The Golden Crow Crown Prince was furious. My father is actually treating this guy as someone on the same level?!

Zu An thought, Am I really that amazing, for you to actually be treating me with that much respect?

Of course, he knew what the Fiend Emperor was really implying. At this point, they were all in the same boat. If something strong appeared, Zu An’s group couldn't rely on the Fiend Emperor alone. They had to help out too. After all, there were two grandmasters on his side and a Medusa. Between that and Zu An’s unusual strength, they were naturally a force to be reckoned with.

The Fiend Emperor didn’t wait for him to reply. He tossed a skull into Wu Liang’s hands, saying, “Here, open up that sarcophagus in the center.”

The skull was made of some crystalline material; its surface was sparkling and translucent, emanating a special kind of radiance. It was something the Fiend Emperor’s group had obtained along the way. He had noticed that there were special grooves on the stone altar that matched this skull, which was why he told Wu Liang to test things out.

Wu Liang cursed inwardly. Wasn’t this Zu An’s job before?

Even though that was what he thought, he didn’t dare to go against the Fiend Emperor’s orders. Otherwise, he could end up having a Puppet Curse placed on him too.

Later, I really have to ask Zu An how he managed to get rid of that Puppet Curse… he thought as he cautiously approached the stone altar. He carefully observed the runes and formations around him. When he was sure that there were no lethal mechanisms present, he then slowly placed the skull into the recess.

Zu An frowned as he watched the whole process. Emperor Yao was a glorious emperor in his own right, and he should have been considered a proper hero. Why was something sinister like a skull needed to activate this place?

Still, that crystal skull does look pretty nice…

Suddenly, a crack rang out through the air, as  the crystal skull fit seamlessly into the groove. Then, as if it had been sucked in by some force, it sank downward.

Zu An saw that Wu Liang still hadn’t let go of the skull. He couldn't hold back, remarking, “Damn fatty, you still aren’t letting go?”

The Fiend Emperor and Golden Crow Crown Prince watched Wu Liang vigilantly. They thought, Could it be that this fatty noticed something and wants to be the first to have access to the immortal opportunity?

Wu Liang cried out, his voice shaking a bit, “I want to let go too, but it keeps holding onto me and won’t allow me to let go!”

While he was speaking, the skull emerged from the stone altar again. With their keen eyes, the others saw that Wu Liang’s hands seemed to be stuck to the skull’s surface by some kind of indescribable power. It didn’t let him go no matter what he did.

Suddenly, the skeleton’s eyes glowed with red light, and a sinister, ice-cold aura appeared out of thin air! The Fiend Emperor’s expression changed, and he quickly took a step back.

Zu An and the others felt ice-cold intent flow over their bodies. It wasn’t the sort of chill that came from Yan Xuehen’s Snowflake Sword; rather, it was a kind of sinister aura that made them freeze up uncontrollably. Their expressions changed, and they also quickly backed up.

Wu Liang, who was closest to the altar, became even more frightened. He screamed, “Your majesty Fiend Emperor, save me! Please save me!”

The Fiend Emperor frowned, clearly having no intention to interfere. It was almost as if he had already planned to use Wu Liang to test the waters.

Zu An frowned. This fatty still shared a bit of friendship with him. He couldn't just watch him die without doing anything. As such, he flung an energy blade at Wu Liang’s arm. Compared to a life, the fatty’s arms wouldn’t be that great of a price at all. Either way, high-level cultivators could all recover on their own. With some medicine, they’d grow back in a few years.

Wu Liang clearly understood his intentions. A hint of gratitude appeared on his face. As such, he didn’t resist at all and planned to give up his hands to escape. However, as the blade energy approached him, the skull suddenly emanated a black vortex that sucked it all away.

Wu Liang screamed miserably. He could feel his own life essence being quickly sucked away as well! His two chubby arms visibly shriveled up. His smooth and round cheeks also began to cave in. He tried to detonate his own internal energy to remove his arms, but it was already too late. Before he could summon enough power to blow up his arms, it was already sucked away by the black vortex.

Afterward, he no longer had the strength to resist. He could only turn toward the Fiend Emperor. His lips shook slightly as he said, “Save… Save me…” He knew that out of all those present, only the Fiend Emperor had the ability to save him now.

However, the Fiend Emperor remained completely indifferent. If the stone altar only opened with a blood sacrifice, Wu Liang was clearly the best choice for it. Zu An’s group seemed to share quite a bit of affection with each other. If he chose any of them. it would cause their already fragile alliance to break down completely. Apart from them, there was no way he would sacrifice his own son, right?

Zu An’s group couldn't bear to watch. However, in the current situation, they were helpless.

In the blink of an eye, the chubby Wu Liang had already turned into skin and bones, as if he were a mummy. Zu An couldn't help but recall how Sang Qian had been killed by Mosquito Daoist. Back then, that was exactly how he had looked. Could it be that the altar had sealed a Blood race individual?

This fatty really is pitiful. He had all kinds of mysterious skills, but in the end, he died so easily.

Suddenly, a disturbance began to happen around them. The hardened dirt around the two giant statues gradually fell off. Then, two powerful auras suddenly manifested in the hall, quickly growing stronger.

Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen both secretly warned the other two, “Be careful! These are peak grandmaster level auras! No, they’re still getting stronger!”

Zu An’s expression changed. Don’t tell me they’re two earth immortals?

Forget about him, even the Fiend Emperor was getting nervous. He stared at the two statues. By now, the hardened dirt had already completely fallen off, revealing their original appearances.

One was a scarlet bear-like monster. It rubbed its head as if it were still a bit muddle-headed after waking up. However, when it saw those who were present, it beat its chest and roared angrily.

On the other side of the room, the human-faced, snake-bodied monster’s nine heads bore sinister and warped expressions, as if they had experienced unendurable suffering. Soon afterward, the space around those heads began to distort, and they gradually combined into a single head. Its body became smaller and smaller before finally turning into what resembled a handsome and delicate prince. His malicious, nine-headed and snake-bodied appearance was nowhere to be seen.

The Fiend Emperor didn’t look down on it in the slightest. On the contrary, he was even more cautious of the man than the huge red bear. Even though the bear was big and ferocious, its aura was barely at the earth immortal rank. There was still a sizable gap between their cultivation. However, the white-clothed young master was completely different. His strength had shot up so quickly that it wasn’t that far from the Fiend Emperor’s own cultivation.

Meanwhile, Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue explained what was going on to Zu An and Yu Yanluo. Both of them shivered when they heard what the grandmasters said.

“Wait, why are these two’s auras completely different from that cold and eerie energy from before?” Zu An wondered, suddenly realizing the important issue.

In truth, the Fiend Emperor secretly felt glad that he hadn’t fought against Zu An’s group. Now, he could face the white-clad man, while the other group could face the scarlet bear. Together with the Golden Crow Crown Prince, there probably wouldn’t be any problems.

However, when he heard what Zu An said, he was startled. He suddenly looked at the stone altar at the center.

The white-clothed man and the giant red bear both walked over to the altar and kneeled down on one knee, exclaiming, “We respectfully welcome our master!”