Chapter 1519: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada

Regardless, this Wang Jian must not be allowed to leave the Ghost Path’s ancient treasury alive!

Chen Ling had just been reborn, and all his previous consumption and negative status effects had been cleared; he was at his peak for combat. He wasn't sure how strong Wang Jian was now, but it shouldn't be as high as Bai Qi’s, otherwise, he wouldn't have retreated and dodged his previous strike.

Clang——!!

The bone-carving knife collided with the ancient blade, and the resulting gale swept through the surroundings. As the earth cracked, a massive force surged from the ancient blade!

"A dignified ancient general, and you enjoy using sneak attacks?" Chen Ling said in a deep voice.

"Sun Wu once said: 'War is the art of deception.'" Wang Jian didn't care about the sarcasm in Chen Ling’s tone. "If the art of war required head-on confrontations, why fight at all? We could just compare the number of troops before the battle and have the side with fewer people surrender."

After a brief struggle, Chen Ling stumbled back half a step. At the same time, Wang Jian also retreated half a step; their strength seemed to be evenly matched...

But the next moment, a terrifying killing intent from the God of War, Bai Qi, suddenly slashed out from the ancient blade!

Chen Ling’s bone-carving knife did not retreat. Instead, a powerful aura from the Theater God Path erupted from his body, using the knife as a medium to collide head-on with Wang Jian’s killing intent!

The ground beneath their feet cracked inch by inch, and Chen Ling’s theater robes fluttered in the hurricane. Wang Jian narrowed his eyes, forcibly deflected Chen Ling’s knife, and landed gracefully in the ruins nearby...

"The Actor Emperor, truly lives up to his reputation."

Wang Jian looked up at the sky, where dull thunder rumbled, as if terrifying bolts of lightning were brewing within.

This time... the Ghost Path’s thunder was aimed at him.

Chen Ling also scanned the sky, as if he understood something.

The Ghost Path’s ancient treasury had a strong repulsion toward living outsiders. Wang Jian and Bai Qi were both remnant souls, and both had "backups" stored within this treasury. As long as they didn't actively step into the River of the Underworld or expose themselves, the Ghost Path wouldn't even notice their existence.

This was why, when they first passed through the Ghost Gate, the envoys only discovered them but not Wang Jian, who had arrived earlier...

But to absorb Bai Qi, he chose to expose himself in the Ghost Path’s ancient treasury?

He had clearly witnessed the process of Bai Qi being sanctioned by the Ghost Path, yet he still made this decision. Was he not afraid he wouldn't be able to get out?

The moment this question appeared in Chen Ling’s mind, the karmic thunder targeting Wang Jian had already brewed in the void!

Wang Jian’s karma was no less than Bai Qi’s, and at the very least, it was an order of magnitude higher than Chen Ling and the others. The terrifying pressure of the Ghost Path raged in the air, as if it were about to erase this "heretic" who was also attempting to complete his resurrection!

Yet Wang Jian’s expression remained perfectly calm...

Standing on the ruins, he took out an ancient imperial decree from somewhere. As he slowly unfolded it, the aura of the Emperor God Path permeated the Ghost Path.

A Dao-foundation secret treasure of the Emperor Path treasury??

Everyone present frowned. In a trance, they seemed to see the phantom of a human emperor manifest from the decree, carving out a region of the Emperor Path treasury within the Ghost Path treasury.

The laws of the two great lost treasuries, the Ghost Path and the Emperor Path, roared and clashed invisibly, causing the ground beneath them to tremble violently.

No wonder he dared to stand up and confront the Ghost Path head-on... It turned out he had a secret treasure from Ying Fu to back him up?

Chen Ling narrowed his eyes, and the killing intent in them increased rather than decreased!

If he killed Wang Jian here, he would not only cut off one of Ying Fu’s wings but also directly obtain the Emperor Path’s Dao-foundation secret treasure, which was exactly what the Twilight Society needed.

He exchanged a glance with Jiang Xiaohua, and both of them charged toward Wang Jian simultaneously!

Wang Jian held the decree, his entire being appearing untouchable, as if blessed by destiny. He looked down at Chen Ling and the other, then glanced at the Ghost Path above, as if he had made a decision...

"Actor Emperor, you and I will meet again..."

Rip——

Wang Jian tore the decree in his hand directly.

The next second, the surging Emperor Path aura tore through the surrounding Ghost Path laws. All the potential of this secret treasure erupted in an instant, and the space around Wang Jian began to fluctuate violently!

A golden light pierced the firmament, carrying Wang Jian’s body and vanishing from the Ghost Path’s ancient treasury.

"He ran?"

Jiang Xiaohua was stunned.

Chen Ling hadn't expected Wang Jian to leave so decisively... With an Emperor Path secret treasure capable of sending him directly out of the Ghost Path treasury, it was no wonder he acted with such reckless disregard for consequences.

……

The golden light pierced through the Ghost Gate, drilling a tunnel through the thick soil and rising toward the surface at high speed!

Wang Jian hadn't wanted to use this thing; after all, even His Majesty didn't have many Dao-foundation secret treasures. But after weighing the pros and cons, he felt that his gains this time were enough to offset the consumption of this one treasure.

He took a small golden gourd from his pocket and gently pulled off the lid. Several blurry ghosts were wandering inside, including half of his own remnant soul...

With them, His Majesty’s influence in this era should see a terrifying increase.

Wang Jian solemnly put the gourd away, took one last look at the Ghost Path treasury below, and snorted coldly.

Failing to win this time and retreating early was a helpless move... Once he was fully resurrected, he would be like a fish returning to the sea, and no one in the world would be able to stop His Majesty.

Whoosh——

The golden light pierced through the thick soil and finally returned to the surface.

Wang Jian stepped onto solid ground once more and smelled the fresh air... The golden light around him slowly dissipated. Just as he was about to leave, he froze in place.

He saw a dense crowd of figures surrounding the area, leaving no room for escape. Moreover, they were all heavily armed and standing in battle formation, looking at Wang Jian as if facing a formidable enemy!

But at this moment, Wang Jian’s attention was not on these people at all...

At this time,

Above the crowd,

A graceful figure in a white martial arts uniform stood silently in the void, her dark hair dancing in the wind. She looked down at Wang Jian, who had just crawled out of the ground, her eyes narrowing slightly...

To her left was a red-haired woman wearing a black investigator’s trench coat;

To her right was a man in green robes with a long, spear-like brush strapped to his back;

Red Dust Lord Su Zhiwei, 【Asura】 leader Hong Xiu, Floating Life Painting Hall’s Lü Liangren... One Ninth-Rank, two Eighth-Ranks. Their gazes fell upon Wang Jian like mountains, instantly causing him to stiffen!

Wang Jian: ???

"So someone really did crawl out of the Ghost Path’s ancient treasury..." The corners of Su Zhiwei’s mouth curled up slightly. Looking at Wang Jian, who clearly didn't belong to this era, a hint of playfulness appeared in her eyes,

"...Interesting."

……

……

On September 14th, the final signing event for the physical books of "Zhan Shen" will be held in Hangzhou. Before I knew it, the physical books are almost finished; it’s quite commemorative. If you have time, feel free to come and hang out.

Erjiu will be there to meet everyone and do some stage interactions. It’s okay if you don't buy books or participate in the signing; spectators are welcome. Erjiu will be waiting for you there~~ (See Sanjiu’s Weibo for details on how to participate in the signing)