Chapter 446: Cast a Long Line to Catch a Big Fish

Heifeng and Longling's gazes swept coldly over the crowd, faintly carrying a hint of amusement and disdain.

Their meticulously planned pitfall successfully captured the Huanyu cultivators from last year; now these cultivators are like pieces in their hands, to be maneuvered as they wish.

Ancient Glyphs are the basis for exchanging Ancient God Sect treasures; first lure the cultivators who know the cultivators before you here, and accumulating the number of Ancient Glyphs is also considerable.

Moreover, there is something even more valuable!

They can also silently control a portion of the cultivators' power in secret, which is greatly advantageous for the subsequent seizure of Ancient Glyphs in the Ancient God Sect relics.

Heifeng's face showed indifference, his voice carrying an unquestionable command.

"You now have only two choices.

First, surrender your life souls and serve; not only can you preserve a small life, but whatever we gain in the relics will also benefit you.

Second, if you are unwilling, then there is only a dead end."

The cultivators present looked at each other, a feeling of helplessness welling up in their hearts.

They were originally free, lofty cultivators, but now they have fallen to become others' subordinates—this is utterly disgraceful.

But faced with the choice of life and death, how could they resist?

"Don't think you can easily escape; within this restriction we have already laid layer upon layer of mechanisms.

Even if your cultivation level is not sealed, it is still difficult to escape alive.

Now that you have become turtles in a jar, at the mercy of others, you must think of your own way out."

Longling added, his voice carrying a hint of slyness.

The cultivators' hearts turned cold, knowing Longling's words were not false.

The formation within this restriction is extraordinarily strange; we have personally witnessed it just now, and it is indeed no small matter—how that mysterious formation seals their cultivation level remains unclear to this day.

Now that their cultivation level is sealed, wanting to resist and break free from the other's control is already beyond remedy.

"You... your conduct is truly bizarre to the extreme!"

In the Universe Cultivation World, among the eight hundred left‑way paths, none surpass the art of transcending dust to enter transformation; truly, only you have achieved this.

Wang Mang asked in a trembling voice, his tone filled with resentment and urgency.

Heifeng, upon hearing this, was not angry either.

"The Three Thousand Great Daos ultimately all lead to the same goal.

Moreover, we two are not those who forget righteousness for profit, exploiting others for great gain.

Borrowing your hands, we will gather more Ancient Glyphs for us, as well as some precious rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures.

As repayment, we will also give you some cultivation conveniences.

You can also think of it this way: between us there is merely a partnership, but the authority to speak lies with us here.

Heifeng spoke, his words very gentle, showing no trace of ferocity.

"This"

Cultivator Chen Gong muttered to himself, even feeling choked, as if he were in an absurd, unbelievable dream; all of this is too strange, too inconceivable.

Not long ago he was fine, but in an instant he fell to being ordered around like a maid, destined to serve as a slave.

Upon thinking of this, his face flushed hot, like a child who made a mistake being grabbed by the tail by his parents—unable to fight or flee, his heart felt only miserable.

"Have you all decided?"

Longling's voice sounded again, carrying an unquestionable resolve.

"Now is the moment for you to decide.

Those who wish to live, surrender your life souls, then crush the message jade slip to summon the Huanyu cultivators you know.

I advise you best not to try to resist; otherwise, you will bear the consequences.

Longling's gaze swept coldly over the crowd as he spoke.

Upon hearing this, the cultivators felt as if fiercely pricked by a needle, looking at each other, they could only helplessly accept this cruel reality.

They knew.

Within this restriction there is no leeway for choice; although Heifeng and Longling's orders are bizarre, they have no alternative but to act according to their will.

Most cultivators could not surrender their life souls; a few resisters had their life souls forcibly extracted and sent into the Myriad Soul Banner.

This made the cultivators who had previously surrendered secretly rejoice.

The murderous aura on the Myriad Soul Banner is terribly frightening, with countless resentful spirits wailing; they cannot even imagine how many cultivators the two of last year slaughtered to cultivate such a vast ghost tide.

Now we can only accept defeat; it all stems from a moment's greed and the yearning for the Ancient God Sect's treasures.

Under the control of Heifeng and Bai Zhi, their fate has since been firmly grasped by the people of last year.

The cultivators who submitted had their cultivation level seals lifted; after escaping the life‑and‑death choice, they all glared with bloodshot eyes at Elder Qingyun and the Black and White Double Fiends trio.

These three are the executors of Longling and Heifeng's plan, not the three from last year who each crushed their message jade slips; how they themselves fell into the conspiracy is another matter.

"Qingyun, Black and White Double Fiends, you three are truly vile and shameless to the extreme!"

"We were originally fellow cultivators, yet you schemed against us like this—truly chilling!"

