Chapter 436 - 436 Collapsing Bronze Realm

436 Collapsing Bronze Realm

The young man hesitated before speaking again, “It’s better to mistakenly kill a thousand than to let one escape. Mountain Chieftain, should we also…?”

Kong Binghuang remained silent for a while before decisively stating, “No! Everyone must stay put.”

“No, I can’t! I need to go.” Kong Binghuang abruptly changed his mind. “What if the children of Wan Shan and Ming Feng emerge from the sinkhole? We must help them.”

“But Lord Prefecture Overseer suggested that among the prodigies taken away, some might be possessed by the Demon of Qingzhou,” the middle-aged man replied with concern.

“Lord Prefecture Overseer, Lord Prefecture Overseer… Are you an elder of my Wuji Mountain or an advisor of his estate?” Kong Binghuang retorted, his eyebrows arching in annoyance.

Instantly, his muscles bulged, and a palpable pressure crushed the middle-aged man, who broke out in cold sweat. He was certain that if he uttered ‘Lord Prefecture Overseer’ one more time, Kong Binghuang would strike him. After all, Kong Binghuang was a renowned tyrant.

“Regardless of whether our Wuji Mountain’s disciples are demons or not, they’re not for others to kill. If they’re guilty, I’ll be the one to execute them,” Kong Binghuang declared, waving his hand dismissively. “Let’s go!”

“Are you going to…” the middle-aged man began, taken aback.

“I’ll personally visit the sinkhole and see if I can encounter the demon in the outer city.” Kong Binghuang started marching forward, the earth seemingly trembling with each step.

The young man hastily followed him. “Mountain Chieftain, there’s something I forgot to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“The emperor of Great You sent a representative to the prefecture overseer’s residence today to establish a new position, the Chief Martial Lord of Qingzhou. The prefecture overseer now has the power to recruit soldiers at will and expand their army.”

“Really?” Kong Binghuang continued without slowing down. “The little emperor is indeed foolish. It seems Great You is truly finished…”

…

At the Thousand Divination Tower, an old man with a youthful face but white hair sat cross-legged on a prayer mat. His body seemed frail, almost skeletal.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes. “It’s coming, the great change we’ve anticipated!”

His old voice, as hoarse and rough as an ancient tree, echoed throughout the room. Opposite the prayer mat, a wooden door slowly creaked open.

“The legendary legacy of the Emperor of Qingzhou has surfaced. It’s time to determine if it’s of an emperor or a demon.”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sixteen copper coins were flung through the gap in the wooden door, rolling on the mahogany floor before eventually settling down. All sixteen landed face-down.

“Tsk tsk, as expected.” The old man who seemed on the brink of death clucked his tongue. “Send the order to fully support our primary candidate, the Chief Martial Lord of Qingzhou!”

At the same time, the five major sects, along with numerous smaller ones, reached a decision. A massive army of warriors poured out of Qingzhou’s inner city, all moving toward the bronze sinkhole.

Meanwhile, in the bronze realm, Xiang Mingfeng and the others were trying to comprehend the bronze wall. Suddenly, everyone’s eyes opened.

“The earth… It’s shaking!” She Wanshan remarked, puzzled. They had been in the bronze realm for almost a year, yet they had never experienced such a tremor.

“Look, the trees are vanishing…” someone exclaimed in shock.

Xiang Mingfeng and the others surveyed their surroundings to find the trees crumbling one by one, and the ground along with the grass was decaying, revealing the dark gray earth beneath.

“The bronze realm… It seems like it’s about to collapse,” someone realized, and the group shared worried glances.

Fang Huo broke into hearty laughter. “It looks like Brother Zhou has found the bronze realm’s core. He’s probably about to refine it.”

“That’s incredibly fast. It’s only been two months since Brother Zhou disappeared, hasn’t it?” She Wanshan said, his expression complex.

“It seems like we’ll soon have another powerful rival in Qingzhou,” Le Ji’an added calmly, his gaze focusing on Xiang Mingfeng and Fang Huo. Despite acknowledging others as prodigies possessing the king’s force, he never truly considered them competition.

“Hehe, Brother Le is correct,” Gou Jie agreed, narrowing his eyes into a gentle smile.

As they conversed, the collapse of the world accelerated. Even the forest of stone tablets they had been studying began to vanish. The towering bronze wall also started deteriorating from the top, bit by bit.

The bronze realm’s elites observed the gradual collapse of their world with mixed emotions.

“We’re finally going back…” one murmured.

“But I’ve been trapped here for years. Who would’ve thought I’d waste my youth waiting in vain,” a middle-aged man lamented, pounding his chest.

“My vitality has already diminished. I failed to gather anything in the end,” an old man wailed.

Feelings of envy and resentment washed over the crowd upon hearing about Qin Huai acquiring the bronze realm’s secret treasure.

Bang!

Suddenly, the world plunged into darkness. But then, cheers erupted. They noticed debris, scattered bronze artifacts, and numerous bodies.

“It was really an illusion realm… Everything was just an illusion…” someone whispered.

“Hahaha, have I really been sitting here for the past twenty years?” another one said, noticing the deep imprint on his buttocks with a bitter smile on his face.

Their faces were pale, and their bodies had grown thin. It was clear that the food they had been surviving on was likely dead rats and underground creatures. Some of the geniuses had even gone insane.