Chapter 384: Turn Their Own Scheme Against Them

Several months later.

The Inner Sea.

Above a stretch of ocean.

Fang Xing's cultivation avatar stood shoulder to shoulder with his true body, as if silently waiting for something.

Not long after, a streak of teleportation light shot toward them—it was the Ancient Master!

"Ancient Friend!"

Fang Xing's true body spoke first.

"This must be Fang Yun Master," the Ancient Master greeted with a smile, then turned to Fang Xing's cultivation avatar: "The Old Demon has been lured out and is now preparing to personally strike down the White Cloud Sect!"

"Oh? So it went this smoothly?"

Fang Xing was slightly surprised.

"You may not know, but the White Cloud Sect is a major power in the Inner Sea; their ancestors produced a Spirit Transformation cultivator, and now they're guarded by a Great True Lord, with six ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators… their strength is formidable, and several Great True Lords have failed to crush them."

"The Old Demon cultivates the Yin Ling Divine Art and has refined the Thousand Demons Lamp—he has a great need for Nascent Souls."

"We leaked evidence of the White Cloud Sect's betrayal of the Wuji Palace… the Old Demon, upon hearing this, will surely annihilate them with thunderous force—and given their fifth-rank sect-protection array, he's very likely to act in person."

…

The Ancient Master spoke at length.

But Fang Xing's eyes flickered.

'That White Cloud Sect? Nine out of ten times, it's your own setup—or secretly subverted… and now you're just selling it out.'

'Is this the bottom line of cultivators?'

Still, Fang Xing only thought it silently.

To the outside, he happily accepted the jade slip map, then merged with his true body and vanished as two streaks of light.

…

The Ancient Master stood silently, waiting a long while longer.

"Those two are already a thousand li away—they can't possibly monitor this place with their spiritual sense… I've also checked with the Two Worlds Banner, and there's no hidden technique here."

After a long silence, a young voice suddenly sounded nearby.

A white-robed Spirit Transformation cultivator materialized from thin air, holding a silver small banner.

It vaguely resembled the Two Worlds Banner once displayed by Gong Feiyun, but the void energy radiating from it was overwhelmingly dense.

Clearly not a fake—it was the treasured artifact of the Ethereal Immortal Palace!

"Younger Brother Jin…"

The Ancient Master stared at the Two Worlds Banner in Jin Zunzhe's hand: "We've taken our sect's core treasure out—whether this was right or wrong, I don't know… Without this sixth-rank Two Worlds Banner to stabilize it, the sect's Two Worlds Illusory Dust Great Array will lose much of its power."

"Hmph, even if its power drops to fifth rank, it's still enough to repel ordinary Spirit Transformation cultivators."

Younger Brother Jin beamed with confidence: "With your strength and mine, wielding this Two Worlds Banner, even if we face a late-stage Spirit Transformation Heavenly Master, we can still escape unharmed… In the coming battle, safety is paramount."

At this, the Ancient Master fell silent.

After a long pause, he spoke: "Are you certain… Master Yu's death is connected to that Fang Yun Master?"

"Whether or not it's true, the Yuan Shen Sword Sect has been destroyed—he is the only survivor... and he obtained the Spirit Void Sword Scripture, which he passed on to the Ming Kun Zunzhe."

Younger Brother Jin said: "He gained the greatest benefit—naturally, he's the prime suspect. Now that he's willing to confront the Old Demon, his strength is clearly profound, perhaps even hiding a trump card. With the Two Worlds Banner, we have a means of self-preservation—only then can we attempt to observe, or even intervene!"

"True. If we can make them both severely wounded, we can reap the benefits as the fisherman—why not?"

The Ancient Master nodded.

Younger Brother Jin immediately formed hand seals and murmured incantations.

Silver runes flew from the Two Worlds Banner, instantly enveloping the two masters.

Their figures immediately dissolved into the void, vanishing without a trace…

…

White Cloud Sect.

At the center of the island where the sect resided stood a towering, majestic mountain range.

Around the peaks, mist swirled, faintly coalescing into the shape of a coiled dragon.

At this moment, the White Cloud Dragon roared to the heavens, its terrifying spiritual power radiating outward.

Clearly, the sect-protecting array had been fully activated.

But the next instant, the White Cloud Dragon let out a mournful cry, its countless white clouds crumbling piece by piece—until only thin wisps remained, revealing the jade pavilions and crystal towers beneath.

Several streaks of light shot out—it was several of the White Cloud Sect's Nascent Soul True Lords.

Yet now, each of them wore expressions of terror, staring at a black-robed figure ahead.

"Master Meng Tian?"

In the black-robed figure's hand, he held a comatose Nascent Soul—it was none other than the White Cloud Sect's Supreme Elder, the late-stage Nascent Soul Great True Lord, Bai Cang!

"Old Demon Meng… bad! The array's foundation is broken—escape now!"

A withered Nascent Soul True Lord roared, jolting the dazed disciples awake.

The White Cloud Sect had deep reserves; with one Great True Lord and their ancestral fifth-rank mid-grade array—the White Cloud Azure Dragon Array—they could hold out for a long time even against Spirit Transformation cultivators.

But the Old Demon had secretly infiltrated the array, ambushed Bai Cang, and destroyed several array foundations. Now, the White Cloud Sect's resistance was utterly shattered, leaving only a few Nascent Soul True Lords—no longer a threat.

