"Faceless One, you thought you could deceive this Emperor?"Yi Tianxing's cold voice rang out."You really think your transformation technique is flawless? That I wouldn't recognize you? I let you live once, and now you dare appear before me again? You believe your Faceless Technique can deceive the world?"
"And this so-called valley… it's clearly the skull of a monstrous beast. Did you think I'd be fooled into walking straight into it? You take this Emperor for blind?"
Yi Tianxing's voice was laced with derision.
Swish!
Midair, "Li Qingping" halted abruptly just before the valley, gazing coldly at Yi Tianxing.
She sneered."Impressive, Emperor Yi. To think you saw through me. No one has ever seen through my disguise before. The "Faceless Devil Scripture" of our Wuxiang Demon Clan is flawless. Not once has it failed. How did you discover me?"
Even now, the first thing she wanted to know was where she slipped up.Her transformation had copied even the soul aura to perfection—impossible to distinguish from the real thing. And yet, Yi Tianxing not only saw through it, but unhesitatingly threw her into the trap.
Knowing how she was discovered would allow her to perfect the technique next time.
"You think I'll tell you?"
Yi Tianxing's voice was ice-cold.Why would he help an enemy refine their skills?
Truth be told, it had been a lucky catch.He hadn't been suspicious at first.
But as soon as they reached the valley, his Innate Yin-Yang Eyes revealed the valley's true form—it was a massive beast skull, not a landform. Its teeth were jagged and chilling, and inside, barbed hooks shimmered with cold light—hooks he recognized.
They were Void Spirit Demon Hooks, a terrifying weapon used by the Voidling Clan. One of them had almost dragged him into Eternal Night in the past.
Now, seven or eight of them lay in ambush. If caught off guard, even he might be in real danger.
But that wasn't the only clue.
Just before they reached the "valley," he caught a flicker of emotion in "Li Qingping's" eyes—anticipation, glee, even the thrill of revenge.
That look did not belong on a real ally.
And the aura around her—it had always felt a bit off. Hard to place, yet subtly wrong.
After reflecting on it, Yi Tianxing realized: her energy pattern was eerily similar to the Faceless Saint Son who had impersonated Lü Bu before.
That was enough.
Thanks to his Divine Sense Nerve Core's transformation and the fusion of the Godslayer Blade with the Wisdom Sword, his perception had become terrifyingly sharp.
That sliver of doubt had been enough for him to act decisively—and it paid off.
"So what if you saw through it? Chen Xuerou really is inside. If you want to save her, you'll have no choice but to enter."
The Faceless Saint Son laughed darkly, though frustration lingered.
He still hadn't figured out where he failed.
But it didn't matter—Yi Tianxing would come anyway, even if he knew it was a trap.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Suddenly, seven or eight dark, hook-like chains shot out from the beast skull—Void Demon Hooks, moving like lightning.
Their aura was terrifying. They appeared not to be solid, but formed from condensed dark light, flickering between illusion and reality.
"Void Demon Hooks again? Trying to ambush me?"
Yi Tianxing narrowed his eyes coldly.
He was no stranger to these things. But unlike others, he did not dodge.
Instead, he remained standing atop his Nine-Dragon War Chariot, unmoving—even as the hooks pierced into his body.
The hooks burrowed into his flesh, and in the next moment, Yi Tianxing felt his soul being caught, pain flooding through him.
"How bold! You dare take it head-on? You're the first to ever try!"
A mocking voice echoed from within the skull.
Clearly, Yi Tianxing's actions had offended them deeply.
Across all of Eternal Night and Eternal World, none dared face Void Demon Hooks without fear.
But Yi Tianxing not only didn't fear them—he allowed them to strike him, like he looked down on their power.
To the Voidling Clan, it was an intolerable insult.
In fury, the power surging through the hooks intensified.
"Come here, then."
A terrible pulling force surged through the hooks, trying to drag Yi Tianxing into the skull's maw.
The illusion faded, and the enormous skull, thousands of feet wide, was fully revealed.
Its jagged fangs, terrifying sockets, and abyssal mouth exuded death and horror.
Clank! Clank!
The hooks trembled, pulled taut, glowing ominously.
But then—they didn't budge him an inch.
Yi Tianxing stood firm, like a mountain.
A wave of shocked cries echoed from the skull.
"Impossible! He's been struck! His body and soul should be sealed! Why can't we pull him in?! These hooks are innate-grade artifacts! Even mountains would be dragged in! We're using eight!"
They were utterly stunned.
Years ago, even when the Void Demon Hooks struck Yi Tianxing, they couldn't pull him in.Now, nothing had changed—they were as ineffective as ants pulling a turtle.
"Heh. What can your Void Demon Hooks do to me?"
Yi Tianxing sneered.
For most cultivators, being hooked meant certain death.It was nearly impossible to resist.
But he was different.
Now, the Void Demon Hooks had become Innate-grade spiritual treasures, far stronger than before.Yet so had he.
The Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Pagoda within him had transformed from a Minor World into a Middle World, a leap of magnitude.
That was like comparing a lake to an ocean.
With a single thought, he used the Pagoda to anchor both soul and body, and his presence became immovable.The hooks clamped on tightly—but could not pull.
"Come out, you rats lurking in the shadows. You tried to sneak attack me once before. This time, I'll repay the debt in full."
Yi Tianxing glared coldly at the hooks.
Suddenly, he grabbed one, and with a surge of boiling blood energy, he yanked.
"No!"
Ripples spread through the void.
A moment later, a figure dressed in black robes, body like a shadow vortex, was forcibly pulled out.
It was a Voidling Clan expert, his aura not beneath the True Spirit Realm.
His entire body seemed fused with the hook—as if it were a part of him.
Yi Tianxing's strength overwhelmed him, dragging him into the open.
"Void Vortex!!"
The Voidling expert didn't panic.Instead, he sneered—and his chest imploded, forming a swirling black vortex that began to expand rapidly…