Wang Mang roared, since Heifeng and Longling chose to be mere spectators, the resentment in his chest must find an outlet.

Elder Qingyun and the Black and White Double Fiends showed difficult expressions, knowing they had fallen into Heifeng and Longling's trap and could not extricate themselves.

These three originally intended to use the Ancient God Sect's treasures to boost their cultivation, but never imagined they would end up in such a state.

"Everyone, we too are forced into this."

"Heifeng and Longling's strength is too great; we cannot resist. We only hope you can understand our difficulties."

Elder Qingyun's voice trembled,

but this explanation of theirs cannot quell the other cultivators' anger.

Chen Gong and the others' eyes were filled with anger and disappointment; their trust in Elder Qingyun and the Black and White Double Fiends had completely vanished.

"Understand?"

How are we supposed to understand?

We originally trusted you, that's why we came here!

Now we've ended up like this; how are we supposed to understand?

Another elderly cultivator angrily rebuked.

Facing everyone's blame, Elder Qingyun and the Black and White Double Fiends had no reply.

They knew they had lost the trust of their fellow cultivators, and would have no place to stand in the cultivation world henceforth.

Heifeng and Longling merely watched coldly; their goal had already been achieved, these cultivators had become their pawns, to be manipulated as they wished.

They didn't care about the cultivators' disputes, only whether their own plan could proceed smoothly.

Alright, everyone.

Now is not the time for internal strife; your fate is already in our hands.

Resistance is futile; only submission can save one's life.

Heifeng said coldly, since we are already grasshoppers on a rope, the matter to be resolved now is to quickly collect the ancient symbols.

After all, when the statues scattered in the ruins were gathering the ancient symbols, Huanyu cultivators, if they wanted to collect them, there is a time limit.

Longling also added.

"You should be grateful; we have given you the opportunity to choose.

If you are unaware of the times, well, the consequences—you should know them.

Although the cultivators were unwilling in their hearts, facing the great strength of Heifeng and Longling, they knew they could not resist.

Upon hearing this, the cultivators who had surrendered their life souls, thinking of the ferocity of the Myriad Soul Banner, some began to choose to crush the jade slips in their hands; these summoned fellow cultivators also came here, and now that it is said there is a treasure here, they will surely come as well.

In this Universe Cultivation World filled with intrigue and betrayal, it is naturally the survival of the fittest; 'let your fellow Daoist die while you live' is often the first lesson in life.

Having made their choice, although they temporarily harbor some resentment, they, accustomed to rise and fall, honor and disgrace, will not be sentimental.

The surrounding atmosphere became heavy and oppressive; the controlled cultivators secretly carried out Heifeng and Longling's plot.

As the message-carrying jade slips shattered, one after another extremely fine fluctuations, like meteors streaking across the sky, rapidly transmitted to every corner of the Ancient God Sect ruins.

The message transmitted in the jade slips made those cultivators who received it feel a sudden tightening in their hearts, and they all stopped what they were doing.

The appearance of the Ancient God Sect's treasure is no small matter; some cultivators even crushed the jade slips in their own hands, summoning their acquainted fellow Daoists, heading toward the location of Longling and Heifeng.

In a secluded valley, a middle-aged cultivator who was in closed-door training suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of surprise crossing his gaze.

Feeling the summons from the message jade slip, without hesitation he immediately put away the Dharma Implement he was refining, his form flickered and turned into a stream of light, rushing toward the source of the signal.

At the same time, in another corner of the ruins' jungle, a young female cultivator was fiercely battling a ferocious beast.

As her long sword danced, sword qi like a rainbow drove the beast back repeatedly; however, when the news of the shattered message jade slip entered her soul, a flash of determination crossed her eyes.

She immediately abandoned the achievement about to be gained, turned, and flew toward the direction indicated by the message in the jade slip.

In every corner of the Ancient God Sect ruins, whether cultivators gathering ancient symbols, those exploring secret realms for treasures, or those cultivating to break through, many received the message.

They might have doubts, but more so they felt curiosity and greed for the Ancient God Sect's treasure.

As for trust, there is hardly any.

Cultivators who defy heaven contend for resources; often even sworn brothers-in-arms will betray each other at crucial moments for a treasure, and brothers will fight each other.

What's more, with such shallow camaraderie, the moment they received the news of the treasure to be sought, they became alert to the messenger.

As time passed, more and more cultivators gathered at the place where those who had crushed the jade slips were.

They exchanged glances with each other, trying to find clues from each other's expressions.

However, when they realized they had all received the same summons, their hearts became even more certain of the treasure's authenticity.

Otherwise, who would for no reason brush aside everyone present, unless that Huanyu cultivator didn't want to live, especially since this message came from an acquaintance fellow Daoist.

