After My Favorability Level Is Up to the Top

Chapter 74

Chapter 74 - I'm Sorry I Can Do Whatever I Want

The ground shook violently, and everyone who was watching was shocked for a while. Then, their eyes were attracted by the blood-red pillar of light in the middle of the lake.

“What is that? !”

“Is, is this the Hellgate? Why do I feel that something is not right…”

“The formation is still operating and Elder Zou did not say that it failed. That should be normal… Right.”

“But the shaking of the ground is getting bigger and bigger…”

“Why do I feel that there is something wrong with the aura of this formation, it seems to be… demonic energy?”

“Demonic energy!”

Su Li's eyes widened in astonishment, and he exclaimed, “Zeng Zhelan, what have you done?! How can there be such an immense demonic energy within this light pillar?!”

Zeng Zhelan halted before the luminous column. Blood dripped from his body, staining the water's surface. Swiftly, he submerged like a sinuous blood serpent, converging toward the blood pillar.

The Blood Qi and Spiritual Energy, altered by the grand formation upon his form, converged towards the epicenter as well.

A flicker of recognition dawned in Guo Fan's mind as he watched the scene. It resembled the instance when he had fallen into the frigid pond days ago, when the ancient devil dragon siphoned his blood.

Su Li's forceful questioning persisted, yet Zeng Zhelan paid no heed to the queries.

“What are you doing?! Cease this blood sacrifice at once!”

Observing his lack of response, Su Li made a rapid decision. He directed the other elders and disciples to intervene, quelling the formation's operation.

Though certain of Zeng Zhelan's apprentices hesitated, the majority grasped the gravity of the situation. Employing their sorcery, they seized their weapons.

With such potent demonic energy, it heralded either the advent of a formidable demon or an accursed arcane artifact infused with copious demonic energy. Regardless of the nature, catastrophe loomed.

Su Li pivoted to Zeng Zhihao, demanding, “What did he communicate to you just now?! How can demonic energy be contained within the Water Moon Lake? I had no inkling!”

The Master sensed his failure, ignorant of what unfolded beneath the lake's surface.

Zeng Zhihao, ensnared in daze from the outset, turned pallid. In a tremulous voice, he revealed, “Father mentioned that a prison lies beneath the Water Moon Lake…”

Su Li's pupils contracted, fixated on the burgeoning blood pillar at the heart. “Prison?”

With the presence of both prison and demonic energy, the incarcerated entity was glaringly evident!

Zeng Zhihao's face paled further, his fright palpable. With a despondent countenance, he shook his head. “I don't know. Father claimed this grand formation held no significance. It was all a ruse. I only oversaw its establishment. I'm oblivious!”

“Zishi! Why this panic? I aimed to appraise your mettle, to discern if you possess the potential to replace Father and inherit Master's mantle. Now, it's evident you fall far short!”

Zeng Zhelan, heretofore silent, suddenly roared. Then, a fit of raucous laughter escaped him. “Hahahahahaha… Su Li, do you wonder why I've lingered within Wide Ocean Sect all this while? Following the prior Master's demise, I alone harbor knowledge of this clandestine truth. My initial intent was to usurp Master's post and divulge the presence of this monstrosity to the world. However, you've driven me to this extremity!”

He cast a resentful glance toward Guo Fan, clenching his teeth. “No one has ever humiliated me so. Never! A Nascent Infant Stage practitioner bereft of even Dao Embryo Yuan Shen's authority, simply reliant on Spiritual Energy's expansive husk. Unbelievable! Today, I'll employ my vital essence as sacrifice to satiate this behemoth, facilitating its reinvigoration. Shattering its confines, I'll command its obedience for the nonce. You shall be my prey!”

Boom, boom, boom!

From the water's surface, several more blood pillars erupted into the sky. The tremors intensified, even affecting the structures of the Wide Ocean Sect. From Spring Mountain, an incessant cascade of rocks descended.

All magical techniques met their end at the hands of the blood sacrifice formation. Zeng Zhelan presented opening the gate as a pretext, while his true aim was to exploit this opportunity for an assault. His objective was to compel the Wide Ocean Sect to muster all their might in erecting a comprehensive formation. Consequently, the defensive prowess of the arrangement was exceptional.

Unanticipated was the discovery of a mighty demon imprisoned within the lake adjacent to the Wide Ocean Sect…

Guo Fan didn't know either.

