Martial Conquest of the Nine Desolates
Chapter 421 - 417: The Second Challenge Begins

Chapter 421: Chapter 417: The Second Challenge Begins

As the words of the old man from Taiyi Holy Palace fell, all the young talents present shivered.

Their opponents in the second hurdle of the Dynasty Battle were actually Ancient Geniuses from the same era as the Iron Blood Emperor! Could it be that these Ancient Geniuses were still alive?

Xiao Ye and the others’ eyes flickered, not too surprised, as they had already learned about the second hurdle from Tian Yi, and Xiao Ye had even faced it directly.

But what exactly was the content of the second hurdle?

Seeing most of the young talents looking puzzled, the elder from Taiyi Palace recounted the secrets of the Ancient Geniuses, Heroic Spirits, and Corpses.

Upon hearing this, the young talents suddenly realized. The Ancient Geniuses had long passed away, but influenced by the special energy of the Ancient Battlefield, they could survive in these two forms.

Many eyes gleamed with eagerness, ready to try, for crossing the river of years and fighting with Ancient Geniuses was a truly exhilarating matter.

The old man from the Taiyi Holy Palace continued to speak, explaining the rules of the second hurdle.

It turned out that this Talent Cemetery was divided into five major zones. At the start of the second hurdle of the Dynasty Battle, all young talents needed to start from the First Zone and ascend step by step, facing interceptions by Ancient Geniuses along the way.

And the envoys of the Ten Great Forces from Central State would select exceptional talents based on their performances.

Moreover, the one who ranked first in the first hurdle could rest for four hours at each border between zones, second placed could rest for two hours, and the third for an hour.

As for the rest, they could only rest within the Talent Cemetery but would be subjected to the Ancient Geniuses’ attacks at any time.

"I never expected that securing a top three spot in the first hurdle would have such benefits, no wonder the East Emperor urged us to achieve good ranks in the first hurdle," thought Xiao Ye excitedly.

These Ancient Geniuses, needless to say, must be extremely powerful. If they had to keep moving without rest, reaching the front would be very difficult and could even be life-threatening.

Now, he could rest for four hours at each regional border, which was very beneficial for him.

"May I ask Lord Envoy, do we need to rush to the Fifth Zone to possibly be considered by you?" At this moment, one powerful young man asked.

Immediately, everyone fell silent; it was the same question they wanted to ask.

"Hehe..." The elder from the Taiyi Holy Palace heard this and chuckled, "Since the start of the Dynasty Battle, numerous young talents have participated, but only a handful of people have ever made it to the Fifth Zone, and they were all expelled just moments after entering."

"If you have the ability to rush into the Fifth Zone, even if you are immediately expelled, the Ten Great Forces will allow you to choose any one of them."

As soon as these words were uttered, all were astounded.

The Ancient Geniuses in the Fifth Zone were so powerful that not one among the talents participating in the Dynasty Battles across generations could contend with them?

"The Fifth Zone, could it be..." Xiao Ye’s eyes flashed with a sharp light, recalling the information he had previously obtained, conceiving an exciting possibility in his mind.

The youthful Iron Blood Emperor!

If there was any place in this Talent Cemetery where the youthful Iron Blood Emperor might appear, it was undoubtedly the Fifth Zone.

"I wonder how big the gap is between all my trump cards and the youthful Iron Blood Emperor?" Xiao Ye clenched his fists, a strong intent to fight surging within him.

Every genius has a heart unwilling to be outdone, and he, Xiao Ye, was no exception, even if the opponent was the Iron Blood Emperor!

"The old man declares, the second hurdle of the Dynasty Battle officially begins!"

From the palace representing the Taiyi Holy Palace, a blazing beam of light burst forth, hanging above the sky like the sun, illuminating the entire cemetery.

Boom!

The transparent energy membrane above the cemetery melted away like snow, instantly a dense death qi rushed toward them, causing the temperature in the air to drop abruptly, and a chilly wind howled as if someone was crying.

At the same time, those huge tombstones and the ground suddenly trembled, as if the long-sleeping ones underground were reviving.

This terrifying scene made many talents shiver, their hearts growing hairy.

"What you see before you now is the First Zone of the Talent Cemetery. Once you enter, just keep moving forward and naturally, you will find the entrance to the Second Zone, and the same applies to the Third Zone and the Fourth Zone right up to the Fifth Zone."

"Young ones, go ahead, I wish you luck. Being able to confront the Ancient Geniuses is your fortune; perhaps some of you will break through your limits."

"If you cannot withstand them, you can choose to retreat, which also means giving up, but you can save your lives."

The old yet majestic voice echoed from the palace representing the Taiyi Holy Palace.

"Whether or not I can enter Central State depends on this time, I’ll give it my all!"

"I even persisted through the first hurdle; why would I fear the deceased Ancient Geniuses? I won’t give up."

...

One by one, the young talents shouted loudly, bolstering their courage, then their bodies ignited with blazing light, flying towards the First Zone of the Talent Cemetery ahead.

Prince of Southern State, dressed in flowing white robes and carrying the Heavenly Incomplete Bow, walked with swagger, highly noticeable in the crowd, making people avoid him wherever he went.

