Three hours earlier.
Zhuang Yuechan, Yin Shang, and their group had received word long before Song Changsheng did. But at the time, they had been occupied with matters inside the city and hadn't paid much attention.
After all, in the previous battle, they had already slain more than a few great demons, harvesting at least a dozen demon cores. For them, one more demon was hardly worth mobilizing over.
But that very day, they happened to learn startling news: the grievously wounded demon that had fled into the Griffon Mountains turned out to be none other than Golden Armor, the great demon of the Black-Armored Turtle Clan, the very one who had once led his forces to assault Luoxia City!
Back then, after suffering severe injuries, Golden Armor had used a secret art to escape the battlefield, vanishing without a trace. None had expected he would be discovered hiding in the Griffon Mountains.
Upon hearing this, Zhan Tianxia decisively dispatched Yin Shang, Niu Dazhuang, Zhuang Yuechan, and other second-generation disciples to the mountains. It was both to temper their skills and to eliminate a lingering threat.
Golden Armor was no ordinary great demon; he carried the potential to one day become a Demon King. That was precisely why Thundercry had thrust him into battle to be sacrificed.
After arriving in the Griffon Mountains, the group used fragments of turtle shell recovered from the battlefield as a medium for a tracing secret art, eventually pinpointing Golden Armor's hiding place…
At the mouth of a massive cavern, Zhuang Yuechan frowned as she gazed into the yawning black passage. "Senior brother, the tunnels inside branch in every direction. It's too complex. Charging in recklessly might be unwise."
The young man at the front wore plain white robes, a jade flute at his waist, and held in his right hand a shard of golden turtle shell that glimmered faintly with light.
He too frowned at the cavern's dark maw, momentarily hesitant.
"Bah, what's there to hesitate about? It's just a cave perfect for trapping a turtle in a jar. Little junior sister, if you're scared, just stay here at the entrance." Niu Dazhuang's booming voice carried an edge of mockery.
Zhuang Yuechan shot him a furious glare. The man was as reckless as ever.
At that moment, Yin Shang, standing at the front of the party, spoke calmly: "Regardless, this is a mission entrusted to us by the sect. We must see it done. But once inside, remember no one is to act rashly, and no one is to break off from the group."
As he said this, his gaze lingered deliberately on Niu Dazhuang.
Having issued his instructions, Yin Shang took the lead, following the secret art's guidance as he stepped into the cavern. The others followed in single file.
When Niu Dazhuang entered, his steps suddenly faltered. He glanced about suspiciously.
"Second senior brother?" a younger disciple asked in surprise.
"It's nothing. Must've been my imagination." Niu Dazhuang shook his head and strode on after Yin Shang.
Moments later, once the group had fully entered the cavern, a faint wind stirred. Fallen leaves and dust were swept aside, revealing a pitch-black sigil etched into the ground where Niu Dazhuang had stood.
The cavern inside was vast, riddled with branching tunnels. Fortunately, with the turtle shell as a guide, they pressed on for nearly an hour until Yin Shang suddenly halted. His voice dropped low. "Demonic aura."
Everyone stiffened, raising their guard as they advanced.
Soon, they stepped into a vast underground hollow. An overwhelming tide of demonic energy surged to meet them, thick enough to suffocate.
And then they beheld a sight that left them all shaken to the core…
Meanwhile, after discerning the nature of the formation, Song Changsheng turned to Xu Yunhe. "Brother Xu, will you come with me on this venture?"
"How could I refuse?" Xu Yunhe's stern face showed not a trace of fear.
"Good. Then let's go down and see for ourselves what kind of person dares lay such a trap."
At the cavern mouth, Song Changsheng activated the Eye of True Sight. Instantly, the formation's web of veins and lines became visible before his eyes. The black sigil etched at the entrance was now laid bare.
"So quickly, the first node already reveals itself." Song Changsheng frowned slightly. The lingering aura around the sigil stirred an uncanny sense of familiarity.
"Brother Song, what should we do?" Xu Yunhe asked.
"Don't touch it yet. The formation hasn't been fully activated. If we destroy this node now, it'll only alert the enemy. Let's mark the location and keep looking for the rest."
He withdrew a thumb-sized brown pill from his qiankun pouch and pressed it into the cavern wall.
"This is a Hundred Blossom Pill. It releases an enduring fragrance. Once the formation fully activates, we could easily lose our sense of direction. With this as a marker, we'll at least be able to find our way back to the exit."
