Chapter 183: Movements of All Parties

"No..."

"Ah!"

"Beast!"

In the underground tunnel, screams occasionally rose up.

"Master Master Baili Lei Jingchuan has made his move!"

Inside a tunnel, Jing Jing Shuhu walked briskly, his heart slightly chilled.

Those who were killed could scream, proving they were not ambushed; the screams were so brief, proving the one who acted possessed Wu Gong of supreme height.

And apart from the people of the Xieshen Sect, even if others met within the tunnel, they would often retreat separately rather than fight to the death.

Hiss~

Jing Jing Shuhu quickened his pace and soon arrived at the forging hall beneath the Casting Weapon Valley, only to see chaos everywhere, the furnace fires seemingly extinguished long ago.

"Niu Jun reacted quickly, dispersing his brothers and sisters at once, though some things were left behind."

In the forging hall, Lei Lei Jingchuan held a forging hammer, his brows furrowed: "That boy's pack is still here..."

"He hasn't left?"

Jing Jing Shuhu could not help but frown.

"The Cold Pool Cave, the Red Fusion Cave, and the other caves are all empty; he must have fled. That boy is very sharp; he is not one to take reckless risks."

Lei Lei Jingchuan's brows were tightly locked; the Thousand Spirit Sacrifice had come too suddenly, and although the notice was timely, one could not rule out that some disciples might harbor hopes of luck.

As for Li Yuan...

"That boy has always been very interested in weapons; could it be that after hearing news of the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing, he went there too?"

Lei Lei Jingchuan felt somewhat worried.

"If he has such thoughts, then he is seeking his own death!"

Jing Jing Shuhu swept his sleeve and left, checking all the caves beneath the Casting Weapon Valley, his expression also turning unpleasant.

Could this boy truly be so bold?

"I will search again."

Lei Lei Jingchuan felt somewhat uneasy, turned, and headed toward the deeper tunnels.

Jing Jing Shuhu looked around, sighed in his heart, and quickly followed; not long after, he suddenly heard Lei Lei Jingchuan's shout.

"Hmm?!"

Jing Jing Shuhu's gaze grew slightly cold as he heard a familiar voice:

"Shi Hong?"

"Shi Hong, have you seen any other disciples?"

Lei Lei Jingchuan's eyes turned cold; the Casting Weapon Valley was not on the path of the Thousand Eyes Seeking Weapons, so why did this boy suddenly appear nearby...

"Replying to Elder, this disciple also just arrived; on the road, I met some junior brothers and escorted them far away before returning."

Shi Hong bowed slightly, blood still wet on his armor: "On the road, I also killed quite a few ruffians."

"Is that so?"

Jing Jing Shuhu's gaze turned slightly icy; just as he was about to ask again, he heard the sound of breaking air from behind, turned, and saw Lord Master Gongyang Yu glide over like a ghost.

"Valley Master."

Lei Lei Jingchuan bowed slightly.

Regarding the tunnels and secret passages within the valley, they knew them like the back of their hand, and marks were left along the way from time to time; although Lord Master Gongyang Yu's arrival was sudden, he was not surprised.

"Valley Master."

"Master."

Glancing at the three men standing with swords drawn, Lord Master Gongyang Yu pretended not to see, speaking concisely:

"The Shan Xuan Bing Mi Jing has appeared!"

"Hmm? The Shan Xuan Bing Mi Jing?"

"Could Master Master Baili Lei Jingchuan truly have activated the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing?"

"Impossible!"

The expressions of all three changed, especially those of Jing Jing Shuhu and the other.

The lineage of the Casting Weapon Valley had guarded the underground for ages, never giving up the search for the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing.

But they knew even better how difficult it was to activate this hammer; it was something their ancestral masters had failed to achieve for over a thousand years.

On what grounds did Master Master Baili Lei Jingchuan do it?

"The appearance of the Shan Xuan Bing Mi Jing was witnessed by my own eyes; there can be no falsehood."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu paced:

"That Mi Jing has appeared at the bottom of the Cold Pool, guarded by the Red Dragon Fish King, with Master Master Baili Lei Jingchuan watching hungrily and inserting himself; this is absolutely not a wise strategy."

