A Useless Person's Rise to Power

Chapter 34 The False Chieftain Reveals His Treachery, the Ancient Jade Arouses the Subterranean Hear

The mist on the dome churned and refused to dissipate. Elder Zhao Canghai's figure hovered in mid-air, his robes fluttering slightly in the wind, and a faint gray aura swirling around him.

The kind and gentle elder who usually appeared in the Qingxuan Sect was completely gone, replaced by a face full of malice and greed, with murderous intent in his eyes like a cold blade, fixed on Qin Zhan on the stone platform.

The three people below, Xuan Yin Old Monster, Wang Meng, and the gray-robed old man, were struck as if by a thunderbolt upon hearing that Zhao Canglan had appeared, and a chill ran down their spines.

They originally planned to deceive everyone, intending to kill Qin Zhan, embezzle the Zhenyuan Ancient Jade, seize the treasures on Qin Zhan's body, and then make up some excuse to fool Zhao Canghai so that they could keep the precious relics for themselves.

But to their utter surprise, this sect elder had never left at all. He had been hiding in the shadows of the ruins' dome, witnessing all their schemes, greed, and unusual movements.

The sinister look on Xuan Yin Laoguai's face faded considerably, replaced by a fearful and respectful expression. He looked up at the dome, cupped his hands, and bowed deeply: "Elder Zhao, please forgive us! We had no intention of breaking our promise. It was just that the ferocious puppet suddenly broke through the ground, causing chaos in the situation. We lost our composure for a moment and would never dare to hide a treasure or disobey your orders."

Wang Meng also restrained his arrogance and ferocity, and his rough tone became more cautious: "Yes, Elder Zhao, we are only concerned with serving you. We only want to defeat Qin Zhan as soon as possible and seize the ancient map and the opportunity of the ruins. We dare not have any selfish thoughts."

The gray-robed elder, more shrewd than the other, remained calm yet humbled, and slowly spoke: "Elder, your insight is unparalleled; your thoughts cannot be hidden from us. We are willing to accept your judgment for this lapse in conduct, and from now on, we will follow your lead without question."

Seeing that there was no hope of concealing the truth, the three immediately changed sides and completely sided with Zhao Canghai, wanting only to absolve themselves of responsibility and continue to rely on this behind-the-scenes backer.

Zhao Canghai gave a cold snort, his voice carrying an air of superiority: "Your petty schemes are nothing but child's play in my eyes. I promised you generous rewards and promises to intercept Qin Zhan, not to covet treasures and harbor rebellious intentions."

His gaze shifted, fixing on Qin Zhan, who stood on the stone platform clutching the jade. The killing intent in his eyes was undisguised: "Qin Zhan, your talent is too outstanding. Your cultivation progress far surpasses your peers, and even surpasses many of the older generation in the sect. If you stay in the Qingxuan Sect, you will threaten my position sooner or later."

"I secretly laid a plan, using Zhou Hu's pursuit as a pretext to send three more people to ambush you, thinking you were doomed in the Misty Domain. But I didn't expect you to be so resilient, venturing into the ruins and seizing the ancient jade, giving me quite a few surprises along the way."

Qin Zhan gripped the Zhenyuan Ancient Jade tightly in his palm, its azure light swirling within. His gaze was as cold as a knife as he retorted in a loud voice: "Zhao Canghai, as an elder of the sect, you are supported by the sect and respected by the disciples, yet you harbor selfish desires, collude with evil cultivators from beyond the realm, plot against the sect's juniors, and damage the sect's interests. Do you have any respect for the sect, or for your position as an elder?"

"Identity? Rules?" Zhao Canglan scoffed, his disdain evident. "In the martial arts world, the strong are respected. Sect doctrines are merely shackles binding the mediocre. As long as one can seize the legacy, break through to a higher realm, and ascend to a higher position within the sect, what does sacrificing one of you matter?"

These words blatantly exposed his hypocritical facade, revealing his selfishness, ruthlessness, and utter lack of principles.

Seeing this, the Xuan Yin Old Monster immediately seized the opportunity to pledge his loyalty: "Elder Zhao is wise! Now that Qin Zhan possesses the ancient jade and is surrounded by ferocious puppets, all we need to do is join forces to eliminate him. The ancient jade and all the opportunities within the ruins will then be under your control, Elder!"

Wang Meng quickly chimed in, "That's right! We were foolish before. From now on, we will follow Elder Zhao's lead! First, kill Qin Zhan, then eliminate the wicked puppet, and wait for Elder Zhao to claim the supreme fortune!"

The three of them instantly turned to Zhao Canglan, shifting their focus to Qin Zhan, their killing intent palpable.

Three powerful enemies had turned against them in front of them, while a traitorous elder loomed above them, eyeing them menacingly. On the other hand, a hundred ancient ferocious puppets slowly approached, their crimson eyes fixed on the stone platform, blocking all escape routes.

Qin Zhan, alone, faces danger from all sides and finds himself trapped in a desperate situation.

But there was no sign of panic on his face; instead, he became even calmer.

