Chapter 228 : Secret-Realm Demon Ape
Chapter 228: Secret-Realm Demon Ape
In the records of Southern Wastes books, this world was called Sky-Million Star, divided into four regions: Eastern Lands, Western Heavens, Southern Wastes, and Northern Mysteries.
To the east of the Endless Sea lay the Eastern Lands.
That was the region where the Human Race’s cultivation powers flourished the most. With countless cultivation experts, their strength far surpassed that of Southern Wastes cultivators. There was even a Void-Refining cultivation overlord who had established a great unified cultivation dynasty, making innumerable cultivation sects submit.
To the west of the Endless Sea lay the Western Heavens.
The cultivation path of Western Heavens differed completely from that of the Eastern Lands and Southern Wastes. They cultivated not immortals, but Buddhas. Practitioners who attained the Fruit Position of Bodhisattva possessed strength comparable to Void-Refining Dao Venerables.
Indeed, there were no cultivation sects in Western Heavens, but instead temples bound by numerous precepts.
There, for the Human Race to embark upon the path of cultivation required not only spiritual roots, but also wisdom roots. Without wisdom roots, cultivators could not comprehend Buddhist cultivation at all.
To the north of the Endless Sea lay the Northern Mysteries.
The Northern Mysteries were vast and boundless, with sparse human presence. It was the dominion of the Beast Race, its ruling forces being the Ten Great Beast Saints. Each Beast Saint’s strength was on par with Void-Refining experts, and they frequently invaded the prosperous Eastern Lands.
Situated at the extreme south of the continent, backed against the Endless Sea, the Southern Wastes had lost countless experts in an ancient great tribulation.
Now, the strongest cultivation sect on the surface was the Eight Wastelands Sect, which ruled over the Southern Yan Territory. Its sect ancestor was only a Divine-Transformation True Venerable, and in terms of strength, it was far inferior to the Eastern Lands, Western Heavens, and Northern Mysteries.
Thinking of this, Chen Beiwu’s gaze slightly tightened: “You’ve been to the Eastern Lands?”
“No.” Seeing Chen Beiwu’s reaction, Yan Yue let out a sigh of relief and explained: “But that ruin was left behind by the [Tai Void Formation Sect], the great ancient sect of formation arts in the Southern Wastes. Within it, there must be a teleportation array leading to the Eastern Lands.”
“Words alone are not proof. Do you have evidence?” Chen Beiwu asked calmly.
Yan Yue’s storage ring flickered between her fingers as she took out two jade slips and presented them.
“This is the inner disciple token of the Tai Void Formation Sect. With this token, one can enter the sect’s ruins. If a cultivator passes the trial, they may obtain formation inheritance.”
“This is the inheritance jade slip I obtained from passing the first trial. It records the Second-Tier Superior Spirit Formation, Jade-Void Wandering Formation.”
“A Second-Tier Formation Master who sets down the Jade-Void Wandering Formation can freely move within the formation. Moreover, by comprehending this array, one can further cultivate the Third-Tier Treasure Formation [Jade-Void Dragon-Trapping Formation].”
“The Jade-Void Dragon-Trapping Formation’s power is unfathomable—it can suppress immortal law domains and trap-and-slaughter Golden Core True Persons.”
“Unfortunately, my strength back then was limited, and I failed to pass the second trial of the Tai Void Formation Sect, thus never obtaining the inheritance jade slip of the Jade-Void Dragon-Trapping Formation.” Yan Yue spoke with a tone of regret.
Formation inheritance was hard to come by.
Since Chen Zi’ang was able to break through a Third-Tier incomplete formation and enter the main hall, he must also have been a Second-Tier Superior Formation Master.
And the Tai Void Formation Sect, even in the ancient Southern Wastes, was a renowned giant of formation arts.
Its sect inheritance included not only Third-Tier Golden Core Treasure Formations, but also Fourth-Tier True Monarch Profound Formations, and even Fifth-Tier True Venerable Origin Formations.
A heaven’s chosen like Chen Zi’ang, possessing outstanding talent, would never miss such an opportunity.
As long as Chen Zi’ang took the bait, Yan Yue had seventy percent confidence in borrowing the formation arts of the Tai Void ruins to trap and kill him.
“Hoo.”
Chen Beiwu exhaled a turbid breath, his right hand gripping the Cold-Pool Spirit Sword as he slowly shook his head.
