Two days ago.
Inside Yuanshan Tower.
"Tower Master, I have already investigated the matter, and what Lu Qingshan said is true. There indeed is a high-grade Illusion Array set up there. Although I'm not certain if the Blood Pool is within the Illusion Array, the probability is extremely high," Jiang Rong reported the specifics of his investigation to Dantai Qingrun.
Dantai Qingrun's eyebrows raised, and after pondering for a long time, she finally decided, "Contact Qi Yuan, leave that high-grade Illusion Array alone for now, lest we startle the snake by hitting the grass."
Jiang Rong agreed, "Good, I will contact Qi Yuan right away."
...
"That's exactly it." Dantai Qingrun described the situation to Qi Yuan with composure and thoroughness.
Qi Yuan, who had been summoned by Dantai Qingrun, seemed to have an epiphany after listening to her narration.
"The Netherworld and our Heavenly Secret Pavilion have been age-old adversaries, and they are well aware of the various techniques Heavenly Secret Pavilion uses. No wonder they have been so careless this time, allowing me to detect a trace of their plot so easily."
"So it seems the real intent of the drunkard isn't the wine."
"What are your plans to deal with this situation, Qi Yuan?" Dantai Qingrun asked with concern.
Qi Yuan pondered thoughtfully, "There is a doubt in this matter; how could the Netherworld know exactly when I would use the Heavenly Secret Mirror? Unless..."
"Unless there is an insider," Dantai Qingrun provided a definite answer.
She had already figured this out.
If the Netherworld wanted to seize the fragment of the Heavenly Secret Mirror while Qi Yuan was using it, they must ensure that someone from the Netherworld would also be present at the moment Qi Yuan utilized the mirror.
Taking the Heavenly Secret Mirror from Qi Yuan, a Nascent Soul Cultivator, would be no easy task.
With the manpower and strength of the Netherworld in Yuanshan City, they would undoubtedly need to prepare extensively.
If one's own strength is not enough, external forces must be sought.
A Formation would be the first choice, and only the power of a Formation could allow a Low Rank Cultivator to compete with a High Level Cultivator in a short span of time.
But setting up a Formation takes time, and it's clearly impractical to wait until after pinpointing Qi Yuan's location.
Therefore, the most practical approach is to set up the Formation in advance at a certain location and somehow manage to have Qi Yuan use the Heavenly Secret Mirror within the area covered by the Formation.
This would facilitate the implementation of the Netherworld's subsequent plans.
With all these considerations.
"This insider, their status is not low, and they will also find a way to encourage you to use 'Observing Heaven'!" Dantai Qingrun declared with certainty.
Qi Yuan naturally agreed with Dantai Qingrun's assessment, "This time when I came to Yuanshan City, I only informed you guys at Yuanshan Tower and... the City Lord of Yuanshan City, Luo Yan!"
A chill flashed through Dantai Qingrun's clear eyes, "Could it be?"
"It's not yet time for a final judgment," Qi Yuan said gravely, "Let's wait and watch for the changes. As long as the Netherworld makes a move, they are bound to slip up."
The Netherworld thought they had laid out bait, and Qi Yuan was the plump fish lured by it.
But little did they know, at this moment, both Qi Yuan and Dantai Qingrun were also playing the willing bait.
...
As expected.
As anticipated, the City Lord's Mansion had already been covered by a pre-arranged Formation.
And Qi Yuan cooperated by deploying the 'Observing Heaven' Technique within the City Lord's Mansion.
They planned to lure all the Netherworld's forces in Yuanshan City into appearance, then capture them all at once.
Under the effect of Qi Yuan's 'Xuantian Spiritual Technique,' Dantai Qingrun had been following Qi Yuan in an extremely covert manner.
The moment the Netherworld made their move, she would do so as well.
Dantai Qingrun was confident of her approach.
Seeing the current situation unfold, Rakshasa felt a chill in his heart.
Despite not knowing how their plan had been exposed, a crucial setback was now inevitable.
"What are we waiting for? Act now!" Without the luxury of time to ponder further, Rakshasa, driven by the urgency of the moment, was determined to fulfill the mission.
Under the urging of Rakshasa.
Out of the swirls of black mist, a ferocious behemoth suddenly appeared, its back having three protruding spines that looked terrifying.
Beneath the behemoth stood a Cultivator.
It was none other than the Crying Soul master.
Following the plan, he unleashed the War Beast from his Spirit Beast Bag.
Whoosh!
One of the spines on the behemoth's back detached and flew out.
Darker than night, and shaped like a long sword, the spine flew swiftly towards Qi Yuan, and with a slight slash in the void...
Countless streaks of black radiance splattered, and within the void, a line of gold appeared.
Then, under the power of the Sword Bone, the line broke.
Qi Yuan's complexion changed.
—His connection with the fragment of the Heavenly Secret Mirror had been severed at that moment.
He could no longer recall the Heavenly Secret Mirror as easily as before.
Qi Yuan reacted quickly.
He immediately spurred the Spiritual Power within, ready to forcefully reclaim the Heavenly Secret Mirror.
But it was too late; the instant the Sword Bone had severed the golden thread, the fragment of the Heavenly Secret Mirror had already vanished into thin air.
At the spot where the fragment had disappeared, a nebulous shadow emerged.