Having made their preparations, Song Changsheng led the way, tracking the trail toward Zhuang Yuechan's group.
No sooner had they entered than the cavern trembled violently, as though a dragon beneath the earth had stirred.
"The formation has been activated. The enemy makes his move. Brother Xu holds onto me!"
Xu Yunhe's expression changed. He immediately grabbed hold of Song Changsheng's arm.
The next moment, golden array patterns surged into existence. If someone had been watching from above, they would have seen a massive golden net woven from those patterns, sealing off the cavern below.
"What is this?"
"Why is there a formation here?"
Several cultivators who had lagged behind and not yet entered the cavern froze in shock at the sudden turn of events.
Very quickly, though, they realized this had to be a trap. Panic set in, and they scattered like startled birds.
Some tried to break the formation, and others attempted to send word to the cultivators trapped inside.
But the Heaven and Earth Void-Locking Array was infamous for its ability to lock down space. It could only be broken from within. From the outside, perhaps only a Golden Core True Person had the power to smash through.
With space sealed off, all communication was cut. No messages could reach the cultivators inside. Everyone outside felt a chill run down their spines.
To dare to ensnare so many cultivators in a single stroke was the enemy declaring war on the entire cultivation world of Great Qi?
"We have to send word to the sect immediately!"
"Hurry, get to Luoxia City and notify the City Lord!"
…
While chaos reigned outside, those within the cavern remained unaware. As confusion spread among them, a strange black mist began seeping through the passages.
Before long, the cultivators inside made a horrifying discovery: their divine senses were shrinking rapidly. Foundation Establishment cultivators found their perception crushed down to a radius of only ten paces, while Purple Mansion cultivators were restricted to a mere hundred.
As for the Qi Refining disciples who had followed them, they couldn't even release their divine sense at all.
Before anyone could find a countermeasure, the black sigils hidden in every corner flared, releasing waves of eerie, ghostly ripples.
In that instant, many cultivators were horrified to realize that companions who had been right beside them a heartbeat ago had suddenly vanished, no aura, no trace left behind.
Panic spread like wildfire.
Some tried to flee back the way they had come, but the tunnels themselves had already been twisted by the formation. Strangely, everyone found themselves drifting farther from their comrades and farther from the exit with each step.
Deep in the cavern, in a chamber dense with stalactites and stone pillars, an old man in a tattered black robe curved his lips into a bloodthirsty smile. Slowly, he melted back into the black mist.
Not long after, screams and the wet sounds of blood spraying echoed from passage to passage, corner to corner…
"Brother Xu, hold onto my belt now."
The black fog not only suppressed divine sense, but it also blinded vision; even someone right at arm's length was invisible. Fortunately, Song Changsheng had the foresight to grab Xu Yunhe's arm, so the two had not been separated.
Once Xu Yunhe secured his grip on the belt, Song Changsheng pulled out the Binding Demon Cord and tied it around both their waists. This way, no unexpected mishap could force them apart.
"Brother Song, can you still sense Daoist Zhuang's position?"
Song Changsheng nodded. "I can."
But then his brow furrowed. "Daoist Zhuang isn't with Daoist Yin Shang and the others; she's moving rapidly, and alone."
"Perhaps she got separated by accident? Didn't you say that's one of the Void-Locking Array's effects?" Xu Yunhe, at least, remained calm.
"Even if she were separated, with her temperament, she wouldn't be rushing about aimlessly like this."
Xu Yunhe froze. The implication struck him at once. "You mean Daoist Zhuang was separated and has run into danger?"
"I fear so. Brother Xu, stay close!" Song Changsheng gripped the Taiji Diagram, activating the Eye of True Sight, and raced toward Zhuang Yuechan's location.
Within the mist-filled cavern, Zhuang Yuechan stumbled forward, one hand on the wall for support. Crimson blood had seeped through her white veil, blooming like plum blossoms in snow.
Agonizing pain gnawed at her consciousness, making her mind swim. Still, she clenched her teeth, sweat dripping like beans, and forced herself to take step after step.
With divine sense suppressed and the tunnels distorted by the formation, she could only rely on instinct to grope for an exit.
"Kekeke… didn't think you could still run this far."
Suddenly, the black fog ahead twisted. Out of it stepped the old man in the tattered black robe. Arms crossed, he smirked coldly at her.
Zhuang Yuechan's face paled. Her delicate hand quietly clasped the ring-shaped jade pendant at her waist.