"Though that is true, if I do not see it with my own eyes, I will not rest in peace even in death."

Lei Lei Jingchuan's heart

surged with emotion.

"Relocating the entire sect is the most important matter; this place has become a vortex; we indeed should leave."

Jing Jing Shuhu paused slightly: "But, as Junior Brother Lei said, the Shan Xuan Bing Mi Jing has appeared; if I do not go to take a look, I will not rest in peace even in death."

"The disciples within the valley have all been arranged properly; our brief departure will cause no great harm."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu nodded.

How could he not want to see the thing the ancestral masters had pursued for over a thousand years?

"By the way, where is Elder Han?"

Lei Lei Jingchuan suddenly spoke.

Glancing at Jing Jing Shuhu, whose face looked utterly ill-fated, Gong Gong Yangyu shook his head slightly, his expression subtle:

"Junior Brother Han should have returned, yet he did not seek this old man by the marked path. Perhaps he has other thoughts?"

"If Elder Han is also here, then our chances are much greater!"

Lei Lei Jingchuan's face immediately relaxed a bit; with Han Han Chuijun clad in divine armor, even if Master Master Baili struck a dark blow, they need not fear him so much.

Jing Jing Shuhu's complexion was very ugly: "Valley Master, this matter must be resolved swiftly."

When the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing emerges, it will surely shake the world; miss these few days, and the experts of Longhu Temple may arrive.

After exchanging a few words, the three had settled the matter and immediately headed toward the deep underground layers.

Shi Hong glanced back at the Casting Weapon Valley, then followed closely behind.

Beneath the Inner Island, in the deepest tunnel, blood-red light pierced the earth's crust, plunging straight into this place.

Beyond the broken mountain wall, the cold pool water appeared deep and dark.

"Hall Master!"

Yuan Brother Qiao and others hurriedly arrived at this place.

Master Master Baili sat cross-legged; that beast-bone stele was now entirely crimson, emitting a thick, bloody scent.

"Hall Master, Gong Gong Yangyu, Wan Chuan, Meng Zhan, and others are all nearby. Is it too dangerous to perform the ritual now?"

Throwing the dragged corpse onto the ground, Yuan Brother Qiao's expression was solemn.

"Act?"

Master Master Baili sneered coldly: "The Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing possesses spirit; no one without fate may enter the Shan Xuan Bing Mi Jing. They will not only refrain from acting but will also provide us with protection!"

Over several days, he had slaughtered nearly all the martial experts within the tunnel, gathering enough offerings for the blood sacrifice.

From beginning to end, he never concealed his tracks, while Wan Chuan, Gong Gong Yangyu, and others, though seemingly lingering outside, were actually waiting for him to perform the ritual.

"This..."

Yuan Brother Qiao and the others exchanged glances, all somewhat stunned.

This was the first time they had seen such a great sect, encountering a blood sacrifice yet not only failing to obstruct it but even welcoming the outcome.

"Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing."

Yuan Brother Qiao felt a slight chill in his heart; to enter the Shan Xuan Bing Mi Jing, they could tolerate their own group performing a blood sacrifice.

Once the struggle began...

"We can wait no longer; calculating the time, it is nearly ready!"

Master Master Baili murmured.

In four days, powerful factions with keen intelligence likely were already on their way; to avoid further complications, he prepared to perform the ritual immediately.

Open the path into the Shan Xuan Bing Mi Jing; as for those Crimson Dragon Fish Kings...

"Hoo!"

Master Master Baili exhaled a breath; under the drive of his true qi, that bone stele actually began to swell at a speed visible to the naked eye,

and soon, it was already over a man's height.

The fine patterns covering its surface emitted a faint, ghostly blood light.

"True qi taking form."

Yuan Brother Qiao and others had already scattered; watching this scene, they felt awe in their hearts.

That bone stele was not a divine weapon possessing the ability to change size at will; its sudden swelling was actually Master Master Baili using it as a center and outlining it with true qi.

This required profound true qi and powerful control.

"Vroom!"

"Vroom!"

Master Master Baili rose to his full height; he circled around the bone stele using some footwork, constantly murmuring in his mouth.

