seem like it!”

“In fact, I should thank you for returning my Nether Serpent Shears to me.”

Ning Zhuo’s expression changed.

He suffered from a lack of information, unaware that the true form of the Lord of Styx was hidden within the tributary.

At this critical moment, the Lord of Styx had actually awakened!

He controlled the Styx tributary, halting the spread of frost with a single move. Ning Zhuo’s recent life-risking struggle now seemed like he had actively delivered a treasure to the Lord of Styx!

The stark contrast between expectation and reality left Ning Zhuo feeling suffocated.

Because he had acted, the true form of the Lord of Styx’s aura had been exposed.

A Soul Transformation Level expert!

Two Soul Transformation-level experts—how could Ning Zhuo, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, possibly contend with them?

“Didn’t Old Man Graybone say I’d face opponents at most at the Nascent Soul level? Did he calculate wrong!?” At this moment, Ning Zhuo again felt despair.

Styx Immortal City.

City Lord’s Mansion.

A child's figure darted among the bookshelves, his small hands continuously touching the record books on the shelves.

As soon as he touched them, the record books vanished from their spots, teleported into the child’s storage bracelet.

Beside him, the old man Zeng Jide stroked his beard and nodded, remarking with satisfaction: “Your foundation is very solid, lad. You perform basic thieving arts as if by instinct.”

“However, taking so many record books of Styx Underworld officials won’t be of much use.”

“If you truly want to leverage these record books, the most basic condition is the expenditure of national power.”

“The secondary condition is a higher official rank. Only high-ranking officials can deal with lower-ranking ones.”

“You cannot utilize the national power of Styx, nor do you hold an official position in the Styx Underworld, so these record books are, at most, for gathering information.”

“But this information is superficial. If you want to uncover private details, you must either investigate yourself or purchase them from intelligence organizations.”

Sun Lingtong rubbed his nose: “Is that so?”

He continued to speak, his hands still moving without pause.

He chuckled: “I figure, since I’ve rarely come here and taken quite a few risks…”

“…it would be unreasonable not to steal something to take back.”

“Thieves don’t leave empty-handed, you know.”

“Even if they don't have much value to me, they are very useful to the Styx Underworld, aren’t they?”

“Every time I imagine the Lord of Styx coming here and seeing empty bookshelves, I just want to laugh.”

“Hee hee hee…”

Zeng Jide was also amused, feeling even more that Sun Lingtong suited his taste.

Sun Lingtong cleared out all the record books here before sneaking away with his senior fellow disciple.

Zeng Jide led Sun Lingtong, stealthily moving through the City Lord’s Mansion.

A squad of fully equipped patrol cultivators, each employing different detection methods, passed by with synchronized steps.

Both the departure of the Lord of Styx and the forceful intrusion of the Painted Skin Rakshasa had raised their vigilance to the highest degree, prompting them to patrol with full effort.

Zeng Jide grabbed Sun Lingtong’s arm, leaped, and transformed into a patch of dark shadow, blending into the low grass.

Thieving Art: Shadow Meld!

Sun Lingtong was profoundly shaken.

The grass patch was clear to see, scanned repeatedly by over a dozen detection methods, yet none could find the elder and youth of the Sky Vault Sect hidden within.

The moment the patrol guards turned the corner at the end of the corridor, Zeng Jide moved.

Dragging Sun Lingtong, he leaped like a nimble cat, and after a single bound, he took a few quick steps, scaling the wall and landing on the tiles.

It was broad daylight!

The patrolling cultivators had also never neglected scanning the rooftops.

Yet Zeng Jide consistently exploited gaps in their detection, choosing the most precise action, whether it was lying in wait or striding boldly forward.

When he moved, it was utterly brazen! His audacity bordered on recklessness.

But remarkably, he wasn’t detected!

Sun Lingtong’s eyes widened, and he cried out in his mind: “What incredibly rich experience must one have to possess such mastery of stealth!”

Leaping across the rooftops, Zeng Jide and Sun Lingtong swiftly traversed the City Lord’s Mansion, with its numerous buildings and complex layout, rapidly approaching their target.

Still holding Sun Lingtong’s arm, Zeng Jide hid in the shadows of the eaves, letting several consecutive teams of patrolling cultivators pass.

Sun Lingtong secretly wondered why Zeng Jide wasn't moving forward, when the latter sent him a spiritual message, communicating in secret: “This is it.”

Sun Lingtong: ?!

He was so close to Zeng Jide, yet he hadn't noticed him using any other methods; without Sun Lingtong's knowledge, Zeng Jide had already managed to scout the building’s interior.

Zeng Jide, still holding Sun Lingtong, nimbly and silently moved to the exact spot on the rooftop.

Sun Lingtong’s body felt light as a feather, like a paper cut-out or a shadow, as he followed closely behind Zeng Jide.

Zeng Jide extended a withered finger and, with a seemingly casual scrape and press on the roof, several glazed tiles that appeared to be a seamless part of the structure were directly pried open, revealing a gap just large enough for a civet cat to pass through.

Zeng Jide crouched low and slipped inside.

Sun Lingtong’s eyes widened. He watched closely as Zeng Jide, seemingly boneless, casually shrunk his form, his body’s weight apparently vanishing as he smoothly “flowed” into the room.

They landed silently on the floor tiles inside the room.

Zeng Jide stood still on the small tile beneath his feet, not moving forward. Sun Lingtong’s hairs stood on end, and he dutifully imitated, daring not to move an inch.

Because Sun Lingtong knew well that the defensive spell formations inside the room had not been dismantled. If it were him, he would undoubtedly choose a door or window as a point of entry, attempt to break the formation, and then proceed cautiously step by step.

But Zeng Jide, with his high skill and bold courage, directly immersed himself within the spell formations in the City Lord’s Mansion of a kingdom’s capital, which was essentially the king’s own residence.

Zeng Jide’s cloudy old eyes scanned the surroundings, and a slight curl of his lip revealed a hint of disdain.

He extended his hand, pointing into the empty air, pressing or tapping. Spiritual light shimmered on his fingertips, stirring gusts of spiritual wind in the air.

In just three breaths, he withdrew his hand.

“Safe,” he said, then strode confidently forward.

Sun Lingtong immediately sighed in relief and began to move freely within the room.

He looked around and discovered it was a treasury. On the shelves, a vast array of precious materials were stored in separate compartments, categorized, each with its own distinct appearance.

The more Sun Lingtong looked, the more intrigued he became, for he realized he knew nothing about any of these precious materials.