Chapter 523: Ignorant Words

A human!

That rogue cultivator of the Nine Nether was actually a human!

When the word "human" spilled from the mouth of the Nightmare Tapir and echoed across the heavens and earth, all the living beings of the Nine Nether and the cultivators of the human realm were struck dumb, turning to stone.

Outside the Five Directions Great Array, the once-clamorous world fell abruptly silent.

The first to recover from the shock were the Nine Nether powerhouses. The fury that had been burning because of the infighting between Seeing Cang Ming and Hua Changxi was instantly suppressed by a wave of disbelief and astonishment, only to explode a moment later.

Howls, curses, and roars intertwined, resounding through the starry sky.

"Outrageous! Simply outrageous!"

"Absurd! Simply absurd!"

In stark contrast to the violent rage of the Nine Nether powerhouses, the human side remained in a state of profound stillness.

There were no gasps, no discussions—only faces filled with disbelief, their eyes churning with shock and confusion.

"Master, I... I truly didn't know..."

Chu Junyi's face was heavy with guilt; he truly had not known that the rogue cultivator who had been tailing him was a human in disguise.

Had he not lured her, perhaps she would not have been trapped within the Five Directions Great Array.

Beside him, Meng Ziyu and the others were also dumbfounded, stripped of their usual composure.

Meng Ziyu swallowed hard, his voice tight with uncertainty as he ventured a guess: "That... that fellow... could she be the 'human' that all the Nine Nether factions are hunting down?"

These words were like a needle, piercing Chu Junyi's heart. His hand tightened around his sword, his knuckles turning white.

Wei Zhenjie looked at his disciple, who was drowning in self-reproach. He did not offer comfort, but instead narrowed his eyes, his gaze deep and contemplative.

If that rogue cultivator truly was a human, who could she be?

Why had she been tailing Junyi?

Wei Zhenjie's gaze swept across the major human factions, a hint of inquiry in his eyes.

As it happened, the leaders of the major factions were also looking at him.

In their mutual gaze, they could see the curiosity and confusion churning in each other's eyes.

Indeed, who could it be?

Every major human faction had participated in this Jiuguan Auction, and each had brought along their most promising prodigies to broaden their horizons.

Wei Zhenjie's gaze circled the prodigies of the various factions. When he landed on the Alchemy Saint Hall, his eyes suddenly paused. As he looked back at the rogue cultivator in the Five Directions Great Array, a look of anticipation flickered in his eyes.

Could it be that fellow?

It must be her.

Among the human prodigies, she was the most capable of stirring up trouble; if one wasn't careful, she would cause a heaven-shaking commotion.

After their initial outburst, the Nine Nether powerhouses quickly regained their composure.

Su Mingyue looked at the Nightmare Tapir: "You say that rogue cultivator is a human, and that she stole your Nine-Aperture Exquisite Soul Heart Fruit..."

"I recall that earlier, at the Nether River Waterfall of the fifth layer of the Nine Nether, you said the exact same thing to the soul-race cultivator who was riding the Nether Deer."

"Could it be that the soul-race cultivator is the same rogue cultivator inside the array?"

The Nightmare Tapir sensed the skepticism in Su Mingyue's words. Under any other circumstances, it would have taught this disrespectful Ghost King a lesson.

But at this moment, because its appearance had thrown the hearts of both the Nine Nether beings and the human cultivators into chaos, it was in a very good mood and paid it no mind.

"No matter how much that human changes her appearance, her soul aura cannot be changed."

With these words, the Nine Nether powerhouses no longer harbored any doubts.

After all, the Nightmare Tapir fed on souls; its ability to track soul auras was even more refined than that of the soul-race itself.

Lady Bianhua narrowed her eyes: "So, the key to the Nine Nether Soul Realm—the Nether Fire Match—is in the hands of that rogue cultivator?"

"No wonder Seeing Cang Ming suddenly came to the Jiuguan Auction; he was here for the Nether Fire Match."

After a pause, Lady Bianhua thought of something: "That rogue cultivator must be the one who disguised herself as that small-fry ghost cultivator earlier."

The Nine Nether powerhouses all had an impression of that small-fry ghost cultivator.

"No wonder that little brat could produce artifacts from all the Nine Nether factions. Now it seems that the mysterious ghost cultivator who went on a killing spree at the fourth layer abyss mouth was her!"

The demon powerhouse looked coldly at Su Mingyue: "What is wrong with you ghost-race? You are truly useless! A human managed to infiltrate your ranks, and you didn't even know it."

Su Mingyue did not refute this.

There was no helping it; that human had a penchant for disguising herself as a ghost.

The Nine Nether powerhouses did not feel the need to lower their voices. They were certain that with Seeing Cang Ming present, the only person who could survive the Five Directions Great Array was him, so they did not fear the human cultivators overhearing them.

Sure enough, upon hearing the discussion of the Nine Nether powerhouses, the human cultivators' expressions turned sour.

