Translator: CinderTL
In the cave.
Song Wen was concealed in a hollow in the stone wall, sealed off by a massive boulder.
He curled up, concealing his aura completely, and remained motionless.
This was why envoy Gui Ni's Spirit Sense had failed to detect his presence during the earlier search.
A cold glint flashed in Song Wen's eyes.
Xue Mei had finally revealed herself!
The Illusion Technique that had deceived Mo Yexue must have been Xue Mei's doing.
Xue Mei was definitely nearby.
And her most likely hiding place was the network of underground tunnels dug by the Gold-Eating Ants.
Just as Song Wen had predicted, Xue Mei, perhaps feeling exposed and seeing no need to remain hidden, broke through the ground.
She summoned a ball of black water, transforming it into a black spear that shot straight for Mo Yexue.
Clearly, she intended to capitalize on Mo Yexue's injuries and eliminate this formidable enemy.
Mo Yexue's situation was dire.
To her left was the Fourth-Tier Peak Ant King, to her right was envoy Gui Ni, and below was Xue Mei.
Xue Mei, with only mid-Nascent Soul cultivation, was the weakest of the three. Yet Mo Yexue dared not underestimate her.
Xue Mei's Black Water of Destruction could corrode almost anything. The slightest carelessness could result in a Mystic Treasure being corroded, its spiritual essence severely damaged.
As Mo Yexue pondered how to respond, the sky above suddenly churned with wind and clouds.
A bolt of purple lightning erupted from the thick cloud cover, piercing through the Ghost Qi that filled the air and striking the spear formed by the Black Water of Destruction.
The sudden arrival of the purple lightning startled both Gui Ni and Xue Mei.
Both sensed a profound threat emanating from the thunder.
They had only encountered such terrifying thunder magic once before in the current Immortal Cultivation World.
Could it be that person had returned to seek revenge?
But hadn't that person already gone to the Chaotic Sea?
The Teleportation Array had been destroyed!
How could that person possibly return to the Tianyuan Continent?
Moreover, the thunder before them was even more powerful than that person's thunder magic!
Had the Orthodox Path produced a new thunder magic prodigy?
As Gui Ni and Xue Mei struggled to make sense of the situation, the purple lightning struck the black spear.
Unable to withstand the thunder's might, the spear was sent flying backward.
The lightning's lingering force continued downward, aiming for Xue Mei.
Xue Mei swiftly recalled the black spear and simultaneously produced a silver talisman. Without hesitation, she activated it.
Instantly, a silver light erupted, engulfing Xue Mei.
A purple bolt of lightning pierced through the silver light, but Xue Mei vanished without a trace.
Three hundred miles away, Xue Mei's figure materialized out of thin air. She glanced back at the spot where the lightning had struck. Standing proudly there was a familiar figure—Ji Yin, who should have been in the Chaotic Sea.
Xue Mei's expression turned grave. Compared to thirty years ago, Ji Yin's strength had increased dramatically. With Lan Chen and Mo Yexue present as well, she and Gui Ni were unlikely to stand a chance against the three of them.
Without a word, Xue Mei erupted in a torrent of Blood Mist. She activated the Blood Escape Technique, intending to flee back to the Profound Yin Cave.
Her luck was good. The Minor Teleportation Talisman she had just activated happened to teleport her in the direction of the cave. She was now only four hundred miles away. If she could successfully execute the Blood Escape Technique, she would be able to escape another three hundred miles. By then, no matter how many tricks Ji Yin had up his sleeve or how powerful he was, he wouldn't be able to stop her from returning to the Profound Yin Cave.
"Xue Mei, you can't escape!" Song Wen's voice was calm and unhurried, betraying no hint of panic.
Next, he looked up at Lan Chen and Mo Yexue in the sky and said, "Immortal Maiden Lan Chen, Fellow Daoist Mo, Gui Ni is yours to handle. Hold him down! He must not escape!"
"Ji Yin, rest assured and pursue Xue Mei. Even if we can't kill Gui Ni, we won't let him slip away easily," Mo Yexue replied, taking a moment from her own battle.
Song Wen nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to Xue Mei, who was now completely enveloped in Blood Mist three hundred miles away. A smile played on his lips.
It was as if everything was under his control, victory already assured.
The smile gradually stiffened, finally becoming as rigid and eerie as a wooden carving, chillingly cold.
A ball of blood mist suddenly materialized, and Xue Mei burst forth from within.
She was now only a hundred miles from the Profound Yin Cave.
A cunning rabbit has three burrows.
The Profound Yin Cave had more than one exit. There were several hidden, secret exits as well. By fleeing into the cave and exiting through one of these hidden passages, she could completely evade Ji Yin's pursuit.
Suddenly, a figure appeared dozens of miles ahead, blocking Xue Mei's path.
Xue Mei's expression instantly tightened. A flicker of shock flashed in her eyes, followed by a sharp deceleration as she attempted to change direction and flee.
The figure before her was none other than Ji Yin!
Through some unknown Secret Art, he had inexplicably traversed over six hundred miles to appear directly in her path.
Standing behind Ji Yin were three Corpse Puppets, each at the Fourth-Tier Peak level.
Song Wen's sudden appearance caught Xue Mei completely off guard, leaving Hong Li utterly terrified.
After Gui Ni, Mo Yexue, and Lan Chen appeared one after another, Hong Li realized he couldn't participate in their battle. He quietly retreated, returning to the vicinity of the Profound Yin Cave. There, he was leading over thirty Golden Core ghost cultivators in setting up a Ghost Dao Formation outside the cave, seemingly to prepare for Gui Ni's arrival.
Hong Li and his group were only thirty or forty miles away from Song Wen.
Three Corpse Puppets charged toward Hong Li's group.
At this moment, the three Nascent Soul cultivators of the Profound Yin Sect were all outside the Profound Yin Cave.
This meant that the sect's protection array was unguarded by Nascent Soul cultivators, presenting the perfect opportunity to break it.
The three Corpse Puppets were like wolves among sheep, mercilessly slaughtering the Golden Core ghost cultivators.
Even Hong Li, an Early Stage Nascent Soul cultivator, couldn't escape. He was torn in half by a Corpse Puppet.
The three Corpse Puppets didn't bother pursuing every Golden Core ghost cultivator. They swept through the group with unstoppable force, preventing them from continuing their formation before charging directly toward the entrance of the Profound Yin Cave.
The cave entrance was a hundred miles wide, resembling a gateway to the underworld.
The cave entrance was protected by a Formation Barrier—the Profound Yin Sect's Sect Protection Array. Only disciples holding tokens were permitted to enter.
Three Corpse Puppets leaped high into the air, each extending a pair of razor-sharp claws. They descended from above, aiming their claws at the barrier.
Six claws, as sharp as knives, struck the barrier simultaneously.
The barrier flickered with light, rune patterns swirling across its surface.
The Profound Yin Sect had existed for over ten thousand years. Its Sect Protection Array had undergone countless improvements, embodying the wisdom and dedication of countless Profound Yin Sect ancestors. Even without a Nascent Soul cultivator to oversee it, the Sect Protection Array was not easily breached.
The barrier trembled violently, sending ripples outward. The rune patterns blurred, as if on the verge of shattering.
Yet, the barrier held.
Just then, a torrent of blood-red energy descended from the sky like a celestial river crashing down, slamming against the Sect Protection Array.
Already on the brink of collapse, the barrier could no longer withstand the impact. It shattered with a thunderous roar, dissolving into countless specks of light that vanished into the air.
(End of the Chapter)
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