A Useless Person's Rise to Power

Chapter 33 Ancient Jade Guards the Scene, Ferocious Puppet Breaks Through Earth, Trapping the Enemy

Qin Zhan held the Zhenyuan Ancient Jade tightly in his palm. The warm jade power flowed through his meridians, and his body's energy suddenly became calm and heavy. The restless spiritual energy in his dantian was firmly contained, and the hidden injuries left by the fierce battle between his muscles and bones were slowly healed.

With this treasure's blessing, Qin Zhan's confidence instantly surged several points.

The three men opposite Qin Zhan – Xuan Yin Old Monster, Wang Meng, and the gray-robed old man – had their eyes fixed on the cyan ancient jade in Qin Zhan's hand, their eyes filled with greed and jealousy.

The old monster Xuan Yin's Adam's apple bobbed, his ferocious face filled with malevolence. He gritted his teeth and coldly shouted, "Boy, don't think you can turn the tide just because you've obtained the ancient jade! The Zhenyuan Ancient Jade is powerful, but you haven't refined it yet, so you can't unleash much of its power. Hand it over obediently, and I'll still spare you some face."

Wang Meng stepped forward, his animal hide armor taut, his muscles bulging, and a powerful, murderous aura surging forth: "Stop wasting words with him! Let's join forces and attack him directly. We'll take down the ancient jade and the treasures on his body and split them equally among the three of us. As for Elder Zhao, we'll just make up some excuse to get rid of him."

The gray-robed elder's eyes were gloomy, his fingertips constantly forming hand seals, golden runes swirling around his body. His tone was indifferent yet ruthless: "Not bad. Zhao Canghai is far away on the outskirts of the Misty Domain, and has no way of knowing the inside story of the ruins. Killing Qin Zhan and monopolizing the ancient jade and the opportunities of the ruins is far more worthwhile than working for him."

The three had long since abandoned their original intention of serving Elder Zhao and were now only interested in keeping the treasure for themselves. Their killing intent was no longer concealed.

Qin Zhan rubbed the Zhenyuan Ancient Jade in his palm, his eyes cold and clear as frost. Looking at the three people in front of him, he spoke calmly: "Back then, you were ordered by Zhao Canghai to ambush the Misty Domain, intending to take my life and seize the opportunity of the ruins. Now that the treasure has appeared in the world, you want to betray your master and keep it for yourselves. You are greedy, fickle, and utterly despicable."

"The victor is king, the loser is villain, why all this nonsense!" Xuan Yin Old Monster roared angrily, his figure transforming into a black shadow, his body surging with dark evil energy, five soul-devouring claw shadows tearing through the air, carrying a bone-corroding and soul-destroying sinister energy, heading straight for Qin Zhan's vital heart.

Wang Meng followed closely behind, his fists suddenly gathering power, and he unleashed the Mountain-Splitting Fist once more. The wind from the fist roared, causing the surrounding air to surge, and the brute force pressed down, trying to suppress it with brute force.

The gray-robed elder sat at the rear, raising his hand to unleash a shower of runes. Each rune condensed into a long spear, densely packed, raining down on Qin Zhan like arrows, sealing off all escape routes.

The three powerful figures launched an all-out attack, their moves fierce and ruthless, leaving no room for retreat, instantly unleashing a storm of killing intent.

Qin Zhan's expression was solemn, and he dared not be careless. He activated the Zhenyuan Ancient Jade in his palm, and a wisp of green light rippled out from the ancient jade, transforming into a circle of light green jade light barrier that enveloped his body.

hum-

Its jade-like light flowed, heavy and steady, possessing an inherent Daoist charm that suppressed all things.

Clang!

The Xuan Yin Soul-Devouring Claw struck the jade light barrier, producing only a piercing golden sound. The sinister and malevolent energy was instantly dissipated, making it impossible to penetrate even slightly.

Wang Meng's furious punch struck the barrier, but was bounced back by a powerful elastic force, leaving his arm numb.

Countless rune spears shot forth, but upon touching the jade light, they dimmed and shattered, dissipating into specks of light.

The three men's attacks were easily blocked by the protective power of the Zhenyuan Ancient Jade.

All three of them paled, their eyes filled with disbelief.

"How is this possible? The protective power of this ancient jade is so formidable!"

"He hasn't even refined it yet, but he was already able to use the jade's power to block our combined attack. If he were to completely control it, the consequences would be unimaginable!"

"We can't delay any longer! Launch a full-scale attack, shatter the jade light, kill him, and seize the jade!"

The three were filled with shock and rage, and they no longer held back their trump cards, their moves becoming increasingly vicious and ruthless.

The Xuan Yin Old Monster unleashed his ultimate technique, the Nine Nether Soul-Eroding Art. Black mist surged around him, transforming into a pitch-black ghost head that spewed out billowing poisonous energy, attempting to erode Qin Zhan's soul.

Wang Meng unleashed his full physical power, his blood and qi surging around him, transforming into a hundred-foot-tall phantom. He pounded his fists in succession, each strike causing cracks to spread across the stone platform.

The gray-robed elder activated an even stronger formation, unleashing countless patterns that wove together a deadly array, layer upon layer of confinement, aiming to trap Qin Zhan and kill him on the spot.

