Chapter 523: Words of Ignorance

Human!

That Netherworld rogue cultivator is actually a human!

When the words "Human" spilled from Yan Mo's mouth and echoed between heaven and earth, every being from the Netherworld and every cultivator from the mortal realm turned to stone on the spot.

Outside the Five Directions Great Formation, the previously noisy world suddenly fell silent.

The first to snap out of their shock were the powerhouses of the Netherworld; their anger, previously stoked by the infighting between Cang Ming and Hua Changxi, was instantly crushed by an overwhelming sense of disbelief, only to explode into chaos a second later.

Roars, curses, and howls intertwined, resounding through the starry sky.

"Scoundrel! Simply a scoundrel!"

"Absurd! Simply absurd!"

In stark contrast to the furious frenzy of the Netherworld powerhouses, the mortal cultivators remained utterly silent.

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

"Master, I... I truly did not know..."

Guilt was unmistakable on Chu Junyi's face; he really had no idea that the Netherworld rogue cultivator tailing him was a human in disguise.

Had he not deliberately lured them, perhaps that person would not have been trapped within the Five Directions Great Formation.

The four standing nearby, including Meng Ziyu, were also dumbfounded, having lost their usual composure.

Meng Ziyu subconsciously swallowed hard, his voice tight with uncertain speculation: "C-could that fellow... be the very 'Human' wanted by all factions of the Netherworld?"

These words struck Chu Junyi's heart like a needle; his grip on his sword tightened abruptly, his knuckles turning faintly white.

Wei Zhenjie looked at his disciple, who was consumed by self-blame, and offered no words of comfort; instead, he frowned deeply, his gaze heavy as he sank into deep thought.

If that Netherworld rogue cultivator was indeed a human, who could it be?

Why would they tail Junyi?

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

Coincidentally, the leaders of those major factions were also looking at him.

In that mutual gaze, everyone could see the curiosity and confusion surging in each other's eyes.

Yes, who could it be?

For this Jiuguan Auction, every notable human faction had attended, each bringing numerous young geniuses to broaden their horizons.

Wei Zhenjie's gaze circled the various young geniuses until it abruptly halted upon the Pill Saint Hall; when he looked again at the Netherworld rogue cultivator within the Five Directions Great Formation, a trace of anticipation appeared in his eyes.

Could it be that person?

It must be.

Among all the human young geniuses, she is the most prone to causing trouble; one moment of inattention, and she creates a massive disturbance.

After their initial fury, the Netherworld powerhouses quickly regained their composure.

Su Mingyue looked at Yan Mo: "You claim that Netherworld rogue cultivator is a human and that they stole your Nine-Aperture Exquisite Soul-Heart Fruit..."

"This King recalls that earlier, at the entrance of the Nether River Waterfall in the Fifth Layer of the Netherworld, you made the exact same accusation against that Soul Clan member riding the Netherworld Deer."

"Could it be that the Soul Clan member is the Netherworld rogue cultivator currently inside the great formation?"

Yan Mo detected the skepticism in Su Mingyue's tone; under normal circumstances, he would certainly teach this disrespectful Ghost King a lesson.

However, at this moment, since his appearance had thoroughly unsettled both the Netherworld beings and the mortal cultivators, he was in such high spirits that he chose not to dwell on it.

"No matter how a human changes their appearance, their soul aura cannot be altered."

Upon hearing this, the Netherworld powerhouses raised no further objections.

There was no other reason; Yan Mo devoured souls for food, and his mastery in tracking soul auras surpassed even that of the Soul Clan.

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

"That explains why Cang Ming suddenly appeared at the Jiuguan Auction; it turns out he came for the Netherworld Fire Match."

Pausing briefly, Lady Paramita realized something: "That Netherworld rogue cultivator must be the one transformed from that little Ghost Clan nobody from before."

All the Netherworld powerhouses remembered that little Ghost Clan nobody.

"No wonder that little ghost could produce magical artifacts from every Netherworld clan; it now seems clear that the mysterious Ghost Clan member who slaughtered members of various clans indiscriminately at the entrance of the Fourth Layer Abyss was her!"

A Demon Clan powerhouse looked coldly at Su Mingyue: "What is wrong with your Ghost Clan? Such incompetence! Allowing a human to infiltrate your ranks without even noticing."

Su Mingyue offered no rebuttal.

There was no help for it; that human specifically targeted the Ghost Clan for their disguises.

The Netherworld powerhouses made no effort to lower their voices, certain that with Cang Ming present, the sole survivor within the Five Directions Great Formation would be him; thus, they had no fear of the mortal cultivators overhearing their conversation.

As expected, upon hearing the Netherworld powerhouses' discussion, the expressions of the human powerhouses turned exceedingly grim.

Previously, while surprised that the Netherworld rogue cultivator was a human in disguise, their primary reaction had been mere curiosity and speculation regarding that person's identity.

As for whether she could survive within the Five Directions Great Formation, everyone had simply glossed over that possibility.

