Chapter 1123: Two Kings Confrontation
As the teams from the two ancient colleges congregated in the respective gathering spots and prepared to enter, there was also a confrontation of an entirely different scale in the chaotic space outside the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm.
Immense amounts of worldly natural energy surged across like an endless tsunami.
It was so great that the void seemed to have split into two.
Deep in the depths of the void, a terrifying wave radiated outwards. Thousands of phantoms could be seen within the void from time to time, along with strange, odd whispers.
Mighty energy shockwaves clashed and detonated repeatedly.
This was the result of conflict between the vice principals of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College and the King of the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion.
Despite the tumultuous energy shockwaves that rippled in every direction, the epicenter was surprisingly peaceful. Two figures quietly were sitting in the lotus position there, unaffected by the disorderly surroundings.
Their mere presence had caused them to become the core of the void. They exuded an indescribable presence that forced everything to submit to them.
Even the Kings fighting outside reserved a portion of their mental state to watch over the situation unfolding here.
These two figures were the backbones behind the two King powers.
The person on the left was a dignified middle-aged man in a yellow robe. He had a bronze ruler in his hands and a golden gourd on his waist.
Although he was just sitting there, every breath of his was like a thunderous explosion that shook the void itself.
This man was none other than Wang Xuanjin, a top-tier Triple Crowned King and the Principal of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College.
Opposite him, the void appeared to be dyed white. Even the worldly natural energy in the surroundings had been assimilated. Everything seemed like a viscous, white substance decorated with the faint outlines of human shadows, all kneeling down in an extremely pious manner.
They were all facing a young man in white robes. He appeared clean and tidy with a gentle smile on his face.
However, his appearance did not hold for long. At the next moment, his face began to age and his skin wrinkled.
He gave off an elderly feeling that continued to intensify. After a while, his elderly body shrank and he turned into a young boy with red lips, white teeth, and extremely smooth and fair skin.
In a short span of time, he progressed through all three stages of human life.
This man was none other than the master of the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion.
The All-Beings Devil King, a Triple Crowned King.
Now in its young boy appearance, the All-Beings Devil King grinned happily. Its eyes were so ghastly pale that it sent a chill up one's spine.
"Wang Xuanjin, I've invited them over for you. Aren't you going to thank me?"
The All-Beings Devil King laughed lightly. A figure suddenly walked out of the thick, white mist behind it and knelt down. Upon closer inspection, it was Lan Lingzi!
However, this Lan Lingzi seemed a little different. There was a cyclone within the whites of her pupils that kept on spinning. After a while, the spinning came to a stop, and they turned back into normal eyes. She smiled at Wang Xuanjin and said, "Principal, I've passed the message to the Heavenly Origin Ancient College for you. None of them suspected me."
Rage flared up in his eyes as Wang Xuanjin stared at the human skin in front of him that looked exactly like Vice Principal Lan Lingzi. He sighed a little. "The Human Skin Art is very impressive, All-Beings Devil King. There were two vice principals in the college, and neither of them were able to see through it."
From Wang Xuanjin's words, it was clear that the Vice Principal Lan Lingzi that had sent out the mobilization order in the Heavenly Origin Ancient College was a fake. It was an imposter created by the All-Beings Devil King!
This was truly terrifying!
The words and actions of this Lan Lingzi were exactly the same as the real one. Not only had it gained the memories of the real one, its personality and style had been perfectly replicated too. In a certain sense, this was no different from a clone of Lan Lingzi.
This was the true terror of the All-Beings Devil King.
"Your previous attack on Lan Lingzi was simply to get her skin for this plan, right?" Wang Xuanjin asked. That said, he had actually been planning to send students from the college into the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm himself. As such, the All-Beings Devil King was not fabricating a complete lie. However, it had brought his plans forward, and it was their early entry that left the students largely unprepared, resulting in heavy casualties.
"Wang Xuanjin, it was all thanks to these fresh new skins from you all. If not for them, my Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillars would not have been constructed so easily."
The All-Beings Devil King waved its hands, and white mist gathered. A miniature space appeared in front of them, displaying the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. However, the vast space looked like a toy in front of the two formidable presences.
From this perspective, the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm was indeed filled with white mist, and white pillars could be spotted in different locations.
There was a total of seven pillars. Although they were in different spots of the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm, they appeared to be connected. White mist continued to flow out of them, spreading across the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm.
Wang Xuanjin stared at the projection before him. Due to the All-Beings Devil King's interference, the two ancient colleges had sent in their elite students early, disrupting his plans.
With the kidnapping of the new students, the All-Beings Devil Kings had gained more ingredients and sped up the construction of its Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillars.
Once all seven pillars were completed, the corruption emanating from them would be able to defile the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm entirely. The realm would then become a territoy of the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion and the All-Beings Devil King would be able to move in and out of it freely. If that happened, even Wang Xuanjin would have difficulty trying to regain control of it.
However, Wang Xuanjin was neither frightened nor furious despite falling behind. Instead, he firmly gripped his ruler and said calmly, "This fight is not over yet. You may be celebrating a little too soon. Do not underestimate the children from our college. Your seven Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillars have not been fully formed, and as long as they are able to destroy it before then, the game can be reversed."
The appearance of the childlike All-Beings Devil King continued to change. Gradually, it turned into a mature young man. It smiled and replied, "But if they fail, your children will all be buried and their skins will become my food. Don’t you think this is a little too cruel to them? Wang Xuanjin, I will give you one last chance. As long as you give up on the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm now, I can let them all leave here safely. How about it?"
Wang Xuanjin responded softly, "Since the establishment of the Academic Federation, we have never compromised with Others. Many of our ancestors were willing to sacrifice their lives for this. How can we, as the younger generation, break that streak? If we really have to die here, we of the Heavenly Origin Ancient College will surely give our all to fight you. We'll see who will be the last one standing."
When he finished speaking, strong winds and thunder emerged in the sky above like the scene of an impending apocalypse.
However, the All-Beings Devil King remained unfazed. Its appearance slowly changed into that of an elderly man now. Its voice grew more sinister as it responded, "The Academic Federation has placed the eradication of Others as its main responsibility. But it's all pointless. Over the years, many powers have risen and fallen. Only us, the Others, will remain forever. The Academic Federation will eventually disappear along the long river of time."
Wang Xuanjin smiled back gently. "Evilspawn like you would naturally be unable to understand the power of faith and our inheritance."
He shook his head, not bothering to continue this conversation any longer. He looked towards the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm, where many teams of youths had begun to gather around the seven Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillars.
The key to this battle was destroying the Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillars.
If they failed, the will of the All-Beings Devil King would descend once the construction of the pillars were completed. At that time, the children were unlikely to be able to stop him. Naturally, he would try his best to save his children. However, he would no longer be able to gain back control of the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm, and the Heavenly Origin Ancient College would have failed in their mission.
Wang Xuanjin slowly caressed his bronze ruler as his eyes lowered a little. A whisper resounded in his heart.
"Success or failure hinges upon you, little ones."