Chapter 996: Illusory Marvelous Phenomenon

“Impossible! Under the suppression of two Heaven-Piercing Treasures, no one in this realm could possibly break free from the Nine True Devil-Subduing Array. Moreover, the seal has already cracked—had the elder truly escaped, he would have left this mountain long ago. Why would he still linger here? Most likely, it’s only a sliver of his spiritual sense that broke free, trying to scare me off.”

“You know of the Nine True Devil-Subduing Array and the Heaven-Piercing Treasures! Are you a descendant of the Three Sons of Kunwu?”

“I am not a descendant of the Three Sons of Kunwu, but there are indeed a few in this realm who know of the elder’s affairs. I happen to be one of them.”

“Hmph! Don’t bother searching. My true body has not yet escaped, but I will not let you ruin this once-in-ten-thousand-years chance to break free. You will stay here quietly for several months.”

No sooner had the woman finished speaking coldly than space above the stone pavilion twisted violently, and a white, swirling vortex suddenly appeared. A vast torrent of five-colored aurora suddenly descended from the vortex, engulfing the old man.

“Illusory Marvelous Phenomenon!” Seeing this, Xiang Zhili’s face turned pale. Without hesitation, silver light flared around him, and he shot away as a streak of light.

But the five-colored aurora spun slightly, and instantly a tremendous suction force arose, forcibly slowing the old man’s escape.

The aurora swept over him, and Xiang Zhili vanished completely from the spot, as if he had never been there.

“It seems I must sleep again for a while. May all who come here perish! I hope the day I awaken is the day I truly break free! Three Sons of Kunwu, you will learn the cost of sealing me! When that day comes, hehe…” The woman murmured weakly, then burst into wild, tinkling laughter—before her voice abruptly cut off.

Seven days later, as the Ye family breached the Wanxiu Gate only to become trapped in an extraordinarily sophisticated illusion array, Han Li and the others were also blocked by a strange restriction on a certain step of the stone stairs, forced to ponder desperately how to break it. Yet near the nameless lake above the seal, the scene was bustling with activity.

More than a thousand cultivators had gathered here, scattered across dozens of li in every direction, and even over a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators had appeared.

Most conspicuous were the four elders of the Poison Saint Sect, standing side by side on one shore of the lake. The other Nascent Soul cultivators mostly acted alone, clearly having rushed here upon hearing the news.

At this moment, one of the Poison Saint Sect’s disciples was reporting something to the elders before them.

“Grand Elder, we’ve searched most of the underground seal and have made some progress. More than twenty li from here, underground, someone deliberately concealed something with an illusion array. Our disciples skilled in arrays are now desperately trying to break it. Though it’s a temporary formation, the array’s creator was extraordinarily skilled, so breaking it will still take some time.”

“Good. We’ve been here for days—if we still can’t find the seal’s entrance, it’ll be troublesome. But be careful: don’t let the others notice your actions. Return now. Report immediately once the illusion array is broken.”

“Yes!” The disciple bowed deeply, then pulled out a Earth-Travel Talisman, slapped it onto his body, and vanished into the ground.

At that moment, another Poison Saint Sect elder suddenly spoke up:

“Brother Hua, don’t worry so much. We have no Nascent Soul Late-Stage cultivators in the Southern Wastes. Even if other sects send cultivators, our four together need not fear anyone.”

“That’s true, but every day we delay brings more high-level cultivators here. And the Southern Wastes aren’t dominated solely by our sect—there are several others nearly equal to us. If they arrive before we do, it’ll be disastrous. Moreover, if we wait longer, the Ten Major Sects of the orthodox and demonic paths will surely interfere.”

Hearing this, some Poison Saint Sect elders dismissed it, while others showed faint unease.

Just then, the Hua elder suddenly let out a soft “Huh?” and abruptly looked up toward the side of the sky.

The others froze, then followed his gaze.

In the distant sky, spiritual light flickered, and a vast gray mist suddenly appeared on the horizon, then flew toward them at an uncanny speed.

The Poison Saint Sect elders’ spiritual senses immediately sensed the terrifying spiritual pressure within the mist—their expressions changed.

In an instant, the mist reached the lake’s surface and exploded with a soft pop, vanishing completely. In its place appeared five faint white shadows, each face blurred, motionless.