"A bunch of opportunists, do they even dare to join forces to suppress me?"

Qin Zhan let out a low shout, and with a thought, the Zhenyuan Ancient Jade in his palm suddenly shone brightly. The emerald green jade light shot into the sky, transforming into a thick light curtain that enveloped the stone platform. Daoist rhymes flowed, suppressing the malevolent energy from all directions.

hum-

The ancient jade vibrated, its emanating spiritual energy subtly resonating with the star-like patterns on the stone platform.

"Attack! Kill him and seize the jade!" Xuan Yin Old Monster roared, his figure turning into black mist, and he unleashed the Nine Nether Soul Devouring Claw once more, the Yin energy rolling straight towards Qin Zhan.

Wang Meng's blood surged, and he unleashed the Mountain-Splitting Overlord Fist. The force of his fist was like a mountain collapsing and the earth splitting, with a brutal and overwhelming force pressing down.

The gray-robed elder raised his hand to form a seal, and thousands of runes shot into the sky, weaving a deadly array to imprison Qin Zhan's movements.

The three attacked simultaneously, their moves ruthless and leaving no room for retreat.

Qin Zhan used a mysterious footwork technique, his body moving and dodging between attacks. He used the protective spiritual light of the ancient jade to block the Yin Sha claw light and the rune invasion. At the same time, he threw out both fists, and the Qingxuan Breaking Mountain Fist burst out in succession. The green light pierced the sky, and the fist force was fierce and unparalleled. He directly clashed with Wang Meng's Mad Fist.

boom!

The deafening roar reverberated throughout the ruins, the shockwave swept in all directions, and debris flew everywhere.

Wang Meng was jolted back, his arms numb, his face filled with shock: "With the ancient jade's blessing, his combat power has increased so much!"

Zhao Canghai stood atop the dome, watching the battle with a cold eye and an indifferent expression: "You have some skill, but unfortunately you are destined to die here today."

He was in no hurry to take action himself; he only wanted Xuan Yin and the other two to exhaust Qin Zhan's energy, and then he would reap the rewards once Qin Zhan was exhausted.

Just as the battle raged on, the ferocious puppets on the outside had already approached the edge of the stone platform.

The towering black iron puppets marched in orderly steps, their rusted longswords flashing with cold light, and raised in unison, carrying a deathly killing aura as they slashed towards the stone platform.

The wind howled fiercely, and the clang of metal against metal was deafening. A hundred puppets attacked simultaneously, creating an extremely terrifying scene.

Qin Zhan had to fend off the three men's relentless attacks while also guarding against the puppet's attacks, causing his pressure to surge dramatically.

His eyes flashed, and a plan formed in his mind. Rather than being attacked from both sides and running around in circles, he would rather use their strength against them.

Qin Zhan deliberately created an opening, his body swaying slightly to reveal a gap on his side.

Xuan Yin Old Monster's eyes lit up with joy, thinking there was an opportunity. He suddenly accelerated, his claws gleaming, and grabbed Qin Zhan's vital side.

But just as he got close, Qin Zhan suddenly turned around, using the momentum to spin around, and unleashed a powerful wave of energy that slapped out directly behind the Xuan Yin Old Monster.

Caught off guard, the Xuan Yin Old Monster was pushed forward by the shockwave, staggering a few steps and crashing right into the oncoming puppet sword formation!

scoff!

Several puppet swords slashed down simultaneously. Xuan Yin Old Monster hurriedly dodged, but was still struck on the shoulder by the sword energy. His clothes were torn, and blood gushed out, scaring him half to death.

"Damn it! You tricked me!" Xuan Yin Old Monster was both shocked and furious.

Qin Zhan's expression was cold: "Everyone has their own fate; you can't blame anyone else."

The scene instantly descended into chaos. The three had to fight Qin Zhan while also guarding against the ferocious puppet beside them, leaving them unable to attend to both ends and in a sorry state.

Just then, the Zhenyuan Ancient Jade in Qin Zhan's palm suddenly trembled violently, its azure light flickering, and beneath the stone platform, the deep, ancient heartbeat resounded once more.

thump... thump...

The heartbeat was steady and deep, as if it came from the ancient depths of the earth. With each beat, the entire ruins trembled slightly, and the runes on the stone walls were all stained with dark red blood.

Even more bizarrely, obscure ancient patterns emerged on the jade, echoing the patterns beneath the stone platform. A terrifying aura was slowly awakening and rising along the patterns.

Zhao Canghai's previously indifferent expression suddenly changed drastically, and disbelief and fear surged in his eyes:

"No! This aura... it's not from the Relics' Ferocious Puppet, nor is it the essence of an ordinary secret realm! The Zhenyuan Ancient Jade is triggering an underground seal; what... is hidden inside?"

Qin Zhan was deeply shaken. He clearly sensed that the being sleeping underground, seemingly separated by endless darkness, was firmly locking onto his bloodline aura and establishing some strange, ancient connection with him through the ancient jade.

Can the self-sacrifice in that fateful scroll be reversed? And how can Qin Zhan break free from this cyclical game of reincarnation set millions of years ago?