Qin Zhan used a mysterious footwork technique to move calmly amidst the overwhelming attacks.

The ancient jade in his palm continuously emitted Daoist energy, stabilizing his mind and refining his vital energy. He wasn't just passively defending; taking advantage of the gap in the three people's moves, he suddenly raised his hand and unleashed the Azure Profound Mountain-Breaking Fist with all his might. Azure light pierced the sky, heading straight for the face of the Xuan Yin Old Monster.

At the same time, he made a hand seal with his other hand, drawing upon the faint power of the ancient jade. A thick jade light transformed into a palm print, which slammed down on Wang Meng.

The fist was powerful and fierce, while the jade seal was solid and steady; one was forceful and the other stable, combining offense and defense.

boom!boom!

Two loud explosions followed in quick succession.

Xuan Yin Old Monster hastily parried, but was forced back by the force of the punch, his blood and qi churning. Wang Meng took the jade seal head-on, his massive body staggering several steps, a tightness in his chest.

The battle reached a stalemate. Relying on the power of the Zhenyuan Ancient Jade, Qin Zhan fought against three opponents and did not fall behind.

Just as the four were locked in fierce combat, the entire ruins suddenly shook violently once again!

Boom—!

The cracks in the ground beneath the stone platform suddenly widened, and bottomless ravines spread out, with a chilling aura rising from the earth.

Countless scarlet eyes slowly lit up from the depths of the crack, one pair after another, exuding deathly stillness and ferocity.

Immediately afterwards, the clicking sound of metal rubbing against metal filled the air.

One after another, ancient puppets, each ten feet tall, clad in mottled ancient armor and wielding rusted longswords, slowly crawled out from the cracks in the ground.

The puppets were forged from black iron and strange stones. They were expressionless, with bloodshot eyes, and surrounded by ancient evil energy. Their numbers increased and soon they densely covered the entire open space of the ruins.

At a glance, at least a hundred ferocious puppets surrounded the stone platform, completely blocking any escape routes.

Upon seeing this, the Xuan Yin Old Monster's face turned deathly pale, filled with shock and fear: "The guardian demon puppets of the ruins! They've all broken through the ground!"

Wang Meng also suppressed his arrogance, his eyes filled with solemnity: "So many ferocious puppets, each with a body as hard as iron, and they even know combined attack techniques, this is a huge problem!"

The gray-robed elder frowned, a sense of regret rising in his heart. He had intended to kill Qin Zhan to seize the ancient jade and claim the opportunity for himself, but he had unexpectedly awakened the ancient ferocious puppet slumbering underground, and now he was trapped in a double encirclement by the puppet and Qin Zhan.

Qin Zhan stood on the stone platform, holding the Zhenyuan Ancient Jade in his hand, looking at the ferocious puppets that were closing in from all directions, his expression still calm.

With three powerful enemies eyeing him from the front and a hundred ferocious puppets closing in from behind, he seemed to be in a hopeless situation. However, with the Zhenyuan Ancient Jade in his hand, he felt a sense of confidence.

"Since all sides are gathering their killing intent, let's settle this once and for all today." Qin Zhan's gaze was cold as he swept across the entire scene.

The old monster Xuan Yin's expression shifted between light and dark. Suddenly, he spoke to Qin Zhan in a deep voice, "Boy, with the ferocious puppets besieging the city, if we continue to fight amongst ourselves, we'll only perish together! Why not temporarily cease hostilities, join forces to break through the encirclement, and then each rely on our own abilities to compete for the ancient jade? What do you say?"

Wang Meng immediately chimed in, "That's right! The ferocious puppets are mindless and fearless. If we continue fighting, we'll all die here. Let's form an alliance for now and break through their encirclement!"

The two were already filled with fear and wanted to temporarily put aside their grudges and join forces to fight against the puppet.

Qin Zhan narrowed his eyes, seeing through their thoughts. They were not genuinely allies; they merely wanted to use the guise of cooperation to seize the jade by surprise. They harbored ulterior motives and had never been peaceful.

He was about to speak and refuse—

Suddenly, from the void at the top of the ruins, a faint, aged laugh echoed, carrying a sinister and cunning intent, slowly reverberating throughout the entire ruins.

"Hahaha... Qin Zhan, Xuan Yin Old Monster, Wang Meng, and fellow Daoist in gray. You all fought to the death, and the ferocious puppet broke through the earth to besiege the city, which saved me a lot of effort."

Upon hearing this voice, Qin Zhan's eyes narrowed sharply!

That tone, that voice, it was none other than Elder Zhao Canghai, the mastermind behind the Qingyun Sect!

He had already quietly infiltrated the ruins, hiding in the shadows, observing coldly from beginning to end, reaping the benefits of the situation!

Zhao Canghai has already appeared in the shadows, intending to reap the benefits; a hundred ferocious puppets are approaching step by step, and the three powerful enemies each have their own ulterior motives.

With the Zhenyuan Ancient Jade in his hand, is Qin Zhan feigning an alliance to fight against the evil puppet, or will he stand alone against powerful enemies from all sides?

What deadly tricks does Zhao Canghai have up his sleeve, preparing to wipe everyone out in one fell swoop and seize the treasure of the ruins for himself?