Translator: CinderTL
The two men crept toward the ancestral hall, their movements furtive. Whether Zuoqiu Zhen's preparations had taken effect or the Wang Family simply felt no concern about disturbances at the hall, the area before it was completely deserted.
Lin Fan glanced around, confirming their solitude, and whispered, "Brother, what's the plan?"
Xu Sanyan unslung the bundle from his back and retrieved the secret realm fruit. A hazy, gray aura immediately emanated from it.
Lin Fan examined the fruit with curiosity. He knew this was the very object that had made the holy son a target of relentless pursuit by both righteous and demonic factions across the world. He wondered what mysteries it held.
Xu Sanyan gazed at the formation patterns encircling the ancestral hall. The usually empty space was now enveloped in a dense network of crimson, flowing light, leaving no foothold. Countless beams of light streamed along the patterns and vanished into the hall.
After a moment's thought, Xu Sanyan decided that while there might not be any immediate danger, it was best to send Lin Fan ahead to scout. He pointed to the steps leading up to the hall. "Stand there with the fruit," he instructed.
Lin Fan glanced at the secret realm fruit, then at the ancestral hall shrouded in formation patterns. Without hesitation, he nodded decisively. "Alright!"
Xu Sanyan suddenly felt a pang of guilt. Look at this kid—so obedient, doing everything I ask without a single question.
Lin Fan and I are like two halves of the same heart. I'm the one scheming, and he's the one carrying out my plans. Thinking about it that way, I'm really a piece of trash.
Xu Sanyan shook his head, banishing the absurd thought. I'm just too kind-hearted. My conscience hasn't completely withered away.
"Go on, help your future sister-in-law," Xu Sanyan urged.
Lin Fan blushed slightly. "Brother... it's too early to say that. Yi'er and I haven't become Dao Companions yet."
Tsk, "Yi'er" already? Xu Sanyan rolled his eyes inwardly and shoved the secret realm fruit into Lin Fan's hands. "Focus on the task at hand."
"Mm."
Clutching the secret realm fruit, Lin Fan stood outside the formation pattern. After a moment's hesitation, he stepped forward.
Whoosh—
Instantly, the fruit's faint glow blocked the flowing light. The formation pattern, originally like a network of pipes carrying rushing water, was now severed by the fruit. Like a bottomless vat, the fruit absorbed the torrent, causing the latter half of the formation pattern to dim.
It worked!
Xu Sanyan watched from a distance as a continuous stream of crimson light poured into the secret realm fruit, vanishing without a trace. He couldn't tell where it was ultimately going.
ROAR~!!
Suddenly, a deafening roar erupted from the ancestral hall, its shockwave shaking the roof tiles loose and causing the trees to rustle violently.
The sound wasn't human; it was more like the furious bellow of some wild beast, audible throughout Thousand Autumns City.
Xu Sanyan's heart lurched. Damn it! Such a massive disturbance would undoubtedly draw the Wang Family's attention. He couldn't linger here any longer!
As for his agreement with Zuoqiu Zhen, he'd long since abandoned it. Anyone who'd worked with Xu Sanyan knew he had no sense of contractual obligation.
Faint voices carried from the distance, filled with alarm. "What was that noise?"
"I don't know... it sounded like some kind of beast."
"A beast? How could there be a beast in the Wang Family estate?"
Xu Sanyan frowned. Do the Wang Family even know their Eighth-Generation Ancestor is being kept in the ancestral hall?
At that moment, the thirty-six pillars of light trembled violently. The dark crimson beams, which had been blazing skyward moments before, abruptly shrank by a significant margin.
The formation patterns covering the entire inner city dimmed slightly, as if a massive surge of energy had been drained from them.
Xu Sanyan knew Zuoqiu Zhen was behind this, but he couldn't afford to dwell on it. He urgently called to Lin Fan, "Let's go!"
Lin Fan, his face deathly pale, clutched the secret realm fruit, trembling violently. Sweat poured down his face as he forced out a few words through clenched teeth, "Brother, my... my spiritual power is draining away!"
Xu Sanyan's pupils constricted as he immediately realized the truth. "Damn it! That bitch tricked me!"
Zuoqiu Zhen must have known this would happen, yet she hadn't warned him. It was clear she had planned to betray him from the start.
Fortunately, Xu Sanyan had been cautious enough to let his "good brother" take the fall.
Whoosh—
Thump!
Suddenly, Lin Fan vanished, and the secret realm fruit, no longer supported, crashed to the ground and rolled down the steps. It came to a stop at the edge of the formation pattern's boundary, unable to escape its confinement.
Just then, voices grew louder in the distance, approaching rapidly.
"Let's go see what's happening. It sounds like it's coming from the ancestral hall."
Another voice replied, "Hmm, I wonder who's keeping pets in the ancestral hall."
"It's probably the great elder. He often visits the hall."
"Roar—!!"
Another bestial roar shattered the windows and doors of the ancestral hall with a deafening crash. Xu Sanyan instinctively turned his head, his pupils contracting sharply at the sight.
A writhing mass of dark, fleshy serpents coiled and intertwined before the windows. Their bodies were covered in irregular, granular protrusions—rotting flesh-balls that pulsed with a sickening vitality. Smaller flesh-balls sprouted from the larger ones, forming grotesque, layered clusters that scraped against each other as the serpents moved, the grating sound sending shivers down Xu Sanyan's spine. Dark crimson blood oozed from some of the festering wounds.
This would be a treat for someone with trypophobia, Xu Sanyan thought grimly.
He clenched his jaw, forcing himself to look away, but the more disgusted he felt, the more he found himself drawn to the horrifying spectacle.
A closer glance revealed that these weren't serpents at all, but rather fleshy tentacles—like those of an octopus, flailing wildly in chaotic motion.
Xu Sanyan cursed under his breath, "Damn it, what the hell is that thing?"
He had no time to ponder. With a wave of his hand, a surge of spiritual power lifted the secret realm fruit into his palm. His figure flickered, vanishing from the spot.
Just then, two Wang Family disciples approached from the front. Their faces paled with terror as they spotted the monstrous creature writhing inside the ancestral hall. "Quick, report to the clan head! There's a monster in the ancestral hall!"
Whoosh!
A sharp, piercing sound cut through the air from the shadows. Two massive heads flew into the air, crimson blood gushing from their severed necks as the headless corpses crashed heavily to the ground.
A figure emerged from the darkness, her pale purple robe barely visible in the gloom. She didn't spare the corpses a glance, instead scanning the steps before her with a puzzled expression. "Hmm, where's the secret realm?" she murmured to herself. "Did it run away? That shouldn't be possible..."
Zuoqiu Zhen couldn't understand. According to her plan, Xu Sanyan would have triggered the formation the moment he stepped inside as agreed. The formation would have backfired, drawing his spiritual power uncontrollably into the secret realm fruit, pulling him into the realm itself.
By seizing the opportune moment, she could have achieved three goals with one move: stabilize her divine soul, acquire a secret realm for free, and avoid paying the final installment.
But now, it seemed something had gone terribly wrong...
Zuoqiu Zhen shook her head, unable to grasp what had happened. She abandoned her speculation, focusing instead on escaping quickly.
Though she had managed to stall the Wang Clan Head and the great elder, she couldn't hold them off for long. They would undoubtedly come to investigate this place soon.
Just as Zuoqiu Zhen slipped away, Xu Sanyan, who had been hiding in the shadows, also quietly departed.
As he had suspected, that old hag was behind it all!
(End of the Chapter)
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