"Who are you? Do you mean to set yourself against the entire cultivation world of Great Qi?" she demanded sharply.
"Heh heh… You righteous types always talk the same way. It was you lot who forced me into this wretched state. I'm simply repaying you in kind."
His expression twisted into a grim smile. "It's a pity those bastards from the Lieyang Sect aren't here today. But no matter tonight, I'll collect a little interest all the same!"
As he spoke, a ball of ghostly light welled up in his palm, pressing down toward Zhuang Yuechan.
Crack!
By instinct, Zhuang Yuechan crushed the jade pendant at her waist. At once, an oval-shaped shield unfolded in front of her.
The ghostly light struck the shield as if hitting a thin, flexible membrane, collapsing it inward, but in the next instant, it rebounded with even greater force.
The old man's face darkened. He crossed his arms before himself, but still staggered several steps back under the backlash.
Seizing the chance, Zhuang Yuechan unleashed her final trump card, a low-grade third-rank talisman. A blade of sword qi burst forth, illuminating the cavern as it slashed straight toward the old man's head.
Shrrrip!
The sword qi tore through the old man's protective aura in an instant. But he had been prepared to slip aside with agile movement. Even so, a faint sword mark scored his shoulder.
Regret flickered across Zhuang Yuechan's face. She had hoped that the strike would wound him more seriously.
Glancing at the wound, already beginning to scab, a cruel light flashed in the old man's eyes. If not for his desire to end this quickly, he would have delighted in tormenting her until she begged for death.
"Die, insect!" he snarled, a black serpent-shaped phantom writhing into being in his palm.
Zhuang Yuechan closed her eyes, but death did not arrive. The serpent streaked past her with a gust of wind.
Moments later, a deafening explosion rang out in the distance.
"Who's there?!" The old man's expression hardened, his predatory gaze locking on the roiling fog behind Zhuang Yuechan.
He had intended to finish her off immediately. But two unfamiliar auras had appeared not far away. Thinking of them fleeing cultivators, he had shifted his attack to wipe them out first.
To his surprise, his all-out strike left the two completely unscathed. A chill of caution pricked his heart.
In answer to his roar came a simple, earth-yellow object; it looked like nothing more than an ordinary clod of dirt, yet the aura emanating from it made his skin crawl.
"Wu Earth Divine Thunder?!" the old man screeched when he recognized it. With a sweep of his sleeve, a soul-banner embroidered with hideous, leering specters appeared in his grip, interposing itself before him.
BOOM!
A thunderous blast tore through the cavern, dazzling arcs of lightning flooding the air.
Just as the thunderstorm was about to engulf her, Zhuang Yuechan felt a figure rush to her side. One arm wrapped firmly around her waist, while the other unfurled a Taiji Diagram glowing with soft white light.
Through that glow, she glimpsed her savior's face.
How could he be here…? An illusion? The thought barely surfaced in her mind before consciousness slipped away and darkness claimed her.
BOOM!
Crack!
The thunderstorm slammed into the Taiji Diagram, scattering sparks of lightning across its surface.
Song Changsheng's eyes flickered with astonishment. He had always known the mysterious Taiji Diagram possessed formidable defense, but he had not expected it to withstand the Wu Earth Divine Thunder so effortlessly.
He was no green novice, though surprised, he quickly steadied his thoughts. Clutching the unconscious Zhuang Yuechan close, he invoked Flickering Shadows and retreated at speed.
A heartbeat later, the cavern collapsed, burying the old man beneath the raging thunderstorm.
"Brother Xu, take Daoist Zhuang and go! I'll hold him off!" Song Changsheng swiftly untied the Binding Demon Cord from his waist and secured it around Zhuang Yuechan, his voice sharp with urgency.
Xu Yunhe, equally decisive, knew lingering would only hinder Song Changsheng. From within his robe, he produced an object and pressed it into Song Changsheng's hand. "This is a low-grade third-rank Sword Talisman. It has one use left. Brother Song, be cautious!"
Accepting the talisman, Song Changsheng nodded gravely. "You go on ahead. I'll delay him for a moment and come find you soon. If you come across any nodes I've marked along the way, you can destroy them directly."
"Understood." Xu Yunhe hoisted Zhuang Yuechan onto his back. After giving Song Changsheng one last deep look, he sped off into the distance.
Once the two had vanished beyond the reach of his divine sense, Song Changsheng's face hardened. He drew out another Wu Earth Divine Thunder…
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