But now many cultivators are unsettled; after all, so many cultivators have come, this indicates one thing: the discoverer of the treasure is not only someone they know.

"According to the message transmitted by the jade slip, the treasure should be in the fog ahead.

Just then, a dignified voice sounded in everyone's ears.

The speaker was an apparently elderly old man, his eyes revealing a hint of sharpness, his whole person giving a feeling of great majesty.

The cultivators exchanged glances; although they had doubts in their hearts, facing the old man's words they still chose to agree.

The old man continued speaking.

"The message we received concerns an ancient ruin that contains a treasure capable of raising one's cultivation level.

However, this ruin is also filled with unknown dangers.

We need to gather our strength and jointly break the ruin's restrictions.

Upon hearing this, the cultivators' hearts grew even more curious and greedy.

They know that every ruin exploration in the Cultivation World comes with great risk, but likewise contains great opportunity.

After weighing the pros and cons, several powerful cultivators were elected to act as commanders guiding the entry into the white mist.

This mist is quite strange, able to block divine sense; the cultivators who transmitted the message have already been entangled by its restrictions, so they must find another way to enter on the spot.

Under the old man's lead, everyone gathered at the edge of the white mist, his eyes flashing with curiosity and desire for the treasure.

Everyone speculated that this layer of mist might be a natural barrier of the Ancient God Sect ruins, or more likely an outward manifestation of layered restrictions.

Entering the mist is not that easy, and fearing that there might be terrible dangers within, no one is willing to act rashly first, lest they end up imprisoned.

That old man stepped forward first; with a gesture of his hand seal, a brilliant radiance welled up from his palm, forming a Light Sword that pointed straight into the depths of the mist.

Seeing this, the other cultivators likewise unleashed their respective secret arts—whether Dharma Implements or spells—and for a moment, various lights intertwined, forming a splendid spectacle.

However, the mist seemed almost alive, having anticipated these attacks.

The Light Sword and spells entering the mist were like a clay ox sinking into the sea, causing not the slightest ripple.

Seeing this, everyone's hearts sank involuntarily, knowing this restriction was no trivial matter.

"Everyone, don't panic; although this mist restriction is strong, it is absolutely not impregnable.

The old man said in a deep voice, a flash of light in his eyes, 'We need to find the weakness of the seal, concentrate our strength, and break through in one fell swoop!'

Upon hearing this, everyone felt somewhat relieved and began to carefully observe the changes in the mist, searching for any possible weakness.

'There seems to be a faint airflow moving within the mist; perhaps by following its direction we can find the seal's weak point.'

The old man nodded in approval.

He then directed everyone to adjust the direction of their attacks according to the female cultivator's guidance.

As time passed, everyone discovered that the airflow within the mist flowed more smoothly in certain areas, and the mist in those areas was relatively thinner.

'This is the spot; everyone focus your strength and attack this point!'

At the old man's command, all cultivators concentrated their attacks on that point.

Finally, thanks to everyone's relentless effort, the mist began to show a slight tremor, and a tiny gap gradually formed.

'Hurry, increase the force and widen the gap!'

The old man's voice carried a hint of excitement; the cultivators also felt hope and all raised their power to the utmost.

Through everyone's joint effort, the gap gradually widened, eventually forming a passage wide enough for one person to pass.

'Go!'

The old man took the lead, stepping into the mist.

The other cultivators followed closely behind, filing in one after another.

As they went deeper, the scenery within the mist gradually became clearer.

They found themselves standing on a desolate ancient battlefield, surrounded by ruined buildings and broken stone pillars, the ground covered with deep fissures, as if they had once experienced a earth-shattering war.

The air was filled with an oppressive aura that made people shudder.

What was even more shocking was that the battlefield was empty of any living person, yet it echoed with the wails and roars of countless battle spirits, which seemed to recount the glory and tragedy of the Ancient God Sect.

Everyone couldn't help but feel an inexplicable fear; they knew that what lay hidden in the mist was not merely treasure, but possibly endless danger and trial.

'Everyone be careful; nothing here is ordinary.'

'Our goal is to find the treasure, but we must not let our guard down; we must always be ready to face any possible crisis.'

The cultivators nodded in agreement, tightly grasping their Dharma Implements and vigilantly observing the surroundings.

As they went deeper, the terrifying scenes in the mist gradually unfolded before them, with some cultivators even beginning to doubt whether this journey was truly worthwhile.

But no matter what, they had no way to turn back.

'Haha, they took the bait!'

And in the depths of this white mist, Heifeng gazed upon an ice mirror formed by condensed white mist in the void, a look of delight appearing on his face.

'I never expected that the boss's seal would be so unfathomable.'

'Those cultivators have all been summoned.'

Heifeng moved close to Longling and spoke excitedly.