Tang Zhong sensed the presence of the stone from the High Priest. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Suddenly, Tang Zhong remembered that the High Priest was also searching for the stone’s existence. Could it be that he also possessed a stone?

At this moment, the High Priest saw the astonished look on Tang Zhong’s face and immediately burst into laughter: "What’s wrong? Surprised? Even if I stood here and let you slash me, you wouldn’t be able to harm a single hair on me!"

Tang Zhong kept staring at the High Priest, and his gaze suddenly rested on the High Priest’s heart. The aura of the stone was emanating from there, meaning he indeed had a stone on him.

Except, why was the stone’s presence so faint?

Just a tiny trace!

If he wanted to confirm it, he only needed to crack open that heart.

Tang Zhong picked up the Tang Sword again.

Seeing Tang Zhong draw his sword, the High Priest laughed wildly: "Go ahead, keep slashing!"

"I know you’re hiding something on you!" Tang Zhong said.

"Since you know, then it seems you already understand the secret of the stone!" The High Priest laughed maniacally.

"That’s right. The stone has granted me power, but I only have a small piece. I’ve heard you have half. If you give it all to me, my strength will undoubtedly rise to the next level!"

When Tang Zhong heard this, he quickly understood. No wonder he could only sense such a faint trace of the stone’s aura. It turned out the High Priest only had a small fragment!

"You really want that half-piece of the stone?" Tang Zhong sneered coldly.

"No... It was mine to begin with!" The High Priest looked at Tang Zhong as if staring at a dead man.

"It seems that fusing with that beast didn’t grant you much of an edge. I wonder where your courage to say such things to me comes from," Tang Zhong said with a smirk.

"With that stone, you can’t hurt me. I have a hundred ways to kill you!" The High Priest howled with laughter.

"It seems that small fragment has given you a lot of courage!" Tang Zhong chuckled.

"That stone isn’t as powerful as you imagine. Even though you’ve obtained half, you’re completely incapable of wielding its power. But yes, even a tiny piece has given me the strength needed to kill you!" The High Priest laughed triumphantly.

"Oh, well, my apologies!" Tang Zhong said with a grin as he slowly raised the Tang Sword.

"Why are you laughing? I told you, even if you swing at me, you won’t hurt me in the least!" The High Priest snapped.

"I’m laughing because a fragment of a stone has emboldened you so much. But before you die, let me tell you a secret. While I haven’t used the half-piece I just obtained, I can tell you this—stones exactly like yours? I have three of them..." Tang Zhong smirked coldly.

"What? Three pieces?" The High Priest’s expression turned ghastly in an instant.

And in that very moment, Tang Zhong moved. With a swoosh, he used Instantaneous Movement to appear right in front of the High Priest, raising the Tang Sword high in his hand.

At that moment, the Stone of Power erupted with brilliance.

The strength in Tang Zhong’s arm magnified a hundredfold.

The Blood Stone fully activated Tang Zhong’s abundant Blood Power.

His entire Tang Sword turned crimson.

From afar, its aura radiated an unmistakable murderous intent.

Tang Zhong could sense the stone’s power inside the High Priest’s body—it must have been what made his body as hard as iron. But this slash was more than enough to destroy anything in its path.

"No... This is impossible!" The High Priest’s pupils constricted as he witnessed this scene.

He could see through Tang Zhong’s actions. In his own chest, a white stone sparkled brilliantly. As Tang Zhong struck, the High Priest could also perceive the aura of the stones within Tang Zhong’s body.

And there were indeed three of them!

Owning just one of these stones could elevate someone’s strength to the pinnacle. Owning three?

The High Priest’s scalp prickled, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

All he wanted now was to flee!

"Trying to run? Useless!"

In the blink of an eye.

The blade in Tang Zhong’s hand came slashing down, directly striking the High Priest’s chest.

Previously, his attack hadn’t pierced through the High Priest’s body. But this time, the High Priest’s torso was cleanly split open.

Even fused with the Serpent Ancestor, he was as fragile as tofu under Tang Zhong’s attack.

Blood spurted wildly.

But Tang Zhong’s true target was the stone inside the High Priest’s body.

The wound exposed the heart, which was pounding furiously. Tang Zhong reached out without hesitation to grab for it.

Seeing Tang Zhong’s action, the High Priest’s face turned ashen.

"No... Don’t!"

His voice was filled with terror.

But Tang Zhong’s hand was already inside the wound, grasping the High Priest’s heart and yanking it out forcefully.

The heart dangled, connected by countless blood vessels, dripping crimson.

The High Priest screamed in agony.

"No... Please!"

His pupils were threaded with pitch-black veins.

And in the instant the heart left his body, the High Priest let out a deafening roar. His skin began to rapidly wither as though it was shrinking.

The snake scales on his body peeled away incessantly.

"No! My heart!"

Tang Zhong stared at the heart in his hand and immediately noticed the white light emitting from it. That must have been the glow of the stone, embedded within the heart.

Without hesitation, Tang Zhong crushed it.

With a deafening boom.

In an instant, the heart exploded violently, spraying blood in all directions. From Tang Zhong’s hand emerged a small, crystalline shard—the very stone the High Priest had possessed.

With the heart’s destruction.

The High Priest let out a blood-curdling scream, his body writhing in agony. His figure began to transform in unprecedented ways.

Where he had appeared to be in his thirties just moments ago, now his life force was draining rapidly.

His stomach began to bulge grotesquely, swelling larger and larger.

It looked as though he was about to regurgitate something.

Suddenly, his eyes rolled back, and his mouth opened wide as the python he had previously swallowed was regurgitated in its entirety.

His pupils turned completely white.

The python struck the ground, but its former fierce presence was gone. Having fused with its host, the host’s death rendered it weak, and it reverted to its prior state as a snake-shaped magic wand.

At that moment, the High Priest collapsed to his knees with a thud. His white hair fluttered as he lay lifeless, pale as White Bone, unmoving and devoid of vitality.

All the Lucao Kingdom people around were completely stupefied, staring at the scene in disbelief.

"This... This can’t be real," one muttered.

"Did the High Priest die?"

"The High Priest is dead? This can’t be true!"

To the people of the Lucao Kingdom, the High Priest was akin to a living legend. His death struck terror into their hearts, though it didn’t throw them into chaos.

This was because, not long ago, the Lucao Kingdom’s upper officials had issued an order: No matter what, Tang Zhong must be eliminated. Reinforcements were already on their way.

And they would arrive very soon.

Tang Zhong didn’t even glance at the High Priest’s corpse or the small fragment of the stone in his hand. Judging by its power, it likely endowed its bearer with incredible defensive abilities. But this wasn’t the time to study its properties. He stowed the stone away, a faint smile curling on his lips.

"It seems the Lucao Kingdom won’t rest until one of us perishes," he murmured.

He then looked up to see, in the distance, battle helicopters slicing through the air as they approached steadily.

Not only that, tanks and armored vehicles were closing in as well.

(Five stones have already surfaced. Three remain.)