He fixated on the robust blood pillar at its heart, detecting an encroaching demonic aura oscillating around the seventh or eighth level of the Nascent Soul Stage. It continued to escalate. “Who would have fathomed an unexplored dungeon lying here? In the game, the Wide Ocean Sect remains a picturesque spot in Peace Plains… yet as a concealed dungeon, its level seems to be aptly moderate.”

Guo Fan regarded Zeng Zhelan's contorted elderly visage. He pondered that it was plausible as Zeng Zhelan had posited. Had Guo Fan not dealt with him so ruthlessly then, he might have gone into hiding for a while, clandestinely plotting to usurp the Master's position.

However, Su Feng later emerged as the Master. Whether Zeng Zhelan's scheme had faltered or if he should persist in biding his time, preparing to strike, remained uncertain.

In short, the situation had changed greatly.

“Come out! Constructing Fracture of Scaled Dragon!”

Zeng Zhelan raised both his hands high and shouted fanatically.

“…”

Why didn't you call out a Pikachu?

An unusual glint flickered in Guo Fan's eyes. Amidst the tumultuous surroundings and Zeng Zhelan's faction acting on instructions to provoke the Master's faction, he maintained an uncanny composure, still managing to find room to grouse.

“Huala!”

A crimson-scaled claw abruptly extended from the core of the blood pillar, piercing into the void. An imperceptible ripple radiated outward, heralding the emergence of a dragon's head resembling that of a deluge. Adorning its forehead was a prominent horn, while its fiery-red eyes exuded a searing intensity. Its scales bore the same fiery hue, kindling with an infernal blaze. Its visage was ferocity incarnate.

“Screech!!!”

Emitting a resounding screech, it parted its blood-soaked maw, exposing its sharp, deadly teeth and lengthy tongue. Extending its lean body, accompanied by wicked claws, it coiled around the pillar of blood, unleashing the aura of a ninth-level Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator. The lower-ranked disciples of the Wide Ocean Sect were so overwhelmed by fear that they found themselves seated on the ground in a daze.

From below, Zeng Zhelan turned, his demeanor a mix of pride and arrogance. “So, you're a cultivator at the ninth level of the Nascent Soul realm, eh? Prove it then! If you're truly a disciple of a saint, the one who emerges victorious shall lead. Here's your chance to leave your mark! That will be the moment you take control amidst the internal strife of the Wide Ocean Sect, and when the Grand Elder releases the suppressed demonic beast. You'll be hailed as the hero who stemmed the tide during a massacre, turning the tables during adversity…”

His voice became a shout, his features contorting with malice. “But can you? Can an impostor who doesn't even possess the strength of a Dao Embryo Nascent Soul do it? Hahahahaha! Scaly Dragon's Fragmented Laceration! Slay him for me!”

In the past, he might not have stood a chance against it.

Guo Fan's gaze locked onto the Flood Dragon, which burst forth from the lake's surface, riding ferocious waves. Its fiery aura evaporated the water into steam, mingling flames and mist. Its sinuous tail resembled a whip, slashing through the water's expanse, as its gaping maw aimed for Guo Fan.

Guo Fan produced the Purple Cloud bow, fixing his gaze on Zeng Zhelan's deranged laughter. “It's a pity… Your hopes might just remain unfulfilled.”

Zeng Zhelan, eager to settle his vendetta of humiliation and restore his honor, sneered. “You're tenacious to cling to your facade till the end, you stubborn fool. You are indeed one who appears robust externally but is fragile within!”

Guo Fan drew the bowstring, a surge of Spiritual Energy eclipsing even the Flood Dragon's demonic aura, coalescing into a fiery blaze. Finally, he couldn't help but offer a peculiar grin. “I must confess, Old Mister Zou, my apologies. I've advanced to the God Forming Stage.”

Possessing the power of a Fifth Order Foundation Establishment cultivator, he could transmit his cultivation and engage in dual cultivation. Coupled with the attributes of the card, he already held the might of the ninth-level Nascent Soul. After replenishing his cultivation, he directly broke through the God Forming Stage without encountering any bottlenecks. Although the disparity was marginal, his combat prowess transcended comparison.

A frozen smile adorned Zeng Zhelan's countenance.

Flames ignited upon the youth's extended longbow, coalescing into the likeness of a red lotus. Its petals withered instantly, transforming into twisting embers. As the bowstring was released, an arrow whistled through the air, penetrating the flood dragon's gaping maw and piercing through its very body!

Skill: Summer Bird, Containing Raze!