——The Golden Core Realm Nether Cultivator from the Underworld had been lurking in the dark for a long time.
Waiting for so long was for this moment, once the War Beast severed Qi Yuan's connection with the subsidiary Heavenly Secret Mirror, he would make his move and snatch the mirror.
"It's mine!" Seeing the subsidiary Heavenly Secret Mirror being taken into the Nether Cultivator's Storage Ring, Rakshasa's face finally showed a hint of joy.
"Do you really think you can still get away?" There was a tinge of rage in Qi Yuan's voice.
Qi Yuan stretched out his hands forward and pressed down forcefully.
In an instant, winds rose and clouds churned, the sea of fog tumbled!
Within the void, the black mist that originally belonged to the Three Spirits Demon Formation formed two black palms, which under Qi Yuan's control, pressed down towards the Golden Core Realm Nether Cultivator and the War Beast.
Though Spiritual Cultivators are not skilled in offense and defense, Qi Yuan was after all a Nascent Soul Cultivator, and his techniques were not something these Underworld Cultivators, who at most were of Golden Core level, could withstand.
This palm strike possessed immense pressure; the Golden Core Realm Nether Cultivator was directly shaken, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood and collapsed on the ground, powerless to move anymore.
However, facing the giant black palm, the black skin of the War Beast lit up with a line of golden patterns.
The moment the golden patterns lit up, the already huge body of the War Beast grew even larger.
At this moment, the War Beast looked fierce and colossal like a prehistoric behemoth.
Roar——
With an angry roar, the War Beast pushed up with its claws.
Soil and stones flew everywhere.
A large pit formed at the spot where the War Beast stood, under the force of its tremendous power.
The War Beast actually endured the palm strike by sheer force.
For a moment, the War Beast and the black palm were locked in a stalemate.
Hm?
A hint of surprise flashed in Qi Yuan's eyes as he let out a light hum.
The beast before him was merely Third Grade, equivalent to a Golden Core Cultivator of the Human Race, and yet it withstood his technique.
Qi Yuan felt a blow to his pride.
Qi Yuan's left hand executed a spell, and a crimson Fire Ring manifested in response to the spell, quickly moving towards the War Beast under his control.
This was his Magic Artifact, the Vermilion Bird Ring.
As the War Beast watched the Vermilion Bird Ring approaching, its pitch-dark eyes were filled with violent intent.
Swoosh!
All that remained on the spine of the War Beast, the two Sword Bones, flew out.
One Sword Bone slashed towards the Vermilion Bird Ring, and the other towards Dantai Qingrun's Life-bound Sword.
Because, at the same time as Qi Yuan made his move, Dantai Qingrun also showed no weakness, and his Spirit Hidden Sword's blue light surged, moving in the stance of a Flying Sword towards Rakshasa.
Having been caught off guard once, Qi Yuan and Dantai Qingrun naturally wouldn't fall for the same trick easily again.
The Vermilion Bird Ring faced the incoming Sword Bone.
Crimson light soared into the sky.
Sparks scattered everywhere.
At this moment, the Vermilion Bird Ring was like a fiery ball.
Under Qi Yuan's mental command, in an unstoppable manner, it directly and proactively met the two Sword Bones head-on.
Qi Yuan also intercepted the Sword Bone that was originally aimed at Dantai Qingrun.
With no disruptions, Dantai Qingrun's Spirit Hidden Sword finally hit Rakshasa with the intention of a thunderous blast.
As the Spirit Hidden Sword was about to strike, a burst of blood-red light erupted from Rakshasa's eyes.
Horrifying blood-red patterns appeared on his face.
Hiss——
In that instant, Rakshasa's whole body burst into flames, shooting flames in all directions.
[Refined Demon Bloodline], a Third Grade bloodline of the Demon Race.
Rakshasa activated his Refined Demon Bloodline, transforming into a demon form—the Demon Refiner.
With the Refined Demon Bloodline enhancing him, Rakshasa's physical body withstood Dantai Qingrun's Flying Sword attack.
The flames swirling around Rakshasa's body, under the pressure of the sword momentum, scattered in all directions, and sparks mixed within the black mist, looking like a volcanic eruption.
Bang!
A huge gash appeared in Rakshasa's chest under the attack of the Spirit Hidden Sword.
——Even with the activation of his Demon Race bloodline, an attack from a Golden Core Realm Sword Cultivator was not something he could easily bear.
Rakshasa's original plan was to take the subsidiary Heavenly Secret Mirror and, with the power of the Three Spirits Demon Formation, briefly trap Qi Yuan, and then they would immediately escape.
But at this moment, there were many Yuanshan Tower Cultivators outside the Three Spirits Demon Formation, and to leave the formation was to walk straight into a trap.
That plan was no longer viable.
Rakshasa cast his gaze around.
He saw that the True Person of Crying Soul had already used his Crying Soul Sword to directly slash off the fingertip of the Golden Core Nether Cultivator, who was unconscious on the ground.
The Golden Core Nether Cultivator's right hand index finger was wearing a Storage Ring.
——The Storage Ring containing the subsidiary Heavenly Secret Mirror.
True Person of Crying Soul took the Storage Ring into his hand.
Rakshasa's heart steadied.