In an instant, the aura on his body suddenly changed; a cold, viscous aura instantly filled this

tunnel.

Yuan Brother Qiao and the others all knelt prostrate on the ground, trembling with reverence:

"Respectfully welcoming the Blood Vajra!"

Crack crack crack!

Master Master Baili suddenly raised his head, his eyes crimson; he swept his gaze over the several tunnel entrances nearby and sneered coldly.

Then, he grabbed that stone stele and leaped into the cold pool.

"Swish!"

Almost simultaneously, Yuan Brother Qiao and others heard the sound of air being split; figures darted out from nearby tunnels one after another,

all plunging into the cold pool water.

"These old fellows!"

Yuan Brother Qiao glanced at the one who arrived last; it was Shi Hong. The latter did not even look at him, but leaped straight into the cold pool.

Boom!

As Shi Hong plunged into the cold pool, he opened his eyes to look.

He saw that Master Master Baili's true qi formed a dome, violently launching that stone stele outward; the stele transformed into solid red light,

rushing at extreme speed toward the bottom of the cold pool, toward that mysterious place seemingly wrapped in clouds and mist, appearing both illusory and real.

"Is that the Shan Xuan Bing Mi Jing?"

Shi Hong murmured in his heart.

He cultivated the Five-Color Five-Arms Spiritual Void Qi and also studied the Five Great Secret Transmissions of the Inner Sect, including the Weapon Dao Battle Hammer.

"Roar!"

That bloodlight pierced through the pool, startling all the Crimson Dragon Fish Kings lurking around the volcano's mouth.

Dozens of colossal creatures shot forward like arrows released from bows, charging toward the experts descending below—Master Master Baili Lei Jingchuan was first in their path.

"A pack of beasts!"

Master Master Baili Lei Jingchuan's expression was cold, showing no desire to tangle; he glanced at Gong Gong Yangyu, Wan Chuan, and others who had already blocked half the Crimson Dragon Fish Kings.

His true qi churned and surged from his body, forming two long spears that pinned two Crimson Dragon Fish Kings—each weighing tens of thousands of jin—to the mountainside.

Yet he didn't even consider collecting their corpses; as the red light suddenly exploded, he plunged straight into the Shan Xuan Bing Mi Jing.

Gong Gong Yangyu, Wan Chuan, and the others lagged a step behind, broke free from the entangled Crimson Dragon Fish Kings, and chased after him immediately.

…

"Is this… the Shan Xuan Bing Mi Jing?!"

"It's lifelike—truly like a distant immortal isle! Are these plants, mountains, and rocks all formed from true qi?!"

"Our true qi is suppressed!"

As the bloodlight shattered, over a dozen figures landed beneath the inverted mountain, glancing at one another—some stunned, some ecstatic, some incredulous.

"No wonder it's the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing—even in slumber, it can manifest such a magnificent wonder!"

Gong Gong Yangyu's heart trembled, yet he moved swiftly—after Master Master Baili Lei Jingchuan, he was the first to reach the stone tablet at the mountain's base.

"This place suppresses internal qi."

Jing Jing Shuhu frowned deeply; this mystical land, formed from true qi, exerted the strongest suppression on true qi and internal qi.

In contrast, Yuan Brother Qiao and the others had not yet completed their Transformation, and felt no anomaly.

"Are all these names on this stone tablet?"

Master Master Baili Lei Jingchuan's gaze darkened slightly; he swiftly scanned the many names on the tablet, and soon found the one who had triggered the Shan Xuan Bing Mi Jing:

"Li Li Yuanba, Inner Strengthening Complete, Ascended Nine Thousand Ren!"

Inner Strengthening Complete?

"The mountain is ten thousand ren tall—this man has ascended nine thousand ren?!"

Wan Chuan, walking up at a steady pace, clenched his pupils tightly; the founder of Yunshu Tower, Liu Liu Qingtian, had only ascended a thousand ren after completing Bone Marrow Refinement!

"Who is Li Li Yuanba?"

The assembled experts shifted expressions, all filled with shock and suspicion.

Leaving aside other matters—how did this youngling, merely Inner Strengthening Complete, descend to the bottom of the pool?