“Five Sons of the Heart Demon!” The Hua elder’s expression froze.

“Five Sons Demon? Could it be the demonic incarnations of Qian the Old Devil from the Yin Luo Sect?”

“Hmph! Who else in the world cultivates such demonic arts? Qian the Old Devil’s true body can possess any of the Five Sons. Unless one can destroy all five simultaneously, he is virtually immortal.”

“I wondered who knew so well of Qian’s Five Sons incarnations—it’s Brother Hua of the Poison Saint Sect. I didn’t expect you’d bring your entire sect here. Do you know something about what’s sealed here?”

“Hehe, Brother Qian, you jest. I know nothing. This place is near our Poison Saint Sect, so I simply brought a few companions to take a look. But you, as Grand Elder of the Yin Luo Sect—why are you here?”

“Oh? I thought the nearest sect was the Hua Xian Sect. When did yours relocate? As for me, I merely came to the Southern Wastes on some business and happened upon this spectacle.”

“I always assumed someone of your stature wouldn’t leave his seat lightly. What could possibly have drawn you out personally?”

“Nothing urgent. Just dealing with a traitor who fled to the Southern Wastes. I merely grew restless from too much stillness.”

“Ah, then I’ve overthought it.”

The Hua elder and Qian the Old Devil exchanged questions and answers, then fell silent together. A strange tension settled between them.

“Found it! A fissure not far north of the seal—leads inside! The Poison Saint Sect is breaking the entrance’s restriction!”

From one side of the lake, a figure suddenly burst from the ground, shouting loudly as he shot into the sky.

The sound startled every cultivator nearby.

From the spot where the figure emerged, several Poison Saint Sect disciples in blue robes and red headbands shot out, faces furious, chasing after the fleeing cultivator. But the fleeing man seemed to have cultivated a special escape technique—his light moved with astonishing speed, vanishing in an instant.

The Hua elder and the others’ faces turned grim.

“Ha! So that’s it. I’ve studied array arts a bit myself—I can lend a hand to your disciples. I’ll go ahead.”

Qian the Old Devil laughed loudly, and the five white shadows plunged downward together, vanishing into the lake in an instant.

“Go! Qian the Old Devil is ruthless—don’t let him harm our disciples!”

The Hua elder stomped his foot, face dark as iron, then flipped his hand. A yellow flag, already prepared, appeared in his grasp.

With a shake, a cloud of yellow light enveloped the Poison Saint Sect elders, dragging them underground—then they vanished too.

Not just Qian and the Poison Saint Sect—upon hearing the news, all other cultivators rushed underground. In moments, nearly half the crowd had disappeared. Those remaining were only low-level cultivators without earth-travel techniques or artifacts, helplessly watching.

More than a thousand zhang beneath the northern shore of the lake lay a vast, pitch-black space. At its edge, a brilliant, swirling light flickered incessantly. Beneath it stretched an endless white mist, thick and dense, covered in layers of terrifying lightning. Any who drew near instantly triggered a massive arc of electricity, striking without mercy.

Those lucky enough dodged; the unlucky had to endure it, their protective spiritual shields flickering violently—no one dared approach again.

Yet at one spot on the mist, no lightning erupted. There, seven or eight Poison Saint Sect disciples in blue robes and red headbands stood guard, faces grim, holding their ground against the crowd.

As a result, the others cursed them mercilessly—but no one dared attack.

After all, the Poison Saint Sect held great prestige in the Southern Wastes, and nearly all present were local cultivators—none wished to invite trouble.

Yet some had no fear of the Poison Saint Sect’s reputation. Suddenly, a streak of red light shot from the crowd, accompanied by a cold voice:

"Senior, this place was first discovered by our sect. Several of our senior uncles are nearby—Senior, you'd better..." Seeing an Nascent Soul cultivator step forward, a Foundation Establishment disciple of the Poison Saint Sect could only invoke the name of his sect’s Elders and, gritting his teeth, try to say something.

“Esteemed elder, this site was first discovered by our sect. Several of our senior elders are nearby—please…” Seeing an Nascent Soul cultivator step forward, a Poison Saint Sect disciple with a Golden Core cultivation base mustered courage and tried to invoke his elders’ authority.

“Ha! Even if Hua Tianqi himself stood here, I’d still go in!” The figure in red light sneered, then raised a hand. A blinding light ignited in his palm.