Having witnessed the ruthless methods of the Prince of Southern State, no one wasn’t afraid of him now.

"The Fifth Zone, huh? With the Heavenly Incomplete Bow in my hand, I will surely reach the top," muttered the Prince of Southern State, taking the lead in the crowd. With a flash of his figure, he had already charged into the Talent Cemetery.

"Snort, you better pray you don’t run into me too soon!" A hint of cold light flashed in Xiao Ye’s eyes. The second stage of the Dynasty Battle had already begun, and the envoys of the Ten Great Forces of Central State had not forbidden the resolution of grievances within the Talent Cemetery.

Thus, once he encounters the Prince of Southern State, he would decisively strike to retake the Heavenly Incomplete Bow.

"Let’s go too," Xiao Ye said, stepping into the void along with the Prince of East Emperor, Nangong Xingyu, and the East Emperor’s Princess, heading towards the Talent Cemetery.

The First Zone of the Talent Cemetery was eerily silent, the sky densely covered with dark clouds and lacking brightness, making it terrifyingly gloomy. Coupled with the chilling wind that brushed their faces, it was horrifyingly silent, as if they had arrived in Hell.

Looking around, they saw towering giant tombstones, with black mist swirling around, making it difficult to see where it ended.

Moreover, there was a special field in this area that suppressed all the Young Talents who entered, preventing them from flying and forcing them to walk on the ground.

A thousand Young Talents grouped together cautiously walking through the cemetery, vigilantly examining the tombstones around them.

Boom!

Suddenly, a towering tombstone was lifted by an immense force, as if a mountain peak smashing a young talent causing him to retreat explosively.

Crack crack crack!

A sinister white bony hand burst through the soil, followed by an Ancient Corpse with rotten flesh and a foul stench appearing before everyone.

"It’s an Ancient Corpse!" Xiao Ye’s heart tightened.

He had learned from Tian Yi that if Ancient Geniuses survived as corpses, they would lose most of their senses but retain all their strength from before their fall, making them extremely difficult to deal with.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

...

Meanwhile, tombstones in the First Zone were being lifted one after another, with the sounds of breaking soil echoing continuously, mostly Ancient Corpses, and a few Heavenly Pride Spirits holding decayed weapons, coldly watching them with a powerful aura emanating.

"So many!" Even with Xiao Ye’s strength, he couldn’t help but feel a heavy sense of dread.

Swoosh!

At that moment, the Prince of Southern State, walking in the front of the crowd and holding the Heavenly Incomplete Bow, caused the Heaven and Earth to tremble. A radiant Light Arrow condensed in his hands, emitting a terrifyingly fearsome aura, causing even the ground under his feet to crumble.

Bang!

The string of the Heavenly Incomplete Bow was released, and the radiant Light Arrow, like a Divine Dragon, flew forward. Its immense Attack Power shredded all the Ancient Corpses and Ancient Heroic Spirits in its path, sweeping through the Nine Desolates.

"Strong!" Xiao Ye gasped.

At this moment, the power displayed by the Heavenly Incomplete Bow in the hands of the Prince of Southern State was about three to four times stronger than before, showing that the Prince was gradually mastering the Heavenly Incomplete Bow, and one day he will unleash the full power of a Quasi-King Artifact.

The Prince of Southern State, in his fluttering white robe, drew the Heavenly Incomplete Bow, leaving the Ancient Heroic Spirits and Ancient Corpses in the First Zone unmatched, eventually causing them to fearfully clear a path.

The Prince of Southern State, with an indifferent expression, his robe untouched by dust, disappeared from everyone’s sight.

Several Southern State youths, prepared to follow the Prince, loudly called out but received no response. They could only awkwardly stand there because the Prince simply didn’t regard them.

"Kill!" Xiao Ye, with a War God’s Golden Body, erupted into a billion rays of golden light, shouted loudly, his black hair wildly fluttering. He drove the Infinite Radiant Sun Fist, bursting with an extremely virile and vigorous aura. His fists, like two blazing suns, crushed everything, blasting apart two approaching Ancient Corpses.

"Get out of my way!" Xiao Ye bellowed, shaking off the Heroic Spirits and Ancient Corpses surrounding him.

Before the end of the first stage’s closure, Xiao Ye’s strength had increased massively, undergoing a qualitative leap. Now with full force, he shocked everyone.

Following closely were the East Emperor’s Prince and Nangong Xingyu, whose Combat Techniques shook the Heavens. Along with the extremely powerful East Emperor’s Princess, the four people swept through the First Zone, attracting the attention of envoys from the Ten Great Forces above.

In the First Zone, the strength of Ancient Geniuses was not very high, about at the Level 3 Void Martial only, but they were very numerous, definitely more than ten thousand, which alarmed Xiao Ye about the cruelty of the Ultimate Palace.

No wonder thousands of years ago, so many geniuses perished here.

Other Prince Level strong characters, though not as powerful as Xiao Ye, also performed exceptionally well, where they went, the Heavenly Pride Spirits and Ancient Corpses all bowed their heads.

Boom!

Suddenly, the ground violently shook, and the aura of the First Zone became wildly fierce, a dangerous sensation quietly spreading.