"Master Meng Tian, the White Cloud Sect has always been respectful…"

A female True Lord forced a faint smile: "Even if the Great True Lord made a mistake, we accept our guilt—we are willing to atone and serve!"

Xiū!

Before she finished speaking, a streak of dark light flashed.

The female True Lord stared blankly at her chest—a black ghostly claw had pierced her body, gripping a pale, plump female Nascent Soul.

"Since I've come here, no more words—you won't even get to enter the Sin Palace."

The Old Demon gazed at Bai Cang's Nascent Soul in his hand, a satisfied expression crossing his face. He formed a hand seal.

A bronze lamp appeared in his grasp; countless rope-like runes surfaced on the Nascent Soul, binding it tightly before it sank into the lamp's center.

This was a treasure-refining secret technique from the Wuji Palace's Nine Heavenly Strategies.

With enough Nascent Souls, one could easily refine it to fifth rank—and it even possessed some lightning-repelling properties.

"Damn it! This old devil gives us no chance—fight him to the death!"

Instantly, the remaining Nascent Soul True Lords surged with spiritual power, each transforming into strange lights and fleeing in all directions.

"Hehe…"

Seeing this, the Old Demon merely smiled, waving his hand casually.

Whirrrr!

Above, a black "lake" had suddenly appeared!

Within it flowed liquid spiritual energy.

Under the Old Demon's control, it burst like a dam—endless black water surged forth, instantly submerging the White Cloud Sect!

Whether Nascent Soul True Lords, Qi Condensation, or Foundation Establishment disciples—all protective treasures and spells dissolved beneath the black water; not even a cry escaped before their bodies turned to ash.

Occasionally, silver-white glimmers flashed—several Nascent Souls were forced out of the void, only to find themselves still within the black lake's range, engulfed and transformed into black water orbs, floating before the Old Demon.

The Old Demon waved his hand, scooping the black water orbs into his sleeve, then stood in midair, as if silently waiting for something.

"Hehe… come out!"

He suddenly spoke.

Instantly, a streak of swordlight flashed from afar.

Before the sword's cry sounded, two figures stood opposite the Old Demon—it was Fang Xing's true body and cultivation avatar.

"The Ming Kun Zunzhe... and the fifth-rank body cultivator who attacked my second spiritual body."

The Old Demon smiled: "Good! Very good... you've all come to me, saving me the trip to Ming Kun Island. Where are the Ancient Master and Jin Master? With you all captured, the Hanhai Cultivation World will be nearly pacified."

"Oh? So you're using their plan against them?"

Fang Xing raised an eyebrow.

"Hehe… I've lived over a thousand years—what schemes haven't I seen? I can smell a trap just by sniffing—even without ironclad proof…"

The Old Demon's eyes glowed with dark light as he scanned Fang Xing and his avatar: "The Ethereal Immortal Palace's Two Worlds Illusory Dust Great Array is indeed hard to break—but without its master, it's nothing…"

"You're remarkably confident—do you believe your cultivation level makes you untouchable?"

Fang Xing paused, then said.

Late-stage Spirit Transformation cultivation was nearly invincible in the Qian Yuan Great World.

If one also possessed a sixth-rank treasure and was determined to flee, even a Realm-Subduing Great Being might not capture them!

The Old Demon had fought countless battles—he might indeed have such confidence.

"So…"

Fang Xing's expression shifted, glancing toward a certain direction.

…

A flash of silver light appeared in the void—the Ancient Master and Jin Master emerged, disheveled, staring at the Old Demon ahead and the black demonic palace in his hand.

"Wuji Demon Palace?"

Jin Master regarded the artifact in the Old Demon's hand with deep wariness—it was famed alongside the Two Worlds Banner.

The Ancient Master frowned slightly: "Old Demon Meng, you've cultivated a second spiritual body again? How is this possible?"

The stronger a split body or second spiritual body, the harder it is to rebuild after destruction.

And only a few years have passed since the battle at the Yuan Shen Sword Sect's mountain gate?

"Hehe... the depth of my Wuji Palace is not something you could ever imagine... I merely took one 'Six-Eyed Heavenly Demon Spider's' core, and I restored myself effortlessly."

The Old Demon chuckled grotesquely; in his hand, the Wuji Demon Palace expanded violently, as if swallowing the entire sky and earth into its pitch-black halls.

"Brother Jin, this demon's second soul has not fully recovered—it currently possesses only mid-Ascension-level power."

The Ancient Elder's expression shifted: "Let us join forces and use the Two-Realm Banner to slay this demon's second soul here... then clean up the battlefield."

"So... you too believe those two are hiding something—and even possess the power to threaten me?"

The Old Demon's eyes narrowed slightly: "It was worth my true body confronting them... Yet Yu Tianzun's demise likely ties to the Yuan Shen Sword Sect's depth. One Ascension-Stage beginner, one fifth-rank body cultivator—even if they acquired some of the Sword Sect's legacy, they could never threaten me. Once I kill those two, I shall gladly claim your lives and the Two-Realm Banner."

Clearly, the mission of the Old Demon's second soul was merely to hold off the two Ascension-stage Elders of the Piaomiao Immortal Palace.

With his cultivation and treasures, this was not a difficult task.

And this battle today may well decide the future of the entire Hanhai Immortal Realm!

(End of Chapter)