He was not a Southern Wastes cultivator, but a student of Yuqing Immortal Sect of the Immortal Alliance.
The formation inheritance that Southern Wastes cultivators viewed as priceless was something he could simply study through elective formation courses within Yuqing Immortal Sect.
Compared to so-called Tai Void formation inheritance, Chen Beiwu valued more whether there was truly a teleportation array to the Eastern Lands within the ruins.
But even if he could not obtain it, he would not feel distressed.
After all, today’s harvest was already more than sufficient. Just the two Third-Tier magic treasures on Luo Yongjie’s body alone were enough for him to exchange for a massive amount of sect contribution points.
“Swish!”
A flash of sword light appeared, and a streak of sword qi cut across Yan Yue’s neck.
“Why?”
Yan Yue revealed a look of disbelief. She had clearly offered enough to trade for her life.
“Sorry, in the end, you still failed to move me.” Chen Beiwu sheathed his sword, his tone calm.
Even a lion used its full strength when hunting a rabbit.
The reason he had spoken so much with Yan Yue was solely to restore the mana in his dantian and qi sea, which had nearly been depleted.
At the same time, in secret, he borrowed the Beast Seal to cast “Truth or Illusion,” confusing her divine sense perception, and finding the best moment for a decapitating strike.
“Thud!”
Watching the corpse crash to the ground, Chen Beiwu lightly shook his head. His vast divine sense surged forth instantly, capturing her remnant soul memory.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator could hardly hide malice before him.
Had Yan Yue sincerely submitted, he would not have been unwilling to spare her life and take her in as a Foundation Establishment subordinate.
Unfortunately, she always harbored hidden thoughts. Keeping her would ultimately be a danger.
……
Outside the Tianyan True Realm.
“How long will it take to break the formation?”
Staring at the Third-Tier incomplete formation upon the grand hall plaza, Gu Jianfeng spoke calmly.
“About two days,” the Profound Sword Pavilion cultivator in charge of breaking formations replied, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
“I’ll give you one day.”
Having said this, Gu Jianfeng looked at the three men and one woman of the Profound Sword Pavilion behind him. “Where is Li Yuanhang?”
To better explore the Tianyan True Realm, he had formed a team with six true disciples of the sect. Yet, one person had not managed to regroup.
“There is still no word from Senior Brother Li. Most likely he was displaced too far away, so the Sword-Heart Talisman cannot sense him,” the female cultivator explained.
“Forget it, let’s not mind him for now.” Gu Jianfeng narrowed his eyes slightly.
There were two possibilities why the Sword-Heart Talisman could not sense him.
The first was, as Junior Sister Zhao said, the distance was too great. The second was that Li Yuanhang had already perished, his Sword-Heart Talisman annihilating itself. Gu Jianfeng hoped it was the former.
Meanwhile, the very same Li Yuanhang spoken of wore a face full of terror.
He poured all of his mana from his dantian and qi sea into Sword Control Arts, transforming into a streak of rainbow light, fleeing frantically.
‘Damn it, how could such a terrifying existence appear within the Tianyan True Realm!’
‘Was that a Golden Core beast, or a True Monarch beast?’
‘Damn it, my death is nothing, but the sect’s true disciples must not all perish within this secret realm!’
‘Even if I die, I must reach the range of the Sword-Heart Talisman’s sensing, and notify Senior Brother Gu and the others to withdraw at once, lest they too be targeted by that monster!’
Not far behind the rainbow light, a pitch-black figure stepped through the air, sticking close like a bone-deep parasite, following Li Yuanhang relentlessly.
Its eyes were sunken, its face covered by a shattered bronze-colored Buddha mask. From the cracks could be faintly seen two pairs of crimson giant eyes, exuding cold cruelty.
This mask-wearing demon ape stood merely half a zhang tall, its entire body bound in countless dark-gold chains, suppressing its aura and strength to the extreme.
Yet the qi it exuded was both godly and demonic, immovable as a towering mountain.
As if growing bored of the cat-and-mouse game, the demon ape stepped forward.
“Boom!”
Li Yuanhang instantly spat blood, mixed with fragments of internal organs. Immediately after, countless dark-gold chains wrapped tightly around his body.
“What the hell is this thing!” Li Yuanhang revealed unrestrained terror.
The demon ape did not speak, as though admiring its masterpiece.
Only when Li Yuanhang’s dao foundation shattered and he became a pile of broken flesh did it lose interest, its gaze turning toward the southeast, in search of its next toy.