"What happened? Why are you fellow Daoists so panicked?" Old
The cultivators who had just fled through the light barrier behind them were all in wretched condition, yet every single one possessed Nascent Soul cultivation. Even as arrogant as Old Devil Qian was, he would never dare treat them lightly. Moreover, the explosion that had just come through the light barrier filled him with a vague sense of foreboding.
"Brother Qian, your abilities are truly remarkable — you arrived here even before all of us. Oh? Isn't this Fellow Daoist Fu of the Nine Nether Sect? And these two are…?" These cultivators turned out to be the four elders of the Poison Saint Sect along with five other Nascent Soul cultivators. The Wandering Perfected was also among them, lurking about furtively. But the moment Tianqi laid eyes on
"So it's Brother Tianqi. What a coincidence. But what exactly was that explosion just now?" Elder Fu, his thoughts still consumed by the matter of the sealed exit, had no patience for pleasantries and immediately pressed for answers.
"Hmph! That's what we should be asking you. Since you arrived here before us, the illusion array outside must have been your doing. It exploded and sealed the passage once again — presumably that was also part of your plan." A burly man among the Nascent Soul cultivators let out a cold snort as he spoke.
Hearing this, the expressions of several others shifted slightly. They stared at Han Li and his group, unfriendly looks appearing on their faces.
"Fellow Daoists, please don't misunderstand. When Fu and the others arrived, there were already other cultivators here. This illusion array you speak of has nothing to do with the three of us. You suffered a heavy loss — surely you don't intend to take your anger out on us?" Elder Fu's face darkened immediately, and he spoke without any courtesy.
In such a complicated situation, one could not show weakness easily, or one would be treated as prey and become a target for group attacks.
"There were others here?" This revelation stunned not only the four elders of the Poison Saint Sect, but even Old Devil Qian.
"Hmph. The three of us were transported here by an ancient formation array by chance. At the time, we could hear the sounds of prohibitions being broken on the mountain, but we were subsequently trapped by a restriction for several days and couldn't locate those people in time. The illusion array you mentioned should be related to that group." Elder Fu was no ordinary figure either, and in just a few sentences he had explained the matter in broad strokes.
"Is that really the case?" The burly man looked conflicted, and the other cultivators grew half-suspicious.
"Brother Fu is an enforcement elder of the Nine Nether Sect — he wouldn't lie to us about something so straightforward. Besides, if it truly was the Nine Nether Sect who broke this seal, then Fellow Daoist Gu of the Nine Nether Sect would certainly have come here personally to take charge." Tianqi's expression relaxed somewhat, seemingly convinced by the old man's words.
"That does make sense!" The burly man considered for a moment and found the reasoning sound.
"However, when you flew in just now, the three of you seemed to be on rather hostile terms with Brother Qian. Did Fellow Daoist Fu perhaps offend Brother Qian in some way?" Tianqi's eyes darted about as he suddenly raised this question. After all, the tense standoff between Han Li's group and Old Devil Qian had been clearly visible to all the cultivators present.
"That matter…" A look of hesitation crossed the old man's face.
Just as Elder Fu was silently pondering how to answer this question, far away in a massive hall in the upper reaches of
Behind him, the cultivators of the Ye Clan were likewise driving their magical treasures, unleashing furious attacks against the stone puppets of all shapes that filled the hall before them.
These puppets took the forms of beasts and birds, their bodies extraordinarily hard and capable of spitting out various simple spells — genuinely fearsome creatures. They poured out through four corridors surrounding the hall in a seemingly endless tide.
Yet the Ye Clan cultivators remained composed, focusing solely on driving their magical treasures forward, each seemingly confident in their plan.
After a short while, a tremendous crash suddenly echoed from one side. The corridor in that direction collapsed entirely, and the flow of puppets from that direction ceased instantly.
Hearing the sound, a trace of joy appeared on the faces of the Ye Clan cultivators.
Before long, the other three corridors also collapsed one by one amid rumbling explosions. With no new puppets joining the fray, the remaining puppets in the hall were swept clean by the Ye Clan cultivators in short order.
"What in the world are these things? They don't seem much like the puppets we know."
Only then did the Ye Clan cultivators relax. They each produced spirit stones and sat cross-legged on the spot. Although the danger had appeared manageable, the prolonged full-power driving of their magical treasures had genuinely depleted a great deal of their magical power.
Just then, a streak of light shot out from the last destroyed corridor and arrived before everyone in the blink of an eye. The light faded to reveal a scholar in white robes.
"Elder Han, what you said was exactly right. At the end of each corridor, there was indeed a side hall. Those puppets all came from inside them. I followed the method you pointed out, broke through the restrictions, and destroyed the control centers of every side hall." The scholar addressed one of the group with a smile.
"Nothing remarkable. I happened upon records of this puppet formation array in ancient texts years ago, which is how I knew how to deal with it. Otherwise, if we had simply held our ground and endured, even a cultivator of heaven-reaching abilities would have been worn to death." The one who replied was, without the slightest change in expression, The Devil.
"Ha ha! It seems my decision to specifically bring Elder Han along has truly paid off. I'm sure we'll be relying on your help many more times in the future." The scholar spoke with a genial smile.