596 Soul Slaying Weapons
The rebirth of an ancient king was not supported by flesh and blood. Instead, it was a manifestation of the lingering power within the king bone, echoing the timeless revival of the Qingzhou Emperor.

The ability of a king’s might to stave off the ravages of time spoke volumes about its sheer potency. In the face of any other adversary, the kings would have presented a formidable challenge. Yet, they stood against Qin Huai, whose power seemed to eclipse theirs effortlessly.

“Emperor… Emperor,” murmured the ancient kings, hearts throbbing with a mix of reverence and dread. Their residual consciousnesses were drawn irresistibly to Qin Huai’s dark, piercing gaze.

“This is undeniably the emperor’s force. I’ve witnessed it before,” an ancient king from ten thousand years ago said, his voice quivering with awe.

Despite time eroding much of his strength, this king stood out among his peers, a testament to his unrivaled power during his lifetime. He had beheld the Dragon Emperor in his waning days and felt the lingering remnants of that emperor’s might. “When the emperor’s force emerges, kings bow before it. I definitely can’t be wrong with this.”

His revelation cast a pall of sorrow among the assembled ancient kings. “Is fate truly so cruel, denying our clans the throne, and granting the dragon clan dominion for tens of thousands of years?” they pondered aloud, sensing their strength waning.

Yet, the ancient king from a time ten thousand years past wasn’t so easily disheartened. His gaze, sharp as an eagle’s, locked onto Qin Huai, seeking to unravel the enigma before him.

Through his eyes, an ethereal image unfurled: a majestic Kun Peng uplifted Qin Huai while a true dragon circled protectively around the young man.

At the heart of it all stood Qin Huai, his gaze domineering and aloof, seemingly viewing the assembled kings as mere ants. Behind him, a shadowy figure loomed.

“He’s… human!” the ancient king exclaimed.

For dragons, their aura should embody their draconic essence. For demons and spirits, the aura they cultivated was their main body. However, humans were a divergence. They were often influenced by various beings — from flora and fauna to mythical creatures and fierce beasts — each serving as a lens through which they viewed and understood the Great Dao. This diversity allowed them to traverse myriad martial paths, each teeming with potential.

The reason demons were suppressed millennia ago was their adherence to rigid structures and traditions. Humans, on the other hand, with their versatility, had managed to overshadow the demon races over numerous ages.

Hence, many demons yearned for a human form, seeking the potential for evolution it offered. Yet, their foundational might still resonated with their original essence, much like Qin Huai, with the dragon and Kun Peng symbolizing the duality of his strength.

“We must get rid of him,” said the ancient king who transcended time, “or our return from the abyss will be in vain!”

Unfortunately, by that moment, he found himself utterly alone. The other ancient kings, once standing in solidarity beside him, had been reduced to mere dust under the weight of Qin Huai’s imperial power. Streams of energy coalesced within Qin Huai’s grasp.

The sole remaining ancient king turned around, casting a desperate plea to the distant figures on the mountain. “Kill him, no matter the cost!” Yet, even as the command took shape, it was choked off by the boundaries of the black dragon world, consumed by Qin Huai’s overwhelming domain.

Glancing at the impassive observers on the mountain, the ancient king’s gaze brimmed with despair. “The heavens have forsaken me,” he lamented, drawing his last breath.

With a crashing sound, a cascade of jade-like king bones littered the landscape as over a hundred ancient kings met their end. From the remnants of their final consciousness, a gleaming black dragon pearl materialized in Qin Huai’s palm.

“Ding! Collected vast spiritual energy, spirit bone fusion rate increased by +1%!”

“Ding! Collected vast spiritual energy, spirit bone fusion rate increased by +1%!”

“Ding! Your spirit bone fusion rate now stands at 99%!”

“The fusion’s progression has surpassed even my expectations,” Qin Huai mused.

Though brief, the battle had been awe-inspiring, rendering all spectators at the King Bone Holy Altar utterly dumbstruck. They gaped at the unfolding scene, silenced by the magnitude of what they had witnessed.

Qin Huai’s finger moved again, and an array of strange-looking soul tools rose from the ground. These were the soul slaying weapons of the six royal clans, formidable artifacts designed to inflict grave harm even upon martial artists of the king realm. A single careless encounter with it could devastate one’s soul, splintering their very essence.
And yet, these formidable tools, brought forth by the royal clans to kill Qin Huai, had been rendered useless before their bearers met their demise.

Qin Huai found himself unexpectedly enriched by this turn of events, with dozens of these prized soul slayers now ensnared in his dragon aura. His gaze, icy and relentless, swept to the onlookers atop the mountain.

“Run!”

Without a moment’s pause, the elders of the six royal clans heeded their survival instincts. Recognizing the imminent threat in Qin Huai’s stare, they scattered in all directions.