Earlier, although they were surprised that the rogue cultivator was a human in disguise, it was merely curiosity and speculation as to who she might be.

As for whether she could survive the Five Directions Great Array, they had simply dismissed the possibility.

But now, knowing that the key to the Nine Nether Soul Realm was in her hands, the leaders of the various factions could no longer remain calm.

"Can she survive?"

"With Seeing Cang Ming there, it's unlikely."

Listening to the surrounding discussions, Chu Junyi could not accept that a human powerhouse might die because of him. Guilt and self-reproach nearly drowned him.

Wei Zhenjie sensed the turbulence in his disciple's aura and patted his shoulder: "Stay calm. Some things are never certain until the very last moment."

Chu Junyi caught the hint of ease in his master's tone and asked via telepathy: "Master, do you know who that person is?"

Wei Zhenjie did not answer, merely signaling for his disciple to keep watching.

Inside the Five Directions Great Array, Hua Changxi had sensed the arrival of the Yellow Springs Lord and the Nightmare Tapir, and naturally, she had heard the Nightmare Tapir's declaration.

Hearing the Nightmare Tapir claim she had "stolen" its Nine-Aperture Exquisite Soul Heart Fruit, she gained a new appreciation for the shamelessness of this great demon.

But at this moment, she had no time for it.

The cage woven from the six water pythons was shrinking frantically; the space was being compressed to the extreme, and the restrictions upon her were mounting.

Relying solely on soul power was no longer enough to break free.

Since the Nightmare Tapir had already exposed her identity, there was no need for her to continue the charade.

Hua Changxi's eyes suddenly narrowed, and deep within her pupils, a strange purple glow erupted.

"Boom!"

Purple thunder-fire was born from nothingness, carrying a domineering aura that seemed capable of destroying everything, instantly coiling around the bone blade in her hand.

The once-pale bone blade was instantly enveloped in purple flames, like a descent of heavenly thunder.

Hua Changxi raised the bone blade high, and with the raging purple thunder, she slashed at the thickest water python directly in front of her.

The blade light was like a streak of silk; the thunder-fire set the plains ablaze.

With a shrill hiss, the python, which had seemed indestructible, was instantly severed. The purple thunder-fire spread frantically along the water flow, instantly detonating the entire water prison.

And at the very moment Hua Changxi broke out of the prison, Seeing Cang Ming also experienced an eruption on his side.

Thanks to the Nightmare Tapir's thunderous shout, the massive sonic shockwave had unexpectedly shattered the lingering effects of the soul bell, forcibly jolting Seeing Cang Ming awake from the depths of his nightmare.

"Ah!"

With a roar filled with brutality and fury, Seeing Cang Ming's aura surged. *Pop! Pop! Pop! * More than a dozen soul-fixing wooden needles embedded in his body were forcibly expelled by his own power.

It could be said that both of them had broken free at the same time!

However, the bone blade in Hua Changxi's hand shattered with a *crack* the moment it cleaved through the water prison.

The bone blade was a Nether artifact and could not withstand the destructive power of the thunder-fire.

With her soul power heavily depleted, she retreated from Seeing Cang Ming at the first opportunity, flying to the edge of her soul domain.

As for Seeing Cang Ming, he had also suffered soul damage from forcibly expelling the needles, preventing him from launching another immediate attack.

The two stood facing each other from a distance.

The battle ended, and the array fell silent; outside the array, no one made a sound.

With the appearance of the thunder-fire, the fact that the rogue cultivator was human was now indisputable.

After all, Nine Nether beings were fundamentally incapable of subduing thunder-fire.

Inside the array, Hua Changxi knew her own weakness in soul power and did not want to fight Seeing Cang Ming to the death, so she spoke: "Seeing Cang Ming, you and I have no grievances; there is no need for a fight to the death."

Seeing Cang Ming sneered: "You want me to stop? Fine. Hand over the Nether Fire Match and the Nine-Aperture Exquisite Soul Heart Fruit."

Hua Changxi's eyes flashed with realization: "So you were tailing me because you had your eyes on my treasures."

"The Nine-Aperture Exquisite Soul Heart Fruit was something I traded with the Nightmare Tapir for the Nether Blade. If you want them, go find the Nightmare Tapir."

"As for the Nether Fire Match..."

Hua Changxi thought of the blue light she had snatched from under the noses of the Nine Nether powerhouses, and in order to gain more information, she asked deliberately: "What exactly is that thing?"

Listening to this "ignorant remark" delivered so naturally, on the wall of the Redemption Pass, Wei Zhenjie was nearly certain of the rogue cultivator's identity.

Playing with fire, ignorance, and stirring up the Nine Nether factions to the point of issuing a kill order—only that fellow had such capabilities.

Wei Zhenjie's heart, which had been hanging in his throat, finally settled.

Chu Junyi sensed the ease radiating from his master and his own tense nerves relaxed. It seemed his master recognized who that person was and had great confidence in her.

As long as she wouldn't die because of him, that was enough!