But now, knowing that the key to opening the Netherworld Soul Realm was in that person's hands, none of the faction leaders could remain calm.

"Can she survive?"

"With Cang Ming there, it will be difficult."

Listening to the surrounding discussions, Chu Junyi could not accept the idea of a human powerhouse dying because of him; guilt and self-reproach nearly overwhelmed him.

Sensing the turmoil in his disciple's qi, Wei Zhenjie patted his shoulder: "Steady yourself; until the very last moment, no one can say for certain what the outcome will be."

Chu Junyi keenly caught the relaxed tone in Wei Zhenjie's voice; stunned for a moment, he immediately transmitted his voice to ask: "Master, do you know who that person is?"

Wei Zhenjie did not answer, merely gesturing for his disciple to continue watching.

Inside the Five Directions Great Formation, the moment the Yellow Spring Master and Yan Mo appeared, Hua Changxi sensed them and naturally heard Yan Mo's shout.

Hearing Yan Mo accuse her of "stealing" his Nine-Aperture Exquisite Soul-Heart Fruit, she gained a new understanding of this great demon's shamelessness.

However, at this moment, she had no time to worry about him.

The cage woven from six water pythons was contracting frantically, compressing space to an extreme degree, and the restrictions binding her were constantly intensifying.

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 pretending.

Hua Changxi's eyes suddenly narrowed; deep within her originally distinct black-and-white pupils, a cluster of eerie purple light abruptly exploded.

"Boom~"

Purple lightning-fire materialized out of thin air, carrying an overbearing aura capable of destroying everything, and instantly coiled up her arm to wrap around the bone blade.

The originally ghastly white bone edge was instantly enveloped in purple flames, resembling heavenly thunder descending upon the world.

Hua Changxi raised the bone blade high, wielding it amidst a sky full of purple lightning, and slashed down at the thickest water python directly ahead.

The blade light was like polished silk; the lightning-fire spread like a prairie fire.

With a single piercing shriek, the seemingly indestructible water python was instantly severed; the purple lightning-fire raced madly along the water, instantly detonating the entire water prison.

At the exact moment Hua Changxi broke out of the prison, Cang Ming on the other side also reached his breaking point.

Thanks to the Nightmare Tapir's shout, which rang out like thunder from the highest heavens, the massive shockwave of sound unexpectedly scattered the illusion created by the lingering tones of the Soul Bell, forcibly jolting Cang Ming awake from the depths of his nightmare.

"Ah~"

Accompanied by a roar filled with brutality and fury, Cang Ming's deadly qi surged explosively; 'Pop! Pop! Pop!' More than ten Soul-Stabilizing Wooden Needles that had pierced his body were forcibly expelled from within him by sheer force.

The two could be said to have broken free simultaneously!

However, the bone blade in Hua Changxi's hand shattered with a crisp "crack" the moment it sliced through the water prison formed by the six water pythons.

The bone blade was a nether artifact, incapable of withstanding the destructive power of the lightning-fire.

Having consumed a massive amount of soul power, she immediately put distance between herself and Cang Ming, flying to the edge of the soul domain.

As for Cang Ming, forcibly expelling the Soul-Stabilizing Wooden Needles had damaged his soul form, preventing him from launching further attacks.

The two gazed at each other from afar.

The battle ended; silence fell within the great formation, and no one outside the formation made a sound either.

Once the lightning-fire appeared, the fact that the Nine Nether rogue cultivator was of the human race was confirmed beyond doubt.

There was no other explanation; beings of the Nine Nether根本无法 tame lightning-fire.

Inside the great formation, aware of her shortcomings in soul power and unwilling to fight Cang Ming to the death, Hua Changxi spoke up: "Cang Ming, we bear no grudges against each other; there is absolutely no need for a fight to the death."

Cang Ming sneered: "If you want this King to stop, fine; hand over the Nether Fire Match and the Nine-Aperture Exquisite Soul Heart Fruit."

Hua Changxi's eyes flashed with a hint of realization: "So you targeted me because you coveted my possessions."

"I obtained the Nine-Aperture Exquisite Soul Heart Fruit by trading the Nether Blade and the Nightmare Tapir; if you want it, go find the Nightmare Tapir."

"As for the Nether Fire Match..."

Hua Changxi thought of that dark blue orb of light she had snatched from under the noses of the powerful figures of the Nine Nether; in order to gather more information, she deliberately asked: "What exactly is that thing?"

Hearing such naturally spoken 'words of ignorance,' Wei Zhenjie on the ramparts of Duimen Pass could almost certainly confirm the identity of that Nine Nether rogue cultivator.

Playing with fire, being ignorant, and stirring up trouble in the heart of the Nine Nether to the point where all its races issued kill orders—only that individual possessed such capability.

The heart that Wei Zhenjie had been holding in suspense finally settled back into his chest at this moment.

Sensing the relaxed aura emanating from his master, Chu Junyi also let go of his tense emotions; it seemed his master had recognized who that person was and held great confidence in her.

It was good enough that she would not die because of him!